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nobodyfamousposts · 1 year ago

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Chloe’s Lament: Ripping Apart

Chloe’s attempts to improve her situation…didn’t work out, to say the least.

Mostly because in her mind, improving things for herself had to involve tearing down others to build up herself by comparison. Something she was easily able to do in the previous world when she was the ‘Princess of Paris’ with the power of her father and her social status to push her demands.

Here…she didn’t have that. At all. Which to Chloe’s ever-growing frustration, made her efforts entirely uphill battles.

She didn’t even have the Ladybug Miraculous to either set things right or to use to her advantage. She didn’t know who the new Ladybug or sidekick were, either. And unfortunately for her, her disregard for people unless she needed something immediately meant that she hadn’t paid attention to the old man Hawk Moth was attacking and thus didn’t know where to start looking for the Guardian or the Miracle Box to at least get the Bee again. Even worse, she hadn’t thought to bother with Hawk Moth or his sidekick once they had been stung, meaning she was just as clueless as everyone else was on the villain’s identity, so she couldn’t try to target him for his Miraculous either!

What she did have, however, was future knowledge of events—or at least what she bothered to notice outside of her own activities in the previous timeline. And one in particular stood out the most:

The hat contest.

Dupain-Cheng was still very much a fashion enthusiast despite the changes in this reality. That meant if nothing else, she would still take part in the contest once it came around.

And Chloe knew it would. She even checked to make sure! Even if Adrien despised her, she was still his ‘friend’ as far as Gabriel was concerned. Thus, she was still allowed to visit the Agreste Mansion. Sure, she had to make an appointment and didn’t have as much freedom to go about as she pleased, but she was able to slip away and confirm Gabriel’s intention to hold the contest.

So that meant she already knew what was coming! And with her foreknowledge, she was sure to win!

The plan was simple: recreate the famous feather derby hat for the contest before Marinette could.

Without the signature this time.

This way, when the would-be designer tried to reveal Chloe as the thief, Chloe would have the upper hand. With no signature to prove Marinette’s claim and more than enough time to build proof that she had created the design first, Chloe would succeed in gaining fame and simultaneously crush Marinette’s dreams of being a professional designer. She would be branded as a cheater and blacklisted from any further design competitions. Gabriel would certainly never trust her again. And Adrien—poor Adrien would obviously need Chloe’s shoulder to cry on once he learned that Miss Perfect Marinette was only using him!

But as it turned out, there were three problems with this plan that Chloe had not accounted for…

Originally, Chloe was able to send Marinette’s hat design sketch to a professional hat maker to bring to life within the deadline.

This time, Chloe had neither the influence nor the funds to get any decent professional to make her design. Her attempts to use her mother’s channels didn’t work either when she couldn’t replicate the original design for them to use as a base.

“They’re feathers! What’s so complicated about it?!”

She also didn’t have the original sketch this go around.

And her less than eloquent efforts to explain the appearance, make, or materials of the desired hat to the interns only got everyone involved both frustrated enough to set off an argument that quickly got her mother’s attention.

Audrey Bourgeois was still very much the famed Style Queen and had no patience for Chloe or her tantrums. And without Andre’s position as Mayor or hotel owner to at least make him a business associate that could exert influence, it wasn’t like Chloe was in a position to make demands. And with only so much time to Paris Fashion Week and not to mention the other shows in the meantime, Audrey didn’t have the people or the patience to spare.

Audrey promptly told her to leave the workers alone unless she had something revolutionary. And despite her insistence to the contrary, a half-formed idea of a hat made with feathers of all things did not count.

As such, there was no one Chloe could get to make the hat for her.

This meant that if she wanted to create this hat and crush Marinette, she would have to make it herself.

Which led to the second problem with Chloe’s plan: for all that she prided herself in knowing and wearing fashion, she had no idea how to actually make it.

Sure, Chloe had a head start on the contest, but that was a very limited advantage for someone with little to no experience in sewing and an unwillingness to learn. Instead of taking the time to plot out a process, figure appropriate fabric, and learn the steps to make a hat, Chloe decided to jump into trying to just make the hat from her memory.

It couldn’t be that hard, right?

As such, by the time the competition actually started, what Chloe had was not so much a hat as…

“What is that? A gaudy balloon?”

“It looks like someone tarred and feathered a plastic bag.”

“I thought it was a deflated football?”

Yeah…that.

It was a sad-looking thing that could hardly be called a hat. Sunken and lumpy with a few feathers sticking out in odd directions. Chloe’s attempts to make her hat by hand resulted in a complete mess, and she had only a number of burns from the hot glue gun and bandages over her fingers from pricking herself to show for it.

“It’s…definitely unique.” Bustier said, clearly trying to be supportive.

Okay. Fine. So her hat was a failure. But she had wasted no effort in building proof that it at least was solely her creation. She could at least still get Marinette on theft of the idea. Maybe she could even claim sabotage if she spins it well enough!

And maybe she could have, except that there was still the final problem with her plan…

She had been assuming all this time that Marinette would be entering the contest with the same hat as before. That she would experience the same lack of inspiration and go to the same place and thus gain the same idea to enter into the contest.

All of which were very vital steps that Marinette would have to go through to reach the desired outcome Chloe had intended to achieve. All were steps that Chloe could not ensure Marinette would follow.

…all were steps which would be completely pointless when Marinette didn’t even compete.

“Wait—what is she doing in the stands?!” Chloe demanded, pointing to Marinette in outrage.

Marinette, for her part, had been sitting in the stands with a notebook in hand and surveying the various entries. She had been taking notes or drawing or who knew what until she looked up in confusion at the yelling.

“Chill out, Chloe. It’s an open contest.” Nino said, frowning at her.

“Yeah. People are allowed to watch.” Alix added.

“No!” Chloe shook her head furiously. She spun on Marinette. “I mean why are you THERE instead of HERE? It’s a hat competition! Aren’t you supposed to be competing?! Where is your entry?!” She demanded.

Marinette blinked in surprise.

“Well, I’m not competing. I’m just here to cheer the others on. And maybe observe. The officials said it was okay.”

And just like that, all of Chloe’s less than carefully laid plans were thrown out the window.

“What do you MEAN you’re not competing?!”

Because Marinette HAD to be competing! That was the entire point of Chloe even wasting her time with this stupid contest!

Marinette shook her head. “I’m friends with Adrien, and he’s the son of the man holding the contest. And the one who will be modeling the hat. While I don’t doubt Mr. Agreste would be impartial, there are rules against this sort of thing for a reason. It would reflect poorly on his integrity. And I don’t want people to question anything I create because of any potential bias.”

But…

That…

That was—!

“Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!”

What was even the point of having connections if you didn’t use them? What kind of socialite was Dupain-Cheng supposed to be, anyway?! It was like she didn’t even know anything!

Marinette was an idiot! She had this amazing position and the world at her fingertips and she couldn’t even use it right!

Chloe stormed out of the auditorium, ignoring the voices and attempts to call her back.

It was…

That was so…

It wasn’t fair!

Marinette was just being lazy! Not using her position or appreciating what it gives her! Not doing anything to prove herself to anyone and show just why she deserved her role! And yet everyone just loved her anyway!

And that…that was the worst part!

Previously, Chloe had to fight tooth and nail just to get people to so much as acknowledge her greatness. She had stayed on top of trends, learned how to navigate the world of the elite, and dealt with anyone and everyone to show why she was not one to cross. She showed why being the “Mayor’s Daughter” was such a pivotal role and why she most deserved it. She had learned to take advantage of any mistake to use to her own ends and end up on top. From Daughter of the Mayor to Queen Bee to Miracle Queen, Chloe had earned her kingdom.

And yet Marinette Dupain-Cheng…she wasn’t doing any of that! She was rich and didn’t use it. She had the power of the Mayor’s Daughter and she didn’t defend it.

She…she was doing nothing and people loved her.

It wasn’t fair!

It wasn’t FAIR!

It wasn’t fair it wasn’t fair it wasn’t fair it wasn’t fair

IT WASN’T—

“Chloe?”

Chloe jerked up at the voice and immediately wiped her eyes.

Bad enough her plan had been such a failure, she didn’t need people knowing she was crying over it, too. She had nothing left in this world but her dignity. She couldn’t be seen as weak to anyone.

Even if it was Bustier.

“Chloe, I’m sorry. Were you upset?” The teacher asked as she approached cautiously.

“No.” She denied immediately. Because she wasn’t upset! That would suggest her plans had gone completely wrong. And they hadn’t! Because she hadn’t lost yet! She could still find some way to turn things around!

“Chloe, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Chloe refused to look at her.

It wasn’t like Bustier could understand. It was more than just the hat. It was more than a single contest. How could she even begin to explain it all? Everything she’d had? Everything she’d lost?

Bustier—in true ignorance, smiled kindly and rested a hand on Chloe’s shoulder.

“Your hat was your first attempt, wasn’t it? It clearly had a lot of effort put into it.” She said, soothingly. “I think I could see what you were trying to do with the design. You must have felt rushed with the limited time to work with.”

The words didn’t help. They did the exact opposite of help. Because Chloe had known the contest was coming. She’d had more time than anyone to put her entry together. And she still failed.

“With a bit more practice, it would have been a very beautiful hat. I’m sure it would have won.”

It would have won. In another world, it did win. She hadn’t expected it to be so hard to put a hat together. Why was it so hard?

“Oh! Here’s an idea!”

Chloe blinked as Bustier clapped her hands together, smiling brightly at the sudden thought.

“If you’re interested in fashion, maybe we can ask Marinette can help you?”

And.

Chloe.

Froze.

“It’s hard when you’re first starting out and trying something new—”

It was like she was underwater. Bustier’s words washed over her, but she could barely hear them. Just sound. Just noise. Somewhere above her but its meaning unable to reach her.

“—maybe with a bit of guidance, you can make your hat even better—”

It was like she was falling. No ground beneath her—no stability. Free falling, but fully aware of her own weight dragging her ever downward, not knowing just how far the hole went…

Chloe gripped her creation harshly. Her ugly, pathetic imitation of a masterpiece that even her mother had praised.

“—Marinette loves fashion and knows a lot—”

Marinette must have cheated. There was no way she could do something like that in a few hours without help!

Neither of them noticed as the seams began to unravel and tear in the force of Chloe’s hold.

“—perhaps what you need is a mentor?”

Stretch.

“—volunteer to tutor you—”

Pull.

“—very talented—”

Unraveling.

“—a lot of love to give—”

Unraveling apart.

“—always willing to lend a hand—”

Just like her world.

“—I’m sure she’d be happy to help you improve—”

Just like her life.

“—don’t we try to ask her? I can even go with you and—”

Until it all ripped apart—

“SHUT UP!”

Bustier jerked back in shock at the outburst. She was actually acting as though Chloe had hit her or something—which was ridiculous! Because Chloe was the one in pain right now and nobody would see or try to help her!

“I’m sick of hearing about Dupain-Cheng and how special she is! I don’t need her help! I don’t need anything from her!”

Her teacher frowned, looking confused. Like she didn’t understand. Because she couldn’t see it.

No one could see it!

“Chloe, what are you—”

“She’s a thief!” Chloe yelled. “She knows what she’s doing! I’ll bet she planned this! She must have!”

“What are you talking about?”

She stomped her foot in rage. “This isn’t hers! None of this is hers! She only has it this good because she stole it from me first!”

“Chloe, you’re not making any sense!”

“I didn’t Wish big enough the first time! Why did I even bother with taking everything from her? I should have just Wished for her to disappear!”

“Chloe!”

But she just stormed away.

Out of the hall. Out of the building. Out of the school altogether.

But no amount of walking would take her out of this life she’d Wished herself in to.

