#fae cat noir

[ilikekidsshows]

A lot of Marinette stan always said that "she doesn't aware she did something wrong because Cat Noir never tells her" and this statement just feel funny when in Glaciator 2, Tikki told her "how strange it is for him to be out there when nobody akumatized" and when Cat Noir speak about his concern regarding the treatment he get by the start of the episode (the whole trash can thing) she shrug it out BOTH TIMES because she just couldn't be bothered enough when her love life is the only matters.

What's your opinion on this take "Marinette didn't do anything wrong because she didn't know that there was a conflict and she also didn't know that her behavior was hurting Chat Noir. everything is just a misunderstanding, like two cultures colliding because of differences in mindset."

I'm combining these asks, cause the top one basically says what I think of the question in the latter one. Marinette being willfully ignorant is not the same thing as her not knowing, the former is something she actively does and latter is something that happens to her. When it comes to Marinette being unaware of Cat Noir's problems, she actively avoids asking important questions or any follow up questions when she sees something is up, and she shuts down all of Cat Noir's attempts to bridge the gap or be more open. She's been doing this since the early seasons, just look up my "Fae Cat Noir" tag for how Marinette refuses to see Cat Noir as a real human being with emotions. She doesn't "not know", she actively avoids knowing.

Frankly, the wisemen of the groupchat think Marinette is benefiting from the secret identities rule. I agree, because she wouldn't be brushing Cat Noir off half as much if he could show up at her house to complain about being treated like a second stringer while she calls him her partner. And she'd be far more considerate if she had to go to school and look Adrien in the face after implying he's egostitical for hinting that future Bunnix constantly badmouthing him was making him feel bad.

Marinette is part-timing being Cat Noir's friend, and even the part of time she's his friend, she acts like his feelings don't exist. The rest of the time she acts like he as a whole doesn't exist. No, I don't think "she didn't know" is the defense people think it is. Marinette remains willfully ignorant, she chooses not to know, and actively avoids finding anything out. Those are choices and actions, and their consequences should be hers to deal with instead of her getting coddled because she "didn't know," like she was some kind passive victim of circumstances.

[taldigi]

Chat Noir's Tome of the Black Cat functions very differently. The words inside are indecipherable unless viewed through the eyes of the cat, and even then- are complicated and wild. The tome is ancient, and written less about individual spells- and more about the nature of fae magic and how to make it work in your favor.

Plagg exists as a spirit during transformation, eternally bound to the tome- his presence is imperative to it's ability to function. The tome is, in fact, a direct transcription of Plagg's heart- and the better Felix does to get to know and bond with Plagg, the easier it gets to read and comprehend the tome.

The tome floats on it's own, and is indestructible. It has a mind of it's own- basically, being Plagg- but it swayed easily in tune with Chat. Often, it is used like a shield or a battering object. It cannot stray far from Chat, unlike Ladybug's Drone.

Unlike Ladybug's Bugets- which seem to interface directly with her desires and thoughts in order to transform between different modes: in order to use the tome, Chat must memorize, practice, and study the tome to learn his spells and rituals, and then they must be performed accurately. His pool of magic is far more deep and flexable than Ladybug's charge, but the spells are difficult enough that he never really masters more than a handful. A plesant side effect means that he is eventually able to read Faescript, even outside the disguise.

Chat is- surprisingly, compared to his witch theming: more a physical fighter. Black Hole and Shadowmeld help him develop a hit and run style of fighting, using his claws to do damage- combining that with Plagg's assistance via the Tome, he can do a lot of damage up close. In a pinch, he has Black Storm. However, this takes a lot out of him and is often used as a last resort. Should he need a smaller, less intensive charge... like, for example: needing to knock something off a shelf: the simple version: Black Spark can be used instead.

Black Hole is used by scratching on the surface of something while thinking intently of a place. The scratch marks will swell until they are large enough to pass through. Scratching a new surface will remove the old portal. Chat Noir must have been to the location in order to stablish an exit portal. Shadowmeld is able to make him totally invisible in certain amounts of darkness.

[flightfoot]

Miraculous Fanfic Recs for ongoing Miraculous fics

So I got an ask requesting me to give some ML fic recs, so I decided to focus on some ongoing Miraculous fics! All of these have updated within the past two months. Feel free to tag anyone who I didn't know the tumblr username of!

Boulangerella by @aidanchaser

Once upon a time, magic was wild. The two princes of the kingdom have been tasked with choosing their brides by the end of their 21st birthday celebrations. Crown Prince Adrien Agreste will have to choose between a woman who can protect his kingdom, a woman offering the power to wake his sleeping mother, and the woman he has loved and admired for the past year. Then there's also the seamstress that he is suddenly falling for. By the time he realizes he doesn't have the power to choose at all, it may be too late.

Kind of a Medieval Fantasy AU here, though with more resemblance to regular Miraculous than I normally expect with such AUs. Kwamis are actually fae, but aside from needing some sort of "deal" in order for humans to draw out their power, they function mostly the same, with Ladybug and Chat Noir being activated in order to help fight against Hawk Moth, even.

Oh yeah, this fic was written pre-S4, so there's some oddities because of that, like Felix actually having a good father, for instance. Adrien and Felix are both still sentimonsters though.

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Lows And Highs (Of Adrien Agreste) by @blackcatsbutterflies

Adrien Agreste- Teenage supermodel, son of Gabriel Agreste, hero of Paris... Type One Diabetic. When Adrien is diagnosed with a chronic illness, he goes through the mental struggles of dealing with this new life. Nothing will ever be the same again, and if anyone were to find out, he'd be humiliated. The world would find him repulsing. Who would want to love someone who was constantly giving themselves shots? Marinette would. (Based off my real life, when I was diagnosed at 13 years old.) TW: Mentions of drugs (no one does them) and the following stuff that will appear in chapters: - Needles - Blood - Paralysis - Seizures - Fainting

Oh man this one is a real treat! I know some basic stuff about diabetes, but not so much what people's day-to-day lives are like, so it was interesting watching Adrien go through this, what he has to do nowadays in order to, well, live. And since he only just got diagnosed, he's going through major lifestyle changes which is pretty overwhelming, and he's feeling pretty awful about it because well, this is gonna hit hard. Though thankfully, Marinette is able to help quite a bit.

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Bell the Cat by @heartfulselkie

Ladybug is the Miraculous Hero of Gallia. She has spent the past number of years fighting the minions of the tyrant Hawk Moth, only for the war to come to an abrupt end. News reveals that Hawk Moth was brutally slain by his own champion and captain of his own elite guard - the infamous knight Chat Blanc, known to wield pure destructon itself. With the disintegration of Hawk Moth's army, Chat Blanc is captured and imprisoned until his certain execution. Being a beloved hero and instrumental in the realm's defences during the war, Ladybug is offered a reward of her choosing. Instead of choosing a title or luxuries as expected she chooses...custody of Chat Blanc??? A new threat is rising in the chasm Hawk Moth left behind, and Ladybug believes Chat Blanc's knowledge and skill will be vital in what's to come. And perhaps he could also answer some questions that have plagued her since even before the war with Hawk Moth began..

This fic is awesome so far, I adore a good enemies AU and Fantasy AU, so both of them together is great! There's a lot we don't know yet, like the specifics of how akumas work in this AU, but I'm eager to know more. Just as Ladybug's eager to try to find out what happened to an old childhood friend of hers who vanished around the time Hawk Moth rose to power...

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Madness series by @consistent-chaos-corporation

Summary for "Found", the first multichapter installment in the series:

Chat Noir and Ladybug need to tie up some loose ends. Unfortunately, one of those ends is Felix.

I've really been enjoying my time with this series, and if you like Felix-focused fics, you might too! In this universe, Nooroo and Duusu actually used to play with Felix and Adrien when they were little, but Gabriel made Adrien forget that happened - Gabriel and Emilie edited out a lot of little inconvenient things from Adrien's memory, as it turns out.

Anyway, we mostly follow Felix post-Strike Back as he figures out what to do now that he has the Peacock Miraculous. The heroes bursting in and confronting him about it kinda forces his hand.

He goes through a lot of character development here, which I adore, especially when it comes to realizing "oh crap, I sold out living beings to someone who I knew would mistreat them." This series tackled that subject better than any other fanfic I've seen, with Felix directly helping to recover the Miraculous and free the kwami, feelings guilty upon realizing how badly Gabriel had hurt them, and having to deal with a lot of the kwami not liking or trusting him for very justifiable reasons - though they ARE willing to understand why he did what he did.

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Kintsugi - The Beauty in Broken Things by @xaran-alamas

When freed from Mayura's control, and given a chance at a normal life, the Sentimonster clone of Ladybug must learn what it is to be not only a hero, but also a human being, and part of a family. Meanwhile Marinette needs to figure out what to do with a hyper-energetic Kwami with a broken Miraculous. Updates Sundays and Wednesdays

I've always loved Sentibug Lives AUs (as you might guess from my having written two fics where she gets to stick around), and this is one of the best ones I've seen, and certainly the longest.

I love how we get to follow Centi (as she names herself) as she tries to figure out what to do now that she exists and is likely to stay that way, and as she tries to cope with the knowledge that her creator controlled her and when she disobeyed, tried to kill her. She's a nicely developed OC, her feelings are really delved into!

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Not Part of the Plan by @kasienda

“What’s wrong, Marinette?” Marinette wiped her tears with her sleeve, and pulled away just enough to reach into her pocket. She gripped the pregnancy test and held it out to her mother. Sabine’s eyes widened as she took in the results of the test in her hand. Her gaze flashed back up to Marinette’s. “You’re pregnant.” And it wasn’t a question, but it was enough to send Marinette into devastated tears once again. Her mother pulled her back into the hug and just held her. “It’s going to be okay.”

Teen pregnancy fic here, which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea. I love how everyone comes together to help figure out what to do and to offer support - and not just to Marinette either, since Adrien's about to be a father as well.

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True Blue by @rosie-b

Golden Bug and Chat Grise are the heroes of Paris, fighting to protect civilians from Hawk Moth and his akumas. Marinette is Gabriel Agreste’s young apprentice, training under the famous designer to become the next big name in fashion. But one day, Marinette finds an open safe with a beautiful peacock brooch in it... and suddenly, she’s not sure who the villain is anymore.

I love Enemies AU, as I've already mentioned. This is a more unusual one, with MARINETTE being the one on Hawk Moth's side instead of Adrien. I love how Rosie painstakingly weaves together Gabriel's manipulation and lies so you could actually believe that Marinette might be willing to help him - maybe not very enthusiastically, but believing that it's the best option she has. It's pretty impressive!

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The Beauty of a Rose by properjitterbug

In the small town of Bellerose, Marinette and Adrien are childhood friends while secretly pining for each other. They lead happy lives until one day a long, forgotten promise is stirred awake; changing their lives in ways they couldn't imagine. With time marching on, Marinette is left to chase after ghosts of her past as a strange creature appears in the depths of the mysterious forest. Arc 1: Chapters 1-11: Complete Arc 2: Chapters 12-?: In Progress -- Werecat!Adrien x Marinette

Fair warning, this is an M-rated fic, and it earns that M rating, given it has several extensive sex scenes.

Anyway, I love a good fairy tale AU, and this is one of the better ones I've seen. I love how it's clearly inspired by Beauty and the Beast, but doesn't constrain itself by it. Adrien is not a jerk nor does he capture Marinette. Instead he randomly changes into a Werecat and is abandoned by his family, mistaken for a lumbering beast by the townsfolk, left alone for a year - until Marinette comes to visit the Agreste mansion, the home of her friend who just suddenly left one day, and she sees him in his werecat form...

