#I do like Kagami as a character I swear

[chocostrwberry]

Sentimaggedon!!

Sentimonster designs I came up with bc I was thinking about Argos’s debut in my AU! Bc I’m dumb and I haven’t thought too deep about him as a character to the story yet-

They were originally suppose to all be based on the seven deadly sins, especially Gasumptious (gluttony) and Elvy (envy). But I also wanted to branch into maybe Felix’s other hidden emotions, like his deep love for Kagami and his fear of being replaced by Adrien (Bride and Athazagora).

Argos becomes an official enemy when Dragonbug tells him they need to be destroyed. He defends them, saying they’re just “infants” and can learn how to behave properly with time. But a frustrated and exhausted Dragonbug she tells him they aren’t like humans and are created for one purpose: to serve and destroy. This hits home with Argos, and he develops a fear and hatred for Ladybug and swears his loyalty to Madame Morphisa afterwards in order to take her down and prove just how monstrous he can be.

I’m still kinda trying to find a way to make this concept work in my au. He promised to serve her in exchange for the peacock miraculous, and she wants him to use it to take Ladybug’s miraculous. In a novice attempt, he might have just starting creating multiple sentimonsters that he thought were harmless enough (something she did NOT expect), but they quickly spiraled out of control. It’s much easier to make sentimonsters based on others emotions, because you can predict which one you will create it off of. But instead, he chose his own, which makes it more difficult to tell how the sentimonster will act. I think it would show the aspect that these creatures do have a mind of their own, compared to previous Mayura sentimonsters who were easily controlled by their akumas!!

Red Moon

Red Moon is obviously already canon, but her power is instead hypnosis. If you get caught in her light, you stop whatever you are doing to stare at her. The streets of Paris become like a statue exhibit: countless of unlucky citizens are bathing in her glow, staring at the beauty of the red moon.

Gasumptious

As he devours, Gasumptious grows bigger and bigger. He’ll eat anything, so beware! After finishing most of the city, Gasumptious sits atop the Eiffel Tower and gnaws on its metal posts.

Elvy

Elvy lives in the sewers. She can control water and uses it to drain you of happy memories, which she keeps in floating green orbs and guards for herself.

It’s so silly to me how the manifestation of Felix’s jealousy of Adrien is fought and defeated by Chat Noir, who is Adrien ehehehheeh.

She also sounds like a Pokémon!! Probably like a Lapras, or the one that trills really pretty

Athazagora

A timid creature, Athazagora took over the catacombs, and hides in the shadows. You can hear the creaking and rattling of its wooden limbs in the dark as it stalk you. If you can’t escape, it envelops you in its cloak of darkness, never to be seen again.

Bride

The supposed advisor of Argos. She never leaves his side, and is always whispering something in his ear. To protect Argos, she showcases her ability to turn her arm into a long spear/sword, incredible strength and mobility, and that her body is made of an indestructible crystal.

Plus, he can make multiple sentimonsters bc he’s a sentihuman himself (Other people can’t. You can only make one, kind of like how the Butterfly miraculous can only Akumatize one person at a time, unless they share an object. Current excuse I’m going with that makes semi-sense HEHEHE) . So Lila totally wants to use that to her own advantage!

Ofc he fails, but she’s impressed with his resolve (and the lengths he was willing to go, albeit unintentionally), especially after sharing her goal of destroying Ladybug. Lila was feeling the effects of unification and now has a willing minion to do her bidding whenever she pleases.

If I decide to go with this plot, Lila has to end up forgetting Felix because of the curse. But she doesn’t care: all she really needs is Argos. I might need to retcon her revenge against Felix because of this but idm! It wasn’t very important to the plot anyways!

I was considering having Dragonbug in this episode, since she could use Perfection to snipe Red Moon out of the sky! The lucky charm would be like a wand that creates a sticky translucent web to keep the sentimonsters secure so they can go find their amoks.

And a sentimonster I never ended up including, Ava. I just didn’t have a reason to put her in there but I liked the yin and yang style of her design!!

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Every Episode of Miraculous Ladybug Season 5 Ranked (Part 2)

Part 1

(This site's stupid 30 images per post forced me to do this, so thanks for nothing, Tumblr)

#14: Transmission

I swear, I'm not doing these on purpose. This is just how I've been ranking the episodes.

Like I said in the last part, this episode just did not need to happen. The first half is cheap melodrama between Marinette and Adrien and the second half is a run of the mill Akuma fight with two different heroes. This is the story that seriously warranted two parts this season?

I just can't stand the fact that Marinette and Adrien gave up their Miraculous so easily here. Maybe if it was Season 2, Season 3 at the latest, I'd buy it, but near the middle of Season 5? They honestly view their love lives as more important than the battle with Monarch. If it was anything else like the stress or physical danger, I'd also be understanding, but Tikki and Plagg decide that Marinette and Adrien are so miserable that they need to be happy by losing their Miraculous without a fight. Remember, this was just two episodes after “Reunion”, which showed Joan of Arc was a Miraculous holder. So fighting in the Hundred Years' War didn't get so much as an ounce of concern from Tikki, but teenage angst is too much for her little heart to bear?

Maybe it's the benefit of knowing this won't be permanent, but the issue I have is how much the show draws this out for so long, as if the audience is supposed to buy it. “It's really happening, guys! Ladybug and Cat Noir won't be the stars anymore, we swear!” This kind of plot can work under the right circumstances. All you needed to do is at the very least, make it something they choose to do instead of their Kwamis taking their Miraculous away so we can see them weigh the benefits of giving up life as a superhero in ways that aren't exclusively about their love lives. I'd even buy it if it's something Ladybug and Cat Noir actually agreed on before quitting.

While I can sort of get Alya becoming Scarabella due to her experience with the Ladybug (even if she chose to give up using any Miraculous at the end of Season 4), Zoe getting the Cat just feels like the writers put a bunch of names in a hat and picked hers. The two just don't have as compelling a dynamic as Ladybug and Cat Noir do, because they don't get a lot of time to know each other. Alya and Zoe have almost never interact with each other, so the masks don't really shake up their relationship, because there's no relationship to speak of.

Also, the Akuma here was really forced. We know nothing about this new character while the show acts like we're supposed to know who he is based on some minor hints with Nora calling earlier. While I will give the show credit for arguably giving us the most powerful Akuma of all time due to being both a man and a bear, he's as forgettable as a villain as Kitty Noire is as a hero.

Just about nobody here comes out smelling like roses in this episode. The Kwamis are morons for caring about one ship becoming canon, Marinette and Adrien are selfish cowards for giving up their Miraculous with little hesitation, their friends are ignorant buffoons for thinking some random attempt to get Marinette and Adrien to talk will somehow seal the deal, and Alya and Zoe are idiots for not thinking that they should take off the shiny ring that tracks their every movement. It's a terrible episode, and the only reason why “Deflagration” is ranked higher is because it didn't irritate me as much as this one did.

#15: Determination

And now we're onto the really bad episodes this season.

This episode is pretty much what you've come to expect by Season 5. People keep forcing Marinette into situations she's clearly uncomfortable, and we're supposed to just laugh at her anxiety, because we still have eight episodes to go before the show decides to take her mental health seriously.

What makes this episode really sting for me is that it's Luka and Kagami that are forcing Marinette into these unfunny antics this time. For the most part, they never really stooped to this level and didn't try to force anything with their respective love interests until they had trouble in their relationships that required them to communicate. But now, even though one knows Marinette and Adrien are superheroes while the other is usually very blunt with her feelings (at least, before she became this season's next victim), they're going to try forcing Marinette and Adrien to spend time together even they both know they have feelings for each other and MY GOD, THIS IS SO STUPID! It's just a cheap excuse for more pointless shenanigans that stopped being funny years ago.

Yet somehow, that's not the worst of the Love Square drama this episode. It's here where we learn that Adrien fell in love with Marinette over a season ago, during a scene where she violated his personal space. In addition, Adrien somehow showed no signs of attraction to Marinette until the plot demanded it, and came right after another episode showing him falling for her. Why not make it the fake confession Marinette practiced with Cat Noir in “Glaciator 2”? The kiss Marinette gave Adrien at the end of “Heroes' Day”? I'd even take another umbrella scene callback like in “Mr. Pigeon 72”. But no, it's the statue scene that the writers decided on. It's like they noticed all the criticism Marinette got in that episode and were like “Joke's on you! Adrien actually liked being lusted over like an object!”.

And then the masks come on and make things even more convoluted. Adrien at least got to reflect on the events of a previous episode to explain his new feelings for Marinette, but what caused Ladybug to suddenly fall for Cat Noir after four seasons?

The writers don't even bother with an explanation for this. Ladybug spontaneously becomes attracted to Cat Noir with absolutely no foreshadowing, buildup, or even callbacks to earlier episodes. The writers either wanted to complicate things one last time before Adrienette became canon, they wanted to bury the Ladynoir conflict arc from last season in the sand, or the most likely option, a combination of both.

The idea of the public turning on Ladybug was an interesting one to take, seeing how she's been universally beloved for the past four seasons. But despite hinting at it in “Multiplication”, this is the farthest is goes, and even then, guess who's behind it? You can't keep raising points against the main characters if it's only Chloe who does it. It doesn't open debate on the story and essentially tells the audience that they're wrong to agree with her, no matter what kind of point she makes.

As dumb as the way it happened was, Ladybug still screwed up and endangered the city by losing the other Miraculous, but we can't actually challenge children by acknowledging that the hero actually did something wrong and needs to grow as a person. We need to use a recurring character as a strawman to tell the audience that only bad people think this way! Way to remove any interesting internal conflict, writers.

The Akuma was pretty weak, just being an older Puppeteer, down to using wax statues like what happened in “Puppeteer 2”. The army of wax heroes could have been interesting, but there wasn't enough time to do much with the idea. The one thing I liked was how the Ox Miraculous' Resistance was used. It felt like an upgrade instead of a core power Manipula got.

This episode pretty much set the stage for a new level of frustrating Love Square drama this season, and it was one of the season's first outright awful episodes.

#16: Conformation

The only reason this episode isn't at the bottom is because the rest of the ones on this list are far worse by comparison. Make of that what you will.

Like most season finales, this one continues the tradition of being better at buildup than actual execution. Gabriel's plan is pretty decent, even if it's just Heroes Day on a global scale. He utilizes his public influence and business skills to plan out a plan to get almost all of humanity working for him. While I don't like the Miraculized, I still think Gabriel being on top works here, especially since he's not going out into the field like the last three finales.

But other than an okay evil plan, this episode is still pretty bad. Marinette being infected with nightmare dust only happens to get her to the Agreste manor because the writers forgot that Marinette learned Gabriel was Monarch last episode. It could have been a decent way to up the stakes by showing Ladybug not being at 100%, but like everyone else, she just fights off the nightmare dust and doesn't have a single problem during her fight with Monarch. In general, the nightmare dust isn't really utilized well, only being an excuse to bring out the Miraculized. It doesn't impact everyone fighting off the Miraculized, and there's no lesson or theme about fear that's conveyed here.

Speaking of nightmare dust, I'm pretty sure the only reason why it was introduced in the first place was to bench Adrien, which is still easily one of the dumbest decisions the show has ever made. While everyone else had no problem resisting the nightmare dust, Adrien is just physically incapable of doing so because of some half-assed character arc the show pretended happened. So either Adrien got a more potent dosage of the nightmare dust, or Adrien's just too weak to actually overcome his fears. “Sandboy”? Never heard of it! The fact that the writers also tried to claim they were being subversive with fairy tale tropes and cliches didn't help, since it devalues Adrien as a character even further. He's not a superhero and Ladybug's closest ally. He's just some damsel in distress who needs to be saved. Let me just remind you, if the genders were reversed, this would not be seen as some bold move, but the same overused cliche trying to be something new.

I already talked about my problems with Nathalie in “Passion”, and the stuff she does here isn't really different. Despite enabling Gabriel for five seasons, the episode has the balls to act like Nathalie always had morals and is appalled by Gabriel planning to sacrifice someone to save his wife. Just remember, “Passion” established that Nathalie had a history as a treasure hunter, so this is like Indiana Jones not knowing what the Holy Grail does. Nathalie only got dumber than in “Passion” because she somehow thought she could take on a supervillain with nothing but a crossbow and a body that already has one foot in the grave. And just like Felix, Nathalie can't even apologize to Ladybug for the aiding and abetting a terrorist thing. Between Nathalie, Felix, and Gabriel, does using the Peacock Miraculous just make you an idiot?

While the buildup is decent, it's just not enough to really get audiences excited for the second part.

#17: Representation

This episode is yet another example of the show's double standards.

Without going into detail too much, this episode came right after “Revolution”, the one that essentially portrayed Audrey taking control of Chloe's life as a karmic punishment. What happens in this episode? We learn Felix's father literally took control of his life and it's portrayed as wrong as child abuse should be. That's why this episode is still better than “Revolution”. It at the very least understands how serious child abuse is, and tries to tell Felix's story with as much dignity as two teenagers in white onesies can have.

With that being said, there's a reason why this episode is as low as it is. The Sentimonster play used to tell Marinette about Felix is just so stupid. The sets and costumes look ridiculous, it's hard to take the story seriously with Felix and Kagami doing all the voices, and most of it is unnecessary since the whole point is to tell Marinette that Gabriel is Monarch... something that the writers decided she needed to find out on her own in the next episode. It comes across less like Felix trying to alert Ladybug to who Monarch really is and more like he's just trying to justify his own actions. Hell, the actual reason he decided to tell Marinette about Gabriel was because he and Kagami were worried about their own relationship being ruined by him. And yet somehow, Ladybug lets him on the team at the end of the season.

The stuff with Adrien was also pretty dumb. It's cheap fanservice that reminds the audience of Cat Blanc when none of the characters should know who Cat Blanc is. You can call him Anticat all you want, but everyone can see that he's just Cat Blanc with blue hair. It's bad enough that this was what all the times Cat Noir almost Cataclysming people this season was meant to lead up to, but this is pretty much the reason why Adrien is benched during the finale.

This episode really shows how desperate the writers are to make people take this show seriously by showing serious topics like genocide and child abuse, as if the show didn't already ignore the horrible implications previous episodes (like the very last one before this) raised and will continue to raise during the season finale. So much of the episode is just dark for the sake of being dark. It's nothing too horrifying for children, of course, but the issue is how obvious it is that the writers are trying to raise the stakes right before the season finale and show how mature the show's writing is. For lack of a better term, it's this show's equivalent to “Ow The Edge”.

#18: Revelation

Get ready for the episode where the writers abandon all attempts to be subtle and create an episode specifically to attack people who think Chloe isn't the most evil character on the show. Because how dare they be optimistic and try to see the good in people! What do they think this is, a kids' show?

While a big problem with the Lila episodes was how stupid the class is, this episode made it so Marinette got to join in on losing brain cells too. Despite outright admitting to neglecting her duties as class representative (as absurd as it is to be in charge of notifying teachers about student progress they should be aware of), we're supposed to agree with her for not telling her teacher about Chloe cheating. Not only does this make no sense since you'd think Marinette would want to see Chloe get punished, but her claiming that all Chloe does is abuse her privileges loses any point to it because Marinette admitted to not doing her job as class representative, making her just as lazy as Chloe and unintentionally helping her through not telling the teachers. And that's not even getting into how many times Marinette has broken the secret identity rule despite also being the one to enforce it the most as the Guardian.

If the episode at least admitted to Marinette having personal issues that prevented her from displaying any form of professionalism towards Chloe (especially since this episode takes place after “Derision”), that'd be fine. Sometimes, people just can't let bygones be bygones and let their emotions dictate how they handle things. If she willingly resigned from her position by admitting she was just as at fault for Chloe getting as far as she did with her cheating, that would have worked. Instead, the episode does the same things it did with Adrien for the last few seasons: Go out of its way to vindicate Marinette's complaining and never even consider the idea of her being wrong in the slightest.

