#do not kill the part of you that is cringe. kill the part of you that cringes :)

[millilps]

ok but here's the trick: if you were a lonely uncool girl because you were seen as uncool and/or weird, simply get weirder

you will find weird people who will love you and accept you the way you are and you won't have to fake anything.

you can just. do it. be weird. be uncool. whatever you want. and you'll have fun and also heal in the meantime

you shouldn't have to hide the uncool part of you because some random person decided one day that certain things are cool and other things are not, because frankly, there's no such thing as uncool. it's made up. everything is made up. and if we don't start tearing apart all the social norms that hurt us now they will continue to hurt people.

be cringe and be free.

cinge culture is dead and I killed it, and I keep killing it every day, for me, for my past, for my future, and for anyone who has yet to go through this process and will see that I'm weird and uncool yet happy. because if you see someone happy, you think that maybe you can be too, so you start embracing all the things that people made you think were cringe and uncool, and in doing so you will inspire more people, who will inspire more, and so on.

and I think that's beautiful.

when you grew up as a lonely uncool girl it will never stop haunting you by the way. you will meet a cool person at a bar or the train station or at a friend's party and you can wear your most stylish outfit and striking eye makeup and you will swear that they can see through all of the facade and see the lonely terribly insecure teenage girl you used to be who desperately wanted to connect and you will swear that they know that there is like an insurmountable gap between you. this will happen forever

[lovelyahoy]

Haikyuu: One-Shot. Word Count:4,184.

Warnings: lowk cringe ending i can't lie but idc😭, fluff, and Kuroo being everywhere. PS idk shit about animal crossing new horizons, blame google for anything i got wrong.

Summary: Love and hate are two sides of the same coin, [Y/N] and Kenma are the prime example of this, except the hate wasn't exactly...hate.

TL: @akiqvq💖

Pairing: Kenma Kozume x Fem!Reader

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀︾

[Y/N] hated Kenma.

Hated the way he always beat her in every game, smirking to himself when she'd groan loudly and kick an empty can away.

Hated his effortless factual rebuttals on anything gaming-related, leaving her stumbling over her words like a headless chicken.

Hated how she always made sure to berate whoever tried to mock him, if looks could kill—they'd be further down than the Titanic.

God and worst of all? She absolutely hated the way she couldn't look away when he'd blush from a simple brush of her finger on his hand, when his lips quirked up in a soft smile, and when his eyes would widen slightly, giving her a better view of the pretty cat-like pupils.

Hated. Fucking hated that she was whipped for him.

"How the fuck did you roll another six?!"

"Luck."

[Y/N] held the Nintendo tighter, talking herself out of throwing the damn thing against the wall. You'd think she'd have a better chance at winning on Mario Party, except no, because Kenma was a god when it came to video games.

Sneering as he got another star, bringing his total up to four stars while she had zero. Finishing up the rounds, [Y/N] turned off the device and avoided gazing at his victory scene.

Kenma smiled, seeing her childish pout from the corner of his eyes. He gently took her DS and turned it back on, opening super bomberman and inviting it to a lobby he made.

[Y/N] took it back, blinking up at him.

"Let's team up."

And that was the first time she had won.

"Kuroo, what does he say about me?"

The tall rooster head stopped whistling, twirling a volleyball on a finger, and side-eyeing her. They crossed paths near the park and now he was walking her home.

"Not much, think he talks more about that orange crow he met." [Y/N] fidgeted with the melon bread in her hand, taking a bite and grumbling incoherent sentences. "Why are you asking?"

That was a question she didn't have an answer for, wondering the same thing herself. She hated him, right? So why did he plague her mind like a pretty persistent parasite, consuming her every thought, messing with her sleep by making her think of what he could be doing at times. Was he playing that new god of war game he bought last week, or did he go back to replay monster hunter?

"The quicker you accept that you like him, the easier your days will be." He chuckled, feeling her fist weakly hit his shoulder, glaring up at Kuroo like he had just exposed her.

"I don't. I hate him."

"You hate him because of how he makes you feel." Kuroo didn't miss a beat, dropping his teasing smirk and settling his lips into a very tender smile. [Y/N] sighed, crumpling up the wrapper in her hand and throwing it into a nearby bin.

"The last time I liked a dude, he fucked my best friend. I had to move schools because whenever I'd see their disgusting faces in the hallways, I'd be plotting their deaths and my own." He knew she had past troubles with boys, but he never thought it had that much lore, he made a mental note to ask for more gossip information later.

Kuroo tossed the ball from hand to hand. He understood why she felt so hostile when dealing with her feelings, however, comparing Kenma to that guy was not even remotely the same thing.

"Have you seen him talk to any girls who aren't you?"

"No, but that's not saying much, considering Kenma is very reserved."

"Okay, well, how many people does he let use his gaming consoles?"

That made her stop. Kuroo followed suit, his teasing smirk came back, and the girl looked up at him with her lips parted, face blushing slightly.

"Just me..."

"Just you."