All she left behind were the torn remains of an amateurish hat and fragments of her idealized hopes that were just as broken as her plan for revenge.

The only witnesses were her own teacher.

…and a classmate who had seen the whole thing.

#ml fic #chloe's lament #lament series #chloe salt #caline bustier #marinette dupain cheng

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megan0013 · 1 year ago

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12 + 26 for gabenath? also ur literally like one of my favorite writers for them likeeeee

THANK YOU!

12. pushing a strand of hair behind their ear + 26. kissing the top of their head

He’s staring at a window, utterly transfixed, when she comes across him in her burrow.

“Ah,” Bunnyx says, smiling softly as the scene Monarch is watching comes into view. “I thought you might be drawn to that one. It’s one of my favorites, too.”

Monarch’s chin tilts in her direction, but his gaze never leaves the vision of Betterfly striding through the atelier to greet a seemingly healthy, happy Nathalie. “Why?”

There’s a baby in her arms.

“It gives me hope.”

“It shouldn’t,” Monarch says, voice thick with an emotion he’s trying very hard not to think about as he watches Betterfly tuck an errant strand of hair that had fallen out of Nathalie’s ponytail behind her ear. “That’s not me. That’s not my Nathalie.”

The baby squirms, effectively capturing her parent’s attention.

Bunnyx frowns. “How do you know they’re not?”

Betterfly coos something at the baby and sweeps his thumb along her perfect little cheek. Her bright, steely blue eyes widen.

“They can’t be.”

“Maybe,” Bunnyx suggests with a nod to the window, “you should take a closer look.”

And despite his reluctance to do anything suggested by one of the heroes, Monarch does. He takes a small step forward, gaze darting from one little detail he hadn’t originally noticed to the next - a familiar set of crutches in the corner of the room, the charcoal portrait of a sleeping Nathalie he’d sketched sitting framed on his desk. But it’s the differences he sees in Betterfly’s costume that truly give him pause.

It’s sharper than he remembers it being, the cut and color more reminiscent of Hawk Moth’s darker style than what he associates with Betterfly. The mask and hair are different, too. Silver, like his cowl had been, and slicked back.

“This is a very real future for you, Gabriel Agreste.”

Monarch sucks in a deep breath as the hero in the window leans down to place a gentle kiss on the baby’s forehead.

“You will play a pivotal role in the war to come,” Bunnyx continues softly. “You just need to make the right choice.”

prompt list

#writer games #meg answers #gabenath #i haven't watched more than an episode or two of season 5 #and didn't see the movie #so i'm sorry if this makes zero sense

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greypetrel · 1 year ago

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WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @melisusthewee, thank you so much! :3

I like Looking hot Ending wars they cannot 🎶 (It's @ndostairlyrium's fault -also hi Ali you're tagged) (it's a cit, if you know the musical let me kiss you on the forehead)

Going on with DadWolf. I like flashbacks, sue me.

Aisling getting kidnapped by all kinds of Hawkes, this time it's Raina. I tried to colour an old sketch. Still not convinced, but they're having fun.

Art nouveau thing that's kind of a secret for now.

Some writing from Monster Fic under the cut, I'm slowly progressing with all the fics.

Tagging: Ali as above, @shivunin @rowanisawriter @zenstrike @salsedinepicta (if you have something!) @scribbledquillz @layalu @daggerbean @rosella-writes (of course ignore the tag if you mind it!)

Dear Aisling, I’m sorry about the Herald. I think no one understood, here, how much it really upset you. I had no idea it was so bad, for once. I will stop it, forgive me if I didn’t really listen. I’m not upset because you’re down there and just working through mails and reports. I am not, really, nor is Leliana, nor is Cullen (even if he’s grumpier than usual). The workload is higher without your physical presence, yes… But I get that the Temple is important. And we did ask a lot of you. I’m not telling you you’re stupid, you’re not. But it would be a little difficult to replace you, particularly because Corypheus is looking for you… I don’t know what to say, Aisling. It’s… It’s late to step back, I think. Just that. I am sorry. I understand the need to throw everything in the gutter, but it is really not a good moment. But you’re not Yvette and I know you don’t need me scolding you. Forgive me. How are you, for real? Beside the dress -it would be nice to know, but please don’t take it as it’s my main goal in writing you! Life here it’s chaotic, but nice. I’m still not really used to the forest and its rhythm, and I do hate how many insects there are. I saw a moth the other day which was… The colour was pretty, but it was the hugest moth I’ve seen. I don’t wish to see another one ever again. But! It’s nice to fall asleep cradled by the sounds of the crickets and the parrots. It reminds me of when I was a child, in our family’s country house. My room had the lightest white curtains who would float in the wind, and I thought they looked like clouds. I miss those times. And swimming in the sea. Have you ever swam in the sea? I don’t remember if I ever asked you. Maybe when this is all over we could all go by the sea and relax. That’s a cute drawing! Is it a pheasant? A hug back, Josephine

(in the intention of the original artist, it was one of the parrots in the Arbor Wilds)

#wip wednesday #dragon age #dragon age advisors #cullen rutherford #leliana #josephine montilyet #dadwolf AU #aisling lavellan #sketch #doodle #writing petrel

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aidanchaser · 4 months ago

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Boulangérella: A Miraculous Fairy Tale AU - Chapter Thirty-Nine

Table of Contents Read on Ao3 Prologue

Adrien awoke to bright winter sunlight filtering through the gauzy curtains of his bedroom window. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, a movement which took a surprising amount of effort.

The golden canopy over his bed was just as he remembered it, its fine threads glinting in the late morning light. His bed was cool, and a bit damp, as if he’d been sweating. Though he had no personal experience of what it was to have a fever, he could only guess that was what had happened. He wondered, vaguely, if it was at all possible that the last night of the ball had just been a terrible, feverish nightmare. Perhaps he was late to breakfast with Princess Kagami or late for a fitting with…

He pushed himself up into a sitting position and groaned, wondering why his arms protested such simple movement. He never knew that being sick meant his body could become so weak.

“Ah, are you finally awake?”

Adrien turned to see Félix sitting in a chair that had been pulled up beside his bed. He was dressed in his usual black mourning attire, and the bruise on his cheek, while no longer swollen, was still dark purple with yellow edges. He had a sketchbook and a pencil in hand, but he stopped scribbling as he looked at Adrien.

“Why do you say ‘finally’?” Adrien asked, trying to gauge just how long his cousin might have been sitting by his bedside. He couldn’t fathom Félix sitting there all night. Perhaps he’d just arrived that morning and was being dramatic.

“You’ve been ill for a week,” Félix replied.

Adrien merely stared at him, waiting for Félix to offer the truth. When it didn’t come, he said, “Sure. And you’ve just sat there the entire time?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Chloé, my mother, and I have been trading shifts at your bedside. I try to avoid the midnight shift. You get a bit ridiculous around then, moaning and crying for Ladybug.”

Heat burned in Adrien’s cheeks. “I do not,” he said, but he had a sinking feeling his cousin was, for once, being honest.

“You do. It’s pathetic.” Félix set his sketchpad and pencils aside, and Adrien caught a glimpse of the sketch—Félix had been drawing him. The shading and detail suggested that Félix really had been working on it for at least a few days.

Félix winced as he stretched to reach Adrien’s bedside dresser. His hand went to his stomach and he readjusted himself in his chair.

“And are you all right?” Adrien asked.

“Stabbed,” Félix said, as evenly as he might have explained the current weather to Adrien. “I think it’s the one injury we don’t have in common.” His smile was wry and bitter as he rested his elbow on the armrest and his head in his hand, nonchalantly displaying the purple marks around his wrist.

Adrien glanced down at his own hands. There, on his left wrist, was a matching set of violet splotches, but it was not quite identical to Félix’s. His marks were thicker, and spread a little further along his wrist, whereas Félix’s were smaller and more concentrated. The size of his father’s grip against Lila’s, Adrien thought, and his stomach turned uneasily.

On that same hand he still wore two rings: the plain silver band that he knew would turn black if he called on Plagg’s magic—distantly he wondered where Plagg had gone—and another silver ring, embossed with twisting vines. He glanced at Félix’s left hand and saw the ring’s twin mirrored on Félix’s index finger.

Adrien struggled, with a good deal of difficulty, to recall what had happened. It felt like looking back at a dream that was already fading. He remembered dancing with Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng as Chat Noir, freeing Chloé from Hawk Moth’s curse, and the emeralds in his ring finally turning dark front of his father.

He groaned again and fell back into his pillows. “Does the entire kingdom know that I was Chat Noir?”

“You are Chat Noir,” Félix corrected. “But no. A few guards we have paid for their silence might have spread some rumors, but there has been nothing officially claimed or declared. And no one is calling for your head, at least.”

Adrien bit down on his tongue. “Not even my father?”

Félix hesitated. “How much do you remember?”

“He took me to see my mother.”

“And then?”

“I don’t… I don’t remember.”

“Don’t remember or don’t want to remember?”

Adrien closed his eyes. He did try to remember, but his stomach churned at the notion of it. He managed to recall his father turning into Hawk Moth, and the sheer terror that had risen up in him. Adrien didn’t want to try to remember anymore.

“Can’t you just tell me?”

“I wasn’t there.”

“Where were you?”

“With Lila.”

“Where’s she?”

“Dead.”

Adrien opened his eyes and looked at his cousin. There was no anger, nor remorse, nor even satisfaction. Félix looked no more pleased or dissatisfied with Lila’s death than he did about the knife wound in his stomach.

“Is Lila how you got stabbed?”

Félix twisted the ring around his finger. “In a manner of speaking. Not that all that differently, I am told, than how Hawk Moth tried to kill you.”

Adrien shook his head. “No, he didn’t…” He remembered Hawk Moth’s voice—his father’s voice—in his head, but Hawk Moth didn’t kill the people he cursed. Ladybug always saved them. Hadn’t she saved him?

“You really don’t remember anything?”

And the gentle, wary tone in Félix’s voice, gave Adrien pause. It occurred to him that maybe there were parts of the story that would be painful for Félix to relive, too. That maybe he wasn’t withholding information to be mean, but because he didn’t want to share any more than he had to.

Adrien fidgeted with his ring and tried harder to recall his conversation with his father. “He told me why my mother fell asleep. And he… he changed into Hawk Moth. After that, I…” After that, he had given up all hope of his mother waking just to be able to use Plagg’s power to defend himself against his own father. He couldn’t quite bring those words to his lips.

“I just remember everything falling apart, I think.”

“Quite literally. You collapsed the tower and the throne room with Hawk Moth’s curse.”

“And you…” Adrien scrambled for any scrap of memory from before his father became Hawk Moth, “you and I both—My mother made a deal with the fay so that we could exist.” Félix rarely showed any emotion, but Adrien thought that truth might elicit something. When it did not, he asked, “Did you already know that?”

“My mother told me, the first night the ball began.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“I was not able to. I did try, but…” Félix let out a long, slow breath and sank back into his chair. He rubbed his hand over his face, unsure where to begin. He had hoped that Gabriel had taken care of this part for him, told Adrien all about the rings and their purpose, and that Adrien, in his feverish week, might have already come to terms with it. Félix was not prone to optimism, but he had hoped that at least this would have worked out in his favor.

Since it had not, he explained, as delicately and carefully as he could, how the rings not only kept them alive, but could be used to control them. He shared, with as little detail as was necessary but just enough to keep the story complete, how Gabriel had used the ring against Félix and how Lila had done the same.

Adrien listened, both enraptured and disgusted, to every word Félix shared with him.

When Félix reached the part of his story where Lila asked him to sacrifice himself for her gain, he hesitated, long enough that Adrien felt the need to fill the silence.

“Félix—I am so sorry.”

Félix rolled his eyes. “I murdered her Adrien. I’m not the one you ought to be sorry for.”

