#I would definitely enjoy making a hold them down animatic

[gigizetz]

Hi Gigi :3

Are we gonna get a hold them down animation? Or no because the uncomforty topic?

that's up for the future to decide

I'll be busy with commissions up until february I think, so util then I won't be working on any Epic animatics

and then once I have time again I'll finish God Games

and after that I kinda want to do Legendary-

[13-rats-in-a-trenchcoat]

Traffic/Evo Watcher headcanon, don't mind me

Ok, so we've known awhile now that the next season of the Life series is going to be released soon, so naturally I've been re-watching the previous seasons and going over POVs I hadn't seen before. While going down this rabbit hole I came across a Martyn stream I missed where he was talking about the Watchers lore and how he and Grian worked on it for Evo and then he kind of altered it from what Grian originally imagined (i.e. the Watchers being representative of us, the audience, who watch them for entertainment) to the more sinister lore we Traffic connoisseurs are familiar with today. This got me thinking. A lot. Too much even. What if we, the audience, were STILL the Watchers? I'm not talking about for the Life series or Evo series specifically, I'm thinking more broad spectrum, like across the MCYT multiverse type thing. I like a cohesive story, and I like puzzles, and when there are stories that look like they could be pieces of a bigger puzzle I enjoy smooshing them together in one giant headcanon that more or less makes sense, so here we go.

The canon lore we have (as I understand it anyway) is as follows: the Watchers first made themselves known during Evo, where they messed with the Evolutionists as they went through each Minecraft update, ultimately separating them for the final dragon fight where Grian would leave Evo and become a Watcher himself. From there the Listeners (who I know diddly squat about) got involved and helped the Evolutionists escape the Evo server, thus getting them away from Watcher influence. Or so they hoped. The Watchers somehow regained power over the Players that were involved in Evo, along with some of their friends, and put them in what is essentially a never-ending loop of death games as punishment for their defiance. Grian didn't like how the Watchers operated, so he left them to join his friend in the death games. The Watchers feed off the Players' negative emotions, but leave their memories, thus enabling them to start fresh each season without holding on to previous grudges (though considering Impulse's thing with BDubs and the clock and Tango's rage that might not be entirely effective)

This is where my headcanon comes in. The Watchers are a group of people/sentient beings of some kind who feed off of the negative emotions of others and watch their misery and struggles for entertainment. They're a mischievous bunch, some might even say troll-like (of the internet variety, not like in fairy tales), and at least two of them enjoy speaking in rhyme, i.e. they're artistic and dramatic. Sound familiar? Because to me this description sounds very much like the wider MCYT fanbase, especially the fan artists/writers. I mean come on, when have we NOT jumped at the opportunity to turn a pretty normal moment into the angstiest piece of writing/art imaginable. Case in point, Mumbo and Grian at the ghast farm in Last Life. They were giggling through that whole interaction, yet I've watched SEVERAL angsty animatics about just that one scene and I've loved every second of it.

This next bit is likely a pretty big reach, but the thought popped into my head and wouldn't go away so I would just like to get it out there. Grian doesn't really interact with his comments on an individual basis, but he definitely has addressed the more negative ones, especially the ones that go after his friends when they're on an opposing side of whatever war he's started at that moment in time. This ties in pretty well with him not liking the way the Watchers operate in my opinion, and it also ties in with him leaving the Watchers to help his friends. Not necessarily directly, but more in the sense of the vibes matching up.

We currently don't know enough about the Watchers to definitively say how plausible this headcanon of mine is, like we don't know exactly how many Watchers there are, or how many Listeners there are, or what separates a Watcher from a Listener, or really any info about the Listeners in general. I do think it's a pretty fun headcanon though, and until it is directly contradicted this is how I will view the Watchers. Thank you for reading my essay.

[superherotiger]

AHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I’m so glad you like it!!! I’ll jump at any chance to ramble about this AU 🤣

And yeah the 24 year imprisonment is brutal 😭 I think Erik would be majorly touch starved after all that time, and when he finds out Peter is his son he just wants to hold him but Peter is almost the opposite and averse to touch because he’s had to be on his own for so long 😩 it’s okay though because as they get closer they both learn how to comfort each other 😭💛

And aww thank you!! I’ve always wanted to write their story but maybe I’ll have to give it another shot soon and finish it 👀 I’m not sure if I’d have Logan reveal the truth to past Erik but I definitely had a bit of dialogue written down that went something like this:

The future:

Logan: “You know, there’s only been one man who could break in and out of that cell. Wouldn’t hurt to have him on our side.”

Erik: “That man is only a boy where you are going. Leave him out of this, Logan, and keep him far away from me.”

Logan: “Even if you risk never meeting him to begin with?”

Erik: “If it allows him to live, then yes. That’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

The past:

Charles: “The Pentagon is practically impenetrable. How do you suppose we get in?”

Logan, muttering to himself: “Erik’s gonna kill me for this…”

Logan to Charles and Hank: “I know a guy.”

Love me time travelling Logan that doesn’t give a FUCK about the consequences of his actions 🤣

And aww, thank you so much!! 🥺🥺🥺 knowing that people enjoy my fics and animatics make my day!! I have no plans on stopping either so don’t fear! 💛

And I would absolutely love to hear about your fics/ideas!!! That no powers AU sounds AMAZING!!! Them meeting at a library is perfect, and I can just imagine Erik’s confusion at seeing this kid coming around with seemingly no supervision but growing a soft spot for him anyway 🥺 I’d love to read this, even if it doesn’t have a reveal! (And I feel it, reveals are so hard to write 😭)

And ooooh that Wanda one sounds like so much fun!! I’ll have to check it out when I get a chance between study!! And yessss you totally should!! All going well the event will run again at the same time next year, so there’s plenty of time to prepare!

Also don’t stress about not reading the comics. Comic Dadneto is a whole other playing field, one that mostly consists of angst and pain lol. While I like imagining how comic Dadneto could be better, movie Dadneto will always be one of the best variants out there!! 😄💛

Hi @superherotiger , this is a reply to your reblog on the dadneto and quickson poll… I wanted to make another reblog but I realized that it’s someone else’s post and the thread is getting long 😅 So yeah, this is my reply:

THIS IS SO AMAZING! I LOVE IT SOOO MUCH!! I have watched this animatic before and I understood it a lot more with your narrative. Thank you very much for sharing that! I find it so endearing that Peter and Erik were always destined to meet no matter what timeline!! And ohmygod, Erik imprisoned for 24 years? Poor man. Never gets a break! And then Wanda, is once again, dead😭 I mean, I imagine her dead too most of the time because Fox didn’t show us their version of Wanda. Peter finally telling Erik he’s his son and that they team up against the sentinels but alas!!!! The curse against Erik’s family struck once again 😭 AND IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL HOW ERIK MADE A PIECE OF ROSE FROM HIS HELMET. I’M LITERALLY CRYING RIGHT NOWWWW! Aaaaa, I wish you continue the fic! I’d love to see Logan telling Erik in dofp that the child who broke him out IS HIS SONNNNN! Weirdly enough, I don’t see much fanfics where it’s Logan who told Erik… I wonder whyyyy.

I really love your animatics so much 😭 THEY GIVE ME LIFE. AND YOUR FICS TOOOOOO!!! I love all of your works, I hope you never stop making them 😭

Well then, speaking about first fics! I’m not sure if you’re interested but since you shared, I wanted to share as well! I wrote my first fic about them 2 years ago too!!!! It’s an AU with no magic because I really found Peter’s speed abilities very hard to write. I know there’s a lot more mutants more powerful than him but like… if he’s faster than most of them then they wouldn’t have much time to react, right? So yeah, I decided to write an AU without powers… In that AU, Peter is a very young kid who always annoys Erik in the library while Erik, in his mind, just goes like ‘where is this kid’s parents?’ But in the end, he started to appreciate Peter’s company. I never did publish it though because till now, I still don’t know how to do the big revelation. (Maybe this is why Fox didn’t do the reveal? Because they didn’t know how?!?! Anyways, who cares. I still hate them for doing that.)

And another fic I wrote about them also 2 years ago!! I included Wanda in this one! The first few chapters focused on Peter’s insecurities because he always thought that Wanda is the ‘better twin’ and that everyone likes her more including their father. Erik is not aware of this thinking but he always makes sure to devote his time equally to the twins. There’s a bit of unspoken strain in Peter and Wanda’s relationship too despite them being close. It all stemmed from their late mother. Since Wanda thought that Peter didn’t save their mother on purpose; while Peter was a bit jealous of Wanda since she always had Magda’s attention. And then, the main plot comes in! MCU Wanda really had to ruin everything and take Peter away from them. But since X-Men Wanda and Peter’s relationship isn’t the best, there’s an uncertainty if Peter would even want to come home considering that MCU Wanda treats him so well 🥺 But yeah, we all know nothing is gonna stop Erik from bringing his son back 🫣 I actually published this fic! The first few chapters, I mean… It originally focused on MCU Wanda and Peter’s relationship but I’ve decided to focus on dadneto when I do get the time to work on it again hehe. I might add it in the House of Dadneto collections if it runs again! 🤩

It’s this fic if you’re curious!

[beautifulsnake2162020]

Ikevamp headcanons after watching Hamilton

Quick disclaimer: Yes I know this is a show about people who had owned slaves and slavery is bad. Having said that there's a reason why we suspend disbelief for a couple of hours and just allow ourselves to be swept into the story. I also love Phantom of the Opera but I also am aware that this is a story that involves an abusive and toxic relationship. The point is that I am aware that there are problems that needs to be discussed, but I still love the music, the story and the shows okay. This is just fan content not meant to be taken seriously and is just for fun. Okay? Now let's proceed.

I'll be doing Will and Arthur first since I'm currently doing Shakespeare's route and was inspired to do this after MC watches Romeo and Juliet with Vincent and I was wondering how Will would react to watching Hamilton. And Arthur is here because he is my husband/main lover. I might do Mozart and Napoleon next.

SPOILER ALERT: For anyone who hasn't seen the Disney Plus version of Hamilton, there might be some spoilers here (unless you already saw the show or know the story that is).

General Scenario:

You don't know how but Le Comte was able to get the filmed version of Hamilton, a musical which you've told Sebastian that you've been dying to see but was never able to because tickets were always sold out and entering the lottery was going to be a little too expensive for someone who lives in Japan and who doesn't exactly have the money or the time to simply fly to New York if in case she won. You were also excited because apparently Le Comte was able to modify the 21st century tech room that you use for your online classes and was able to get a wide screen and high quality surround sound which made you appreciate his efforts. A part of you was also curious as to how the other residents would react. You were scared that some of them might take offense, especially Napoleon who knew one of the characters in the show in real life. Would they react weirdly for seeing people different from them portray people that they knew? You were also wondering if they might even appreciate some of the 21st century slang that you and Sebastian would sometimes slip back into whenever it was just the two of you alone. After talking it out with everyone and explaining a few more things (like how its probably going to be different since it is a series of captured pictures-or at least that's your closest analogy- being played super fast with the synchronized sound of the actors- or what you were almost tempted to call "Techno Magic") during a dinner in which Shakespeare had decided to be present in, they were actually interested in what this show is about. Napoleon convinced you that he's fine and actually someone else playing Lafayette might even help with the suspension of disbelief since its been awhile since he has last met him anyway. Will even mentioned that while he has read and heard about stories from America, this is probably going to be the first story or production he's going to see from it. The only one who showed any hesitation - to no one's surprise - was Mozart, since he is attached to the kind of music he is familiar with (aren't we all?). But after prodding from both Jean, Le Comte and you giving him the puppy eyes, he finally relents. The day comes when everyone was once again free and for practicality everyone decided to have a meal first so that they won't be hungry during the show and also for you, Le Comte, and Sebastian to explain a few things everyone else may need to know to truly appreciate the show (like how the Presidential system and elections worked during the setting, what the word "Rewind" means, what is beatboxing, etc). So finally everyone gathered into the tech room after the meal, the lights were dimmed and once everyone was settled, you hit play. And as self-predicted of you, you find yourself crying in the end.

William Shakespeare (I'm still doing his route so please don't hate me if I get him wrong. Also no spoilers please).

- He was a bit shocked at first by how exactly up close you could see the facial expressions of the actors as well as the various ways it would cut to another person. He could now understand why you struggled with trying to explain how its played in a theatre but not exactly like the theatrical experience. But as you saw in your periphery, by the time Philippa Soo sings her first line, Will had already adjusted and allowed himself to be an audience and shut off his director and actor mindset (for the most part at least).

- While he didn't specialize in musicals, he found himself paying attention to the story of "the ten dollar founding father without a father." He knows how music could help both the actors and the audience in succumbing to their emotions in a scene and to suspend disbelief from reality. In his productions the words are not overwhelmed by any score but rather complemented to bring out the emotion he wants to evoke and for actors to show. Since many parts of the show has been influenced by the spoken word style without completely removing it from being sung, he has become enlightened with how powerful a show can be when it is done right.

- He not only enjoyed the story (especially the flow of it) and the production (especially some of the more technical details that the other residents hadn't noticed as far as a stage production is concerned), he loved that even the ensemble members had good acting and some of the onstage humor. One of the meta things he enjoyed was the obvious reference to his most superstitious work.

- Once you've seen how he loves analyzing the technical details of the production, you excitedly tell him about a special member of the ensemble who is known as "The bullet" among fans of the show. You could see him being enlightened as he watches the show with you again (this time with just the two of you) and he now sees "the bullet" and the way she interacts with the characters in a whole different light. He was so impressed with this idea that he may have adapted it into one of his new original plays (its not a copy paste of Hamilton's "bullet" but he definitely adapted assigning a member of the ensemble to have a special role that may not be significant at first, but he heavily notes that this member would have to be unique in interacting with any of the other characters).

- He didn't know what to expect from a 21st Century production but he found himself impressed with the prose and writing of various raps and songs. His favorite from Act 1 in terms of rhyme schemes was "Right Hand Man" and from Act 2 it was Jefferson's rap in "Washington by your side". And after settling down a bit his favorite emotional parts were "History has its eyes on you", "Hurricane", and "It's quiet uptown".

- He was impressed with how the double roles was given and how it actually is true for both of their roles in both acts. Ambiguity is one of his favorite things to have in a work, and he gives props to Lin for all the ambiguity he later realizes was in several parts of the show. If he and Arthur had been a little bit more closer, they probably would have bonded over the ambiguity Hamilton's comma in his letter to Angelica (see kids, grammar matters).

- A part of his brain wonders how the real life Hamilton would react to this and if him and Burr would still be enemies. But after some thinking he decides its not worth his efforts of asking anyone to bring them back since a wonderful production of their life has already been made even if it may not necessarily reflect who they truly are. He of all people knew what it's like to be inspired by great figures, it was fortunate that Lin Manuel Miranda decided to make a show about them before he had the chance to.

- You explain that in America Hamilton is one of the lesser known founding fathers of their nation and how it may be because his political opponents later on became Presidents and therefore was able to form the narrative. He becomes inspired by it and begins to search out people or stories who are hidden gems who may not be historically famous but had much more interesting stories than some of the ones he has heard of.

- Afterwards once you are sure that he has gotten comfortable enough with the genre you show him various videos of people rapping to his works and his reactions range from impressed to amused to "that's not what I mean when I wrote that" and you had to calm him down and explain that they can't hear him anyway after he started giving serious critiques on what the text means.

Arthur Conan Doyle

- While he was knowledgeable about many things, America's founding fathers was not one of them. He along with the other residents have gotten used to any rumors or exaggerated accounts of their lives and you and Sebastian have already warned that this is just a fictionalized production of the real person. As a writer of some historical fiction books he argued that he of all people was aware that any work based on history will speak more about the creators rather than the actual people they are writing about most of the time. He was nevertheless interested as to why you have become fascinated with the treasury secretary (and maybe it was with a twinge of jealousy that you began to expressly show admiration to another man even if he wasn't among the residents in the mansion). After all unlike many other residents of the mansion, on the surface it seemed that Hamilton was similar to Theo who mainly played a supporting but crucial role to his brother. He was thankful that you didn't hold it against him and was comforted that you were in a similar place. You even told him that the only thing you really knew about Hamilton before listening to the soundtrack and watching "Animatics" was that he was in the ten dollar American bill.

- And as someone who has delved into writing historical fictions, this was probably one of the most entertaining productions about a historical figure he has seen. He's going to be honest with you in that at first he was wondering if revealing Burr shot Hamilton in the opening was going to hinder him from enjoying the show; but he was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case at all. As a matter of fact it now made him want to find out who the real Hamilton was (although a part of him doubts if the real Hamilton had any regrets at all). According to him, this is why as a fictionalized historical work, the show is a success because it makes you want to find out more about the events and figures of the story (even if it means looking at darker realities that they did). And while the real Hamilton may be a lot different from what was shown, with all the things he went through and all the things he has done (for better or worse), he now wonders why exactly Le Comte hadn't approached him since he seems to be no better or worse than the average resident ("He and Newt could probably discuss mathematics all day."). You then explained that his political rivals (Jefferson and Madison from the show, and Monroe who wasn't shown in the musical) had later on become Presidents and was able to shape the narrative away from Hamilton. "Ron Chernow made Hamilton's biography because he was the lesser known founding father who was fading into obscurity among Americans and Lin read the book and recognized the story of someone who has risen through his writings. And to Lin that was also the story of hiphop." While he wasn't involved in politics as much as Hamilton was, Arthur had enough experience to know what it feels like to have those kinds of people in power. He also knows just how powerful it is to be in "the room where it happened" and how sometimes the real decisions weren't being made in an office but rather in either a private party or the right bar when people in power had their guard down and were more susceptible to being influenced.

