#UPSET THAT HE IS NOT REAL AND WE ARE NOT TOGETHER

[little-jana]

"Officer Ryan"

Pairing: Spencer Reid x f!reader

Genre: fluff, heated, fade to black smut, still smutty, 18+

Warnings: smut, kissing, jealousy, flirting, touching, fade to black smut, no explicit s*x

Words: ? 2.5k I forgot to look at the wordcount

Summary: Spencer gets jealous of a too nice Officer and they finally confess their feelings, which leads to a perfect first night together.

It wasn’t the most pleasant case to work on, but that was the norm in our line of work. A string of disappearances had brought us to a small coastal town, and the team was operating out of the local precinct. The air smelled faintly of salt and coffee—two things that kept us going during cases like this.

I was leaning over the map laid out on the desk in front of me, pinning down the key locations the victims had last been seen, when I felt a presence behind me. Glancing up, I met the warm, almost too-friendly eyes of Officer Ryan.

“You’re really good at this,” Ryan said, his voice smooth and low. “I’ve seen a lot of agents come through here, but you? You’ve got a real knack for it.”

I smiled politely, though my focus remained on the map. “Just doing my job, Officer Ryan.”

“Call me Kyle,” he said, flashing a grin. He stepped closer, his arm brushing mine as he leaned over to examine the map. “So, what’s a smart, capable woman like you doing in a job like this? Doesn’t it get… dangerous?”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “That’s the nature of the job,” I replied, keeping my tone neutral.

Across the room, I caught sight of Spencer, who was talking with Hotch and JJ. Or at least he had been. Now, his gaze was fixed on me and Kyle, his brow furrowed and his jaw tight.

“Still, it’s admirable,” Kyle continued, oblivious to the growing tension. “You ever think about transferring to a smaller precinct? A place like this, where you’d be appreciated more?”

I laughed softly, finally looking up at him. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m happy where I am.”

Before Kyle could respond, Spencer appeared at my side, his presence like a sudden storm cloud. “We need to review the victim profiles again,” he said, his voice clipped.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. “Agent Reid, right? You’ve got quite the reputation. Didn’t realize you were her partner on this.”

Spencer’s gaze didn’t waver. “Doctor. And we’re a team,” he said evenly, though his tone carried an undercurrent of irritation.

“Of course,” Kyle said with a smirk, stepping back slightly but not far enough. “Well, I’ll let you two get back to it. But if you ever need a tour of the area, you know where to find me.”

As Kyle walked away, Spencer let out a sharp breath. “Tour of the area?” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

I turned to him, crossing my arms. “Something you want to say, Doctor Reid?”

His eyes met mine, and for a moment, he seemed to struggle with himself. “I just don’t think it’s appropriate for officers to… distract agents during an active investigation,” he said finally.

I raised an eyebrow. “Distract? Spencer, it was harmless.”

“Harmless?” he repeated, his voice rising slightly before he caught himself. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening before leaning in closer. “He was flirting with you.”

I shrugged. “So what? It’s not like I encouraged it.”

“That’s not the point,” he said, his voice low but intense. “We’re here to solve a case, not… entertain advances from people who should know better.”

I stared at him, trying to decipher the storm of emotions behind his words. “Are you seriously upset about this?”

He hesitated, his jaw clenching. “I just don’t like seeing you treated like that. Like you’re… an object of someone’s attention instead of the brilliant agent you are.”

His words caught me off guard, and I felt a flush rise to my cheeks. “Spencer…”

Before I could say more, Hotch called for us to regroup, and we had no choice but to drop the conversation.

Hours later, I found Spencer in the precinct’s break room, staring at a file but clearly not reading it.

“Spence,” I said softly, stepping into the room.

He looked up, his expression softening slightly when he saw me. “Hey.”

I closed the door behind me, leaning against it. “About earlier…”

“You don’t have to explain,” he said quickly, though his fingers fidgeted with the edge of the file. “It’s none of my business.”

“Actually, it kind of is,” I said, stepping closer to him. “You’re my friend, and if something bothers you, I want to know.”

He let out a breath, setting the file down. “I just… I didn’t like the way he was talking to you. It made me—” He stopped, his cheeks flushing slightly as he searched for the right word.

“Jealous?” I offered, a teasing smile tugging at my lips.

His eyes darted to mine, wide and uncertain. “Maybe,” he admitted quietly.

I smiled, my heart softening at his vulnerability. “Spence, you don’t have to be jealous. Kyle means nothing to me. But you…” I hesitated, the words hanging in the air between us.

“Me?” he prompted, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes Spencer, how could you not know what...". Footsteps interrupted our moment. "We'll talk later", I said in a hushed tone, just as an Officer came around the corner.

---

The precinct was quiet now, save for the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead. Most of the officers had called it a night, and the rest of the BAU team had dispersed to their rooms. But Spencer and I lingered, the weight of the case and the events of the day still hanging between us.

I leaned back against the edge of the desk, pretending to go over some notes, but my mind kept drifting to Spencer. More specifically, to the way he’d stiffened earlier when Officer Ryan had approached me. The man had been nice enough, polite and professional, but his compliments had been a little too pointed, his interest a little too obvious. And Spencer had noticed.

I glanced over at him now, sitting stiffly in his chair, his eyes fixed on the file in his hands. He was still wearing his dress shirt and tie, though his sleeves were rolled up, exposing his forearms. Normally, he had a way of blending into the background, but tonight, he seemed larger than life.

“You’ve been awfully quiet,” I said, trying to keep my tone light.

His eyes flicked up to mine, and for a moment, I saw something raw and unguarded in his expression. But then he blinked, and it was gone. “Just thinking,” he murmured, his voice soft but distant.

“About the case?” I pressed, though I had a feeling that wasn’t the whole truth.

“Among other things,” he said vaguely, his fingers tightening slightly around the edge of the file.