“I’m not sorry for her! She tried to kill you.”

The grim smile returned. “And Hawk Moth putting his curse into your ring, the ring that keeps you alive, a curse that can only be broken if the cursed object is broken—you wouldn’t call that trying to kill you?”

Adrien hesitated, suddenly aware of the logical trap Félix had led him to. “He didn’t…”

“He did. Mother saw the curse leave the ring when Ladybug… when she rescued you. It seems his plan was to force Ladybug to give up her earrings or give up her partner.”

“But he only did it because he knew Ladybug wouldn’t hurt me.”

“He risked your life, Adrien, on a gamble. I’m not asking you to hate him—I can hate him enough for us both—but I won’t let you lie to yourself about what he did.”

Adrien tightened his hands in his bedding until both of his rings disappeared beneath the heavy silk. He didn’t know how to reconcile Hawk Moth with his father. Yes, his father was cold and stern, but his father wasn’t a villain—at least, not in the way Félix was describing.

The ring itself was easier to accept. He didn’t like the idea of his life being tied to a ring, and he certainly didn’t like the power it could give others over him, but he could understand and accept magic far better than he could understand and accept that his father had nearly killed him. The rings themselves were not the part that hurt the most. And while the knowledge that his mother had shortened her life rubbed his grief raw in a new way, Adrien could not dismiss the value of his own life without dismissing the value of his cousin’s. The part that hurt the most was the unimaginable request his father had made of him: sacrifice Félix to have his mother back—Adrien couldn’t understand why his father would have asked him to make that choice, especially not when Adrien’s mother had already made her choice. That wasn’t the man Adrien thought of when he thought of his father.

Adrien decided he did not want to argue with Félix about his father’s villainy, nor truly wrestle with the question himself. Instead, he asked, “How did you get away from Lila?”

Félix did not answer right away. Adrien could not be sure if it was because Félix did not want to answer at all or if he simply did not want Adrien to change the subject.

“I made a deal,” Félix finally said, “with the same fay that your mother made a deal with.”

“Félix—you can’t—how much time did it take from you?”

“None. Duusu drives a harsh bargain, but he’ll never take more than someone is willing to give. The first deal I made with him only cost me some hard truths that I would have to live with for the rest of my life.”

“Your first deal?”

“When I stole Duusu from your father. I asked him to tell me what had happened to my father. You won’t like that story any better.”

Adrien scrubbed his hands over his face. “Well, then, get it over with.”

Félix raised an eyebrow, uncertain that this was the time to add to Gabriel’s sins, but it was not as if Adrien would ever be in a better state for this. Félix didn’t have much of any good news to share with Adrien. So he chose to be as direct and clear as possible.

“Your father originally planned, on the night your mother fell asleep, to use me as the sacrifice to trade for the power of creation. When he tried to steal my father’s ring to make me into a willing sacrifice, however, my father offered to go in my place. Unfortunately for Gabriel, instead of gaining the power of creation, he gained the power of transmission, and decided to become Hawk Moth to lure out the Fays of Creation and Destruction instead.”

Adrien thought he was going to be sick, or he would be if he wasn’t so hungry. He wondered if he had eaten at all in his feverish state.

What was he supposed to do with this information? And how could Adrien blame his father, who had been so desperate in his grief that he was willing to tear apart his family, when Adrien had, according to Félix, torn down half of the castle in his own grief?

He pulled the miraculous gift of destruction from his finger and set it on his bedside table, but he still felt queasy.

Félix raised an eyebrow. “You know, your fay told me that you won’t be able to give that up anymore.”

Adrien frowned. “You talked to Plagg?”

As if on cue, a black cat leapt into Adrien’s bedroom through the window and padded across the rugs to the bed. He jumped up and immediately sank his teeth into the place where Adrien’s toes were.

Adrien swore and yanked his feet back. He grabbed Plagg around the middle and pulled him closer, wincing as he caught the strong scent of bad cheese on Plagg’s breath.

“You’ve been helping yourself, then?” Adrien sighed.

Plagg shifted back into his traditional form and flitted out of Adrien’s reach. “Food’s not part of our bargain anymore, so I’ll just have to feed myself.”

“He wouldn’t tell me what you traded,” Félix said, “but he and Duusu have been catching each other up on the last five hundred years or so, and Dusuu has been quite pleased to know that they’ll be together for… however long you and I live, I suppose.”

“I’d prefer Trixx,” Plagg complained. “Trixx is fun. Duusu is…”

“Chatty?” Félix offered.

Plagg grunted in agreement, then, as if declaring his disinterest in the conversation as a whole, turned back into a cat and settled on Adrien’s lap.

“Where is your fay?” Adrien asked.

“He’s in my rooms. I didn’t know that his chatter would be helpful for your recovery.”

Adrien stroked the space between Plagg’s ears absentmindedly. He still didn’t quite believe that he had been asleep for a week. A day, perhaps, but a whole week…

“You still haven’t told me what the deal was that let you escape from Lila,” Adrien said.

“Ah.” Félix’s fingers returned to his ring in an unusual display of anxiety. “I asked for power, generally speaking, and I offered Dusuu everything I had in turn.”

“Félix—”

“I said that Dusuu never makes deals that are more than someone can give, and I meant it. He gave me the power to stop Lila and in exchange, well, it only cost my freedom.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I am bound to the palace, at least as long as I want my will to be my own. Were I to leave, I would have to give this ring up to someone else.”

“That hardly seems fair—”

“I broke the power this ring had for a moment, and in exchange, it holds more power moving forward. It is an even trade, and I’ve no reason to be upset by it.”

“I know this was never what you wanted.”

“You don’t know what I—”

“I do.”

Because Adrien knew his cousin better than anyone else. And he knew that, beneath their identical appearances, they shared identical desires: to be loved and to be free. To have his only escape from the palace require him to place his life in someone else’s hands, quite literally? That was never what Félix wanted for himself.

“Well,” Félix said, and cleared his throat, “regardless, I probably would have been doomed to wander the Forest of Fay with my guts spilling out if I hadn’t found help. Princess Kagami was in the forest, too, trying to figure out what to do with the power of subjection.”

Adrien frowned. “Princess Kagami? What was she doing there?”

“You remember the woman who helped you stop Queen Bee, who had all the powers of a storm? Apparently Princess Kagami decided she would rather make a deal with the fay than marry either of us.”

Adrian turned his gaze back to his canopy and his fingers drifted from Plagg’s ears to the only remaining ring around his finger. He was supposed to marry Princess Kagami, and he did want to fulfill his duty to his kingdom, but he no longer felt like marrying Princess Kagami was the only way to fulfill that duty.

“At first I thought that she had been sent after Lila,” Félix continued, “but she was there with the young musician, who was supposed to be guiding her on what to do with the power of subjection, since the Guardian was busy saving you, I suppose.”

“I’m glad you made it home safely,” Adrien said, only half-interested in the end of Félix’s story. He was still thinking about Princess Kagami, and whether or not he should propose. It sounded like she didn’t want him, but it made sense politically, and if she now had the powers of a storm at her disposal…

He didn’t love her, but maybe he didn’t need to. He still loved Ladybug, and—he winced as he struggled to recall something important, something about Ladybug, but he couldn’t remember. It was tangled up in the overwhelming grief he’d felt as Chat Blanc, and he wasn’t keen on wading through that.

“Félix, how do you know… you said the rings can change what you want, not just what you do. How do you know if it’s changed what you want?”

Félix did not look any more eager to broach this discussion then he had to discuss his deal with Duusu. “I suppose if you’re not aware someone is using it, you might not know at all.”

“But you knew when Lila used it against you. You were able to change what she wanted you to do.”

“Not really. I was rather committed to the idea of dying for her when I made the deal with Dusuu.”

“So committed that you tried to give up everything to save yourself?”

Félix opened and closed his mouth, then frowned, displeased that Adrien had led him into a trap of logic he had been trying to avoid himself. “It—” He sighed. “It was more that I was trying to save you. No matter what she or Gabriel asked me to do, as long as it was something that put you at risk, I never fully wanted to do it.”

Adrien stared at his cousin, startled by this confession. It was made all the more unusual by the discomfort on Félix’s face. If Adrien had had the strength, he would have gotten out of bed and embraced Félix. As it was, he merely reached for Félix’s hand and squeezed it. Their rings knocked against each other, and the matching purple bands over their wrists glared harshly in the morning light, but he squeezed regardless, hoping that all of his love and gratitude that he could not share with words would be communicated.

Félix squeezed back. “Don’t expect me to do it again.”

Adrien laughed. “No, I—”

The door to his bedroom opened and Chloé Bourgeois pushed her way in. She was busy scolding a servant that the soup in her hands was too hot to hold and therefore far too hot for her to feed to Adrien, and only stopped when she saw Adrien sitting up in his bed.

She dropped the soup immediately and did not even notice the way the bowl shattered and its contents splashed on her gown.

“Adrikins!” she shrieked and ran to him, flopping down onto him and startling Plagg, who dove off of the bed and under the dresser. “Adrikins, I can’t believe you’re awake! Oh, I was so worried!” She kissed his cheeks rather vehemently, and Adrien tried not to wince when she pressed against his bruise.

“Good morning, to you too, Chloé.”

She turned to Félix. “Why didn’t you come get me immediately? You know how worried I’ve been, how worried we’ve all been!”

“I apologize,” Félix said, without an ounce of regret. “The next time Adrien slips into a week-long fever, I’ll be sure and alert you the moment that he wakes up.”

“Is that so much to ask for?”

“To be quite honest, I thought you might be too busy taking a morning walk with Princess Kagami—”

Chloé cut Félix short by rounding on the servant, who was still gaping in the doorway. “What are you waiting for? Bring him something solid to eat. He’s probably starving! And send someone to clean up that bowl!”

The servant bowed, and hurried back to the kitchen.

Félix sighed. “He’ll tell the rest of the palace Adrien’s awake, and my mother will be here before long.”

“Well someone should, since you won’t,” Chloé snapped. “Besides, she’s meeting with a florist right now, so once she hears Adrien’s recovering well, she’ll be able to actually give them a date.”

“A date for what?” Adrien frowned, trying to think how many events required flowers. Had Félix proposed to someone while he was asleep? Had his aunt?

“For the… funeral…”

When Adrien’s face was still blank, Chloé frowned at Félix. “You didn’t tell him?”

“We were discussing other things. I was getting to it, before you barged in.”

“I did not barge in! It’s my turn! You’ve been here since four in the morning.”

“You didn’t even knock—”

“Whose funeral?” Adrien interrupted.

Chloé’s indignation evaporated as she turned back to Adrien. Her usually haughty blue eyes were soft and she bit down on her lower lip. “Well, Duchess Amelie is organizing a funeral for… for your parents.”

Adrien had to think about Chloé’s sentence for a long moment. He had not thought of his parents as a single unit for over a year. Ever since his mother had fallen asleep, they had been separate. Once he realized that by “parents” she meant King Gabriel and Queen Emilie, and that there would be services for both of them, he sank back into his pillows.

“Oh,” he said.

“It’s not your fault,” Félix said quickly, and even got to his feet like he was afraid Adrien might do something drastic in response to this news and he was prepared to stop him.

Adrien had not even arrived at the counter-conclusion yet, but once the words were out of Félix’s mouth, he knew wholeheartedly that Félix was wrong. As much as he did not want to recall his time as Chat Blanc, he remembered enough. He was the one who had destroyed the tower. His mother and his father had fallen to their deaths and it was his fault.

Unbidden, he recalled the glimpse he had gotten of his mother in the rubble. He squeezed his eyes closed, but it did not make the image go away.

