#feeling a little bit ive connected the dots. you didnt connect shit about this

[rqg179]

i am fully spiraling into conspiracy theory now, its a matter of days before i start making anagrams out of jace stardiamond, but i was rewatching the clip where the bad kids find out that the rat grinders are literally grinding, and gorthalax specifically says that it was jace who showed him their record ... are we certain it was a full record if he's involved in whatever they're doing

[punkscowardschampions]

Ali & Ronnie

Ali: [The day of but later] Ali: I convinced that man not to press charges or anything, the one that got involved Ali: so you don't need to worry about that Ronnie: wasnt Ronnie: tell someone who is Ali: 'course Ali: talking isn't the most useful thing for me to do right now so I'll pass Ronnie: go be useful then little girl Ali: I'm sorry he brought you Ali: that's fucked up Ronnie: course you are Ronnie: youre all well sorry now like Ali: For you, not myself, or ourselves Ronnie: no shit pity works with the rest of your brothers and sisters Ronnie: youre fucked up Ali: How so? Ronnie: show and tells over Ali: I hope it made you feel better Ronnie: bullshit Ronnie: none of you give a fuck how I feel Ali: yeah I do Ronnie: wheres it been Ali: you're meant to wait for the kid to make the first move, that's rule #1 Ronnie: if you wanna play by the rules Ali: so I've lost points, that's fine Ali: you don't want us to care, right? Ronnie: the way your family is im almost old enough to be your ma Ronnie: bit fucking late yeah Ali: You do have a solid decade on her, yeah Ali: I'm a late bloomer, clearly Ronnie: ill leave it to her to be proud Ali: a big ask, but I'll survive without Ronnie: like I said Ronnie: fucked Ali: Yeah, a fair bit Ali: nothing to shout about, or that hasn't been now Ronnie: you wanted a first move Ali: It was a choice Ronnie: nah Ronnie: a reaction Ali: That too Ali: like I said, hope it was what you needed it to be? Ronnie: ask him Ali: you just did it for Joe? Ronnie: why else Ronnie: none of you mean shit to me Ali: but he does, yeah Ronnie: connect the dots Ronnie: I bothered to carve each one out Ali: I can tell he loves you Ali: do you love him Ronnie: hes that fucking soft Ali: you do Ali: alright, that's something Ronnie: fuck you youve known him all your life and you dont Ronnie: theres no telling me how I feel Ali: I don't know him or I don't love him? Ronnie: have it both ways Ronnie: he tells it either way Ali: I probably don't know him now Ali: I'll allow that Ali: that's how he wants it so you don't have to defend him like I'm saying I do Ali: or that I'll force it, when he's been so clear Ronnie: hes the last person I can be arsed to defend Ronnie: but no shit he gets everything he wants Ali: What were you after Ali: we disown him Ali: or strongarm him into rehab and therapy Ronnie: yeah Ive got everything crossed for sobriety Ronnie: fucks sake Ali: disowning then, he's done it to us Ali: it won't happen the other way 'round, sorry to say Ronnie: give him your fucking sorry Ronnie: he was the one begging me to ruin it all Ali: close enough that he should still be happy Ali: I'm not sorry for him Ali: I already said, he shouldn't have used you like that Ronnie: thats what happens theres no fucking 💘 and 🥀 Ali: no one deserves that Ronnie: I am no one Ali: You aren't Ali: don't have to be Ronnie: people like their junkies part time or useful or repentant Ronnie: fuck that Ali: that's not your whole gig Ronnie: you don't know shit Ronnie: youre not under my skin or in my head Ali: I know enough to know that's bullshit Ali: if anyone was just their addictions and vices, you wouldn't need them Ronnie: yeah youre the smart one Ronnie: he told me Ali: He's the one at the fancy arts school Ali: how does he reconcile that with being the junkie one Ronnie: youre 16 theres no uni thatd take you yet Ronnie: happy birthday for whenever the fuck it was Ali: Thanks Ali: about a month ago Ali: extend the invite next time Ronnie: dont Ronnie: I wont show Ali: you haven't heard how great my parties are yet Ronnie: I aint a childrens entertainer Ali: be cool if you were Ali: have a heart attack when you showed up Ronnie: next time I need a few quid ill try and remember Ronnie: make you proud of me Ali: probably leave that to Joe, and your friends and fam Ali: but I know how to make balloon animals so hmu Ronnie: course you do Ronnie: youre the target market for hippy crack Ali: awh Ali: how true Ronnie: no shit Ronnie: how long you been in the youngest ones adhd meds Ali: not really my thing Ali: need to calm my brain, not stimulate it harder Ronnie: 💔 Ali: how'd you know about that Ali: doesn't seem like the sort of pillowtalk he'd be about Ronnie: i was in care i know what an kid with adhd looks like Ronnie: and theyve tried to diagnose me as everything but a west little bastard Ali: he's shit scared right now Ronnie: be fucked if he werent Ali: yeah Ali: he doesn't really know Joe Ali: was like 4 when he went to Uni so Ali: proper boogeyman shit Ronnie: mckenna will love that Ronnie: real