#because i need at least one semi-wholesome thing in my drafts

[yolowritter]

I actually meant to ask about the one where Lila gets the Ladybug Miraculous, I wanted to save the serial killer for tomorrow... And I added a "future" for some reason, causing confusion.

Well then, I'll ask about the Lilabug & Marinette AU now.

Oh sorry, sorry! I thought you asked abt the serial killer Au! My bad! So, the Lilabug Au! Basically it's what it says on the tin! Lila arrives in Paris early, and Fu comes across her while searching for compatible Miraculous Holders. The reason why he senses her is because Lila would be an excellent Fox, but Fu can't tell specifically which Miraculous she has affinity with. So he pulls his scheme with Truck-Kun, and Lila saves his life. Because you know, there's people recording the damn incident and she wants fame!

Also, Lila is extremely (read: canon levels) cynical in this Au, and generally abhorbs being around other human beings. Sure, she'll play the happy-go-lucky new girl from Italy and smile sweetly at people all day, but she secretly hates every second of it. Anyway, Lila will later find a pair of magic earrings in her bag because she wanted to go viral. Is this Fu Bashing for picking that testing method out of every option? Sure. Will I salt the man? Nah, we have yuri to write!

Anyway, the rest of Origins goes normally, except Lila is also there, sweet-talking her way into sitting at the back of the class and away from all these weirdos. This will be important later. Anyway, Chloe bla blas about Adrien, gum on the seat, etc. Then Stoneheart happens, which also paints a big target on Marinette's back as the local goody-two-shoes! Lila doesn't plan to bully her though, no no. Being her friend is the better option, because she doesn't think Marinette will have the spine to accuse her of lying then. Totally not for the free bakery sweets!

Anyway, Stoneheart! Paris' resident furry is right on cue, and Lila gets an unwanted moral compass in the form of adorable Eldritch Deity! Tikki absolutely hates her btw, since Lila doesn't create anything of her own except lies. Still, they have a city to save and once our beloved Kwami pulls out the "people will love you if you save them" card, Lila's sold! Say less, she's already suiting up!

I'm giving her a more stylish outfit too, think black boots and gloves, as well as actual linings to separate different parts of the suit with some inverted coloring on the sides. Because Lila Rossi is nothing if not fashionable! Anyway, a cat boy falls out of the sky while she's learning how to rip off Spider-Man! One introduction later, Lila sticks with the name Ladybug because why the hell not? She'd have gone with the Italian word, but that's a dead giveaway. Generic means less clues to her identity.

Now, she puts on a great show for the cameras! If Chat hadn't heard her mutter insults about everyone not running for their lives, he'd be impressed! Alya gets saved from that overdramatic car flip, Ladyblog becomes a thing later, and Stoneheart gets absolutely destroyed because Lila is just as smart as Marinette! A bit more straightforward and "I'm going to rip you yo pieces with a spoon if need be"...but very intelligent! Chloe gets saved, Lila feels the urge to psychologically damage her someday soon, and she and Chat find a second to talk after the whole "as long as we're here Hawkmoth can't get you" speech.

Reminder that Adrien has been surrounded by actors and performers his whole life, so he sniffs out Lila's true intentions instantly. Still, she isn't immediately hostile to him. They talk, and decide that since they're the superheroes now, and Paris needs saving from a mentally ill mothman with a midlife crisis, they'll work together. Chat warns her that he won't let her abuse her Miraculous' powers, and Lila promises she isn't going to. Ladybug's reputation as this city's only hope needs to remean clean, after all!

The rest of Origins happens the same, umbrella scene included, and Fu is very proud of himself for making such good choices! Lila also decides to befriend Alya because a blog dedicated to Ladybug is 1) a great publicity stunt she will gladly abuse, and 2) this idiot needs to be kept in check, lest Alya accidentally connects the dots some day. Therefore, we now have the Core 5, consisting of Marinette (reluctant friends with Lila), Adrien (empathetic to the other new kids and thinking her confidence is cool), Nino (music provider), Alya (unhinged conspiracy theorist), and Lila (local lying machine). What a wonderful group of dumbasses! I'm sure everything will be fine!

