#asked mirco

[vixalorvixen]

Happy birthday yo!! 🎂🎂

[annagaw]

the medical significance of Draco Malfoy Holding A Baby™: a micro-trope reading list

I am at a very particular point in my hormonal cycle and god damn it once again I have been asking the sub to rescue me in my time of need. It is at present biologically necessary for me to absorb content featuring Draco Malfoy Holding A Baby™.

In case anybody else suffers from the same health condition (called "having a uterus and dipping one toe into my 30s" - it is extremely serious and requires constant intervention), please allow me to share the fics that I have so far read and awarded this tag. I shall endeavour to update the list as I add to it.

For science, you understand.

NB: I have hidden fics for which baby content might be considered spoilers, but have not done so for fics in which the primary focus is pregnancy/childbirth. If you find the appearance of a baby at the end of your HEA pregnancy fic shocking, fair enough, but I refuse to hide the truth from you. Also there are a great many more wonderful fics that feature this trope than the ones on this list - this is merely a curated selection and not my definitive statement on which are Good.

-

Two Idiots and a Baby by ellemenno (M, 27k) - One could be forgiven for thinking that the sole motivation for writing this fic was to find an excuse to get Draco and that baby in the same room and let the magic happen - because my god does the magic happen! But ellemenno has the audacity to deliver it to us with as much style and humour as possible. The fact that this baby situation is occurring within a genuinely intriguing murder mystery and a hilarious idiots-in-denial, colleagues-in-love plot (reminiscent of Bad Omens and Scary Partner Privilege) is especially impressive. It contains another favourite micro-trope of mine: the Very Professional Business Sleepover.

Love and Other Historical Accidents by PacificRimbaud (M, 154k) - I know for a fact that this fic was the beginning of this particular fixation for me. It was one of the first fics I read when I discovered Dramione, and it lured me in by my need for regency romance, keeping me all distracted, before slapping me in the face with this perfect baby scene that I still think about constantly. Draco? Draco Malfoy? Having a one-sided conversation with a baby while staring out a window in a regency suit? Fetch the smelling salts, drag the bloody fainting couch over here, I am destined to swoon!

Cave, [Redacted] (E, 31k) / An Auror’s Guide to Horizontal Dueling (E, 16k) by Accio_Funky_Pants - Now, if Draco Malfoy merely holding a baby does funny things to your reproductive organs, let me tell you, you are not even ready for Draco Malfoy delivering a baby! (Hermione's baby, to be exact.) I used to struggle to read childbirth scenes, but the first fic is multiple chapters of...well, exactly that, and it is magnificent. Intimate, cathartic, warms every last cockle of your heart - truly not a cold cockle nor a dry eye left in the house (and no babies left in wombs either). The sequel fic is an extended epilogue in which, yes, you guessed it, Draco interacts yet again with a baby (and then gets laid after everyone demonstrates an extremely thorough understanding of consent). Good for him!

Witching Hour by neilistic (E, 12k) - This one is so overwhelmingly tender, I skimmed it a moment ago to make sure I remembered the plot and that alone nearly succeeded in wringing tears from me. Nice try, neilistic! (No, really, a masterful effort.) There's nothing like two people bonding over their trauma, their loneliness...but (gently) toss some tiny newborn babies into the mix? A dirty trick, designed to undo me, specifically. Ungentlemanly. (But neither half of Dramione have the energy here to be gentlemen. Oh, and did I mention? There's only one bed.)

The Phoenix Potion by FedonCiadale (T, 237k) - The whole cast of OC Granger-Malfoy offspring in this are completely charming. They're all distinct from each other, kind of weirdos in their own way, and I respect the hell out of it - they really do feel like the children of this particular iteration of Dramione. Hermione works a lot, Draco is a very hands-on father, and everything about their dynamic here feels so lived-in and safe, even when the rest of the world is not: their inside jokes and shorthand, their domestic routines, the way their kids make fun of them, all of it! And then there's just copious amounts of Draco handling babies. I rest my case.

epiphanies by HawthorneWhisperer (M, 31k) - single dad Draco gets a lot of page time in this fandom, and deservedly so. Yes, he is a father, but - more importantly - he is Daddy, and this fic wants you to know that it knows that. It is a perfect bite-sized distillation of everything enjoyable about this trope. Special shout-out to baby Scorpius' chubby little limbs, the real MVPs.

Mind the Bump by Soap1 (E, 84k) - There are an overwhelming amount of unplanned pregnancy fics out there - and believe me that could not be further from a complaint (for you see I need my delicious trope soups, their fertile broths sustain me) (I do hate that I typed that). This one has every ingredient necessary for a balanced diet - lots of lovely gentle caretaking and medically-enforced proximity, small bite-size pieces of drama to keep things a little spicy (please, soup metaphor, let me die). Oh! And...what's this? I won't name names, but did two people bring along all of their emotional baggage from their previous relationships with them? Well, I suppose we have room to store it all somewhere in the Manor.

Pros and Cons by ChaosAndCrumpets (E, 48k) - An unplanned pregnancy fic where everything happens in the run up to an election, a famously relaxing time, especially when you are the present M-oh-M! This fic gives you a political strategist Draco of such dazzling competence that it begs the question: is Draco holding a baby merely a matter of perspective? Perhaps anyone held by such a man is rendered a baby in comparison? But don't worry there's a literal baby too (eventually), and before that there's a disgusting slimy baby-man: Cormac McLaggen! (Though, unlike a baby, McLaggen is never held by anyone willingly, or Draco ever.)

The Pureblood Society of Stay-At-Home Dads by PurpleSugarQuills (E, 2k) - I feel like all the information you really need about this one can be contained in one exceptionally powerful sentence: it begins with Draco getting up to do the night feed with a sleepy little four month old. Hush, little one. Domesticated Draco has come to take care of you. Daddy's home. (Which makes sense because he works here.)

Wait And Hope (M, 95k) / Beginning and End (E, 242k) by mightbewriting - Although I do of course love Draco interacting with his own homemade organic babies, my actual favourite iteration of this trope is the moment that Hermione sees Draco with literally any generic brand baby for the first time, and is like, "oh. I see. I had not considered this. I did not know this would feel this way." And that is captured so very beautifully in both of these fics, at different moments, in different ways (and literally remarked upon by Ginny in the former).