I love this, Marinette is drawn to Chat, even with him looking pretty terrifying. Adrien's pretty insecure about his whole situation, but slowly opens up as he gets to reconnect with Marinette.

[flightlessribbons]

BRIDGETTE: SCARLET DANCER ERA

ML AU PT.3

When Bridgette was 16, she was given the ladybug miraculous from Sabine. Sabine told her she herself wasn't in the condition to wear it anymore, and that it was safer with Bri. Sabine didn't explicitly tell her daughter to take up the responsibilities of Ladybug, but began to be her mentor and train her when Bridgette expressed an interest to protect the city.

Deciding against keeping it a secret from Marinette, Bridgette confided in her little sister since they shared a room and Mari would get suspicious eventually. Tikki grew fond of both girls and stayed a member of the family- hanging out with the four at meals and other home family activities.

Felix was gifted the Black Cat miraculous from his mother Amelie, and kept it secret from everyone else in his extended family while she trained him.

Felix and Bridgette were partners, going by the names of "Tuxedo" and "Scarlet Dancer". No other miraculous holders joined them in their time, but the two helped out with crimes and helped everyday civilians out in this quiet peace.

Tuxedo was a more serious Chat Noir, and served as the reasonable and pragmatic one. He did have a sense of humor, and was often laughing when around the more joking and carefree Scarlet Dancer. The two had feelings for one another, Ladybug taking a liking to Chat first soon after meeting, and Chat beginning to grow fond of her after a while. They never told each other how they felt during this time.

Around a year and a half in of the current Ladybug and Chat Noir, Emilie's health declined, and she fell into a coma. This spurs Gabriel's reluctant transformation into Hawkmoth.

Hawkmoth sets an akuma in the beginning of the day to wander around itself in search of a vulnerable enough host, so he doesn't really know when an akuma attack will begin. (It's also his way of trying to lessen the guilt of subjecting innocents in this- but the guilt still hits hard).

Using the broken brooch alongside the overwhelming power from Null drains Gabriel very easily, causing him to grow gradually weaker the more he uses the miraculous.

As akuma attacks begin, Bridgette and Felix are in unfamiliar territory that even their mentors are unsure about.

Tikki teaches Bridgette how to purify akumas, and the more enemies they fight, the more Tikki notices similarities in their powers and mannerisms to that of old fae friends that she had known in eras past. Tikki concludes that these strange akumas are not just the work of the butterfly miraculous, but Null as well- and that he's the one fusing akumas with the powers and fae he's absorbed. Purifying the akuma causes the faerie's spirit to pass on.

There is no miraculous ladybug cure, but when a faerie's spirit passes on, its energy undos any physical damages the akuma itself caused to the city.

As the attacks seem to get more dangerous, Sabine pleads with her daughter to stop, but Bridgette refuses- knowing that she needs to save the city and be there for her partner.

This routine goes on for months, until an especially dangerous akuma comes into play. This battle lasts two days until Ladybug was able to purify the akuma- but not without a cost.

Felix's legs were badly hurt in the battle, and Bridgette hoped purifying the akuma would heal his wounds but it didn't. He asks her to take him to a specific alleyway, where Scarlet cries and apologizes and Tuxedo promises her they'll be okay. But he says that she has to go or else she'll see who he is, and convinces her to leave. When she's gone, he calls Amelie to pick him up and tells her what happens when she arrives.

When Bridgette comes home, she gives Tikki the earrings and tells the fae to find a more suitable holder. Tikki objects, but Bri is adamant that she has failed and let her partner get hurt. She refuses to take the earrings back, and only begins to cry again when Tikki has flown out the window with the earrings. Marinette comes home to her crying, and listens to what happened, and sits with Bri through the night.

Tikki, unsure of where to go and reluctant to leave the only family she's known for centuries, hides in the cluttered attic and ponders what to do.

Felix is hospitalized and is told that he is paralyzed in both of his legs from the injury. Realizing he can no longer be Chat Noir, Felix gives the ring to Adrien hours later when he comes to visit and asks him if he'd take on the responsibility- or at the very least return the ring back to Amelie at a later date if Adrien chooses not to. His young cousin talks with him and finally decides to keep the ring, introducing himself to Plagg and letting Felix and the faerie say a proper goodbye before he leaves.

When Gabriel learns of Felix's injury that is too close to Chat Noir's injury, he puts the two together and falls into a bad state. Refusing to send out more akumas because of what he's done to hurt his nephew, Gabriel calls off the deal with Null, telling him to release Nooroo and find another to do his bidding. But Null refuses.

From using the broken miraculous, Null's power, and emotional grief, Gabriel is extremely vulnerable. Using this as an opportunity, Null uses the powers of multiple faeries and takes control of Gabriel's body.

Null visits Felix in the hospital, looking out for the ring but sees nothing. Felix quickly suspects something is wrong with his uncle and calls Amelie when Null leaves.

Amelie, who is with Adrien at this time since he came right to her after his visit to Felix to see Amelie as his mentor, hangs up the call and asks her nephew if Gabriel has been acting differently recently. Adrien tells her about how he's been really tired, but he's always tried to spend time with him when he could like usual so he'd just been chalking it up to work.

Amelie knows there's more they don't know, but until they know exactly what- advises Adrien to be careful. Knowing well how to hide things from her own ex kingpin father growing up, she gives him pointers on how to hide Plagg and the ring well and sneak around. With promises to visit often and do his best, Adrien goes home, leaving Amelie worried for all members of her family.

Previous: SABINE: MINI MENACE ERA

Next: MARINETTE: LADY LUCK ERA

[harlequinoccult]

This might be a total coincidence but are you prince lapin? Your icon is familiar from other IF discords. what are your favourite ifs??

ah shit lads ive been found out Yeah, thats me !! the hyperfixation got so strong i needed to write my own

SPEAKING OF. you have opened pandoras box. god have mercy on you. Woe, Interactive Novels be upon ye.

CHOP SHOP by @losergames i fucking love crime. And they way everything is written? mwah. byootiful. like im watching a fucking movie.

WOLF SET FREE by @wolfsetfree-if WULFEBOUND by @wulfebound WEREWOLF NOIR by @canismaxim-games BLOOD MOON by @barbwritesstuff

I AM SO GAY ABOUT WEREWOLF SHIT YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

THE EXILE by @exilethegame I was (and am) hyperfixated on this singular game for a very very long time and my commander is the poorest little meow meow that i love repeatedly throwing against a wall and into a meatgrinder 💖

FIELDS OF ASPHODEL by @chrysanthemumgames I am so deeply unwell over Hades. but also i never noticed the simiarities that persephone and dionysus have and it makes me go insane to think about.

THE NAMELESS by @parkerlyn not only is my own bastard cat thing on an mc the most fun to draw, but it has reawakened my feralty over fae settings and fae creatures. also parker is just like. one of the sweetest people ever created??? illegal. how are they so nice.

THE NORTHERN PASSAGE by @northern-passage not only am i deeply unwell about Lea, but i adore deeply inhuman mcs <- (the transgenderism speaking). I also just like. respect the hell out of kit fr. takes absolutely no bullshit. absolute inspiration.

GREENWARDEN by @fiddles-ifs Bautista. I am unwell. do i have a type? perhaps. shut the fuck up about it. mc is deeply neurotic and a freak (complementary) (affectionate)(relatable)

SPEAKER by @speakergame one of the BEST writers of sibling interaction, hands down. one of the first twine IFs i have ever played and god it is so fuck quality. my god.

EVERYTHING BY @heart-forge oh my god. oooohhhh my fucking god. where do i begin. all of their projects are so fucking good and distinct. i can tell you i am unwell about trigger siruud and valerian and you could probably diagnose me with something but i dont care. i am going to fucking explode their shit is so quality.

EVERYTHING BY @pdrrook how do they do it. no seriously how the fuck do they do it. magic? are they fae? did they sell their soul to the devil? banger project after banger project after banger project. ALL of their shit is quality AND THEY DO NOT MISS. EVER.

THE GRAND HEIST by @thegrandheist-if BRO I FUCKING LOVE CRIME. LOVE BEING A BASTARD.

EVERYTHING BY @jaunefleurwrites fun highschool detectives!!! :) AND THEN MY FUCKING HEART GETS SHATTERED.

LEGEND OF A SAVIOR by @legend-of-a-savior-if THE DRAMA.....THE INTRIGUE......i loved fucked up cults. I loved fucked up shit. I hate my mom. thank u.

EVERYTHING BY @leftski-if bro......the softness of orcs......leftski gets it. everyday i thank them for my FUCKING life. (wolfsbane has werewolf shit, and as you know i am. Gay. About. It.)

VIRTUE'S END by @virtues-end you already fucking know who the fuck i am unwell about if you read the rest of this god damn list. dont fucking @ me. (barghest best helvling)

VENDETTA by @vendetta-if ok hear me out guys. have i mentioned the i love crime. that i love being a nasty crime boy? well jokes on you fucker im a vigilante.

THE KING'S HOUND by @the-kingshound Mordred is my fucking son and if anything happens to him i will kill everyone in this room and then myself.

BASTARD OF CAMELOT by @llamagirl28 the drama.....the fucking drama......my mordred, a literal ten year old has their shit together better than his fucking parents. this is my fucking soap opera. i have my fucking popcorn at the ready.

THE BALLAD OF DEVILS CREEK by @devilscreekballad Okay no jokes, i absolutely and genuinely hope the author of this IF gets to be in a better spot financially and health wise. This IF is so fucking phenomenal and the dedication to the time period without shirking away from sensitive topics is honestly insane. i absolutely wish them the best. 🌻

And finally, what might be the first twine if i ever played-

SCOUT by @anya-dev im crying. im scratching at the floorboards. im crawling on the walls. im barking in a cage. scout is such a fucking interesting post apoc story. the reason is unclear but at the time of the story it doesnt particularly matter. but at the same time it does so much. i want to know SO MUCH. Oliver was the fucking blueprint for my god damn brainrot.

[nebulasaurus]

I love your lists of liked media! Who are your top 10 couples from any media?! 🥺

Hello again my dear friend, anon! What a question. Omg I had to sit and think so I can rank them. I hate ranking them because I love them all so dearly 😭 so I'm not gonna. I'm just gonna put the list of my favorites here!

Kyo x Tohru - Fruits basket

They are so special to me 🥺

Killua x Gon - Hunter x Hunter

I know they aren't technically canon but Togashi has hinted it so many times in so many ways.

Chat Noir x Lady Bug - Miraculous Lady Bug and Cat Noir

I just adore them so much 😭

Amane x Nene - Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun

I cry over them lots

Sayoran x Sakura - CLAMP series

They were my first OTP and a continuous love in my life. They introduced me to the concept of "Twin Flames" which I also adore.

Cardan x Jude - The Folk of the Air series

The reason why I love enemies to lovers and fae.

Duck x Fakir - Princess Tuty

I loved them when I was young and still do decades later. I cry over them too.

Hikaru x Haruhi - Ouran Highschool Host Club (MANGA ONLY!)

They aren't canon but their chemistry was so strong through the whole story and Hikaru is my beloved.

Nakatsu x Mizuki - Hana Kimi (all media)

Yet another non-canonical couple. I still don't understand why they didn't end up together in the end. I hate Sano. Nakatsu deserved her 😭

ITS GETTING ANIMATED!!

Rapunzel x Eugene - Tangled

My favorite Disney movie and Eugene is a dreamboat.

I have so many more and love to talk about them!