Most of Season 1 stays the same, with Chat and Ladybug coming to an understanding that the other isn't actually so bad, and Lila secretly liking his stupid puns. No romance for obvious reasons, but Chat is why she slowly starts to open up a bit more in her civilian life. Lila still doesn't care about these people, but Chloe annoys her and Marinette is useful either as a distraction or a help when it comes to getting back at the Queen B. Plus Alya's incresingly ridiculous theories are generating so much popularity for Ladybug that the least Lila can do is listen to the yapping once in a while. She'd still kick them off a cliff just to "save" them for clicks, but her "friends" are at least not on the target list.

Actually, Lila doesn't really try to maliciously manipulate almost anyone here, because she's taken a different approach. The people in her class inexicably seem to have connections with famous artists, chiefs and whatnot, so keeping up the innocent facade is working better for Lila than herding them around like sheep! At this rate, one of these drains on her social battery might prove to be Jagged Stone's secret love child or something! She wants to be in people's good graces!

Due to all of this, her lies are kept relatively minimal and somewhat provable. Besides, most of her deception skills are busy keeping both Ladybug's identity a secret, and the heroic, dauntless persona up for the cameras. Many Akuma are roundhouse-kicked, uppercutted, and defenestrated, but Paris still loves Ladybug (and Chat Noir)! Surprisingly, Lila is actually willing to give him credit where it's due, since she thinks he operates similar to her, with how Adrien poses for the cameras and shoots out witty puns. Just that Chat has a Morality Stick somewhere behind his tail.

Things stay relatively the same until Evillustrator, where Lila's lack of understanding about so-called "normal people" puts her in a Situation. Chloe still exposes Nath's drawings of Marinette, and Lila cannot for the life of her understand the concept of a crush. Physical attraction, she gets. Attraction to someone's status or wealth? Of course! Heck, the free things Adrien usually treats their friend group over are half the reason she's nice to him! Social obligations regarding politeness? Completely comprehendable. But a crush? It just doesn't compute.

An Akuma gets yeeted out of Gabriel's attic, Nathaniel gets butterflied, yada yada. When Ladybug goes to check on Chloe however...the blonde is overjoyed to have her idol visiting her! Lila takes this opportunity to shake some rust off her insults for a bit, and spends the entire time "recipricating" the excitment, with backhanded compliments to boot. Chloe...feels very weird about the experience afterwards, and doesn't understand why. Lila is very proud of herself, and gets yelled at by Tikki later.

Meanwhile, Marinette is actually there when Sabrina shows up and they begin doing the project thing together. Until Evillustrator shows up. Sabrina is terrified, but Marinette's like "Oh, you want to go on a date with me? Yeah sure, let me just change into a better outfit." Nathaniel is overjoyed, and Marinette takes that time to actually wear something nice, and also tell Sabrina to get the heroes ASAP! To her credit, she does so very quickly, and totes not because Chat Noir was looking for Marinette specifically.

Anyway, the boat ride is still the same. Marinette actually notices Hawkmoth hurting Nathaniel, deducing it might be possible to get him to reject the Akumatization somehow, and keeps him busy with a surprisingly enjoyable evening, all things considered. Chat calls in Ladybug, who tells him to stealth after them and wait until she gets there, dumps Chloe, and heads over there. Lila yoyos Nathaniel's sketchbook away, tossing it into he river, trips him and breaks the pen, undoing the damage, etc. It's important to note that since Sabrina was already there with Marinette before, Adrien didn't get to do his "cool introduction" as Chat.

Anyway, Marinette tells them what she noticed about the Akumatizations, and Lila keeps it in mind. After all, if there's one person in Paris who can psychoanalyze people so badly their mental health would improve, it's Lila Rossi! Ladybug dips to go recharge, and Chat starts fawning over how amazing Marinette was. To the girl in question. Adrien is a dork and I love him for it.

He also rants about Marinette to Ladybug, and Lila makes up her mind to pay her a visit as Paris' friendly neighbourhood superheroine. For now, Chat gives her a ride home, and the next day, Adrien has miraculously "heard about" what happened last night. This tips Lila off to his identity, but she decides to figure it out later. Surprisingly, Nathaniel is sitting in the back with her today, and Lila takes that chance to try and understand yesterday's debacle.

They strike up some conversation, and Lila slowly thinks about what Nathaniel is saying. She doesn't feel any of the things he describes to her, but she kind of gets it, if as a abstract concept. Now, Lila still doesn't really care about people, but decides to keep talking to Nathaniel since abruptly going quiet after asking so many pointed questions would be weird. The result? He ends their chat by exclaiming that he's not sure why she's being nice to him, but that's it's nice to have a friend. Lila is so stunned by the idea of friendship, she doesn't manage to correct him in time. She officially has her first friend, and no idea what to do about it. Tikki is laughing at her misery.