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀︾

Kenma wiped the sweat from his forehead. This practice match had been going on for far too long, and he needed out. Now. The gym was unbearably hot, and the third set was not helping.

His only saving grace was knowing [Y/N] had stepped out a few points ago, yelling out that she'd be right back. She always did the same during hot days, watch him play for as long as she could stand the heat then leave, going to the nearby store and getting them popsicles.

"Kenma, just two more." Yaku patted his shoulder reassuringly then got back into position. The whistle was blown, and everyone moved accordingly. Kenma's eyes sharpened, hands in the air waiting to touch the ball and guide it towards an awaiting Fukunaga.

The moment it came in contact he decided to simply tap it over the net, hearing the whistle confirm the point and he breathed out—doubling over in pain when Kuroo smacked his back with an obnoxious laugh.

"A setter dump, good timing."

"HURRY UP!" They all turned to look at an impatient [Y/N] holding a plastic bag with the cold goodies. Knowing they were about to receive a treat had their blood pumping, and they scored that last point like their lives depended on it.

"Thanks." After saying their goodbyes and changing into their regular school uniforms, Kenma took the popsicle she had handed to him. The rest of the boys walked further, leaving the pair to stray in the back in silence.

A very comforting silence to him, but [Y/N] weirdly longed to hear his voice. She cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks heat up when he tilted his head to the side, observing her while biting into the cat-shaped treat.

"Can I come over today? My dad got me the Nintendo Switch and I...I really wanna play Animal Crossing with you..." She whispered the last two words, Kenma looked away from her pretty [E/C] eyes, and felt his own face turn red.

"You can come over whenever you'd like, [Y/N]."

Her name feel from his lips like sweet honey and she quite literally melted on the spot.

"Ah! It's getting on your hands—"

...

...

Kenma softly snored into the pillow he had clutched to his chest. Next to him lay a focused [Y/N], determined to get the last 5k bells they needed for the house upgrade. Tom Nook was a greedy little man, but she needed the extra space to decorate, and no way in hell could she sleep right now.

His body rolled onto his back, head lolling to the side and facing her. [Y/N] confirmed the selected items to sell and smirked in victory as she ran to Tom for the long-awaited upgrade. She sighed quietly, saving the game and setting the console on the bedside stand.

[E/C] eyes shifted to the side, observing Kenma's peaceful expression, she lifted a hand to brush the pads of her fingers on his cheek, softly dragging them down to pass her thumb over his lips. A strand of hair loosened from behind his ear, [Y/N] reached to tuck it back.

Half-lidded yellow eyes fluttered open, and Kenma didn't move an inch, just observed her. Her warm hand rested on his cheek, cupping and caressing.

"[Y/N]?" Whispered groggy words, [Y/N] smiled and scooted closer to rest her head on his shoulder, looking up at him, she could feel her heart race. "You're lucky it's the weekend."

"You only fell asleep early because of the volleyball match." His gaze trailed from her eyes to her lips, to Kenma, [Y/N] was a dream. A dream he didn't think could ever be real, a dream he didn't have a chance with.

It hurt him to like someone like her, funny, kind, and beautiful. They had become friends when Kuroo lost to her in a sandbox fight, and Kenma stepped in to help his friend get sand out of his nose. He remembered that day so clearly, especially her very humored giggles.

For this night, he'd risk it a bit, mind still half asleep. Kenma adjusted her head to be on his chest instead, arm wrapping around her shoulder, and chin resting on her hair. When [Y/N] hugged him in response, Kenma hoped she wouldn't worry about how shaky his breaths had gotten.

"Will you stay today too?"

"I'd love to."

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀︾

Kenma loved [Y/N].

Loved the way she'd never shy away from anyone, speaking her mind and keeping everything in control.

Loved when she smiled brightly during his volleyball games, screaming the loudest and buying him victory treats.

Loved her pouty lips, red cheeks, and especially her [E/C] eyes. They were clear windows to him, knowing how she was feeling in that moment with a simple look-over.

The best part of it had to be those late nights when they'd play together, shoulders touching, munching on junk food and energy drinks, whispering to avoid waking up his parents. When she'd muffle her laughs into his sweater, clinging onto him like he was her lifeline.

Loved. Absolutely loved everything about her.

"Where's [Y/N]?"

Kenma scanned the sitting crowd, and he saw her friends, but no sign of the girl. The whistle rang out, and he was forced to tear his gaze from the people, settling into his position on the court.

She promised she'd never miss a game, no matter what, and he believed her. Recalling the day she had gone down with a severe flu, wearing three sweaters and two facemasks, cheering for him while coughing.

"Sorry I'm late, I had to bring along a stray." Coach Nekomata rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the grin on his face, Kenma's frown slowly quirked up into a cute smile—[Y/N] waving from behind the old man enthusiastically.

"Hey."

"Hi."

Smiles. Blushing faces. Something he loved and she hated.

"Alright, alright, stop drowning in each other's eyes. Sit down and you get into the setter spot." Kuroo playfully patted their backs and dragged Kenma to start the game.