“Félix is right,” Chloé said, as if she sensed Adrien’s train of thought. “It was Hawk Moth’s curse, not you. It… it makes you do things that aren’t yourself.”

Even though Chloé had, by far, the most experience of any of them with Hawk Moth’s curses, it only served to further Adrien’s self-hatred. The chaos he had inflicted had been his, not Hawk Moth’s. It was Chat Noir’s power of destruction that he had taken on willingly. And he had taken on Hawk Moth’s curse, too, of his own accord, for no reason other than he had wanted a way to unleash his grief on others in an attempt to lessen his own pain. This was his fault, and no one else’s.

“Your mother was already dead, Adrien,” Félix said.

“She was asleep—”

“She was never going to wake up. Your father should have held services for her a year ago. He knew that and refused to admit that she was gone.”

Adrien swallowed, but the tears swelled up regardless. How could he blame his father for that? Even he had held out hope for the past year, desperate for some sort of cure or counter-curse to save her.

“And your father did survive the tower collapsing,” Chloé said. “It didn’t kill him. It was—” She bit down on her tongue and looked up at Félix.

Adrien opened his eyes when she hesitated and followed her gaze to meet Félix’s. “How did he die?” he demanded. “Did you do it?”

“I told you, I wasn’t there,” Félix said. “But I would have, if I was there.”

“Félix!” Chloé snapped.

Félix shrugged. “It’s true. I want him to know it.”

“Tell me how it happened,” Adrien begged again.

“Nathalie confessed to doing it,” Félix said.

Adrien’s brow furrowed. “Nathalie? But she…”

“I don’t believe her either,” Chloé said. “I hadn’t seen her all night. And she was one of King Gabriel’s most loyal staff members. He trusted her with everything!”

“But,” Félix added quietly, “she did try to return your mother’s ring to you, which I imagine was against your father’s wishes. It seemed that night of the ball, she had finally decided to break faith with the crown.”

“I want to talk to her,” Adrien said. “She’s not—she’s still—”

“As there is no formally coronated king to sentence her at the moment, she is still alive,” Félix said dryly. “Though I don’t know that talking to her will do much good.”

Chloé leaned in close to Adrien and whispered, “I think she’s covering for someone else. But no one seems to have any ideas who.”

Adrien had a pretty good idea who. He looked up at Félix. “When did you say you returned from the forest?”

“I didn’t, but it was well after dawn. Your father was already dead when I arrived at the palace, I swear. If you don’t believe me, Princess Kagami will swear it, too.”

“I can vouch for him,” Chloé said. “I was there when the tower collapsed—well, I was unconscious for some of it, but I helped your aunt get you out of the mess and safely into bed. Félix wasn’t anywhere nearby. It was just the duchess and I—and, well, Ladybug and her friends, but they left before I came to.”

Adrien did not think Ladybug would have killed his father, even knowing that he was Hawk Moth. It wasn’t like her. And while he did not know the Guardian who had arrived after the fight with Queen Wasp, he imagined if the Guardian had wanted Gabriel dead, he would have done it then and there. Any of Ladybug’s friends, who were agents of the fay, knew better than to do something so drastic as murder a mortal king. That left only one person.

Adrien looked at Félix to try to read the truth in Félix’s eyes. Félix looked away.

“Chloé,” Adrien said, surprised by how raw his voice sounded, considering he hadn’t shed a single tear, “would you mind… checking on that food you asked the servant for? I’m actually really hungry.”

“Oh! Oh, of course, Adrien.” She kissed each of his cheeks one more time, before hurrying down the corridor, shouting for a servant.

“Did you ask her?” Adrien asked.

Félix continued studying the wall, as if it was immensely more interesting than Adrien. “Who?”

“Your mother.”

“What am I supposed to ask her?”

“Félix, did she know—”

“She knew everything, because I told her everything that I knew in a letter, a letter I had to write because your father forbid me from speaking about his crimes. So yes, Adrien, she knew, not long after I found out. But you should know that Nathalie has been involved in all of your father’s schemes since the beginning. Nathalie knew about the original plan to sacrifice me, was there when my father took my place, was there when your father became Hawk Moth, when your father accused me of being Chat Noir and stole my ring and forced me into silence. She was complicit in everything that he did, so if this false confession is her belated apology? I’m not going to stop her. And I don’t think you should, either.”

“But it’s not right—”

“So will you have my mother executed instead, Your Majesty?”

Adrien flinched, finding the title far more unsettling than “Your Highness” ever had been. “No, I just—”

But Adrien didn’t have an end to that sentence. He didn’t know what he thought should happen, or what was right, and he hated that it was his job now to determine those things.

Félix sighed and his shoulders slumped. “We can discuss this later. You need to eat and rest. I never should have put all of this on you just after waking up.”

“I don’t think there would be a good time to tell me any of this.”

“No, I suppose not. At the very least, I expect you ought to be the one to have this.”

Félix pulled something from his pocket and pressed it into Adrien’s hand. It was a small red ruby earring, set in gold.

“Where did you—”

“I took it from Lila. As far as I know, Mother’s the only one who knows who Ladybug is, but she won’t share that secret, even with me. She might with you, though.”

Adrien closed his hand around the ruby. He knew, if he thought hard enough, he wouldn’t need his aunt to tell him who Ladybug was. It was just a question of if he trusted himself to return to the memory of that grief. It seemed larger now that he had to face the loss of his parents in the present all over again.

But he didn’t cry, not yet. He let Chloé feed him, let his aunt coo over him and fix his hair and get him a change of clothes. Most of the afternoon he suffered their concern and attention, but finally, finally they allowed him to rest again and offered him time alone. And, once they had all gone, Adrien cried.

He was no stranger to tears, but it didn’t make them any easier to manage. He cried for his parents, mostly, and for himself, of course. He mourned his father, as well as his memory of his father, which would forever be discolored by the things Félix had shared with him. He mourned for Félix, who had endured so much, silent and alone, as well as for Félix’s father. And he mourned his own future, his duties as a king now binding him ever more tightly to this palace he had spent the last year trying to escape from. His father’s death may have freed him from an unwanted marriage, but it hadn’t freed him from who he was nor where he belonged.

Plagg crawled out from under the dresser and jumped up onto the bed. He did not say anything, merely kneaded Adrien’s stomach before curling up into a ball.

Adrien dried his eyes and searched for his voice. “You should go,” he managed.

Plagg only yawned.

“I mean it,” Adrien said. “I’m a mess, I—How much did I ruin in my grief with your power? You need to take it, before I hurt someone else.”

Plagg got up and stretched, ears flat as if he was annoyed by this conversation, before shifting back into his fay form.

“You’re not going to hurt anyone.”

“I already did! I—” Adrien pressed his hands against his eyes and swallowed down another burst of tears before they could choke out his words. “I’m no better than my father.”

Plagg, in his best attempt at sympathy, blew a big, fat raspberry.

Adrien sat up and hurled a pillow at the fay. “I’m serious! Look at all the people he hurt, just because he wanted my mother back! I tore down the palace just because I missed her!”

“It was a tower and a throne room. An ugly throne room at that.”

“That’s not the point Plagg! The point is this power hurts people, and it’s worse when I’m sad, and I—I’m sad all the time, and that’s not going to go away—”

“You remember what our bargain was, don’t you?”

Would it have even been a sacrifice if he had forgotten that he had given it up? The part of that memory he didn’t want to recall was how the terror that had prompted him to make that deal, the terror of seeing his father transformed into Hawk Moth.

How terrified had Ladybug been when she had seen her partner unleash all of his power?

Adrien rubbed his eyes and nodded.

“And do you remember what you wouldn’t give up?” Plagg asked.

“What I wouldn’t…?”

“You found two things you could sacrifice. When you were scared and hurt and felt cornered, you had two things you said were yours. Your love and your hope. And you refused to give up the people you loved, any of them. You’re not your father, kid. Not even close.”

Adrien burst into a new set of tears, just as mournful, but not quite so hopeless. He pulled his knees against his chest and buried his head in his arms. Plagg settled into the crook of his elbow and leaned his furry head against Adrien’s. He stayed there by Adrien’s side for the rest of the night.

One night was not much to a fay. Neither was a human life time, though fay so rarely liked to be tied into a deal for any true length of time. But Plagg would stay by Adrien for all of it, and no matter how often he complained, he would not regret their bargain for a single moment.

#boulangerella #ml fairy tale #ml fic #miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug #i made a discovery this week #the discovery is that i fucking love writing felix holy shit #i stayed up until 1 am writing a scene with him #hes just so terrible i love him #ml

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evermorehqs · 1 year ago

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CATCHING MY BREATH, STARING OUT AN OPEN WINDOW

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is based on Marinette from Miraculous Ladybug. She is a 26 year old human, fashion designer, and uses she/her pronouns. She has no powers. Marinette is portrayed by Natasha Liu Bordizzo and she is taken.

CATCHING MY DEATH, AND I COULDN’T BE SURE

Marinette used to be a regular human. She helped her parents run the bakery that was below their home, she crushed hard on her childhood friend Adrien Agreste, she hung out with her friends and spent her time sketching designs for her future boutique. It was a pretty easy and simple life that she loved. She got good grades, she was kind and polite, and she never did a dangerous thing in her life. And then Tikki and Master Fu happened. All she did was help Master Fu cross the street because he was elderly and it was the right thing to do since he was struggling to do so and then later in the day she is being approached by an older woman named Tikki who is telling her she is meant to be the next guardian of the ladybug miraculous. Marinette thought this was a joke at first. She didn’t know what a miraculous was and what that meant but once Tikki showed her how to use the mystical earrings she was transformed into the superhero Ladybug.

Life as Ladybug was intense and unlike anything she could have imagined it to be. She had magical-like agility and strength and could summon a lucky charm to help her in her missions. Along with another superhero named Cat Noir they were supposed to keep the world safe from those who possessed the other twenty miraculous with evil intent. Their greatest enemy was a man named Hawk Moth who would corrupt ordinary people with his miraculous as he tried to collect the rest of them for himself for unknown purposes. As Ladybug, she stumbled upon Evermore with Tikki in search of Hawk Moth but the moment she crossed into town she lost all of her memories about the miraculous and her mission to stop the villain. A solid year has passed since then and she has made great strides in her career as a fashion designer. She has friends, she has a nice home, but still… she can’t shake the feeling that she is meant to do more. Her ladybug earrings lay in a box in her bedroom, unused since the day she arrived.

I HAD A FEELING SO PECULIAR

❀ Drizella Tremaine: Marinette cannot stand her! She is so mean and so... so much like a girl she used to know back home. She gets under her skin and no matter how many times she tries to be the bigger person she just... struggles with it. ❀ Clover Ewing: She adores Clover! She has an amazing eye for fashion and the two of them are constantly hanging out. She would easily call her one of her closest friends. ❀ Beau Max: There is just something about him that Marinette finds… safe. His looks rival Adrien’s in her eyes and she can’t help but want to get to know him better. There is something off about him… but Marinette just thinks it’s because he’s shy or something.

THAT THIS PAIN WOULD BE FOR EVERMORE

#bio rp #magic rp #natasha liu bordizzo #marinette dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug #female bio #no powers #taken bio #taken female

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san-fics · 2 years ago

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Felinette Prompts p.12

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5) (part 6) (part 7) (part 8) (part 9) (part 10) (part 11)

(Ao3 | Wattpad)

A/N: For those who don't know, KnifeDancer (on Ao3) has written several stories based on the ideas from this collection (amazingly expanding the ideas themselves and capturing my heart), HamAndPineapple304 (on Ao3) also uses these ideas to tease us with short sketches that allow you to peek into the story and want more, and I know Neakco (on Ao3) used one (??) of the ideas, adapting it for the Maribat fandom.

So if you're interested, you could check out these authors.