A lot more things happen in this Au, like the Collector tipping Lila off regarding Gabriel (which she doesn't share with Chat since he might be Adrien, and while his reaction would be telling, it's too much of a risk), and meeting Fu for the first time since Tikki doesn't get sick in Princess Frangrace here. Needless to say, Lila is very tempted to steal that box full of magical jewels! She behaves, but does slowly begin to loan them out through Season 2. Marinette gets the fox on Sapotis, because Lila would sooner reveal her identity to Hawkmoth than trust Alya of all people to be a responsible superhero.

She and Marinette have been bonding a bit (over their mutual dislike of Gabriel), and Lila is slowly learning how to make friends as herself, while resisting the urge to slingshot stupid civilians off a building with her yoyo. She specifically hates Mr Ramier for getting Akumatized so many times, and repeatedly calls Hawkmoth a tasteless, unoriginal failure of a villain. Gabriel takes extreme offense to this.

Anyway, I'm going to stop here for now because I've been typing for a bit too long. You or anyone else is free to send me questions any time, and thanks a bunch for the ask martiya! Marinette is getting her superhero romance with this one, and ends up being the only person aside from Chat that Lila feels safe to be bitchy and snarky with as Ladybug. Ahh, toxic yuri my beloved! Marinette can totally fix her btw.

[m-to-z-andbackto-m]

(TLDR at the bottom)

(I FORGOT TO POST THIS AND IT'S JUST BEEN SITTING IN MY DRAFTS COLLECTING DUST 😭)

More DreamTale ramble because it's their birthday and I still don't have their gift finished 😭

DreamTale By Joku 🫶

DREAMTALE is about BALANCE correct?

>:)

>:/

>:(

Okay, yeah I'm not too excited about this one but here we go (That's a lie, I'm hella invested):

Original:

Nightmare - Died once, is a pelvis hole, pretty sure he unalived one of Killer's cats or at least attacked it, being of hate, literally no one should be happy around him (He might KILL YOUR CAT if you are smh)

Dream - Was turned to stone once, definition of a cinnamon roll, authentic Disney princess (Reference), way too kind and hopeful for his own good, literally no one should be upset around him

Okay we got this? Nightmare? Super Uncool. Dream? Super Wholesome.

Right okay so DreamTale having this Balance shtick, I think it makes Sans (Ba Dum Tsss) that in versions where Nightmare is actually likable (DadMare), Dream is... Less likable...

Like canonically that's a load of bull shart and super unlikely to be the case, like, ever

But making one likable (In this case, Nightmare), more often than not, renders the other unlikable (Dream), I've seen it, over and over (Examples):

Rehabilitation Multiverse (I 🫶 Them) (Guys go read Little Assistant on Quotev, I beg, it's so cute, they have a blog on here too <3)

BJTBS and more of Dark's content

That one multiverse where Dream is essentially the embodiment of toxic positivity (Crazed? Dream?) and Nightmare has gotta go around fixing up mishaps (Really liked this idea, it takes the whole thing I'm talking about and multiplies it by 20)

I think Shattered Dreams should count too?

Okay actually those are the only ones I've personally looked into myself (I think DreamSwap by Kai might count too but I haven't looked into DS since... 3... years ago... yeah-) but I've seen it mentioned over and over, whether someone's ranting about a fanfic they read or doodles people make

Due to these observations, I conclude:

Common DreamTale Occurrence: To have a likable Nightmare, you need a less-than-ideal Dream. To keep your pure Dream, you gotta have a hateful Nightmare.

Exceptions:

Both Are Unlikable (Rare?)

Both are likable (but don't see eye socket to eye socket if you wanna keep that conflict, or they vibe together neutrally if you don't care for the conflict)

Redemption Variations

Most Truce Multiverses

Petty/Joke/Non Or Semi Serious Versions

Etc...

Examples of each exception except the first one because I haven't seen that yet:

Both Likable: Nightmare may be DadMare, neutral, hold his own morals that from his perspective are understandable, or secretly still cares for Dream. Dream may be angsty, close to canon, naive, or also hold his side of morals that are still valid I've also seen one where he's been manipulated by the village so any toxic (behavior isn't/beliefs aren't) his fault. (I think it was called RoseVerse, found it on YT, really cool stuff!)