[Y/N] took her place on the bench, fidgeting with her fingers above her shorts, a little nervous to watch the game this closely. She wasn't allowed to enter the gymnasium, having lost her entry ticket and clinging to the poor coach trying to get a drink nearby.

The world around her went mute, not even the annoying squeaking of their sneakers could penetrate her concentration this time. Everything but Kenma blurred out, his slightly long, cute, pudding-colored hair, his focused yellow cat eyes, lips set into a thin line, and cheeks red with adrenaline.

He was perfect in her eyes.

[Y/N] didn't hate Kenma, she hated what she couldn't have.

"Careful where you spike!" A meek boy on the opposing team shrieked and quickly bowed to Kenma, as he had almost hit the ball into his face.

"Don't mind her, she goes a little cuckoo when it comes to him." Kuuro offered a gigantic smirk, sending not-so-subtle glances towards the duo, who blushed in unison.

The game continued on smoothly, both teams giving their all and keeping a balanced score. First set was given to the opponents, in the middle of their second, a time out was called.

"Their middle blocker is good, but gets sloppy when you all charge in. Keep an eye out and track him, bounce the damn ball as many times as you can." Coach Nekomata received a loud 'hai' from the group, proudly smiling at how they all contributed more ideas to increase their points.

Kenma separated from the group, needing a breather. Walking up to [Y/N], who held out his water bottle, he thanked her and took a much-needed sip while sitting down. She gently took a folded towel to wipe away the sweat dripping down his forehead and neck, knowing Kenma hated sweating above all else.

Could she really live on like this? Acting as if this weird situationship wasn't happening? She wanted something more, something clear. [Y/N] finished and placed the towel to her side, she turned back to look at him already with his eyes on her.

"Think we can win?"

"Of course." She cackled. "Can't lose when I'm over here cheering for you."

Kenma laughed quietly. She hadn't seen him lose yet, and he was not going to let today be that day. He stood up when the referee mentioned the fifteen minutes were up, as he bent down to leave his bottle, [Y/N] snatched up the collar of his jersey, bringing him down further, in turn making him need to place a hand on the side of her thigh to balance himself.

"If the winning point is a setter dump, you can make me do one thing. If it's not, then I'll make you do something. Deal?" Her [E/C] eyes were filled with a mischievous sparkle, wanting to spice the game up. Kenma blinked from the close proximity, the words got caught in his throat, but he made sure to nod, already knowing what he'd like to ask of her.

"He looks locked in." Lev stood tall with his hands on his hips, observing the way Kenma's face was blank, no trace of the usual complaints, only utter silence. Kuroo had noticed their little interaction and swore by everything he loved that they had kissed.

Kenma set the ball like a precise hawk, earning his team the second set without a hitch. Coach Nekomata had never seen him so focused, he needed to know what had been said.

"[L/N], what'd you say to him?"

"Uh, nothing in particular..."

"I'd like to know, maybe with those words I can make him take matches this seriously every time."

[Y/N] held in her laugh, turning to look at the older man with a smile.

"I don't think it'll work if you say it."

"Ah, young love. I understand."

He looked away and monitored his players, purposely ignoring the shocked girl next to him. Great, now even this dude was teasing her.

...

...

"The poor thing didn't even see it coming." [Y/N] skipped over the cracked lines on the cement, chuckling when she remembered the shocked faces of everyone, including his teammates.

"Yaku almost tackled me, he was very amused with it."

The sky had gotten dark, leaving them to walk under the lamp posts and hurry on home, aka his home, because she lived further away and he didn't want her walking alone at this hour.

"So, you won. What are you gonna make me do?"

Kenma stuffed his face into his sweater's collar, hiding the bottom half from her. His eyes darted to the side and avoided meeting her curious expression.

He wanted a kiss. When he was dragged down to her level, her words almost didn't reach him, wanting to lean closer and connect their lips. Kenma wanted to ask for it, but now all his confidence had dissipated like the petals of a withered flower.

What if she thought he was some sort of pervert after this? Would it ruin what they had built together?

"Kenma, don't overthink it."

They stopped walking, standing underneath a light. [Y/N] was expecting him to ask for a game or make her play that scary one she refused to even touch.

He breathed in, feeling goosebumps take over his covered arms. Countless times, she had mentioned hating past relationships, and anyone who confessed to her was shot down quicker than a bullet. Why'd he go and fall for her despite knowing this?

"[Y/N], you can say no."

"Tell me then."

Now she was beginning to feel nervous, giving her the option to decline was starting to look like a red flag. But this was Kenma, her sweet little pudding angel, there was no way he'd ask for anything she considered bad.

"A...k..."

"What?"

"Uhm, a k..."

[E/C] eyes blinked rapidly, straining her ears to try and decipher his low mumbling. She took a step forward and squinted when he looked away shyly, k? k what. Kenma suddenly began walking again, [Y/N] matched his pace with confusion building up inside of her.

"Never mind, you don't have to do anything."

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀︾

"K-word that causes embarrassment? Why would I know?"