Entries below the break contain mild to moderate plot spoilers for final chapters/epilogues

BLOODY, SLUTTY, AND PATHETIC by WhatMurdah (E, 195k) - You would think that the ceaseless emotional and literal carnage of this fic would prepare me for how unhinged Draco would be as a father and how much it would Affect Me Personally. Alas, apparently fucking not. Draco striding into the pub with his baby that nobody else is allowed to hold? Draco napping with his baby? Don't touch that baby! That baby is His Baby. (And that Draco is My Blorbo.)

I Love You Always Forever by EvergreenTuesdays (E, 13k) - This is a somewhat unhinged addition to the list, because yes, that is a baby Draco has in one arm, but in the other hand I'm pretty sure I'm clocking the remains of a dead dove. Distinctly un-chic. Yet undoubtedly compelling. This one has forced marriage, domestic abuse, murder, gore, a gorgeous (but graphic) illustration...and is also tagged "MILF Hermione". So something for everyone, really!

[libby-for-life]

Shrunk Down

Adam accidentally comes across one of Lucifer's spell books and, well, shenanigans ensue~. Art by @breedtheseed

Adamsapple

Adam knew he should have listened to Lucifer when he said to not go through his stuff without permission, but Adam, at the time, thought the Devil was just being dramatic. Now? He kinda wished he had listened.

Because he was currently shrunk down until he was four inches tall. He was lucky that his clothes shrunk too, or he would've been naked as well.

"Damn it, Lucifer is never going to let me live this down," Adam mumbled with a blush as he stood over the open book. "Maybe if I find a spell to reverse it I can—"

The sound of a door opening made him flinch and he turned to see Lucifer walk into the study. "Adam? Where are you?" Shit. Shit. This couldn't be happening. Of course, the Devil would choose now of all hours to come in when Adam didn't want him near him.

"Adam?" Lucifer called out, to be fair the place was huge, and Adam was hoping he could get away with the Devil not seeing him. He should have known that never would have worked.

Lucifer's eyes traveled to Adam, who was on the floor on an open spell book, and those red eyes widened when they spotted him. Adam could feel himself blush at the scrutiny.

Lucifer's gaze went from surprise to curiosity to finally landing on smug. "Oh~. Did someone get into something they shouldn't have~?"

Adam blushed harder and tried to run under the safety of the nearest bookcase when a sharp tug sent him flying into Lucifer's palm. "And running away? Naughty boy~." Lucifer tsked, his smug expression never leaving.

Adam blushed at the feeling of Lucifer's fingers wrapping around him, holding him so securely and easily.

"Now, didn’t I say not to go looking through my things?" Lucifer said as he brought his pet to his desk. Adam trembled in the Devil's grip. A light squeeze got him talking.

"Yes! You did!" Adam cried before the grip released him to a more comfortable position. "And? What did you do?" Lucifer asked, enjoying watching Adam squirm in his grip. "I—I disobeyed." Adam finally said with a red face.

"That's right. Those spells are dangerous and could easily kill you if you aren't careful. You're lucky shrinking was all it did." Lucifer swiped a finger and scratched Adam's head. His lamb melted into the touch making the lamb demon hum in in appreciation.

"But, I warned you, Adam. Do you remember what happens to naughty boys?"

Adam shivered with arousal and a bit of fear. He nodded making Lucifer grin, sharp teeth on display.

"They get punished~."

Adam was easily turned around, arms pinned back by fingers as Lucifer spanked him. Two fingers were all he needed, his hand was too big for a proper spanking, and Lucifer was quick to spank the squirming demon. He made sure to put a bit more power into his fingers so Adam would feel this punishment for days. Even slipped his pants down to show off his magnificent ass.

Adam cried out again as the fingers spanked him hard and fast, his ass already bruising from his punishment. "Aw, is my little lamb crying?" Lucifer asked, feeling tears fall on his hand. "I love it when you cry, little lamb."

"Ah! Ah!" Adam yelled as the fingers hit every inch of his ass. "I'm sorry!" He cried out.

"I know you are. But just a little longer." Lucifer purred. Soon, Adam was a teary and drooling mess, eyes glazed as he took his spankings without complaint.

The Devil knew it was time to stop. "There we go, little lamb. No more punishment. You did so well." He brought Adam up and Lucifer gently kissed the bruises that littered Adam's ass. He gently pulled his pants back on, for now at least, and gently rubbed Adam down.

Adam moaned at the contact as his muscles were worked and loosened. Lucifer frowned when his shirt kept getting in the way and made quick work of slipping it off.

Adam was a beautiful sight, with his chubby body on display for the Devil to see. Lucifer couldn't help but rub a finger over Adam’s mouth and to his delight, the lamb demon immediately sucked on the large finger.

Smirking, he poked a finger on Adam’s belly. He was so adorable like this. Just like all brats, they needed a firm hand so they could settle down. Adam was no exception to this.

"Hm. So cute like this. Do you want to be rewarded, Adam?" Lucifer asked, pushing a finger deeper into the soft stomach. Adam whined but nodded, too out of it to really respond properly.

Those pants were slipped down and soon, Adam was naked, whimpering gently in his hold. Smirking at his pet, he opened his mouth and sucked Adam inside. Only the top of Adam's torso remained on the outside. On the inside of the Devil's wet cavern, his tongue licked, rubbed, and even wrapped around every inch of Adam's skin.

Adam moaned, body trembling under Lucifer's administrations. The Devil gave a deep chuckle, the vibrations shaking Adam to his core.

He leaned back and sucked on Adam, his tongue gliding over Adam’s small dick before slowly entering the very wet hole. His little lamb could only hang there and drool as that massive wet tongue fucked him roughly.

Loud bleats mixed with moans and whimpers made Lucifer hard. The much taller demon let out a moan of his own as he felt his baby climax on his tongue. Making sure Adam was completely clean before gently taking him out, he gazed at his little lamb.