I raised an eyebrow, setting my notes aside. “You know, for someone who spends most of his time analyzing other people, you’re not very good at hiding your own emotions.”

His jaw tensed slightly, and he looked away. “I’m fine,” he said, a little too quickly.

“Spencer.” I stood and crossed the room, stopping just in front of him. “What’s going on?”

He hesitated, his gaze darting to mine before dropping to the floor. For a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to answer. But then he let out a long breath, setting the file down on the desk.

“It’s nothing,” he said, though his tone betrayed him. “I just… didn’t like the way that officer was talking to you earlier.”

I blinked, caught off guard by his honesty. “The Officer?”

He nodded, his expression tight. “He was too familiar. Too… interested.”

I tilted my head, a teasing smile tugging at my lips. “So you are really jealous, Dr. Reid?”

His eyes shot up to meet mine, wide and defensive. “What? No. I mean…” He trailed off, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe a little. But it’s not—”

“Why would you be jealous?” I interrupted, stepping closer. My voice softened, my teasing giving way to genuine curiosity. “It’s not like there’s anything between us, right?”

His breath hitched slightly, and for a moment, he just stared at me, as if trying to decide whether to step forward or step back. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and steady.

“Because I don’t want anyone else to have you,” he said simply.

The words hit me like a bolt of lightning, sending a shiver down my spine. “Spencer…”

“I know I don’t have the right to feel this way,” he continued, his gaze never leaving mine. “But the thought of someone else—of him—thinking he has a chance with you…” He shook his head, his voice trembling slightly. “It drives me crazy.”

My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it. “You’re an idiot,” I said, though my voice was soft, almost tender.

His brow furrowed. “What?”

I stepped closer, so close that I could feel the heat radiating off him. “You’re an idiot if you think I’d want anyone else,” I said, my voice firm but laced with emotion. “I’ve been waiting for you to notice me for months, Spencer. And now, you’re going to sit here and tell me you’re jealous of some random guy?”

His breath caught, his eyes searching mine. “You’ve been waiting for me?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” I said, my tone leaving no room for doubt.

For a moment, neither of us moved. The tension in the air was almost unbearable, the unspoken emotions between us threatening to spill over. And then, finally, he closed the distance between us.

His hands cupped my face as his lips crashed into mine, the kiss both tender and desperate. I gasped, my hands finding their way to his chest, fisting the fabric of his shirt as I pulled him closer.

He groaned softly against my lips, his hands sliding down to my waist as he deepened the kiss. There was nothing hesitant or uncertain about the way he kissed me—it was raw and consuming, like he’d been holding back for far too long.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily, our foreheads resting against each other.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion.

“Then why didn’t you?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

“I was scared,” he admitted, his eyes meeting mine. “Scared that I’d ruin everything. Scared that you didn’t feel the same way.”

I smiled, my fingers brushing against his jaw. “Well, you don’t have to be scared anymore,” I said softly.

He smiled back, that shy, boyish smile that made my heart ache. “I guess not,” he said, his voice filled with quiet wonder.

I brushed my thumb against his jaw, marveling at the way his face softened under my touch.

The silence between us wasn’t heavy anymore; it was charged, humming with unspoken words and simmering tension. His hands lingered on my waist, his fingers twitching slightly, like he was afraid to let go.

“Come with me,” I said softly, the words slipping out before I could second-guess them.

His brows furrowed slightly, the question clear in his eyes. “Where?”

I swallowed, feeling my pulse quicken. “To my room. I… I don’t want this moment to end here.”

For a second, I thought he might hesitate. But then his grip on my waist tightened slightly, his gaze searching mine. “Okay,” he murmured, his voice low and filled with something I couldn’t quite name but felt all the way to my core.

We left the precinct quietly, the night air cool against my flushed skin as we walked to the hotel. The anticipation was palpable, each step drawing us closer to something we couldn’t take back but didn’t want to.

By the time we reached my door, my hands were trembling slightly as I slid the keycard into the lock. Spencer was so close behind me that I could feel the warmth radiating off him, the subtle scent of his cologne making my head spin.

The door clicked open, and I stepped inside, turning to face him as he followed me in. The dim light from the bedside lamp cast a soft glow across the room, but all I could focus on was him—the way his tie was slightly askew, the way his hair was just a little messier than usual.

He stood there for a moment, his eyes taking me in as if he were committing every detail to memory. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, his voice soft but steady.

I stepped closer, reaching up to loosen his tie. “I’ve never been more sure of anything,” I said, my voice firm despite the nervous flutter in my chest.

His breath hitched slightly as I slid the tie from his collar, letting it fall to the floor. “You’re incredible,” he murmured, his hands finding my waist again.

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “You don’t have to say that.”

“I’m not just saying it,” he insisted, his gaze intense. “I’ve been thinking it for months. You’re brilliant and strong and so beautiful it hurts sometimes.”

The raw honesty in his voice took my breath away. I reached up, threading my fingers through his hair as I pulled him down into another kiss. This one was slower, more deliberate, as if we had all the time in the world to explore the unspoken emotions between us.

His hands roamed up my back, pulling me flush against him as he deepened the kiss. My heart was pounding, each touch sending a jolt of electricity through me.

When we finally broke apart, I was breathless, my forehead resting against his as I tried to steady myself. “Spencer…” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I’ve got you,” he said softly, his hands sliding down to my hips. “You’re safe with me.”

I smiled, my heart swelling at his words. “I know.”

His breath mingled with mine as we stood in the dim glow of the hotel room, the air thick with everything we hadn’t said. Spencer’s hands hovered at my waist, his fingers brushing against the fabric of my shirt like he was trying to memorize the texture.

“Tell me to stop,” he murmured, his voice low and strained, “and I will.”

I tilted my head up, brushing my lips against his. “I won’t.”