"Well, I can't exactly ask him, now, can I?" Kuroo threw a pencil at her face, scowling playfully at her blatant sarcasm. [Y/N] told him about the silly deal, needing feedback on this matter before going straight to the source.

"Just because he's my best friend doesn't mean I can read his mind."

"No duh—okay, sorry, find out for me please? I'll set you up on that date you wanted with Claire." Kuroo's eye twitched at the stupid puppy look she was making. He hated it so much because it worked, plus the reward was something he wanted.

"Fine, get out of my face and classroom."

"Awww, you're the best." This time, the pencil hit the back of her head as she ran away.

He sighed. Of course he knew what Kenma wanted to ask. The boy had mentioned it multiple times at every damn sleepover or hanging out time they had. How these two were so oblivious to each other was a greater mystery than the Bermuda Triangle.

Kuroo and Kenma were practicing alone in the gymnasium, [Y/N] was needed at home, so the others were sent for drinks. The tall boy ruffled his black hair, wondering how he should bring the topic up, stressing out slightly until he realized this was Kenma.

"You chickened out."

"Huh?" The volleyball Kenma had thrown in the air landed at his side, startled by his friend's sudden words.

"If you ask her to kiss you, she'd do it in a heartbeat...actually a bit longer cause she's as dumb as you when it comes to this." Kenma pouted when Kuroo laughed, walking closer to him.

"[Y/N] says she hates you, and she does, but not you in specific. Hates you because she has feelings for you, someone she doesn't think would ever like her back." He yawned into his palm. "See why you're both dumb?"

"I can't ask her...and I can't do it either."

"So you're going to let the girl who likes you back be a missed opportunity?"

"I can't do it Kuroo..."

Well, he didn't need to. His best friend had a plan set in motion, going straight to [Y/N], standing in front of her locker the very next morning. Holding her there until all the students left the area, once the coast was clear he grasped both her shoulders.

His 'plan' wasn't much of a plan per se, but it'd work nonetheless...he hoped it would at least.

"[Y/N] kiss Kenma. Next time you're alone with him, grab his school tie and pull him in for one."

She frantically blinked at his hushed words, feeling heat rise to the tips of her ears. K, k as in kiss? Kenma wanted a kiss? From her?

"Is that what he wanted?"

Kuroo nodded with a serious expression. He needed this interaction over so he could plan his date with Claire instead of playing cupid for these two airheads.

"...I'll tell Claire to text you..."

"Pleasure doing business with you." With that, he finally let go of her and ran away into the halls. Now it was her turn to think things over, Kuroo would never lie about something like this, and that scared her a bit.

Oh wow. Okay. A kiss, pretty straightforward and easy. She lost the deal, and that was okay. Okay. Okay. Oh my god. She looked redder than the color red itself, fanning her face at the mere thought of kissing Kenma.

"You okay?" Claire jumped back when [Y/N] freaked out. "Damn! Okay calm down."

"Okay? It's not okay, Claire help."

"Okay....?"

"Stop saying okay, okay?!"

"...alright?"

"I need to kiss Kenma." [Y/N] rushed her words, "Well, not need, want. Both actually, need and want."

"Then just...do it?"

Claire was severely confused. She thought they were dating already, there is no way you look at someone the way they look at each other without being together.

[Y/N] activated her puppy look once more, adding a pout this time, Claire's specific weakness.

"Ok—alright. We'll talk about it during lunch."

...

...

[Y/N] spent the entire school day mulling over the pros and cons of the kiss, the kiss itself? check. The embarrassment after? cross. She kept going back and forth, annoying both Kuroo and Claire, mostly Claire, who found out she was trapped in a date she did not want. She did.

"Are you two sure he likes me?"

"Noooo, we want you to make out with a dude who doesn't like you—shut up and do it!" Kuroo pushed her out of the school gardens, guiding her towards the gate where Kenma was waiting for her—they'd be playing more Animal Crossing today.

He lowered his head, whispering. "All jokes aside [Y/N], if you don't make the first move, you two will be stuck in a state of limbo. I promise it'll be fine."

Kuroo ruffled her [H/C] hair and once again pushed her forward. She gulped and walked up to Kenma. He noticed her from the corner of his eye, so he saved the game and put his console away.

"Let's stop by the store first." [Y/N] nodded, and they began their walk in silence. The streets were a little crowded, leaving them to bump shoulders every now and then, hands brushing by one another.

If she planned on kissing him, holding hands wouldn't be that big of a deal, right? Kenma felt his nerves rise, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the amount of people near him, almost suffocating.

Before his 'flight or fight' activated, the soft, warm feeling of her hand holding his dulled all other senses. Kenma turned his head to see her looking directly at the ground, gnawing at her bottom lip. He didn't dare say anything, worried he'd make her let go.

Kenma didn't let go, not even to try and hold more snacks, paying at the counter, and holding the heavy bag. He couldn't, and he wouldn't. This continued all the way to his house, [Y/N] unzipping his backpack to get the key out and unlocking the door, walking up the stairs, and into his bedroom.

"..."