If I don't know about anyone else's works, you can point it out to me so I could mention you here.

Thank you!

____________________

Akuma Shenanigans

Stay With Me

Felix is hit by an Akuma that amplifies people’s greatest fears, which, in his case, turns out to be that Marinette will disappear and he won’t see her again. Felix refuses to let her go anywhere, and seeing the genuine horror on his face, Marinette doesn’t know how to leave him to transform and fight the Akuma.

Love Magnet

Marinette was hit by an Akuma, forcing her to stay in physical proximity to the object of her affections, which had changed some time ago. She can’t move far enough to transform while keeping her secret, but what’s even worse is that every time she gets closer to Felix, the distance she can get away from him shrinks...

Gost Life

Felix is hit by an Akuma and is sent in a ghost-like state to a world where he never existed. For some reason, there is neither Adrien nor Chat Noir in this world, and Ladybug is fighting a completely different enemy too. But Felix understands that she is still his only chance to return home, if only he found the way to let her know that he is here…

Random

‘Enchanted’

Felix falls asleep with the comic book he read before going to bed on his chest, and the next day, the comic book characters Ladybug and Chat Noir enter the real world. Felix doesn’t know what to do with them because they are always eager to save someone, and he has to take them with him to his office and introduce them to his business partner – Kagami, who, like him, doesn’t believe in feelings and emotions, and therefore they work so well together. But something about this Ladybug makes Felix reconsider his outlook on life...

The Right Outcome Of Events

Marinette and Felix live the events of their lives over and over again, knowing when and which Akuma and other events will happen in advance, up to the final battle with Hawk Moth, which ends with the victory of the villain and everything restarts from the day of Stone Heart. But in this cycle, Felix is tired of being an observer who has already figured everything out. He meets with Master Fu before he gives the Black Cat miraculous to Adrien and persuades him to give the amulet to him, explaining the situation with the collapse in the end of the whole story and how many times it repeated itself. Master Fu agrees, and the new cycle of events turns out to be completely different...

Morly Gray

Marinette decides that she is tired of the same thing and begins to push the authorities as Ladybug to turn Paris into an emotionless colony so that people don’t react to Akumas and they stop appearing. She goes so deep into her apathetic-depressive indifference to people that she ceases to notice that the world around her is losing humanity in her new regime. Until someone she considered the most indifferent and morally gray reminds her that emotions have the right to exist.

Misunderstandings

Apparent But Not Real

Nino comes to Marinette broken and complains that his girlfriend is cheating on him. He repeatedly saw them sitting very close together when they thought no one could see them, and he saw messages from Felix pop up on the screen of Alya’s phone, which she immediately hid. Marinette is upset for her friends, but even more so for herself, because it seemed to her that she and Felix were about to move into a new category from their friendship. And of course it has nothing to do with the upcoming carnival she hoped they would attend as a couple…

Rival’s Help

During a school trip, Felix sees Adrien going to Marinette’s hotel room in the evening and staying there for a suspicious length of time. He is convinced that the two have gotten together, despite the fact that Marinette told him many times during their long conversations that she was over his cousin. Felix plunges into suffering over his feelings, which turned out to be non-reciprocal, and the next day, Marinette and he mysteriously find themselves locked in a museum room alone and the girl doesn’t seem at all surprised or worried…

Most Important Question

Alya asks Felix to subtly find out if Marinette likes the necklace in the jewelry store window that her friends are going to give her for her birthday. He and Marinette are pretty close, so Felix does, but when the girl replies not “I like” but “I agree”, he turns around to see that in the window there is no longer the collection of jewelry that was yesterday when he was here with Alya, but a very different collection, namely – a collection of engagement rings. Also, did he just propose to Marinette?.. And… And… Did she say yes?..

___________

Felinette Tag list (ask me to join)

@mochegato

@thepapillonnoir

@snow-leopard-777

@loves-books

@turiankitty

@toodaloo-kangaroo

@readingismyoxygen

@aespades

@starlightshield

@jessigurl-design

@trippingovermyfeet

@apasponsor

@avs17

@fangirlingfanatic

@psychicdelusionwerewolf

@ur-beautiful-when-u-smile

@spicemallow

@kking13

@frieddonutsweets

@miraculous-panic

@ateneagirasol

@its-maemain

@unoriginalmess

@achaoticmess1

@starfire21

@peachayim

@starling218

@iloontjeboontje

@jennifer-rose123

@a-slytherinish-gryffindor

@wegetitethan

@jacimari

@hammalammadamdam

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thehungrycity · 2 years ago

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💫 🤲 💌 !

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

Like all other people, I'm sure, my favourite kind of comment/feedback is when people give details of what it was in the story that particularly appealed to them, how it made them feel, or what they thought was going to happen. But honestly, any kind of comment/feedback is good :)

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

So I've written the first scene of the grand epic that I've been trying to sketch out with my disjointed 'A Moth-Eaten Scarf' series on AO3. And I think it really works. I have been trying to figure out for months, years? what the first scene should be, because I like a first scene for each character that introduces their main story arc and foreshadows what is going to happen in some way. Finally figured it out for my main protag, and it was in some ways because of a discussion about the different Hawke personalities and I realised that I needed to shift my Hawke from a diplomatic personality type to more of the direct type - and suddenly, boom, it all became clear to me. Really loving it, but it isn't going to see the light of day for a good long while yet - probably not until I have enough of the story written to actually decide what it should be bloody called, which is still eluding me.

#writing meme #thank you! :)

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gatorkid509 · 2 years ago

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I posted 86 times in 2022

That's 22 more posts than 2021!

19 posts created (22%)

67 posts reblogged (78%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@momolady

@thecaffeinebookwarrior

@gatorkid509

@far-side-skies

@gothamcitycentral

I tagged 34 of my posts in 2022

#storm hawks - 20 posts

#sticker album - 7 posts

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles - 4 posts

#rottmnt - 4 posts

#my art - 3 posts

#stickers - 3 posts

#repo mantis - 3 posts

#storm hawks oc challenge - 3 posts

#rise of the tmnt - 2 posts

#repton - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 98 characters

#even thought i now think it's portrayal of killer croc is one of the characters poorer adaptations

My Top Posts in 2022:

A preview of some Storm Hawks redesigns of the Raptors, I've noticed the Raptors never really get a chance to be re imagined by other SH artists despite being very well liked in the fandom, but that's all going to change thanks to me.

Here's the 4 preview sketches! Not full body because I want that to be a surprise.

See the full post

12 notes - Posted February 10, 2022

Finally got a chance to enter @far-side-skies Bird Month Challenge, I’ve attempted to participate before, but usually stopped either due to art block, not finishing on time and work. But this month I was determined to actually do the art challenge, and now I have and I defiantly want participate in future Bird Moth Challenges( Assuming I don’t quit half way through -_-; ) And yes, I did color it traditionally with my markers since I’m still figuring out my new drawing tablet and a new art program. So I had to be really careful when I was coloring, as well as trying to find the right colors to fit this months Sea Hawk theme.

So allow me to introduce the famous Atmosian film star Calliope Pandion.

Age: Reported to be around her late 30s( She doesn’t like sharing her real age)

Home Terra: Terra Atmosia

Bio:

Beautiful and very talented, Calliope actually had a pretty rough start to her acting career, taking bit roles and rarely getting a speaking part. But her big break came when a then unknown movie director Carmilla de Luna chose Calliope for her then upcoming movie Desert Heat, a romantic film that needed a beautiful actress to star along side the male Raptor lead. When they finished filming and the film was released, it was a huge hit with audiences( Mainly with human women) and propelled Calliope to stardom. Since then she had starred in multiple films, and has continued to act in more of Carmilla’s films since they both wouldn’t have gotten famous without one another. And with Carmilla, she has been dubbed as “ The Woman Mates With Monsters” by her fans( Her mainly human fans) due to a lot of her films having other species as her love interests. Their are however rumors that she actually hates working with actors and directors of a different species and treats her co stars badly behind the camera and Carmilla’s back, but they have yet to be proven.

Trivia:

- She has starred in about 42 movies in her 10+ years as an actress.

- While she does have many fans, she does have her haters, may of which are of the different species of Atmos that criticize how their species are depicted in her films( One Blizzarian hater stated that the film Eternal Snow had depicted Blizzarians saying “Hoser” to many times.)

And that’s Calliope, the idea of a famous actress in Atmos that’s secretly against other species has actually been on my mind for months, as well as @uncertainty5‘s BMC OC AVADA also giving me inspiration as well.( And no, I don’t think Calliope would work in one of AVADA’s movies since not only she’s heard he mainly makes propaganda films for Cyclonia, but also because he’s a Merb.

And Carmilla de Luna is a female parody of actual director Guillermo del Toro.

I hope you guys like( or hate) Calliope, I had fun drawing her and again, I’m so glad to finally have a chance to enter @far-side-skies Bird Month Challenge.

And good luck to all the other artist who are participating

12 notes - Posted June 4, 2022

Mission to Find Lost Storm Hawks Stickers almost half way achieved!!!!

Look what came in the mail today!!

The Stickers for the Storm Hawks Sticker Album!!!

I bought them of of ebay from who I believe also sold me one of the sticker albums, they were selling them as a sort of "mystery bags" and I brought them mainly because I was curious to what they are. And I did not expect them to contain the SH Stickers at all.

Though as you can tell, 5 of them are cut in half, possibly due to them being bigger then the custom mystery bags or they're made to be like that. And I don't know what's going on with the Sky Knight council sticker, it looks really weird.

Still, I'm glad I finally got my hands on some of the actual stickers since, like I've said before, they are really rare and hard to come by.

I know I should be filling the sticker album with them, but I don't think I want to, mainly because they look so good on their own. Maybe put them on my wall via thumb tacks/push pins since I don't want to simply stick them on my wall since it would be very hard to take them off. I'm not sure yet.

Also I totally fan girled when I saw the Murk Raiders sticker since they are my favorite Squadron next to the Raptors.

13 notes - Posted June 6, 2022

Yeah, I fell back into one my very first fandoms, The Batman a.k.a. an underrated gem that gave use some of the best designed villains, one of the best versions of Batman, and some of the best episodes. Though it does have a lot of flaws( I still hate that they made Poison Ivy a teen just so she can have a connection to TB Barbara. They could have obivously made Ivy a botany teacher who turns bad, I know student/teacher friendships aren't seen as much in media because of student/teacher relationships, while controversial, are more widely known, but it's still possible)

Sorry, back to subject, I absolutely love the Team Penguin episode, something about this group of Gotham misfits banding together because Penguin saw a movie about teamwork just gives me the feels, and it makes me wish they teamed up again just for fun.( Maybe without Penguin because that means they can use either Firefly or Ragdoll's names for the group, The Gotham Gangsters/ Villains United sound much more cool) and it would mean more screen time for Ragdoll and Killer Moth as they didn't really get much screen time after that episode( Ragdoll made a slight cameo in Rumors and Killer Moth got a mention, which sucks as I find his mutanted form adorable and so fluffy!!!)

So for this drawing, I was curious about whether or not Killer Moth has instincts of a moth since he's now mutated into one, and I couldn't help but think he would unintentionally annoy Team Penguin with his new habits of chewing on their clothes and attraction to bright lights( an irony because Ragdoll makes jokes if Killer Moth has these abilities when they first meet). I'd imagine he would fly behind Firefly because of Firefly's jetpack emitting a bright yellow glow and trying to get close to it that they would crash into one another when he gets too close.( And he's definitely going to apologize for it since he can't help it.)