It's also hilarious to see Ms. Bustier act like an actual teacher for once and plan to work with Chloe to help make up her missed work, but portray it as a bad thing because in Marinette's eyes, that's not a punishment. Since the school year is almost over, Chloe will have to attend summer school at best and be held back or even expelled at worst. How the hell does that not count as a punishment, Marinette?

And don't forget how she gets not one, but two separate scenes insulting people for being idealistic and not wanting to write off people as beyond saving, the second one being copied from Astruc's Twittter.

And remember, this was right before a string of episodes where characters were able to change their ways, including Sabrina (Chloe's accomplice), Andre (Chloe's enabler), and Gabriel (Chloe's supervillain contact). How the hell is Chloe the only one being written off as irredeemable when she didn't pull off any of her evil plans without help? You can still punish Chloe. All I want is for the other characters to be punished as well.

But let's talk about the main event for this episode: Lila. In one of the most confusing “twists” in the show's history, she's now an identity thief who lives with three different mothers. Why? Because the writers have no idea how to hype people up for her being the main villain for Season 6, so they think just making her mysterious for the sake of making her mysterious is enough to build her up as a villain. It's like the writers realized Lila had absolutely zero resources of her own, so they felt like they needed to establish her as an evil genius to compensate. “Who cares if there's no logical explanation for how she's gotten as far as she has despite constantly boasting about her celebrity connections in public? We have to make her vague and mysterious, damn it! It worked for Judas Traveller and Kaine, didn't it?”

This episode takes multiple shots at fans and tries to make Lila seem more compelling than she actually is. It feels more like damage control than an actual plot-relevant episode.

#19: Illusion

Want to see the main characters acting like idiots for almost a half-hour? No? Too bad!

So much of this episode's conflict, the characters trying to investigate a possible lead related to Monarch, comes from everyone making stupid decisions. Nino tries to get one of the most influencial men in Paris akumatized, talks about it in public, falls for his trick, and lets him into his secret alliance. This season really cemented his role as the Zapp Brannigan of Miraculous Ladybug with how incompetent he is. If you really want to start portraying Nino as a tactical genius, maybe you should actually show him doing something smart instead of getting outsmarted by obvious tricks.

Of course, the other characters aren't immune to Nino's stupidity either. Marinette, Adrien, and Alya just go along with his asinine plan to get Gabriel akumatized, never question his logic, and ultimately still go along with the Resistance despite how obnoxious their leader is. The worst part is Ladybug not recognizing her own partner being stung by Venom... when they're fighting someone with access to over a dozen Miraculous. I know Cat Noir was born with glass bones and paper skin, but I don't think he literally freezes in terror when he's scared. And of course, Ladybug never questions the tiny invisible men who stunned Cat Noir after this scene.

The cafeteria scene is something that should really be cited as an example of how terrible this show is with acknowledging continuity. You thought there would be some compelling drama discussing the secret identity rule and all the double standards it has? NOPE! It's a funny joke about how confusing the identity stuff is at this point. The fact that Nino somehow doesn't understand the concept of secret identities in this scene is yet another reason as to why he isn't even qualified to lead an anime club, much less a resistance against Monarch.

The idea of Monarch using an illusion to fight Ladybug and Cat Noir was an interesting one, but it still had some holes. For one thing, what if the two heroes can't dodge one of the illusion Collector's attacks? What if they're fast enough to try tying him up, only to dispel the illusion? The entire plan pretty much relies on the fact that Ladybug and Cat Noir are too slow to catch the Collector.

But one scene that has only become more questionable after the finale is Ladybug trying to reach through to the illusion Collector. Like several episodes this season, it comes across like the show is spitting on idealism and wanting to solve problems peacefully because Monarch tricked Ladybug into believing he willingly rejected an Akuma. Remember kids, if someone says they want to change, it's really a trick as part of an evil supervillain's plan to maintain his secret identity.

This episode is like a microcosm of everything wrong with Season 5. Poor morals, characters acting like idiots, shooting down any potential for plot development, and being told characters are right when their actions say otherwise.

#20: Confrontation

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the episode where the writers just gave up.

There is just so much that happens in this episode that the writers cram in. There's Marinette's “final” confrontation with Lila, the battle with Reflekta, Sabrina's redemption, Juleka's character development, Ms. Bustier's character development, Mr. Damocles' character development, and the reveal of Lila's true nature. I don't think I need to tell you that the writers struggle to make all of these plot threads work in less than a half-hour.

First off, Marinette and Lila. The previous episode implied that Marinette let Lila have this short-term victory because she had her own plan to expose her. This episode puts that plan into action. See, she has the genius idea of going along with submitting school application forms to Lila and Chloe with no actual countermeasure in place, waiting for Sabrina to have a sudden change of heart so they can work together to expose Lila and Chloe through a bathroom peephole. This is the kind of tactical intelligence that will be studied in the history books, let me tell you. There's just no weight to Marinette and Lila's final battle of wits because there isn't any. There's no series of gambits or scenarios that actually pit their minds against each other, so you don't get a lot of satisfaction from Marinette's triumph over Lila. It doesn't help that there's more focus on Sabrina than on Marinette, but I'll get to that later. Even the actual payoff is anti-climactic. Most of the class' apology to Marinette was deleted because Mr. Damocles using a Magical Charm shield was just too important to leave on the cutting room floor according to the writers.

This episode really shows just how Marinette's classmates are like NPCs in the Lila-centric stories. They don't second guess Lila's accusations due to their past experiences with Marinette, and as soon as Marinette's name is cleared, they instantly apologize to her and don't even think about how easily they were fooled by Lila and Chloe. The worst example is Alya, Marinette's confidant and someone who was trusted to temporarily use the Ladybug Miraculous last episode, falling for this and not trusting Marinette. My sister in Christ, your friend goes out and saves lives on a weekly basis at least. How can you fall for Lila's story? This is why I think the Lila episodes should have all been set pre-Season 4, so Alya falling for Lila's lies is a little more believable since she isn't already in on Marinette's biggest secret.

I also have to roll my eyes at how melodramatic the talk about everyone's “futures” is. Yes, I don't know a lot about the French education system (If there's anything I'm getting wrong here, don't hesitate to let me know), but I don't get why they're treating their high school choices like such a big deal. Maybe if it was college, I'd get it, but high school? Why can't you just transfer if it doesn't work out? But then again, this is the same show created by a man who thinks school uniforms are a sign of fascism.

THIS IS WHAT THOMAS ASTRUC ACTUALLY BELIEVES.

Speaking of futures, this episode also showed just how little the writers cared about Adrien at this point, with how a supposedly heartwaming moment is him having no plan in life other than Marinette. I know this might seem weird given my problem with him last season was his refusal to think about anyone but himself, but there's a difference between wanting someone to follow orders without complaining and giving them absolutely no motivation outside of their significant other. And once again, if you swap the genders, this becomes sexist as hell.

But the big problem comes in the form of how the side characters are utilized. I don't know why the writers decided to focus on developing characters like Sabrina, Juleka, Ms. Bustier, and Mr. Damocles with five episodes left in the season. This should have been done in earlier episodes, not in the middle of a major story arc. I'm just left not caring about the development because it takes away from the conflict between Marinette and Lila, to say nothing about how little Adrien and Alya contribute to the story.

To me, this episode feels like the writers had no idea how to make Marinette outsmarting Lila into an episode, so they crammed in all these half-assed character arcs to pad out the runtime. While “Revelation” personally upset me more, I personally think this is the worse episode of the two from a writing standpoint.

#21: Revolution

Given how often I've criticized the way Chloe has been handled over the years, I bet you're surprised that this one isn't at the bottom of the list. You'll be even more surprised to learn that I think Chloe is one of this episode's saving graces.

This episode (along with “Derision”) provide an example of the Chloe we should have gotten ever since Season 3 ended: A villain who's allowed to be a threat while still being funny. So much of the past two seasons have done nothing but portray Chloe as nothing but an incompetent joke, but here, near the end of the season, she's in a position of power and is taken seriously. The episode does a good job showing how tyrannical Chloe's rule as Mayor is while still making it funny and in-character for her. She uses her power on frivolous things because she's a teenage girl who doesn't understand the complicated issues that come with politics. It's also why her idea of punishment involves detention, because it's something she's more familiar with as someone in middle school. Of course, even the episode all about Chloe ruling Paris with an iron fist isn't stupid enough to actually let Chloe be a compelling antagonist. No, we need to constantly remind the audience that Chloe is being played, as if we're supposed to see her as nothing more than a pawn even though the show still wants us to see her as an irredeemable monster.

Putting aside that one speck of something interesting, this episode is still incredibly bad. So much of the story is dependent not on how smart the villains' plan is, but rather, how lazy the heroes are. Not only is there not a single moment where Ladybug and Cat Noir acknowledge that the whole reason why Chloe was able to take over as Mayor was their fault, they act as if Chloe abusing her power to make everyone's life a living hell isn't enough of a reason to stop her. What kind of Prime Directive bullshit is this? YOU JUST HELPED SOMEONE LEAD AN INSURRECTION AGAINST A POWERLESS CIVILIAN! HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT?! If there was at least something involving Ladybug and Cat Noir taking responsibility for what happened or at least showing that they played a part in this (especially since they “grow up” in this episode), I'd get it. Instead, because this is Season 5, our heroes are perfection incarnate, and can't ever be wrong. Even when they finally decide to get off their asses and stop Chloe, they didn't know she was akumatized, and nobody seemed to care before Chloe blurted it out, so Ladybug and Cat Noir have no excuses for slacking off.

The final battle is just a joke. Not only is it another excuse to force the Resistance into the plot, it shows Ladybug and Cat Noir unlocking the full power of their Miraculous in the most anti-climactic way possible. Even though they spent most of the episode caring more about their personal lives than actually stopping the obvious threat, somehow, this means they “grew up”. There's no buildup, no explanation, and no catharsis gained from this achievement. All of a sudden, Ladybug and Cat Noir are adults now. There's one decent scene with Adrien, but that's far from an actual explanation. What, did you actually expect an explanation for something this huge? Too bad! We need to have Marinette tell Chloe she's not afraid of her anymore even though she was never afraid of her prior to this season. Of all the things that happened this season, this is the one that makes it clear that Season 5 was supposed to be the end. There is no way Season 6 can happen unless the writers come up with some crap that undoes this, because Ladybug and Cat Noir have essentially unlocked god mode.

But I saved the worst for last, and you all know what it is: Chloe's punishment. I still can't get over the fact that there's actually a scene heavily implying we're supposed to be happy Chloe is going to live with her emotionally abusive mother in the same season that's trying to tell a serious story about child abuse. There's already been so much said about all the horrible things this implies, so I'm going to try and bring up something else. Specifically, how everyone is just okay with this. I can buy Ladybug given all the things Chloe has done to her, but it's pretty odd that Cat Noir, Andre, and Zoe all decide to wash their hands of their association with Chloe as if they never knew her. They don't even feel bad that it had to come to this, and feel absolutely no sympathy for her. Remember in episodes like “Malediktator” and “Queen Banana” that showed Adrien and Zoe still cared for Chloe despite all the terrible things she's done, teaching kids a lesson about trying to show compassion to your enemies? The writers sure didn't, because Adrien and Zoe don't get to say a thing about Chloe after she's defeated. Way to establish connections between characters and do nothing with them, writers!

This episode had so many things wrong with it, and it only got worse the longer it went on, to the point where the ending is essentially condoning child abuse. It's disgusting, but at the very least, it means we're not going to have to deal with Chloe in Season 6.

.....

#22: Adoration

This is one of those episodes I honestly didn't think would hate as much as I did.

I think of all the episodes this season, this is the one that shows how frustratingly inconsistent the characterization is. Characters will either announce how much someone has changed or will take a complete 180 while the show makes it clear this is how things have always been. Not only does the show say Zoe has somehow changed and suddenly developed feelings for Marinette, but Chloe's view of Sabrina has gotten even lower, to the point where she calls her an underling to her face. Because actually showing character development and changing interpersonal relationships is too hard for these writers. It's like that rule everyone knows: Tell, don't show. That's how it goes, right?

Before anyone gets on my case about this, I'm not trying to say that Zoe having a crush on Marinette was a bad idea. The issue is more how it comes across like the show is trying to earn brownie points with LGBT+ audiences with the reveal. The issue is that this major revelation isn't about Zoe, but rather, Marinette. It's from a Marinette-focused episode all about her heterosexual feelings for Adrien while Zoe's coming out story is nothing more than a cautionary tale to get Marinette to finally try kissing Adrien. I'm not saying Marinette should have dumped Adrien to be with Zoe. The point I'm trying to make is if you want to show something as huge as a character coming out as sapphic, maybe put more focus on that character's struggles than the struggles the straight main character goes through. Maybe instead of being an afterthought in the story, make the episode about Marinette helping Zoe confess her feelings to a girl she likes.

This was also the episode that laid the groundwork for Andre and Sabrina's “redemption arcs”. Normally, I wouldn't mind something like them changing, but it's less to show a character becoming a better person and more to vilify a different character. Andre went from a corrupt politician who abuses his power to please his daughter to an honest politician who is forced to abuse his power to please his daughter. Sabrina went from Chloe's loyal friend who chooses to help her make people miserable to Chloe's underling who is being forced to help make people miserable. Both of them were perfectly willing to go along with Chloe's acts in the past, and as we saw in “Revolution”, being a pawn didn't excuse her from being punished, so by that logic, they shouldn't get a free pass either. It's also strange how this wasn't the episode where Andre and Sabrina officially cut ties with Chloe, considering they already had issues with them. There wasn't really a reason to wait if they already made their issues clear, especially Sabrina. Somehow framing Marinette here is okay but doing it a few episodes later is too much for her?

Also, Lila served no purpose in the episode. Just like in “Collusion” and “Revolution”, all she does is tell Chloe to do things she was perfectly capable of doing in earlier episodes. We're supposed to see her as a mastermind, but I don't get why she has to hold Chloe's hand here. Why can't Lila come up with her own plan or manipulate different people from behind the scenes? It only further highlights the double standards because while Sabrina being a lackey to Chloe earns her sympathy, Chloe being a lackey to Lila doesn't for some reason.

I am getting really tired of the whole “Nobody believes Marinette” formula that every Lila episode relies on (Chameleon, Ladybug, Risk, Revelation, Confrontation). It's the exact same story. Everyone who has known Marinette for the past four seasons suddenly loses all trust in her, only instead of instantly believing Lila, it's Chloe. CHLOE. This is worse than Lila, because she's at least in good graces with other people, but this is the same season that solidified the idea of nobody liking her at all. They seriously take her words at face value over Marinette, someone whose friends know has tormented her for a year at least (Derision)? Put aside how I feel about Chloe, this is a story that depends on trusting someone nobody has any reason to trust, and it makes no sense.

There are just so many minor issues in this episode that pile up enough to really piss me off. It's like a death by a thousand cuts.

#23: Collusion

I normally don't try to get political on this blog unless I absolutely have to, and talking about this episode is one of those occasions.

If you've been around since the early days of this blog, you'll remember that Astruc once compared Chloe to Donald Trump, and not too long after the January 6th attack on the Capitol Building at that.

Even before that thread, Astruc made a joke comparing Trump to Chloe less than a week after the attack.

Whether you agree with Astruc's views on Trump or not, the point is that he kept up with American politics and strongly opposes him. So anyway, let's get to the episode where the heroes let someone lead a small army to storm the mayor's office and force him to resign, which is totally different from what Trump did.