He smirked at him, purring at the fucked out expression he had. Perhaps....he could keep him small? Just a bit longer. Besides, his dick needed attention as well. So, with a devilish chuckle, he opened his pants and dropped Adam in there. There was already a cocktail mess of jizz and musk that he just knew Adam would get drunk off of. He buttoned up his pants, sealing Adam inside.

"Stay there and clean it up," Lucifer ordered before he returned to some paperwork that needed his attention.

[zeb-eb-beb]

I need bottom surgery immediately. Where is my penis.

[sensenotsense]

if anyone has any idol (or any music related ocs) that i could draw with my girls pls 👀

[slut4sugu]

— PRETTY LIL THING ! [𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜] 𝐄!𝟒𝟐 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤!𝐟𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

including: aged up!characters, mutual pining, spanish, cursing, slight stalking, protective miles

genre: fluff/suggestiveness

summary: miles has seen you around the school and has taken a liking to your sweet and sarcastic nature oh..and your very pretty face

🎸: 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭-𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫

You’ve heard about the prowler before and even sworn you saw him a couple rooftops away from your house one time. Though you never would’ve thought that the violent individual would be crushing on you. “So you’re telling me that you would rather go out with Jordans hoe ass than Miles Tasha?” Your friend Kali asked, eyes glancing over to the teen who was sittin in his assigned seat busy taking notes even well after class was over, before glancing back at the light skin girl who sat in front of her. “Listennn, Miles is fine but he kinda scary tho.” She explained, fixing her claw clip that held her Mirco braids before looking down at her now lit up Lock Screen, “Besides I just got a text from jordannnn.” She giggled, quickly picking up her phone before getting lost in messages. Kali rolled her eyes, before shifting in her seat to talk to you. “What about you tho girl? Last time i checked your into scary lil boys.” She teased, twirling a curled braid around her manicured finger.

You rolled your eyes at the darkskinned girl, before taking in a glance at Miles. You never really talked to him but, Tasha wasn’t wrong he was definitely fine, his braids complimented his already handsome features. He had nice eyes too.. and his forearms were- you looked up for a second admist in your thoughts only to catch his eyes staring into your brown ones. Instead of looking away you smiled softly, waving at the boy. Your heart rate accelerating when he waved back, a small small smile causing your heart to melt. Only to hear Kali going “No fucking way he waved at you.” Causing your eyes to widen as you wiped your head around to scold your friend for being so loud, though not being able to help the slight smile tugging at your lips when you heard his faint snicker. ‘ I’ve never seen miles smile before..that shit was cute as fuck-‘ you thought to yourself. “My god Kali! Didn’t I tell your ass to stop being so loud?!” You whisper shouted, before quickly gathering your books realizing the next period is about to start. “My bad, but its not every day you see that mothafucker smile.” She said defensively, you rolled your eyes in response though you agreed with her in your head.

You tapped Tasha on her shoulder, snapping her out of her lovey dovey trance. “Oh shit, thanks y/n. Bro Jordan is actually a sweetheart yall gotta hear what he just sent me, ‘was the sweetest fuckin thing.” You and Kali looked at each other with the “this bitch finna talk about ‘her man’ all 4th period” face. “Mhm I bet it was Tash.” You said dryly, before putting your supplies and phone in your tote bag standing up quickly as you looked at the clock. “Now cmon yall, I wanna get sum from the vending machine before 4th! Hurry up, cmon!”

Miles watched as he saw you pull both of your friends out the door, the white bow that was clipped to your ponytail finally became visible as you three left the classroom. “Niña bonita.” he muttered to himself with a small smirk, before packing his own things up as he got ready to leave.

✮. Now onto headcannnons!

[🕷]after that small encounter, miles would start to make note of your paths home and schedules as to not put you in any danger in future missions

[🕷] since you both would have 2nd and 4th period together, when your friends weren’t there that day or with ‘they’re mans’ you would pair up with miles for anything. Which surprised almost half the class since miles usually kept to himself and scared off any one who needed a partner to rather work by themselves.

[🕷] once you two started to pair up more small talk started, which turned into sitting with him at lunch, which then turned into letting him walk you home

[🕷] Miles would always look out for you a well, whether it be reminding you of deadlines, or scaring off any dickheads who wanted to take advantage of you. Which you thought was hot, how he scared people off without having to do anything

[🕷] after a while you started to have feelings for miles, which he knew and thought it was cute how you always denied it when he would flirt with you, though whenever you saw a girl show interest in him you would roll your eyes and yet mind your business only to have the biggest smile when he would eventually turn her down.

[🕷] Since of course miles liked you too he wanted to tell you how he felt but he thought about the danger he could put you in if you found out who he really was. Would you run away? Never talk to him again? Report him to the police? He couldn’t bear think of a day were he couldn’t see your pretty smile. So he distanced himself.

[🕷] He noticed how you would become more quiet in class, your usual bubbly star student attitude gone as you would now just sit in the back of the class your head down not saying a word. Your wardrobe growing more dull, your usual softcore style turning into just hoodies and sweats

[🕷] He started to worry about you, following you home became a normal thing. Ensuring you didnt get taken or hurt by anything or anyone.

[🕷] Then finally heart shattered, when he saw you about to go up to him before meeting his gaze and turning around. He couldn’t take it, he rather tell you who he is rather than just shut you out. So thats exactly what he did, not bothering to tell his uncle Aron.

He caught you on your way home one day, coming out of an alleyway scaring you in the process. “Shit- wait..Miles? What are you-what do you want.” You asked firmly, despite your eyes starting to water slightly at the sight of merely seeing his face. “Look, angel I- the only reason I iced you out like that is to protect you. You don’t know who I am or what I’m associated with. And the last fuckin thing i want is to put you in danger.” You looked into his eyes, seeing if he meant what he said. “What are you talking about miles? Your not dangerous, or scary or nothing like that. I don’t care about whatever those weird ass clowns call you at vision. I care about you.” You explained, walking up to him. Your eyes starting to wobble as he backed up in response, “You don’t understand-“ “Then tell me Miles!” You shouted, tears finally spilling from your waterline. Causing the brown skinned teen’s face to fall into guilt, “Tell me why I can’t be with the one person who I love so damn much-“ “I’m the prowler.”