boner for the misery Ali: someone should get something out of it Ali: he can pay for his therapy later Ali: more meds, whatever Ronnie: ill tell him to put in his will Ali: try not to die Ronnie: itd be the ultimate misery boner Ronnie: why should he stop getting what he wants now Ali: yeah, you do love him Ali: but hate him too Ronnie: 💘🥀 Ali: Is he worth it? Ronnie: youre describing freckles and the princess you know that yeah Ronnie: me and her dont share every dysfunction Ali: Nah, they don't hate each other Ali: loads of other stuff, people Ali: very them vs everyone Ronnie: she hates that she needs him Ronnie: that he makes her soft Ronnie: close enough Ali: You reckon? Ali: Hmm Ronnie: first rule of tortured kids club Ali: it's why she loves him too Ali: you'd understand if her sister had been there Ali: she's got no one to make her soft, I tried but Ronnie: gutted she werent there then Ali: you wouldn't like her any more than she'd like you Ali: it'd be fitting, but no fun Ronnie: thats the fun Ronnie: I hate you all Ali: I see the appeal Ronnie: have a go Ronnie: hate me Ali: I see your appeal Ali: why would I hate you? Ali: Fraze does and he's having the least fun of all Ronnie: you see what you fucking wanna Ronnie: youd have to know me to know if I had any appeal Ali: Then I'm a spoilt hippy brat, as you like it Ali: you'd have to do worse for me to hate you Ali: not my MO Ronnie: not wasting another flight on it Ronnie: kill your own ma Ali: then I'm good for it Ali: sorry again Ali: you did what you set out to do, making me 💔 wasn't part of it Ronnie: stop fucking apologising Ali: it offends you? Ronnie: I did what mckenna cant do for his fucking self being a useless pussy from cradle to grave Ronnie: he is under my skin and in my veins like it or not Ali: yeah, and my apology is worth a damn when you've got problems that big Ali: alright, I won't say it no more Ronnie: if it was for me Id have done it at 10 14 fucking 18 even Ali: 'course, you got fucked over at birth Ali: no other straws needed Ali: his is more of a slowburn of bullshit Ronnie: yeah Ali: I don't know what he's told you, or how much you care about it Ali: but they've always been like it, Fraze too Ali: we have no idea and they went through so much more Ali: but Joe's only got 5 on me, so that says all you really need to know Ronnie: thats lads for you Ronnie: cant handle any pain unless they glorify it Ali: or co-opt it Ali: if you don't wanna be like them, tell him to get his own Ronnie: Im not like them thats why he likes me Ronnie: it aint my winning smile Ronnie: helps that I look like you and your ma course hes that sick Ali: He's hated them both ever since Bea came around, then when we moved her, like it was for her Ali: he's spoilt, like you said Ali: but I really think he is sick, too Ronnie: no shit Ronnie: were both sick Ali: yeah Ali: maybe you'll wanna get help someday Ronnie: for what Ronnie: theres no happy ever after here Ali: to not be sick Ronnie: nice try little girl Ronnie: not gonna get cured Ali: yeah, well has to seem better than sick Ali: that's a big ask Ali: I can't imagine not getting to do the drugs I do, and that's everyone Ronnie: it's like being in a relationship yeah sometimes it makes you feel good sometimes it dont Ronnie: cant fix shit though Ronnie: the rots too deep and its already set in Ronnie: long before I took a hit Ali: That's medication for you Ronnie: thats pain for you Ali: Yeah Ronnie: if I cant cut it out Ill cut her out of me Ronnie: her face outta mine Ali: It's DNA Ali: everything and nothing Ronnie: if she's in my blood ill spill it all Ronnie: theres fuck all point keeping it on the inside Ali: It's a waste of you Ali: the you that ain't her Ronnie: I am the waste Ronnie: ive had enough kids scraped out of me it aint hard Ali: She believed in the happily ever after you don't Ali: more fool her Ronnie: she got it Ali: she wanted it with you Ronnie: bullshit Ali: She did, she loved your biological dad, basically as many years as she'd been about Ali: she didn't just not get an abortion because she was scared Ronnie: she wanted it with him then Ronnie: I was along for the ride til I got dumped out Ronnie: if she wanted me id fucking be there Ali: she could've tried Ali: yeah Ali: you would've got taken away though Ronnie: so what Ali: just that, she wasn't allowed to keep you, she was a 14 year old with no parent, they'd have separated you and put you into different care homes Ali: happened to her friend Ronnie: I was a 14 year old with no parents either Ronnie: and a 4 year old Ronnie: 4 months Ronnie: however the fuck far back you wanna go Ronnie: I still found ways to get shit that I wanted Ali: Yeah, I know Ali: you had enough to eat and a bed with a roof over your head Ali: you wouldn't have if you'd had her, if that was even possible, somehow Ronnie: no I fucking didnt Ronnie: not always Ali: if you were in a home Ali: more than a squat where no fucker pays the bills or gets groceries over smack, you know the situation Ronnie: I know it helps her sleep at night Ronnie: this story Ali: you don't have to add it to your narrative if it fucks with your peace Ali: ask Joe Ali: if he reckons he remembers everything back in Liverpool, he'll remember Ronnie: I dont need to ask him cos his story is that she blinked and her life was so fucking sorted that she pushed a shit ton more kids out Ronnie: where the fuck was I Ronnie: nowhere Ronnie: youre my fucking replacement is why Ali: she could've got you when she got Bea and Ro Ali: I don't know how old you were then, 13? Ali: they might've said she was sorted enough, maybe Ali: it was more, this girl has been abused and you're a friend she trusts who is willing to foster her so let's shove her at you and get her out, it wasn't happy families Ronnie: no need when theres already loads of shiny white kids to mother and 2 less shiny to play saviour too Ali: I could ask Ali: I was a toddler, and it wasn't my bedtime story too, believe it or nah Ronnie: luck of the irish Ali: I'll take 50% Ronnie: her sob story is as fucking useless to me as mckennas misery boners are Ali: 💔 Ali: very convincing performance in that case Ronnie: fuck you Ali: why Ronnie: if you have to ask youre not listening Ali: I meant the part where you necked on with him Ronnie: why not Ali: 'cos his boners are a letdown, obvs Ronnie: I dont need him to make me feel good Ronnie: and he fucking wishes he could do as good of a job as the shit that does Ali: thank God Ronnie: he wanted the shock factor thats me baby Ali: assumed that was his intention Ali: he stopped showing up as himself ages ago though, that was, not more shocking but impactful, let's say Ali: if he wasn't so obviously out of it, he might've known that we knew Ronnie: he wanted to stop showing up full stop Ronnie: til he gets shipped back in a ⚰ Ronnie: and reckoned thatd be the final nail for you all us fucking Ali: and us younger ones are dramatic, hilarious Ali: who doesn't want to get away from home? Ali: Tommy has been since he was 11, Bea went to Cambridge, Ro will too, Fraze only didn't because Bea told him he wasn't allowed to follow her Ali: I'm planning on Singapore, myself Ronnie: hes too pussy to handle being away from me Ronnie: or what I get like when he isnt in my fucking face Ronnie: that bit wasnt about you lot as much like Ali: it's how it goes Ali: that's why people get knocked up, get married, get fabulous careers, so you can have an excuse for why you can't make this weekend, will try to pop in for this event but end up just sending a card Ali: it's weird it's you, of course, you're both sick, duh, but look at it objectively Ali: it's your version of 2.4 kids and a dog Ronnie: he dont want me to slit my own throat or anyone elses but his more fool him Ronnie: cant knock me up or marry me thank christ Ronnie: I like that the dog is smack thats well poetic Ali: I'll have a go at writing it Ali: if you want a null and void illegal wedding too, I'll write those vows and all Ronnie: ill stick it in a song if you want better than happy birthday Ronnie: fuck that i belong to no one Ronnie: theres loads more fun illegal shit to do Ali: you write songs too? Ali: just don't let Joe play cello on it Ali: if depression had a ��� Ronnie: id lose money if i begged with him Ronnie: fucking hell Ronnie: looks pathetic enough but thats all Ali: very child actor vibes, or rockstar's kid Ali: you had it all and you pissed it all the wall Ali: not here's a couple of quid for a warm cup of coffee and a sarnie, no Ronnie: i can see his face hearing that Ronnie: id have to take a brick to it Ali: yeah, he probably hates me Ali: not as much as Fraze, didn't have the toddler clout to make us move to Dublin, bit rude Ronnie: you're in his way Ali: of what Ronnie: 💉 Ali: that's his hangup Ali: like I said, no one is forcing him to do shit here Ali: guilt's part and parcel of 💚 and 💉 ain't it Ronnie: youre not telling me shit I dont know Ronnie: hes the one shitting himself hes gonna get chucked in rehab Ronnie: nobodys coming to take me nowhere Ali: I get it Ali: she's shit at turning up Ali: tell her to work on it Ronnie: do what you want Ronnie: far as sisterly advice what ive got is dont ask me for a shot unless youre after a habit Ali: lecturing ain't my gig rn, she loves a bit of it so honestly no need when her 🧠 will be full of the 💔 Ali: cheers, I'll stick to the just saying no of it all Ronnie: get the money up front when you are gigging Ronnie: and take care of the kid when you aint Ali: I will, I do Ali: he's got a few years to grow before I'm going anywhere Ronnie: yeah Ali: and my wife might stay and they're best friends Ronnie: she was the one trying to rival us for most high Ali: ✌💚💉 Ali: it was a party before you walked in Ali: which I'm aware was very much the idea Ali: can I give you a tattoo I'm good Ronnie: go ahead Ronnie: not gonna be here long like Ali: where do you wanna meet, my rig is way portable Ronnie: [a place nearby wherever they are cos god knows but I doubt Joe wants to see Ali and she aint gonna tell him that's where she's going LOL] Ali: 👍 Ali: about 25 on my 🚲 Ronnie: reckon i can stay alive til then