I cannot get over just how confusing this episode is. For a show created by someone who usually keeps up with American politics, this is such a tone-deaf episode. I get that the story is trying to lean into French history, and I'm not sure how far into production the crew was when the attack on the Capitol happened, but given how Astruc was aware of the drama, he and his team should have at least considered the implications this episode could raise. The problem with the discussion around January 6th is that the supporters see it in as righteous a light as Miss Sans-Culotte is. As far as they know, what happened wasn't a violent invasion of government property, but a peaceful demonstration. Sure, none of the talking balloons said “Hang Andre Bourgeois!”, but it still brings similar imagery to mind.

Something that also harms the French Revolution narrative is the fact that all of Miss Sans-Culotte's supporters are helping her against her will. Much like countless Akumas throughout the show's history (Darkblade, Kung Food, The Puppeteer, Princess Fragrance, Despair Bear, Befana, Zombizou, Malediktator, Gamer 2.0, Mr. Pigeon 72, Hack-San, Revelation, Confrontation), Miss Sans-Culotte brainwashes innocent civilians so they can help her cause. This goes against the idea that she's speaking for the people, because her victims don't have a say in this. She's not reenacting the French Revolution, she's reenacting Order 66!

Also, this is something I've neglected to discuss. Why make Miss Bustier pregnant at all, much less akumatize her while pregnant? Outside of her students telling Chloe not to make a scene because the stress caused from dealing that is bad for the baby, Ms. Bustier's pregnancy adds nothing to the story. Seriously, the story thinks Chloe annoying the class is more dangerous for Ms. Bustier's baby than Ms. Bustier herself running around and getting into fights with her baby inside. It could have made for some interesting drama where Ladybug and Cat Noir are hesitant to hurt a pregnant woman, even if she's been akumatized. While the writers do try to work around it by giving her minions to do the fighting (as much as it mucks up the themes of this episode), it still doesn't explain why she needed to be pregnant during this episode in the first place.

Putting aside how unlikable Miss Sans-Culotte is in this episode, you can't even enjoy seeing Andre getting kicked out of office because this is the same episode where the writers really want us to feel bad for him. Look at how sad the rich white politician is. Let's ignore the fact that he's a big part of the reason why Chloe is as bad as she is, has abused his power multiple times, and is all around the cause of his own problems. But even though this is a show that tries to take an anti-capitalist stance (which I'll get to more in “Emotion”), we're supposed to side with one of the biggest symbols of everything wrong with capitalism and political corruption. Even then, Andre is framed for corruption instead of the several instances he actually abused his power, as if they're trying to say he was never a corrupt man. He just loves his daughter. Is that too much to ask for? His daughter herself? Eh, who cares? You really need to support the rich white man. Are we sure this show was created by a liberal?

But the biggest issue is the moral. It's impossible to frame Miss Sans-Culotte storming the mayor's office as a peaceful protest because she's clearly inspired by one of the bloodiest and most violent revolutions in history. If she was supposed to be a violent warrior who needed to learn there was a better way, that would work, but instead, the show downplays how dangerous she is... when she has a guillotine blade for a weapon. You can't claim Miss Sans-Culotte is non-violently protesting Andre's administration when she brainwashes innocent civilians, storms into the building, and demands he resign without any question. Even taking all that into consideration, the moral ends up backfiring because forcing Andre out of office caused an even bigger problem with Chloe taking over, and the very next episode threw the non-violence message out the window.

Whether or not you want to consider the political implications here, this is still a terrible episode with a terrible moral.

#24: Pretension

I've always had issues with Felix, and after the trainwreck that was “Emotion”, let's just say this didn't exactly do anything to raise my opinion of him. Just like his other appearances for the last few seasons, he did absolutely nothing to help Ladybug, focused on only doing things that benefited him, and making everyone's lives worse due to his incompetence. And somehow, this idiot is the one who moves the plot along the most.

The entire conflict happened because Felix kidnapped Kagami without even coming up with a plan. Even when he believes that Kagami is a Sentimonster (I apologize for saying that word Felix hates, but once again, the show provides no alternative to it), he doesn't think of Tomoe being able to track her or command her to leave even at a far distance. He doesn't even try to explain himself to Ladybug and Cat Noir and spends more time running away from everyone who wants to kick his ass. But by the show's logic, he just needs friends, even though his entire deal is that he works alone to get what he wants.

It's bad enough that Felix has to screw up everything he touches, but now he's dragging Kagami to his level. Kagami has cemented her role as Felix's lackey/girlfriend and nothing more. People give Marinette crap for the way the behaves around Adrien in and out of universe, but Kagami knows nothing about Felix, yet a single conversation about his past is enough for her to fall head over heels in love with him. She went from someone not willing to take any bullcrap from Marinette and Adrien to believing Felix's story in a fraction of a heartbeat. This season really likes ruining the few likable characters the show has left.

I also have to roll my eyes at the conversation Marinette and Gabriel have about fashion. For one thing, it's one of the few times the entire season remembers that Marinette wants to be a fashion designer and doesn't really factor into her rivalry with Gabriel. This season made their conflict revolve around how to treat Adrien, not their views on fashion. It feels like they only brought it up to remind viewers that Marinette is still into fashion. Well, that, and also to take a stance on artistic integrity... supposedly.

And on that note, it's amazing how the writers display little to no self-awareness during this scene. The show that embraces sticking to the status quo and rejecting almost any attempt at keeping consistent continuity is now trying to teach children about the importance of being willing to take risks when creating something. This is like Hannibal Lecter trying to promote veganism. I get the message, but the messenger's history is keeping me from buying it. It doesn't help that for a scene trying to point out how outdated certain views are, the show ultimately chooses to take the side of the man with the “wrong” mindset by the end of the season.

The pancake metaphor really confuses me too. It's meant to be a running gag that the only thing Gabriel knows how to cook is pancakes, but A) Nothing is really indicated to show how terrible they are as a metaphor for how bad his outdated views are other than Marinette's verbal assessment of them, and B) We later learn Gabriel used to be poor, so either he never knew how to cook prior to earning his fortune or being rich somehow made him forget basic living skills. I'm just saying, when an episode of Sid the Science Kid manages to better convey someone doing a terrible job making pancakes, you might need to put in a little more effort to show how bad Gabriel's pancakes supposedly are.

Finally, Tomoe. This episode didn't really do much to show her as a compelling threat, given all she did was nag Gabriel and try to shoot her daughter when she didn't even try commanding her to fight back when she was kidnapped. She's nothing more than a female Gabriel and is another example of how overstuffed this show's cast is,

This episode is awful, plain and simple. It took aspects from previous episodes that were already questionable, and doubled down on them while acting like there weren't any problems at all.

#25: Derision

And now we're onto the really, REALLY bad episodes this season. One of the reasons why this post took so long to make was that I wasn't sure how to rank these last three episodes. Thankfully, I managed to find a way to rank them based on the morals are executed. With that being said, let's start scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Ah, “Derision”. You're the only episode that makes the backlash caused by “Chameleon” seem like a pleasant breeze. It's incredible to see just how much negative a reputation this episode has in the fandom. Virtually nobody likes it because it manages to upset everyone with its poor characterization. I'm talking Marinette fans, Adrien fans, Chloe fans, Kim fans, and pretty much every other character's fans. I've only seen a few die hard fans defend this episode, and they're the people on Tumblr who defend pretty much everything done this season.

I have just one question to ask about this episode: Why did it need to happen? We didn't learn anything new that we didn't know already. We know Chloe is mean, and we know Marinette used to be more timid and had no friends. We didn't even need that much of an explanation for why Marinette acts the way she does around Adrien, seeing how it was usually played for laughs

Speaking of which, let's talk about the fact that the episode tries to shame the audience for laughing at the jokes about Marinette's reactions to Adrien. You know, something that was the show's primary running gag ever since Season 1? A running gag the writers ran into the ground by the end of Season 3 but still chose to go with it? Now we're not supposed to have laughed at it, assuming we laughed at it all. Way to insult even the small portion of viewers who didn't get on your case about this, writers.

I only have about two positive things to say about this episode. For one thing, Chloe actually served as a pretty decent antagonist in the flashbacks. Much like in “Revolution”, when the writers actually let her be a villain on her own without being made a pawn, she can be somewhat entertaining. If this was the Chloe we got after Season 3, I don't I would have been as upset at the direction Astruc's team took with the character.

In addition, the thing that saves this episode from being at the bottom is that unlike the next two, it actually understands that what the antagonist did was wrong. They don't make up excuses for what Chloe did and she actually gets called out as a result. It doesn't lead to anything major, but it's something.

Like with “Queen Banana”, there's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said. There's plenty of retcons, the characterization for everyone is off, it attacks the audience, and the message about trauma got fumbled by the show's usual double standards. It's been said over and over again, and it's become a symbol of how much the show's quality has degraded.

#26: Emotion

I think if you've kept up with my reviews of this season, you should know by now that I don't exactly like Felix, and most of the problems I have with him can be attributed to this episode. In fact, for a while, this was going to be my choice for the bottom slot.

It's clear that the writers want to make Felix this wild card who's only in it for himself, but like most of the show's antagonists, they want to show Felix as this devious mastermind... but he's also not really evil, and you should feel bad for him. For most of the episode, Felix does nothing but make everyone's lives worse during his first outing as Argos. He smears his cousin's reputation yet again, tricks his girlfriend into dancing with him, condemns some rich kids for the crime of being rich when he's just as rich, and eventually wipes out all life on the face of the earth. But he's just doing it for his cousin, we swear!

While Felix has understandable motivations for what he does, wanting to free Adrien and Kagami, the way he tries to achieve his goal makes it hard to sympathize with him. If the whole point was that what he did was wrong and that he needs to find a different way, that could work. Instead, we're supposed to see him as this tragic figure who was forced to do terrible things when the episode shows him happily singing while causing chaos. It's the same problem with Gabriel, wanting a sympathetic character to do unapologetically evil things. The fact that he has to be told that genocide is bad doesn't make us want to sympathize with him when he breaks down crying. It paints a picture that he's crazy but the show wants to act like he isn't.

Even putting all the crap with Felix aside, the episode is still unbearable. The stuff with Marinette was poorly executed and was just done to get her involved in the plot, and later become the first one to excuse Felix for betraying her. Other than the dance scene, you could easily just have Marinette swing in as Ladybug when Argos starts his rampage and nothing would really change. The episode tries to make jokes about how unnecessary this is, but as usual, its attempts to be self-aware come across like its saying “What we're doing it wrong, we know it's wrong, but we're gonna do it anyway!”

Speaking of the dance scene, I can't stop rolling my eyes whenever Felix tries to be all “We live in a society” to Marinette. Forget the corrupt politicians, corporate moguls, human traffickers, and despotic rulers of foreign nations. The absolute worst section of humanity is composed of the teenage children of the 1%. Sure, you'd have to break my legs before I'd agree to supervise them at this party, but I don't get why these are the people we're supposed to see as irredeemable monsters. Do the writers think because these kids associate themselves with Chloe, we'll automatically hate them? Newsflash, but if I had to choose between hanging out with some annoying kids and a mass murderer, I'd stick with the annoying kids.

Rewatching this episode was what helped me finally realize just what my problem with the show's anti-capitalist message is. How the hell am I supposed to hate the villains on this show for being rich when several characters are rich or at the very least, are successful thanks to their connections to the rich? Think about it for a second. Putting aside Adrien and Kagami, you have Marinette, the daughter of two of the most popular bakers in Paris and earned the respect of multiple celebrities, Alya, the daughter of a chef who works at a five-star hotel, Nino, someone who got to DJ at a major fashion show, Rose, who is friends with a literal prince, Luka and Juleka, the children of a popular rock star, and Max, the son of an astronaut with access to cutting-edge technology. Somehow, these people are supposed to be poor? They make Monica from Friends look like Oscar the Grouch. It's why I can't take the message seriously. You can't write a story about a class struggle when both classes are shown to be pretty well-off.

The only thing that saves this episode from being at the bottom of the list is the fact that despite committing genocide while singing, Felix at least gets what he did was wrong and makes up for it. It doesn't fix everything else he did in this episode, but that's better than nothing. As for the villain featured in the episode that's at the bottom of this list? If you've been keeping track, I think you know who I mean.

#27: Re-Creation

I'll admit, I'm sort of cheating here. I'm judging this episode more as a finale than an individual episode, but I'm making an exception because the plot is tied to wrapping up all the loose ends this season.

I'm mentioning this because for a season finale, the stakes just feel so low. The fight between Bug Noire and Monarch doesn't have any weight to it because they've barely interacted at all for the last five seasons. These are supposed to be two mortal enemies, but you can't really buy the enmity between them. It ultimately cheapens the moment of Bug Noire triumphing over Monarch in the end... before Monarch triumphs over her not long afterwards, but we'll get to that.

The stuff with the Miraculized doesn't help either. We already know that the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous are in the Agreste manor, so the Miraculized's goal is impossible to achieve. It's never even explained why the Miraculized don't go back to the manor to help Monarch beat Bug Noire, since they should still be able to track the Miraculous. All of the fights with them just come across like filler, and there's no real sense of danger or hopelessness to be found. Whether the Miraculized win or lose is irrelevant. Nothing will happen either way because the important stuff is happening in the Agreste manor.

This extends to the part where all the heroes appear to help. It doesn't come across as an Avengers-esque moment for the climax, because it doesn't change anything. The episode never explains what any of these characters were doing prior to the events of this episode and why only now they're helping out. The United Heroes are the most egregious example because unlike Fei or Su-Han, they're a major organization whose members include the president, and they didn't do a damn thing when Monarch stole all of the other Miraculous. Speaking of, there is no way in hell that Su-Han taught Mirakung-Fu to three random people over Ladybug and Cat Noir, much less that those three people are actual masters after about two months at best. Maybe they got to train in Bunnix's Burrow? After all, she's not doing anything else to stop the end of the world other than sending four people over to Paris. This whole sequence really highlights how bland the other heroes of this universe are. If they're not slacking off when they're needed, they're criminally underdeveloped because there's a slim chance they'll get spin-offs to flesh them out.

But I think the biggest issue me and other people have with this finale is the resolution. In what is easily one of the most baffling decisions the show has made, Bug Noire doesn't defeat Monarch, and Monarch gets to make his wish. I don't care how many times the writers technically say she won because she beat him in a fight. Gabriel backstabbed her at the last minute and got her Miraculous to make his wish. Yeah, he died, but he succeed in achieving his goal, never faced any real consequences, didn't get any closure with his son (much less apologize for abusing him), told Marinette to lie about the monster he was to him, and was turned into a martyr with a statue made of the same things he used to control the world.

This ending infuriates me because it not only makes Marinette out to be a terrible hero for failing to do the one thing she was chosen to do (get the Butterfly Miraculous back), but it also ultimately makes Gabriel out to be a decent person even though he destroyed and recreated the world. All Marinette did was take credit for saving the world, and even then, Gabriel got more celebration in the end. Our hero, ladies and gentlemen! She got outsmarted by an abusive parent and didn't even get a new statue in her honor!

But the most damning thing of all this is the fact that this finale retroactively makes everything that's happened over the last five seasons completely pointless. If Gabriel making a wish wasn't as bad as it was supposed to be, why didn't Ladybug and Cat Noir let him borrow their Miraculous? Why make the stakes this high if you're going to downplay the impact of a madman recreating the world in his own image? Follow-up question: why make the stakes this high if the wish being made is ultimately shown to have huge benefits for society? In an attempt to wrap things up with a happy ending, the writers accidentally made the conflict completely meaningless.