[aidanchaser]

Right back atcha 👀

⭐⭐⭐

I hemmed and hawed over what fic to do, bc I'm not very subtle about my intentions in my craft, but I realized I haven't actually talked about how purposefully I structured the dialogue in how fair you were in [moonlight] which is a remix of how fair you were in summertime by @ladyofthenoodle.

“Why, my lady, do you wait in the dark?” a lilting voice curled in her ear. ... He stretched out along his branch, and his long, black tail swished mischievously at his waist. With a Cheshire-cat-sized grin, he added, “You are far too beautiful for shadows.” Marinette, despite her fear, returned the compliment with a curtsy. Manners were everything to the fae. So was truth, so she had to be careful not to lie. “I wait, good sir, for the right time and mark,” she said, “and find you too friendly for such shadows.”

I was teaching Romeo and Juliet at the time I was writing this fic, and teaching the scene where they meet at the party is my favorite scene to teach. It's beautiful to watch, the dialogue is precise and romantic, and it is an excellent tool for teaching sonnet structure. So I wanted to mirror that in my fic.

In this opening exchange, Chat Noir offers her two lines that Marinette (as Ladybug) rhymes back, completing the first quatrain as they discuss her intentions.

In the next quatrain, Chat Noir responds with his intentions, both alluding to his avoidance of his father and his desire for her--and she acknowledges her own desire.

The fae dropped from the tree and gave her a sweeping, dramatic bow. “As the moonlight makes nightmares out of dreams, forgive me, then, for lurking out of sight.” Her heart pounded in her chest as he held out his hand in an invitation. She wondered if his hand was a binding invitation if he did not speak his offer. “There’s always more to the night than it seems,” she agreed, and allowed him to take her hand. His hands were smooth and soft, like the pads of a cat’s paw, and even in the dark, his eyes glinted like emeralds. Breathlessly, she finished, “but there’s plenty of joy found in the light.”

This quatrain holds probably the most important line in the fic - "As the moonlight makes nightmares out of dreams / forgive me then for lurking out of sight" is an explicit summation of Chat Noir's internal conflict. The moon is his father's domain, and his only freedom is outside of that moonlight. Light and exposure are not safe for him.

With that in mind, I worked really hard to rhyme sight and light. In this fic, darkness is safety and freedom for Chat Noir, but light is safety for the humans. There's this divide between them that Chat Noir is trying to bridge.

While in Romeo and Juliet, they each offer their own quatrains and break into a shared quatrain for the third quatrain, I instead did paired lines to build quatrains as a partnership, then had the third quatrain break up almost line by line.

“There is enough joy to be found right here,” he said, and pulled her hand up to his lips. Heat rose in her cheeks, and Marinette prayed her glamor hid it as well as it hid her humanity. “And if that is all the joy you receive?” The ears in his golden hair seemed to flatten at her words. He straightened but did not let go of her hand. He took a step closer. “Then that joy is in my memory seared, and I shall take my lady’s cue and leave.”

And, as Romeo and Juliet do, there's this talk of exchanging, giving and taking. I'm fascinated by the concept of love as ownership, of love as something given and taken, and in a world of fay transactions, it seemed perfect to replicate. Marinette cannot take anything from the fay, following goblin market rules, but she is really enjoying this conversation with Chat Noir, so for their shared closing couplet, she makes an offer without making any promises or exchanges that would put her in danger.

“Give as you like, sir, but I may not take.” He tipped his head and curiosity glinted in those green eyes. She wondered if her warm breath or her refusal to accept a trade tipped him off. But he did not shy away from her, did not slink back into the night nor find another fae and raise an alarm. Instead, his soft, cool fingers found her chin and tipped her lips towards his. “Then just enough to relieve my heart’s ache.” It was a gentle kiss, little more than his lips pressed against hers—and it relieved no aches in Marinette’s chest. As he pulled away she leaned into him, chasing the kiss until his hand on her chin held her back.

Chat Noir and Marinette share two more quatrains, and this time the intimacy is deepened not just by shared rhymes but by splitting a line between them:

“My lady teases me so unfairly, to try to give me what I may not have.” “What you gave, sir, was given so sparely. Did you give at all?” “Then let me give half.”

Not only are they having a banter about giving and taking kisses, Chat Noir offers half of a kiss by giving Marinette half of her line that she left open for him.

And after another kiss, Marinette offers an exchange for a third. While Chat Noir refuses her offer because he is bound to fay rules, he leaves his line unfinished just as she did; her offer is rebuffed but he still wants her to give him a kiss. She just can't take from him as that would indebt her to him as part of the goblin market rules, and he can't take from her because as a fay everything is done in exchanges. But she could return what he gave her.

She swallowed hard and gathered her breath. “And will you take my half from me—for free?” His thumb brushed against her lips longingly. “I can’t take for free.” “If you will forgive, may I return what you have given me?” “As my lady may not take, she must give.”

After this third kiss and second quatrain, Chat Noir accidentally gets a taste of her blood. It's an inversion of the goblin market rules; Marinette has not eaten fay food, but now Chat Noir has tasted of human blood, and he is the one who will be left wanting after this exchange.

“I see the forest hides your secrets, too.” It wasn’t just his eyes that betrayed him. His voice trembled, and the words slipped past his fingers almost against his own will. “The darkness is meant to make lies unseen.” “I have told you nothing that was untrue.” She swallowed down her panic, tempered it with hope. He had not alerted anyone else, had not sent for someone to throw the human from the fae’s celebration—or worse, force her into partaking. “I trust my good sir played no tricks for me.”

Their third and final quatrain is divided back to their original exchange on meeting. It's still a unity, still a matched set, but the intimacy is lost as he realizes she's not a fay like him, and she appeals to his good nature not to reveal her secret.

And, though the intimacy is broken, they still manage to sum up their sonnet with a final closing couplet before Chat Noir reveals that he is not just any fay, but is in fact the fay she has been hunting.

He looked for all the world like a man standing at a freshly dug grave. He stepped towards her once more and it took all of her willpower stay where she stood. But he did not reach for her again. Instead, he paused beside her, on the edge of the clearing. His voice was still thick with fear, but a smile played on his lips as he met the eyes of another member of the fae court. He raised a hand in greeting, but his voice was low and desperate as he whispered, “My lady ought to leave while she can.” “I’d be caught before I even began.” He sighed again, and that taste of despair seemed to press against his shoulders with a fresh force. With the urgency of a man approaching the gallows, he stepped into the moonlight.

In tarot, the moon is a sign of secrecy and shadows. It both maintains secrets and reveals them. The full moon, too, is often associated with fay and other magical creatures. For Chat Noir, the moon does not necessarily reveal his true self, but it does reveal his true appearance as a member of the fay court, his true appearance as a fay loyal to his father.

I really liked the idea of pale moonlight washing Chat Noir out and turning him into Chat Blanc. I often use the gold and silver descriptions of his hair when making distinctions between Adrien/Chat Noir and Cat Blanc, that Cat Blanc is a lesser version of his true self, but that Adrien/Chat Noir is the fullest richest version of himself. (Don't ask me what I do with Cat Walker, who famously wears gold. He's not here on purpose.)

So all the imagery in the transformation description is intentional, to turn Chat Noir's gold into something silver, warmth into cold, and intrigue into genuine danger.

At once, the black that cloaked his face and shoulders melted away. The pale moonlight washed him out in pure white. The gold in his hair transformed into silver as his pitch dark ears turned a shade of white far paler than anything that Marinette had ever seen. The soft pads of his hands glinted with finely sharpened silver claws. He seemed to be a moon all his own, reflecting a dimmer light than its source. And as he turned to smile at someone else who called for the fae prince’s attention, she saw his face and gasped. All the joy and mischief that had drawn her into him were doused. Beneath smears of white powder, his warm, emerald eyes had become cold sapphires that, despite the light all around him, refused to offer even the slightest glint. But that wasn’t the part that terrified her the most. More horrible than the dramatic and tragic change that swept through him was the glowing lavender outline of a butterfly’s wings, shining on top of the pale white dust that streaked his face. It was the very mark she was looking for, revealed in the moonlight. Marinette turned and fled.

There's some narration as Marinette wrestles with her affections for Chat Noir, her attempts to reconcile his kindness and sadness with the vicious monster she's been hunting. The sum of it is that in her fear of falling victim to the fay's charms, she overcorrects and determines to kill him.

When she goes to hunt him down at the next full moon, she is herself, not Ladybug. But he recognizes her anyway, because he has tasted her blood.

They meet on the edge of the forest, him clinging to the shadow because in the shadows he gets to be Chat Noir, Marinette on the other edge, still in the light of the setting sun, holding her iron dagger to kill him. This time there is no even exchange. Chat Noir offers his own quatrain, summing up his desire for her:

“My lady,” he said with a smile, though she was wearing her plain work clothes, still streaked with dirt from the gardening she had done that day, “how you’ve lingered on my tongue. Your blood and its taste bind my emotions, the memory of you aches in my lungs, and I long for naught but your devotion.”

But Marinette does not match his rhythm, does not acknowledge his poetry. She is human in this instance and she is also fully rejecting him, so her reply is unmetered and unrhymed entirely:

As he extended a hand to her, she searched his posture for a threat, for a coil in his shoulders before he struck or the glint of his fangs before he lashed out, but she saw none. He was as eager and playful as he was in her memory. Perhaps more desperate and forward. She tightened her grip on her dagger. “You think you can simply woo me back into your arms? You tell me you’ve pined for me, you’ve ached for me, and you think I’m supposed to care? I know what you are, what you’ve done to the humans who’ve dared to come to you vulnerable and lost. You’ve made them monsters, and you’re going to pay for it tonight.”

And as the sun slips over the horizon, they are both left in darkness for the second quatrain. Chat Noir again bids for her affection, this time offering to help her with her quest. He is as much a victim of Hawk Moth as the people she is trying to avenge.

“If it’s the monster-maker that you want,” he said slowly, “then let me offer my assistance. It’s not only humans my father haunts. For his fall, I’d trade my own existence.”

But Marinette is unconvinced and her reply remains in freeverse:

“The fae may not lie,” she said, “but you can twist your words to tell the truth you want. Why shouldn’t the monstrous fae prince convince a human to help him kill the fae king? You get the crown and a target to pin the murder on. You think I want you so badly that I’d give up my humanity to destroy for you? I won’t let you trick me the way you tricked the others.”

And as the moon rises behind her, revealing Chat Noir once again as Chat Blanc, Chat Noir makes his final offer. In true sonnet format, the third quatrain offers a dramatic shift. Chat Noir goes from begging Marinette to save him, either from his intense longing or the curse his father has put on him, to begging Marinette to kill him.

He frowned and stepped closer, out of the shadows and into the point of her blade. As the moon crested the treetops and its light washed over him, every bit of black was whisked away by pure white. His emerald eyes once more turned cold and sad. The white cat ears in his silver hair went flat. “Then kill me, my lady. Death is preferred, when weighted against carrying this curse. Trust that I would rather die by your sword than live by his word. I know nothing worse.” The blade trembled in her hand. He pressed himself against it and a pinprick of blood bloomed in his chest. It continued to spread, staining the white dark and black, as if confirming his claim that only death would let him take back what the moon had stolen.

I'm not subtle about this simile here. The blood appearing black in the moonlight and staining Chat Blanc back into Chat Noir is an intentional suggestion that killing him would free him from Hawk Moth and restore his nature, even if only in death. Marinette could save him by killing him, if she won't save him by loving him.