Yellow met [E/C], both glancing down at their joined hands and then up to each other again. Hesitantly, she let go, shrugging off her bag and lying on the floor. Kenma did the same, settling himself right next to her. The bag of snacks was set in front of them, Nintendo Switches turned on, and they loaded up their save.

"It kinda sucks that you can't build on my island, that'd be fun."

Kenma made an 'mhm' sound, collecting anything he could and fishing nearby. He watched her character zoom past him multiple times, decorating the outside of her house.

An hour into the game, [Y/N] got the trade offer from Kenma, said boy didn't mention anything, not even looking at her. She clicked accept, and in her inventory was a desk, the yellow cute DIY table she had been trying to get.

Her [E/C]'s were wide. Giggling, she ran into the house to place the pretty little thing in her bedroom.

"If only we could get married in this game."

That made him flustered, and he continued his fishing. His hands were a bit shaky, and he found it so silly he was this affected by the thought of marrying her in a game.

"Stardew Valley lets you marry villagers...and other players..." He awkwardly coughed when she turned to look at him. This time, he didn't shy away, meeting her gaze. Subconsciously darting his yellow eyes to her lips, like always.

[Y/N] didn't miss the change of attention, not this time. She never hated Kenma. Who was she trying to fool?

"Kenma, close your eyes." His attention snapped up to see her serious face. Did his staring make her feel uncomfortable? He complied with her ask, eyelashes brushing by the top of his cheeks, and he stayed silent, anxious for what came next.

A million possibilities ran through his head, but nothing could've prepared him for the mellow kiss she had initiated. Pleasant, soft, warm, and more words came to mind, but the best one for this situation was perfect.

[Y/N] pulled back, watching him flutter his eyes open and gaping slightly at her. She smiled nervously, scanning his face for any sense of rejection.

"I'd like to be your girlfriend and marry you in Stardew."

Kenma felt like his chest was relieved of all the worry that had built up, feeling fresh air fill his lungs, and a wonderful bliss taking over. He leaned back in, giving [Y/N] a quick, shy, chaste kiss.

"I'd like you to be my girlfriend too...and my Stardew wife..."

Animal Crossing was quickly forgotten, both of them buying and downloading Stardew Valley the next day. (They clocked in 80 hrs in a mere week.)

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀︾

"How do you die that much in a farm game?" Kuroo had googled the game on his phone. If Kenma never died in those dragon RPGs he loved, how was this farm more difficult?

"[Y/N] kept making our characters kiss, I couldn't attack the bats coming for us."

"Hey! We're rich enough for the medical bills already." She grinned, scrolling through screenshots she had taken of them in the game, passing by an occasional selfie.

"No more kissing in the mines, I lost the sunflower decoration I was going to give you."

"We'll get a new one. By the way, let's have a baby today."

"Have to visit Robin so she can put back the crib you exploded."

Kuroo packed up his lunch and left them alone on the rooftop, tired of the weird conversation.

︽❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀═══⌘═══⌘═══❀═══❀︾

[she-wu]

catoru streeetches (ch. 223)

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I like all of these, I just don't think that canon has the setup or commitment to make them work. I'll just run down the list and give my thoughts to show what I mean.

Timing- Cat Noir doesn't just fight the akuma he often *keeps it busy* keeping the fight close enough that the akuma doesn't break off and leave the area while Ladybug takes 10-15 minutes to wander around Paris picking up spare heroes or items she needs. A Lady Noire who goes too hard makes the akuma run and now has to try and follow/keep up and steer it back to where Mr. Bug last saw her.

The only time Ladybug has been shown to not really appreciate this is when it comes to the temp heroes. While I hate Ladybug wandering off to grab the temp heroes, canon loves having her do that, so letting Marinette learn that it's hard only to not do anything to fix it makes her lesson have the same issue as Adrien's lesson. If they learn something here, but then go right back to the same behavior in subsequent episodes, then the lesson either becomes pointless or serves to make the characters look worse than they already did!

If the writers used this to finally have Fu start doing the hand offs or something, then it would work, but that would require canon to see this as a problem and it really doesn't because Marinette must do everything for some reason. Functional teams simply aren't allowed in this team show even if it leads to utterly absurd behavior.

Morale- You might and she might cringe at CN's antics and seemingly cavalier attitude, but he is a balance to her catastrophizing. We've seen more than once how he picks her up, even right out of the gate at their first meeting. Have the roles swapped, have *him* on the ropes mentally/emotionally due the pressure of her role and have *her* have to pick him up ...quite unlike what she actually does in Reflekdoll. Have her inability to keep things in perspective send them both into a brief spiral that *he* has to pull them back out of.

This one has some potential, it's just undermined by the fact that Chat Noir generally only gets to be her balance in the two-part season finales. I can't think of an "us against the word" moment from the main show even though those moments should be a constant theme. There are some good moments especially in season one where we get things like the Stormy Weather fight and them bonding in Gamer, but even in season one Chat Noir was causing problems by not taking akuma fights seriously enough:

(Dark Cupid attempts to shoot his arrows at Ladybug who dodges them with her yo-yo. She soon falls catching herself on a roof gutter with her yo-yo.) Cat Noir: Falling for me already, my lady? (pulls Ladybug down next to him) I need to talk to you. Ladybug: It’s gotta wait. Dark Cupi- Cat Noir: (hushes her) I swore to myself that I'd tell you as soon as I saw you. Ladybug, I-I... Look out! (Cat Noir spins around to shield Ladybug, and is struck by one of Dark Cupid's arrows.)