- He could relate a lot with Hamilton on many things that he's only comfortable allowing either you or Theo to see. From being just so much more aware of death's inevitability coming for every living thing to survivor's guilt even though a part of him knows its irrational (but sometimes the emotional nonsense just overtakes our perspectives and actions). It's why he could understand Hamilton's need to write as much as he can before he dies. It's why for a time in his human life he had deviated from writing about Holmes and ventured into other genres. He could also relate to the need to prove what type of person he was, and how to go beyond his tragedies to serve people in their own ways. Hamilton did it as a soldier and the creator of America's financial system. And he is doing it as an informally practicing doctor and as a writer. It's a need that he's trying to mitigate since you've repeatedly told him that he doesn't need to prove anything to you or to anyone and to write whatever he pleases. But he also can't deny that it's still somewhere lodged in the back of his head.

- Just like William Shakespeare, in terms of the wordplay found in rap and the ambiguity present in the show and how those things were executed made him amazed and momentarily speechless. He was especially fanboying about "The comma after dearest" and how this essentially shows how important grammar was. It went to the extent that afterwards whenever he would write to you he would address you either as "My dearest, Y/N" or "My darling, Y/N" with special emphasis on the comma (sometimes you could see how there's more ink in the comma than some of the actual words. That's how much he wants to emphasize that you hold the title of dearest or darling). And you excitedly share with him some of the trivia knowledge of the show (like how in real life it was Angelica who originally made the comma mistake by writing to Hamilton as "My dear, sir" in one of her letters and it was Hamilton who was asking her what the comma means and even replied with "Ma chere, soeur") and how Angelica really did reference the Icarus metaphor in one of her letters to Eliza. And even though he wasn't a major musical nerd (he sang for fun), he would now join you in watching Howard Ho's Hamilton videos musically analyzing Hamilton (and would probably try to find a way to use this knowledge to annoy Mozart in some way).

- Speaking of music: Maybe it's because he's biased in his love for you but aside from Sebastian he's probably the one who has no qualms about the hiphop genre and was immediately into the various wordplays that rapping allowed. And because of this his favorite characters in terms of rapping are the ones played by Daveed Diggs (probably more than Hamilton himself even though you've explained that Lin is the one who wrote the whole thing). He even adapts to how Daveed as Jefferson would say Isaac's third law and incorporated it into his "let's tease Newton" kit. That's when you know he really loves Daveed Diggs ("Every action has an equal opposite -" "WILL YOU PLEASE STOP SAYING IT THAT WAY?! I didn't mind the first few times but this is ridiculous Arthur" "It must be nice, it must be nice to have a Newton on your side"). And his favorite character emotionally was Angelica (her raps in Schuyler Sisters and Satisfied may have helped).

- Speaking of the Schuyler Sisters, after watching it with you another time (this time with just the two of you) one of his favorite things to say is that you've got the best of all three sisters within you (Angelica's wittiness and intelligence, Eliza's cares for the more important things in life, and Peggy's humor) with the sexiness of Maria Reynolds. But because he sees all 4 of them in you he has the benefit of not needing to choose among them. Having said that there will be a period wherein he teases you if he makes you "Helpless" or "Satisfied" (and you respond either by kissing him or singing "That would be enough").

- Whenever you would sing as one of the Schuyler sisters he will join you as any of the male characters the moment he masters the soundtrack and could even sing it without the music. His favorite rap songs are "Guns and Ships", "Washington on your side", and of course "Satisfied". He also really loves "Non-stop", "the 10 duel commandments", and "The room where it happened". But his favorite sequence is from "the Winter's Ball" all the way to "Wait for it". Since it has romance, a shocking revelation, and gives insight to the perspective of the antagonist. He's also one of the first people to attempt to learn the choreography whenever he's in one of his mental blocks in writing. Of course he makes sure not to injure himself.

- He posts song lyrics to keep himself motivated in his times of mental block "There's a million things I haven't done. But just you wait" and "I'm not throwing away my shot" frequently appear around his desk.

-And whenever he's feeling low or insecure, just like Eliza you remind him to "Look around, Look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now."

[elderdragonblu]

For the behind the scenes fic asks: Lacuna - question 6, 7, 12, and 19

Dwjsidhsjsjdjd thank you for asking :D, now I’ll talk your ear off if you don’t mind:

6 - What do you need to write? Is there anything special you need to do/have to help your creative flow?

In general, I use music to help my creative juices flow, mostly because I get so easily distracted with things that I need something that’ll force me to sit down and write. Writing is one of the things I love, and simply need a rope to tether me down. Tones of music can also help me set the right mood for stories, like if I’m writing generally really depressing stuff, my Spotify will be full of really depressing music.

For Lacuna in particular, I used specific songs to help me capture the vibe. Sometimes songs inspire me to write so it was definitely fun. The songs I used for general sad tones or bittersweetness were Ghosts by Trampled by Turtles, Mice On Venus from C418, and Video Games by Lana Del Ray.

There is also an unintentional thing that helps keep my creative juices flowing, too. I have a condition called maladaptive daydreaming disorder, and to put it in short: it’s a disorder where you have a really overactive imagination, it distracts you from everyday life, puts you in vivid daydreams, and makes your life inconvenient as hell. It helps give me ideas and inspiration, but the constant urge to daydream or act out daydreams interferes with my life greatly. Especially considering I have thing to do like basic house chores for example and the urge can get unbearable at times. It sucks mostly because people undermine the severity of this condition a lot and since it’s not even, like, researched enough it’s very much not seen much in society.

Gives a general idea to what I go through for my creative process lmao

7 - What inspired the idea for the plot?

A lot of what I write tends to delve into a characters mind and bringing their thoughts to the forefront. I guess it’s considered character studies, but I tend to only look at trauma and see how certain characters deal with it and whether or not they want to get better. Do they shove their problems down and try to ignore it? Or do they want to face the problem on their own? Etc.

For Lacuna, it was no different. But I also watch animatics on YouTube that can help fire up the process. I can’t recall any atm and idk if I could even find the one that inspired this process. But there’s many images of people just watching rain and waiting for a storm to pass that I genuinely enjoy and get inspired from. Sitting in the rain and contemplating stuff is especially fun to write, even more so with Max’s character considering all the shirt she went through.

Though, Jack Stauber’s rain is actually one thing I can recall that gave me so much inspiration to help me write this story.

12 - Was there a scene you wished you could have included? Why didn't it fit in?

There was going to be a scene where Max stepped out into the rain and would just stand in there. She was just gonna kinda sit there and all those emotions would just barrel towards her. She’d be trying to process all of it when Rachel would find her and get her out of the rain. I would’ve also included Rachel just helping Max take a bath because of her sort of spacey state. Chloe was also going to have more of role too where she’d just hold Max a while after she got out of the bath. Even some wholesome talking while the three of them were in the bathroom with only Rachel and Chloe talking.

Ultimately, though, I didn’t add it in. Of course, I really wish I could, but it was really difficult to try and write someone processing emotions about things while also trying to have a whole side story going on literally right next to them. I’ve done it before, but with Max’s trauma I want to do it justice and at the time I felt like I couldn’t so I just didn’t add it in. And it also just felt like too much? Like the story wouldn’t have fit if I added the scene. Though, honestly I should’ve just tried and heavily edited it and then just send it out there.

19 - Is this one of your personal favorite fics? Why or why not?

With all of my fics ever, I actually hated it for a long time. I get really insecure about my writing and tend to think I’ll never get anywhere with it. I’m extremely pessimistic and when I got such a positive response on my work it really encouraged me. I was like “okay, wow, maybe I don’t suck that much.” And with all my fics again, after a while of not reading it and just focusing on other things, it grew on me. Now it holds a nice place in my heart because I feel like I did fairly well on it. Plus it was the first story that helped kick me off into actually wanting to write more on AO3.

Personal favorite is a little bit of a stretch, but it’s not unreasonable. Definitely a favorite.

Thank you for asking!! Again, I will never shut up so please ask away if you want to, I don’t mind sharing anything about my process!! :)

[mihidecet]

SBI d&d AU: Ph1lza

First of all, I want to thank each and everyone of you who's liked, reblogged and left a comment (even in private) on my last story! I'd never received such positive feedback and it absolutely made my day (and my week)! So thank you all so so much! <33

A special thank you goes to @whatimevendoinhere , who is an endless source of inspiration and honestly such a cool person to just hang out with akdgaha

Go check out their drawings! They made so much art for this au, and a stunning animatic!! Go show them all the love! <3

Despite what most would think, His Majesty, King Philza of the Greenwoods, does not miss the commodities that come from being royalty. He does not miss them at all, but it would be better to specify why.

He did enjoy sleeping in his wonderfully big bed, with as many soft as cloud pillows as he wished, with sheets made of the finest silks in the summer and of the warmest wool in the winter. But he very much prefers the current warmth of the campfire in front of him, as he moves around a log and watches sparks fly off into the night, and the familiar weight of the head resting on his lap - Tommy had insisted on listening to stories of his time back at the castle, and then he'd promptly fell asleep halfway through him talking about his horseback riding classes.

He did like taking care of his horses, endless stables with elven bred mares and elks. He remembers Roheryn, his first pony, a docile animal that grew up with him, and Firefoot, a fiery mare whose temper he could hardly match.

Still, they are no match for Milo, Barnaby, Peter and Fraiser, the four horses they managed to buy after successfully freeing a nobleman's son. Sometimes Phil catches Wilbur talking to his own as if he could respond; one of these days he'll tell the young bard that, being a druid, he'd be able to translate sweet Milo's answers.

Phil loved the food they would cook in the kitchens, how his nanny would sneak him sweets when he was a child, or how the head chef had caved in and started teaching him how to bake bread after years of insisting it wouldn't be proper for a king to spend his day in the kitchens.

These days he's especially thankful for all the recipes he'd been taught, as food is not that easy to find when you're travelling through endless enchanted woods. And nothing beats the joyful expressions colouring the faces of his companions every time he announces he'll be making his special soup.

The one thing he misses are his friends back home, the people he grew up with. His travels have brought him far away, but they still hold a special place in his mind. Under his linen shirt - once a pristine, perfectly clean thing, now stitched up with different coloured threads and forever stained on his right side where a wolf managed to bite him - rests a thin chain of mythrill, where he keeps what he holds most sacred: his wedding ring, the one he will wear once he'll come back, once his travels and trials have ended.

He never fiddles with it, never exposes it to the light in hope time and weather won't ruin its beauty. Not that its meaning would be lost, even in the hundreds of years Phil will hopefully live, but he did spend two whole years crafting each and every silvery strand - he's not about to let his hard work go to waste. Still, its weight is a constant source of comfort, and even in the worst moments it gives him strength.

A quiet huff of breath next to him catches his attention and, a moment later, Techno lets himself fall down at his side.

While it's good to see him so relaxed, less careful with every move - hands no longer constantly busy in order to keep his mind at bay - he can sense that the thief is anxious: his shoulders are set in a tense line and he seems to be trying to sneak glances at him before quickly looking back towards the rest of the camp. So, Phil waits. He can give him the time he needs, after all he's already slept the four hours he needs to survive.

A couple of minutes later, Techno's rough voice pierces the comfortable silence they'd fallen into.

"Give me your hand." Is not exactly what the druid had expected, but he extends his hand nevertheless, raising an eyebrow curiously. Not even a second later, there's a small green and golden bracelet in his palm.

"Listen, you've saved my bacon more time than I can count, and we've worked together a long ass time, so now we're friends. I just decided it, there's no take backs." Techno states, adopting what Phil has now learnt to know is the tone of voice he uses when he's trying to be intimidating due to his own nerves.

Phil looks down at the bracelet in his hand, picking it up in order to better study it. It's objectively beautiful, the multiple threads of coloured material having been woven by hand, with an added string of gold-like material and a handful of deep red beads.

But most of all- the most stunning thing is that he's holding something Techno made, for him, as proof of their friendship. It tugs at Phil's heartstrings, making his throat squeeze around his words.

"Techno, mate, this is stunning. I- I will keep it forever. Thank you."

One of the thief's eyebrows raises as he looks back at him, staring quietly as if expecting a joke or a quick negation - as if, Phil thinks to himself.

For a moment they're both silent as Phil tries to convince the man sitting next to him of how much he appreciates this token of friendship, after months of fighting side by side.

Techno's mask of impassibility breaks first. He huffs out and turns back towards the fire, but Phil's an elf: he can clearly see the crinkle in his eyes and the smile that breaks open his face, from how it glints in the feeble light, to how one of his tusks pushes up into his cheek.

"Alright, enough with the sappiness. Go to sleep or something, you're distracting me from keeping watch." Techno grumbles, using a stick to move around the embers in the campfire.

With a small chuckle, Phil nods and doesn't point out that he's the one who's supposed to be keeping watch, opting instead to figure out where to keep this precious gift.

While it takes him a while to make up his mind, once he's made his choice he knows it's the right one. It's almost surreal taking hold of the mythrill chain, because he's so used to it resting over his heart, but that is also why he's chosen to tie the bracelet there.

Phil has been travelling for a while - some years now. He has met many people, fought many fights and visited many places, but he knows this is it.

The brilliant thief next to him, the wonderfully talented bard sleeping on the other side of the fire, and the little maniac sleeping with his head in his lap.

These are the companions he will spend the rest of his travels with, for as long as they'll have him.

Next to him, Techno chokes on seemingly nothing.

"You alright?" Phil asks, turning a concerned eye towards him: the thief is a couple of shades lighter than usual and is waving a hand towards his chain.

"You're *married*?!" He yells under his breath, voice reaching a pitch that Phil didn't expect he could.

Tommy grumbles in his sleep, apparently disturbed by the sound of Techno's protest, but he seems to fall back asleep rather quickly once Phil places a reassuring hand over his curls. The boy mumbles something about bees before rolling on his side, head tilting up into his hand, and Phil has to quickly dodge one of his horns - still growing, but nevertheless rather sharp and definitely solid.

Once his movement has stopped, Phil turns to Techno with a small smile.

"Not yet. It is tradition in my family, that one must prove their worth before taking their spouse's hand in marriage." He explains, Techno's expression turning from confusion to understanding.

"And that's why you're travelling. Is it an arranged marriage?"

Phil can't help but laugh a little, despite the ache that burns deep into his chest, shaking his head as he clutches the ring in his hand.

"She is the love of my life. My light, my sun and my moon. I'll spend the rest of eternity with her, for as long as she'll have me. My heart is hers, as is my whole being."

A beat of silence passes, as Phil stares into the moonlight, looking into the same sky that hopefully his love is seeing too, feeling the weight of his affection lift him up towards her. One day, one day they'll meet again, and they'll be able to finally officiate in front of the whole world what is already true. And then, they'll be able to travel together - oh, how his companions will love her, how she will care about them.

King Philza does not miss anything but he does miss her.

"I- I'll take it as a no on the arranged thing, then. I guess."

This time, when Phil bursts out laughing, it's loud, joyous and brings tears to his eyes.

It also makes Tommy wake up with a yell and Wilbur throw his pack at him - a cursed protest for him to *shut the hell up, we're trying to sleep* - but that is absolutely worth it.

________

Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed!<3

I have plans for a Tommy part, once again regarding the friendship bracelets, which will hopefully arrive in the near future!

If anyone would like to see any particular scene or character, let me know! Even in private messages, or anon asks, I will absolutely not mind (I'm just an awkward nerd)!!!

[rattyarts]

Huge-ask post (I am VERY funny)

Because I have so many questions that can be answered with just text, and I have mentioned my dislike of filling my art blog up with Words Words Words... let’s get them all done in one go!

(You guys can blacklist #rattytalks if you’re just here for the draws, btw)

A shit ton of asks under the cut!

Anonymous said: So for the center of the world, what with it being forcefully PG and all Bad Thoughts TM being prevented, how does having kids happen? Do parents just black out and wake up holding a child in their arms and vague memories of the last 9 months?

Ever seen a movie where they do that “and one day... a baby was born!” thing and a kid just appears offscreen with no explanation?

(This is how it works everywhere, Edgelands included; no one does the do or gets pregnant in this setting.)

Anonymous said: Hello! Quick question, and sorry if you’ve answered this before, but can other elves see the “intangible” bits of one another? Big fan of your work btw!

Nope! And thank you!

Anonymous said: Leopold was in my dream last night but I sadly cannot remember any of it.

I am SO sorry. I will try to keep my stinky murder men out of your head in the future.

Anonymous said: are the floaty bits stuck in one spot, or could the one they are attached to learn to move them around their body as long as its still within a certain distance? like, someone with the Floaty limbs, lets call him Ray, can move his limbs all over his body, allowing him to do all sorts of neat things that others with their attached limbs probably couldn't?

Whatever you want, honestly. As a general rule of thumb I don’t like putting down TOO many hard rules that prevent people from having fun with this setting. (Please ignore and scrap anything you think is stupid, I do this all the time and enjoy keeping this setting inconsistent and contradictory)

Anonymous said: Do elf names work off of Death Note rules, or is it like, if you know one elf’s name, all elves with that name are now unable to harm you? So if all the elf brothers are named Martin, for example, does it only work with blue?

I think it’s prolly just the one! Probably? Idk, might change if I think of something funnier.

Anonymous said: Can elves do magic on themselves or does thst go against the knowing name rule

Most people tend to know their own names, lol. So in my opinion, no, but don’t let me stop you if you got a fun idea.