But of course, she can't kill him, because she does love him. And as she puts aside her weapon, Chat Noir offers her a single line, and Marinette finishes his sonnet.

She lowered her blade. His shoulders slumped, though she couldn’t be sure if it was with relief or regret. “Then what else would my lady have of me?” he asked. “All of you,” she whispered, and his ears perked up, “if you’d have all of me.”

Not only does she finish his sonnet, she offers the summation of the exchange they had when they first met. She could not take from him, afraid to be bound to him; similarly he could not take from her without offering something in exchange. She completes his rhyme and offers a full trade, which is an incredibly vulnerable thing for her as a human, but is perhaps the only thing she could offer.

It was actually hard to have this be the final dialogue of the piece. I wanted more for them, but I felt like writing out another full sonnet would have taken away from the intensity of this moment, and it wasn't as if I could break my structure and finish with some romantic free verse. But I do really like this piece. Even if my poetic meter isn't perfect, I am proud of the overall structure and the narrative here.

[ratsoh-writes]

Masterlist 28

(*****)= suggestive

General

FAVORITES (all)

SO turns bitty for a week (hf ff ss sf)

dancing in your pjs (papyrus, star lilac jupiter)

kiss attack!!! (tt ot bt )

SO feels safe in their arms (ft ff hf sf ss)

someone accidentally sends a ton of money to his account

SO blinks like a lizard (us uf + mafias)

SO has a business making sex toys******

which (non virgins) haven't been with a human*****

waking up to doggy kisses (willow pitch sails)

stepkid says i love you for the first time

SO purrs when they see him

getting the least judgy guys to judge you (pop sails peaches fisher ram)

chubby SO (ft ff fs)

getting turned into an animal they hate

wiz sib wants to ask out their crush (papyrus, honey, mal, uf, ht)

SO is a nude model for an art school**

thoughts on travel (all)

advice they'd give their younger self (ls lf mafias)

aftercare (lf ss sf gt nt)******

SO has a miscarriage

SO gets in a car accident and is at the hospital (ut mt ms ul ls)

when his bro has a crush (nt fsr ot)

attachment styles (all)

rich SO tries to spoil him (ht hf hs hfm)

giving his bum a nice pat (peaches honey jupiter jasper cricket quill)

SO sends him a naughty picture (fot tt bt)****

SO leaves little love notes for him (lf ss sf gt nt)

tag you're it! (sans pluto G lens)

SO telepots his bro on a boat to propose (sans star red mal oak lord hook)

alien invasion (ul fot gt)

he accidentally hurts SO (ft ff fs)

date gets vertigo (ft ff fs)

bros reaction to taking in wiz sib (ut us sf)

bro think his SO is cheating (ut uf us fsg ht)

royals for a day (ut fsg ot)

stranger saves their life (st ss sf lf ls)

making stuffed animals kiss (st sf ss of nt)

SO cant say dish soap

favorite dairy products (all)

he wakes up to a stranger staring at him

clingy SO

if they weren't farmers (ft ff fs hfm)

interactions/poly hcs

the beef between the farm and farmswap bros

if oak and peaches were together

Worldbuilding

cat monster traits

trailrunners

shroomsnails

more magical plants/crops

fillerblot (jerry)

ebott specific careers

ALL BIRTHDAYS

famine aus struggle with babies*

cat allergies and cat monsters

human to monster first aid

stars curse

fae

The Mafias

ace's talents

bruisers talents

ace fun facts

Farmtale

ranchers talents

rosemarys talents

yosemites talents

peaches fun facts

rancher fun facts

Horrorfarm

moose and maples parents

Farmfell

rams talents

pitch talents

pitch and rams parents

Fellswap gold

wines talents

coffees talents

fluffy coffee

Fallouttale

some lens fun facts

lens talents

Seatale

fishers talents

jaspers talents

fisher fun facts

fisher fun facts 2

lustswap

sparks talents

lustfell

peppers talents

fluffy lush

Nomadtale

compass talents

Horrortale

oak fluffy facts

Underswap

stars crazy police stories

Gastertale

green relationship

where you can find green

Underfell

edge relationship

Horrorfell

noir relationship

noir fun facts

[sparklemotiongalaxy]

Ficlet time!

Based on @erigold13261's Eriverse AU!

Featuring: Peni, Yinu and her mom.

(With mentions of characters from Acoss the Spider-Verse and Jujutsu Kaisen.)

1153 words, and hastily written because I really wanted this idea out of my brain.

Enjoy!

Peni Parker was in a stump. Apparently, Sayu and mer friends had some important meeting with the merch producers. Remi had just dropped her off in the Natura district, saying that "Catherine said she would come soon! Have fun!"

Yes, Peni Parker, 14 years old, was left in the care of Catherine Spinose for the first time after settling in Vinyl City. Which meant Peni probably had to meet with Yinu Spinose. After the Rock Revolution, it was said that Catherine gave her daughter some much-needed personal space. Often times though, kit always saw the mother-child duo together in the media. Catherine, with warm yet seemingly all seeing eyes. Yinu with a slightly haughty and confident gaze. Kit… didn't know what to make of it. Were they together because they really enjoyed it? Or did they stay together, just like how a lithium-ion battery charged too would often lose more and more of its life without another? They made kit feel strange emotions, a swirl of jealousy and contempt. Maybe nya could have been a better daughter. Would she have not left then? Would kit have been that haughty and confident child by kits mother's side then? Kit sighed.

Peni Parker was not a person to be afraid of strangers. Boy, nya really wanted to stay with someone else with nyan. Neon J and 1010 were busy as always, though. Today he said he had some appointments with some major clients, and Margo was helping him out as an intern. Originally kit was to stay at professor Nova's place. But it seemed professor Nova had way too much in his hands with Satoru, Suguru and Shoko being little shits. Peni just heard that professor Nova had almost all of his Mr. Dodo icepops eaten by them, despite the fact that he hid the freezer. Kit decided to decline the offer when kit heard that. Kit didn't even bother with asking Tatiana. And even Bunk Bed Junction and Eve were helping out Miles and his friends do an art project. Gwen looked ecstatic to meet Zuke.

Fae could have just asked faer friends to bring Peni along. And yet…

Holding SP//dr close to kits, Peni decided to wait in the patio in Natura. SP//dr probably felt Peni tense up, and hugged kits back. "Thanks." It would be an understatement to say SP//dr saved kits. Sure Peni had friends like Noir, Margo, Ham and Hobie at first, with more and more friends at Nueva York. But SP//dr… gave Peni hope. Hope that kits powers were not just destroying. Hope that even after accidentally killing kits dad, kit can make something beautiful with it. SP//dr nuzzled close to Peni. Kit should add a purring function to SP//dr, a collar with a mini speaker or a vibration motor? Maybe when-

"Peni?" Kit jolted. There she was. Catherine Spinose, leader of the Natura District. Renowned EDM artist. Mother of Yinu Spinose. She was as tall as Peni heard, with golden yellow eyes. She gazed down at Peni. "It is wonderful meeting you. Let's go, Yinu is waiting for you." Huh. Yinu was interested in kits.

"Hello, Ms. Spinose." Peni stood up, and bowed. Yu told kits that bowing, no matter to whom, was a good idea to look polite. SP//dr followed suit, while being held by Peni.

Surprisingly, Catherine laughed. Not the jealous type of laugh. A genuine, soft laugh. "Please, call me Catherine. Yinu is waiting for us." Peni just nodded, and opened the blue cat backpack (nicknamed "kit-pack" by Hobie) to prompt SP//dr in it.

The walk to Catherine and Yinu's home was brief. "I like your backpack, dear." "… thank you, Ms. Catherine." Silence. Peni felt Catherine's gaze into nyan and SP//dr. "It is rare for Yinu to be interested in others, much less allow for someone to come over with such short notice." "… is that a good thing?" "… for me as a mother, yes." "Oh." "It is nice that she has other people her age around, especially those who are not affiliated with NSR." "I hope I wouldn't let you down." "… you don't smoke like that child made of glass, do you?" "… no?" Peni did not want to know what Shoko did. "Then you won't."

"Here we are." The house, as nya expected, was massive. The cobblestone felt like it was glowing gold under the sun. It had a winding garden with roses of all colors. Even rainbow colored ones. The vines crept up on the wire gates. Peni gingerly held them to take a closer look. "Plant magic. Yinu has been working on honing them for a while." Catherine was right behind SP//dr. Peni felt SP//dr jump inside nyan's kit-pack. "Oh! I startled you, my apologizes." She looked like she stepped on someone's foot. "It's okay, Ms. Catherine. The roses look amazing." Peni quickly smiled back in reassurance.

"Shall we go in? It would be cooler indoors." Catherine pushed the door taller than her. It was then Peni realized Catherine had shrank in size slightly just for kits. Upon entering the door, kit saw the painting hanged on the wall. It had a younger Yinu on Catherine's lap. And someone with golden yellow hair, wearing a red rose suit. They all looked happy. "Rubato would have loved all of you." "Would". Peni willingly decided not to connect the dots in kits head. Small footsteps. "Mama! Is Peni here?"

There she was. The golden maestro of Vinyl City. The child prodigy. Yinu Spinose was running up to her mother and the stranger in a simple shirt and pajama pants. Her smile seemed to be electric, with hands covered in… crayon? Yinu jumped up to hug her mother. "Wait til we wash our hands, dear." Even with the whole house smelling like roses, the soap seemed somehow sweeter.

Catherine did hug Yinu, and decided to retrieve some snacks for the two of them. Peni and Yinu were left in Yinu's playroom. Yinu waved to Peni. "I'm Yinu Spinose. And you're Peni Parker, right? I heard you like cats, so I thought we could draw some cats together!" There were some paper and crayons that suggested that. There were already some cats on the pages. Cute. Peni was confused. The Golden Child of Vinyl City, wanting to play with kits? Despite all the chaos that has happened to Peni Parker in the past few months, this felt more strange than anything combined.

Then. SP//dr jumped out of the kit-pack, and slipped into Yinu's arms. SP//dr never leaves Peni's side. "He likes me!" Yinu giggled. SP//dr gestured towards Yinu's crayon covered hands, and made a rubbing motion with fluffy paws. "Do you… want me to wash my hands so that I can hug you?" SP//dr nodded. Yinu left the door, with SP//dr trailing behind her.

Maybe… Yinu and Catherine Spinose actually wanted to be friends with kits. Maybe they won't leave Peni behind, and kit could have fun.

[honeybeewhereartthee]

PINK KKOMAS 170

Spoiler for my stories

"wth that's not being dramatic at all! That's being logical reaction!" Purple cannot but commented. Everyone was surprised by his loud voice. "Sorry about that." He felt shy now that he openly be emotional cause of what he just hear.

"... That person ask me to never tell anyone about it." Kuma

'but aren't you telling everyone about it now?' was clearly in everyone mind as Kuma pet kitty. "Honestly if your shocked about it, you honestly don't know the worse part is that--" the dollmaker forgotten about everyone. He wanted to say but found himself unable to speak more his voice come out muted.

"huh. Wtf. Why is there a mute button ?" Doll pointed at the floating tag beside Kuma when his speaking something he cannot hear about.

"oh it's a spoiler for you I guess." Kuma who realize he can't say anything about the matter and just laugh.

"hell na ya going to say those to me!" Doll proceed to shake the answer from Kuma the hard way like bart in Simpson.

"yooooooo!" Within that moment you arrive in pink kkomas in the sight of doll on top of Kuma choking the poor guy and kitty running toward you tearfully (fake) and pleading look to help Kuma.