For the attitude lesson to really hit home, he needs to be allowed to shine more often and support Ladybug more regularly so that it feels like she really is taking him for granted. As is, his writing is painfully hit or miss in this area, undermining the lesson.

I still think this could have somewhat worked, though. It wouldn't feel as strong as I would have liked, but it's got enough canon backing to feel reasonable since those "you and me against the world" moments stand out in a lot of people's minds.

Trust- 'Wait here I have a plan!' is something Cat Noir has to deal with a lot. Ladybug's plans are explained last minute if ever. Marinette would struggle having to trust Mr. Bug while he is enacting a plan. The need to know and have input would be killing her. She can learn how hard and rare the level of trust he has for her is.

Once again, I love the idea, I just don't feel like it works in canon. One of the show's writing rules is that "Marinette and Adrien must always have a secret between them" and those secrets are just getting more and more uncomfortable as time goes on. Having Marinette learn a lesson about how powerful Chat Noir's trust is only to follow it up with Alya becoming her main confidant in the next season just doesn't work for me. I'd only go this route if you were actually going to let Ladybug and Chat Noir be each other's main source of strength and support.

Without that backing, this is just another one that hits the Adrien issue of the lesson seeming to have no long-lasting benefits though admittedly those problems do take a while to really show up so how much that bothers you is going to be pretty subjective. You could argue that it still works because a lot changes before the lesson gets undermined.

In summary, I love all of these, I was just looking for a fix that matched canon without giving Marinette the same issue of the lesson not sticking past this episode that Adrien has in canon. I don't think there really aren't any amazing fixes that meet that criteria since canon is such a dumpster fire, but for a one-off episode fix these are great!

I think it's interesting that the shows problem of "marinette can and will do everything herself unless we decide to f her over" is clear pretty early, but esp in Reflekdoll back in s3... hell it worsened the problem of "cn is kind of a useless teammate" by making him start the ep interfering w lb and spending the rest of it actively struggling.

From what I understand when most shows do some form of "role swap" where the characters were previously dissing each other's roles, both characters in the swap are shown to struggle.

Reflekdoll, on rewatch, doesn't do that. Except I can't really think of a clear way to make Marinette struggle with the role of CN unless it's in her struggling to step back and let others do the work, which she can't do in the context of that episode since she spends all of it making sure Adrien doesn't F Up.

So if we redid reflekdoll to be a swap with a struggle on both sides, how could it be done?

Trope Overview

The power-swap trope is all about learning to appreciate someone else's point of view. That can include the struggles they face, but that's not a requirement. One of the best power swap episodes out there is the Teen Titans episode Switched in which the characters Starfire and Raven switch bodies. This is a problem because Starfire's powers are all about feeling and embracing emotions while Raven's powers are all about controlling and repressing emotions as you can see from this clip that takes place right after the switch:

There is no failed fight to kick this episode off. The girls already fought well together. They don't need to understand each other's powers to be functional teammates. Understanding each other's powers just lets them be better friends and lets the audience get a deeper understanding of the two characters which is exactly what this trope is supposed to do.

Miraculous

Unlike Teen Titans, Miraculous failed the role-switch trope assignment. Adrien kind of learns a lesson in Reflekdoll, but it doesn't change his behavior in other episodes so it's hard to say that this moment of awareness did anything useful for his character. There's also the problem that Marinette learns nothing as we can see here:

Mister Bug: (looks around, trying to figure out how to use his Lucky Charm) Okay, I admit it. It's not easy being a super Ladybug. Lady Noire: (keeping Reflekdoll occupied) And I admit that I like wearing your costume. It's a lot lighter on the shoulders. (They hide behind a chimney)

And here:

Mister Bug: Honestly, I understand why you never have any time to make jokes, m'lady. Lady Noire: We both have our roles, huh Bugaboy? (They jump into separate alleyways.)

This highlights the exact issue anon brought up in their ask: if Adrien continues to joke around and be dismissive of how rough Ladybug has it, then what was the point of all this? if Marinette has nothing to learn, then does Chat Noir even matter? And is there a way to fix this episode to remove those issues?

To be frank, a true fix requires massive rewrites to the entire show because this episode is highlighting an actual issue with the writing. Chat Noir has not been given a clear or important role and he often doesn't take fights seriously enough as we once again see just five episodes later in Oblivio when Chat Noir's flirting and laidback attitude get them hit by the day's akuma:

Nadja:(from a helicopter) Looks like Ladybug and Cat Noir are struggling today. (Ladybug is rapidly spinning her yo-yo to deflect Oblivio's blasts while Cat Noir sits down casually.) Ladybug: And stop calling us a couple!