So yeah, here he is chewing on Ragdoll's sweater, I did color it with markers and you can definitely tell I did a pretty botched job at coloring KM's fluff, mainly his neck fluff as it looks too close of a color to his outer fluff, and I made part of his antennes. I also botched Ragdoll's colors to despite having the right browns for him, I made the left patch too dark so that hides his x shaped eyes( Speaking of which, how does Ragdoll see with those X shaped eyes on his costume? do they have tiny holes that let him see? This has been bugging me since I first saw him). I took a picture of the sketch just before I colored it just in case I botched it with markers( And of course I did) so expect a digitally colored version eventually.

Though I do have to say, I did get them pretty accurate to how they look in the show, Moth was, of course, really hard because of the fact I don't usually draw insects, but his fluff was really fun to draw. And Ragdoll was surprisingly easy for me, maybe it's because he's not as complex as other versions of him.

And might I add that Team Penguin was very close to becoming an all animal themed team if they included an acrobatics villain with an animal theme. Though I will let it slide as the only other animal themed villain that knows acrobatics is Catwoman and I don't think Penguin was willing to ask her join due to the last time the 2 teamed up.

Now I want to write headcannons for Team Penguin, doubt I'll actually do it, but who knows.

And so, I think that's pretty much it, tell me what you think.

18 notes - Posted January 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Guess what came in the mail today!!!

A official Storm Hawks Sticker Album!!!!!

I saw on the official Storm Hawks Wiki that there was a photo of a sticker album cover that was released in I believe Germany by a company called Panini. I thought " Whoa! Cool!!" And immediately went to eBay to see if someone was selling one! And their were two!! Both from different sellers, and I bought from both because I have no self control!( Actually the one you see here was more pricey, the other less pricey one with hopefully arrive in about a week, but I'm a bit concerned since they didn't give a tracking number, I hopefully find out soon)

And when I opened it I was both amazed and confused.

Amazed because I was looking at years worth of unseen pages that went right under Storm Hawks Fans noses.

And confused because they're wasn't any sheets that included the stickers like most sticker books I've seen/had, most of them either have the stickers at the end or in the middle. Does that mean I have to do more hunting for the actual stickers? UGGGGGHHHH!!!!!! Nooooo!!! I actually wanted those stickers!!

But... on the bright side, it has a POSTER!!!!!!

See the full post

26 notes - Posted March 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Didn't think this year was that special for me #or that this review thing works

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capricioussun · 5 months ago

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These are red bodied swallowtails btw! (Pics and rambling under cut for bug cw 👍)

And I also found these guys, which I thought either could be fitting for Void! vvv

And I did like these a lot! The Hawk moth, maybe most fitting for Lace since their wings look like his nicknamesake 💖 vvv

Last thoughts on it for now but I also like the idea of Stretch maybe being ruddy daggerwing styled <3 vvv

Back when I'd been pondering on my own fae/fairytale au most monsters had more like, fictionally based wings tied to their appearance, like Levi had fin wings that were similar to her head fins and like, a little like sailfish fins? That's why in the initial sketch of Edge he has bone/dragon style wings, and Red would've presumably had similar (but probably one being significantly damaged, as is my usual modus operandi whenever giving him extra features, which can most prominently be seen in his mer-version's significant tail damage)

But! I really like the more classic spin with the more insect based wings!! I love looking at butterflies and moths <333

Found the old alt sketch and cleaned it up a little 💫

#I will see any opportunity to think about a papyrus and take it #rebagel #cloudy with rain #cs auroras #sort of #this isn't really any attempt at contributing to the currently ongoing and popular fae au just thinking abt my old one again bc of it #but the wings and stuff are definitely inspired by it #(and the pants in this specific outfit lol)#and I'm not...*not talking abt it at the same time. ykwim? I just don't wanna step on any toes and I also haven't read up on all the #established lore for theirs so just wanted to give this little addendum lol #don't wanna step on any toes ✨#uf papyrus monday

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miraculousfanworks · 3 years ago

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Fanfiction Prompt

Gabriel was sketching out costume designs for his unifications with other miraculouses. He was just drawing the abs on his Hawk Noir costume (because really, they'll make him more fearsome and Emilie always liked it) when Adrien came into the room for a meeting that Gabriel completely forgot about. (Hey! He was drawing!) "Hi father I'm here to talk about my shoot yester- wait... Is that Hawkmoth...? With abs?" Gabriel immediately shut down the drawing pad. "Adrien I can explain." Adrien gaped at his father before shaking his head. "Really father?" "Look Adrien-" "Out of all the people, him?" "I'm doing this for your moth- wait what?" Adrien put his hand on a clearly confused Gabriel. "Father, I'm glad that you're trying to move on from mother. I'm even fine having a stepfather in the future. I'll support you no matter what. But you could do so much better than that jerkface." Gabriel's eyes widened. "Wha- I don't- I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HAWKMOTH! AND HE ISN'T A JER- WHATEVER YOU SAID!" Adrien froze in place. "This is worse than I thought." Behind the door, Nathalie had fallen to the ground laughing. (Days later, Adrien gave Nathalie a list of possible suitors. "Give this to my dad. Also, make sure he never sees any pictures of Hawkmoth. Father deserves better than a sleazy super villain.")

via Sha

#miraculous ladybug #ml #miraculous fanworks #prompt #writing prompt #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #adrien agreste #nathalie sancoeur

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paintball-writes · 3 years ago

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Day 3 - Identities

Day1 - Day2 - Day3 - Day4

Marinette had been living with the waynes for over a month now. The reason? Tom and Sabine sent her away to her biological father. Apparently To Dupain was not her biological, but Bruce Wayne was.

Marinette had a sliver of hope, A really, really thin one. Which had faltered by the month.

Marinette had defeated Hawk Moth with Chat Noir. Apparently Plagg found the brooches along with two sleeping kwamis accidentally. At night when Gabriel and Natalie were asleep, He had stolen the miraculous. On the patrol that night, Chat had told her that the miraculous were right under their noses. He gave her the two brooches and told her that Plagg had found the brooches in his father’s study. He told her that Gabriel was Hawk moth and Natalie was Mayura. Then he de-transformed and handed her the ring saying that he wanted to continue his life as a civilian.

Later that week it was announced that Chat noir found out who Hawk Moth was and he had stolen the miraculous at night. He then said that Gabriel and Natalie were the Villians. He then revealed himself saying that he was innocent, and he had no idea that his father was Hawk moth. Marinette had thought that with Hawkmoth gone she could beat Lila, But no, it Backfired. That was the reason she was Shipped off. Like an object. She was replaced just like an object.

Her only wish was to die. But she had tried to do that multiple times. Someone always managed to save her. So no, that option was unavailable. She had thought that she would finally be able to die in Gotham by sucide, But no, Selina, Cassandra or Jason always managed to save her.

By now she had started to see the woman as a mother figure. The Waynes hated her. They didn’t even listen to her side of the story. Only Cass and Jason had seen that there was more to the story. Selina and Alfred too, of course. The waynes saw her with disgust. They laid out certain rules.

And of course she figured out they were Bat family. She may not be from Gotham, but she wasn’t certainly stupid. She had to admit, The Waynes were really good at hiding the Batfam thingy. But what gave them away? Misplaced Batarangs by Tim. Then Tikki had also found the cave. She wasn’t stupid, Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne were good friends and certainly Batman and Superman. The people of Justice league stopped by often at the Manor too.

Speaking of the Justice League, They had given her an offer to join the League, but she declined. They had given her a satellite phone for emergencies to contact the league. They had praised her high and low. Batman was even Concerned for her when he found out her age range. Concerned! If they knew that Ladybug was their new sibling who was claimed to be a bully, she’d be declared a threat and her take Miraculous away.

Her routine was the same. Wake up. Eat breakfast in silence as she was being glared at. Study something. Do commissions while talking to her boyfriend, Luka and the others. Eat Lunch while being glared at. Study the Grimoire with Alfred. Sketch some designs while talking to Selina and Cass. Draw illustrations while Jason talks. Eat dinner in Silence. Stay up till 3 am doing commissions. Sleep.

Last week she had introduced Luka to Cass, Selina, Jason and Alfred. It went really well. Especially when Jason found out he was Jagged Stone’s son.

She was thinking how she could step up her game with the Waynes. In her thoughts she didn’t see Selina coming in.

“What are you thinking about Kitten ?” Selina asks, seeing the half sketched dress.

“Gah! Selina don’t scare me like that! Anyway I was thinking, ``What do I do to annoy the waynes?” Marinette asks the Master of scheming Cat-woman.

“Hmm, what about going to your true self? Being in headphones, ignoring them, Snide answers, and stuff like that?” Selina says thoughtfully.

“Selina, that's brilliant! You’re the best Mom!” Marinette says. She covers her mouth with her hand realizing what she said.

“Aww, Com’ere Kit. I love you.” Selina says softly.

“You’re not mad?” Marinette hesitantly asks.

“Of course not!” She says.

“You’ll be more of a mother than Sabine will ever be to me.” Marinette says with a small voice and hugs the older woman.

Then the Chaos was unleashed. Whenever the Waynes wanted to ask her something she’d ignore them and she always had her headphones on.

- - - - - - - -

“Marinette, tell me why did you hurt the poor girl?” Bruce asks in a stern voice. Of course Mari didn’t hear him because of the blaring music.

“Marinette, Why did you hurt the poor girl?” Bruce asks again, obviously annoyed.

“MARINETTE-” He was cut off from Alfred of course.

“If I may Master Bruce,” he says, earning a nod. He gently taps the girl’s shoulder. Marinette moves her hair away and removes her Airpod. The music is loud enough for everybody to hear.Meanwhile Bruce flushes in embarrassment. “Miss, Your father wants to ask you something.” Marinette nods. She turns to her Father.

“What?” She asks.

“I asked, Why did you hurt the poor girl marinette, around two months ago?” He asks, patience bearing thin.

“Oh? I didn’t know that I could make a clone of myself and Send one to the fencing class and the other to beat her up at the Seine?” She says in a bored tone. Jason and Cass, not being able to hold their laughter any longer, burst out laughing.

Later that night they checked her attendance, sure enough she was in the fencing class.

- - - - - -

One day Marinette got a call from the Justice league, Stating an emergency. She quickly transformed to Ladybug and Portalled to the Watchtower.

“Ladybug, welcome to the Watchtower,” Wonder Woman welcomed, standing at the head of a group of heroes. Interestingly enough, Batman and all of his brood were among them. Nightwing, Red Robin, Black Bat, and Robin and the others.

“Wonder Woman,” she greeted back. “What’s the problem?”

“Your former partner has been kidnapped.”

Ladybug’s face turned pale, but she took a deep breath instead of panicking. “What do we know?”

“Ra’s al Ghul has taken the former Chat Noir in an attempt to convince the Guardian of the Miraculous to turn over the jewels to him,” Batman reported.

Her face turned up into a snarl. “The League of Assassins,” she spat.

They were surprised that she knew Ra’s. But they hid it well.

“I take it you understand why we cannot allow the Miraculous to be surrendered to his control,” Batman continued.

Wonder Woman stepped in before Ladybug could reply. “Ladybug, we need you to tell us who the Guardian is so that we may protect them.”

Ladybug let out a cold laugh. Shivers ran down everyone’s spine. “Wonder Woman, you misunderstand. The Order of the Miraculous is all but dead. I’m all that’s left. You want the Grand Guardian of the Miraculous?” She spread her arms wide. “You’re looking at her. And Ra’s al Ghul can have them over my dead body. ”

The gathered heroes looked stunned. “Now where is Adrien?”

Red robin started, recovering first. “You’re not going alone.”

“You’re right,” Ladybug cut in. “I’m not. I’m gathering my team.”

“What Red Robin meant to say is that Batman and his assembled partners are going with you,” Wonder Woman soothed. “They have experience dealing with Ra’s and would be a great asset.”