"kinky." You commented as you pick up kitty and then look at doll. "I can give a hand again if you guys from MDD want." You already did before anyway. What's the matter helping another time? Being sent to detention by that overseer? Pls. That aren't stopping you anytime soon. And you just been to one!

"how come I can't hear the words of this cat?" Doll point at Kuma who's looking at kitty in your arms.

"oh. I guess that Kanata and your dollmaker where close but never really went to the zone where they kiss. But in crystal heart they both have some beautiful and delicious crystal heart."

"what's do you mean delicious!?" -doll

"anyway, mc forgot about everyone and everything after that person help them.... Cause of something... Like dark fae magic thing....y." you tried to explain it but also kinda don't understand it yourself. You look at kitty in your arms and giggle.

"The counterpart I created." You whisper to yourself before giving a soft kiss in kitty forehead. "That I also curse. >:3 " you giggle evilly making kitty fearfully look at you but then they transform back to their human form.

"what?" They look at you questioning gaze.

"oh wow that's a person?" Reaper commented. "I thought that eternity alter is a furry--- agh." He was kneed in the groan by the said furry, accidentally.

"oops sorry about that." -kuma. "Excuse me..." Kuma looks at you before taking kitty who's shaking back to his side.

You were going to leave since your job here is gone but you were stop by doll.

"where do you think your going? Your still can't leave >:((" - doll who have now tied you up with ropes made of honey he made up in the spot and pointing a blade that contain noir crystal.

Well this is interesting.

[ilikekidsshows]

Could I ask for your thoughts on Kuro Neko the episode as a whole? It's actually kind of my final straw, so I wanted to ask for your perspective on it.

I haven’t actually seen Kuro Neko in its entirety, and I have no intention to. This episode repels me. Everything I’ve learned about this episode has just made me want to avoid it more. I’ve read the transcript and I suffered every moment of it. I heard the first episodes of season 5 were good and thought to myself: “God, I hope season 5 doesn’t actually fix season 4 because then I’ll have to watch Kuro Neko to catch up.”

Kuro Neko is like Reflekdoll all over again, when the characters come away with the worst possible lessons. In Reflekdoll, Adrien learns that he should never try to be Ladybug and he can’t handle responsibility, while Marinette learns Cat Noir really does just goof off all the time and that’s his “role”. In Kuro Neko, Adrien and Marinette both learn the same lesson that his feelings don’t matter because Ladybug will always have more important things to worry about than his emotional state and he should just be her emotional support dispenser.

Basically, Kuro Neko has Marinette at her most self-centered in the entire show, and she’s downright selfish in it. That by itself wouldn’t be an issue if this wasn’t the retool and Marinette wasn’t Astruc’s imaginary daughter and therefore the “person” this world was made for. The thing is, the episode doesn’t have Marinette learn a lesson about valuing other people and their opinions, like any other cartoon protagonist would have in this scenario, no no no, the episode instead vindicates her.

Kuro Neko has Marinette chase away her partner with her unjustified negative attitude towards him, and she doesn’t regret it once. Instead the episode makes excuses for how she’s under so much pressure and Cat Noir should be grateful Ladybug considers him a useful tool. It’s basically the New York Special all over again. Marinette is in the wrong, but she’s under so much pressure guys, that Cat Noir should accept whatever mistreatment he receives because doing otherwise would be mean to poor Marinette.

Hot take: Marinette deserved to lose her partner in the New York Special and she deserved to lose him in Kuro Neko. Her actions directly lead to him leaving for completely justified reasons, and Marinette never apologizes. It would have been better for Adrien if he didn’t come back, so yeah, I don’t think “Marinette deserves to lose Cat Noir as a partner” is as extreme of a take as I was convinced it was when I first saw the special. Because Marinette keeps pulling this shit and never reflects or improves on her behavior.

Here’s what Kuro Neko tells me: Ladybug doesn’t actually care about Cat Noir as a person, but Cat Noir should still be grateful that he gets a spot on the team working for a leader who constantly abuses her power over him.

This fandom loves to rag on Adrien for being suicidal, because Cat Noir throwing himself in the path of an enemy’s attack to save Ladybug upsets Marinette, but, here’s the thing: LADYBUG DOES IT TOO. LADYBUG HAS PUSHED CAT NOIR INTO AN ENEMY’S WEAPON BECAUSE THAT WAS PART OF HER PLAN IN ‘BACKWARDER’ AND THE FANDOM SLEEPS ON THAT. Marinette’s plans often revolve around Cat Noir being in danger or compromised and the fandom dares to blame him for thinking his life doesn’t matter when that’s what his partner tells him with her actions constantly.

Kuro Neko is just more of that. Cat Noir quitting didn’t come from nowhere. There were warning signs of him missing fights and so on, but Marinette can’t be arsed to spare a single thought to what might be going on with her partner. She just thinks he should be happy he’s getting a break, because being a superhero is so much hard work, projecting her own thoughts and feelings onto him instead of asking. Marinette never asks when it comes to Cat Noir, she just assumes and demands.

She thinks Kuro Neko is Cat Noir, which is equal parts frustrating and hilarious when it’s paired together with her insisting time and time again that she knows Cat Noir so well in this episode. And it’s the episode where she fails to recognize him twice and misconstrues his issues to be about the fact that he can’t handle being one-sidedly in love with her. But, like, here comes the really asinine part; despite all these facts being provably incorrect, the episode still doesn’t make Marinette learn she’s incorrect. It really is Reflekdoll, but worse.

The only time Marinette apologizes in this episode is when she thinks Cat Noir was Akumatized, and it was for “not seeing how broken-hearted he was”, not for actively pushing him away. When Cat Noir comes back, she instead gives him the silent treatment until he says his justified anger at her was just “her kitty being temperamental”, invalidating his own feelings. Sure, Cat Walker, and therefore Cat Noir, heard those apologies, but Marinette doesn’t know that. Somewhere between realizing Kuro Neko isn’t Cat Noir and seeing Cat Noir again, she decided she had done nothing wrong that warranted an apology. And the thing that did it: the person she hurt coddling her through her pity party.

When Marinette realizes that Cat Noir is still missing and not Kuro Neko, in true Marinette fashion, she makes it about herself. “I must be the worst Guardian ever!” she bemoans when she should be putting together a plan. Hell, even a decision to do better by Cat Noir. But no, our solution-oriented protagonist couldn’t possibly make a plan to find and apologize to Cat Noir (maybe even do away with the “no revealing identities” rule so that this can’t happen again), she’s too busy bitching and moaning about how hard she’s having it. The only thing that gets her out of her funk is the new guy, who she thinks she’s just met, calling her faithful former partner “too emotional” and swearing servitude to her and her altar of the most important problems in the world. And the reason the episode is written like this? It’s because the writers don’t think she needs to apologize and do better in the future. Of course they’re not having her come to the conclusion that she needs to fix something, because they don’t think she does.

“You take care of everybody equally, Ladybug. Now I want to take care of you,” Cat Walker says, to absolve Ladybug of any guilt. The reality, though, is completely different. Cat Noir has always supported Ladybug. The reason he quit was because Ladybug made it abundantly clear she didn’t want or need his support anymore. And he’s made to come back to her, saying he hasn’t done enough? HE COMFORTS LADYBUG THROUGH AN EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN AT LEAST ONCE PER SEASON. HE DOES SO FUCKING MUCH AND HE’S FORCED TO SAY HIS EMOTIONS ARE “MAKING TROUBLE” FOR LADYBUG WHILE HIS SELFISH, SELF-CENTERED PARTNER WHO DOESN’T TREAT HIM AS A PERSON GIVES HIM THE SILENT TREATMENT, ONLY FACING HIM WHEN HE MAKES LIGHT OF HIS OWN EMOTIONS SO THAT SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR ACTING LIKE A JERK.

“You treat everybody equally” my ass. The day she starts treating Cat Noir like a person, then we can talk. Before that point, she’s a selfish, entitled jerk and Cat Noir deserves better.

The Fae Cat Noir Interpretation was supposed to reflect a flaw of Marinette’s, that Marinette never thinking about Cat Noir as a human being with emotions and problems was something she’d need to grow out of. Except that she doesn’t. Instead the show agrees with her and makes excuses for her. Adrien isn’t even human, he literally is made a “perfect” fae being that Marinette can treat however she wants and he will never complain and he will be in the wrong if he tries to leave.

[disaster-kids-system]

Introductions

First of all we are The Disaster Kids System, we are autistic, we have ADHD, and we are a traumagenic system.

Second we are bodily an adult but this will not be an 18+ friendly blog for the safety of our littles.

Third this blog will involve a lot of alterhuman/nonhuman expression cuz it's just something a lot of us experience. We will make individual alter intros soon and some of us have started our own side blogs. :)

Now that that's out of the way here are some brief alter intros

Ares (he/him) - fallen angel - protector

Iris (she/her) - demon

Glitch (she/they) - demon

JD (he/him) - demon - host

Kai (he/she/they) - angel

Fierceteeth (she/her) - nightwing {Wings of Fire} - fictive

Bambi (they/she/wolf/pup) - werewolf - little

Noir (it/xe/void/he/they) - demon

Starflight (he/him) - nightwing {Wings of Fire} - fictive

Artemis (she/they/xe/fae) - wolf

Bug (they/xe/ey/it) - red fox shapeshifter - age slider

Angel (he/him) - demon {Hazbin Hotel} - fictive

Sera (she/xe) - seraph angel

Ozzy (he/him) - demon {Helluva Boss} - fictive

Tidus (he/they/she/xe) - seawing/rainwing {Wings of Fire} - fictive

Turtle (he/she/xe/they/it/pup/kid/paw/teef) - fae - age/pet regressor

Orion (he/they/xe) - human/ doghearted- co host

Moon (she/her) - nightwing {Wings of Fire} - fictive

Emily (she/he/they/it/xe/fae/ey/star) - fallen angel {Hazbin Hotel} - fictive

Alex (he/they/it/xe/meow/cat/paw) - vampire/cat copinglink

Cody (he/him) - human - little

Chloe (she/her) - human - doubt holder

Scythe (he/it/ve) - werewolf - persecutor

Sparx (xe/xem) - alien

Raid (it/he/she/they/xe/ve/spark/flame/hell) - imp/demon

Atlas (he/they/star) - The Collector {The Owl House} - little/fictive

That's it for now, thank you 💕

[flightlessribbons]

SABINE: MINI MENACE ERA:

ML AU PT.2

Tikki was passed down to Sabine from her grandfather who raised her, entrusting her with the earrings when she was 17. Tikki became a constant companion to her, and Sabine took up the mantle of Ladybug after her grandfather was killed in a robbery in his shop. Her late father’s best friend, Wang Fu, served as her mentor as he was the holder of Wayzz. Fu was also a student and close friend of her grandfather and took over his shop after his passing.

Fighting crime around the city, Sabine’s ladybug became known as “Mini Menace” and was seen as the city’s unseen protector- working mainly at night. She was joined soon after by the Chat Noir called “Stray”, and later the Fox holder “Vulpus”, and occasionally the Bee and Butterfly holders, “Hive” and “Adonis”.

Stray: Amelie Sphinx

Vulpus: Otis Cesaire

Hive: Andre Bourgeois

Adonis: Gabriel Agreste

The group became best known for dealing with a rising crime lord named Richard Sphinx who had been behind the attack on Sabine’s grandfather’s shop as well as the influx of organized attacks the miraculous holders worked to stop. They fought Richard’s right hand men the most, Mr. Pigeon and Mime who did most of his dirty work, but worked together to take down Richard Sphinx once and for all.