Anonymous said: Could an Elf stitch on parts from another elf and have them work? i.e an Elf's finds the arm of another Elf. "Hey, free arm, might as well put it to good use", so they attach the arm and now they can give three high fives at once!

Same deal as previous questions, I personally would say no, but I also encourage people to do whatever the hell they want. It’s more fun that way!

Anonymous said: I bet elves are greasy to the touch.

They’re very powdery! Like if you rolled them in flour. And by flour I mean nasty glowing elf dandruff.

Anonymous said: Can elves fly or are their wings just for show?

No flying!!! (Unless you’re a mousefly)

Anonymous said: Something tells me that the elves would LOVE Obatzda.

Had to look that up, but definitely!

no1fan15: Not sure if someone asked already- Does Edgeworld have any equivalent to demons and angels? Like the old rubberhose cartoon kind?

Demons, yes! That’s what imps are: basically any demon, devil, or generic monster, but tiny! Even a couple of pop culture critters in there, there’s probably a very small gillman or robot monster running around there somewhere.

Angels, not so far. 

Anonymous said: How come Margaret hasn't yeeted George's jar into the Edge yet

I’d say being locked in a closet is good enough! (and also I need him for plot reasons, don’t tell anyone)

Anonymous said: If elves have knees bulges in the front then do they have butt bulges in the back?

i do not want to think about elf bulges

Anonymous said: So if you find a baby Therewoof and you say "aw you're so cute", their true name is So Cute?

Yep!

Anonymous said: Since a Therewoof's true name can be something like "cutie pie" or "dingus", does their name have to be spoken with "intent" for it to doggo-fy them? Or do they just have to live with the reality that any casual conversation/flirting can make them lose up to a month to Doggy Mode? My mom has little terrier dog named "Sweetie" so that got me thinking 'bout Therewoof names. & Anonymous said: here's a good question: If someone says a therewoof's true name, but not reffering to them, does it still affect them?

Just saying it will do! It’s based on those old werewolf stories where calling out the person’s name will change them back into a human/cure them, and a lot of the time it was by accident.

(My favorite is the one where they slam the door on the wolf’s tail and then say his name, and the dude ends up with a wolf tail for the rest of his life.)

Anonymous said: Would Seeing eye Therewoofs be a thing?

I... guess? Probably? Since regular dogs can turn into woofs, yeah. You might have to start paying em once they turn into a person tho. 

Anonymous said: Was ChalkZone ever an inspiration for you? Because I just love the silly world of ChalkZone and I noticed getting that same warm feeling when thinking about Edgeworld.

Maaaan, I wish. I’ve only seen about three episodes or so, but it seems really fun!

Anonymous said: So I saw your mimic post, and even though I don't think I've seen any other of your art before I was absolutely HAMMERED with an indescribable sense of slightly unsettling strangeness and comfortable familiarity. Your art feels like something from like, an old point and click computer game I would have had formative memories of before accidentally losing or scratching the disc therefore making me unsure if it ever REALLY existed. Sorry for being weird but I love the wacky nostalgia feel here

Aaaaaah, THANK YOU! That is SUCH a cool comparison and I appreciate!!!

Anonymous said: If the Edgeworld is based on cartoons then is there a Reverse Edge-world that’s based on anime?

Lol, I mean I DID have an anime phase for a while there, so...

caydebug: Man I’d love to see this as a cartoon some day

Honestly, same. Best you’re gonna get is the occasional animatic or gif, tho.

Anonymous said: Does anyone..."go" in Edgeworld? or is it like Pleasantville where bathrooms exist but there are no toilets in them because acknowledging it is yucky?

Oh god I keep getting asked this and have been avoiding it like the damn plague. But... Uh. No. No they do not. I am begging you all not to send any followup questions.

Anonymous said: Have you considered putting computer viruses or illnesses in with the buggymen? Since those are typically called ‘bugs’

Sure!

Anonymous said: are there any limits to what an Animimic could posess? i.e if they were in a costume of a Buggieman with multiple arms, could they control all of them? what about a small Mousefly costume? can multiple fit into one costume like a clown car? and what about in pitch black darkness, where you can only see the lights of their eyes and not their bodies? could one fit inside the pocket of a jacket you are wearing and help you steal things/wield a gun like a living turret?

Since clothing fills into the body type of the intended wearer, they would indeed be able to control all arms/legs in buggieman clothes.

Size restrictions is one of these things I wanna try to be vague about: I personally have been imagining them sticking to hiding in things no smaller than, um. Maybe imp sized, but really, whatever. It’s a cartoon eyeball critter!

You can put multiple animimics in one outfit!

They can move around just fine in darkness without being off screen, yeah!

And sure why not. lol

Anonymous said: I know you have been asked this once before, and you said nah you don't, but with a few more months of worldbuilding, do you have an idea for what could be down the edge now? 🤔

Not really! It’s not super important, honestly. I’d say any fan theory is about as valid as anything else I can come up with.

ps2polpo: I doubt you’ll ever elaborate on The Edge but I like to imagine there’s just one dude there like the Nowhere Man from the Yellow Submarine movie. Mostly cause the thought of someone accidentally winding up there being like “where am I?” And there’s just a guy casually waving at him like a friendly neighbor is funny to me & Anonymous said: The implication that the Edge is the physical manifestation of edginess so there’s probably like, Trevor Henderson monsters hanging out down there.

See above question! Valid! I also accept falling forever, getting erased from existence, ending up in another universe, getting stuck in limbo with thousands of other people, whatever you want, really!

Anonymous said: " he has very few bones and weighs basically nothing, " "Fastball special" trope, but with Leo?

YEET THE NASTY MAN

Anonymous said: did you ever watch dragon tales as a kid? because george and margaret make me think of murderous zak and wheezie from that show, and i love it to bits

I did not, but I would have loved it. Definitely up my alley!

(watched Quest for Camelot a loooot, though!)

Imma go ahead and stop here! There’s more but I’ve been writing for well over an hour and I have things to do. If your question is missing I’m either saving it for later, wasn’t entirely sure how to answer, or it’s spoilery.

Will probably do another one of these at some point!

[newsies-of-corona]

@cinn-a-mom here’s my part of the trade!! I hope you enjoy it!! (And thank you again for that beautiful Letter to the Refuge animatic!)

Broken Pieces

“Hairstripe! Hurry up, you slow poke!”

Hugo runs through Old Corona village, Varian trailing behind him carrying as much glassware as he possible can.

He tediously walks, one step at a time, trying his hardest not to drop any.

“Well...may-maybe you could give me a hand instead of, you know, yelling at me!” The glassware pile says from behind Hugo.

Oh wait, that’s Varian.

The beakers and vials begin to teeter over in the alchemist’s hands and almost hit the ground before Hugo swoops in and grabs half of the pile.

“Oh. There you are Hairstripe! You’re so short I couldn’t even see you behind all this stuff!” Hugo jokes with a smug smile.

Varian rolls his eyes, “Shut up, heh.”

He looks at the situation they had gotten themselves into with a small frown.

“Heh. Note to self...next-next time we definitely have to bring dad’s wheelbarrow when we buy glassware, heh.”

He almost drops a vial but steadies himself and continues walking.

“Yeah, no kidding. Though we wouldn’t need so much if someone didn’t blow everything up every two minutes,” Hugo remarks snidely.

“Hey! The last time was with your compound!” Varian fires back.

Hugo opens his mouth briefly, but remembers Varian is indeed correct.

“Touché...” he grumbles.

The two continue walking until they finally pass the marketplace. It’s only a couple more blocks to their house. They can make it without breaking any beakers, right?

Suddenly, a loud crash resulting from a broken flask causes Varian to whip his head around to face Hugo.

“Heh, now who’s-“

The alchemist immediately cuts himself off when he sees the boys’ biggest nemeses walking towards them: Hunter and Curtis.

Hunter is taller than Varian, but a lot shorter than Hugo. His brunette bangs swoop in front of his eyes on the left side of his face, covering one of his hazel eyes. Hunter’s father is a close friend of Quirin, and Varian has known the boy since they were kids. Only recently did he team up with Curtis when Varian exploded the town yet again. Curtis, a fiery red-head with a temper to match acts as the brains of the team while Hunter acts as the brawn. The two have been tormenting the brothers for about a month now, practically every time they leave the house.

“Right on cue...” Hugo whispers as he kicks away the glass.

Hunter is the cause of broken flask, and he stands there blocking the Hugo’s path along with his partner in crime.

“If it isn’t the Old Corona Menace and his assistant...” Curtis mocks, moving to block Varian’s path directly.

Hugo isn’t one for conflict, but he doesn’t like anyone insulting Varian either. And he especially hates that nickname that the village generously bestowed on his brother. He’d gladly take the fall for that one. He shakily delivers a snide comment.

“Oh, come-come on, fellas! You really need to step up your game on the insulting nicknames! I mean, Hairstripe may not look like much at first glance but he’s no assistant-“

Hunter laughs cynically and steps closer to Hugo. The brunette boy is significantly shorter than the blond, but he still intimidates Hugo enough to make him back up.

“You’re the assistant.”

Hugo stiffens slightly and gulps as Hunter gives him a shove, shaking him up and causing another test tube to crash to the ground.

Varian narrows his eyes at Hunter and grits his teeth. He’s heard the “Old Corona Menace” nickname multiple times before. He deserves it, but Hugo? Hugo should be allowed to have a better reputation.

“Sorry, what-what did you say to him?” Varian asks slowly.

Hunter starts to walk away from Hugo but Curtis stops him, enclosing in further on Varian.

“You heard him. That weakling orphan you call a ‘brother’ is just adding to our problem.”

“Yeah and that’s you Vari-jerk!” Hunter speaks up.

Hugo rolls his eyes and scoffs.

“Oh come on, that’s not even clever,” he voices under his breath.

“Shut it, Huge-o!” Hunter yells, trying to regain his ego.

Hugo resists the urge to roll his eyes again in fear of being beat up. Hunter may be shorter than him, but he and Curtis together can do a lot of damage. Especially considering the heaps of fragile and dangerous glassware that the alchemists were carrying.

“Listen, guys, we have a lot on our hands right now, literally,” Hugo puns. “So, maybe we can move our weekly bullying session over a day?”

He starts sweating nervously and backs up more when Hunter smirks at him, drawing even closer than before.

“Uh, or-or a month?”

A cynical laugh on Varian’s side causes Hugo to shift his focus away from Hunter.

“No this is a great time,” Curtis replies mockingly as he snatches up one of the flasks on top of Varian’s pile.

“Heh, uh, please don’t touch that...” Varian asks, trying to bottle up and distract from the anger he feels.

Curtis looks it over and tosses it back in forth in his hands.

“What is this anyway? Some kind of jar for your magical spells?”

Varian corrects him, just like he does everyone else. Even if this time it’s a little more strained.

“Heh..technically it’s not magic, it’s alchemy, and-and that’s actually a-“

Curtis drops the flask on the ground before Varian can finish, and it shatters into a million pieces.

“Ugh you’re such a nerd. Both of you. Let me let you in on something: no one cares about your sorcery-“

“Alchemy.” Hugo speaks up under his breath, but unfortunately Hunter hears him. He rolls up his sleeve, jumps up, and punches Hugo straight in the face.

The blow is so unexpected and so forceful that it causes him to stagger back. He drops all the glassware and it shatters around his feet. Hugo holds his injured cheek which most likely contains a bruise.

“Just another one for the collection...” he whispers, trying to stay strong.

“Maybe that’ll teach you to keep your mouth shut, Huge-o. You should have just stayed an orphan. You’re more of a nothing now than you were before.”

Hugo tries to keep in his tears, but Curtis’s words cut deep. He simply looks up at the boy with hurt and angry eyes.

“Awe. You gonna cry?” Hunter taunts, glancing kicking some of the glass in Hugo’s direction.

Varian stays silent through this whole exchange...but livid. His eye begins to twitch as his grip on the glassware tightens, causing some of the beakers he’s holding start to crack from the pressure.

“Whatever you call it, we’re tired of you morons blowing up our town! And if we get all your magic stuff out of the way...” Hunter moves over to Varian and grabs two test tubes from his pile, smashing them both to the ground.

Curtis crosses over to Hugo who’s still holding his injured cheek. The red-head threateningly stalks closer and hits the inside of his hand with his fist.

Varian can’t hold it in anymore and he throws down all of the glassware he’s holding. The sound of the glass shattering causes both bullies to stare straight at him.

“Don’t you dare touch my brother again,” he warns between gritted teeth.

Curtis and Hunter glance at each other nervously for a moment. After all, this is the kid who blew up their entire village only a month prior. Both of their houses were damaged in the explosion. There’s no telling what the “dangerous wizard” could do to them.

“Hairstripe, don’t-“

The desperation in Hugo’s voice seems to push Curtis on, even though he’s still wary of Varian.

“Wha-what are you gonna do? Explode us?” Curtis asks with a nervous laugh.

His comment gives Varian an idea and he readies a smoke bomb from his pocket.

He glances to Hugo behind him and backs up.

“Come on, Vari-jerk! Show us what you got!” Hunter chimes in.

Curtis shoots him a look. As far as they knew, Varian could kill them if they weren’t careful. However, this doesn’t stop the bullies from cornering the alchemy brothers anyway, their fists dangerously close to the alchemists’ faces.

At the last second, Varian gives Hugo a short nod and throws his purple smoke bomb on the ground. Before it hits, the brothers sprint away as fast as they can, leaving their attackers coughing and surrounded in smoke.

The two run all the way back to their house, stopping right outside of the farm to catch their breaths.

“Varian...the glassware-“

The alchemist cuts him off, still angry at the bullies.

“Hugo, I could care less about the glassware. We can buy more...eventually...”

He trails off, knowing it won’t be any time soon. They were in danger every time they left their house. He sighs and continues voicing his grievances.

“But Curtis and Hunter have-have been tormenting us for too long. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing!”

Hugo rubs his cheek, his fingers hitting an old bruise next to his fresh one. Varian sees him wince in pain, and furrows his own eyebrows.

“We-we’re telling dad what happened.” He states matter-of-factly as he marches towards the house. “He’s the village leader, for Demanitus sake! He-he can do something-“

Hugo catches up with Varian and stands in front of him. The last thing he wants right now is to cause more problems for his family...

“No, Hairstripe. I’ll just say it was another acid burn...if he asks.”

“But Hugo-“

The blond calmly cuts him off again.

“There’s no reason to get them into more trouble. I mean we already destroyed their houses, which they won’t let us live down...”

Varian starts to raise his voice, not understanding why Hugo doesn’t agree with him on this.

“Hugo, that-that was my invention. You had nothing to do with it. But Hunter hit you! Twice in the last week! And the things Curtis said were...were inexcusable! Don’t-don’t you think they deserve some form of punishment?”

Hugo notes Varian’s tone; he sounds actually...angry. And when Varian was angry, the only smart thing to do is to listen. Hugo carefully considers his brother’s words. Even though Quirin adopted him years ago, it still feels weird to have people standing up for him. Almost as if he didn’t deserve it.

“Maybe...” he trails off.

But what would happen after the boys were punished? The bullying wouldn’t stop, that’s for sure. Everyone in the town already hates them. If Curtis and Hunter were taken down, there would surely be others to take their place, most likely targeting Varian. Hugo couldn’t take that chance. He could deal with a couple dumb bullies for his brother’s sake.

Hugo takes a breath and shrugs, standing up straighter to show he’s okay.

“But it’s just a bruise! Plus Hunter’s punches are wimpy anyway. Same with his nicknames,” the blond jokes.

Varian’s intense glare softens and he chuckles slightly.

“Yeah those nicknames are pretty dumb, heh. I mean ‘Huge-o?’ Really?”

Hugo smiles, glad that he successfully changed the subject.

“And ‘Vari-jerk?’ That’s Vari-insulting to many other Vari-interesting words that flow seamlessly with your name.”

Varian rolls his eyes but ends up laughing. He can always count on Hugo to cheer him up. Even if it’s with dumb puns. But that doesn’t erase that matter at hand.

“Are you sure, though? About keeping it a secret again?” The alchemist asks, hoping for a different response.

Hugo’s face falls, Varian isn’t going to let this go so easily, but he can still try to avoid the subject as long as possible.

“Yeah. I’m sure.” Hugo stays serious for a moment before his tone flips back to joking.

“Plus I’m sure you already scared them silly with that smoke bomb stunt.” He elbows Varian in camaraderie and the alchemist returns the gesture.

“Well they literally asked for it! And you can’t say they didn’t deserve it, heh.”

Hugo shrugs in agreement and the two walk a bit further to the door. Varian starts to walk in when Hugo stops him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Hairstripe...Varian. I don’t say this enough but...thank you for sticking up for me. It means a lot,” he tells his brother sincerely with a slight smile between the pain of his bruise.

Varian is slightly surprised at this out of the blue gratitude from Hugo, but smiles back and shrugs nonchalantly.

“Of course, Hugo. That’s what brothers are for, you know? We stick together,” he tells him, bumping him on the arm.

Hugo rolls his eyes but still maintains his smile. This is getting a bit too sappy for him, even though he secretly enjoys the affection. He tries to change the subject again.

“Ha, yeah. So much so that I’m apparently your ‘assistant.’”

He smirks, elbowing Varian again.

“I thought that was Cassie’s job!”

Varian immediately turns red and elbows Hugo.

“GAH! H-hey-shut up!” He retorts.

Their little episode at the expo is not one to forget. And Hugo will never let him live down the “Cassandrium” incident. Luckily, they both know he’s joking. Hugo’s comments aren’t painful or cutting like Curtis’s, just mildly annoying. But Varian wouldn’t change it for the world.