“I’ll be back in ten minutes, at the most.” She said. Everyone nodded. She portalled away to gather her team.

Five minutes later a portal opened and stepped out Honey bee, Dragoness and Cobra in the Glory. The portal snapped shut when Ladybug entered.

“This is not enough! We’re dealing with Ra’s al Ghul and the league here!” Ladybug said. “We need her. She’s the last resort if we lose!” Dragoness exclaimed. The Justice league was confused. Who were they talking about?

“You’re right. Bee, you’re the only one who knows where she is. You’re her best friend. I can't find her in all of paris!” Ladybug asks, turning to Honey bee.

“You’re right, I do. It’ll be easy to find her. She’ll be in her room. She’s always Isolated, so don’t worry about getting caught.” Honey Bee answers.

“Isolation! I thought I told her to Socialize!” Ladybug exclaims.

“Yeah, but her family treats her like a pariah except some people. But Ladybug I don’t know if she’ll be able to fight.” Honey bee says.

“Rossi?”

“Rossi.”

“Now location please.” Ladybug says.

“Right. Wayne Manor, Gotham, New Jersey.” Honeybee whispers. Earning surprised looks from Ladybug and the Supers.

“Alright.” Ladybug portals away. This was all staged of course. She had recently found a spell to make a clone of herself.

“Why won't the hero be able to fight? She’s a hero!” Batman exclaims.

“Depression, you overgrown furry, Depression. She’s tried committing sucide several times. We saved her.” This earns many shocked looks.

Cue opening a portal. All of the Paris heroes Gasps. All in glory Multimouse is standing there.

When Honey Bee saw Multimouse, she gasped and enveloped her in a hug, muttering French endearments and saying how much she’d missed her. Dragoness stole Multimouse for a hug next before passing her on to Viperion who also received an extra peck on the lips in return, while Ladybug watched with a soft smile.

With Kaalki involved, it was child’s play to get into the assassin stronghold. Team Miraculous filled the gaps and worked seamlessly in their own right, simply a step away from Gotham’s Bats. They beat assassins on their own. The Bats just watched in awe.

It didn’t take them long to make their way to Ra’s.

The man wore a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he greeted him from his throne. A bruised and bloodied but otherwise intact Adrien was being restrained on the dias a few feet away.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Team Miraculous,” Ra’s mused, looking down the line. His eyes paused on Multimouse and his expression shifted to intense amusement. “And if it isn’t the latest in the Detective’s brood. I suppose heroics truly do run in the family after all.”

A number of shocked and confused gazes snapped to Multimouse, who simply stared at him down with cold eyes growling quietly.

“And yet she isn’t why we’re here,” Ladybug cut in coldly, shoving that problem in a box for later.

Ra’s shifted his oily attention to her. “Yes, I believe I requested the Guardian, young Bug.”

“And here I am,” Ladybug said simply. “But I will never cede the Miraculous to you.”

“Well, then I suppose the Blonde Cat dies.” The assassin near Adrien tried to kill him only to turn to orange smoke. Ra’s growls when he realizes he was tricked.

“Your reign is over. Your crimes won’t continue much longer. Tell me, just how long have you been using the Pits to keep yourself alive?”

“Goodbye, Ra’s al Ghul,” Ladybug intoned. “We’ll leave you to what remains of your empire.” She turned and motioned for the Fox to open the portal to the Watchtower. The Bats followed behind.

Adrien was at the fringes, attempting to escape a hero that was trying to get him to the Medbay for medical attention. He only had eyes for Multimouse.

“Marinette!” he called.

The Bats were shocked at both the name and the blatant outing of a secret identity.

Adrien broke free from his wounds. “Marinette, I’m so sorry,” he said brokenly.

It was quiet for a moment. “I take it they told you why I left, then,” Multimouse said, carefully devoid of emotion.

“I never thought-”

“Don’t, Adrien,” Queen Bee snapped.

Adrien gaped at his friend, shocked at the venom her words carried against him.

“But her Lies, they weren't hurting anyone!”

“How?” Multimouse snapped, her voice cracking. She took a deep breath. “How was it different? Because you told me I had to ‘take the high road?’ Because her lies would unravel themselves? Because she wasn’t hurting anyone? Bullshit, Adrien! They were hurting me!”

“She followed your advice at first,” Queen Bee said sharply. “She shouldn’t have, but you were her friend and she trusted you. By the time she realized that it had been a mistake, it was too late. Everyone else was in too deep and you did nothing . When Mari tried to tell everyone that they were being lied to, she was made to look like a liar. A bully.”

“Do you realize that the rest of us had people on watchlists?” Ryuko said bluntly. “People at risk of Akumatization that could bring the city to its knees. Aurore, because of Stormy Weather II. Ondine, because of Syren. But do you know who was on top?” She let the silence sit. “Marinette. Marinette was on top of that list. The only reason she was above Ladybug was because Marinette was drowning. But any time she tried to get through to the others, Lila hit back harder and you would ask Mari to back down. Because we don’t want to upset Lila, right? We don’t want her to become an akuma. Again.”

“My parents believed her, Adrien,” Multimouse said quietly. “They sent me away because I was ‘out of control’. I’m treated like a criminal where I am now! So I’m sorry, Adrien, but I can’t forgive you. You said you didn’t want to live with more lies, but then you stopped telling the truth when it threatened your ‘peace’. Even when that ‘peace’ might have ruined my life.” She took a deep, steadying breath. “But you know what they say, right? Never meet your heroes.” She turned and looked straight at Batman. “They’ll always just disappoint you.”

- - - - - - - -

The next week was tense at the Wayne manor. But eventually they apologised to marinette. She became close with them. She and her family then sent lawsuits to the Akuma class.

The saying is true then. “All’s well that ends well.”

@maribat-bdbwm

#mbdbwm2021 #Bio Dad Bruce Wayne #maribat #Bio!dadbrucewayne2021 #lilasalt #batmansalt

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lesetoilesfous · 3 years ago

Note

I can’t decide if I want “sensory overload” or “on a leash” for Fenris and Fenders, so um, whichever sparks your interest please!

Oh my gosh I had too much fun with this. And "on a leash" gives me a bingo, thank you so so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@badthingshappenbingo

Fandom: Dragon Age 2

Prompt: On A Leash

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Slavery, Brainwashing, Mindwipe, Implied Sexual Abuse, Attempted Prositution, Graphic Depiction of Injury

Pairing: Fenders

Characters: Fenris, Anders, Isabela, Varric Tethras, Merrill

Additional Tags: Angst with a Bittersweet Ending, Hurt/Comfort (mostly), Evil/Red Hawke, post-canon, what if Hawke sold Fenris back to Danarius and then the gang went and saved him

Anders knew it was going to be bad. He was - had been - blinded by his own ignorance and pain in the past, too busy trying to scream loud enough to get people to stop ignoring the people murdering children to listen to anyone else. He’d been young and single minded and irrational, and then older and bitter and furious with a terrible, poisonous kind of pain that made it hard to see the world around him. But he wasn’t naive. He’d spent ten years nursing criminals and refugees. Before that, he’d spent nearly a decade in the Grey Wardens, with former slaves and blood mages and Dalish hunters and Antivan crows. Anders had not been naive since he’d first drunk from the Joining Chalice.

Still.

It’s almost impossible to see in the placid, polite, half-naked man the proud warrior he’d once known. Fenris’ hair has been shaved close to his head, a fuzz of powdered snow that’s bright as the moon against his brown skin. There’s a thick, silver collar hanging around his neck, and in it the reflections of his lyrium tattoos twist and shine like mercury. His chest is mostly bare, and thin white linen is wrapped in a loose skirt around his waist. His body is sculpted and unmarred and beautiful, and Anders does not for a moment believe that it means he has not suffered pain. His wide, green eyes no longer hold any of the intelligence, or humour, or fury that Anders had once fallen in love with. Instead he stares, docile, into the middle distance. A greatsword is slung on a strap of leather over his back, but like this Fenris looks no more capable of wielding it than a kitten. Again, Anders knows better than to trust in appearances.

Attached to the collar is a long, silver chain that ends in a black loop of leather. There are runes stitched into the leather in silver thread, though Anders cannot see what they are from where he’s sitting. Opposite him, relaxed, fingers hooked in the loop of Fenris’ leash, Danarius studies him with open curiosity.

Anders tries very hard not to vomit.

“So, you’re a Spirit Healer?”

Anders ducks his head, feeling his fingers beginning to shake and fighting hard to resist the urge to fidget. There’s a clocktower visible through the white marble arches of this balcony. He only has to last until the hour. Five minutes. He can do this. He tries very hard not to look at Fenris, or the way Danarius’ thumb is stroking possessively over the handle of his leash.

“I - I am, yes. I showed a talent for it when I was young.” Anders twists his hand in the air, summoning a wisp without catching his breath, and Danarius gives him the same indulgent, condescending schoolteacher kind of smile that Uldred used to offer before he beat you. Anders snaps his fingers, and the wisp returns to the Fade. At the back of his mind, Justice shifts uneasily, trying hard to resist his own urge to set the whole blighted mansion on fire. Anders tries to ignore the heat racing up the back of his neck and into his cheeks, and clears his throat. “I, uh, heard you were looking for apprentices?”

He can’t help the nervous tic that has him looking up, again, at Fenris as the lithe strength of his muscles. Again, he looks into those green eyes, searching for the spark of defiance that had drawn him so close so many years ago, like a moth to a flame worth dying for. “I’ve read your work an anatomical augmentation. It’s...fascinating.” Horrifying, he means. Anders had read the essays, in preparation for this. He doesn’t think he’ll ever stop having the nightmares. Not least the ones which superimpose Fenris’ face and body over the all too familiar anatomical sketches of Elven Subject 003.

Danarius twitches his hand with a tinkle of the chain like the ringing of a bell, and to Anders’ horror Fenris folds onto his hands and knees in one fluid motion to kneel beside Danarius’ feet. No emotion passes across Fenris’ face. Danarius runs his fingers over the fuzz of Fenris’ shaved head, and Fenris shuts his eyes in open, simple pleasure and Anders nearly throws up. Danarius runs his fingers down the back of Fenris’ neck, squeezing the back of it posssessively before looking up at Anders’ with a terribly possessive gleam in his clear grey eyes. “You’re a fan of my little wolf, then.”

Anders swallows the bile in his throat and stares at the clocktower. Three minutes. He can do this. Sweat tickles down his spine beneath the loose Tevene linen robe he’d bought for this occasion. He resists the urge to fuss with his hair, braided out of the way of his neck and ears in a fashionable Minrathous style. He forces himself to incline his chin. “Y-yes. Among other p-things. Among other things.”

Danarius chuckles, sitting back with a creak of his wicker chair, the crushed purple silk cushions huffing behind him as he moves. “Why so nervous?” Anders forces himself to huff a self deprecating laugh. “You knew him, didn’t you. In Kirkwall.” Anders’ jagged, insincere smile stiffens on his lips and Danarius laughs, moving forward to press both hands onto Fenris’ bare shoulders. Fenris shudders and looks up at him, eyes wide as a child’s. Danarius caresses the back of his head, and leans down to murmur intimately close to his ear, still loud enough for Anders to hear. “Do you recognise him, little wolf? Do you know who this is?”

For the first time since Anders had arrived at Danarius’ damn mansion, Fenris’ expression shows a flicker of emotion. Confusion flickers across his brow in a brief wrinkle followed by sudden, mute fear that freezes his expression with stiff tension when Danarius slips his fingers beneath Fenris’ collar and shakes him, gently. (Like a dog, Anders thinks, and imagines what setting this man on fire would smell like.) Danarius laughs, polite and performative. “How rude, Fenris! This man has come all the way from Kirkwall just to see you! Go on, thank him.”