What the heroes didn’t know was that the faerie Null had been behind Sphinx’s successes as well as allowing him and his right hand men powers beyond normal humans. After seeing what the holders were capable of though, Null had kept his eyes on them.

As the years went on, Adonis and Hive were rarely seen around the city anymore, though Mini Menace, Stray, and Vulpus were still quite active. The three friends had decided to finally reveal their identities to each other, though were interrupted by an attack on Paris unlike one they’ve ever known.

Facing what looked like Adonis, the enemy seemed disoriented and reckless- as well as talking phrases that didn’t make sense, and crying. After talking him down didn’t work, the four fought until his miraculous brooch had cracked, forcing him to flee.

In the battle, Sabine had gotten badly injured. Even after her physical recovery, she had tremors and panic attacks, forcing her to retire from being ladybug. The trio disbanded without ever revealing their identities to each other. Though Stray could still be seen in the following years on occasion.

In truth, Null had partially fused himself with Nooroo and forced Gabriel to transform after the man had heard how his wife's health was declining. Null tested using Nooroo’s powers, though was not coordinated as Gabriel fought against Null’s control even as Null offered him Emilie’s good health if he managed to defeat the other holders and take the ladybug and black cat miraculous.

Gabriel forced Null to stop, saying he wouldn’t hurt innocents for Null’s gain. That he didn’t want Null’s “help” and that he just wanted to spend time with his family. Null unfused with Nooroo, but told Gabriel that he’ll be there when he decides to accept his offer.

It’s not until years later when Emilie falls into a coma that Nooroo, hating to see his holder so broken and hurt, asks Gabriel if he remembers Null’s offer and the possibility of accepting it. Gabriel brings up the points of the broken miraculous, the facts that Null has ulterior motives, hurting innocents etc; but Nooroo says that they can use Null instead of the other way around. Play the part of getting the miraculous, but as soon as they learn how to cure Emilie, they’ll figure a way to trap him just like Null trapped them all those years ago.

After planning, the two called for Null to tell him they accepted his proposal. The fae then fused together, and Hawkmoth was reluctantly created.

Previous: BEFORE CANON

Next: BRIDGETTE: SCARLET DANCER ERA

[rosie-b]

How Marinette Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Ball

Chapter 2: The Invitation (read ch. 1 here!)

Summary: Marinette and Chat Noir continue to have weekly meet-ups, with a new addition to their group.

You can read the whole chapter below or on AO3 using the links above!

It had been years since Marinette first met Chat Noir. In that time, they’d become best friends, meeting at least once weekly to talk about life in the two realms and share secrets as they explored Paris and the neighboring countryside. They did everything together, and the people of Paris grew used to the idea that Marinette had a not-so-stray cat to call her own. Her parents offered to adopt him more than once, but she turned them down, saying that the cat wasn’t fond of being in enclosed spaces like their bakery for too long, and he was well-kept enough. He might have an owner on a nearby farm, so Tom and Sabine reluctantly gave up.

Sometimes, as Marinette and her cat made their rounds about town, a fairy or mixie would stare at Chat Noir for too long, a suspicious lift to their brow as they sensed the cat’s magic. But they never said anything, and all it took was one blithe, catlike purr from Chat Noir to make them give up their suspicions. Because, as they reasoned, surely no self-respecting fairy would degrade themselves by acting like an ordinary human pet! This cat must simply have gotten a little extra magic from the kwamis during his creation. Marinette and Chat Noir giggled to themselves when they walked away from these confrontations, thrilled that their simple plan was still working.

In the second year of their friendship, Chat Noir’s parents found out that he was leaving through the old fae gate every week. They nearly banned him from returning to see Marinette ever again, but he begged and pleaded and reasoned with them, and somehow, they were convinced to permit him to go back to the human realm. When he left for his visits now, though, Chat Noir had to let them know where he was going, and he had to be back in the fae realm before dark.

“Before dark” was a better deal than the fifty-minute visit rule Marinette and Chat Noir had been following previously, so neither of them minded this new guidance at all. It was the mixie companion assigned to follow Chat Noir and Marinette around everywhere on their Paris-side adventures that they initially disagreed with.

The first time Alya came through the gate with Chat Noir, disguised by Chat as a fluffy red fox, Marinette assumed that she was one of Chat Noir’s parents, here to scold her for endangering their child. She was prepared to argue with the fox for her friend’s freedom, but Chat Noir merely walked over to his new companion, tapped the side of her front leg with his nose, and let go of the spell holding her transformation, revealing a girl no older than Marinette herself.

“Marinette, I’d like you to meet Alya Cesaire,” Chat Noir said, curling his tail over his front paws as he sat down.

Shocked, Marinette stared at Alya as she explained how Chat Noir’s visits had been discovered, and that he had eventually convinced his mother, who in turn convinced his father, that his visits to the human realm shouldn’t be punished. However, his father, in an abundance of caution, had required his son to take an approved companion with him on his visits if he wanted to return to the human realm, to provide additional safety and to make sure he followed the rules of the fae.

“He nearly got stuck with a royal guard assigned to him,” Alya explained, “But Ad— I mean, Chat Noir told me about what was going on, and I managed to convince his mother, who then convinced his father—”

Is this how all communication with Chat’s father works? Marinette wondered.

“—That I would make a better companion for him than some stuffy adult who doesn’t know how to have fun. That’s not what E— his mother said to his father, of course. She made the argument sound much more professional and took out the ‘fun’ part entirely. I think she emphasized my potion-making skills and my mother’s trusted position in the palace, instead. Anyway, having someone come with him to your world was the only way Chat Noir was going to be able to visit you again, and I knew I could help, so here I am. Being told about the chance to get some of the pastries your parents bake if I come didn’t hurt, either— could I have some to take back with me?”

Marinette blinked at this ebullient, energetic girl. “That depends,” she said. “We don’t always have leftovers, so if you want to be guaranteed anything, you’ll have to buy it yourself.” A default answer came out of her mouth while her brain tried to reboot with the new information she’d just been given.

“What, no discount for friends?” Alya asked, a teasing smile on her face as she rested a hand on her hip. Despite her easy attitude, Marinette could tell that she was nervous about the way Marinette would react to her. What would happen if Marinette wasn’t okay with this unexpected addition to her Saturdays?

Marinette looked carefully at Alya, taking in her orange blouse and hiking boots, the black pouch for potions at her side, the bandana holding her hair back, and the patient, hopeful smile on her lips. This girl had helped protect Chat Noir from his father’s overbearing nature in a way that Marinette could not, and she seemed to have earned Chat Noir’s trust, which was a good sign. Plus, she was ready for a full day’s adventure, so she didn’t seem to have planned to limit Chat and Marinette’s excursions in any way.

If what Alya was describing was the truth, then she must already be friends with Chat Noir, Marinette realized. It must sting him that his father still didn’t trust him to go to the human realm on his own, but having Alya join in his journeys must be much better than the alternative was. Alya seemed like a good person to have on their side.

Shifting her focus to the black cat sitting amiably about a meter to the side of the two girls, Marinette noted how calm he seemed. He hadn’t said a word so far, aside from introducing Alya, and Marinette wondered what he was waiting for.

Staring back at Marinette, Chat Noir seemed to prod her with his eyes, looking from her to Alya and back again. Ah.

“A friends’ discount? I’d nearly forgotten about it, but we do have one,” Marinette said, her words spilling out of her mouth in a rush. “Actually, once I introduce you to Papa, he’ll be so excited that our problem won’t be getting pastries but making sure he doesn’t absolutely drown us in them!” Marinette let out a nervous giggle.

Chat Noir seemed to smile as his tail swished once behind him.

“Then it’s decided,” he said in a joyous tone. “Our first stop will be the Dupain-Chengs’! There is the issue of making sure I’m not left pastry-less, but that can be fixed by you asking for more food than you normally would. I’m hoping for one of everything passionfruit flavored! And some chouquettes. And a croissant, too. I could eat a whole mountain of M. Dupain’s croissants,” he said, a line of drool forming by the edge of his mouth. He licked it up self-consciously as Marinette and Alya shared a smile with one another.

With Alya by their side, Marinette and Chat Noir continued their weekly meetings, and in time, Marinette became nearly as close with Alya as she was with Chat Noir. Though Alya lived in the fae realm with her family, she was free to come visit Marinette whenever she wanted to through the main gate, and the two girls enjoyed having girl-only visits. Chat Noir was almost irrationally jealous of this, and he was extra affectionate with Marinette on his next parent-approved visits after her girl dates. Marinette teased him about it, but secretly, she enjoyed his affection more than she was willing to admit, even to Alya, who became her sole confidant about the burgeoning crush she was harboring on Chat Noir.

“I know he looks like a cat,” she moaned to Alya as she rested her head on the taller girl’s shoulder, her legs in her lap, during one of their girl-only movie nights. “But at the same time, he’s just so human, and I know he’s a fairy under all that fur, so it isn’t that weird, is it?”

Alya tousled her friend’s hair affectionately. “All crushes are weird, ‘Nette,” she told her anxious friend, who was looking up at her with a genuinely concerned expression. “I don’t think this is any weirder than my mother falling in love with my dad and moving to the fairy realm just for a chance to be with him. But you’re right, trying to date Chat Noir while he’s still disguised as a cat and keeping him a secret from your whole family would be pretty hard. I think you should give it some time,” Alya said, popping a chip in her mouth. “Maybe you could try dating someone else who’s interested, like that musician you were telling me about. Luka, right?”

Marinette nodded against Alya’s shoulder. She hadn’t introduced Alya to all of her friends yet, but she’d been talking about the Couffaines more recently since she’d started designing the costumes for their new band.

“That’s the one. He would totally fall for you as soon as you bat your eyes at him! You could try things out with him, and if it doesn’t work out, you can go back to moping over the cat-boy who’s not allowed to show you what he really looks like.”

Marinette frowned and reached for the bowl of popcorn. “I guess I could give Luka a chance, but I don’t know if I really want to,” she grumbled. “Besides, Luka is Juleka’s brother, and since we’re friends it would be weird.”

Alya smirked. “Weirder than dating a magic cat who is also your friend?”

As Marinette threw a popcorn kernel at her, Alya laughed and waved her arms in surrender. “Girl, I’m just kidding! You know I’ll support you no matter what you choose. I think it’s great that you’re in love with Chat. But, you know his parents are super restrictive about dating, right?”

Marinette sighed. “No girlfriends until he’s at least eighteen, yes, I know.” Throwing herself back on the couch as Alya scrolled through the list of movies they had yet to choose from, Marinette let out a groan. “Maybe I should just give Luka a shot, honestly. Chat’s dad is a prick, but going behind his back would still feel wrong.”

Clicking on the description of a new documentary she knew she wouldn’t choose, Alya turned a soft smile to Marinette. “You don’t really even need a boyfriend, Marinette. But if your heart is telling you to love Chat Noir, then love Chat Noir. You don’t have to do anything about it yet. And I’ll always be here if you need a shoulder to cry on.”

Marinette gave Alya a weak smile from her position, half-fallen off the couch. “Thanks, Al,” she said. “You’re the best.”

Alya grinned as she clicked out of the documentary. “Thanks, girl,” she said. “And, hey, the future’s going to be better than you expect. I have a feeling that everything is going to work out just fine.”

Marinette smirked. “A feeling? Or did you try making a future-telling potion again, and you’re just hiding what you found out from it?”

Alya squawked indignantly. “They should be able to be made! I still don’t get why my last recipe didn’t work out, but I’ll master it someday, and show all those old-fashioned teachers what’s possible.”