This means that there's not great option for what Ladybug needs to learn from Chat Noir. The best small change I can come up with is to have her struggle to fight Reflekdoll solo, helping her apricate her partner's fighting and distraction skills. That's no where near the level of lesson Adrien is learning since Ladybug already apricates those skills, but at least it's something.

You could also go the route of having her learn to have more fun, but that's not a great lesson for a superhero charged with defending the city. The fun lesson that would have actual depth is a body switch one where Marinette learns Chat Noir's identity and sees Adrien's life first hand, helping her understand why Chat Noir is so big on having fun. It wouldn't make his actions okay, but it could lead Marinette to better understand his needs to they take time to have fun out of battle. He becomes more serious in fights and she becomes more fun out of them. But then we have identity reveals and canon won't allow that so, while this is the best fix for canon as-is, it's not really one that canon could actually do.

While were on the topic, I'll note that there actually is a fix-it fic for Reflekdoll over on AO3 that you might enjoy. It stays pretty true to the episode, but does a better job of actually letting Adrien learn his lesson while also letting Marinette acknowledge her faults in the episode because she wasn't exactly perfect here. I don't think it solves the issues we were talking about above, but I do think this is probably the best canon could have done without major rewrites and/or an identity reveal.

In an ideal world where the show is fully rebooted and our leads both feel like vital parts of the team, this episode probably would have been something similar to the Teen Titans episode I discussed above. Ladybug and Chat Noir already canonically respect each other's skills, so it's hard to see the need for a lesson around that topic. It would be far more interesting to have an episode on Creation vs Destruction where we learn why Adrien is the best black cat and why Marinette is the best ladybug. An episode where Adrien can't figure out the lucky charm and where Marinette can't control cataclysms because it requires skills that she doesn't have like strong self control and focus. (No, Adrien doesn't really have those in canon, but they are the traits that should define a Destruction wielder. I will die on that hill.)

This new version of the episode wouldn't be about resolving a conflict so much as it would be about helping these two - and the audience - appreciate how they're the only ones who can do what they do.

[laniidae-passerine]

I made my post about Dean Highbottom and then as I was writing my tags realised that his Hunger Games counterpart is Haymitch. and now my head is in my hands and I don’t think I’ll ever recover

[sp-growingpains]

SNATCHED! GRABBED EVEN!

Low effort, but I wanna draw more of these dorks.

Archie Refrence:

[kaythefloppa]

More rambling about Wild Kratts Game Lore bc I can

On today's episode of "shit about the flash games that I am probably the only person alive to care to notice," let's look at a certain pattern in the tutorials that, whilst it may seem minor, may actually reflect something about the overall website (and if you have no clue what the f*ck I'm talking about, feel free to stay, it's so much funnier that way)

Ok so let's look at the first wave of flash games made by Chocolate Liberation Font (the dev-team behind them). In the tutorials of these games, (i.e. Cheetah Racer, Ride on Remora, Caracal Leap, Draco Glide, Kickboxing Kangaroo, ect), one of the Kratt Brothers would introduce the animal and objective before activating their Creature Powers. When they do so, we see a close-up of their shirt (oddly enough without the suit or gloves??), and we see the buttons on the Creature Power Suit with the Creature Disc insignia in the same color as the suit itself.

Some image examples as Exhibit A.

You get the picture.

Now let's move on to the games that were added to the website in 2012 by Pixelpusher; Flower Flier, (R.I.P.) Croc Hatch, Frogfish Feast, Aardvark Town, and Web-tastic!; The Wild Kratts Creature Math Suite that collectively made up a quintilogy game, Creature Roundup. These games features new animals and new Creature Powers, 3/5 of which were featured in Season 2 of Wild Kratts which had recently premiered on PBS Kids at the time. Like before, the Kratt Brothers introduce the creature, the objective and Activate Creature Powers. However, here is one difference;

When the screen zooms in on the Creature Power Suit post-activation, we can see the physical Creature Power Disc itself over where the PowerSuit button/creature insignia would be. Regardless of the disc's color, it would show up. As shown below in Exhibit B.

Quite the difference eh?

But wait, it gets even more fun.

In 2013, two games, Dolphin Dive, and Slither Run, also done by Pixelpusher, are released. They're not affiliated with the Math Suite, but are in the same league as them. In the tutorials where the brothers activate their Creature Power Suits, you realize that, just like in the games developed by Chocolate Liberation Font, the close-ups of the buttons don't have any overlays of the disc (using Slither Run here because Dolphin Dive wasn't a good enough example)

Put a pin in this, because this becomes relevant later.

Let's redirect ourselves to the habitats. You probably remember exploring the habitats, finding and learning about different animals, unlocking photos, and adventuring with the Creature Powers earned from the games. The site was updated to include some new habitats and Creature Powers, but let's exactly look into the details of that, shall we?

Here are the available Creature Powers to use in the habitats to unlock the photos for your adventure journal in the character creator page, Your Room. Rattlesnake Power, Draco Lizard Power, Cheetah Power, Kangaroo Power, Caracal Power, Squirrel Power, Firefly Power, Dolphin Power, and Remora Power.