He did it. Your gonna run away. Why aren’t you running? Get away from here-You took another step and quickly wrapped your arms round his torso. Hugging him tight as you buried your face in his chest, “I don’t care about that miles, I just said i fucking lo-“ You felt two strong forearms wrap around your lower back, “I heard you ma, ‘love you too. But you shouldn’t be-“ You squeezed him tighter, “I’m staying miles, I don’t care who you are. I’m staying with you.” He chuckled, resting his chin ontop of your head. “Fine then, but stop wearin hoodies unless its mine. You look prettier in skirts and shit.” You giggled, pulling back from the embrace to look up at him. “Fine, only if you kiss me like you’ve missed me.” Your eyes flickered from his lips back up to his dark brown eyes, with a smug smile plastered on your lips.

“your a lucky pretty lil thing..givin me a run for my fuckin money.”

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Character Driven vs. Plot Driven

I had someone message me asking what these terms meant and which Miraculous was and if it explained the writing, especially in context of the ending of season five and that's not something I can answer in a quick reply, so you all get a post instead!

Intro

At first glance, “character driven” and “plot driven” are somewhat confusing terms because almost every story has characters making choices that make things happen and almost every story has some kind of plot that's driving the action, so what do these terms even mean? Why do we use them?

The answer is that we generally don’t? These are high-level categorizations that I’ve almost exclusively seen talked about in things like writing classes where the instructor is trying to help you figure out your style preferences or perhaps painting a genre in broad strokes. I rarely see these terms come up when discussing specific works because they’re not that useful in the mirco. They never excuse or explain writing choices the way something like genre might because genre is a meaningful category and these really aren't. They're too vauge.

Also, as with many such binary categorizations, there’s a spectrum here. On one side is pure plot-driven and on the other is pure character-driven and in between them are most of the stories you'll consume in your life. In spite of that minor issue, I am going to start by defining what these two terms mean at their most extremes because that is relevant to the discussion. We’ll then use Miraculous to get into the nuance of the spectrum.

Character Driven

Character-driven narratives are stories that focus heavily on characters doing – or not doing – things because of their unique personalities, thoughts, and feelings. Stories where the events unfold almost entirely because of who the characters are and what very personal choices they make. Switch the characters and the story would look wildly different or even not exist at all.

When I think of pure character-driven works, I generally think of coming-of-age stories where there’s almost no plot to speak of. It’s just a teenage character struggling with life and learning to accept it. Character studies are another good example.

Plot Driven

Plot-driven narratives are stories that you're engaging with for something other than the characters. The characters are just set pieces that are there to be used by the plot. This means that the characters are probably making choice, but we’re not going to focus on the deep, nuanced reasons for those choices. Change the characters and the choices remain the same because the story is focused on something beyond the characters.

When I think of pure plot-driven stories, I think of stereotypical action movies. Movies where the villain is throwing things at the hero and the hero is overcoming them as fast as they can and so much is happening that you barely even know who these characters are because you're not here for the characters. You're here for the action, so it's fine if the characters are pretty generic. Mystery stories also tend to fit this category as those are often just about the mystery and the characters that aren’t developed beyond what is needed for the puzzle to work.

Nuance

So which is Miraculous?

If we must pick a side, then it’s going to be plot driven because that is Miraculous’ main writing style. It’s not here to study the characters and let them drive the action. It’s here to entertain kids in 20-minute-long chunks where the kids don’t need to know the greater context of who the characters are in order to get what is going on. Pick a random episode and it’s probably going to be one where a random akuma shows up and where everything that happens will never come up again. That is not what character-driven narratives look like. This is not a show brimming with things like Chat Blanc and the season five final. Those are exceptions to the rule.

However, the existence of those episodes and the fact that some of the characters aren't interchangeable shows that this isn’t a purely plot-driven show. The writers do want the characters to effect the world in unique ways decided by their personalities and motivations and relationships. Those are character-driven elements and is why these categories are kind of meaningless in this context. Plot driven vs character driven doesn’t justify or explain Miraculous’ writing choices because many of the writing choices make no sense in either type of story!

Narratives that are mainly plot-driven are not narratives plagued by poor characterization. They’re just ones where the characterization elements aren’t the main focus. You still want your characters to feel authentic and make sense and you can even have moments where the action is effected by who the characters are because plot-driven isn’t some hard rule. As I said at the start, it’s just a general categorization! Genre and format are infinitely more limiting and worthy of discussion because they actually come with some pretty clear rules.

Dunking on Miraculous

The problem with Miraculous is not that the plot is the main driving force of the action. The problem is that characters often make no sense! They act widely out of character for the sake of dragging out the plot, which is the plot driving the narrative, but that doesn’t make it good writing! “Because plot” is not an excuse, it’s just an explanation. In fact, because the show so often ignores the characters’ personalities for the sake dragging out the plot, it actually undermines the entire story because it feels cheap when the story tries to use the characters’ personalities to justify further delays Oh, now you’re letting this matter? Really? How nice. F-off.

Here are some examples of what I mean about the plot-driven nature of the show making inauthentic characters:

Alya is obsessed with finding out everything she can about the miraculous and even becomes a full-time team member in season four with the explicit job of tracking down the butterfly and the peacock, but she never does anything meaningful in that role. We never see her trying to track down the villains even though her character would absolutely do that. Her lack of action is wildly inauthentic.

Gabriel and Nathalie learn all of the temp heroes identities at the end of season three and make two minor efforts to do something with that information that before letting their god-tier knowledge fizzle to nothing even though those same temp heroes never stop being used. This is out of character for both of them, especially Nathalie. In a story that was true to its characters, this would have meaningful consequences such as all the temp heroes having to be benched and/or the villains guessing that Ladybug is someone who knows these people since they have some obvious connections.

The secret identities are the only reason Ladybug lost all of the miraculous at the end of season four and Adrien knows this. The season also ends with Ladybug promising to trust him more and the next season opens on an episode where she does just that. In spite of this, Adrien never even tries to tell her about the secret identity thing and Ladybug never seems to become more open with her partner because, if the show did those things, then an identity reveal would happen and they can't let that happen so, once again, plot trumps characterization.