The two stand in an awkward silence for a while in front of the door, when Varian decides to go for it. He suddenly wraps Hugo in a hug, causing the taller boy to tense.

After the initial shock, Hugo’s wary at first, but he hugs him back. Like it or not, he really needs this.

“I-I just wanted to say, even though you’re adopted, I still love you as my real brother, Hugo,” Varian tells him genuinely. “Nothing is ever going to change that.”

Hugo blushes nervously, but the corners of his mouth start to turn up in a smile.

“I...uh...”

He sighs, and finally gives in to the “sappy” moment.

“I love you too, Hairstripe.”

And he means it. Their glassware might be broken, and even their reputation is shattered into pieces, but they have each other and that’s all that really matters.

———————————————————————

I hope you all enjoyed this one! It hurt me to write those bullies...haha, but I actually loved writing the story!! Thank you so much Mom for asking for this!!! 💙

[zuffer-weird-girl]

Can I get a scenario with Dabi, Overhaul, and possibly Bakugou, walking in on their s/o getting wasted by themselves completely enjoying some music?? ♥️

this little shit

He just got himself home after a mission with Twice; that guy can't keep his mouth shut he swears; carefully he took his boots off at the entrance in fear that maybe you went to bed but soon seing that the lights were still on he couldn't care less anymore...

"I'm home." He tired mumbled "Hey, doll? Do you know where are the instant noodles? I cam feel a hole forming on my stomach at any point now..." he asked while checking the cabinets and almost turning the kitchen upside down in search for some food.

However you didn't answer neither his greeting nor his ask.

He called once again and to his surprise no response... The raiven haired villain made his way into the tiny apartment abandoning his search for food to you instead.

When he passed the bedroom door he could hear a faint music and your cute voice following in perfect sync as your figure moved along with the rhythm with nothing but pure joy in your face.

He stood there dumbfounded in the doorframe before he approached his right palm over his face to contain his laughter while the other carefully picked his phone in his pocket.

"This is gold, holy shit!" He snickered quietly as he oppened the camera and zoomed in your direction shaking a bit from his laughter.

Happily you sang until you frooze dead on your dancing when you spined around to, surprisingly, lock gazes with turquoise ones and a cellphone right in front at his smirking face.

"Pretty sexy moves you did there doll." He said between chuckles and still recording your red face and wide eyes.

"Dabi." You threatened "Delete that. Now."

He stopped recording, looked at his scream for a solid 3 minutes before returning his attention at you, smirking devilish.

"No way in hell! This treasure."

He ran out of the room with your screaming figurine running right after him. It was ridiculous two young adults chasing and running from each other on a small appartment at the 01:00 am? Definitely. But you could care less! Your dignity was in your boyfriends hands! And that's not good at all!

You surprisingly reached Dabi when you tackled him on the ground holding one of his wrists tight and trying to get his phone with your other hand. While Dabi himself was laughing his ass off; almost crying; while he holded your face away from him with his only free hand and with his captured one he hold in a death grip his cellphone.

"Dabi I swear I'm going to kick you out of this house if you doN'T DELETE THAT RIGHT NOW OR GIVE IT TO ME!" you said, trying to be intimidating but it was rather difficult with half of your face squished by Dabi's hand.

"H-hate to break your hopes doll, but I saved it on the cloud already when you were chasing me around." He said between laughs as some tears escaped his eyes, it was starting to hurt his face that much of laughter but he wouldn't regret it one bit, especiallyseing your embarrassedand frustaded cute face.

"NO!" You yelled in despair while unintentionally releasing his arms when you put your hands in your face in shame "NO ONE UNDERSTANDS THE CLOUD! ITS GONNA STAY IN THERE FOREVER!"

He lift a little from the ground muttering a "yay!" while holding you tight against him and bringing his phone once again and oppening the atrocity he just recorded.

"I'm breaking up with you." You mumbled pouting while burrowing your face in the crook of his neck emiting another laugh from your shitty boyfriend.

"C'mon, you look cute as hell." You slapped slightly on his chest making another one of many chuckles scape his mouth and finally smiling yourself.

Knock knock

"Shit." both of you mumbled.

"Must be the neighborhoods." You whisper while preparing yourself to get up to answer the door.

Dabi's grip didn't allow it though.

"Maybe if we don't speak at all they will go away." He whispered bringing you to his chest as he layed down on the ground.

"That's the shittiest excuse I ever he-"

"Shush." He interrupted you with a pat your head as he silently ledt his phone on the sof "it's nap time."

"On the floor?"

"Yeah now shut it."

The knocks on the door disappeared as you fell in a deep sleep in the warmth of your Dabi's chest.

Sore, his whole body was so sore and demanding a good night rest as the young boss of Shie Hassaikai almost dragged his feet to his room.

Stressful was only a cute nickname to call his entire day; Eri wouldn't collaborate with the experiments, more recruits did stupidities and he had to take care of them, a meeting that lasted at least for solid 3 hours much for his liking, he got a headache from how mucj he was reading the results of his experiments... All he wanted to do was to relief some of his stress and fall asleep...

He oppened slowly the door and soon his ears catched an animatic but also sweet and gently music enveloping the actual atmosphere... at first he was allarmed due to how late it was for you to be awake, he appreciated your efforts of staying awake and wait for his arrival but he feared that this abbit might harm your health.

Soon his shoulders sagged and his golden eyes once sharp now softened at the sign of his lover dancing with a sweet and angelic smile on their face as they singed along with the song.

Their moves, their voice... by Gods their smile... so majestic and pure.

Ah shit there it goes his heart again doing weird flips.

He stayed there for just a little more, arms crossed as he supported his frame on the wall, admiring your figurine not even once noticing his presence.

You were really enjoying yourself huh? Maybe if he...

You yelped when you feel careful yet soft arms envelop your waist as the figure behind you moved you both now from side to side, slowly resting his chin at your shoulder.

"Welcome back Kai." You giggled turning your head to the side to meet his eyes that held so much adoration.

It was always a surprise whenever you catched him in this way, specially with everthing he had gone through and what's currently going on. But still it never failed to bring peace and happines to your soul seing the love of your life this way. Truly happy and relieved...

He gently lift his shin and turned you around, each of his gloved hands finding their way to one of yours and your waist while he rested his forehead in yours with a relaxed sign.

"Did you know that this is actually my first dance my dearest?" He oppened his eyes as he moved both of you along with the music around the room softly. Too much soft.

"You liar!" You giggled quietly for only hik to hear while he spins you around and catching you shortly after bringing you close "How are you so good at this them, Overhaul?" You teased lovingly.

"Kai." He teasingly corrected with a smooth voice while he dropped you a little, the proximity making you bump slightly your nose with his covered one. "Must be a talent of mine then, right angel?"

"Totally..." you rolled your eyes imitating him when he rolled his in false irritation.

In a quick move, Chisaki lift you up; making you yelp and migrate your hands to his neck promoting a chuckle from him; spinning now both of you as he firmly holded your figurine in his fore arms, all the action without breaking eye contact with you.

Pure, gentle, lovingly thing...

He put you down carefully, lifting one of his hands to caress your cheek.

"Never danced?" You arked a brow still smiling and holding his neck; not too tight to not disturb and interrupt this beautiful moment.

"Never once in my life..." he admitted, looking at you lovingly "Never had a reason to... until now at least."

You moved your hands close to his mask, but still not touching it.

"Can I...?"

"Be my guest (Y/N)..."

You slowly and carefully pushed his black surgion mask down, admiring closely his entire face in display.

"My angel..." he carresed both of your cheeks now touching once again his forehead with yours.

You sweetly giggle at the nickname, and that was the last straw for him. He meet your lips in such a passionate and fervent kiss that almost knocked out all of the air of both of you two lungs.

The two of you; even after separating from the kiss; stood there... Him with his protective yet lovingly hold on you as you emerged on his warm and sweet collogne. All the tension from the day dissolving as the music still played softly on the background...

.

.

.

Sorry! I don't write for bakugou because I don't think I could exactly write for his character but knowing him he would probably start laughing

[chess-blackmyre]

Dragon Age Inquisition - Cabinet Battle #1

The Inquisition leadership discusses approaching the Templars or Mages for an alliance. Elsa Trevelyan, a formerly Tranquil mage, makes sure to tell Commander Cullen what she thinks.  If you're curious to learn more about Elsa and her story, you can read more about her here on ao3:  https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795546

Thanks to @radioactivepeasant​ for being willing to listen to me rant about Elsa!

Further context (and a bit of ranting) under the cut.

So, the first thing that you should know is that my Elsa Trevelyan isn’t an entirely original character. I based her off of Elsa, Knight-Commander Meredith’s Tranquil assistant from Dragon Age 2.

[image description a young woman dressed in Chantry style robes. She has dark blonde hair, blue eyes and a vacant expression as explained by the sunburst brand of Tranquility on her forehead]

Remember Elsa? I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t, as she shows up in precisely one quest in the game, if I remember right. (My personal headcanon is that she was actually there for a lot more time as the Knight-Commander’s assistant, but Varric either didn’t notice or just forgot about her). But she seemed like the perfect person to use as a jumping off point for a formerly Tranquil Inquisitor. After all, she comes with an interesting backstory and you can fill in the blanks in an interesting way with her.

For one thing, as the King-Commander’s assistant, she goes into this already knowing Cullen. Specifically, knowing Cullen during his lowest “mages can’t be treated like people” point. Even if she was Tranquil the entire time she’s known him (which I don’t think she was, but that’s not important right now) it definitely colors her opinion of him when they meet again in Haven.

Now this whole animatic is a representation fight/debate between Elsa and Cullen about recruiting the mages or the templars to help close the Breach. But, as the song progresses, she uses this fight to basically redefine her relationship with him, and how she keeps hitting him where it hurts argument-wise

[image description: Elsa addressing Cullen with a frown on her face, before her is the sigil of the Templar Order, a giant red X over it to symbolize her disapproval and denial of ever approaching them for an alliance]

While the song is just a stylized version of the debate that actually happened between them, in both ways Elsa found it extremely cathartic to argue against the Templars, even if it was just initially just about the Breach.

It’s also right after this in the song that Hamilton--and therefore Elsa--shift from policy to personal attacks. (I skipped over the slavery portion of Hamilton’s verse because I couldn’t find a way to interpret it into the Dragon Age story. Plus, just less things for me to draw)

[Image description: Elsa walks forward closer to Cullen, a look of annoyance on her face. Cullen, Cassandra, Josephine, and Leliana have looks of surprise that she’s doing this.]

The first big change that happens is that Elsa gets right up into Cullen’s face. Up until now she’s been at the other side of the table, but now she’s crossing the divide to let him know exactly how much dislikes him and his arguments. To me, this is the moment where Elsa voluntarily gets this close to Cullen since she awoke in Haven, as every interaction they’ve had before she’s made sure to give herself some space between the sorta-Templar and her no-longer-Tranquil behind.

[Image description: Elsa is holding Cullen by the collar of his furry pauldron, and getting right up into his face. Both have twin expressions of displeasure]

“Don’t lecture me about the war--you didn’t fight in it!”

From what I understand, during the majority of the Mage-Templar War, Cullen was in Kirkwall trying to restore order. Elsa, meanwhile, was on the front lines of this, as a result of being rescued by other mages who took her along with them when they fled Kirkwall. She had to endure the same hardships as them, the freezing elements, the murder-happy Templars, not knowing where their next meal was going to be coming from, if at all. This is important to her.

Now, getting up in his face is a pretty bold move, even if you strip away the layers of the Mage/Templar power dynamics. Here Elsa is telling Cullen loud and clear: “You are not in charge here. I will not be cowed by you, or by any other Templar anymore.” And this is before she becomes Inquisitor.

[Image description: Elsa pushes Cullen away from her. A good few feet of space between the two as they glare daggers at each other]

She solidifies this by pushing him away from her. The other important thing is that he lets her push him. Because Cullen is a significantly larger and bulkier person than her, and is wearing plate armor besides. But for the purposes of the argument--plus he’s actively trying to Not Be an Asshole Anymore--he lets her push him around a little bit. She then continues on her point by telling him outright: “I’m not scared of you.”

“You think I'm frightened of you, man? We almost died in a trench, While you were off getting high with the French”

[Image description: Elsa huddled down in a trench with an elven woman and a small child, all of them trying to stay quiet and avoid notice. Above, an unseen Templar orders “Spread out and find those damn mages!”. Knight-Captain Cullen, face shrouded in shadow, holds a bottle of lyrium]

Now, here is where I really start kicking Cullen below the belt. Because the reason that Cullen became a Templar in the first place was to protect innocent people. It was no accident that one of the mages I had Elsa huddling with was a child, a little kid who had no say in being born with magic or going to war but is caught up in the mess anyway.

In his big monologue he says “Kirkwall’s Circle fell, innocent people died in the streets.” Also I can’t remember where he says this offhand, but Cullen also believed that being a Templar meant not just protecting ‘normal’ people from mages, but protecting mages as well, be it from themselves or other abuses of magic. While Kirkwall was mainly a watershed moment for tensions that have been going on for ages, it’s still pretty clear to me that Cullen feels a measure of responsibility for what happened. Now here Elsa is, rubbing his nose in his failures, both in the problems that started the war, and what he was doing while all this was happening. 

Which brings us to our next point: Lyrium.

To be entirely honest, I wasn’t even planning on bringing up Cullen’s lyrium withdrawal, but then when I was doing storyboards for the next part, the lyrics just fit too perfectly to pass up.

“Madison you mad as a hatter so take your medicine.”

[Image description: an illustration of a lyrium kit used by Templars, the same one that Cullen throws at the wall during his “Perseverance” quest]

[Image Description: An uncertain, shadowy look crosses over Cullen’s face and he crosses his arms. Elsa’s back is to him, an glib, uncaring look as she steps away]

“Damn, you're in worse shape than the national debt is in“

[Image description: a close up on Cullen, his hands shaking as he grips the hilt of his sword. Not in a threatening way, but as it he’s holding on to ground himself]

Now, to be clear, Elsa has no idea that Cullen has stopped taking lyrium at this point. She vaguely assumes that he’s still taking it. 

In the “real” version of this argument, the mage would say something like “You’re not looking so hot, are you up to date on your lyrium?” but in a snide, sardonic way; the implication being that ‘you’ll always be a Templar no matter what you do’. 

His hands start to shake and he grips the pommel of his sword. To be clear, he doesn’t want to hurt Elsa. It’s just a habit of his that we see in the game, and many people besides me think it’s a way to sort of self-soothe, if I’m using that term correctly. At the very least to keep people from noticing how bad his hands are shaking.

Elsa has turned away, not seeing how badly her words are affecting him. When she does look back Cullen has now quickly put a lid back on his reactions.

[Image description: Elsa, scowling, dramatically points at Cullen from across the room. Cullen has a much more measured expression]

But Cassandra did notice, and intervenes to separate the two before the situation can escalate.

[Image description: Cassandra and Cullen have their backs to the camera, Cassandra has her hand on the man’s back as she leads him away, an expression of concern on her face.]

Anyway! Sorry for the rant! I hope you enjoy the animatic!

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Deathly Loneliness Attacks

Okay so this is definitely not a fic, BUT- basically it’s a script of an animatic/amv for SIX that I would do if I had any artistic talent. But I don’t. So y’all are just gonna get the script of what would happen if I could because I like to make up music videos in my head while listening to music. And I came up with this. And wanted to share. So enjoy.

Song- Deathly Loneliness Attacks

TW: Vaguely implied rape and CSA, teenage pregnancy

———————

Instrumental.

At the beginning four beats, the following images are shown- Large hands pinning down frail wrists; the same hands scraping down a pale, naked back; Henry on top of a smaller girl; and a bloodied crown of thorns. At the music after these beats, we see scenery of the theater. When the music picks up, Bessie is seen standing out in front of the theater with her back towards the screen, her black hair blowing in the breeze. During the slight shift in the music, she turns to the screen and stares with a curious expression. Near the end of the instrumental, the camera zooms in on her eyes, which shut tightly, then snap open right as the lyrics start.

—

No matter how you live your life, you're breathing every day

Depending on somebody else to lead you on your way

Bessie, whose black hair is slightly brown at the roots, seems to “wake up” and look around dazedly, finding herself in her old childhood home. She’s startled as a little girl runs right through her as if she were a ghost and she turns, realizing it was her as a child. Bessie’s figure should be sparkling and slightly transparent, while everything else is solid.

—

But even if they disappear you're breathing all the same

’cuz all you’ll do is drag along whomever keeps you safe

She watches her younger self play with a toy with an awed and curious expression until a door down a hallway slams open and her younger self scampers into it. She follows and is consumed by blackness.

—

Instrumental

Bessie is running through early childhood memories. A prominent image is of her mother yelling at her younger self and then an image of her parents fighting, which she runs right past.

—

The people who I cherished and the people I forgot

At the “cherished” she’s looking at scratched out faces of old friends with question marks all around them, like she can’t tell if they actually ever existed or, perhaps, if they ever really liked her, and then she turns her head in the other direction at the “people I forgot” to show blurred out, distorted figures of her family with their faces scratched out as well.

—

Relationships that came and went without another thought

The camera pans out from that scene and, from the background, Bessie watches her younger self, who is screaming and crying and reaching for her parents, who don’t seem to care, get pulled into a carriage.