That's why this resolution is the ultimate example of the writers refusing to allow any major changes to happen. If they're willing to treat the end of the universe as less important than Ms. Bustier becoming mayor, why should we assume they'll ever take their story seriously? For God's sake, every character you know and love is essentially dead, and we're supposed to act like that isn't a big deal? That's how you wanted to end the show originally? Then again, at least they tried to resolve something, unlike the Love Square. We still haven't gotten a reveal, and I don't think we ever will at this point. These writers will drag out the story until the show stops becoming profitable, which won't be for a long time.

And with that, I am officially done with Season 5. Honestly, after having to rewatch this season again, I'm not sure if it's even worth giving Season 6 a shot. There's nothing to look forward to, and Lila becoming the main villain isn't really appealing to me. At the very least, I have the movie review to look forward to, meaning I can watch something good for a change.

[flightfoot]

Marinette Completed Angst Fic Reclist

I know some people really like this genre, so I figured I'd make a list for it! These will obviously all be completed, and none of them will be bashing fics, and PLEASE don't rec any fics on this post that are bashing fics, I don't want to see them.

Some of these will have my own commentary about the fic attached to it, for if I've put them on a previous reclist where I had that commentary written out. But a lot of the older fics won't.

For a fic to count for this, the angst Marinette goes through can't just be her being upset about what someone else is going through, though the angst of the fic doesn't only need to be hers, so long as she has her own angst which is a decently prominent part of the fic.

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one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace.

Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack for the last remaining Miraculous: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most.

Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.

This is a simply phenomenal fic. You get to explore a lot of different perspectives, like Felix, Kagami, Marinette, and Adrien’s, just to name a few, and see their different thought processes and plans and priorities, and how it can cause their plans to collide with each other, even when they all ultimately are aiming for a good outcome for everyone. The characters are pretty complex and can mess up at times, even when they’re doing things (or not doing things, looking at you Luka) with the best of intentions. It was a joy to read and a real nail-biter the whole time, I actually wrote a fic for it halfway through just to resolve some of the tension for myself, One Does Not Love Shadows.

It also features the version of Luka I’ve connected best with to date, as he feels like Luka, but also is a lot more fleshed out, and can make some major errors while simply trying to avoid missteps. It’s helped me get a better handle on a character who I’ve generally had a lot of problems with really understanding.

It is an M-rated fic, though I think Wackus is being overly cautious on that front. There’s no sexual content and I wouldn’t put the violence or gore above a T-rating, so I wouldn’t let the rating scare you off.

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you don’t even know me at all (but I was made for loving you) by @ladyofthenoodle

They didn’t remember each other. The hospital told them there’d been an accident—brain damage—but Alya had told them the truth, later. Who’d they’d been to each other. What they’d given up, and why. But even with their memories of each other gone, Adrien and Marinette are still inextricably tied together—by law, by their social circles, and by their hearts. And in the apartment they share, there’s only one bed.

Yep, it’s the “there was only one bed” trope XD! I especially love how it was used here, how Adrien and Marinette are strangers now but they had a whole life together, and they pine for each other even without remembering, and how Marinette just can’t believe how in love with her Adrien is even though he doesn’t remember her. I loved the emotional turmoil the two of them went through together in the fic, and the resolution, it’s great!

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fine line by @bbutterflies

“Catwalker?” Loveybug asks. “Hmm?” “Do you remember… what happened before us?” “What do you mean?” “Before we were heroes. Was there someone else?” Catwalker goes quiet for a moment. “I don’t know,” he finally says.

This is a surprisingly angsty take on the Loveybug AU. Here, since the Loveybug and Cat Walker transformations are so unnatural, they’re having negative side effects on Marinette and Adrien, causing them to be constantly exhausted and even to get amnesia the longer they continue using them.

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do you think I have forgotten about you? by @roseinaugust

Based on the song ‘About You’ by The 1975. Memory Loss. Told in alternating time lines, one leading up to and one dealing with the aftermath of Marinette relinquishing the Miracle Box and the guardianship. Marinette struggles with her life after losing her memory, though there is a persistent voice that calls to her that always seems just out of reach in her memory.

Beautiful memory loss fic here, with seeing Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s relationship before she gave up the Miracle box, juxtaposed with the present day, when Adrien is only a stranger to her. I could really feel how Marinette was struggling with navigating these new circumstances, with her friends seeming to expect her to remember, to be who she was to them, to Adrien especially, before, and her just… not knowing whether she can do that. It’s got a happy ending though, for those who are concerned about that.

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Our Tales Are Endless (That’s Why I Tell Them) by @joonapeach

Marinette lives a simple life - one surrounded by pretty dresses, fresh macaroons, and the calming view of Paris. It’s a life she thinks she has always fit in. And yet sometimes, when a certain boy comes by her shop with a flower and a new adventurous story, she can’t help but wonder if there’s something else she’s missing.

This was a truly gorgeous story. It’s the classic “Marinette gives up the Miracle Box and loses her memories” storyline, exploring her life two years later. Even though she’s had time to heal and recover, she still feels like she’s missing something, something big. At least Adrien’s stopping by regularly to tell her stories about Ladybug and Chat Noir, even if she doesn’t understand why they resonate with her so well.

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I (Wish I) Knew You by @buggachat

University has been hard on Marinette. Making new friends and maintaining her grades is a lot easier said than done when she has to disappear at odd times to fight akumas. She's struggling, and with Alya away with family and Adrien painfully out of reach, she's never felt lonelier.

If only she could talk to someone who really understood her struggles... but it's not like Chat Noir would know anything about loneliness. Right?

Nice aged-up Ladynoir fic here! Marinette’s struggling with losing friends and lovers because of her flakiness due to her superhero activities, until at last she breaks down. Thankfully, Chat Noir’s there at least - and it soon turns out he’s got problems of his own that he’s been hiding.

There’s some fluff and angst, it’s mostly just the two of them navigating life, dealing with their feelings and talking things out.

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If I Let Myself Love You by @uptoolateart

It’s hard to be a normal girl with a normal life when your mother has terminal cancer. And when fashion model Adrien Agreste moves back to Paris and wants to be Marinette’s friend – or maybe even more – her life is turned upside down again.

How can she risk opening her heart to love when her whole world is falling apart? Especially when Adrien is hiding a dark secret of his own….

- COMPLETE FIC – updates on Sundays

*** No kwamis AU - 100% Adrinette. About half of it is fluffy and half heavy. Please read tags for trigger warnings. ***

This fic can be rough, definitely pay attention to the tags. There’s no villains in this story, it mostly centers around themes of dealing with illness - both being sick and having a loved one who’s terminally ill - and death, grieving someone who’s lost, and how difficult that can be. It can get pretty gut-wrenching at times, especially as you slowly discover more layers of what’s really going on, what both Adrien and Marinette are hiding, both from others and from themselves in order to help cope with their circumstances. But they still move forwards together, regardless.

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Between the Heavens and the Embers by @readersmoon

Everyone in Paris remembers the fateful night of January 16, when the city was attacked by the most powerful and destructive akuma ever created. The assault, which lasted for hours, resulted in the death of 439 people.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was among the casualties.

Years later, Adrien hasn't been able to move on, haunted by the memories of her broken body. So, when the opportunity to leave Paris for a while presents itself, he doesn't hesitate. But this trip might end up giving him more than he ever dreamt of.

This is a fantastic fic, though a serious and a dark one - make sure to mind the tags, and it’s M-rated for a reason. Vee - or rather, Marinette - is going through a horror story here. Imagine finding out that your life is a lie, that everyone you thought you could trust was manipulating you, that you were just being continually gaslit for years. 

As for Adrien, Alya, and Nino... well, none of them took Marinette’s “death” all that well, especially Adrien. Finding out that she’s been alive all this time, in these horrible circumstances, and they had no clue... it’s hard on them as well.

I love how this fic goes into how much trauma everyone has even after the immediate danger’s dealt with, you don’t just walk off this kind of experience, especially with how many years this lasted.

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in case you don’t know me tomorrow by @thelibraryloser:

“We live in a crazy world where pieces of our lives can be erased like they never even happened. I just wanted to memorize this moment so… so I could keep it, if that makes sense.”

Adrien’s heart gave a little flutter. She wanted to keep this moment, meeting him. She wanted to keep… him.

“I understand exactly what you mean.“

In a world that has created a way to selectively delete memories, no moment is truly safe. So how do you hold on to something when the memory of it is gone? And how do you keep fighting for someone when you’re the only one who remembers?

This is a SEVERELY underrated fic. It’s got some shades of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” in the world, though the plot is very different - the memory erasure ain’t willing. 

Basically, the first few chapters are establishing Adrien’s and Marinette’s romance, and then the rest of the fic is dealing with Gabriel being an absolute DICK and using any means at his disposal to break them apart. It’s fantastic and I highly recommend reading it!

---

hella enchanted by @xiueryn:

Years ago, Marinette’s father died and she was left with her awful stepmother. With magic forcing her to obey every command, she lived as a servant and gave up hope. When a man appears, searching for the very fairy that blessed her, Marinette decides to give life one more try. AU.

(a different ella enchanted au.)

Even though it’s a one-shot this one is pretty long, clocking in at over 30k words. Absolutely worth a shot, though. The first third is basically Marinette dealing with being pushed around because of her “blessing”, and the other two-thirds is just some adorable fluff of her and Adrien touring the country together. 

---

Echoes of You by kittinoir

In the day time, she's Marinette - a normal girl, with a normal life. A normal girl, with a normal life. A normal girl, with... Not Season 4 Compliant; please, no spoilers

---

balancing act by fictionalinfinity

“Besides, being Ladybug always came first. It came before school, friends, and sometimes even family. Now it had to come before her health. Marinette had a duty to Paris. She wouldn’t let them down.” Or, being both Ladybug and the Guardian starts to take its toll on Marinette. - the epilepsy au literally no one asked for

---

Some Days by @merrygreenie

Some days are worse, and others are a little better, little by little and day by day. Marinette Dupain-Chen is learning how to live her new normal after living in confinement and being tortured by Hawkmoth. She is thankful to have her friends and family to support her. And a very special Chat who loves her very much. *This story contains scenes of violence and torture this is a whump fic*

This fic has some great angst, but be warned, it's not kidding about the violence and torture. Honestly, it should probably be rated M instead of Teen, given that while the fic mostly takes place after Marinette escapes and while she's recovering, we do get a detailed flashback to her torture.

[lucydoodlessometimes]

alright guys. i have more miraculous-ish content. 3rd pic is felix, marinette, kagami, and nathaniel from left to right. I haven't done a nino yet, but he'll be there when I post a finalized version I swear. Also, either Juleka or Rose, though I havent decided on which.

SO. bit of context before i yap under a cut. this is a co-op work (and potential series of fics) with @frickifiknow and so I only have half of the cast to design; hence no adrien, alya, or chloe in my lineup. they will be yapped about, and perhaps drawn by me, but maybe dont hold your breath. ALso, this is a rewrite, inspired more by the fandom than the actual show (though I am passively re-watching it currently, so we'll see) and will kindof sortof overhaul the entire premise. but that all goes under a cut, so i will see you all there.

alright SO. hi folks. miss me? Miss my rambles? no? your loss, because my yapping is immaculate.

Starting with the world!

There are 12 kwami in total- i love the Chinese zodiac for the show, but I personally don't want that many characters to be active. This will feature a main cast of my personal favorite characters from when I watched this show, and not much else because this is for personal pleasure, not objective quality. Each kwami has a pair, which corresponds to a unifying concept. These arent wholly ironed out yet, but they go: existence, defense, time, devotion, guidance, and experience. more about them and their kwamis to come.

this runs on a multiverse that the kwami of broken worlds can and do break. the idea is that after hawkmoth, the miraculous holders face the breaking of whatever has held the "antikwami" at bay this long, and have to gain higher power to defeat themselves and protect their world, thus allowing us to move on from gabriel agreste as a villain long before season five. The antikwami can only exist in this timeline separate from their counterparts because they are currently fulfilling a separate role; they would (and have) sort of merge into the kwami of this world if "redeemed". The kwami chose to be bound to the miraculous and to human holders in ancient times, as doing so managed to weaken their antitheses as they entered this timeline due to the natural balancing of, like, natural law. what is must be undone, or whatever. The antikwami tend to also pick "holders" of a sort, but it's... a worse process, overall. They cloud one's judgement, enhance all their worst traits, the works. more to come on them, i haven't ironed out all the cracks just yet.

All of my designs hinge on being relatively young versions of the characters, as you tend to get more power as you get older, and as you gain experience with the miraculous. Early on, any animal parts will be stuck onto clothing, with ear and horn details coming from masks and tails being attached to belts and capes. later, more high-powered designs will look grander and feature more naturalistic inclusions from the animal (including functional wings for ladybug, possibly) as the holders grow closer to their kwami.

It's 2am, I have school in the morning, and I gotta go. Thanks for reading, or not, reblogs > likes, like and subscribe or something, gn

[babitim-royal-au]

Welcome to.....

BaBtqftim/BaBitim

Royal AU

◇♤♧♡

Extra @its-in-the-experiment-babitim

@ask-cal-and-pink-babitim

Warnings!

13+ (mainly because of blood, swearing, suicide, depression, and torment, the suffering and personality of the characters)

ALSO! LEAVE CUPHEAD THE FUCK ALONE WITH THE 'LOVE' SHIT. I WILL DELETE ANY ASKS WITH SUCH CONTENT FROM NOW ON.

Nor will I be taking extremely long question asks. I do not have the patience or motivation to answer all of them.

Blood, violence, self harm, and other bad things like that. This blog is not necessarily for VERY young audiences. Though, I do intend on making something nice every once in a while.

Now, there will absolutely NO INNAPORIATE drawings. I don't draw that kind of stuff. Absolutely disgusting. Maybe mentions, but never art.

This is no ordinary Royal AU

Hi! I'm Alice. Silly little creator here to say that.. when you think Royal AU, you think oh! Prince's and Princesses, Kings, Queens, but not this one. Yes, there's a King, Prince(s), and Princess(es), but they're royalty based off of their magic. There is A LOT of suffering.

Terms needed to know:

Inktied - A person in connection to the Ink Machine, able to draw power from it.

Crystal- Magical crystal in the shape of a diamond, heart, spade, and club. Holds all the magic in all universes

Dishgod- A dish, but a god.

GENT- A corporation located in Toon Town, owned by Oswald, Alan, and Kagami (Cuphead). They test Pure Ink from the Ink Machine on people.

Pure Ink- Ink straight from the Ink Machine without any modifications

Ink Machine- A magical machine that cures Ink illness but holds much more to it, it is dangerous and can manipulate your mind

Ink Illness- A sickness that makes you puke up ink and melt, over the course of a few days to a year you will eventually melt and die if you aren't treated.

Rune- Symbols used to create, destroy, and summon

(Royal status) of Alternative Universes- Someone able to control, manipulate, rule, monitor, and maintain Alternative Universes, the higher the Royal status, the more power you have

!More to be added!

Symbols of the Gods (in MY terms, not accurate):

Mugman; Spades- Death, Illness, intelligence

Cuphead; Diamonds- Wealth, Family, Greed

The Inkwell Children; Hearts- Love, Passion, Care

Chalice; Clubs- Peace, Power, Order

References and Baced on:

The Inky Mystery:

@theinkymystery

Babtqftim:

@thebbros (I DO NOT SUPPORT ROUGE)

Characters:

Felix, Bendy, Boris, Mr. Cuphead, Magenta, Hazel, Mocha, Mugman, Sarah Song Bird, Oswald, Mickey, Cala, Holly May, Alice Angel, Alison, and Chalice.

mini stories

Old Headers:

Main Blog:

@alice-the-kittycat-yt

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Reviews Episode 5-6: The Ox Miraculous: A Date at the Wax Museum!