That was all it took. His lips were on mine again, hungry and desperate, like he’d been holding back for far too long. His hands slid up my back, pulling me closer until there wasn’t an inch of space left between us. I gasped against his mouth, my hands finding their way to his hair, tugging gently as I deepened the kiss.

Spencer groaned softly, the sound reverberating through me, and I felt his hands move lower, tracing the curve of my waist with a reverence that made my knees weak. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured between kisses, his voice thick with awe.

I smiled against his lips, my fingers trailing down the buttons of his shirt. “You’ve mentioned that,” I teased, though my voice trembled slightly.

He chuckled, the sound low and breathless, before catching my lips again. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop saying it,” he admitted, his hands slipping under the hem of my shirt to rest against my bare skin.

The heat of his touch sent a shiver down my spine, and I couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped me. “Spencer…”

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes dark and filled with emotion. “I mean it,” he said, his voice firm. “You’re everything, you know that?”

I swallowed hard, my heart swelling at his words. “Show me,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

That was all the encouragement he needed. His lips were back on mine, more urgent this time, as he guided me toward the bed. The backs of my knees hit the edge, and I fell back, pulling him down with me.

His weight settled over me, grounding me, and I felt his hands move to my hips, his thumbs brushing against the sliver of skin exposed by my shirt. Every touch, every kiss was slow and deliberate, like he wanted to savor every moment.

“Is this okay?” he asked softly, his voice tinged with both desire and hesitation.

I nodded, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw. “More than okay,” I murmured, pulling him down into another kiss.

The rest of the world faded away as we lost ourselves in each other, the unspoken tension between us finally giving way to something deeper, something undeniable. Every kiss, every touch was a silent promise—a vow that this was just the beginning of something neither of us could walk away from.

When we finally lay tangled together in the soft glow of the room, his fingers brushing gently against my arm, I felt a sense of peace I hadn’t known I’d been missing.

“I should’ve told you sooner,” he murmured, his voice soft but certain.

“Told me what?” I asked, tilting my head up to look at him.

“How much you mean to me,” he said, his eyes meeting mine. “How much I care about you.”

I smiled, my chest tightening at the sincerity in his voice. “I think I got the message,” I teased, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw.

He laughed quietly, his arms tightening around me. “I just don’t want you to ever doubt it,” he said, his voice serious.

“I won’t,” I promised, resting my head against his chest.

As the night stretched on, we talked in hushed tones, sharing secrets and fears we’d kept locked away. And when we finally fell asleep, tangled together in the soft glow of the room, it wasn’t just with the warmth of his arms around me but with the knowledge that this was only the beginning

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Putting aside all of the jokes and technicalities and such…do you think Marinette is a stalker?

Buckle up folks, this is gonna be a long one.

Personal Bias

When I was 14-years-old, a "friend" of mine got a crush on me and I made it clear that I wasn't interested. He then proceeded to follow me around school, often blocking my path so I couldn't go anywhere without talking to him. He knew I was uncomfortable with this, but refused to stop until I got school authorities involved. By the time it was all over, he basically had a school-imposed restraining order where he wasn't allowed to go near me unless he wanted detention.

When I was 16, another "friend" was so upset that I was dating someone who wasn't him that he figured out how to get into my school email and, through that, one of my socials. He proceeded to try to break me and my boyfriend up. He almost succeeded.

When a male friend of mine was around 16, he turned down a girl who had a crush on him. She and her friends proceeded to harass him on a consistent basis because she knew his schedule and used it to trap him in certain spots like when he was waiting for the bus. They wouldn't stop no matter what he did or said. It only stopped when school officials got involved.

When my cousin was in high school, a boy started following her home every day. It got so bad that the cops were called, but they refused to do anything because he wasn't "threatening enough." Her family had to move and switch what school she went to in order to get away from him.

As you may know, I have seen Miraculous. So has my male friend. So has my cousin. We were all some level of fan at one point or another and have talked about the show critically together. Guess who didn't phase any of us?

Marinette.

Stalking 101

Definition One

Stalking is pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress. (Source)

Definition Two

“Stalking is a pattern of repeated and unwanted attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear,” according to the Department of Justice. Similar to crimes of sexual violence, stalking is about power and control.

Stalking laws and definitions differ from state to state. Stalking behavior can take many forms including:

Making threats against someone, or that person's family or friends

Non-consensual communication, such as repeated phone calls, emails, text messages, and unwanted gifts

Repeated physical or visual closeness, like waiting for someone to arrive at certain locations, following someone, or watching someone from a distance

Any other behavior used to contact, harass, track, or threaten someone

(Source)

Marinette Overview

When I say that Marinette isn't a stalker, this isn't me blindly defending my favorite character*. It's me considering her against the real-life stalkers I have actually dealt with as well as professional discussion on what stalking is and why it happens. When I look at those and then look at Marinette, she just doesn't fit the label.

"Stalker" is not a synonym for "creep." It's a term for specific patterns and types of behavior. When people use the term "stalker" for her, it never seems to come from some deep nuanced argument about her overall behavior. It comes from a handful of scenes where the writers absolutely take her too far. Those scenes understandably creep some viewers out. If those viewers just called her "creepy," then I wouldn't argue against them. Instead, they slap the "stalker" label on Marinette and call it a day without a second thought. I find that incredibly annoying in an analytical context and incredibly unappealing in a writing context for reasons we'll get to at the end.

That doesn't mean that I agree with Marinette's every action. The writers have made her do some extremely questionable things and I'm happy to criticize those moments! But, while I will happily agree that individual episodes take her too far, the overall picture doesn't fit a stalker even if you take things at face value and pretend that nothing is a joke/ignore that Miraculous is a comedy which is not how good analysis works. Ignoring the fact that Miraculous is a comedy shows poor media literacy and is another reason I can't take the stalker claims seriously.