When a show is plagued by asinine choices such as these while also trying to claim it has these overarching plots and meaningful character beats, the story can come to feel disingenuous and frustrating to a lot of fans. That’s why we can get something as divisive as the season five ending. Because of the poor writing that lead up to that final, it’s hitting different people in different ways depending on how tolerant they are of a lot of the shows previous flaws.

Would it be hard for Marinette to tell Adrien the truth? Sure! That struggle is - in theory - a genuinely good character beat, but it falls flat for many because it comes after multiple seasons of forced, inauthentic delaying tactics that spat in the face of established characterization for basically every meaningful character. With those in mind, it’s hard to view the secret keeping as some authentic, meaningful choice for Marinette’s character when she and many others have been denied so many other authentic, meaningful choices.

This is extra true because her choice to keep both Adrien and Chat Noir in the dark just compounds the issue of the authentic growth that Marinette has been denied! I briefly touched on this in that last example in my list, but we just spent an entire season watching her and Chat Noir maintain their distance in spite of that being something that should have changed based on the character-based events of the last season. Remember, season four gave us this moment in Penalteam:

Ladybug: (looks around them and frowns) I'm sorry, I've been a bad captain. I played a solo game, I forgot we're a team. I'm gonna need all of you now, more than ever. Rooster Bold: Are you sure? I'm not really.. Ladybug: You're an excellent player, Rooster Bold. That's why I chose you. That's why I chose all of you! Let's play together, and bring all of our individual strengths together onto the field!

And this moment in the final, which is the two-part episode directly after Penalteam:

Ladybug: Why don't you just give up on me? I've lost ALL the Miraculous! I'm the worst Guardian EVER! I wanted to control everything, I didn't listen to you, I lied to you, I kept you at a distance! Every time you offered me a helping hand, I never took it! I really made a mess of EVERYTHING! (continues sobbing)

We are, as always, going to ignore that these things don't really match the story that season four told and instead take them at face value since this is the stated lesson. The viewers are being directly told that Ladybug went into season five having learned to trust others and stop keeping Chat Noir at a distance.

But did she? What actually changed in season five? I can't think of anything. Season five maintained all of the secrets and ended by adding new ones. We also had to suffer through Marinette doing absolutely nothing to try to find the missing kwamis even though that is wildly inauthentic to her character. Once that girl has a problem to solve, she obsesses over it! It's one of the few things that consistently gets her acting normal around Adrien, so why did her brain shut off and go full-Adrien for all of season five?

Add in the fact that a major plot of season five was outing Lila's lies and lies being bad and Marinette keeping this secret falls incredibly flat both plot-wise and character-wise. There's a reason that one of the main justification people use for the lie is a scarf from season one that we have literally never seen again and that Marinette never actually lied about. The show simply did not set itself up to make Marinette's lie feel like some authentic character beat. The best justification most people can give is that a 14-year-old would probably struggle to reveal this secret.

To be fair, that is a believable justification. That's believability is why the season five ending could have genuinely worked in a better show where the characters felt more authentic or even if it came much earlier in the story. If this was the season two ending, then I think that most people would be engaged by it and I’d probably even be defending Marinette’s actions because this is a massive thing to put on someone’s shoulders and she was early in her journey. Heck, I have defended her actions by pointing out that she was the last-informed of the group of people in the know and none of them are telling Adrien, so this is not all on her.

But that's the best I can do while being authentic to the story because this lie isn’t part of a story with authentic characters. Marinette has not been set up to lie like this and the lie is being told at the end of a season full of poor storytelling after multiple seasons of stalling tactics, making it impossible to take this lie seriously. Even if Miraculous was a primarily character-driven show, you can’t use that to justify the lie while ignoring all the poor characterization that surrounds it. The writers gave Marinette the kind of journey that should lead to her being brave enough to tell the truth, not the kind of journey where she was too much of a coward to tell the truth. The writing also never set up Nathalie or Kagami as the kind of people who would just bow to Marinette's wishes. It is glaringly obvious that this is all happening as a delaying tactic and not because it's a good choice for the characters or the plot.

[joutsummer]

"On the Beach" by Mary Oliver + Brothers, Teammates, Rivals & Friends

"On the Beach" by Mary Oliver (x) | Matej Mohorič & Fred Wright, 2023 Tour de France, Stage 19 (x) | Jonas Vingegaard, Sepp Kuss, Christophe Laporte & Tiesj Benoot, 2022 Tour de France, Stage 20 (x) | Mathieu van der Poel & Jasper Philipsen, 2023 Paris-Roubaix (x) | Ivo Oliveira & Rui Oliveira, 2023 Portuguese National Championships (x) | Marc Soler & Tadej Pogačar, 2023 Tour de France, Stage 17 (x) | Jonas Vingegaard & Tadej Pogačar, 2022 Tour de France Podium Ceremony (x) | Wout van Aert & Mathieu van der Poel, 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Championships (x) | Mark Cavendish & Geraint Thomas, 2023 Giro d'Italia, Stage 21 (x) | Felix Gall & Ben O'Connor, 2023 Tour de France, Stage 17 (x) | Richard Carapaz & Michał Kwiatkowski, 2020 Tour de France, Stage 18 (x) | Ilan van Wilder & Remco Evenepoel, 2022 Vuelta a España, Stage 21 (x) | Mark Cavendish & Julian Alaphilippe, 2021 Tour de France, Stage 6 (x) | Primož Roglič & Tadej Pogačar, 2020 Tour de France, Stage 21 (x) | Julian Alaphilippe & Mirco Maestri, 2024 Giro d'Italia, Stage 12 (x) | Valentin Paret-Peintre & Aurélien Paret-Peintre, 2024 Giro d'Italia, Stage 10 (x) | Juan Sebastián Molano & Rui Oliveira, 2023 Vuelta a España, Stage 12 (x) | Jonas Vingegaard & Wout van Aert, 2022 Tour de France, Stage 11 (x)

Thank you @arriere-du-peloton for answering the call when I asked for cycleblr's favorite hugging photos!