Alright, back to the wax museum! I swear, if this is the episode that reveals how 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝓎 Adrien is,

Hair down

Reminds me. I kinda want to be sold on Marigami. Like, I'm super sold on Lukadrien for many reasons, and while I believe Marinette and Kagami do have feelings for one another, I'm just wondering: what does Kagami bring for Marinette that Luka and Adrien lack? And what does Marinette bring for Kagami?

The artisttt

Yes! Kagami getting straight to the point!

Damn, that was a word away from Adrien saying "No, that's wrong"! We were this close.

realization

I mean, he's Bob Roth. He's like Eddy from Ed Edd 'n Eddy.

They're celebrating the apocalypse.

Oh no I was right

I know this is meant to be Adrien """""recognizing his feelings for Marinette""""" or whatever, but with it just being Marinette acting creepy around what she thinks is a statue of Adrien it just makes me think Adrien is into weird roleplay scenarios.

Yes! Marinette realizing she doesn't really love Adrien!

Rude to my favorite ships!

Wait, yes! Maybe we'll get the polycule!

This is embarrassing. Just get to the akuma already.

So when'd they implement all those wax statues, anyways? The new heroes have been around for like, a month. Some even less.

Damn, the mayor's going straight to the evil route due to his cynicism, which may or may not be right in the future.

Wait, is bro doing megakumas all the time now?

Oh my god. They really locked Marinette and Adrien here while an akuma attack is happening. They didn't know, but the point still stands.

Roasted

Surprise Chloe Cameo!

Yep, here comes the love square reversal. Is anyone happy with this, honestly? I'm not happy, the characters in the show aren't or won't be happy, and I'm pretty sure the fandom wasn't happy with this being so late either.

Is Chloe only here to look bad?

The reversal has truly begun. God has abandoned us.

This show is giving me a headache.

[summer-nights19]

!!Masterlist!!

Welcome to my blog ! Here, I write fanfic for a variety of fandoms. I'm also into reading and video games, so I might post about those from time to time.

My personal blog is @asslover4 if you wanna chat

Enjoy your stay ~

Requests/suggestions are more than welcome- please leave them in my ask box and I'll get back to you asap (please read the requesting rules beforehand)

Psst here's my ao3

Longer fics

Wings of freedom

Levi Ackerman x fem! reader

Part 1- Moon song

Part 2- Alrighty aphrodite

Part 3- Waves

Part 4- Falling asleep at the wheel

Discontinued

You don't know me

Daiki Aomine x fem reader Part 1

Part 2

Good for business

Balor x fem reader

Playlist and moodboard

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 Part 5

Omertá

Romeo Scorpius Lucci x fem reader

Prologue

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Oneshots

I'm aware that an increasing number of my oneshots are getting sequels ! If you want a sequel, go ahead and request one, but if you're not interested, all my oneshots can obviously be read as standalone stories (except for the part 2s)

Sailor moon

I'm not her - cheater! Haruka Tenoh x gn! reader (angsty)

Your girlfriend is growing increasingly distant, but you're determined to fix your relationship until you make a terrible discovery when coming back home early from a trip

Part 2 was requested <33

Guess we have a part 3 now

Here's part 4 :>

Kuroko no basket

Replaceable - Kise x gn! reader (angsty)

Your relationship with your boyfriend is falling apart, but you can't leave. That is, until one final blow is delivered.

Also, here is part 2 as requested !

Aomine and Kise x gn reader threesome Letting your fav boys completely destroy you together one night at a party <3

Murasakibara x gn! reader how the GoM guys react when they find out you're dating (request)

Attack on titan

Levi x fem reader fluffy teashop au drabble (request)

You and Levi being hopelessly in love and running a tea shop in a post war au.

Omori

Withering gladiolus- Aubrey angst

How Aubrey's grief changes her life after Mari's death

Tokyo debunker

Roses and stars - Jin Kamurai x gn reader

Jin takes MC out and confesses to them

I hate you, I love you - Leo x male reader (suggestive)

Headcanons

Knb

Knb characters as icks

Please don't hate me ☠

GoM + Takao x afab reader period comfort hcs How they would react to your period mood swings

Knb dating headcanons

What I think dating my personal favs would be like

GoM x S/O who's like Jade West

How the GoM would act with a seemingly mean (but secretly affectionate) s/o

GoM meet Kagami's older sister

How the GoM would act around Kagami's cool, smart older sister

GoM x foul mouthed reader (crack)

How the GoM would act with an s/o who swears a lot

GoM x Reader - how they'd react to a creepy online friend You thought your online friend was nice and arranged to meet him, despite your boyfriend being wary

Tokyo debunker

Tokyo debunker guys as icks (includes a part 2)

Idk what possessed me to do this

Tokyo debunker guys x yapper MC What they'd be like with a talkative S/O

Tokyo debunker guys x klutz MC

What they'd be like with a clumsy S/O

Tokyo debunker captains x cosplayer MC

The how the captains would react to dating a cosplayer

Vagastrom ghouls x nerd MC

What kind of relationship the Vagastrom buys would have with a nerd S/O

Tokyo debunker x S/O who gets flustered easily

How the guys would act with a S/O who is shy about physical contact

Jealousy HCs How the frostheim guys would react to finding out about their partner's previous relationship

Not fanfic

Videogame reccs/what I think the purrgatory characters look like

Requesting rules

Requests are currently: CLOSED

Please don't request

Noncon

Smut is perfectly fine, but kinks are case by case - feel free to send any request, but if it makes me uncomfortable, I won't write it

A/b/o or mpreg

Aus that stray too far from the classic ones (eg college aus, coffee shop aus or mafia aus are all acceptable)

A few other things:

Although I might occasionally write about a ship, please keep in mind that most of my writing is reader insert

Please bear in mind that if you want me to write about an OC, you'll have to provide some details about them. Also, if you don't specify gender preference in a self insert, I'll automatically write a gn reader

Fandoms I'll write for

JJBA

Attack on titan

Obey me

Ikemen series

Sailor moon

Kuroko's basketball

Fruits basket

Kakeguri

Seven deadly sins (depending on the character)

MHA (depending on the character)

Pokemon (depending on the character)

Yu-Gi-Oh

Food wars

Omori

Cosmic wheel sisterhood

Fields of Mistria

Tokyo debunker

X-men

[lamnwar]

dhfjgj ok so i have never done an ask before but your writing is just*chef’s kiss* and idk i’m sitting in the depths of my affections for kagami rn and basically can you give us a kagami x fem! reader fluffy smut scenario?

i was honestly obsessed with your sfw piece “it just makes sense” esp the way you described him looking up at the sky in the beginning and thenbROUGHT IT BACK at the end was just agdjfshkfg poetry

kinda just want to have a pwp moment with a first meeting context.

bUT if this is too big an ask, i’m kinda craving that vibe, even if you could bless us with some shmexy crumbs following “it just makes sense” i’d be elated.

HIIII OMG SO SO SORRY I TOOK WAY TOO LONG FOR THIS ONE, I HAVE NO EXCUSE 😭 I was really excited to write this one, so I hope you're still looking for some love for Kagami bc I lowkey unlocked my affection for him writing this lmaooo anyways I hope you enjoy it <33 it's kinda accidental but I'm trynna make up for the tardiness by publishing on Valentine's Day so yeah 💕

Till The Rain Stops // Kagami Taiga x Fem! Reader

MDNI 18+

Context: in which the heavy rains get you to meet a beautiful stranger. All characters are 18+ for plot purposes.

Warnings: LISTEN it's kinda fluffy till I got feral so yeah, some fondling, nipple play, slight manhandling, oral (f! and m! receiving), unprotected sex (never have sex unprotected with a stranger irl please 😭), Kagami's big 🧎🏾‍♀️, he cums on reader's chest 🤭

“Shit” you swear under your breath, as you are greeted by an unexpected deluge just minutes after leaving your building.

You look up, startled by the millions of drops falling on you, drenching your entire body while you ponder how you’ve never figured that it was going to rain today. Maybe it’s because you’ve been out of touch with reality lately – it happens sometimes when things get overwhelming. So here you are, cursing yourself for not bringing an umbrella with you, and realizing that you don’t have many options but to find shelter somewhere dry. You run, protecting the content of your bag by holding it close to your chest. The sounds of your shoes in the puddles is barely heard over the violent thudding of the rain on all solid surfaces around. Evidently, at the sight of the first building on your path, you rush to enter it.

And that is when you see him. The squeak of his shoes on the wooden floor of the gymnasium follows each of his quick movements, till he jumps, time stopping momentarily as he reaches the hoop. You stare, stars in your eyes, like he is some weird invention of your imagination. But when he lands, you are brought back to reality. You silently watch as he dribbles around, swiping away the sweat of his face. He eventually stops, removing his shirt and throwing it to the side court. Except that the drench fabric lands at your feet and you both let out a gasp when your eyes meet. For what seems like an eternity, he stares at you, thick eyebrows torn at the sight of a complete stranger, wet from head to toes, standing here with these startled eyes.

“Do you need something?” his voice resonates in the empty gymnasium.

You can hear the rain drumming against the metallic roof, and you figure that you should say something.

“I uh… ran here, got caught in the rain” you explain.

His eyes don’t leave you for a second; you’re curious as to why at first, before looking down to see how your clothes cling to your body, exposing your figure to the gaze of a man you have yet to know the name of. Embarrassment gains you immediately, even more so when you realize that you have nothing to hide behind. He steps forward, and you realize just how big he is. As he stands a mere metre away from you, you are faced directly with his bare chest on which drops of sweat glimmer like he’s covered in glitter. As awkward as the situation is, you can’t ignore the sight before you; he is sculpted like a Greek god, the define lines of his muscles hypnotizing. Around his neck hangs a silver ring, and you ashamedly imagine tugging on it to pull his face closer to yours.

“God, you’re fucking wet” he remarks.

And upon hearing his voice again, your attention deviates to his face. You know that you have no idea who he is – there is no way you’d forget a face like his. His traits are of such finesse, a perfect mix of sharp angles and soft highlights, a raw beauty that makes you wonder, once again, if you are not hallucinating.

“I’m sorry to bother” you finally speak, “I just didn’t expect the rain so… can I stay here till I dry a bit and the situation calms down outside?”

“That ain’t my gymnasium, do as you please.”

His casual tone takes you aback. You haven’t really focused on his words ever since he’s opened his mouth, but you now take note of his tone; he talks like you’re acquainted and while this would have usually annoyed you, it just feels so natural coming from him. And you cannot hold yourself in any position to judge, not when you look like you do and more importantly, when you’ve been gawking at his shirtless torso all along instead of holding a conversation with him.

“Would you know where I can dry myself off?” you ask, looking down at the puddle forming at your feet.

“Oh yeah, you better do that” he raises his eyebrows.

From a gesture of the hand, he invites you to follow him, and you do so silently. You watch his back as he guides you, the size of it making you feel a bit bothered. You can feel some thoughts marching in your head, and knowing their nature, you chase them away. What kind of creep would you be, thinking about marking this gorgeous back with your nails while he thrusts into you? You cough, feeling terrible for being so ridiculously desperate for a man you barely know.

“I’m Kagami Taiga, by the way. I don’t think we’ve met before.”

Taiga. His name echoes in your head, sounding pretty. It fits him, you ponder, matching the energy you get from him.

“We haven’t met no, but it’s nice to meet you.”

You introduce yourself back, small talk issuing from your introduction till he opens the door of what you figure to be the lockers. His back stands in the middle of the room, and he invites you in.

“Got a towel hanged there” he points at the hangers, “and I don’t know about your clothes, but I think I might have an extra t-shirt for you.”

“You- you don’t have to!”

“Up to you girl, but…” he gets a black shirt out of his bag “if you want something warm and dry.”

He stands in front of you, a big hand holding out the piece of clothing to you. The proximity makes you gulp; he’s intimidating, yet incredibly attractive. And when your fingers graze his as you take his t-shirt, you get a whiff of his perfume – a mix of his natural scent and his deodorant. It doesn’t help your case: he smells heavenly. These thoughts rush in again: what would you do to get his scent on you? what would you do to be encased under his perfect body? Once again, you chase them away the best as you can, refocusing on the present moment.

“Thank you then, Taiga.”

“Taiga? Are we on first name basis already?” he smirks at you.

“Oh! Where are my manners…”

“Hey chill, I couldn’t care less. Call me what you want. Anyway, my name sounds good coming out of your mouth.”

On these words, he leaves the lockers and closes the door behind him, leaving you totally flustered. Come to think of it, he certainly doesn’t mean much by what he’s said – not only does he seem casual in his language, he’s also straightforward. But you can’t help the way you feel; having a hot guy saying that he likes the way you call his name isn’t a common occurrence (well, not as much as you’d like it to be). But again, you figure that you should keep your calm. It isn’t really like you now, is it? Maybe it’s the rain making you think and feel like a hormonal teenager, who knows.

So, you stand there in your underwear, patting your body dry. Your mind cannot get off your new encounter, not when it looks like it comes right off a rom-com. The only thing missing was the rose petals falling around Kagami when you first saw him, although you’d argue it felt like it. At the mere thought of him, you notice a heat in your chest, and you wonder if that may be a love at first sight situation. The thought is crazy – you are more of a realist, and as little as you understand of love, the idea of falling in love upon seeing someone for the first time is fairly crazy. So maybe it’s not love per se, but rather a deep state of infatuation, where the single fact that you are wearing his t-shirt makes you giddy, and you wonder how it’d feel to wake up in his clothes every morning, a piece of him always with you. It’s all crazy daydreams, making you feel out of yourself but at the same time, you’d argue that you can’t be blamed, because you deeply believe that the man you’ve met only minutes ago is objectively the kind to sweep anyone off their feet.

It doesn’t help your case, when you leave the lockers and see him practice his shooting, his form capturing your eyes. His movements are precise and elegant, in complete contrast with his force and the strong muscles that activate as he makes his shots. You are in awe, witness of something great, and questions flood your mind as you stand on the side court, hypnotized by him.

Who the hell is Kagami Taiga?

He goes to catch the ball under the nest after perfectly putting it in, strong hand dribbling it on the polished wooden floor, the sound echoing the beat of your own heart. It’s intriguing that you’ve never met him before. The gymnasium is just minutes away from your place, on your way to most places – whether it be the convenience store or the nearest bus station. You’re used to seeing people walk in and out of it, local teams coming for practice, or neighbours going in for their daily dose of physical activity. But not once have you seen him, and it can’t be that you’ve never noticed, because he’s definitely not the kind to go unnoticed. His fiery aura alone forces you to look his way, capturing all your senses and getting you to pay attention to nothing but him. And now that you see him practice, you note that he is not an amateur like most people coming to play here. With such abilities, he’s either a professional or just a pure genius.

“D’you ever play?” his voice resonates in the empty gymnasium.

It takes you out of your trance, and you look at him, meeting his raised eyebrows.

“I did real quick in P.E. but that’s just how far my history with basketball goes” you reply in all honesty.

He smiles, eyes deviating to the windows for a second. The rain hasn’t stopped, nor has it calmed down. You sigh at this vision, although some part of you wishes it never stops so you get to stay longer with Kagami.

“Wanna play? To pass time, you know” he proposes.

A heat gains your cheeks; it’s cute, you think, and you’d be dumb to not take the opportunity. You nod, trotting to join him on the court. You smile looking up at him.

“You’ll have to show me, sir.”

“Sir?”

“I ought to show you respect if you are to instruct me the ways of basketball.”

He raises an eyebrow before chuckling. The ball under his arm bounces to you, and you catch it in both your hands. You look at it, thinking about how it was looking smaller in his hand. You dribble a bit, getting use to the ball and they you look back at him, nicely waiting for instructions.