—

Although I felt an inkling “this is not how things should be”

I guess I really didn't know a single thing-

Bessie is in the carriage, sitting beside her younger self, who is sniffling and crying and rubbing her eyes. She’s holding the toy she had been playing with at the beginning. Bessie herself is stiff and wide-eyed in her seat and turns very slowly to look at the child version of herself. At the “guess I didn’t really know a single thing” she shoves open the carriage door with force.

—

Whatever anyone may say

I know I've always been this way…

At “whatever anyone may say” a wide shot of the grand hall where Aragon’s wedding takes place is shown. “I know I’ve always been this way” pans back to young Bessie, her eyes wide in fear, but wonder. Present-Bessie, with her hair slightly browner, is at her side, stiff with fear at what’s to come.

—

As I avert my gaze away from bonds I’ve severed to this day

Young Bessie is shown meeting Aragon, who is smiling warmly and treating her very kindly. Bessie watches them before shaking her head and running away, knowing what happens to their relation. When she runs out of the grand hall, the scene changes.

—

Even I cry when I’m alone

Even if nobody will know

Bessie travels further down the hallway and sees her younger self, slightly older (thirteen) sitting alone in the bedroom she was given, clutching the same toy from earlier close to her chest. Memory Bessie is sobbing and alone and the camera pans at an angle that shows bruises on her exposed shoulders and bites on her neck, and Bessie looks at her with resigned pity before continuing offscreen.

—

Cause deathly loneliness strikes on its own

Aragon and Maria are talking and laughing. The camera pans to younger Bessie, watching them before running over with a big smile. Behind her, Bessie is shown, tears running down her cheeks and a stricken expression on her face, once again knowing what happens to their friendship.

—

Instrumental

Bessie runs past her many loves ones; Aragon, Maria, her siblings, parents, friends, although most of them have their faces scratched out. Henry starts to appear in the images, mostly showing him touching a younger version of Bessie.

—

For all the people’s feelings that I threw off to the side

Although I know I needed them to keep myself in line

Bessie, whose hair has gotten browner, is back in the castle and walking down one of the many halls. She sees herself again, slightly older- around fifteen. Memory Bessie and Maria are talking, and Memory Bessie snaps at Maria, who looks stricken and surprised at the action. As Memory Bessie turns and stomps away, Bessie looks sadly and with regret at Maria, as if she wishes she had been kinder to her at that moment, and then continues on offscreen.

—
The punishment for running from my duty all those times

Memory Bessie is shown throwing up in a bucket. One hand grips tightly at her slightly swollen stomach.

—
Has tightened all around my chest and now begins to bite

Bessie watches her younger self become sick again, holding at her own stomach. At the “bite” she appears to be lanced with some sort of pain and her eyes go wide. In her eyes’ reflection, images of Henry and Memory Bessie in bed together flash wildly.

—
Before I know it, something in my heart begins to change

I wish I had somebody else to share my everyday

We cut to a shot of Bessie who looks pained and tired, and just behind her is a memory of her younger self with a big smile, despite being very obviously pregnant, who runs through Bessie toward the camera to go meet Aragon in the distance. Bessie continues offscreen.

—
My body feels so numb as I succumb to prickling pain

Pregnant Memory Bessie is collapsed on her side, holding tightly at her stomach and sobbing in obvious agony. Bessie watches her, slowly sliding to her knees as well, froth oozing from her mouth and a pained look on her face.

—
I realize now that solitude is not a strength

A hand suddenly reaches to Bessie and she sees Maria, looking concerned. Bessie, who is startled that she can apparently be seen, leaps up and runs away through Maria. After she’s gone, the camera pans to show Maria had actually been reaching for the collapsed form of Memory Bessie. Aragon is now at her side, very worried.

—

Whatever words I said out loud

I know there's no returning now

Bessie trips and stumbles through a new doorway and sees a slightly older version of herself (nineteen/twenty) with Henry in the bed. She watches, brown slowly streaking through black portions of her hair, as her younger self fights with the king, appearing to yell at him before she’s slapped and pinned to the bed.

—
And yet again I tell myself “it’s fine because it can’t be helped”

Bessie watches the king violate her younger self before scrunching her eyes shut and shaking her head angrily, then running offscreen and away from them.

—
No matter just how much I cry

No one will be there by my side

Bessie is running down one of the castle hallways as several memories from her life flash by her- being taken to the country home after becoming pregnant again, not being let outside, pacing anxiously, sticking herself with needles, writing letters to Aragon and never being answered, going into labor, holding baby Fitz (who she gazes at with disgusted horror), Henry kissing the top of her head.

—

The cracks within my heart run deep with time

Bessie suddenly skids to a stop, hair completely brown and her body no longer transparent and glistening, and she’s in the throne room. Aragon is in front of her, looking furious. She realizes that she’s actually there, not just watching it, and Aragon seems to be about to hit her. Then, ground opens up into darkness and Bessie falls right into it, spinning wildly downward into pitch blackness lit with twinkling stars.

—

Instrumental

Bessie plummets down into darkness, reaching desperately for nothing.

—

So that it wouldn’t break-

So that I wouldn’t break-

Bessie collapses onto the ground, still surrounded by darkness. She looks down and sees shackles around her wrists. Blood is running down her face from a crown of thorns.

—

Although my hands were shaking I still tried to keep it safe

There’s a sudden glow of light and Bessie looks up to see an image of her younger self being exiled. Memory Bessie is crying as she walks away from the city, holding Fitz in her arms.

—

Oh what a simple feeling and

She turns her head slowly to witness another memory, this one of her when she’s older and returning to court as Jane’s lady in waiting.

—

I fail still to comprehend-!

She turns in the opposite direction, looking at a third memory of her being Cleves’ lady in waiting.

—

I held too tight and it broke to pieces in the end

Bessie reaches up and rips the crown of thorns off right at the best after the word “end”.

—

Hugging my knees I cry in vain

Knowing that not a thing will change

Bessie jerks backwards, eyes wide. She’s back in present time and on the stage, seemingly performing. She appears to be hyperventilating.

—

No one will answer to my useless cries that echo in this room

Bessie rips off her bass and runs offstage.

—

Even the silence of the night

Even the veil of the moon light

Bessie stumbles into the bathroom, eyes still bugging in her skull and struggling to breathe. She braces herself against the sink and doubles over.

—

Won’t erase, won’t erase

Images of hands all of her body flash at each “won’t erase”.

—

What I try to escape, and that’s the truth...

An image of chains and the crown of thorns appear on Bessie’s body, distorted and shaking. She looks up slowly at “that’s the truth” and sees a brown haired, bruised, naked, and abused version of herself in the reflection.

—

There’s no way I can say

All the words hid away

So deathly loneliness

Maria and Aragon burst into the bathroom, looking very worried. Bessie looks at them, not realizing there were tears streaming down her cheeks and looking slightly dazed, and they run to her, immediately pulling her into their arms.

—

...has followed me to this day

Bessie is stiff in their embrace until she is shown hugging back tightly.

—

Instrumental

This part starts with four beats- on those four beats, in order, we should see: Bessie’s, Aragon and Maria’s faces, the reflection standing behind them, and then the reflection nodding, proud of how Bessie finally accepted help and comfort. The rest of the images shown during the instrumental are of Bessie being tended to by Maria and Aragon.

[the-inept-artist]

The Next Step

It's my first time doing a Destiel oneshot, I hope to make my fellow shippers proud! I'm also considering doing an animatic to be posted to my Tumblr, but I gotta figure out the tech and get the right software first, so that won't be for a LOOOOONG time.

Supernatural doesn't belong to me, nor does "Angel With A Shotgun", or any other song mentioned.

Anyway, as always, please enjoy and review!

~oOo~

It was over. It was finally over.

Castiel nursed his beer from his spot just inside the library as the sound of happy people washed over him. Conversation and laughter floated out of the war room—

No, not war room. Foyer. They had no use for a war room anymore. Cas needed to remember that.

It had seemed like ages since Chuck had surrendered. Somehow, two hunters, an angel and a nephilim had managed to bring down the almighty creator of the universe. And Dean—intelligent, cunning, wonderful Dean—made Chuck swear on his every creation that he would bring back everyone the four had lost to his little game, along with repairing the dimension that Michael had destroyed.

So that was why Cas was watching Mary Winchester chat animatedly with Charlie Bradbury and Jody Mills. Watching John Winchester stand awkwardly in a corner beside Crowley, tipping back his third beer of the night. Watching Sam nearly double over in laughter in response to Gabriel's joke, Balthazar rolling his eyes in mock-annoyance. Watching Kelly Kline grin excitedly after beating Bobby Singer and Rowena MacLeod at cards for the fourth time in a row that night. Watching Jessica Moore try to explain what college was to Amara. And many more revelers, all smiling and happy and alive.

"Hey." Cas nearly jumped from his seat as he noticed Jack standing beside him, looking at him concernedly. "Are you okay? We won, you should be celebrating."

Cas settled back, idly twirling his beer bottle and watching the alcohol swish around inside. "I know, and believe me, I'm ecstatic. It's just…I don't know."

Jack pulled up a chair and sat beside him. "Not sure what to do now?"

"Yes, that's it. Ever since I met Dean and Sam, there's always been an enemy to fight. Lucifer, other angels, the Leviathans…there's never not been a struggle." Cas sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure if that makes sense."

"No, no, I get it." Jack leaned his arm on the table and shifted in his seat. "I am a bit restless as well. But I say we make it through the party tonight, and tomorrow we figure out what to do next."

Cas mulled over the nephilim's words. "That sounds…doable."

"Hey everyone!" Dean's voice echoed over the clang of the metal door. Kevin Tran peered over his shoulder, bucketloads of Chinese food in his hands. "Lookit what the kid and I got!" The two headed down the stairs. Cas got up off his seat and joined the throng of people, Jack not far behind him.

"A karaoke machine?" Mary said, reading the box Dean held. "Where in the world did you find that?"

"We stopped in a tech store on the way back from the Chinese place," Kevin said, moving to the table to unladen his arms. "Dean insisted."

Dean smiled sheepishly. "I thought it'd be fun. Any takers?"

Charlie shrugged, a smile gracing her face. "Why the hell not, I'm in."

Several others followed the redhead's example, nodding and murmuring their agreements. Crowley and John took a pass, but more or less the majority of the party decided to partake in the fun.

Sam came up to Cas as he was watching Dean set up the machine. "You joining in?"

Cas glanced at the younger Winchester before returning his gaze to the elder. "I may. Not sure."

Sam nodded. "Gabe's definitely doing it. I'd bet all my money that he'll do "Sexy Back"."

Cas cracked a small smile. "That's my brother for you. Do you think you'll sing something?"

"Ah, nah." Sam rubbed the back of his neck as Dean hooked up the mic. "I've never really liked singing, and certainly not in front of people. Dean, on the other hand—"

"I call first!" Dean yelled, quickly straightened up from behind the machine. He grabbed the microphone and started scrolling through the songs, ignoring Charlie and Kevin's playful boos.

Cas nodded sagely, fighting a chuckle. "I see."

For a time, Cas enjoyed the many performances put on. Dean gave a rousing rendition of "I'm Too Sexy", to which Crowley immediately groaned and left the room. Cas found his face a bit hotter than normal as he watched Dean move to the music. But as Charlie took the makeshift stage, he attempted to calm himself and focus on the coming acts.

Charlie sang "One Woman Army", and Kevin managed to stumble his way through "Die Young". Jess ended up being the jewel of the party, singing "I Wouldn't Mind" with the most beautiful voice. True to form, Gabriel performed "Sexy Back", complete with some more than inappropriate dance moves. Funnily enough, as Cas looked around a while later, neither Gabe or Sam were to be seen.

The two finally came back just as Amara was wrapping up "Never Enough". They seemed much more giggly and closer than before, Sam having an arm casually slung around the smaller angel. Though, Cas, noted, Gabe was wearing Sam's coat. And Sam's mess of hair certainly was…messier than usual.

Cas smirked to himself, turning his gaze back to the head of the room. About time.

"Oi, Cas!" Cas was startled for the second time as Dean materialized beside him. "You haven't sung yet, c'mon!"

"Oh, um. I don't know," Cas said lamely. Dean chuckled and pulled him up off his seat.

"Please?" The hunter wiggled his eyebrows, which made Cas's stomach explode into fuzzy bumblebees, tickling his sides and making his head feel light. There was something about Dean's ernest and hopeful expression that made his face flush and he couldn't help a small smile escaping.

"O-okay," the angel timidly agreed, letting Dean lead him to the stage. He waited, awkwardly staring out over the idly chatting audience as Dean bent over the machine.

"Alright, you touch here to scroll up, and here to scroll down," Dean explained. "Hit this to confirm your song, and have fun!" He stepped down the stairs and started chatting with Mary, leaving Cas to his own devices.

Cas looked through the music selection with trepidation. Nothing he saw immediately jumped out. Everyone had somehow found a song to describe them, yet he—wait. Cas stopped scrolling and eyed the song title. "Angel With A Shotgun".

Cas remembered this song. It was one of the songs that convenience store he once worked at had on shuffle. The first time he had heard it, his thoughts had instantly jumped to Dean, much to his confusion and mild embarrassment at the time. Though as he listened, waiting for the next time it would play softly over the store speakers, he realized that there was a certain…pull, to the song. To how it somehow took every puzzling feeling he had and explained it clearly and concisely.

The song had helped him admit to himself and accept that he had a—what did humans call it?—a thing for Dean.

Cas's eyes flicked from the karaoke machine to Dean. He had long ago shoved the small piece of hope to a remote corner of his heart, but now that hope was shining through, almost hurting his chest with its strength and brilliance. They were free now, with nothing to hold them back or worry about. Could he…could they have a chance?

"C'mon, Cas, pick a song!" Dean exclaimed. Cas was shaken from his thoughts as they rest of the party realized who was onstage and began to clap and cheer encouragingly. The bumblebees in Cas's stomach were now rocketing around, pinging lightly off their walls.

He took a breath and before he had time to back out, selected "Angel With A Shotgun".

The familiar opening started, and Cas relaxed a bit. It's not like you're doing this blind, he reasoned with himself as the backup singers sang their parts. You know the song, and you have the lyrics. You'll be fine. Glancing out over the audience, he caught Dean's eye, who smiled and gave a thumbs up. Cas's heart skipped a beat as he cleared his throat and hastily looked down at the screen. Probably.

"Get out your guns, battles begun

Are you a saint, or a sinner?

If loves a fight, than I shall die

With my heart on a trigger."

Cas knew his singing voice wasn't the best. He was a bit too low in pitch, and he was probably holding the microphone too close. But as people listened and he warmed up, he felt his nerves settle down. The bumblebees faded away.

"They say before you start a war

You better know what you're fighting for

Well baby, you are all that I adore

If love is what you need, a soldier I will be

I'm an angel with a shotgun

Fighting til' the wars won

I don't care if heaven won't take me back."

Cas couldn't help bouncing on his toes a bit. Jack whooped, and he felt a slight smile break out. Chancing a quick glance at Dean, he saw the hunter nodding his head in time.

“I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe

Don't you know you're everything I have?

And I wanna live, not just survive tonight

Sometimes to win, you've got to sin

Don't mean I'm not a believer

And Major Tom, will sing along

Yeah, they still say I'm a dreamer."

Cas never really understood who this "Major Tom" was, but he knew that human music could be vague and have odd references. He didn't think too much of it as he moved into the beginning of the second chorus.

They say before you start a war

You better know what you're fighting for

Well baby, you are all that I adore

If love is what you need, a soldier I will be."

He wasn't thinking anymore. He was openly grinning, moving in time with the music, even jumping about a little bit. He felt as though he were invincible. Is this how all humans feel during karaoke?

"I'm an angel with a shotgun

Fighting til' the wars won

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe

Don't you know you're everything I have?

And I wanna live, not just survive tonight."

As the music slowed, so did Cas. He swept his eyes over the audience, landing on Dean. Dean was smiling, the lights reflecting in his eyes like stars over a deep green sea. He's so beautiful.

"Oh, oh whoa whoa oh whoa

Oh, oh whoa whoa oh whoa."

Cas kept his eye contact with Dean. The bumblebees returned tenfold, some appearing in his throat, stinging slightly. Yet he never faltered, never wavered. He wanted Dean to listen and understand what he was saying.

"Oh, oh whoa whoa oh whoa

Oh, oh whoa whoa oh whoa."

Cas stepped down from the makeshift stage, ignoring the amount of eyes that were on him. As the music all but stopped, he set down the mic and strode right up to Dean. The hunter's eyes widened in surprise, and though it may have just been the lighting or alcohol, Cas swore he saw his cheeks flush. He lowered his voice, gazing into Dean's eyes as his lips smiled with the unasked question.

"I'm an angel with a shotgun

Fighting til' the wars won

I don't care if heaven won't take me back."

And Dean—the man who once clung tight to him as they ascended from Hell, the man who always had his back, the man he had fallen in love with—took his hand, smiling as he nodded. Cas's head instantly felt weightless, and he thought his face would split from the size of his grin as launched into the final chorus.

"I'm an angel with a shotgun

Fighting til' the wars won

I don't care if heaven won't take me back

I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe

Don't you know you're everything I have?"

Almost laughing, Cas spun Dean around, pulling him closer. He saw in his peripheral vision people smiling joyously. Sam was giving an approving thumbs-up, and Crowley, Gabriel and Balthazar were going around collecting money from others. But his main focus was on the man in front of him, beaming widely, blushing freely.

"And I want to live, not just survive, tonight

And I'm gonna hide, hide, hide my wings tonight."

Dimly, Cas realized he should finish the song back on the steps. But as he went to reluctantly pull away, Dean tightened his grip and pulled him, if possible, even closer. Now it was Cas's turn to be surprised as Dean gently cupped his face and quietly sang the last few lines.