[jamespotterlovesreggie]

Nightmare - A Rosekiller mirco -fic

January promts day 3 . word-count 227

@rosekillermicrofic

TW. Barty Crouch Senior mentions

Barty had started having regular nightmares since he'd come back from his summer at home , They often ended when he'd woken up in cold sweats but he learned to deal with them .

But this one was different his father had yet again been yelling at him about his appearance , His friends but what hurt the most was when his dad started talking about Evan calling him all kinds of horrible names that's when Barty snapped and started yelling at his father .

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT EVAN LIKE THAT "

His father was taken aback by his shouting and got even more mad his face was cherry red now .

" CRUCIO " his father screamed with a deep look of hatred in his eyes.

Barty had started screaming in pain not realising he was screaming out loud , He was awakened by his boyfriend who had now gotten into bed next to him to hold him .

Barty was shaking in fear but he slowly calmed down as Evan stroked his hair.

"You ok bat "

"I'm fine just a nightmare "

"But this one was worse ?" Evan asked with a soft tone .

Barty couldn't bring himself to reply so Evan just held him until he fell asleep .

Evan stayed awake though staring daggers into the ceiling thinking of all the ways he could hurt Barty's dad to get him back for all the ways he hurt the love of his life so many times before.

(sorry that it's not that good i have a bad case of writing block)

[vixalorvixen]

you know.... if I was a vampire

ok fine i'll listen to Will Wood

[bruh-anator3000]

CAT-astrophic

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A/n: *pushes rock I live under over and peeks out of the black abyss* Hey, have you guys seen a Car Wash Miguel fic anywhere? I don't know what happened to it but it's no longer here. Might've escaped... anyways, watch this cat for me while I look? Thanks. And don't mind the hot homeless dude who talks to him, they're bonding. *returns into the depths of the void*

Summary: A hot dude won't stop talking to your cat, it's kind of freaking you out.

WC: 1.7k, edited by google docs...

Pairing: Miguel x GN!Reader

Warnings: crack fic, Spider-cat's real name is Sir Jeffords bc i said so, clueless reader, pro outdoor cat (i'm not actually, keep ur cats safe pls), future-ish?, accidentally snuck in some world building, in Lyla we trust 🙏, Miguel in tight clothing bc I also said so, and wait wtf are you doing with a dead rat miguel, AND WTF IS THIS WHITE STUFF DUDE?!

Also no Spanish bc I've done some research and those who do speak it have asked non-native speaker to avoid it, to prevent bad google translations and maintain respect!

Okay, enjoy~

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You were about to head in for the night when you were not tripped by your cat for his dinner. After a quick search around your apartment, you sighed upon realizing he was still outside. Shrugging on a coat, mismatched slippers, and grabbing a flashlight, you went out to look for him.

Plenty of people told you to keep your cat inside. That it was vital to their health to keep them safe indoors. There were plenty of articles stating the cons of letting a domesticated cat roam freely outside with no supervision. They were also written 80 years ago. The world has changed since then, drastically.

Sure, it would still be smart to keep Sir Jeffords inside. Less late night searches for him, no more worrying if that scratch on his right paw was from running too fast along pavement or something worse. But he came from the life of an alley cat, and no matter what you tried, he had to be out there for a few hours a day. Last time you tried to stop him, he went under your radar for three days. You had a panic attack, worried he didn't love you anymore, but he did eventually come back. Chipper and eager, and he made sure you left his cat door unlocked.

The streets were cleaner than 80 years ago. The people were kinder. The city more accommodating to everyone, even stray animals. Sir Jeffords was mirco chipped, and even if it didn't work for tracking half the time, the shelter folks could scan his neck and drop him back home.

There were no pounds or pest controls anymore, just volunteers who helped poor animals stay warm. And find whoever left them in the streets. It was a crime to leave them now, resulting in 6 months of detention if caught dumping your animal friend into the alleys.

Jeffords was a smart cat. He knew what he was doing. You trusted him. In the event of something bad happening, you made him swore he would come find you right away. Though he couldn't speak, his tail wrapping around your pinky seemed solid enough.

You called out his name, followed by a few 'pspspsps's to really seal the deal. Your flashlight shining in the darker corners of the streets he may be hiding in. Cats and their dark, unreachable corners, Sir Jeffords fell victim to any cozy spot he could barely tuck himself into.

It wasn't until a few blocks away, a little past the bank, when you heard a meow. Very similar to his, you quietly sped your pace, wanting to grab your kitty and go home. The closer you got, it seemed more like he was responding to someone else more than you.

"-and your service is always appreciated." You heard a deep voice whisper. Their voice a grumble echoing through the alley they hid in. "You're one of our best." Your brows pinching together, you turned the corner of the bank, flashlight illuminating your fluffy orange cat. Who was rubbing up against the shin of a random man.

He looked up at you, eyes darkened as he blocked your flashlight with his large hand. They almost seemed red as he stayed squatted, Sir Jeffords head butting his knee. His face pure sharp angles, with a scowl permanently in place. His black shirt a tight, compressing fit. Clinging to each muscle and vein in his arm, stopping halfway down his bicep. His calves just as impressive. His shorts doing nothing but making him look even hotter.

Wait, no. This was a random man, he wasn't hot.

You lowered the light and gave an awkward smile. Seemingly unimpressed, his hardened gaze turned back to your cat. "He's yours?" He asked, voice rumbling low in his chest. With a nod, he added, "He's... cute."

Okay, maybe he was a little hot.

"Right?" Your smile smoothed into something more natural. "He's the cutest cat to ever exist." You lowered yourself down onto your knees with a soft baby call. Sir Jeffords trotting into your lap happily, orange fur swaying with his steps.

Your hand ran through his silky fur. Tension easing from you as you held him close again. Though his three day disappearance had yet to happen again, you still worried. He was your precious baby, after all. The one you shared everything with, and he never once judged.

Your fingers caught on something sticky, stopping short of his lower back. Pulling your hand away, strings of white followed, sticking to your fingertips. The feeling moist and far too clingy for comfort. A disgusted shiver ran up your spine at the horrible sensory.