“Shoot” he says.

He stands in the sideline, hands on his hips as you suddenly feel nervous. Something about him observing your every move is scary, the thought of is judgement being cast on you, making your heartbeat faster. But you shake the feeling away as best as you can, getting into position and letting the ball fly to the basket. It bounces on the hoop before falling right in his hand.

“Are you going to correct my form?” you ask as he walks back to you.

“Do you want me to?”

“I… wouldn’t mind.”

You swear you see him blush, though it might just be the physical activity that makes the blood rush all over his body. Regardless, you feel his warm body as he comes closer, placing the ball in your hand and then standing behind you. It takes all of you in, your mind uncapable of focusing on anything else but the proximity between you. And when his fingers reach your arms, placing them as they should, you can hardly breathe.

“Now, I need you to bend your knees a bit” he speaks near your ear.

“Fuck.”

Your eyes open wide upon the realization that you’ve spoken out loud. You can’t get yourself to face him, or move a single bit, petrified that he’s heard you. Yeah, it could have been worse – you’ve certainly thought of worse ever seen you got here. But still, the way that word came out of your mouth, like a desperate whimper, is enough to translate the way you’ve been feeling about him.

“Did I do something wrong?”

His candidness surprises you – is he totally unaware of his charms? You can seize the opportunity to act like nothing happened, or… or you can get something more fun out of it.

“You’re cute Taiga, do you know that?”

You’ve never been so bold, and it feels thrilling to speak your mind rather than internally struggling with whatever goes on in your head.

“Cute? I’ve been told I’m a lot of things… but never cute” he reflects. “How am I cute?”

“Well,” you breath, “it’s cute that you can’t tell why being near you makes me swear out loud.”

Your fingers tighten around the ball, anticipating his answer.

“Oh?” he takes a moment, and feel him stand straight behind you before another, “oh” comes out, this one sounding more like a sound of realization.

He reaches behind you, taking you in an embrace for a quick second that feels like eternity before his hands catch yours on the ball.

“You’re a weird one” he remarks, “gawking at me and acting shy one time, and telling me I’m cute and making a move the other.”

“Listen” you try to justify yourself, “I have to make myself memorable, for the next time we meet.”

“Is that so?”

You gulp; his voice sounds so close to you that simply imagining the little space between your bodies makes you weak to the knees. You try to keep a semblance of composure, just for your own dignity, but it’s hard when he’s pressing at your back, bare skin emitting so much heat that you feel it through the fabric of the t-shirt you’re wearing.

“Well, I’m glad that you like me that much” he continues, “my weird one.”

“Should I take it as compliment? That I’m your weird one?”

“I imply that you’re mine. Isn’t it enough?”

You drop the ball, turning around to face him; and that is when it strikes you how close he is. Just centimetres away, his tall body towering over you as he stares, wondering what your next move is.

“I don’t know, I could be yours, yeah, but you should make me first.”

“Sure thing, how d’you want me to proceed?”

He glances at the window – the rain is nowhere near to stop, if anything, it’s pouring even more. The two of you are bound to stay in this gymnasium alone for an unpredictable amount of time. Sure, he has an umbrella, and the two of you could venture outside, confronting the ruthless drops till you both get home. But in comparison to the warmth you’re currently experiencing, it’d be foolish to break the moment, for you don’t know when another occasion as such will ever come.

“Start by giving me a kiss” you finally say, gathering all your confidence in that simple request.

He raises an eyebrow, a glimpse of something appearing in his red irises before he lets a short, cheeky smirk cross his lips as he comes closer. As the distance between you reduces, your mind runs at a thousand kilometres per hour. All of the sudden, you realize what is going on, how you’ve asked for something that you truly want and you’re about to get it. It has never occurred to you before that it can be that simple – you’ve seen him, you’ve immediately taken a liking to him, and now here you are.

His lips are soft against yours as his hands go to pull you closer by the waist. You reach for his face, fingers taking in every inch of his skin, and you can’t help but smile. The way he holds you and kisses you is heavenly – dreamlike, just like him. And it takes your eyes opening again for you to realize, once again, that you aren’t hallucinating. Under the sound of the rain, you kiss him again, more and more hungry for him, figuring that you shouldn’t try to rationalize what is happening. Sure, you are not a believer of love at first sight, but you can’t deny that everything about Kagami Taiga keeps pulling you in, like you want to be made for him, and him only.

“Now what?” he says against your lips.

You look at him, in search of an answer yourself. You could stop everything at this very instant, which would be the sensical thing to do all things considered – you barely know the guy, and a public gymnasium isn’t the most romantic place ever. But at the same time, the tension between you is unbearable, and not listening to your deepest instincts feels wrong.

“Have you ever had sex in the locker room, Taiga?”

The basketball player does not expect you to reply to his question by another one, much less one like that. But this time, he doesn’t take long to connect the dots and understand your intentions.

“I’m about to” he replies, fingers intertwining with yours as he takes you to the locker room.

You laugh as you follow him, feeling like two teenagers about to make a silly mistake, and in some ways, maybe this is what it is. But you couldn’t care less, not when his lips find yours again as he pulls you up, legs wrapping around his waist. You make a mess of his hair, fingers tracing down to the silver chain around his neck before you get to the ring, pulling on it. He gasps, surprised by how you tug him closer and you feel his grip on your bottom get stronger. He almost stumbles, landing on the bench.

“Do I sweep you off your feet, big boy?” an amused smile painted on your face.

“You fucking do” he retorts.

You laugh softly, enjoying the way he looks at you. It is so warm, so humane. The man that you’ve thought to be a miracle upon first entering this gymnasium is right here, so close to you that it is impossible to doubt his existence. You can’t deny it, not when he lifts his t-shirt off your body to leave kisses on your neck and chest. Not when he removes your bra and swears under his breath at the sight of your gorgeous tits. Not when his big hands fondle your breasts, and he goes to suck on your harden nipples to get the sweetest moans out of your lips.

“Fuck, Taiga” you breathe out.

“What is it, my pretty one?”

The name he calls you by makes you waver, and you can’t help but smile at him.

“I’m your pretty one now, huh? No longer weird?”

“You’re both, how about that?”

“I’ll take that, but can your pretty one get some love down there now? I’m growing impatient here!”

He laughs at your straightforwardness, while you yourself are still trying to wrap your head around the fact that you’ve actually spoken these words without hesitation. It amazes you, how he manages to put you at such ease, like you’ve always known each other. Yet, you sit here on his lap, curious as ever to discover everything about him because despite the way you feel, you are still strangers. It’s a sort of excitement that takes over you when he grabs you again like you weight nothing, then lays you on the bench. The cold surface against your hot skin gives you goosebumps, but you cannot care less – your attention is entirely focused on the man removing your pants, followed by your underwear, an ecstatic look painting his face at the sight of your cunt.

“Shit, you’re so fucking hot” he outright remarks, hands roaming on your thighs.

You feel blood rush to your face, part of you embarrassed to be examined by the eyes of the handsome stranger, part of you extremely aroused by the prospect of what is to come.

“Can I taste you?”

“Please” you nod eagerly.

He doesn’t waste a minute, spreading your legs further apart and getting a comfortable place in between them. Half-lidded eyes look up to you while he marks your skin of his lips, hot breath fanning on your erected clitoris. You bite your lips, keeping in the sounds that menace to come out; he’s barely done anything yet, but you are already melting, the simple sight of him between your legs being its own aphrodisiac. However, you cannot keep your silence when he takes a first laps, separating your lips to have access to your clitoris. He reaches the bundle of nerves, sucking on it languidly, though you feel that he is holding back his true hunger. Something almost animalistic animates the red-haired boy, each stroke of his skilled tongue leaving you speechless – only moans and incoherent mumbles leave your throat.

“Taste so fucking good” he groans as he feists on you.

You can’t even voice out an answer, hips desperately bucking forward to communicate your needs. He is, there again, quick to understand, and his strong arms wrap around your legs as he pulls you closer, keeping his hold as he buries himself in the heavenly warmth of your pussy. He’s messy, hungry, insatiable. You whine – it feels like too much already, and you are just seconds away from your orgasm. Your thighs clench, the knot in your stomach unravelling as you bend against the surface of the bench.

He barely has the time to get out of the embrace of your legs that you pull his face towards yours, desperately kissing him, getting the bittersweet taste of you on your tongue. You’re in a state that is unknown to you, wanting – needing – everything of him. Kagami Taiga has you so desperately in need for him, that your hands rush to the band of his basketball shorts, big doe eyes looking up at him as you beg:

“I want to suck your dick, please!”

This time, Taiga looks surprised by your eagerness. Though he’s appreciated the honesty you’ve demonstrated lately, seeing you so hungry for him takes him aback. The surprise, however, isn’t unwelcomed. As a matter of fact, he looks at you with stars in his eyes – elated that a girl like you, can want him so much. A simple stranger, yet one that has already turned his life around in the few hours you’ve got to spend together.

“Fuck, I can’t refuse shit to my pretty one” he smiles, fingers caressing your cheeks.

You are quick to free his hard cock of all fabric, taking an instant to admire it. Its size is impressive – though proportional, considering how tall and large he is; and from the way it looks, proud and beautiful, you can only crave it more. Your hands wrap at the base and give a few slow strokes, fingers exploring his length curiously. His tip calls for the warmth of your mouth, and you yield; your tongue licks gently, descending to the shaft before you leave a soft kiss to the tip. You look up, the sight of his immense body folding under your delicate touches. And the second you take him in, welcoming his cock in the tender embrace of your cheeks, he is nothing but a mess, big hands pushing your head closer as you choke a bit on his length.

“You can take me in, can’t you?”

You whine a response with a mouth full, proving him just right as he reaches the back of your throat. Tears gather at the corner of your eyes, making them look like celestial skies, and you ravish at the way you make him feel. His heavy panting and the occasional swearing leave you more wet than you already are, and it takes everything in you to keep going instead of stopping and fuck yourself on his dick. However, patience has never been one of your virtues, and you let him go in a sloppy “pop”. His hand comes to your face, forcing you to look at him as he looks for an answer.

“I’m sorry Taiga, but I can’t wait any longer” you confess.

He helps you up, leaving a chaste kiss on your lips, which startles you. You couldn’t expect such response to what you just did and said, but the more you get to know him, the more you understand that he isn’t your average guy. No, where another man would be impatient and apathic, Kagami is surprisingly kind, perfectly understanding you and your body and indulging into you without thinking twice. He is genuine in a way that makes your heart flutter, so you really can’t blame yourself for wanting him so deep in you, that he forever leaves his mark.

“How does my pretty one want me, hm?”

“I don’t fucking care, I just want you.”

He laughs taking you by the hips before laying you back on the bench. As he spreads your legs wide for him, you look at his figure hovering over you. He is incredibly beautiful; you reflect at the sight. Beside his divine body, his face is one that you wish to always see, one that you’d paint the portrait of.

And it just strikes you at this moment, that you might actually be in love with his face.

Maybe it is truly love at first sight, as absurd as it sounds, maybe it just was a destined encounter. How else can you explain that you feel just right for each other? That he knows how to please your body without you having to say anything? How else can you explain the absolute bliss you feel hearing him groan in your ear? Or the way his hips buck harder when you chant his name like a prayer?

“So fucking good” he grunts as his fingers find your clit.

Your eyes barely stay open, but in a last moment of control over your blissed out body, your finger hook the ring around his neck, pulling him towards your face. Your lips find his in yet another of these heated, needy kisses. Your moans get lost in his mouth and you shake, feeling your orgasm approaching.

“Taiga…” you try to warn him.

“Fuck, are you cumming, yeah? Are you gonna milk me, pretty one?”

You fail to word out an answer, instead whining like the needy girl you are. So needy, for him, for all of him. His thrusts keep going till you finally reach your climax, his name leaving your lips as you feel your insides explode. He keeps going, your clenching walls taking him to the edge. Just as he feels himself on the verge of his own orgasm, he pulls out, stroking his cock till you hear your name in a moan, hot strings of white painting your chest. And everything that you’ve imagined since first meeting him, all these thoughts you were ashamed of and try to repress, they all suddenly take a taste of reality.

Because in Taiga’s attempt of making you his, you’ve ended up making him yours.

“It’s still raining outside” he remarks as he pulls your tired body towards his.

He strokes your hair while you listen carefully to the drops falling on the roof. It sounds like the rain has calmed down, but it is not your intention to leave anytime soon.

“I just kinda want to stay with you till the rain stops, and maybe even after.”

[miraculous-magicalconnections]

FAQ about my rewrite/AU Miraculous: Magical Connections

A Brief Summary:

Miraculous: Magical Connections is a complete rewrite of the French TV show Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir and aims to fix the issues many fans (such as myself) have with it. This includes but is not limited to: plot holes, character inconsistencies, and a general lack of story

How Mature is It?

Most of what I write is Teen and Up, and this is no exception

That isn't to say every character is going to swear and make sex jokes all the time, because they won't, but I wanted to work with a rating that allowed long time fans something to look forward to in this

I also wanted this to be a bit more on the mature side because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to go into too much detail with certain characters backstories and the trauma they've gone through (such as Adrien)

What do you plan to Change?

A lot of it! I have completely rewritten the character backstories, have overhauled a lot of their designs, and have given them all a proper personality (not to say they didn't before but now they're more diverse)

I have also changed a lot of things that many of the fanbase just didn't enjoy, such as Chloé's loss of character development, the younger demographic causing certain topics (such as Adrien's trauma) to be extremely watered down, and other things

However as for the main plot of the story, it's still mostly the same in that Marinette and Adrien are Ladybug and Chat Noir fighting against Monarque (Hawk Moth) and Paon Aimant (Mayura) and Lila is still another antagonist (though my version is arguably more terrifying given she actually knows what she's doing)

Any Added/Removed Episodes? Why?

I'm going to be taking something from every episode of the show, whether that be the plot of the episode, the Akuma/Sentimonster, or just certain information but none of the episodes are going to be a one-to-one retelling with rewritten characters

When an episode is used in a way that was more or less what happened in canon, there will be enough changes to make sure I'm not just copy and pasting the episode

Changes to the Heroes or Villains?

When it comes to Miraculous holders? Nope, all Miraculous holders will keep the Miraculous that they wield in canon (With the exception of Zoé who doesn't replace Chloé)

But Akumas/Sentimonsters? Yep! I have quite a few original Akumas and Sentimonsters, though I doubt most of them will get their own chapters since most are going to be used as throw away to further world-building

Any Ships?

Most canon ships will stay the same, such as Adrien/Marinette, Alya/Nino, and Ivan/Mylène being endgame, however a few other ships will happen throughout the story that aren't endgame such as Marinette and Adrien's relationships before they get together

There are also other ships that will happen that aren't canon to the story due to them not having a canonical partner, such as Sabrina

The only canon ship that won't be canon in my rewrite is Félix/Kagami as (while I like the ship) I have other plans for them

On the topic of ships though!

LGBTQIA+ Characters?

Marc, Nathaniel, Juleka, Rose, Max, and Alix, like in canon, are all queer, however a good chunk of the rest of the cast are also in some form queer because 1. I'm following a lot of popular headcanons, and 2. I want them to be

Any Lore Changes?