If Marinette is a stalker, then every adult who showed up at Adrien's house in Party Crasher needs to be arrested because wtf were they doing showing up to a party thrown by unchaperoned 14-year-olds? If we take that episode seriously, then it's super creepy! But it's clearly not meant to be taken seriously because this is a comedy. The adults showing up was just done to make Adrien's party seem insane, not concerning like it would be in the real world. If you can wrap your head around that, but you're also trying to argue that Marinette's behavior in this episode was "problematic," then I just can't take you seriously. Pick a lane. Either all of the jokes are serious character beats or none of them are.

Marinette Analysis

To really dig into this, let's quickly look at a few of Marinette's worst behaviors and talk about why they don't set off my alarm bells for her character being a stalker. As we go over these, I want you to keep two things in mind:

stalking is about patterns of behavior not one-off bad choices

stalkers use stalking as a way to control and own their victims

Following Adrien Around

If Marinette were written as a stalker, she'd be doing this on the daily. She'd follow Adrien home every time we see him go home. She'd be at every one of his outdoor photo shoots. She'd transform into Ladybug and use binoculars to watch him in his room. But she doesn't. Most of the time, Marinette is happily living her life while Adrien lives his. She's more likely to watch his commercials than watch him which is not how stalkers work. That is how you write a fan, not a stalker.

There are a few episodes that do have Marinette follow him around, but it's always done as a way to start the plot and never as a fun little character beat like Marinette making Tikki hats. Even then, I think the Shanghai special is the only time when Marinette just randomly follows him somewhere to be with him (it's her most stalkerish moment, imo, but it's quite notably a one-time thing). Most of the time, there's an inciting incident that leads her to follow him for some reason other than just watching Adrien.

For example, Oni-Chan has Lila being creepy and lying her way into Adrien's home, leading Marinette to follow to see what's going on. That's not stalker behavior. That's comedically exaggerated concerned friend behavior. I could see Alya or Nino doing the same thing if they were allowed to be smart when Lila was around.

Sneaking into Adrien's Home

Once again, this doesn't happen in most episodes. I can only think of four out of 125: Chat Blanc, Party Crasher, Oni-Chan, and Gabriel Agreste. In each of these episodes, Marinette sneaks into the mansion - or tries to sneak into the mansion - because of some sort of mission or special circumstances and not as part of her normal behavior. For example, Chat Blanc is arguably the most questionable of these, but it starts because Marinette's girlfriends challenge her to give Adrien a present and not because Marinette just decided to go to the mansion:

Rose: That's it, Marinette! No more picnics, sleepovers, or going to the movies with us until you give him that gift! You made that hat for Saint Athanasius Day, which is today! How is Adrien's supposed to know you're thinking of him on his fifth name's day if you don't give him your gift? Alya: She's right. Today is the day! All the girls except Marinette: Go, go, go, go, go, go!

But when Marinette gets there, Nathalie won't let her in or allow her to wait. Nathalie doesn't even offer to take the gift, so Marinette sneaks in to leave the present behind. Good behavior? No, but not Marinette going to the mansion of her own volition to creep on Adrien. While this leads to the totally creepy pillow sniff moment, that's pretty much all Marinette does outside of leaving the gift. She doesn't go snooping in Adrien's room like Lila does in Oni-Chan because the point of this episode wasn't to make Marinette look like a villain or a creep. It was about punishing Marinette for using her powers to give Adrien a gift with her name on it as that's too selfish, I guess.

In fact, none of these episodes were trying to make Marinette look like a villain or a creep. Each one made her do something questionable, but only so that the plot would work. No present, no Chat Blanc. No party crashing or fake butler disguise and Marinette isn't there for the akuma. When there's no plot-necessary reason for Marinette to be at the mansion, she isn't. That's not how you write a stalker. For her to be a stalker, she needs a lot more Chat Blanc moments where she just sneaks in to leave him things or sniff his pillow. We need a pattern, not a one-off moment.

Having Adrien's Schedule

I know I'd said I'd take things more seriously than a comedy calls for in this discussion, but it's impossible to take this one even remotely seriously. How would Marinette even have Adrien's schedule for the next three years? Where did she get it? How is she keeping it up to date when things absolutely change on a weekly basis? How is anyone missing that this is a joke, especially when you consider how the show writes Marinette outside of this episode (Gigantitan)?

While Marinette is sometimes shown to know about things like Adrien's fencing schedule, most episodes present Marinette as if she's reacting to things that she just learned about. For example, in Backwarder, she freaks out about Adrien going to England with Kagami for a wedding that would have been on Adrien's schedule for months if not years.

Why would Marinette do that if she has his schedule? If she's a stalker, then as soon as she heard about the wedding, she'd be on a mission to find out if Adrien has a date and if there are any threats in attendance. She'd probably even find a way to stop Kagami from going like messing with her food. But Marinette doesn't do any of that. Instead, she's written as if she just found out about the wedding and is making up a plan on the fly:

Marinette: Girls! We have a very serious situation! (The girls are cuddled up in the couch, all of them except Rose looking extremely tired)Adrien and his father have been invited to the Royal Wedding in England this weekend. Alya: (annoyed and exhausted) That's the “emergency’’ you called us over here for on a Saturday morning? (frowns) Marinette: You don't get it! Kagami and her mother are going too! (paces around the room doing dramatic hand gestures) Which means that Adrien and Kagami will be spending an entire weekend together!

And her plan ends up being to give Adrien a note and hope for the best. Not exactly the obsessive, controlling behavior you'd go for if you were writing a stalker.

This also implies that, at most, she probably knows his weekly routine which isn't weird since that's something he'd talk about to his friends. Like all of Marinette's worst behavior, the "knows his schedule for the next three years thing" was a one-off gag. Please stop obsessing over it. This isn't how characterization works.

(Note from my male friend who I discussed this post with: the line about the schedule did put him on edge because of his experiences, but that quickly passed as Marinette's behavior didn't back up the line from a stalking POV.)