The man stood then, tossing a tissue at you as he did. His gaze stayed on your cat, never faltering. He pushed his dark hair away from his face, still scowling.

Glancing between your hand and the man that now towered over you, you almost gagged. This wasn't... his, right?

"It was the rat." Like he read your mind, the mysterious stranger held out his other hand. A dead rat laid in his palm.

"That... doesn't make me feel much better." You suppressed another full body shake, quickly wiping your hand off. This guy may be extremely attractive to look at but the longer you stayed there, the more uncomfortable you got. "How would a mouse... And what is this?" You felt yourself getting sick as you held the tissue out, the white stuff now sticking to the paper instead

"Webs. And, it's a rat." He stated with a straight face. More angry at your confusion than anything. "Chased him through some spider webs."

You let out a soft 'oh.' But that didn't explain why he was holding onto the dead rat.

And he let it stay that way. Instead of reading your mind like he had been this entire time, he just... walked off. With a dead animal in his grasp. Without a word.

Your confused gaze turned to your cat, knees beginning to ache from the pressure of concrete beneath. Sir Jeffords purred into your stomach loudly.

"You're not allowed to hang out with that guy, ever again."

...

"Christ!" Miguel tossed the rat at the wall, hearing him curse. The small animal glitched into a grown adult, body morphing sickly. "That..." The villain panted, rubbing at his neck. Bruises from how tightly he was held already forming there. "... was not what I was expecting."

Miguel squatted back down, balancing on his toes as the hologram of regular clothes shifted back into his suit. "You chose to become a rat, in a world whose Spider-Man is a cat." He slammed down a disk, red netting encasing the fool. "That was your own fault."

"It was the only way I could get into the bank!" The villain squeaked. Miguel tuned out almost immediately, eyes turning to his watch. Setting the portal to his universe, and making sure he wasn't needed elsewhere. He entertained the villain in a tacky grey suit with distant hums and 'oh, yeah, uh-huh's. It was best to just let them get it out of their system then try to shut them up.

"And I would've gotten away with it, too! If it weren't for you and your cat!" The shape shifter writhed in the nets.

"Sound like a damn Scooby-Doo villain." Miguel stood up with a huff. He would never admit it, but Hobie used the term so often, he had to look up what he was referencing. Only to end up watching the first few seasons. He had to stop around the third season, a sick sense of deja vu hitting him with a bat. The cartoons reminded him too much of the daughter he never really had.

With a sigh, "Lyla," He called.

The AI appeared before him, wearing a shit eating smirk. He opened his mouth to command something else when she beat him to it. "You should've asked for their number."

"What?" Miguel's head snapped up, eyes wide.

"They were cute, should've asked them on a date." She glitched to his side with a teasing laugh.

"Lyla, I... no." He grumbled, flicking at his watch.

"Oh, you know?" Miguel tried to smack her away, only for her to reappear on his left shoulder. "You should go back, then."

Miguel glared at her, ignoring how the tips of his ears began to burn. "I can't, its-"

"Not a canon event." They said at the same time. Lyla rolling her eyes behind her heart-shaped glasses, Miguel focusing on creating a portal. "You're such a loser, you know that?" She huffed and puffed, spawning with her back turned to him.

He tried to reach out with a heavy breath, but she moved further away. This time sitting with her arms crossed and pouting.

"They were cute." The villain nodded from his fetal position on the ground. Earning a glare from the two. Shrinking further into himself, the shape-shifter apologized.

Miguel thrust his forearms forward, his mantis blades catching on the fabric of time. Ripping them apart with a grunt. Orange and purple twisted in front of him, and he grabbed a hold of the red netting the anomaly was in.

"Meet me back at HQ," He spoke to his AI with a nod. Foot already in the portal, he turned to cast a menacing glance at Lyla. "And do not try anything."

She held up her hands in defense, watching the portal close behind him. It wasn't like she even had to do anything - not anymore. She already slipped his multiversal number into the collar of Spider-Cat. All that needed to happen was you either found it, or it fell out. Lyla just had to wait to see which option would be canon.

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Check out my Masterlist!

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hi! Not so much an ask but I love your writing! A bunch of your stuff showed up on my fyp and I liked it, and then realized I had been reading your ao3 fics and didn't know it. Normally I avoid mirco fics bc they aren't always well written- I tend to assume fics are short because people abandon them or run out of time, but as a writing exercise makes sense too. I'm working on dialogue (I tend to feel mine falls flat) and I really like how yours reads. Anyway, I don't comment on ao3 bc I still live with my parents (I'm over 18 but can't afford to live on my own yet- tho I'm working on it) and I have to be careful. But I really enjoy your writing!

-a young confused writer with taste <3

Awww thank you so much! I appreciate that!

Sending you love!!

[mircoalien]

¡Hallo aliens!. As a good woman that I am, I decided to say, like that program, "this is the truth", okay no, today we will talk about, disgusting because it is, about Bushido, what's going on in your mind?, just in case They don't know why, back in 2006, Bushido, a German rapper, "insulted" and "harassed" Billy, who at that time was 17 years old and Bushido, 25/26, or there are several people who say that he was 29, but really, he was 27 years old at that time, I mean that I already did a more in-depth investigation about this, I even found fan fics, or art photos of them, risqué, and I literally froze, anyway, let's talk...

18 years ago, in 2006, Bill participated in an interview, along with the rest of the band, but Bushido, a German rapper, who didn't like him at all, was there. Bill, in the interview, everything was "fine." "However, the interviewer asked Bushido if he had anything to say to Bill, to which he said "I would like to ask him if he would like to have oral sex with me." I mean, what's wrong with him? Being 27, he should behave with a 17-year-old, please, what a mentality, of course it was seen, how Bill had several tears, after the program, they say that Bill cried too much, well Bushido too, he told him in a way, that if he was gay, only because of his appearance.