Fenris hesitates for a millisecond, and Danarius sets a sandaled foot on his shoulder and kicks him forward hard enough that he chokes, briefly, as the leash goes taut and pulls on the collar around his neck. Anders sits forward without thinking, the muscle memory of ten years spent protecting this man’s life before Garrett Hawke ruined them both taking over any conscious thought of deception. Danarius doesn’t remark on him giving himself away - Anders is well aware that that game is long since given up.

Instead, the magister sits back, adjusting his grip on the handle of Fenris’ leash as Fenris sits up with tears of pain bright in his eyes, his fingers moving to dip beneath the skirt of Anders’ robes as he lowers his head towards Anders’ lap.

Anders has about three seconds to look up at Danarius and see the perverse glee in the old man’s eyes before Fenris' mouth bumps his cock through the fabric of his robes and his smalls, and suddenly Anders is two years younger on his back in The Hanged Man with his hands buried deep in silver hair thinking hopelessly that he’s fallen in love again.

Then he’s touching Fenris - ignoring the lightning bolt of rage that twists Danarius’ face as he does so, and gently pushing him away. Fenris looks up at him with an expression of quickly stifled terror, and Anders’ heart shatters. “No, no, it’s alright, it’s not you.” His fingers squeeze, reflexively, against the warm, smooth skin of Fenris’ biceps. “It’s going to be ok. I promise, love.” Again, a flicker of confusion wrinkles Fenris’ brow.

The clocktower strikes twelve. As the bells ring throughout the city, Anders becomes abruptly aware of the street below them: the sound of hawkers and tourists, the shouting of slaves and soft music of minstrels. Danarius is staring at him with a sneer twisting his thin lips blue. Anders gives him a wide, open smile. “Well, since we’ve given up on pretenses.” Then he punches Danarius in the face, harder than he's punched anyone since he escaped Kinloch Hold, relishing the way the man’s nose buckles beneath his fist.

He has a heartbeat to think, Nice job bleeding a Blood Mage, idiot, before Danarius’ blue-veined hand is curling into a rigid claw, and Anders’ body is lifting off the ground, his limbs contorting behind him in an agonising rictus that rips his left arm out of its socket and twists his ankle until it cracks.

Then there’s a thunderous BOOM that rumbles through the building, shaking plaster dust from the painted canopy over their heads, and the balcony on which they’re standing begins to list like a ship at sea. Danarius loses concentration on the spell, and Anders falls to the ground. He doesn’t take the time to breathe through the white hot splinter of pain in his ankle. He grabs the leash and pulls fire into his hands until his fingers are blistering and melts the metal until it breaks. Then he turns to Fenris.

Fenris, who has drawn his greatsword. Anders stares at him, and thinks about sitting with him beside a fireplace, sleepy and soft with wine, and stroking his hair as Fenris admitted that of all the things he feared, one of the ones that terrified him most was killing his friends. The building lists with a grinding rumble like a broken bone beneath a qunari sten, and amphorae and flower pots go flying across the tiled floor, hitting the building across the street in fireworks of soil and clay dust.

Anders’ bad ankle slips on the tiles and he grunts and turns it into a smile, and meets Fenris’ eyes. “No matter what, I want you to know that I forgive you.”

Then he runs forward and tackles Fenris, throwing them both off the side of the balcony. Behind them, Danarius screams, and Anders calls up a shield around them both that materialises a hair’s breadth away from the clinging red vines of Danarius' magic.

It’s only when they’re airborne that Anders registers the blade skewered through his chest.

He breathes, and salt and copper splatter against his lips and tongue. For a moment, in the golden, multicoloured kaleidoscope of sky and street, suspended in the air in a terrible embrace, everything is quiet. Fenris frowns at him, and blinks, and his green eyes flood suddenly with recognition and grief as he looks down at the sword hilt between them, intimate as a lover’s embrace. “Anders.”

Anders grins at him, and thinks he isn’t crying because of the pain, his tears rising behind him as they fall like backwards rain. He cradles Fenris’ head in his hand, and wraps his arms around his shoulders, and chokes as his organs shudder against the blade attempting to split him in two, and he feels Justice’s presence building in his mind like lightning in a thundercloud. “Be right back.”

What happens next returns to Anders in snatches of lucidity. Justice takes over, and draws the fade around them like a cloak as they fall through the wall of the building across the street like a comet. Fenris is unharmed and panicking, covered in Anders’ blood, his white linen skirt pink and red with it, the damn collar still locked around his neck. Justice had drawn the sword out of their chest and filled the wound with a magic simulacra of the blood vessels, muscles, organs and nervous system that needed to be there, in the way he had once reconstructed Kristoff’s corpse. (Both of them had quailed, at that comparison, but neither had time to linger on it.)

The building they’d fallen into was, of course, riddled with magisters, but before Justice could exorcise his frustration with a little smiting, all three men and women were dead with a bolt to the back of the head. Isabela appeared from the shadows in a puff of smoke like a mage herself, and Varric waved at them to follow him onto a waiting carriage. Merrill barely waited for them to get on board before she snapped the reins, and they bolted into the panicking crowds, most of whom were running to get away from the collapsing mansion.

In the carriage, consciousness had begun to make its slippery way out of Justice’s hands like a wriggling fish. Both of them had registered Fenris’ wide-eyed panic: the way he’d stared at their old friends with no hint of recognition, and held Anders’ arm so tightly it would bruise. But at that point, the blood loss had overcome them both, and they had passed out to Fenris shouting Tevene interspersed with Anders’ name, and Isabela trying to understand why.

Two years after Garrett Hawke sells him back into slavery, Anders, Isabela, Varric and Merrill free Fenris from Danarius’ service. They don’t go back to Kirkwall - all of them are too conscious of the so-called Champion’s stomping grounds to trust those streets. But Isabela has a contact in the Antivan Crows (or formerly of them - it’s complicated), so instead they go to Antiva City. Two days later, Anders wakes up.

Fenris is staring at him, wearing real clothes that seem to sit uncomfortably on his shoulders. His collar is gone, and there’s a small frown on his brow - a lifting of his eyebrows towards the bridge of his nose that he always used to wear when he was puzzling over particularly cramped handwriting (or, later into his studies, when he was attempting to accurately interpret and summarise abstract Qunari poetry). Anders breathes, and his chest sets itself on fire, and he groans and lets his head fall back against the richly perfumed pillow behind his head. It does relatively little to drown out the thick stench of hot leather that is as thick in the air as molasses.

Fenris startles when he moves, and stands, moving to the door. Anders frowns at him, turning his head to one side with all the energy he can muster. “Where’r’you’goin’?”

Fenris hesitates, turning back to him before lowering his gaze to stare at his still bare feet. There are new scars there, Anders registers, sadly, in neat white bands around his ankles. “I thought I’d fetch the mistress.”

Anders snorts, “Have you told her you’re calling her that?” He tries again to force himself to sit up, and Fenris starts forward, hands freezing in the air between them. His fingernails are neatly, perfectly filed and it ruins Anders’ tentatively building appetite.

“You really shouldn’t be moving.”

Anders grins, trying to ignore the sweat running down his temples as pain racks through every muscle in his body. “Why? Worried I’m going to split in two?” Fenris grimaces, and Anders grunts, giving up and collapsing to the bed with a thunderbolt of pain. “OW. Sorry. Bad joke.” There’s a rustle of fabric, and when Anders is able to stop seeing stars, he turns to find Fenris on his knees beside the bed, head lowered, hands palm up in front of him. “What in the name of Andraste’s perfect silky knickers are you doing?” Anders asks as if he doesn’t know. He thinks it’s going to be easier not to take this seriously, at first. At least whilst he recovers from the mortal injury.

Fenris flinches, and Anders regrets his bad attempt at humour, feeling Justice rumbling in the back of his head like a bowel movement. “Sorry, sorry. Look, Fenris, I’m not going to...punish you, or fuck you, or whatever it is you think I’m going to do to you. I actually have a very busy day planned of, uh, staring at that crack on the ceiling and pretending it doesn’t hurt when I breathe. Or speak. Fuck. I talk too much. I need to - ow - work on that.”

For a long moment, Fenris says nothing. Outside, there’s the sound of someone playing violin in the street, and the rich, warm sound of Antivan spoken loudly and with laughter. Now that he’s acclimatising to the leather, Anders thinks he can smell cured meat frying, and he’s beginning to reconsider his aborted appetite. He’s trying so hard to see if he can actually hear the sizzling of street food that he almost doesn’t hear Fenris’ voice when he speaks, barely above a whisper. “Why?”

“Because I love you.” Anders responds, more muscle memory than conscious - hey he doesn’t remember anything about you maybe we should start slowly - thought. Fenris stares at him, eyes wide, though his mouth twists in apprehension before he smooths it back into impassivity.

“Domine - My master loves me.”

Anders sighs, falling back in the bed to stare up at the crack in the ceiling and try to ignore the hot-cold flushes of pain rocking up through his body. “You don’t remember anything about me, so I’m not going to take that personally.”

Fenris is very still. “You do not...like him?”

Anders chuckles, and regrets it when his tattered organs throw a violent protest. “What gave that away.”

“You broke his nose.” Fenris says, solemnly, and Anders does laugh then, so hard he thinks it splits something open, and he finds himself clutching at his side in the sudden fear that his organs are going to fall out. When he can breathe again, he coughs on his dry mouth and shifts his gaze to Fenris, who’s watching him with wide eyes and the curl of a smile at the corner of his lips which Anders doesn’t think he knows he’s doing.

Anders’ gaze falls to a pewter jug of water on the bedside table and a wooden cup beside it. It may as well be in the Nocen sea, for all the nauseating pain running through him.

“Would you please pour me a glass of water?”

Fenris immediately hurries to obey with a soft, stifled sigh of something terribly like relief. He offers Anders the cup, and when Anders’ shaking, sweating fingers slip on the wood his hand comes up to cup the back of Anders’ head whilst the other pours the cup against his lips. The feeling of Fenris’ fingers in his hair, after so many years, holding him like this, is almost too much for Anders to bear. He keeps his eyes shut for a long time after swallowing, and breathes as tears tickle between the seams of his eyelids and run quietly down his cheeks.

Fenris’ thumb gently catches a tear and brushes it away from his skin, and Anders forces himself to open his eyes and stare up at the elf in the sunshine yellow and orange painted room in which he’s been laid to recuperate. Fenris meets his eyes, so briefly Anders thinks perhaps he imagined it, and draws his hand away. “My master said that I knew you. But that I had forgotten.” Fenris hesitates, mouth stiffening into a firm line that is so painfully familiar Anders thinks he’d choose the greatsword again. Then he looks up, “Did I - did we - it seems as if I meant a great deal to you.”

Anders smiles at him, though his lips tremble, and tries to ignore the feeling of his heart breaking. Outside, on the street, an older woman walks past, singing quietly to herself and humming when she forgets the words. “I think we meant a great deal to each other.”

Fenris purses his lips, and looks away, out of the window. Over the street, the silver-green leaves of an olive tree brush the windows of nearby buildings. Elsewhere in the building, Anders can hear the familiar purr of Isabela, and Merrill’s chirping, and the soft old gravel growl of Varric. Occasionally, the floorboards creak when they move across the lower floors. At last, Fenris’ shoulders drop, and he shakes his head. “I don’t remember you.” The words are rich with regret and apology.

Anders blinks against the new tears tickling his cheeks, and shakes his head. “I know.” Then he reaches out, his fingers cold and numb with pins and needles. Stiffly, fumbling, he grabs Fenris’ fingertips in his own like a much older man, and squeezes them. “I just wanted you to be free.”

#bad things happen bingo #dragon age 2 #fenders #fenris #anders #my fic #anon

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