"They say before you start a war

You better know what you're fighting for

Well baby, you are all that I adore

If love is what you need, a soldier I will be…"

Dean trailed off as he pressed his lips to Cas's. Cas's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he relaxed, nearly melting against Dean. Sure, he had been hoping for a yes, maybe even a hug after the song, but this…this went beyond his wildest dreams. He could even ignore everyone going nuts and yelling in gleeful surprise.

Cas had no more doubts about the future now. No more qualms about the next step, or anxieties over what the rest of his life would be like with no enemies. No, he thought as he and Dean broke apart to grin at each other. I know what I want to do.

I want to be the one to make him smile like that for the rest of his life.

[sweetlydraws]

Painted Lady AU One Month

For contexts watch my Miraculous Ladybug Human Animatic. 

I don’t know about the France school system or anything like that. I’m American sorry. Also in the animatic, I forgot Adrien asking Marinette not to call out Lila at the end of the episode. So slight fix. This is my first fanfic of any kind, so if anyone characters are weird, I’m sorry. Enjoy.

Warnings: Slight character bashing. Not really bashing just not in a good light.

(Master Fu, Adrien sorta, the class in general.)

                                                    Marinette P.O.V

 I was falling. I don’t know what falling is supposed to feel like. No, I do. I trip and fall all the time. No, I don’t know what falling to your death feels like. There was no Ladybug to catch me. My body feels all the gravity of the world pushing down on it. At the same time, it felt like I wasn’t moving at all. Why am I falling? Thinking for a second… Ah, I remember now. I was akumatized. It all comes back to me. The gift, their harsh words, throwing Tikki, and accepting Hawkmoth. Other than that it was blank. Why did this have to happen… If only I hadn’t agreed with Adrien.

                                                    *Flashback*

I make my way to school, I had missed the prior day due to being sick. I had worked all weekend to build up my portfolio and hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep. Stretching, I yawned. Still tired. I start thinking of more designs.

“Hey, girl! Where were you?!” A loud yelling voice broke my thoughts. Regaining focus I see its Alya. Smiling I wave back. Walking over to her.

“Worked my self ragged. Ended up getting a bad fever because of it.” I explained.

“Why are you working so hard? Making something for Adrien?” Alya teased. Blushing hard I tried to respond but was cut off by a familiar but unknown voice.

“Marinette! It’s so good to see you.” Before I could identify the voice a body hugs mine. It wasn’t a friendly hug or even a hug that had nice intentions. This hug was hard and unconformable. Prying myself away I see that its…. Oh no. When did Lila return?! My heart was pounding so hard I felt it in my eardrums.

“Lila, when… When did you come back?” I questioned.

“I came back yesterday. I was so sad to see you weren’t there.” She replied with a fake sadness in her voice. Lila’s hands are still holding on to my arms. As she spoke she squeezed hard. “ I do hope that we can be better friends the year.” The snake lied through her teeth. Breaking my arms away. Alya looks at me through questioning eyes.

“Sorry, Lila I had a fever and don’t want to get you sick as well.” I eased Alya. Lila smiled. I don’t like this. Heavens knows what she’s been feeding them. My mind starts to race. I faintly hear Alya say that she and Lila are heading to the library for a pre-school study group and wants to know if I want to come. I can’t muster any words and simply shake my head. Lila said something about me being flushed and making others sick. As they leave I rush to the bathroom. Thankfully no one was there. I splash cold water on my face to calm down.

“Are you okay Marinette?” Tikki asked from my bag. I guess she doesn’t want to risk being seen.

“Honestly. No, Lila is a bad liar. The last time she was here she caused a lot of drama, for both me and Ladybug.” Honestly, I was just worried. Lila had the ability to make the class bend to her will. With me being sick yesterday and Chloe the only other person who doesn’t believe the lies coming out of the snake’s mouth, visiting her mom in America. Lila had free reign of the school. Luckily no one was akumatized yesterday while I was sick, so at least that was good. I dry off my face.

“I have to figure out what damages Lila has done and set things straight.” I resolved.

“What if she didn’t do anything?” Tikki proposed.

“No, knowing Lila she had up some grand story involving some celebrity and some politician. Last time she lied about Ladybug.” I shot back. Tikki didn’t reply, so I think I won. Looking at my phone class was starting in about 10 minutes. As I leave the bathroom and start making my way to the class, a hand grabs me. Turning I see, Adrien?!

“ Marinette before you say anything, I need you to promise me you won’t call out Lila for anything.” He all but demanded.

“Wait, what?” I yank my hand away. “Why? What did she do yesterday?” I questioned back.

“She hasn’t… She hasn’t hurt anyone.” He stuttered.

“Adrien, that is a low bar. What did she say.” My comeback caused him to falter. He quickly straightened himself back.

“Marinette ‘she hasn’t hurt anyone’ is a fine bar for her to reach. Yes, she has lied but the lies haven’t caused anyone to be akumatized.” His reply was weak.

“No one has been akumatized because they don’t know she lying. If they find out then they’ll be akumatized.” His argument wasn’t bad but it wasn’t perfect. “Marinette if you tell them anything, you will be the reason why they become akumatized.”

My brain couldn’t keep up with his words. Adrien grab my arm again, “Marinette promise me.” His grip didn’t tighten but it felt unconformable. All I could do was nod. He didn’t let go, “Marinette swear to me.” Swear? Swear on what…

“I swear on my earrings. They are a gift from a family member. They mean the world to me. I swear on them.” My horsed voice said. He seemed satisfied and let go of me. I make my way to class. My arms burned but the feeling didn’t come pair to the burning in my chest.

                                              *Flashback Over*

I don’t know how far it is from the top of the Eiffel tower to the ground but it feels like it has been hours. I muster up the courage to open my eyes… A ceiling? Moving my body, I feel a sheeted bed. My body hurts. I’ve felt pain from a Ladybug battle before but this is far worse. Wait! I quickly reach for my ears. I don’t feel any earrings. Pulling my body up with a groan. Looking around, I’m definitely in my room.

“Sweetie!” A voice joy-full called. Looking I see my dad. We lock eyes and he just starts crying. I want to move to comfort him, but when I go to reach out to him, I recoil in pain. I hear the door shut. Sitting in silence, I hear moving and crashing from downstairs. No doubt that dad is telling mom I’m up.

“Tikki?” Geez, my voice is strained. She doesn’t answer but I do hear some light movement.

“Marinette!” My mom bursts through the door. Rushing towards me crying. She and I hug, dad joins in.

“I love you guys, but everything hurts.” I meekly said. They pull away. “What happened? How did I get here?

“Ladybug brought you home. She said she caught you and you passed out… She also told us what had been happening at school.” Mom answered. Ladybug? I’m Ladybug or at least I was. Master Fu replaced me so quickly. I could feel tears growing in my eyes. Maybe he never believed in me, maybe he always had a backup plan for when clumsy Marinette messed up to much. I feel a hand caress my face. Mom is looking at me her eyes red from crying.

“ We’re not making you go back there. Do you remember Clover-Bloom academy?” Mom asked, not moving her hand away.

“I thought I missed my chance,” I remember. A month or so after Lila returned and started to turn everyone against me. I received a letter saying that if I was able to make one of the outfits I designed and send it to them I would be accepted… I was so depressed I couldn’t even think of holding a pen let alone making a dress.

“You did. But! We contacted them and they told us that we were very lucky because a student in your grade, had transferred out. They said if you can design a few more designs and take a few tests, you’ll be able to get in.” Dad’s voice was joyful.

“How long do I have?” I meekly asked. This voice started in the back of my head saying ‘ They pity you. It is all your fault. If only you kept your mouth shut. You would still have Tikki, Adrien, and all your friends.’

“Well, you have about a month… But, you’ve been passed out for a few days.” Mom or dad said I couldn’t be sure. A few days! Why? Did… Did anyone come to see me? ‘ Why would they? Dirty lying, bully Marinette. You don’t deserve to be in their presence.’

“We had a doctor come by and check you out. She said that you were fine, just exhausted.” Mom… Yeah, it was mom who said that.

“Has… has anyone come to see me?” I whispered. Mom and dad look at each other than to me then back to each other. Mom sighs.

“Some did. Nino, Juleka, Rose all came to see you.” Mom said.

“We didn’t let them. We were so angry about what they did to you. We told them you were ‘sleeping’, and I don’t know if they wanted to say sorry or wanted answers. We couldn’t let them near you. We hope you understand sweetie.” Dad finished.

“No..no Ayla or Adrien?” I barely got out. They didn’t reply verbally, only shook their head. ‘ See they now how evil you are. The others pity you. Using a akuma to manipulate them. How are you any better than Lila? Its good Fu got a different Ladybug. You. Are. Not. Deserving. Of. The. Title. Ladybug.’

“Is it alright if I can be alone. This is a lot to take in.” They nod.

“Is there anything you would like to eat for dinner?” Dad asked.

“Nothing in particular.” I smiled falsely. They smile back as they leave. I move my body to have my legs off my bed. I feel wetness falling on my legs. I’m crying again. ‘Cry baby.’ I laugh weakly. My laugh is cut off by the sound of movement again. It wasn’t Tikki, the who was it.

“I know you’re there. Show yourself!” I try sounding tough. The moving stopped and hushed whispers can be heard. The whispers stopped. Then, Pollen?

“Hello, my lady.” Pollen greeted gesturing for some to also come out.

“Good to see you again.” Trixx? One other kwami came out, but I didn’t recognize them.

“Hello, Marinette. My name is Nooroo. I am the kwami of transmission and connected to the butterfly miraculous.” Nooroo introduced. Wait, the butterfly miraculous, as in Hawkmoth!

“How are you here? Didn’t Hawkmoth have you! And why are Pollen and Trixx here?” I asked.

“You saved Nooroo!” Trixx gleamed.

“As for us, you had taken us from my late queen and the former fox.” Pollen answered.

“Late queen, former fox?” I repeated. Late, former. Did I kill them?! “Are they okay did I-”

“They are fine minus a few bruises and scrapes. I will do my best to recap what happened to you.” Nooroo interrupted.

                                       *One explanation later*

“If I had taken all of their miraculous’ then where is Wayzz?” I asked.

“They left to rejoin Master Fu.” Pollen answered.

“And you all didn’t? Shouldn’t we take Nooroo back to Master Fu?” I was very confused. “And why did mom and dad say that Ladybug brought me home, when there was no Ladybug in the fight?” All the kwamis look at each other and start whispering. Nooroo pulled away.

“To answer all those questions I first need to tell you about Duusu.” Nooroo said floating over to me. I open my hand for them to sit in. Pollen and Trixx settle next to Nooroo.

“Duusu?”

“Yes, Duusu is another kwami that Master Fu lost. Duusu is the kwami of Emotions. They however are… how shall I put this? Corrupted? Yes. Corrupted. Anyone who uses them will fall ill and Duusu themselves will start to fade. In other words, Duusu is dying.” I gasp. “I can not tell you why Duusu is corrupted, but I will tell you this I do not trust Master Fu to protect us,” Nooroo stated.

“Why?”

“Master Fu is the reason we were all lost,” Nooroo said.

“All? Master Fu only told me he lost the butterfly and another miraculous.” The other miraculous must have been Duusu.

“He lied. Master Fu lost everyone other then Wayzz.” I moved my hand to my face, cause them all to fall. I need air, I can’t breathe. I move ignoring the pain and open one of my windows. The sound of Paris is calming. ‘You didn’t deserve the truth.’ I grab my head. I feel a small body hug mine. Then another, and another.

“I’m sorry. I- I don’t know. I thought Fu trusted me.” I tried to justify.

“Fu is an old man. He made a lot of mistakes. Perhaps he thought that if he told you an alternate story after he died it would be the truth. Wash him of his sins?” Nooroo questioned. “Due to an old curse put on us I can not tell you who Hawkmoth was. Hawkmoth is desperate to get the Ladybug and Cat miraculous’ so no doubt he will use Duusu.” They continued.

“Speaking of the Ladybug miraculous.” Nudged Trixx.

“Right. There was no Ladybug. After you retrieved Pollen and co… I had taken over your body.” Nooroo hushed voice said.

“Taken over my body? How?” I asked.

“Kwamis have a lot of different power. We’ll tell you about them later. Back to the story. I had taken control and did a mass akumatizing. This one is permanent.”

“Permanent?”

“When I myself akumatize someone, the effects are stronger and in this case permanent. I made everyone believe that Ladybug came and saved you. I also made Hawkmoth and anyone else forget that you had me. So Hawkmoth no matter how are he tries can not remember who saved me from him.”

“What about Chat and the others? They should know that I had taken their miraculous’ as well?”

“I altered their memories as well. No matter how hard they try they will only remember that they lost the miraculous’ through there own incompetents. And before you ask,  Wayzz and Plagg both said they would lie for us.” Nooroo smiled. I simply nodded. This was a lot to take in.

“What happens now.” I’m not sure if it was a statement or a question.

“Now. I need, no we need your help.” Nooroo said floating to be in front of me. “I need you to my power to help find and fix Duusu.”

“I can’t,” I whispered. “I was akumatized. I lost Tikki. I-I..” I start to cry. ‘I’m worthless’

“My lady. You were the best Ladybug. You can not hold the fact that you have emotions against your self.” Pollen said comforting me.

“Yeah, when Tikki would come to see us, she would praise you to no end! We heard what happened to you. You are human.” Trixx joins Pollen in comforting me.

“You saved me. You went against what Hawkmoth told you to do and saved me. I would have no one better to be my new holder.” Nooroo said holding my face.

“I have a month. One month to get in Clover-Bloom and start anew. There we will save Duusu.” I resolved. Standing up I walk over to my computer, they fallow me. “Chat Noir visits me. So staying here would be a bad idea. Clover-Bloom has dorm rooms. We won’t be bothered.” Turning to face Pollen, Trixx, and Nooroo. “I promise I will save Duusu. I will heal them. And I will protect every single Kwami.”  Nooroo smiles.

“That’s all we can ask for, Marinette.” Nooroo gleamed. They all fly over to me and we hug. I don’t care what my old classmates think of me anymore. I have Pollen, Trixx, Nooroo, mom, and dad. Stretching, I log on to my computer.

“I better get started on these test.” I smiled. For the past year, I had nothing to look forward to, and now I have everything.

End

The next animatic is Painted Lady 1.5 Wolf in Sheep clothing. I’m not sure when it will come out but I’m working on it. Adrien’s and Plaggs art will be coming out sometime.

[wisestudentninja]

July 2018 Featured Creator

What is a Featured Creator?

Write Way Studio’s “Featured Creator” segment is my way of showing appreciation for the creators of the world.  Creative outlets are limitless, because there is no end to human imagination.  Every month shows the succeeding featured creator.  If you would like to be a part of this collaborative project, contact me at studiowriteway@gmail.com!

My tenth guest creator is an artist and writer known as Emi!

Introduction

This lovely lady goes by both Emi and Emily!  She was born the sixteenth of March, currently twenty-one years old.  Her home resides in New York.  At the moment, she is a college student going for Computer Animation and Interactive Media, with an Associate’s in Illustration.  She absolutely adores character design, complete with storyboarding and writing in the art of storytelling.  As an emphasis on her passion, Emi confessed that “you can always catch me with a sketchbook in hand and story ideas to discuss.”

She comes from a variety of educational backgrounds, from primary Catholic school, public high school and then the college she presently attends, the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City (or FIT for short).  There is one year left for her Bachelor’s degree.  She is unsure of what she will do afterward, either to go to a community college to potentially gain a teaching degree or extend her Bachelor’s into a Master’s degree after the graduation from FIT.

What Sparked the Creator Passion?

Cartoons and video games influenced Emi early in life.  For television, she grew up on PBS Kids and KidsWB while her older brothers played with a Nintendo 64 and GameCube.  Nowadays, it’s mostly cartoons she watches, especially if it is animated.  She plays any video games she can get her hands on – new and old!  A family trait of hers that she inherited would be the artist’s eye, a characteristic that would influence her even today.

An Animated Beginning

Emi revealed that “the game that really sky-rocketed [her] love for the world of imagination, and still fuels [her] to this day, is The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.”  There are numerous other games she played when she was younger.  Banjo Kazooie, Yoshi Story and Spyro name a small few.  Japanese-based games introduced her to the world of anime and manga after she discovered the Internet.  There were multiple phases as she cycled through an assortment of anime, from Sgt. Frog, Ouran High School Host Club, Black Butler, and Princess Jellyfish.  All of them have led to her current obsession, My Hero Academia.  Studio Ghibli also holds a special place in her heart.

She recently read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and thoroughly enjoyed the book.  She is currently invested in a book called Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates; it is a fictional story sharing the inner thoughts and feelings of the one and only Marilyn Monroe.  Emi confessed that Oates is her favorite author since “her level of writing is where I aspire to be.”

“We All Live In A Yellow Submarine”

Yet, there is one film that stands above the rest in her eyes.  As she called it, “the magnum opus of all animation, imagination, storytelling, creativity, illustration, and music [can only be] Yellow Submarine directed by George Dunning, produced by Al Brodax, Story by Lee Minoff, Art Direction by Heinz Edelmann, [and] based on the song of the same name by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.”  The movie stands as a huge inspiration for her, and since it is based on The Beatles with their songs, only has Emi adoring it more.  The experience with the picture repeatedly “kindles [her] aesthetic and motivation to create . . . [because of] how much it means to [her].”