Stealing Adrien's Stuff

I'm pretty sure the only time Marinette steals something from Adrien when she takes his phone in Copy Cat. "I left an embarrassing message and have to delete it" is an established comedic plot that has been done by dozens of shows and not something uniquely chosen for Marinette, but let's ignore that for a moment and pretend that it's a serious character beat and not a comedy doing something silly because it's a comedy and that's how they work.

Even if we remove all that context, Marinette still isn't acting like a stalker. When my stalker hacked into my email, he was doing it in an effort to control me, not to delete an embarrassing message. He read everything he could find and used that to mess with me. It's actually how I discovered he'd done it. He knew too much. Marinette doesn't do anything like that. She deletes her message and then puts the phone back because stealing the phone wasn't about stalking Adrien. It was about fixing her mistake. A stalker would go through the phone to learn everything about her obsession.

Conclution

None of this is meant to say that everything Marinette does is totally fine and I think people are overreacting if her worst moments upset them. I hate many of the choices they've made for her character and think they were total missteps. If a real person was doing the things Marinette does, then I'd be getting psychiatric services involved because this isn't healthy. I could even see it devolving into actual stalking as the early warning signs are there.

However, Marinette's behavior isn't meant to be realistic and taken at face value. She's the fictional star of a comedy where the writers decided to make her failed confessions a running gag so they had to keep coming up with ridiculous situations to put her in based around her crush. That context matters when evaluating her character and deciding if her actions are meant to be as serious as Chat Blanc ending the world or silly as adults at a teenager's party in Party Crasher. For the majority of seasons one to five, it's very clearly Party-Crasher silly. That doesn't mean you need to like the jokes - I certainly don't - it just means that you do need own that they're jokes if you're trying to do any sort of serious analysis of Marinette's character.

I went through several elements of her behavior not to say that she's totally pure and fine, but to show you that people are taking a handful of really bad moments and acting like it's her standard behavior which isn't how large-scale character analysis works. I was also highlighting the difference between a character who is purposely written as a stalker and a character being the victim of a bunch of adult men making massive missteps while trying write a comedy about a teenage girl with a monster crush. If you want to take her behavior seriously in the context of what jokes are appropriate and what ones go too far, then be my guest! But that's not character analysis even if the analysis is focused on Marinette's character. It's a comedy or writing analysis. Any quality analysis of Marinette's character as a whole and how we're supposed to read her has to take the context of her actions into account.

To write Marinette as a real stalker, you have to go a lot further than the writers did. You have to make her worst behavior constant and not just occasional bad calls. You have to make her feel dangerous and change the tone from comedy to horror. You need to have her friends react with concern instead of egging Marinette on or pushing her into situations as if Marinette's behavior is fine. You need to have Tikki being deeply concerned and not just mildly exasperated. Canon doesn't do any of that because the writers don't intend Marinette's behavior to be read as concerning. When you look at the full context of canon, it's glaringly obvious that the problem is that the writers sometimes make poor calls when exaggerating her crush to tell jokes and not intentional elements of Marinette's character that you should take at face value.

Bonus Salt Fic Discussion

I said at the top that I find the stalker Marinette takes "incredibly unappealing in a writing context" and so I'll end with that as that is more nuanced than bad analysis.

Did canon give us a handful of moments that you can really lean on to back a read that Marinette is an unhinged stalker? Yes, it did. I can't say that people are making that shit up. The Shanghai special and Derision are especially solid "proof." Is fanfic often about obsessing over single moments and little details to an absurd degree no matter how insignificant those details are? Yep, I can't deny that either. That's not unique salter behavior.** Does Miraculous have wildly inconsistent characterization for basically every character with more the one appearance, making it so that you have to pick and choose what you're going to embrace as "canon" for you version if you want to be even remotely coherent with your own characterizations? 100%

All of that is why I'm on the record as saying that I get where the Marinette salt is coming from just like I get the Adrien salt and the class salt and so on. It's standard fandom behavior to bash characters you don't like and the salt takes aren't even doing that thing where people make shit up. It's all based on canon because canon keeps making terrible choice after terrible choice! I just don't find it fun because salt fics are all about embracing the worst writing in the show and expanding upon it, which is the exact opposite of what I want to see when I'm reading fic. I read fic to see better versions of canon! I don't want to be reminded of canon's very real problems. Problems I only expect to get worse as time goes on.

I have no doubt that season six will bring with it a bunch of new moments where Marinette and others act terribly. I wouldn't even be shocked if we reach a point where I agree that Marinette's standard behavior makes her feel dangerous because season five's ending certainly set things up to go there. However, for now, the worst label I'd put on her is "creepy" and that's only in the context of specific episodes. Generally speaking, she's fine.

*Btw, Marinette isn't actually my favorite character. My favorites are Alya, Plagg, and Adrien

**As an example of fandom obsessing over a more neutral detail and elevating it beyond anything canon ever dreamed of, I'll draw your attention to the fandom's obsession with Adrien saying that Marinette is "just a friend." I have come across multiple fics that would have you think that's his catch phrase. A pattern which was deeply confusing because I could only recall him saying it once or twice. After some digging, as best I can tell, he says those words four times and it's never even to Marinette's face, which is wild when you think about how many fics have her parroting the line as if he says it to her all the time. I've even had people tell me that he says that line all the time when that's very clearly not the case. I'd say it's weird, but it's probably just a variation of the fact that eye-witness accounts of crimes are notoriously inaccurate. People just don't remember things accurately.

[kazthisnuts]

In that one SG Luffy sketch it looks like his hat was made from sunlight. Does he literally have a “sun” hat? Or is it still the one from Shanks? If so is there some passive aggressive father fude now? Since the hat is designed to shade your fave from the sun so it’s harder for his father to see him now? I am also loving this AU 🥰 thank you for sharing!