“I believe in you, Alya,” Marinette said. “But you’re avoiding the question. Did Chat tell you something?”

Alya hit play on a new movie. “I’ll never tell,” she said. “But trust me, girl. You have nothing to worry about.”

__*__*__*__*__

By the time Chat Noir turned seventeen, his parents decided to allow him to travel through the realms without a companion. He still had to let his parents know where he was going, and he still brought Alya along for many of his trips, but now Marinette and he had more time to spend alone together, talking the days away as they rested under the trees in the woods.

Today, Marinette was hoping for another of those treasured days. She had met up with Alya the past evening after school, and Marinette knew that she had plans with her new boyfriend on Saturday, so as long as Chat Noir didn’t have any responsibilities pop up, he’d be the only one to come through the gate.

Playing with the strings of her cross-body purse, Marinette stood in the clearing by the gate. She’d shown up early today, pressed by a mix of excitement to see Chat again and a desire to know about a certain letter she’d received only an hour ago. Her mother had been confused by it, but Marinette didn’t have any answers for her. She was hoping that Chat Noir would be able to clear up the situation as he read the so-far-unopened letter with her. And, okay, she was also early because she wanted to have a nice long afternoon with her not-boyfriend and pretend they were on a romantic date together. There was also that.

Fifteen minutes before noon, a grinding squeal rang out, and Marinette looked up to see a black cat emerge from the rusty gate, his tail lashing at the loud noise, as always. Reaching into her purse, Marinette pulled out a cream-colored envelope and hurried over to greet her friend.

“Princess! You’re early today,” Chat Noir remarked when he saw that Marinette was already at their meeting spot.

‘Princess’ was a nickname he’d come up with early in their friendship. As much as Marinette asked about it, he never told her how he’d come up with it, and he never stopped using the title for her, though it made Marinette blush and complain terribly about the nickname. (She secretly liked it, though. It made her feel like she was as important to Chat Noir as he was to her.)

Giving him a quick unimpressed look for his use of the nickname, Marinette greeted her friend with an energetic wave. “Hi, chaton! I wanted to get here as soon as possible; I have something important to show you. Look, I got a letter in the mail from the fae realm today! See,” Marinette shoved the envelope in front of Chat Noir’s nose as he hopped up on the boulder to be closer to her eye level, “There’s the royal seal. The royal seal! It must be from someone in the palace, and it isn’t Alya. I’ve wanted to show it to you ever since I got it!”

Blinking as he nearly went cross-eyed staring at the envelope, Chat Noir nudged it further back from his face with a paw.

“That’s unexpected,” he said, sounding confused. “I didn’t know they were sending those out yet.”

“Yet?” Marinette asked, looking at Chat Noir. “As in, you knew this would happen at some point? Do you know what’s inside the letter? Is it from your parents?”

Stepping up from the boulder he was standing on, Chat Noir gingerly climbed to be on top of Marinette’s shoulders, the girl shifting perfunctorily to help him stay balanced as he took up the familiar position.

“Well… I don’t know for sure, but I do have a pretty good guess about what the letter says,” he remarked, eyes shining with anticipation. “Why don’t you open the letter and find out?”

Marinette traced the edge of the wax seal with a finger, tilting the envelope in her hands as she slid a nail under the edge of the seal to open the envelope. As the seal broke, the envelope changed colors, transforming into a light pink shade Chat Noir knew she loved.

Gasping, Marinette paused to admire the magic trick. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured. “I hope I don’t tear it, or I’ll feel guilty for ruining such a pretty thing.”

Chat Noir groaned. “You’ve seen magic far more impressive than this,” he said in a complaining voice. “Just rip it open and read the letter! We haven’t got all day.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Just because I’m used to your magic doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate someone else’s, too,” she pointed out. “Besides, I love pink. I think I’ll keep the envelope for a few days, so I can appreciate it properly.”

As she spoke, she carefully opened the envelope the rest of the way, tucking it in her purse after pulling out a letter written in flowing, gold ink on a pale lavender sheet of paper.

“It’s in the royal colors,” she noted. Chat Noir wiggled impatiently, urging her with his eyes to get to the point and start reading already.

She’d been half wondering if whoever sent the letter was Chat Noir’s father, warning her that he knew about their secret meetings and telling her to stay away from his son. But if this were an official royal letter, there was no way that could be the case! Marinette was glad to be wrong.

Unfolding the letter, she began to read it silently, holding it slightly to the left so that Chat could read, too.

After scanning the letter in silence, Chat Noir frowned. “I can’t read the letter,” he informed Marinette in a hesitant voice. “It’s protected by magic; only the person it’s addressed to can read it. All I see is gibberish, and it hurts if I look at it for too long.”

Marinette blushed in embarrassment. “Oh! I’m so sorry, kitty,” she apologized. “Here, I’ll read it out loud for you!”

Reaching up with her left hand, Marinette scratched Chat Noir behind the ears. He leaned into her touch, like he always did, careful not to overbalance himself and fall.

“To Marinette Dupain-Cheng, of the Human Realm,” she read. “We hope that this letter finds you well. It is our great pleasure… blah blah blah, this is just flowery royal stuff, the next paragraph is where the letter really begins. I was just getting there, earlier. Here we go:”

Leaning forward on Marinette’s shoulder, Chat Noir strained to see the letter, as if hoping that the magic protecting it would fade, and he could read along with Marinette.

“As the prince, our son and heir’s eighteenth birthday approaches, we fae keep in mind the old customs, and seek to preserve the traditions which will preserve our kingdom and its long line of rulers. It is our hope that you will agree to do the same, and honor us by accepting this invitation to the Heirs' Ball on the eighth of August.” Stunned, Marinette read through the paragraph again, wondering if she’d misread something. Why would the fae’s king and queen be inviting her, a human (and not even a wealthy one), to a royal ball?

“What in the name of kwamis,” Marinette breathed when the letters on the page didn’t change.

“You’re invited to the Heirs' Ball, Princess!” Chat Noir explained, his voice holding an excited tremor.

Marinette nodded slowly. “So the letter says. But how? And why? I’m just a normal girl, you know!”

Chat’s tail swished, brushing against the top of Marinette’s head. “Didn’t anyone teach you about this in school? I thought they went over fae traditions.”

Marinette moved Chat’s tail, shivering as it tickled her ear. “Our teachers might have,” she admitted. “But I never paid much attention in Realms and Magic. I counted on you to tell me all the important stuff, and here I’m finding out that you’ve failed me!” she joked, eyes tracing the words of the letter one more time in bewilderment.

“Marinetteee,” Chat whined.

She shot him a reproachful glance in response.

“All right,” Chat sighed. “The Heirs' Ball is a tradition going back 200… no, it’s just over 100 generations. It started when the Seelie queen Louisa I made a pact with the kwamis to ensure the survival of her land and people. In exchange for promising to rule with a good heart, and teaching her heirs to do so, as well, plus a few other things, the kwamis would bless her line and provide a new heir each generation. That’s why the Agreste line still hasn’t been broken in over three thousand years, though it’s changed a lot over time.”

Marinette nodded, gesturing to the letter in her hand. “Okay, but how does that lead to me going to a ball?”

Chat Noir huffed, pressing his wet nose against Marinette’s cheek in a gentle rebuke.

“I’m getting there,” he said, and Marinette sighed as she wiped the moisture off her cheek. “So, not all of the ruling heirs to the line are born as Agrestes. My— the current queen, for example. She’s technically a Graham de Vanily, but she rules in the name of the Agrestes, just like her son might or might not, depending on him and his soulmate.”

At these words, Marinette gave a start, nearly disturbing Chat Noir from his perch.

“His soulmate?” she asked, straightening Chat with a hand. “This sounds familiar! I thought it was just a myth, or that it was a forgotten magic. Soulmates are real?”

“Not for everyone,” Chat Noir said, removing his claws from Marinette’s cotton shirt (not her skin, thankfully). “I think, at least. Maybe everyone has a soulmate, but it’s only the Agreste heirs who are guided to theirs. And it has to be at the Heirs' Ball, that’s the only time the magic works! Our holding the ball is another way of proving to the kwamis that we’re still faithful to our oath.”

“Huh. And I’m invited because…?”

“The invitations are actually random,” Chat Noir said. “At least, on our end. The kwamis guide the king and queen through distant magic, and they pick several dozen Seelies, and, since the peace treaty, humans, to invite from a randomly formed list from the latest censuses. With the help of the kwamis, one of those invited to the ball is always the heir’s soulmate. At the ball, a soulmate bond will form between the heir and their true love, provided that both soulmates are willingly present. So far, throughout all of history, not one single heir has failed to find their soulmate! After some time, it will be determined whether the Agreste or their soulmate will become the kingdom’s new ruler, so that the best suited candidate is always on the throne . Later on, the soulmates marry, and later still, the cycle repeats. As long as the Heirs' Ball is held properly each generation, and as long as our rulers are on the side of light and order, the Agrestes keep the throne.”

“Wow,” Marinette breathed. “That’s amazing! So, I get to go to the ball this generation?” This seemed like the most exciting thing Marinette had ever had happen to her, other than meeting Chat Noir.

“Yes,” Chat Noir said, his warm breath hitting Marinette’s cheek as he looked closely at her. “If you go, you’ll be provided with a dress to wear, a Seelie guide to the fae realm, and anything else you might need. And by the end of the night, you could meet your soulmate!”

Though she’d been staring dreamily off into the distance with the letter clasped against her chest, Marinette snapped out of her reverie.

“No soulmates,” she insisted. “If I go, it’ll be so that I can wear a magic dress and go to a royal party. Besides, the ball’s at the palace, and that’s where you live,” she pointed out matter-of-factly.

Suddenly frozen on her shoulder, Chat Noir struggled for words. “Yeeesss,” he said, dragging out the word slowly. “Where are you going with this?”

“If I go to the ball, I can try to find you afterwards,” Marinette said. “I’ll sneak out, explore the palace, and find you. Since I’ll already be in the Seelie palace, there won’t be any Unseelies to worry about, and I won’t need a guide. Once I find you, your parents won’t be able to make you keep your real identity a secret anymore. You can tell me your real name, and we’ll be free to visit each other whenever we like, and we’ll live happily ever after. Um,” Marinette gulped, realizing how that last part sounded and not wanting to presume Chat’s affections. “As friends, I mean! We’ll have a platonic happily ever after.”

Chat Noir seemed to deflate, folding his ears flat back on his head. “Of course,” he said in a low voice. “We’ll live happily ever after. Without soulmates.”

Suddenly struck by a thought, Chat’s ears perked back up..

“So, wait, you are going to the ball, then?” His green eyes peered excitedly into Marinette’s blue ones.

Marinette folded the letter and tucked it into her purse. “Of course! Did you not hear what I just said? There’ll be high fashion, free food probably, and best of all, I’ll finally get to meet you! Real fairy-you, instead of cat-you. Though you do look cute this way!” Marinette smiled as she reached up to pet Chat again.

Letting out a short purr, Chat curled his tail around her neck. “I’ll have you know that I look ravishingly handsome as a fairy,” he said, eyes teasing Marinette as they glittered. “When you see the real me, you’ll instantly fall in love. Are you sure you want to risk that, Princess?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “I think that you’re awfully bold, for someone who’s been hiding their true appearance for six years,” she remarked. “You’re probably ugly underneath all that fur. But it’s okay if you are, because I’ll always love you… as a friend,” Marinette said quickly, bopping his nose with a finger. He went adorably cross-eyed at the sudden motion.