Interestingly, Emi possesses the uncanny fan-ability of quoting the object of the fanatics.  In this case, Yellow Submarine, complete with “accents . . . tones . . . and everything.” Oh, yes, being a dedicated fan can definitely come in handy, if you become creative with your resources.  Emi even confessed that, for the previous semester, she wrote a final paper of hers (AKA the grade-that’s-most-likely-to-be-OP for a college-level course) centered on the film. 

I pulled a similar power move with Studio Ghibli films for a Linguistics class.  But that is a story for another time.

Future Projects

For now, Emi is focused on improvement with lots of practice and taking time for herself.   Toon Boom is an animating and storyboarding software that she uses for 2D animation.  Besides working with the software, she has a plethora of other outlets to utilize.

As previously mentioned, this young lady is concentrating on her senior thesis to rightfully obtain her hard-earned degree.  This summer, Emi managed to actively participate with multiple zines as both a writer and an artist in order to remain imaginatively occupied.  There is also her summer internship position, where she works on storyboards and animatics for a production company called O.T.O TV. 

If you are intrigued to know more about the company, check their social media links down below!

·       Twitter

·       Facebook

·       Instagram

Where To Find You? Support You?

Luckily, Emi can be found on multiple online platforms!  There is also the possibility of supporting her creativity by visiting her online shop or even submitting a commission.  Don’t hesitate to ask her more about it!

Social Media

o   Tumblr

For her original story and characters!

o   Instagram

o   Twitter

      Portfolio Website

Various ways to support Emi!

o   Commission Information

o   Ko-fi

o   Tictail Store

Last Tidbits

There are a few random things to know about Emi.  To start, she is right handed and a Pisces!  Her favorite food is any form of a potato.  She listens to music every day in order to improve her groove.  Her favorite Beatle is Paul McCartney and her favorite Disney film is Beauty and the Beast.

Emily then concluded our interview with a message to all of you lovely readers, “I wish you all a lovely day.  Thank you for taking time to read up a little bit about me, my life, and my passions. Your support means the world to me.”

Important Notice

Please understand that some information will not be shared by the creator’s request.  If you cannot understand that, there is not much more I can do to help you.  Safety is a top priority here, and I am here to help the creators, not instigate negative behavior.

Collaboration Disclaimer

The information provided in my Featured Creator articles is, in fact, from the real people, not some random Internet bot.  I do not use random stock photos to fill an imaginary photo quota.  Any photos in the Featured Creator segment are provided by the creators with permission to use them in this manner.  I want to support the original person behind the work, not a random online copycat creeping around.

To Emi,

I honestly can’t remember how I found you on Tumblr, but I am so happy I did.  Not only are you a hilarious young lady, you also are creative and insightful.  I am not much older than you, and yet we will be both getting our respective degrees with the completion of the following school year.  Most of the other creators I’ve worked with before were, for the most part, already out of school and being full-blown adults.  So that was definitely a nice change of scenery I did not expect.

As a fan of both your writing and art, I was really excited to work with you on this collaboration!  Despite the problems we’ve encountered across this little project, please know that I don’t make a habit of it.  Truly!  I had a lot of fun working on this.  I hope that happiness shines through somewhere in all of this.

I wish you luck with your final year of school and I can’t wait to work with you again on a different project (if you’re interested, of course)!

Sincerely,

Jasmine Love

MLA Citation (8th edition)

Emi.  Personal E-mail Interview by Jasmine Love. July 2018 Featured Creator Collaboration, 18 June – 5 July 2018.

[luxuriant-starlight]

I Won’t Say I’m In Love - Ch. 4

What’s this?? A new chapter?? Three days later??!?!?!?! 

Unheard of!

But not really! Ya gurl has had hella time on her hands, so I’ve managed to crank out another chapter in less than a week! Hope y’all enjoy!

Note that the characters in this story are aged up (they’re 18), and do consume alcohol in this chapter, so be wary of that!

As always, the inspiration for this fic is from an animatic by the lovely @pepper-bottom, who y’all should definitely check out! 

Thanks for reading, lovelies <3

Words in this Chapter: 1.9k

[AO3] // [FFN]

Chapter 4 - Mari and Alya Are Lobsters

 Marinette was just. A mess that morning. To be entirely fuckin’ frank.

 But, then again- what would you expect from a girl who had literally just been rejected by the man she had very much considered to be her potential soulmate for almost the entirety of her teenage life.

 Ugh. She didn’t even want to flashback to that.

 The way he looked so… so sorry. Like he pitied her.

 She just felt so devastated. So heartbroken.

 So… humiliated.

 Marinette had cried herself to sleep every night this week. How could she have been so stupid? Of course there was someone else. Of course there was.

 And yet, through all her anguish…

 She couldn’t stop thinking about last night.

 Chat Noir had come to visit her. He really was sweet, for an alley cat.

 He’d seen her crying into her tea on the railing. She was blasting Kelly Clarkson (obviously- what else does one play after they’ve been rejected?) and replaying that awful moment Adrien turned her down over and over again.

 But he came to comfort her. Of all the things he could’ve spent that night doing, he went out of his way to cheer her up even after-

 Well, even after she had shattered his heart.

 Not that Marinette did, of course. It was Ladybug who had rejected him.

 But still. She’s seen the sadness in his eyes since the day it happened. She knew she hurt him. She knew the last thing that kitty needed was more heartbreak.

 And yet, he took it all on, just to make her feel better.

 That sounds so stupid, now. But the gesture really touched her.

 And, you know, maybe it was her tender, weakened heart. Maybe it was her exhaustion. Maybe it was dehydration from all the crying. Maybe it was just the way his eyes shone in the moonlight.

 Whatever it was, her broken heart felt warmer. Her cheeks did, too.

 She had flirted with him.

 And yeah, obviously, she has flirted with him before. But it was always casual. It never meant anything. She had never felt anything. Maybe she would have if not for her love for Adrien…

 But that was over with, now. There was nothing and no one holding her back.

 Chat Noir was present in her life and loved her (err...well, he loved her superhero persona, at least). He had smiled and stumbled over his words and blushed in a way she had never seen before last night. And when he leaned in, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little tempted to-

 Okay, woah. What is going on with you??? He’s one of your best friends, and your partner. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. You just got your heart broken.

 Okay. Maybe her conscience was right. It doesn’t make sense to let yourself fall for someone else before you’ve even let the dust settle on the person you loved before.

 She was just vulnerable. She had a moment of weakness. That was all.

 Exactly. Don’t get your hopes up.

 No matter how nicely he’s filled in that suit over that past few years, or how much he seemed to want it, too. Or how strong his jaw is or tight that leather is or-

 “Mari, are you even listening?” Alya demanded, jarring Marinette out of her deep train of thought.

 “Oh- uh- sorry, what?”

 Marinette had totally spaced out. She was walking home from school with Alya, who was telling her about the new camera she’d been wanting and finally bought, and she’d been totally ignoring her. Yikes.

 “Were you thinking about him again?” Alya asked, softening her tone.

 “Him- no- uh- what makes you think I was thinking about him, haha?” Marinette stumbled, laughing nervously.

 “Because I’m your best friend, and your face has Adrien written all over it.” She explained with a chuckle.

 Oh. Right. Adrien.

 “Yeah. I was. I’m really sorry.” Marinette apologized.

 “Don’t be. Listen- I know it’s been super hard for you. I know your emotions have been all over the place-”

 “Super all over the place.” Marinette agreed.

 “-Which is whyyy I declare we have an emergency girls’ night, tonight.” Alya finished, singsonging.

 Marinette blinked. “An emergency girls’ night?”

 “Yup.” Alya popped the ‘p’ in the word so as to emphasize.

 Marinette shifted, uncomfortably. “I don’t know, Al. I’m not really feeling it, tonight.” 

 “Oh come on, Marinette.”

“I don’t know.”

 “Listen. I think you- well, every woman on this Earth, but especially you at the moment- need a break from men and their nonsense. You have been hurting for way too long.”

 “It’s only been like, a week.”

 “Exactly. Come on, Mari. Let’s get lit together in a sacred act of solidarity and sisterhood. In the name of feminism! Let’s get fucked up!” Alya declared, yelling out loud as they walked, so as some people around them turned to look at them.

 Marinette snorted and bust out laughing for the first time in what felt like centuries. “Okay, okay. Let’s get ‘lit.’”

 “That’s my girl! Onward!”

 Alya led her towards the bakery, marching like a bandleader in a parade. Marinette’s heart warmed. She really had a pretty gosh darn amazing best friend.

----------

 One change of clothes, one march towards Alya’s place, three hours, and two bottles of rosé later, they were, indeed, thoroughly “lit.”

 Marinette was sitting up on Alya’s bed, girly drink in hand, as Alya stood up and exaggerated her story.

 “-And, I swear to God, Nino can no longer even LOOK at a pineapple without sweating.”

 They both burst out laughing, hard- that is, until Alya tripped and fell on the bed next to Marinette, and they laughed harder.

 As their laughter turned to giggles, and then to contented sighs, for a second, Alya and Marinette just looked at each other. Alya shifted on her stomach and propped her head up to make herself more comfortable.

 Marinette sighed happily, overcome with love, caressing Alya’s cheek. This girl was really there for her. Mari had been so stressed and overwhelmed with heartbreak this whole week- yet Alya knew just what to do. And now, three hours later, it’s like she’s almost completely forgotten what she was even upset about.

 Marinette felt tears come to her eyes.

 “Alya.” She held back a sob, grasping her best friend’s hand and pulling it close to her. “You’re my very best friend. Did you know that?”

 “Mari…” Alya bit back a sob, too, tears coming to her eyes as well. “Girl, stop, before I cry.”

 “No, I can’t stop. I love you, Al. You’re always there for me. You always help me out- even when I’m a angsty mess. You taught me how to highlight and contour. There’s no love like the love I-” Marinette’s drunken love confession was interrupted by a hiccup. “-have for you. I love you, Al. So, so much. More than Project Runway. You’re my fuckin’ lobster, man.”

 “Marinette, oh my godddd…” Alya sobbed for real this time, sitting up and pulling Marinette into her warm embrace. “You’re MY lobster. You’re too good. Too precious for this world. I love you so much, my cinnamon roll. I love you forever.”

 Marinette’s heart warmed, and she felt butterflies in her stomach. She sniffled, then sobbed.

 “I love you forever!”

 They both sobbed in each other’s arms, holding each other tight, until the crying finally subsisted.

 “Okay, okay.” Alya sniffled, sighing and looking Marinette in the eye. “Now that we’ve confessed our love, I- I have to confess something about me. Something SO crazy. Like, if you find out, you’ll like. Supernova.”

 Marinette giggled. “I’ll supernova?”

 “It’s like a crazy galactic explosion. It’ll get ya.”

 “Okay. I’ll try not to supernova. But tell me what it is!”

 “Okay, okay. Here goes.” Alya breathed in, hyping herself up. “Remember Max’s 15th birthday party?”

 “When we played laser tag?”

 “Yeah. And you remember how me and Alix and Juleka and all those guys were on the team opposite of you and Nino and Adrien and whatever?”

 “Yeah! Team Awesome versus Team Spectacular.”

 Alya chuckled, but then took another deep breath. “And you remember how the last two people left on my team were me and Alix? And we were off for like a good half hour on a ‘stake-out’?”

 “Yeah?”

 “We weren’t on a stake-out. We were totally making out.”

 “WHAT?” Marinette gasped, pretending to almost fall off the bed.

 They both laughed hysterically.

 “I can’t believe you kissed Alix! Dude! That was like- like-” Marinette stumbled, being slightly more drunk than Alya. “Like the fuckin’ WEEK before she went on her first date with Kim!”

 “I know! It was like a totally spur of the moment thing. But…” Alya blushed, looking away. “To be entirely honest, even though I have Nino, now, I’ve kind of had a thing for Alix ever since she spitballed Kim in the eye when we were like 13. I don’t really feel that way anymore, but I did and I acted on impulse and we’ve literally never talked about it since but I’ve thought about it so much.”

 “Why didn’t you tell me?” Marinette asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

 “I don’t know.” Alya admitted. “Honestly, I’ve never told anyone. I was sort of gonna ask her out, but then Kim beat me to it and I didn’t really wanna bum anyone out or anything.”

 “Alya..” Marinette was touched. Alya had been holding back this big secret for so long, and now she told her just because she wanted to better their friendship and break all the obstacles between them.

 Maybe it was the rosé talking, but Marinette felt awfully compelled to tell her a secret, too.

 “Alya..” Marinette bit her lip, trying to sober up as much as she could (which, tbh, was not much at all). “I have a big secret to tell you, too.”

 “What is it, Mari? You can tell me anything.” Alya assured her, putting her hand on hers. Alya was such a good friend. She had to tell her.

 Marinette downed another glass in a milisecond, before taking a deep breath.

 “Alya.” Marinette said, seriously. “I’m Ladyboog.”

 Alya stared at her for a moment, before bursting out laughing.

 “L-Ladyboog? Hahahaha, oh my god.” Alya wiped a tear from her eye. “That’s so fucking funny, Mari. Maybe you’ve had enough to drink for one night.”

 As Alya cut her off, Marinette whined, and stood up on the bed, pouting and crossing her arms.

 “No, Alya! I’m serious!” Mari huffed. Why wouldn’t Alya listen? “I’m Ladyboog!”

 Alya laughed again, letting it fade into a satisfied chuckle. “Okay, Ladyboog- prove it.”

 Marinette narrowed her eyes at her smirking best friend. Fine. She wouldn’t take her word for it? Then Mari would just have to prove it.

 “Okay, then.” Marinette declared, placing one hand on her hip and the other pointing up towards the air. “Tikki! Spots on!”

 “Wait, wha-”

 Alya didn’t have time to finish that sentence, because all of a sudden Marinette, her best friend and almost-sister was transforming before her eyes into the very superhero she had been investigating since the day they’d met: Ladybug.

 Marinette heard Tikki’s faint cries of disapproval in the back of her mind before she could process what she had just done. She had just drunkenly transformed in front of, and revealed her identity to Alya.

 Alya’s wine glass slipped from her hand and fell to the floor, shattering. Marinette tried to open her mouth and explain herself but couldn’t. The only thing she could say now was-

 “Oh, fuck.”

[luxuriant-starlight]

I Won’t Say I’m In Love Ch. 2

whoop chapter two is here

this intro is rushed bc im tired af. if u want a more detailed one then check out the ao3 link. 

anyways hope y’all enjoy

Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is madly in love with Adrien Agreste who is Chat Noir who is madly in love with Ladybug who is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. After a sudden burst of confidence, the two decide to confess to their individual crushes, and both get rejected. Now Marinette and Chat Noir turn to each other for comfort- but soon realize they may be getting a little TOO close for comfort, and just end up trying to deny it, like the ridiculous losers they are.

Based on an animatic by @pepper-bottom, who you should most definitely check out! 

Words (in this chapter): 4k (hol y shit)

[AO3] [FFN]

Chapter 2 - Marinette Throws Herself Into The Fray

That night, Marinette laid on her bed, staring up at her ceiling, replaying the events from patrol over and over again in her head.

No matter how she thought about it- no matter how she framed it.

She still felt like a total jerk.

Her body felt numb.

How could she not know? How could she call herself Chat’s best friend? How could she have been hanging around with him like three times a week every week for the past three years and not see it?

Maybe you’re just a shitty friend. Her heart suggested, bitterly.

Maybe you are just a shitty friend.

She sighed and groaned, sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest.

He had just looked so devastated. He practically ran away from her. As if...like...

Like I shattered his heart.

Marinette’s stomach sank even deeper.

“Marinette…” Tikki started, nuzzling into her cheek. “It’s not that bad.”

Mari groaned. “Yes, it is, Tikki!”

“He’ll move on. I’m sure.” Tikki reassured her, hugging her face as much as she could with her tiny body- basically, just managing to hold her chin and nothing else.

“It doesn’t matter if he moves on or not. The problem is that I- the person who calls herself his best friend - couldn’t see how he really felt about me. I teased him. I led him on.” She frowned.  “And not just once! Consistently. For years!”

Tikki pursed her lips. “Marinette...I’m sure Chat knew what he was getting himself into. He knew the risks of confessing to you.”

Marinette buried her face into her knees, pulling them even closer. Tikki stroked a little section of her hair.

“Oh, Mari. It really will be okay. You couldn’t have known. It had been going on since you two met. You’ve never known a Chat that acted differently.”

“...Maybe you’re right.” She admitted, peeking her eyes out at Tikki from behind her arms. “But I still feel bad. What if he doesn’t wanna be my best friend anymore?”

“Of course he wants to be your best friend!” Tikki burst out, incredulously, but then took a more gentle tone. “Marinette, you two are meant to be best friends. You were chosen because you two are soulmates- romantic or platonic. Chat loves you. Not just romantically. He’d never stop wanting to be your friend just because you don’t share his feelings.”

Mari picked her head up, sighing.

‘Best friends. Always.’

She sighed again, sitting up. Tikki was right. Chat wouldn’t want to stop being her friend just because she rejected him.

“But I still hurt him.” She told Tikki, after a moment. “I still broke his heart.”

Tikki sighed, patting her cheek. “Humans are more relisient than you think. His heart will heal.”

“How can I possibly make it up to him, though?”

Tikki nudged her chin, making Marinette lift it to look at her.

“You can be his friend. You can keep caring about him, just like you’re doing right now.”

Marinette thought for a second.

“You’re right.”

Tikki giggled. “Aren’t I always?”

Marinette grinned, hugging Tikki closely. “Always.”

And for a moment, things seemed better.