The most notable is how Miraculous came to be, something that will be elaborated in the story itself, however due to the change in this there are a few changes I've needed to make

The Peacock Miraculous was never broken so Emilie simply died in an accident, this also led me to making Adrien, Félix, and Kagami all humans

I've also changed certain aspects about Guardians and the overall world, such as making certain magical creatures real (namely dragons) and further tying Kwami's and their abilities into real world stories such as the lost City of Atlantis and the Loch Ness Monster

And if it wasn't obvious, I've also changed the lore behind the Kwami's so they're no longer these random magical creatures and instead Gods (which was never confirmed in the show)

Things About Me (The Creator)

Who are you? - Call me Magi, I'm 19, and I use any pronouns

How long have you been in the fandom? - I started watching Miraculous right around when season 2 started, and I've been active in the fandom since around season 3 or so

Why are you doing this? - Because I've seen other people do it and wanted to throw my hat into the ring when it comes to this story

What're your goals with this? - To make the story more enjoyable then what it is currently, especially to the fans who grew up with it and wish it was more mature (such as myself)

Favorite character/Miraculous? - Alix and the Rabbit

[crimsonmonsoon]

Heres some character info-sheets for my mlb rewrite. The main five obv, but I'll get to other characters maybe later if and when I feel like it... also this was an excuse to draw them n o t dying or something so uh- yar.

Some additional info about each:

Marinette- Marinette's mom tried to teach Marinette chinese but started out a little too late in Mari's child-language development and never really succeeded. At most, Marinette can introduce herself. She does not yet have any crushes in my fic at the moment, but the first one (sorta already is) will be Luka for a while once he gets more "screen time". She's less "UwU quirky i'm so clumsy" like she is in the show. In fact, she doesn't go and do stupid things without repercussions at all. She is less focused on boys and more on her superhero life, but it starts getting overwhelming. She feels like if she tried to focus on herself for a change, something bad would happen as a result, and it doesn't help that Tikki is so strict on her about it.

Adrien- Adrien is pomosexual which basically means he doesn't know what the heck he is or what to label his feelings with so he went with that. He knows he is attracted to femininity, but is also ok with more masculine or "tom-boyish" attributes in anyone of any gender. This does lead into his crush on Kagami later on since they are nonbinary and not exactly "the most feminine" person you could meet, yet also not entirely masculine in their personality and presentation. Basically, he doesn't know what the heck his sexuality is. He knows chinese and english because of how strict his homeschooling is, and has a natural talent for picking up new languages. He doesn't really understand himself and often feels like he's broken, or a robot. Perhaps some senti-monster behavior...??????!!!!! (I'm deciding on that now shut up)

Nino- Nino is a glorious bilingual child whose parents are unknown. They probably left the face of the planet. No one has ever seen them... at least in the show... so I didn't bother giving him a family. But he's bilingual somehow!! But wait... I did give him parents?! That's right, I invented Mara Lahiffe for no reason, and we're gonna say his dad is no longer in the picture. He's very protective of his friends and would never abandon them, hence why he became so fitting for the turtle miraculous. He has a secret crush on Rena Rouge but sadly, not Alya. He likes his mysterious women I guess.

Alya- Alya is creole which is a race of people from America that spawned from the mixing of native american, Spaniard, black, and europeans. It's a lot... I know... they're best known for existing in Louisiana, and does she have family there? No! She has relatives from Cuba which is why she can speak spanish. Alya has a big family with three other sisters, and she's caught being the middle child. This has given her a lot of insecurities due to her older sister being a literal muscle boxing beast and her two little twin sister getting all the attention from the family.

Chloe- I think it's really funny that I didn't give Marinette, the main character, family trauma, but the other four.... Chloe's parents are divorced and her mother has a very judgmental attitude over Chloe. Chloe wants nothing more than to please and impress her mother who sometimes doesn't even remember her daughters name. Chloe feels like she's battling her half sister, Zoe, for their mothers attention, which is made extra hard for her by the fact that her sister and mother live all the way in New York. Chloe was as straight as a pencil, she swears. but then... she started developing feelings for a girl and everything became a mess. She's kinda in the same boat as Adrien right now, except she's more comfortable calling herself bicurious. She developed anorexia after Gabriel Agreste's company refused to accept her as a model, denying her the chance to work with Adrien and pursue her dream career.

[veroniquesboutique]

Rebound - KNB AoKuro Angst

You know that feeling when you rebound to your ex who left you after your replacement for him abandons you in the same way to go chase his passions? No? Just Kuroko?

Might be more chapters in the future. The more I sit on this story the more it writes itself in my head.

Title: Rebound

Rating: Teen-ish?

Warnings:

AoKuro, Post Kagami Leaving Japan (non-canon timeline), Exes, Depressed Aomine, Messy Kuroko, KagaKuro Mentioned, Euphemistic Sex on page, Like it's never directly said but we all know what happens, Emotional Hurt, Pain

Characters & ships: Aomine Daiki x Kuroko Tetsuya

Word count: 4.4k words

Summary:

“We should go to sleep.” Kuroko’s voice sighed and creaked with a tired weight, one not solved by sleep alone. “Do we have to?” “I’m not interested in making mistakes tonight.” “Neither am I.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Kuroko ends up on Aomine's doorstep in the rain after Kagami leaves for the US. Against Aomine's better judgment, he invites him in.

More below the cut!

It was raining when Kuroko ended up on his doorstep.

Aomine knows this because he hates the rain - has always hated the rain. It drenches everything, dulling the world to a quiet, gray thumping that felt like it matched the feeling inside him a little too closely. There’s a dissonance when it feels like your worldview and real-life click into place, into focus, for just a few moments, and it feels like everything you ever believed was right all along, and at that point, it’s hard to convince yourself to keep going.

He lays on the couch, cheek against one arm and ankles resting on the other, his feet unflinching and dangling over the edge. His arm limply hangs off the couch, his fingers the only part of him moving to brush the itchy carpet against his skin so slowly that it almost feels like sandpaper. With the lights dim and the television loudly playing a game show or the news or maybe some American reality TV show he couldn’t understand, his eyes stare hazy and unfocused ahead, his mouth drooping slightly open to breathe softly and steadily, and the rain outside pelts against his house like it has a vendetta.

It’s morning…or maybe evening…it’s definitely afternoon when the doorbell rings. Not expecting any visitors, Aomine reacts the way he has been since the rain started: he does not move. 

Then the doorbell rings again.

And again.

And again.

With a very loud huff and a sudden rush of anger painfully gushing through his veins to temporarily thaw the quiet, depressive cold that had settled through him, Aomine picks himself up and drags himself to the door, muttering curses beneath his breath. He swings the door open, every movement of his body feeling fluid and natural, his gift on the court being a curse in a body and brain that felt so foreign any other goddamn time, and God why is anyone even fucking bothering him?

“Satsuki, I swear to God-” But the sight before him cuts his air off in his throat. His face softens. The anger recedes, rushes back to his core, and his veins feel sore at the intrusion when such a face is standing at his door.

“Tetsu.”

Kuroko looks up at him, dripping from the ends of his hair like an abandoned kitten and dripping from his nose like someone who had just been sobbing. He gives a little shake of his head, and Aomine has spent enough time staring at his face to know that he’s biting the inside of his cheeks to quell any lingering emotions. 

“I’m not Momoi-san,” He considers for a second, bringing his eyes back down to stare at the ground. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I wasn’t…” Aomine doesn’t know what to say.

They stand there as the rain pours around them, Kuroko barely safe from the heavy drops thanks to the pseudo canopy that hangs over Aomine’s micro porch. Aomine feels frozen, stunned into confusion by the sight before him, one he hasn’t seen in years, Tetsuya Kuroko standing on his doorstep. Finally, Kuroko breaks the ice.

“It’s cold out here, Aomine-kun. May I please come in?”

Continued on AO3...

[idontknowanametouse]

Some things about my Miraculous Rewrite AU:

In this post, I will basically explain how the universe works and some of the major changes I will make so you guys don't go without any knowledge about it.

The miraculous as magical jewelry don't... actually exist. Let me explain. Kwamis are gods, but, when they decide to manifest in the same reality as humans, their powers get very limited and diminished. All of them have 4 fourms: their little one (the one we see in the series), the eldritch being one, the animal one and the human one. Kwamis chose their holders, here called miraculous, to which they "amalgamate" themselves, uniting the human soul with that divine power. Kwamis don't actually need to recharge, but humans do, so, when they detransform after using the powers, they sleep heavily for 2-5 hours so their body can rest from the whole thing of using divine powers. There are no guardians or miraculous boxes, the kwamis are free to wander the entire world and choose whoever they want as their miraculous.

When a human and a kwami amalgamate, the kwami chooses to submit to the human's will until the last one gives up on the power or dies. Gabriel forced Nooroo to amalgamate with him by ways will be revealed in the story, so, his powers are kind of fucked up by it and he's slowly dying. He wants the other miraculous powers so he can bring Emilie back (she's not dead here, just in coma), heal himself and, also, the whole power thing.

All miraculous gain a power that is just theirs, so, they will have the normal power (example: cataclysm) and a new one that just this one miraculous will have in whole history. Akumas also don't need to be purified. Also, miraculous, after being amalgamated with a kwami, start having animal characteristics, which is kinda unhinged.

Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Nino, Chloé, Luka, Kagami, Juleka, Rose, Kim, Max and Myléne are becoming miraculous. Adrien, Félix and Kagami are not sentimonsters. The peacock is here, but I will not say where or who. The story will all pass within one year. Marinette and Adrien will know each other's identities. The teens are 15-16. There will be Chloé and Lila redemptions.

Character designs will be changed. There will be bad words (they are teenagers, obviously they swear) and, maybe, some sexual connotations, but never anything explicit. There will be disabled characters. Basically all of the teens will be queer, I don't make the rules (I lied, I make the rules and they are all queer now). There will be some personality changes, some slight and some kinda brutal (those are the ones of Chloé, Zoé, Lila and Sabrina more specifically, as I hate how they were treated by canon). No teen will be irredeemable. Character relationships will be changed. There will be polyamory and queerplatonic relationships. There will be some darker themes, like child abuse (specially when it comes to Adrien), so, I will put trigger warnings on those chapters.

I think it's needless to say, but, if you don't like the changes above, don't read. I am not forcing you and you can have your own opinion on the series. Just don't be a jerk because of the changes I made on a personal project without any will for it to substitute the original material. This is only for people who like it and want to read it.

[goldennika]

im reading through the manga for kuroko’s basketball for the first time and AAAHH if you knew the plot i would have mentioned something to you but since you don’t i won’t spoil it !!! (this was the reasoning of my ask hehe)

but as for recs hmmmm i watch a lot of different genres ngl 😭 so i’ll just spit some out

romance - i really really love fruits basket!! i will say its a bit controversial because of the relationships between some of the characters with mc but honestly its just people looking too far away from the premise of the zodiac story. i also really enjoyed my happy marriage again a lil bit weird on the relationship but this time because of the age gap. theyre both adults no worries (bc i know some animes would not respect ages) and its really really beautiful the art style. the story is great too and very interesting, kind of sad but it makes you root for mc even more.

sports - YURI ON ICE. watch it. neooowwwww. art style is BEAUTIFUL and its BL which is not very common!!!!!! i loved it so so much the story was compelling and i binge watched it so hard T^T i also recommend kuroko’s basketball naturally hehe !! it was one of the first series i ever finished. the characters are to DIE for. like you think haikyuu has a great diverse group of characters??? SO DOES KUROKOS BBALL it focuses more on a set of characters within different teams like haikyuu so you still get that one-on-one feel between mc team and the opposing team while getting the opposing team dynamic feel as well!! i would say main duo kagami + kuroko are way different than haikyuu’s kageyama + hinata. all four are really motivated and have their own weaknesses and strengths as players but the dyanmic in the duos are so so different!!! kageyama + hinata are like sunshine and grumpy while kagami + kuroko are like quiet + loud AAAHHH i can go on and on about both of these animes and how similar yet different they are >< but moving on~~

science fiction - the promised neverland i have not watched after s1 mainly because s2 is behind a paywall (for me) BUT it is so so good and so tragic and sad and ughhh i could eat up so many of these dystopian films and shows !! its my fave genre in film overall!! but this show had me BAWLING. i kid you not i swear i probably cried almost every episode toward the end of s1 because its such a good but devastating plot. darwin’s game if you can get behind some fan service and only having one season out… i really recommend this anime! its very similar to alice in borderland (which i also recommend it’s a japanese show adapted from a manga) in which mc gets trapped in a survival game and he does his best to defeat whoever made said game. its really good and some of the characterization is great too !

currently watching - jujutsu kaisen OFC I LOVE MY HUSBAND NANAMI LMAO kidding (not) but um this anime is really really good. heavy on the action and plot and really great animations. however. i will say that if you get attached to characters really easily do not watch this anime 😭 gege (author) is a hater of all his likeable characters /srs im also watching sk8 the infinity which is a sports anime revolving around street skateboarding! i havent watched much maybe a couple of episodes but its really good so far! very intruiging and definitely might interest you since you enjoy haikyuu

also ty for reading all of this hahahaha if you have any recs pls share them 💗💗

Waaahhhh thank you for all these!! 🥹🫶

Another friend had recommended Fruits Basket to me before so that’s been on my radar! If I’m in the mood for romance animes, I’ll be sure to check these two out :)

ok ok Yuri on Ice is the next anime I’ve wanted to watch actually!! Either that or Kuruko’s Basketball since Haikyuu got me on a sports anime/manga kick 😂 so if these are on Netflix, I’ll be sure to queue them up soon!!

I’ve actually started reading a bit of Promised Neverland (and by that i mean the first chapter only HAHA) before focusing on reading just Haikyuu! It’s intriguing for sure 👀 although it did give off very intense vibes so i’ll have to pace myself with that series ig?? Darwin’s Game sounds so interesting too!! 👀

OH GOSH JUJUTSU KAISEN — I HAVE SUCH A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH IT ESPECIALLY OVER THE SHIBUYA INCIDENT ARC BC EVERYONE WAS JUST DYING LEFT AND RIGHT 😭😭😭 i might still read the manga tho lol

Hmm i honestly haven’t watched or read a lot but would def reco Demon Slayer if you haven’t read/watched it yet!! The sibling bonds in the show are so precious to me that when i reread it recently, i was fighting back tears so many times 🥺😭 that and bc their backstories can be so sad but the entire premise is that they’re hunting human-eating demons so tragic backstories come with the territory ig

I also enjoyed Kakegurui although it’s a bit… darker? and a bit more idk sensual/sexual? compared to other series i’ve dabbled in haha. The premise is elite high schoolers are all into gambling and the stakes are all really high bc they get a thrill out of it haha. I thought it was pretty fascinating how they worked around the different bets they’d make. Deals with some bullying though so just putting that as a cw!!

[flightfoot]

Fics with major Alya focus that Alya fans should read

So it's hard to find fics where Alya's a central character, where she has a character arc, focus, development of her own to a significant degree, so I figured I'd rec some fics that Alya fans might appreciate! She's not necessarily the main character in all of them, but if she isn't the MAIN main character, then she's still a major character (and almost certainly POV character) in her own right in the fic. I'm only reccing completed fics for this, btw. If anyone knows the tumblr name for any of the authors involved, let me know!

Also I have a blog dedicated to Alya at alyappreciation, so check that out if you're interested!

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In Direct Opposition by @generalluxun

Alya Cesaire is a brand new student to Francis Dupont, to Paris even. The first student she meets is one Chloé Bourgeois, and Alya is determined to make a friend. Things advance Chaotically. Her new 'friend' is definitely a handful, and suddenly Paris has a supervillain and two brand new superheroes! Alya finds herself balancing a lot of things, trying to live up to her ideals and those of her icons. And then reality seems to contradict itself. As time progresses it seems to happen more often. Becoming a hero, battling villains, staying alive, working through friendships. Something is lurking, tweaking events at times, changing them, and no one seems aware. Alya will need all her wits to get to the bottom of this. Her investigative mind can only get her so far though, and then she needs to rely on her friends. This is not a foe you can beat head on.