[DAILY SKETCH 57]

thanks for the ask <3

this is the perfect moment for me to rant about his parents, since it's quite hard to put it into a drawing

i have to say i have NOT THOUGHT OF THE HAT HIDING LUFFY AWAY!!! idk why. it just never came to my mind!!!

let me go in order and rant about his parents a little 😁

SO the sun hat you saw is actually just sun rays. they can quite literally rest on his head because he's sunlight with a physical form!!

it's just the sun's way to play with luffy :))))

[for anyone new check the masterpost for more!]

[the light hat is actually inspired from a fic. it's cute and short! give it a read :)]

more under the cut!!!

i would think it's because the sun is directly connected to nika. the hat obviously has a deeper meaning which we don't know fully BUT!! we do know it was one of joyboy's possessions

you get it? i hope 😋

said that I don't THINK Sun would be upset about shanks giving Lu his hat. most likely bc he could feel luffy was supposed to have it

+ (and I'm thinking of it just now) the shadow over his face would most likely weaken him, seeing as he needs light to have a physical body

the hat would probably just sit on his shoulders! unless I think of something else.

I've mentioned it before but right now the timeline is right after meeting Ace. just a few weeks later! I still have to brainstorm what happens right after shanks

(this is definitely self indulgent but i see shanks seeing luffy as his son and luffy just being like. "youre not my father but i still love you like one" yk? Sun knows that and he's probably a little jelly but playfully so)

his mother, on the other hand, is forced to not love him anymore due to the devil fruit

and i think this little drabble by @airiervessel describes it perfectly

Oh, my sweet boy.

The Sea never intended to love her child. The Sun was interested to see if they could create something together, if they could imitate the creatures spread across their world. Those were made by Something Else, and neither the Sea nor the Sun know anything real about that, but the Sun wanted to see if they had that kind of power together.

The Sea turned him down at first on principle — she’s never really liked him, even if she needs him.

But his words stuck with her, whispers seeming to come from the Wind fluttering over her waves. She held out for a few decades or so, successfully ignoring him every time he’d try to ask again. Then one day…

Well. The man in the straw hat comes later.

So the Sea finally gave in. She never intended to love the thing they made — it was just a passing curiosity. She couldn’t get the Sun’s words out of her mind because he’s annoying like that, because no being of the earth or the heavens can push her buttons like he can. That’s what she told herself, anyway. She’s never loved anything; she barely even feels anything for herself. She’s always known that she doesn’t have a heart.

But now — with her sweet boy about to eat one of those terrible Fruits — the Sea finally knows what it is to love.

She learns that she actually does have a heart, because it’s breaking. She can love, because she loves him — her perfect boy, who was created so perfectly in their image that the first thing he decided to do was join humanity — is eating one of the Devil’s Fruits.

She can never hold him again. He’ll never know just how much she adores him, because whenever he touches her she’ll have no choice but to pull him down, to destroy her beautiful son in her own depths.

For the first time in her eternal life, the Sea cries. Islands around the world suffer from massive monsoons and hurricanes as she rages and storms out her infinite emotions.

Everywhere, that is, except for a certain corner of the East Blue.

[WHICH IM GONNA SAY AGAIN IM ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE W UR WRITING THANKS THANKS THANKS]

even though she's forced to hate him, she still tries her best to keep lu safe.

even after he sets sail, for some reason, the waters are almost always calm around the ship.

doesn't mean she can't get angry with him at times!! she's still a mother, after all

the rest is still a work in progress :3 it'll come out eventually as i figure things out

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼 please and thank you!!!! <3

Thank you!

78 for 🔼:

---

 “Me too.”

Then they both stop. Think. There’s a long moment where Shannon is sure they are coming to the same conclusion.

“If we…” Eddie starts. “If, god forbid, we both…”

“The kids would go to your parents,” Shannon nods along. “Unless…”

“Unless,” Eddie agrees. 

“I think… I think we owe them that,” Shannon says. “I don’t want them growing up in El Paso, with… With shame.” 

Eddie nods. “I don’t want that for them either. I want… I want someone who will just… Just love them. Fight for them, the way they are.”

Shannon nods. “Exactly.”

“Okay,” Eddie nods. “Okay? See. There’s a plan. I can call my lawyer, set up an appointment to change-”

“Whoa,” Shannon shakes her head, cutting him off. “We can’t just do it.”

Eddie narrows his eyes, confused. “Why not?”

“Are you crazy? We have to ask him, Eddie.”

“He’s just gonna say yes,” Eddie says. “No way he turns them away if we’re dead. Not only does he love them, but they’ll be orphans. It’s Buck."

“Well, I know that,” Shannon sighs. “Have you not learned anything from our marital failure? I swear. You can’t just make life changing decisions without consulting people.”

Eddie flushes red. 

“Fine. We’ll talk to him.”

ii.

Buck is a little concerned when Shannon and Eddie invite him over to talk. Together. 

Okay, honestly, he’s terrified.

Buck isn’t a dummy. He’s got it figured out. He knows why they want to talk to him.  

Obviously, Eddie and Shannon are back together. 

Buck gets it. He’s not upset. Actually, he’s happy for them. They love each other. That much is so clear. And that was always on the table, right? Eddie has always been transparent about that. He wants Shannon back. He never wanted to break up in the first place. Either time. 

And, thinking completely outside himself, this is best for Christopher and Jane, too. A family unit. Right? Well, he doesn’t know actually. HIs family unit sucked, growing up. But for Chris and Jane, he thinks this is good. 

The only real concern on his mind is himself. 

What if they changed their mind? What if the best thing for them is to remove Buck from the picture? 

He’ll understand, is the thing. He will. When he and Eddie got together, despite what they both assured him, Buck knew this was a possibility. One he had to take seriously. A risk he had to weigh. They might break his heart.  

So, yeah. Buck is nervous. He’s apprehensive.