Redemption Variations: This mainly revolves around Nightmare redeeming himself, or the group as a whole, possible P!Nightmare.

Truce Multiverses: Self explanatory, The Stars (Or in this case, mostly Dream) and Nightmare's Group (Again, in this case, mostly Nightmare) agree on a truce

Semi To Non Serious Multiverses: Joke comics can follow the observation but also not since they're not canon anyways, like Roxy's overprotective Nightmare (StareMare!) drawings, or The Worst Smile comic (I think... That was the name...)

Summary: DreamTale's Balance shtick and the pattern of having one Apple Brother likable rendering the other unlikable is so common, I propose it as sort of a common occurring rule(?) that has some exceptions because this fandom is limitless regardless of it's patterns

[bananastarion]

Oddly Specific Headcanons about what the companions would think of a date to Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens is a massive botanical garden that tourists from all over the world enjoy. It's one of my favorite places, and my usual spot for taking IRL dates. But what if I took the BG3 crew there? Allow me to self-indulgently ramble on about the possibilities.

In order from best to worst date:

Karlach: She is having the time of her LIFE. She's never seen so many flowers in one place. She cries multiple times, and she has to look at and smell EVERYTHING. I am going to have a 10/10 time showing Karlach this place. Her enthusiasm rekindles my own appreciation for it, despite the fact I've been here countless times. She's really going to get a kick out of the children's garden, if she can manage to fit inside all the structures (she will definitely try). She'd also be losing her mind over the giant fountain light shows. And the fancy bathrooms. I am definitely getting her a teddy bear at the gift shop.

Shadowheart: She definitely appreciates this choice of date location, and lovingly admires all of the rare flowers. Something about this place really suits her elegant self. I'd definitely enjoy showing her around and stealing a kiss every now and again. We'd have a downright pleasant time here and I'm sure she'd like to come back and see what it's like at different times of year. Obviously, the orchid room is going to be her favorite, and she'll be indulging in some of the wine as well.

Wyll: It's a very beautiful, classy place. He'd appreciate it mostly as a nice backdrop for a romantic date and would probably develop a sentimental attachment to the place as a result. He's already drafting in his head the best location in the gardens to propose to me during a future visit. He'd be digging the vibes, seeing the sheer diversity of people coming together to appreciate the beauty of this place. It's all so very wholesome. He'd probably like going up in all the big treehouses and sharing the nice views with me.

Gale: He'd have to stop and read every singly informational sign, and start calling the plants by their Latin names and repeatedly comparing this place to the botanical gardens of Waterdeep, which would all be a tad annoying... but at least he's enjoying himself. Once he got some fine wine in him he'd probably chill out a little. Regardless, he'd find it all very romantic and be glad I brought him here because he'd understand this place means a lot to me. I will gladly wait around in the gift shop while he peruses every book they have on offer, but they're hella expensive so he better be a fast reader and finish them all in the store.

Halsin: He would appreciate the more untamed parts of the gardens, like the woods and meadowlands, and approve of the environmental work they're doing. But he'd also enjoy the more cultivated parts just for the fact that they're so teeming with a rich diversity of life. He'd be teaching me things about the plants I never knew before. He has a nice, chill time, but all in all, he'd have preferred a date in the actual wilderness. He doesn't need all this fancy pants extra stuff.

Lae'zel: She really doesn't get it, but she finds it all a tad interesting and novel nonetheless. I am prepared to answer any questions she has about life on Earth. Hopefully she's cool with their no weapons or violence policy, cause otherwise she's going to get us permabanned. She might appreciate the carnivorous plants section. Maybe by the end of the day she will even begin to understand that humans enjoy beautiful things just for the sake of it... or maybe not. But I don't think she'll hate it?

Astarion: He might appreciate the aesthetic old architecture a bit, but otherwise he's really bored. He's just going along with this because I wanted to do it. At some point he's going to get so bored that he'll suggest we steal away and have some semi-public sex, and we get permanently banned as a result. Or he'll start pickpocketing the wealthy crowds and get escorted out by security. Regardless, something tells me this will be my last time ever setting foot in Longwood. This place is so dear to my heart and my family has been visiting regularly for generations, but Astarion's impulsiveness will put an end to it all. But I'll forgive him because I'm such a simp. We would have been better off going to an art museum or a night club.