Marinette laid back down on her bed, letting Tikki curl up on her pillow and rest.

After what could’ve been a few hours or a few minutes but just felt like an eternity, she was still awake- staring at her ceiling once again. She couldn’t sleep.

She turned onto her side, restlessly, and a picture on her nightstand caught her eye. It was a bunch of pictures of her and Adrien. One of those photo booth picture strips. They had taken it this summer when they went to the arcade. One of the first times they hung out alone, outside of school.

She and Adrien were a lot closer now. For the whole first year they knew each other, Marinette was more than a little awkward around him. She could barely speak a whole sentence in his presence. The crush she had for him was just too massive.

But that was three years ago. Now she was 18 and much more mature than her 15 year old self. She finally mastered speaking full sentences around Adrien- encouraged to do so by the fact that they begun hanging around each other a lot more as Nino and Alya began to get closer.

Being around two other friends while they spoke every single time they hung out eventually broke the ice. Turns out, they had a lot in common.

Now, Adrien was one of her five best friends (the friends being, in no particular order: Alya, Tikki, Nino, Chat, and Adrien). They hung out all the time. They played Mecha Strike and Mario Cart and Overwatch and a ton of video games together at her house like once a week or so. She spent lunch with him, Alya, and Nino like every day.

She took down her pictures of him. And his schedule. She changed her computer wallpaper to a picture of her and a bunch of her friends from class. Any pictures of Adrien in her bedroom were no longer magazine clippings or things she printed off the internet- they were pictures of them together. Laughing, smiling, having fun. All their memories together.

Yet, her feelings for him remained.

In fact...they intensified.

Marinette’s crush was no longer superficial. She didn’t admire him from afar anymore. She admired him up close now. No longer was he perfect in her eyes- but, rather, perfectly imperfect.

A total dork. She mused, a smile appearing on her face- only widening when she looked at the way he stuck his tongue out at her in the third picture.

A total dork that you adore. Her brain reminded her.

Yeah. She did adore him.

Chat’s face flickered in her mind again.

He had confessed to her. He worked up the courage.

For how long? Weeks? Months?

However long, he had done it. He had planned and plotted. She knew he had. She knew him and how he was.

It was the bravest display of emotion she’d ever seen. He was clearly torn up about it, but still managed to confess- even though he knew he might get rejected.

Even though he did get rejected. Her heart told her. By you.

Oh. Right.

Marinette sighed, rolling onto her back again. If only I could be that brave.

Her head turned towards Adrien’s photo again. In the last of the four pictures, he was holding her close, laughing with his arms wrapped around her. She was mid-laugh too, her cheeks red.

Marinette turned to the ceiling again, and closed her eyes.

She knew what she had to do.

She had to be brave.

---------

“Are you sure about this, girl?” Alya asked her, trying to catch up with Marinette’s fast paced walk into school that Monday morning.

“I’m sure.” Marinette told her. “I’m ready to tell him. I was thinking about it the whole weekend.”

She had had a whole long-ass conversation with Tikki about it the morning after Friday night (when Chat had confessed and she had made up her mind), and then had another again with Alya that Sunday, when she came over to help her and her parents decorate some flower shaped sugar cookies for Spring.

She was determined.

Alya raised an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes a bit. “I still don’t know what’s gotten into you.”

“Nothing has gotten into me.” Marinette lied. “I just feel like I’m ready to finally tell him. I feel bad keeping it from him.”

It wasn’t a total lie.

“Alright, then.” Alya replied, opening the door for Marinette.

When they walked into class, Adrien and Nino were already there, talking at their desks.

Marinette’s heart fluttered a bit in her chest, and tried to jump into her throat, but she swallowed in down, and walked with Alya over to their row.

“Hey, guys.” Alya greeted.

“Morning!” Marinette followed.

“What’s up, ladieeessss!” Nino greeted, grinning. Alya rolled her eyes.

“Morning.” Adrien seemed very...out of it? Marinette thought so.

“Are you alright, Adrien?” She asked, concerned.

“That’s what I’ve been asking all morning!” Nino exclaimed, looking irritated. “I’ve been trying to get him to tell me what’s wrong for like half an hour already.”

“I told you- nothing’s wrong.” Adrien assured him, then turned to Marinette, smiling softly. “I’m okay, Mari.”

“Are you sure? You don’t look okay.” Marinette furrowed her eyebrows.

“It’s fine. Honestly, I’m just out of it because I’m tired. My father’s had me working every night this week.”

Marinette didn’t buy it, but respected his privacy.

“Your dad is crazy!” Nino told him, huffing. “You’re 18. You should be allowed to take breaks and have fun.”

Adrien nodded and shrugged. “I guess.”

They all spoke for a few more minutes, mostly about how Nino had had a gig DJing a party downtown this weekend. They quieted down by the time their teacher had come in.

As the teacher started her lesson, Marinette stared at the back of Adrien’s head, thinking about how she was gonna confess. She was nervous but maybe for no reason.

She had been thinking this whole weekend about what would happen if Adrien rejected her-

Like you did Chat. Her annoying brain reminded her again.

Shut up. Marinette fired back.

- but what if he doesn’t reject her? What if he actually...likes her back? What if he feels the same and they go on a date and then a few more and then become boyfriend/girlfriend and then he proposes and they get married on a sunny Spring day in an intimate family affair and then they live together and love each other and have three beautiful children named Emma, Louis, and Hu-

Woah woah woah.

Chill, girl. You’re not 15 anymore. Stop with these crazy fantasies and focus on the task at hand. How are you and Adrien gonna ever get married if he never knows how you feel?

Marinette blinked, snapping out of it. She then ripped a paper out of her notebook and wrote Adrien a note.

‘Hey. I have to tell you something. It’s...kinda important. Can we talk after school?’

She slid the note under the desk, poking at his side with the corner of the folded paper.

Keeping his eyes trained on the teacher, he secretly grabbed the note, expertly placing it on his desk without the teacher seeing.

Marinette waited with baited breath.

After what felt like an eternity (but in reality was only 10 minutes), she felt a folded piece of paper poke her bare knee. She slid it onto her desk and opened it as inconspicuously as possible.

‘Of course Mari. Is after school good? :p’

The note came with a tiny doodle of a smiling snail.

She grinned. She adored this boy.

When he turned to look at her a few seconds later while the teacher turned away, she nodded slightly.

And now, we wait.

---------

After the final bell rang and Marinette was freed from the absolute sin formally referred to as chemistry, she stood by Adrien’s locker, waiting for him to arrive.

Her heart was doing flips.

She wasn’t so sure she could do this. Maybe it wasn’t too late to turn back. Maybe she should just tell him it was something funny and dumb like “you’re a dork” or “you got some updawg on your shirt” and leave it at that.

She felt her phone vibrate in her skirt pocket. She slid it out and read her latest text. It was from Alya.

‘You got this. I believe in you. <3’

Marinette smiled, her heart warmed by the text.

‘Thanks, Alya. You’re the best.’

And she was. Alya was such a good friend. Maybe Tikki was right. Maybe she really was lucky. Lucky to be blessed with such an incredible support group.

“What’s got you so smile-y?”

Marinette whipped her head up, locking her phone and sliding it back into her pocket, as Adrien stood before her- all sandy blonde hair and grass green eyes and soft spoken and-

Focuusss. Her brain nagged.

“A-Adrien! Hey.”

“Hey!” He grinned. “I asked you a question, you know.”

“Oh- oh yeah. Alya was texting me something sweet. About how I’m her favorite and whatever.”

Adrien chuckled. Her heart nearly melted.

“You’re everyone’s favorite, Mari.”

Marinette giggled, nervously. “I sure hope so…”

Literally, though…

“So, what did you need to talk to me about?”

Her stomach sank, but she willed it to work with her a bit.

“I...uh...wanted to know if you wanted to walk home with me.”

It apparently didn’t listen. Goddammit.

“Sure. I actually have time, for once. Just let me grab my stuff?”

“Okay!” Marinette replied, a little too loudly and a little too quickly.

I’m reverting. She panicked. Shit.

Pull it together, Mari.

“Ready?” Adrien asked her, after a minute, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

---------

After a minute or so of feeling awkward, Adrien striked up a conversation, and she silently thanked him for taking the lead. They quickly started talking about some nerd shit- as two nerds like them might do.

“There is no way in hell that Ponyo is better than Howl’s Moving Castle.” She scoffed. “Sophie is so much more complex than Ponyo. Or Sosuke.”

“Howl’s good, but it’s no Ponyo!” Adrien insisted. “Come on- the story of a young girl learning to break free from oppression! Teaching a boy about true love.”

“It’s more of a child-like infatuation, if you ask me. Or a platonic love.”

Adrien huffed. “You just can’t appreciate fine cinema.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed, looking at him.

He was so… God, he was so attractive. He drove her absolutely crazy. Like she said, he had that whole sandy blonde hair and grass green eyes thing going for him. But not only that, he had this...sunkissed skin. Like Apollo himself descended from the heavens and personally blessed him to forever be a literal embodiment of sunshine. And his body, oh my god.

Back when they were 15, Adrien was a bit more lithe- thin and shapely, but still maintaining a fit form and an alright shoulder to waist ratio. It came with not only having barely gone through puberty, but having to keep up that stereotypical model look. But now that he was older, Adrien was more built- and encouraged to maintain a wholesomely sexy look instead of the boyishly handsome look he had had before.

And Lord, did it work for him.

He was still a little lithe, but had much broader shoulders. He wasn’t exactly dorito shaped, but definitely more manly- thicker biceps and more defined muscles. He could now fill in a shirt.

He ran his fingers through his hair, looking ahead, his green eyes intensified and brightened by the sunshine.

Marinette could’ve stayed just like that, staring at him- soaking in his beauty.

But then she saw it.

His frown.

And not just that, but his eyebrows. They were furrowed. He was thinking very deeply about something.

Marinette frowned right along with him, then stopped walking, placing a hand on his shoulder. Adrien turned to look at her, surprised.

“Okay, model boy. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Mari?”

She frowned deeper, putting her feelings for him aside to address him with proper concern. “You’ve been acting off all day. I know you. There’s something you’re not telling me.”

He sighed, looking even more upset. “It’s nothing.”

“Adrien..”

“What about you? You’ve been off all day, too. Don’t think I believe for one second that the real reason you wanted to talk after school was so I could walk you home.” He raised an eyebrow at her, crossing his arms, petulantly.

Her stomach sank, but she quickly shook it off and laughed. “Are you trying to change the subject? I asked you first.”

“I asked you second.”

They narrowed their eyes at each other.

“Rock, Paper, Scissors for it?” Mari asked, determined. She had to win.

“You’re on.”

---------

“Goddammit!” Mari cursed.

After three games of Rock, Paper, Scissors, she had lost. Twice.

In her defense, she had momentarily forgotten that paper beats rock. How does that even make sense?

“Ha! Now you have to tell me what’s on your mind.” Adrien gloated, sticking out his tongue.

Why am I so in love with this boy? Mari asked herself, even though she knew the answer.

“No. I changed my mind. I don’t wanna tell you.” Mari crossed her arms, pouting, and turning away.

“Oh, come on, Mari!”

“No!”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently turning her around. “You know you can tell me.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Or several.

Okay. Okay okay okay. I can do this.

I think.

“Alright...you’re right.” She confessed. “I do need to tell you something… kinda important. We should… maybe sit.”

“Okay.” He gestured towards a nearby bench, and they both sat.

Adrien looked at her, expectantly.

Her heart felt like it was filled with an icy cold fire.

“I know this is...sudden…” Marinette told him. “But…”

“But?”

“But… I really liked all the time we’ve been spending together, Adrien. I really like all your dumb jokes. I really like playing video games with you. I really like the way you scarf down all the food I give you, as if it’s the first time you’ve ever seen a chocolate croissant. I really like the way you ramble about things you really like…”

“Mari?”

“I really like... you, Adrien.”

“ Mari… ”

“No. More than really like you.” She closed her eyes, and let out a deep breath. “I love you, Adrien. Like. Really love you. Like. I’ve-been-madly-insatiably-in-love-with-you-for-the-last-three-years in love with you.”

Adrien looked floored. “Like...romantically?”

“Like, romantically.”

There was a pregnant pause. Marinette’s heart was beating so loudly, she could barely hear herself think.

After a moment, Adrien spoke.

“Marinette…” He sighed, eyebrows knit together. “The thing…. I had to tell you.”

“The thing?”

“The thing is…” He took her hands in his, looking apologetic. Oh no.

“ The thing is…. there’s someone else.”

Her heart sank. “Someone...else?”

“I confessed to her last night. She rejected me but…” Adrien sighed. “But I’m still in love with her.”

“In...love...with her?”

“I do love you, Mari. As a friend. And I love all the time that we’ve been spending together. You’re...an amazing person. An amazing friend. Beautiful and fun and smart and determined and wonderful. But…”

“But I’m not her.”

Adrien looked away, guiltily.

Of course.

Of course.

Why would I… how could I even think that… a guy like Adrien…

Marinette stood, suddenly, letting go of his hands, staring at her feet.

You had better not cry. She ordered herself. Not in front of him. You had better save that shit for when you get home.

Her eyes welled up with tears anyway.

She tried to will them away. Don’t. Don’t humiliate yourself any further. You’d better not.

Her resolve melted when Adrien stood up and put his hand on her shoulder.

“Marinette… I’m so sorry.”

The tears just kept rolling down her cheeks.

“You’re sorry?” She laughed, numbly, wiping her face. “What do you have to be sorry for, Agreste? I’m the one who’s making you feel guilty for no reason.”

He pulled her in close, suddenly, hugging her tight. “I still hurt you.”

The tears kept flowing in his arms, staining his shirt. It just...wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. She’d come so far. She’d finally gotten close to him. Finally got them talking to each other. Finally become his real friend.

Maybe Tikki was wrong. Maybe she wasn’t so lucky after all.

Marinette sobbed.

Adrien rubbed her back and held her close.

---------

He’d insisted on walking her home.

She tried to keep a brave face, but as soon as she got through the front door, she just pressed her back to it, slid down, and started sobbing again.

Her mother had heard her cries and immediately came rushing in from the bakery, a look of deep concern on her face. She helped Marinette to the couch and, there, Marinette had told her mother everything she could. How a “friend” she didn’t feel the same for confessed his love to her. How she had rejected him. How she had been inspired by him and confessed to Adrien. How Adrien had rejected her on the way home.

“Oh, honey…” Her mom held her close, letting Marinette cry on her shoulder. “Sometimes, it just happens.”

“I really thought we were meant for each other.”

“I know, I know.” Her mother sighed, stroking her hair. “I know it feels like the end of the world. But it’s not. You’re a bright, beautiful young woman. There are other things out there for you.”

Marinette nodded, gripping her mother’s dress harder, sniffling.

Her mother whipped up one of her favorite dinners that night- beef stew with carrots and potatoes. Warm and delicious, as always. Her father had pulled out his beat-up ice cream maker, as well- and made them homemade salted caramel ice cream.

It could’ve been delicious, but Marinette couldn’t say. She was too messed up.

Instead, she just ate small, slow bites, and felt the tears dry on her cheeks, staring blankly at the table. She just felt numb.

---------

After dinner, she had skyped Alya, and told her the awful news. Alya promised that they’d have a “Ladies Night” the next day- which basically just meant they’d get together and talk it out and cuddle and eat ice cream and watch the Real Housewives.

Marinette had agreed, gratefully- but aside from that, she didn’t really speak much either.

Tikki seemed concerned. She, too, spent a fair amount of time comforting Marinette- and at least made her clean the smeared makeup and dried streaks of mascara off her face. Her pores would probably thank her tomorrow.

After a couple hours, though, Marinette sent Tikki to bed.

“I can’t possibly sleep right now. It’s best you just go to bed now. I’ll lay down and try to rest in a bit.”

“Are you sure?” Her kwami asked, concerned.

“Yeah. It’s fine. I promise.”

Tikki didn’t look totally convinced, but gave in once Marinette put on her brave face.

“Alright...but you’d better be in bed by midnight! You do have school tomorrow, after all.”

“Yes, mom.” Marinette tried to grin. She wasn’t quite sure she got it across.

Tikki rolled her eyes and kissed Mari’s forehead before flittering off to her bed (which was essentially just a pillow and a small, hand sewn blanket hidden behind the staircase in Marinette’s loft bedroom).

After Tikki was finally fast asleep, Marinette sighed, walking out onto her balcony, her blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a cup of green tea that her mother insisted she drink in her hands.

She took a sip of the now barely warm tea and sighed again, staring across at the lights of Paris.

This is supposed to be the city of love.

She scoffed. More like the city of heartbreak.

Marinette laughed at her own bad joke, emptily.

She felt like a total idiot.

How did she not see this coming?

She sighed once more, shakily this time, and felt her eyes well up with tears again.

And once more, she sobbed.

Not the kind of sobbing she had been doing before.

Horrible, awful sobbing.

Marinette was devastated.

Three years she’s been in love with Adrien. Three years she’d… actually believed that they’d… get married. Have kids. Spend their lives together.

How stupid. She thought, bitterly, sinking down to her knees, gripping the railing with the hand not holding her now cold green tea. So stupid.

She pressed her forehead up against it, letting tears fall onto the street below her.

She just kept sobbing and shaking. So loud was her sorrow that she didn’t hear the leather-clad hero land on her balcony and walk towards her pathetic form.

“...Princess?” She heard a familiar voice ask.

She looked up to see Chat Noir, looking like he felt sorry for her.

Great. She thought, and just cried harder.