Now, you may notice that the Creature Power Suits from the Math Suites (Hummingbird Power, Crocodile Power, Frogfish Power, Aardvark Power, and Spider Power) are missing here. In fact, they're not in any way able to use in the habitats. They (along with Dolphin Power and Rattlesnake Power) are also absent amonst the assortment of Creature Powers to use in the supergame, Habitat Rescue Game.

This is where I pull stuff out of my ass cause I'm fcking crazy everything comes together.

Notice how the only Creature Powers that aren't available to use in the habitats are Creature Powers that the brothers use in the games where the physical discs are displayed on the buttons. The only ones available to play are ones where the button is visible when the brothers activate that particular Creature Power.

Conversely, none of the Creature Power Suits from games developed by Chocolate Liberation Font have PowerSuit photos that the user can take with a camera once they complete Level 5. Only the games added by Pixelpusher (this includes the Math Suite, Dolphin Dive, and Slither Run) are, and 5/7 of those games are where the physical disc is placed over the button. Slither Run and Dolphin Dive are anomalies from this pattern, but the majority rules (especially since they were added in post after the Math Suite).

But wait. It gets even deeper.

You know how I said in the assortment of games where the physical discs are present in the tutorials, Dolphin Dive, and Slither Run are anomalies in terms of games that had unlockable photos in levels? You know what pattern they aren't anomalies of?

Yeah, the Habitat Rescue Game at the beginning of this post wasn't just bc the game is fucking peak (based on a show that's fucking peak). None of the 7 Creature Powers from Pixelpusher's update to the website appear in the supergame Habitat Rescue. Not a single. One. And none of the Creature Powers available in Habitat Rescue are from games where you can unlock a photo in the site from directly finishing Level 5.

In case this has been way too complex, let me break it down *Activates Lawe's Parotia Power*

Creature Power Discs earned from games where the physical disc is not shown on the Power Suits after the activation in the tutorial are available in Your Room and the habitats.

Creature Power Discs earned from games in which the physical disc is visible over the Power Suit button in the tutorials are available in Your Room, but NOT in the habitats or Habitat Rescue Game.

Creature Power Discs earned from games in which you must complete Level 5 to earn the PowerSuit Photo and Badge, regardless if they physically appear on the Creature Power Suit in the tutorial, do not appear in the supergame.

None of the games that show the physical button of the suit have collectible photos from directly playing Level 5, BUT all of them that do are available to access in Your Room, the habitats, and Habitat Rescue Game.

CONCLUSION: Whilst there are many anomalies and errors in the structures or patterns of the original flash version of the online Wild Kratts website (I'm sure many of you noticed the duplicate Martins in the Aardvark Town tutorial Jesus Christ), some of these inconsistencies have consistencies in their inconsistencies, even if it wasn't the developers' intention. With this, you could logistify several appearances or absences of certain Power Discs in certain games or pages. And to those of you, who like me, grew up with the flash games and were confused as to why you couldn't access all 14 Creature Powers in the habitats or in Habitat Rescue, hopefully this observation could provide good enough answers and closer after a decade.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

[megastrikeback]

Riddle goes to Idia's room for Manga Recomendations (Cater advice). Idia shows off his colections featuring the more questionable manga he owns. Riddle gets, understandably, curious. Most Akward missunderstanding of their life insues.

[bacchuschucklefuck]

you get riz gukgak so well 👍👍

thank u!! he really kinda is all of my favourite character things rolled into one package (negotiation of principles/investigator-truth seeker-negotiator with reality and the narrative/obnoxious character whose narrative reward for participating in the story is getting to be even more authentically obnoxious/deeply and hauntingly aroace

[grantwilson]

sorry i cant be normal about characters. as if it's my fault

[moxymaxing]

whatever. old man yuri blast 💥

[wingstobetorn]

I LOVE when people have different interpretations and headcanons than me. We all see things so differently n it's great

[grooviestsadpapaya]

Literally I cannot possibly have anyone I know in real life find out about my comic or I will have two worlds collide and that would be bad,,, is this normal

[imagineaspen]

Almost forgot to post about this with all the Switch 2 news but I posted a little follow-up oneshot for my EoW fic An Unlikely Alliance that you can read here if you like: Of Purring and Presents - imagineaspen - The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms [Archive of Our Own]

Because Ganondorf wearing his own cat clothes was too cute to resist :)

[dixidin]

And you still haven't responded to most the stuff I've answered from you

@sinnlos-star everyone's so mean 2 me sometimes....☹️

[novelconcepts]

me, every time I leave a deeply earnest comment on Instagram:

“I promise I’m normal. I am so normal. This is so embarrassing. Why am I here. Why are any of us here. I swear, I’m so chill. I know you’re supposed to tell artists they’re making shit you like so I’m uh. I’m trying. To do that. And be positive about representation and jobs well done. But you’re right, it’s so cringe, I am s o. sorry. I’ll just see myself out.”