“But you think there’s no chance of you being the prince’s soulmate, then?” he asked, tapping a paw against Marinette’s cheek as he asked to be set down.

Marinette chuckled as she lifted the cat off her shoulders and placed him back on the boulder.

“Not a chance, kitty,” she said. “Not a chance.”

Marinette didn’t let herself think about why Chat looked so disappointed by her assertion. If he really wanted Marinette to be the prince’s true love, that meant he didn’t want her to be his. And that thought hurt too much for Marinette to consider.

[galoresficrecs]

[SKZ] Minsung Part 2

✪ Game Over (Kiss Me to Continue) by undelicate [12,3k words] college!au, enemies to lovers, gaming || teen and up

Give Me Your Best Shot by MistressScimitar [3,3k words] getting together || explicit🔞

✪ Glitter Bombed by jellowrites [37,9k words | 8 ch] neo noir!au, street racing!au, age difference || explicit🔞

✪ Go Write A Letter (About Me) by kersenvla [13,4k words] friends to lovers, summer, misunderstandings || teen and up

✪ godlight by noonwitching [53,5k words | 2 ch] post-canon, forced disbandment || explicit🔞

✪ Good to me by LilJiji [4,2k words] friends to lovers || explicit🔞

Green by sweetlimonade [22,5k words | 4 ch] dystopia!au, strangers to lovers, magic || teen and up

grow old, die young by bitsori [3k words] zombie apocalypse!au || teen and up

✪ hands-on learning by moonlit [25k words] college!au, friends to lovers || explicit🔞

HaPpY by e__lino [15,4k words | 5 ch] time skips, missed chances, hurt/comfort, high school!au || teen and up

He is the king by crookedtime [39,8k words] AW: violence ;; royalty!au, fantasy, fae & fairies, enemies to lovers || explicit🔞

✪ He Who Dares (Wins) by FutureLikeJicasso [3,3k words] friends to lovers || explicit🔞

✪ heal with thyme by luckyday [70,5k words | 2 ch] fantasy, strangers to lovers, witch!minho, slow burn || teen and up

✪ Heart's Taken by jellowrites [1,7k words] existentialism, supernatural elements, no dialogue || mature

✪ heaven in hiding by hanville [96,4k words | 6 ch] modern royalty!au, secret identity, crimes & criminals, strangers to lovers, heist!au || explicit🔞

✪ hold me down (when i'm losing my mind) by bitsori [39,2k words] college!au, strangers to lovers, housemates!au, coming of age || teen and up

hold on tight by bulletbulletbullet [4,4k words] dystopia!au, cyberpunk!au, hybrids!au, pwp || explicit🔞

✪ Homestead by strayorphan [54,4k words | 15 ch] TW: 10+ YEARS AGE GAP ;; 1980s!au, farm!au, age difference, aged-up/down characters, semi-unreliable narrator, slow burn, internalized homophobia || mature

✪ Honk Honk, Bitch by distressed_plant [1,3k words] soulmate goose of enforcement || general

how big, how blue by lucasfletcher [2,8k words] magical realism, selkies!au, strangers to lovers || explicit🔞

✪ Hunting Pheasants by VenusInHell [6,3k words] AW: violence, MCD ;; 1960s!au, murder, revenge tragedy || explicit🔞

i belong with you, you belong with me by brittleheart [19,7k words] kid fic, time skips, friends to lovers, dad!jisung || mature

I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You by iilen [2,8k words] 1950s!au, hybrids!au, shapeshifters!au, seasonal motif, strangers to lovers, musicians, cat!minho || mature

✪ I'll Never Let You Go by milkilino [28,3k words | 2 ch] soulmates!au, hanahaki disease, sickfic, alternate ending || mature

✪ i've seen the red (i've seen the blue) by Asgeir [33,8k words] thieves!au, crimes & criminals, art theft, rivals to lovers || explicit🔞

Ignite by bitsori [18k words] road trips, reunions, hopeful ending || mature

✪ In the Shadow of a Star: A Biography of Han Jisung by chocoquokka [35,7k words] celebrity!au, actor!jisung, writer!minho, epistolary, past child abuse, hurt/comfort || teen and up

irreversible changes by linosungs [7,3k words] college!au, friends to lovers || explicit🔞

✪ isn't it romantic? by hanville [13,9k words] aged-up characters, established relationship, marriage proposal || teen and up

✪ it comes and goes in waves by seasaltgasoline [9k words | 2 ch] pokémon platinum fusion!au, ptsd, trauma, recovery, domesticity, time skips || teen and up

✪ it happens all the time by iyouleeknow [20,4k words] college!au, supernatural elements, bodyswap, strangers to lovers || explicit🔞

just one bite by bulletbulletbullet [8,2k words] modern with magic!au, shapeshifters!au, friends to lovers, roommates!au, vampires!au || explicit🔞

✪ kaleidoscope mind by vmnesie [30,4k words] strangers to lovers, time loop || teen and up

✪ kiss deprived by linootys [10,8k words | 2 ch] canon compliant, pwp || explicit🔞

✪ Kiss Kiss, Fall In Love by MistressScimitar [4,5k words] international kissing day, fluff || teen and up

✪ Kitten by Theforeverbattles [133,2k words | 12 ch] camboys!au, emotional manipulation, cheating, mention of drugs || explicit🔞

✪ light me up by dawnshine [13,3k words] friends to lovers, growind up together, 5+1, time skips || teen and up

like clementine by bloomering [9,6k words] friends to lovers, movie night || explicit🔞

Lips Painted with Poison by ReadingCandle [13,1k words] college!au, enemies to lovers, one-sided enemies || explicit🔞

Living Without You by thousandsuns23 [1,4k words] canon compliant, established relationship || mature

✪ lookin' fine, feline good by bitsori [10,5k words] neighbours!au, slice of life, pov: cat || general

✪ loser=lover by taotu [39,2k words] college!au, friends to lovers, rom-com, slow burn || explicit🔞

Losing My Religion by milkimingo [16,4k words] high school!au, character study, religious discussion, internalized homophobia || mature

✪ maneater by Kamiizumi [12,6k words] urban fantasy, demon hunters!au, enemies to lovers, mild horror || mature

✪ marble hearts & stone-carved hands by Lilywastaken [10k words] mythology!au, ancient greek religion & lore!au, apollo!minho || explicit🔞

Make me feel by iilen [5,6k words] canon compliant || explicit🔞

✪ May the Moon Forgive Him by jellowrites [7k words] a/b/o!au, pack dynamics, matin cycles || explicit🔞

melted sugar by lucasfletcher [10,1k words] sugar daddy/sugar baby!au, friends to lovers || explicit🔞

Method Reacting by Mntsnflrs[4,4k words] established relationship, attempted roleplay, idiots in love, humour || explicit🔞

✪ mistletoe's for two by hanville [20,9k words] friends to lovers, fake relationship, christmas || teen and up

✪ moon-fated by StarlitSnow [7,1k words] a/b/o!au, friends to lovers, mating || explicit🔞

✪ More Than The Stars by FloraTW [5,4k words] 1960s!au, seascape, class difference, coming of age, friends to lovers || teen and up

✪ mountain ash and dog roses by bulletbulletbullet [9,8k words] creatures & monsters!au, strangers to lovers, shapeshifter!jisung, human!minho || explicit🔞

mouth to mouth by keros [54,6k words | 3 ch] canon compliant, game night || explicit🔞

Neon Mark by sweetlimonade [3k words] space!au, alien!jisung, space cadet!minho, established relationship || explicit🔞

never short on love by lolainslackss [10,9k words] canon compliant || explicit🔞

no different by Asgeir [11,8k words] summer vacation, time skips, friends to lovers || teen and up

✪ no rules by hanville [33,8k words] friends with benefits, idiots in love || explicit🔞

✪ No rules to hold us back by hopelesswriter [47,7k words] strangerst o lovers, businessman!jisung, escort!minho, slice of life || explicit🔞

✪ no-show mistletoe by glissandos [3,4k words] college!au, holiday || teen and up

Not your (fucking) friend by WaffleBlues [69,5k words | 4 ch] shapeshifters!au, fantasy, werewolves, courting rituals || explicit🔞

✪ Nothing is After You by milkilino [13,6k words | 2 ch] horror, thriller, paranormal, married couple, grief/mourning, haunting, past character death || mature

✪ [Number 16 Universe part 1] Number 16 by YourFutureWillBeBeautiful [87,7k words | 26 ch] neighbours!au, strangers to lovers, parenthood, family dynamics, dad!jisung, dad!minho || teen and up

✪ mountain ash and dog roses by bulletbulletbullet [9,8k words] creatures & monsters!au, strangers to lovers, shapeshifter!jisung, human!minho || explicit🔞

mouth to mouth by keros [54,6k words | 3 ch] canon compliant, game night || explicit🔞

Neon Mark by sweetlimonade [3k words] space!au, alien!jisung, space cadet!minho, established relationship || explicit🔞

never short on love by lolainslackss [10,9k words] canon compliant || explicit🔞

no different by Asgeir [11,8k words] summer vacation, time skips, friends to lovers || teen and up

✪ no rules by hanville [33,8k words] friends with benefits, idiots in love || explicit🔞

✪ No rules to hold us back by hopelesswriter [47,7k words] strangerst o lovers, businessman!jisung, escort!minho, slice of life || explicit🔞

✪ no-show mistletoe by glissandos [3,4k words] college!au, holiday || teen and up

Not your (fucking) friend by WaffleBlues [69,5k words | 4 ch] shapeshifters!au, fantasy, werewolves, courting rituals || explicit🔞

✪ Nothing is After You by milkilino [13,6k words | 2 ch] horror, thriller, paranormal, married couple, grief/mourning, haunting, past character death || mature

✪ [Number 16 Universe part 1] Number 16 by YourFutureWillBeBeautiful [87,7k words | 26 ch] neighbours!au, strangers to lovers, parenthood, family dynamics, dad!jisung, dad!minho || teen and up

✪ Obsession à deux by jellowrites [24,5k words] fashion & couture!au, mental health, recovery, toxic relationship, therapy, ambiguous/open ending || mature

✪ [Stories Sung in the Sunken Sailor's Inn part 3] Oceanlorn by dulcetchan [39,9k words | 4 ch] pirates!au, supernatural elements, friends to lovers || teen and up

✪ of cat slippers and fire alarms by dawnshine [25,9k words] neighbour!au, enemies to lovers, slow burn || teen and up

✪ Of Mountains and Valleys by jellowrites [29,4k words | 5 ch] a/b/o!au, pack dynamics, mating bites || explicit🔞

One Day by jellowrites [2,4k words] dom drop, aftercare, self-doubt, love confessions || mature

✪ only fools rush in by hanville [7,1k words] halloween, single dad!jisung, friends to lovers || teen and up

ordinary heartbreak by Anonymous [3k words] pov: seungmin, angst with a happy ending for minsung || mature

Outrun Me by jellowrites [12k words] hybrids!au, cheetah!jisung, bunny!minho || explicit🔞

over the moon, under the ceiling by sunstorms [6,8k words] college!au, friends to lovers, roommates!au || explicit🔞

✪ Party Lines by bitsori [9,4k words | 2 ch] established relationship, phone sex || explicit🔞

Pay Your Rent by shitechocobo [6k words | 3 ch] AW: violence, MCD ;; strangers to lovers, hurt/comfort || teen and up

✪ Peanut Butter and a Bludger to the Face by orphan_account [7,6k words] hogwarts!au, enemies to lovers || general

✪ Pink Pearl by jellowrites [16,3k words] merfolk!au, tentacles, minor character death || explicit🔞