[celli-ohs]

yeowza!

part three of accidentally in love! series gamer!beomgyu x streamer!reader; college!au, fake relationship fluff, comedy, angst, smut

ATTENTION: reply/comment for tag list

2. yall hear sumn? (written portion 500)

Beomgyu sighed as he leaned back into his chair, spinning around idly as he tried to figure out how to waste time until dinner. He slows to a stop, eyes landing on his backpack lying on the floor of his bed, inside trapped was an economics assignment begging to be turned in. With a frown he spins back to his pc screen, he’d rather procrastinate a little longer. He decides to play a solo round on League and is about to log in when his phone pings.

Without hesitation, Beomgyu exits out of League and logs into Twitch, immediately hopping onto your stream. It takes a couple of seconds to load, but your sweet voice soon fills his room. “-lix got mad that I was better than him! Can you believe that?” You laugh into the microphone. Beomgyu feels his heart beat fast as you continue to chuckle. Today, like always, you’ve dressed cutely: a baby blue long-sleeve with a square neckline decorated with lace and a tiny bow. Humorously you’ve paired it with gray sweatpants, though you obviously don’t care. Your hair is down today, your headset sitting atop your head as you sweep a strand out of your face. 

It was a secret, but Beomgyu found you incredibly cute. You were soft, delicate, and pretty, yet you had moments of crassness and dirty humor that took him by surprise. He never thought he would be a fan, much less enjoy your content, but there was something about you that drew him in. Maybe it was your upbeat personality, or your passion for gaming, whatever the reason, you were good enough for Beomgyu to smile every day. “Why did I start the stream early?” You repeat a question asked by a chatter as you lean back into your chair. “It’s actually because I'm not going to stream tomorrow night. Yeah, I know, sorry guys.” You feign a frown. “But I’m gonna get dinner and hang out with Yuna and Yeji,” You explain. 

“And I think we’re stopping by a friend’s after to drop some things off. Don’t know. Just thought since I’m not streaming tomorrow, we could all be together for longer today!” You shrug with a smile. As you change the subject to whatever game you plan on playing today, Beomgyu silently watches through his screen, a faint smile plastered on his face. He could listen to you talk all day. If his friends thought he liked Park Boyoung, then he had to be in love with you. He knew these parasocial relationships were absolutely horrible for his mental health, but in all honesty, as long as it was you, he’d let you ruin his life. He pauses his thoughts as you cry in shock as your character dies on screen. You were beautiful even when you were upset. Beomgyu smirks, sighing as he watches you. If anyone caught him right now, they’d think he was insane.

Bonus:

oh have the tables turned! look who's in a parasocial relationship now! (it's still moa irl sorry)

it's always bullying yeonjun hours when you're beomgyu

making heeseung a loser is my favorite past time I don't even see real heeseung as anything but

something about angsty emo beomgyu acting like a tough guy when we know he's just a lil goober warms my heart lmao

next chapter is going to be written so get ur reading glasses!

previous | next

yeowza! masterlist

taglist (open): @ancnymcnzjy @hybeboyenthusisast @wonnyy1 @justandloyal2961 @sseishiross

[sheigarche]

girl shut up

I'm going to assume this is about Life is Strange because that's what I've been talking about the most in the last 2 months and I don't think any of my other fandoms would be bother by my posts.

So here are some hot take ideas for LIS posts I've never made because I thought it might upset some fans, but maybe I shouldn't be so quiet about it after all.

Pricefield vs DE

It seems like everything in Double Exposure was deliberately written to justify Chloe breaking up with Max.

Chloe showed that she was paranoid that Max may be using her powers to manipulate the relationship to make it work and that's exactly what Max did to Amanda and got call out for it in the end.

She also expressed how Max is unable to let go of the past and is haunt by it. So most of the game we see Max (and the player) holding on to it and struggling to move on until the very end. Some fans still can't do it and doesn't want Max to do it, but that's exactly why Chloe left.

Many people didn't realize it, but Max was struggling to establish herself as a real photographer in the years she was with Chloe, but quick became famous and recognized in the years after they broke up.

To me that's the game trying to sell the idea that they are better off without each other.

Chaseprice

Victoria and Chloe's posts in DE don't show anything explicitly romantic, it could just be friendship, but the intention to make it look like something more is pretty clear to me.

The writers chose sentences like "can you handle it, Chase?" and "I'll buy you a beer" on purpose and know exactly what the players will think of it.

Besides Victoria shows a desire in going from wherever she lives to see Chloe, and then Chloe makes plans to do a little detour to go see Victoria. Whatever this relationship is, they're making it work long distance with effort on both sides. Mutual interest.

I wouldn't be surprised if in the sequel we see one post or two subtly hinting that they're actually together. A picture on Crosstalk, maybe a comment from someone else on their posts.

Hell, I can even imagine an art gallery event of some sort where Max is invited and can bring her chosen love interest and Victoria is there with Chloe as her date... And that's how the devs manage to have a natural last conversation between Max and Chloe in person to give closure to their relationship.

And I kind of expect Victoria to come to them at some point, a little jealous or just proud of her girlfriend.

Langfield

Some people keep saying that Max wouldn't be interested in Vinh... But that's wrong.

The reality is that it was the first game's choices and Max's journey is what makes them fit together so well.

Yes, okay, maybe 18-year-old Max wouldn't like this emotionally dry 28-year-old Vinh. Maybe 18-year-old Max would have liked way more to know the enthusiastic drama student 18-year-old Vinh, who dreamed of being an actor.

Now this 28-year-old Max, full of traumas and complexes knows enough about life to see through 28-year-old Vinh's walls and realize that he is not dry, but afloat and barely keeping himself together. That's why she can really connect with him, as a friend or more.

It was the traumas and secrets that made her interesting to Vinh, just like his traumas and regrets are what make Max interested in him.

They fit together because they share some similar emotional experiences and they know how the other might be feeling in certain situations. And when they are together, they can laugh about it, have fun and be themselves, even if just for a moment.