And not only that, every time Bushido appeared on German television, he talked about Bill, who he found attractive, I don't know what, a lot of stupid things, even in one of them he said, "Bill, if you don't come here and stop me, we're done." , the presenter, just as stiff as me, asked him why he spoke to him like that, and Bushido said, "because as boyfriends we can talk to each other like that", MY GOD! Also in 2007, it seems as if Bill let him do it to him. those types of comments.

I think Bushido had won the Comet awards for best German singer, or something like that, in fact the photo above is from that moment, Bill even said "I knew it, I knew he was going to win", hell even There are disgusting people who created fan fics about them, and even uncomfortable art, I mean risque, in short aliens, this seems so disgusting to me, but this depends, on what you think of course, well I I'm just the Bill below, with Bushido thank you, a little message for Bushido...

Dear Bushido, I hope you die soon, if Bill is such a sweet person, I don't have a grudge against you, so you go and fuck all your fucking mother, may you go through many tragedies in your life, from here until you die WITH LOVE, Mirco goodbye aliens!👽🛸...

[teeth-cable]

Vaggie isn't given the cruel treatment. It shows how Alastor is straying Charlie from her advice. Almost like Alastor is a bad guy

Despite her hotheadness, Vaggie is portrayed as right. Any slapstick against her is that: Slapstick.

Never in the pilot was Vaggie shown in a villainous light for being overly serious. Stop.

I’m sorry, did you forget all the insults and mirco-aggressions Angel had towards Vaggie? All the physical contact Alastor did? And Charile (Who is supposed to be her GF) never once took Vaggie’s concerns seriously or protected her from the men despite being the princess of Hell.

Moxxie is the only other character in the Hellverse to this brutal treatment. Moxxie is almost right like Vaggie but gets constantly punish for it. Loona repeatedly calls him fat to the point he developed body issues, Blitzo and Loona verbally and physically abuse Moxxie, Blitzo stalks him, the show makes fun of his femininity, and Millie who gets angry when strangers mistreats her husband is just fine watching Blizto and Loona abuse Moxxie in front of her.

An earlier criticism of Helluva Boss when the show began was how the treatment of Moxxie was uncomfortable. It felt the writers just like making fun of Moxxie than using this dynamic to flesh out his character. Even the fans noticed how cruel Moxxie was treated and ask for the writers to tone it down.

[lovely-writes-alot]

Okay let's talk world building so far

The world has magic. Everyone is born with some sort of magic in them, but not everyone has strong enough magic to harness it.

For the people who do have strong enough magic, there's six types of magic. Your type of magic is something that comes naturally to you.

You can go against your natural magic, but it's severely frowned upon, unless you're natural magic is frowned upon itself.

There's a Hierarchy in different branches of magic, and parents who are aware of the magic world can put a lot on pressure on their kids to have a certain natural magic, especially if their natural magic is one of the more esteemed branches.

onto the branches themselves

6. Creature Based Magic

Creature based magic is well the study of magical creatures. This is less so actual magic and more having an understanding and connection to magic creatures.

It's the bottom of the barrel for the branches. It's normally underfunded in schools, only having a teacher or two to cover the entire branch, and quite often people who's natural magic is creature based, they are encourage to go against their natural magic, and just pretend a different branch is their natural magic.

5. Divination

Divination is considered to be the weirdo branch of magic.

Whilst it's not the 'worst' branch, it's still a very hush hush branch. Divination naturals tend to secluded from other branches, being seen as wackos by everyone else.

Divination is frowned upon because it's more emotion based, there isn't really any way to learn Divination, or find logic in it. If your natural magic isn't Divination, you're not going to have much success in that branch. It isn't as disapproved as Creature Based magic because it's still considered useful by magic society.

Divination naturals that chose to go against their natural magic still get prophetical visions. They will be less strong, because they wouldn't have learnt how to actually Interpret the visions, but they still happen, and it makes it very hard to hide.

4. Elemental

Elemental is very much middle ground.

At one point, it was one of the most esteemed branches, but as modern/normal society blossomed, and modern solutions formed, Elemental magic became less and less esteemed.

Elemental naturals are in charge of the gardens, which is what keeps them respected enough and not being lost to time.

3. Alchemy

Like Elemental magic, it's middle ground.

It's a magic that's used more in the day to day, but People who pursue Alchemy work closely with People who pursue Elemental magic, seeing as they tend to grow the ingredients, and quite often Alchemy naturals with have the basic knowledge of Elemental magic.

It's a common branch for people who go against their natural magic to choose, as it's the easiest magic to pick up.

Much like Creature Based magic, it's less focused on actual magic, but magic is still required to do Alchemy. someone with weak magic couldn't pursue it.

2. Healing

Healing magic is the most heavy magic. It takes the longest to master, and you need to have a deep understand in severely different areas of magic to fully master it.

Healing has severe mirco branches, like normal medicine, and acts a lot like going into normal medicine.

1. Spell casting

Spell casting is the most well rounded magic. It's very similar to the magic in Harry Potter. You're preforming spells.

It's the most esteemed because it's so versatile. Spell casters can often choose to pursue a second branch of magic. They have a easier time with magic then most, cause all branches, minus Divination, come easier to them.

There were other branches like Astronomy, Necromancy, and Chaos magic, but those have been lost to time. Your natural magic can still be in these branches, but they have become more rare.

@daonedaonlysk @childofthewargod @jerry-the-leech @give-me-your-heart @dreamboyinthedarkvoid

feel free to ask to be added

[vampywaves]

What The Bright Sessions characters look like in my head (but it's mildly embarrassing)

Joan Bright - Lucy Liu

Sam Barnes - Daisy Edgar Jones

Chloe Turner - Ayo Edebri

Caleb Michaels - Nate Oaks (tiktok Hamilton twink) OR Xolo Mariduena

Adam Hayes - Alex Wyse (dont ask. I dont know.) OR Alexander Arnold, but only as short haired Rich from skins

Agent Green - Adrian Chase (specifically as Freddie Stroma) OR Cory Michael Smith

Damien - Edward Ironstone OR Eduardo Perez as Mirco Vladimoff (yes, this affects my ability to dislike Damien)

Mark Bryant - Godfrey Gao OR Zac Oyama

I'm only at the beginning of s3. I'm so excited to continue!