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Alya's Guide To Surviving A Magical Terrorist Which You Can't Remember by PumpkinPatchworkQuilt

In a world where the fight against Hawkmoth is kept secret from the public, one Alya Césaire sets out to bring the whole thing to light, (and possibly win a journalism award while she's at it)

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Hold Me By Both Hands by @angelofthequeers

“I know he said never to take you back,” Plagg mutters. “But he’d change his tune if he knew.” He looks Adrien straight in the eye and, more serious than Adrien’s ever seen him before, says, “There’s someone you gotta meet. He’s been looking for that book for ages.” How differently might the events of season 2 have gone if Adrien had also known of Master Fu from the start?

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Vantage Point by @ashes555

Most of the time, with more information, life get easier and things make more sense. But Alya discovers that sometimes, knowing everything is just plain complicated.

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Trust by bi_skyes

They thought that because they believed Lila’s lies, they would not be trustworthy to Ladybug anymore. They thought wrong.

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Closure by bi_skyes

After the events of “Trust”, Alya tries to find closure.

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Lean In by Rachelea3

Marinette spills her secret, and Alya does the only thing she can do.

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Alya Cesaire Should Be Allowed To Swear by @stripesandblossoms

Akuma attacks don't stop just because Alya is no longer a Hero, but that's fine, because she can still help clear civilians from the danger zone. Even celebrity-friends like Adrien Agreste.

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Justifying the Means by @ashes555

When the worst happens, Alya finds that she may be willing to do the unthinkable. Is any sacrifice to big to make for her friends?

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Accidents Are Also Miracles by @liiinerle

After some turbulent days that end with five people knowing her secret identity as Ladybug, Marinette loses faith in her ability to keep herself hidden. Wracked with doubts and insecurities, she pleads with Alya to take over as Scarabella, and tries to disconnect from heroing altogether. Along the way, she starts to date Kagami. Hard as she tries, though, she can't stop worrying - especially not once Monarch takes a particular, and personal, interest in her. At the same time, Alya tries to adjust to her new role while she works to uncover who Monarch really is, and makes some realisations about her own wishes. Kagami struggles against a controlling and abusive parent, and a girlfriend who seems bent on destroying herself - with or without Monarch's involvement. And in the meantime, Alix keeps popping her head back in with offers to help (because cool though time travel is, she misses hanging out in her own time). [Contains some spoilers for early s5 episodes, but otherwise diverges significantly from the plot of the season.]

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Alya's Amended Guide For Internet Safety (The RPF Remix) by @redrikki

Alya hadn’t meant to fall down the Ladynoir fic rabbit hole. It just happened. She didn't mean to make Ladybug to read fic about herself either. That just kind of happened too.

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You Are Just A Grin by Midnightdemonht

Oblivio was the only one to need a second separation, even after the butterfly was torn away.

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the best laid plans (of bugs and bakers) by @mexicancat-girl

Paris is buzzing with the appearance of a new ladybug-themed hero, Scarabella. Alya decides to use her second hero identity to help her best friend Marinette. A bit of her flirting with Marinette is bound to make Marinette's crushes jealous and finally ask her out! Her plan is fool-proof…! Except when it's not. Not enough people are talking about Scarabella flirting with Marinette. How can Alya properly help her best friend if the news can't be bothered to cover Marinette's budding romance with Scarabella and only posts things about Marinette with Chat Noir?! So Alya puts her all into her plan, upping up her flirting each time she appears as the newbie hero Scarabella. This totally does not backfire in any way.

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Radio Silence by @into-september

When an inexplicable change between Marinette and Adrien brings the two closer than ever, Alya is left on the outside of a secret too confounding to be about cheesemaking or puppy love. [No S4 AU]

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Creative Lies and Destructive Truths by @azuriteartist

Alya and Lila are two sides of a never-ending fight. The fight between truth and lies, between honesty and deception, between justice and personal gain. And now they have the powers to elevate that fight to a city-wide level. Can Alya stop the deception before it destroys the city? And can Lila stop the truth before it destroys her?

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The Investigation by @11jj11

Adrien and Marinette are finally dating-- which is what Alya has always wanted... but yet this sudden transformation in their relationship overnight? Things aren't adding up. They are suddenly so much closer than they ever have been before, Adrien is apparently a flirt, Marinette is no longer a stuttering mess, and not to mention the nicknames that came out of no where. Alya is happy for her friends, but she knows there's something more going on, and the reporter in her is going to get to the bottom of it.

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Cat Naps by BookGirlFan

Chat Noir doesn't care if he dies temporarily. Alya's starting to think he doesn't care if he dies permanently. Marinette's way too stressed for this, so it's up to Alya to find out why Chat Noir's willing to let his cat naps turn into the long sleep.

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Where were you the first time you were possessed? by @zanzquest

It should be an easy assignment: write about the first time a ghost took over your body to make varying degrees of mischief. There’s just one issue: Alya hasn’t been possessed yet.

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Is it chill that you're in my head? by @bringthestorm

Alya stared at the picture plastered across the homepage of every single tabloid and news site, whispering every curse she could think of under her breath. SHOCKING SECRET ROMANCE BETWEEN LADYBLOGGER AND PARISIAN SUPERVILLAIN REVEALED!!! the headline announced, casually shouting the words she had been dreading for all of Paris to read. --- Alya had always assumed that someday Paris would discover that she had secretly been kissing their most wanted vigilante, but she had never thought it would happen so soon. As the domino effects of her relationship with Ladybug go spiraling through her life, Alya turns her sights towards the one responsible: the elusive superhero Hawkmoth. AKA Someone outs Alya and her girlfriend so she retaliates by deciding to take down Hawkmoth 

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Lady and the Fox by @ck2k18

Marinette and Alya, known to their subscribers as “Ladybug” and “Rena Rouge,” have a popular cooking vlog using their parents’ kitchens. While moderating comments, Alya realizes that their viewers assume the two anonymous hosts are a couple, and it causes her to look at her relationship with Marinette in a new light.

(punch punch) fall in love by @mexicancat-girl

One day, Sabrina walks up to Alya. Alone. No Chloe in sight. Sabrina wants to learn self defense. Alya agrees to teach her. Alya ends up getting way more invested than she originally thought she'd be, because Sabrina is a quick learner and sometimes her smile makes Alya's insides go weak.

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When I Grow Up by waltzofthewifi

-I want to be a superhero." The class stifled laughs. "But superheroes aren't real!" Someone called out. A look through Alya's life. One-shot.

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disconnected by just_an_ordinary_fan

Lady Wifi believes she might be the only one who does not want to obey Hawkmoth's orders. When she sees another akuma hesitate in the battle, she finds she might not be entirely alone.

Walking that Mile by @nomolosk

Nino and Alya wake up in the wrong bodies. Several things result from this, including, but not limited to, identity reveals and a better understanding of what their respective best friends are going through.

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(may we write it all down) in cursive light by @sunfoxfic

Since retiring as a journalist, Alya hasn't been involved in an interview in several years. But now that her identity is out, that's about to change.

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Strangely Familiar by @sunfoxfic

Alya Césaire’s life is perfect. Indeed, between the success of the Ladyblog, how well she’s doing in school, and the fact that she’s a superhero who has never bore the weight of a crisis of epic proportions, her life almost couldn’t be better. Almost. But Alya has always been a go-getter, and so she’ll chase after that perfect life if it kills her. Which is how she ends up rushing to move out of her father’s apartment and in with Marinette, Adrien, and a complete stranger: Nino Lahiffe. And in fact, her life does seem perfect — she and Nino are fast friends. They spend a lot of time together and get to know each other really well. But in the end, fortunate situations will bear unfortunate truths, and she learns things about herself that aren’t quite comfortable. Like I said, though: Alya has always been a go-getter, and she won’t let new feelings deter her from chasing after her perfect life.

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Trust your instincts by @ultrakart

Alya has the instincts of a fox. Nino finds it hilarious.

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Foxy Lady by WizardlyMagik

In which Nino finds himself unexpectedly attracted to Rena Rouge, tries and fails to tell his friends and get some advice, and desperately attempts to hide it from his girlfriend. (Who in fact, is planning to use it to her advantage)

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No One Can See Us Here, Alone; or, The Behaviors of Binary Stars by artEngine

"Yeah, about that," Nino turns to fall in step with her out the door, "Hows about we take a small break from the quests? Chillax, enjoy our money and things?" "You say that now," Alya eyes him from the corner of her vision, "but would you still say that if I told you this special quest was to find a hidden genie for three free wishes?" "Dude. Yes." "Fine. Look, I promise to chill if we go on this quest. Okay?" Nino narrows his eyes down at her pleading expression. This dialogue is suspiciously familiar. Somehow, he gets the feeling that this time will be different. And for some reason, he listens to that feeling. "You're lucky I like you," he concedes. Alya hip-checks him with a winning smile. "That I am." : : A series of Alya and Nino's exploits as a part of the 10,000 gamers who found themselves trapped in Akihiko Kayaba's VRMMORPG game, Sword Art Online. For AU April with the Miraculous Fanworks Discord. (Knowledge of and/or interest in SAO or ALO is not required to enjoy this fic)

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well somewhere along the way in our words i must've gotten lost by @noirshitsuji

Beelya where Queen Bee visits the Césaire house after Alya writes an article about her fighting Mr. Pigeon alone. Normally Chloé would like the publicity but Alya had titled it ‘The Birds and the Bees’. After that she ends up coming back to complain about her mother. And her father. And about the fact that her oldest friend seems uncomfortable around her. Her visits becomes weekly, then almost nightly. (Don’t forget to include Chloé redemption (and some “Bee Movie” jokes).) * Alya isn’t quite sure how she ended up here, in a place where she isn’t even surprised Chloé would seek her out to talk about her dad, where she wouldn’t even mind her doing so, where she would expect it, where she would– (–thud. She might be in trouble.)

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Me, My Best Friend, and Her Cat by @ladyofthenoodle

Ladybugs aren't known for being particularly sneaky. Good thing this Ladybug has a fox in her corner, watching her back. (And giving Ladybug's love life a nudge along the way. Maybe more than a nudge. In Alya's defense, Ladybug can use all the help she could get.)

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Best Laid Plans by @captorations

Alya Césaire had always known she was going to be a superhero one day. She even had a rather unique plan to protect her secret identity, and it worked like a charm. But tricksters have to be careful, lest they end up tricking themselves.

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Outfoxed by @captorations

Lila Rossi is not a Miraculous wielder. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have power. Alya was under her spell, along with so many others, until the day Lila unknowingly overstepped herself. Freed at last, the true Fox recognizes magic when she sees it, even if it doesn’t come from a source she understands. She is none too happy about this pretender abusing her natural gifts to make fools of Alya and those she loves. Alya Césaire might need an enchanted necklace and the aid of a tiny deity to cast illusions, but she swore to use her borrowed abilities for the greater good long ago. There is none better suited to facilitate the liar’s downfall. And maybe she’ll help her best friend sort out her increasingly complex love life along the way.

[imsparky2002]

Akuma Park AU

This AU is from @le-chiggin-nuggie, and I wanted to add my headcanons to the AU. Hope everyone enjoys

Kagami - Stan

Quote - Sometimes I think our parents are really stupid

The only one that could be considered normal. Often time serves as the only sane one of the group. She can get pretty cynical on a bad day. Very mature for her age.

Moved to France from Japan when she was in preschool. Frequently insulted by Chloe for being Japanese. Kagami knows that she would kick Chloe’s ass, though.

Her and Marinette are best friends, with a relationship that borders on romantic.

Constantly has to deal with the antics of her blind mother, Tomoe.

Marinette - Kyle

Quote - You know, I’ve learned something today

The smartest one of the gang. Always wants to do the right thing, but can be insufferable about it at times.

Hates Chloe for being a rich brat and for being racist to her. If Chloe is suffering, Marinette is smiling.

She will be angered very easily, especially if Chloe’s involved. Her elaborate plans to be proven right rarely work out.

Cannot dance to save her life, a total klutz

Chloe - Cartman

Quote - Screw you girls, I’m going home!

The meanest kid in school. Chloe’s a spoiled brat who spends her days being horrible to other kids. Kagami, Marinette, and Juleka barely think of her as a “friend”.

Walks all over her father, the mayor of the small town.

Bigoted in every sense of the word. Mocks Kagami and Marinette for being Asian, Juleka for being gay and poor, and that’s just the kids in her group.

Lila Rossi scammed her and she retaliated by having Lila’s mother killed, and putting her remains into a bowl of Lila’s chili.

Juleka - Kenny

Quote - *incoherent mumbling*

The quiet one of the group. A goth who’s words are muffled by her purple parka. The only ones who understand what she’s saying are the other members of the gang, and her girlfriend Rose.

Whenever an Akuma attacks, Juleka is killed in battle. Yet somehow she always shows up the next day and is completely fine.

Made fun of by Chloe for her family being extremely poor. Her father abandoned them and her mother talks like a pirate.

Despite her shy demeanor, Juleka’s the most foul-mouthed out of the gang, she swears like a sailor.

I got some other characters in mind

Rose as Butters

Marc as Tweek and Nathaniel as Craig ( @artzychic27  cast them as these two before)

Kim as Clyde

Sabrina as Scott Malkinson

Adrien as Heidi

Lila as Scott Tenorman

Socqueline as Cousin Kyle

Miss Mendeleiev as Mr. Garrison

Miss Bustier as Ms. Choksondik

Principal Damocles as Mr. Mackey

What do you guys think? Lemme know in reblogs and replies.

[ultfreakme]

Hello, KnB ask here... Do you mind if I ask other ships from KnB? Do you have other ships beside AkaFuri? Like, who do you ship Kagami with, Kuroko or Aomine? Cause my friend is Aomine/Kise & Aomine/Kagami shipper (she can't decide which is better, just Aomine is her fav). For me I ship Aomine with Momoi (one of my fav het ship until now), she (my friend) hate Momoi as character. I don't know why.... Let's just say, my friend and I agree to disagree for that ship. What do you think?

I love reading your answers and you're right, that Furihata scene in s3 is also one of my fav (still laughing when watching it)....

Hi!!! I have a bunch of KNB ships lol, all of the teams have their assigned duos within and also there's iconic rivalries so it's just begging me to ship.

Mine are usually:

Kagami/Kuroko

Aomine/Kise

Midorima/Takao

Murasakibara/Himuro

Nijimura/Haizaki (I am realizing recently that I may have thing for delinquent-like characters being shipped with cool and calm types)

Kiyoshi/Riko/Hyuuga(could be all three or any combination of two)

I usually don't ship with Momoi with anyone and I very much like her as character. Wish we got more with her and Riko's rivalry. Also more on her own basketball skills and analysis. I thought she wasn't utilized as well as she could have been. I don't really mind Aomine/Momoi but I'm like, ambivalent? Sorry 🙏

I do have a few other mix-up ships, I'm a little more open with shipping in KNB and they're usually:

Nijimura/Akashi

Kagami/Aomine

Kise/Wakamatsu

Nijimura/Himuro Okay so this one I have to explain I think. Idk if this is common knowledge but there was a light novel chapter where we follows Nijimura when he's in the U.States taking care of his dad. While he's there, he runs into Himuro and accidentally gets involved in some kinda gang dispute. Nijimura keeps going on and on about how beautiful Himuro is LMAO and they take down some shady shit together using Nijimura's delinquent days experience. It's as wild and unhinged as it sounds it's CANON I SWEAR

I really like Nijimura. me and my friend joke that he's our god. Himuro is so pretty and beautiful he's our top for visuals. So when we found this, we immediately went "oh yeah, they had at the very least, a fling"(jealous Murasakibara hello~ Also it's funny to me that Kagami has no fucking clue who Nijimura is- the one guy who had all of the GoM's respect no matter what- but HIMURO does. Imagine that meeting in Last Game).