Amberprice

Honestly I left this fandom years ago without shipping Pricefield or Amberprice, because of some reservations about Chloe's character. But now I'm back because of DE and I decided to finish Before the Storm... I can't get Rachel out of my head!

Seriously, what's this magic in their scenes and why can't I stop watching them on loop?

I always thought I had a crush on Max, but I actually have a crush on Rachel Amber of all characters. Maybe I am Chloe Price all along 😂

You know a ship is good when it changes your perception of the characters.

[mewos-laptop]

Day 1878267362 of trying not to fall in love w/ fictional characters and get rlly sad and mopey over them not being real and miss them as if they were actually real and you were actually dating

Still failing.

[lala-blahblah]

I will never make this because it would be for an audience of one (me) but ever since reading "If we Were Villains" (story about serious drama kids in college who perform shakespeare and deal with a murder) I have been entertaining the thought of a crack fic crossover with High School Musical The Musical The Series where the staff decides they will no longer put on shakespeare after the tragic accident that happened at Thanksgiving, because Shakespeare plays would only increase the tension and drama. So they hire Ms. Jen who decides their spring play will actually be High School Musical (which exists in the 90s in this universe) and it ruins the vibe so much that everyone gives up on being dark and mysterious because they're universally pissed at Ms Jen for making them learn choreoraphed basketball dancing.

[tanadrin]

went back and listened to the episodes on david bokovoy's personal experience with religion, and man, it's funny just how different the stuff that people twig on in their experience of faith is--for bokovoy, even as a scholar of biblical criticism, it really isn't the truth claims of the LDS church that were ever a problem for him. like his academic career definitely primed him to move from a more orthodox, small-c conservative theology to a more expansive one (and he remains a pretty spiritual guy in general from the sound of it), but the thing that really started to fuck him up was the church's insistence on beating the anti-gay-marriage drum, starting with proposition 8, and culminating in the 2015 declaration about the children of gay parents not being welcome in the church unless they denounced them.

and it's a little infuriating to listen to him talk about how he feels about the LDS church after all of that--this whole "the leadership are good people deep down, i just disagree with them on this." like, come on, dude. i get that you're a straight guy whose experiences with mormonism have been generally very positive, but you are also self-aware enough to talk with compassion about LGBT people, about the experience of having a gay daughter, about the way in which people raised in Mormonism who are gay or even just a little bit nonconformist in some aspect of their life can have a really brutal time of it, and yet you cling to this idea of the organization as having some noble core, some inherently good quality that is only failing in its ultimate expression. he even talks about the experience of watching a movie that dramatizes the way different faith leaders came together during the civil rights movement, and having a moment of acute discomfort remembering that at the same time the leadership of the LDS church was still racist as hell in its teachings and policy

like, you should not be afraid to admit that the LDS church fucking sucks! it's always fucking sucked! most organized religion fucking sucks, and the organized religion that doesn't fucking suck has mostly gotten there by virtue of progressives splintering off and forming organizations that retain only a general flavor of the awful bullshit they grew up with and none of the core dogmas. i don't know of a human organization from the beginning of time that rigidly patrols boundaries of identity politics and creates structures of authority based on spirituality that didn't rapidly collapse into tyranny, a grift, or both, except the ones that were already that from the beginning.

and this, i suppose, is my disappointment with even the very open-minded progressives that John Dehlin interviews, which is that they want to redeem an organization that i think is fundamentally unredeemable. no particular shade to mormonism here--I think the Catholic church is also fundamentally unredeemable. hell, if i knew more about tibetan buddhism, i'd probably think that whole hierarchy was fundamentally unredeemable as well. the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints cannot become progressive on LGBT issues and honestly pursue truth and cease to misrepresent its history and spend its money on helping the poor and needy instead of conservative political campaigns and exploiting eighteen year olds to do morally questionable missionary work in third world countries without ceasing to be the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and its leadership knows this. for the exact same reason the Roman Catholic church can't go "lol you know what, our bad, this Pope guy isn't all that he's cracked up to be" and remain the Roman Catholic church.

i mean ultimately bokovoy doesn't go to church anymore; he says that the 2015 declaration was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back, and even if it was revoked tomorrow, it's not like he'd start going back. i assume he's not tithing anymore either. and he seems like a generally very gentle soul who wants to see the best in people, and i don't want to get on his case too much about that, because i admire that. but man, i think it's kind of disappointing to watch someone as apparently smart and compassionate as he is work himself into knots to excuse the behavior of the leadership of an organization like that when the simplest explanation is just that these people are assholes on a fundamental level and always have been.

[genshin-projection]

i don't think i can be normal about Sunday guys

[cobra-creampuff]

why are they laughing at him as he gets straight up killed??? he doesn't deserve this! he's a sweet kid at heart! he literally just needs one (1) real friend!!

[weezerlvr228]

do u want me 2 kill that guy @ ur bfs party 4 u. guy sounds like literally the worst an I will have no issues doing it 4 u

thank you anon. i would love nothing more 💗

[badolmen]

So funny how trauma will just kick you in the fucking teeth with the most random triggers.

[zayadriancas]

[thethingything]

a fun fact about us is that sometimes we will be having a bad time and our brain, in all its wisdom, will go "I know just what you need to help you cope with this: a guy who is having a worse time" and then it'll just make one and we have to figure out how to help the new guy with his wild source trauma which is probably meant to happen instead of dealing with the real life stuff that's going on but instead just kind of piles on top of it

[starssystem]

Ugh hate fucking passive-aggressive homophobia/transphobia that's designed to make you feel ugly and dirty and monstrous. I hate old christian white women who perpetuated that shit. I just wanted to go shopping. I'm sorry you think I'm a big dirty queer faggot who's gonna steal and fuck in the changing rooms. I'm sorry you live a life where you can't fucking see a queer couple without making assumptions about who they are and how they live. How miserable for you. Don't make it my fucking problem. More in the tags bc this was obv upsetting lmao