[vintageladylemondrop]

The Vanishing of Ladybug and Chat Noir- Chapter 3

Gah, life gets in the way of me writing this fic but I’m having fun writing it. I finally finished chapter 3 and hopefully I’ll get chapter 4 out sooner than later, so enjoy -VLLD

Here’s the link to the fic on Ao3 if you want to read it there instead.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/9251336/chapters/22432703

Chapter 3 - Revelations and Running

(Scene 1- Marinette’s POV)

She must have been going crazy. She and Adrien were sitting at her desk looking at the research they had collected for their report. Her crush was sitting right next to her, but that’s wasn’t why she felt like she was going crazy. What was wrong with her today! Hell what had been wrong with her all week! She couldn’t even focus on the opportunity in front of her.

She should be happy, She had been partnered with Adrien for a class assignment. She had to keep smiling or he would notice that something was wrong. Adrien had been talking to her all week, she had to take this opportunity, but why wasn’t she…why couldn’t she… It was too late he could see.

“Are you okay Marinette?” Adrien asked her. “Are you feeling sick?” She sure didn’t feel well, but she wasn’t Ill, just going insane in her own mind. She thought her brain was going to explode and then whatever remained of her was going to float away never to be seen again.

“Ya I’m alright, you just surprised me earlier, that’s all” she gave a small fake laugh. He turned away from her, and gave a small sigh.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you…” She cut him off mid sentence. She didn’t want him to misunderstand her.

“No No, it’s not that… You just sounded like a friend of mine is all.” the tone in her voice deflated a little bit as she spoke. He got quiet and then they directed their attention to the assignment. They worked in silence, every minute that passed seemed more and more awkward… Had she messed up? Then Adrien’s voice rung in her ears

“Soooo, this friend of yours, what’s he like?” he asked. Well crud how was she gonna get out of that question! it’s not like she could tell him that this friend of hers was Chat Noir, because who would believe that, she would just sound crazy.She fabricated a lie as quickly as she could

“You wouldn’t know him, he moved away last year, and since you only started attending our school this year…” Her voice trailed off, she started to regret her lie.

“Oh too bad, sounds like my kind of a friend” he chided. At that moment Marinette started to realize something she hadn’t thought of before.

(Scene 2- Adrien’s POV)

“Where is the restroom?” He asked her. He and Marinette had been working on the assignment when she got really quiet he had tried to make her feel better, but the air between them seemed to be worse.

“It’s downstairs, it’s not to hard to find. If you have trouble just ask my parents” she said

He excused himself and went downstairs to the restroom. He needed to calm down. She had definetly noticed that he spoke like Chat, but still lied about him being her friend . I mean of course it made sense, it’s not like she was going to tell someone she didn’t know about Chat because it would give away she was Ladybug.

He splashed his face with water, he was flushed because being near her made his stomach turn knots. Had she figured out who he was or hadn’t she? He couldn’t tell. Had he hurt her?, was he too relaxed?. He didn’t know he just hoped things would work out for the best.

He climbed back upstairs and into Marinette’s room. As he opened the hatch he started to speak

“Hey, I’m back what did you want to to do for the biblio…” It took him a minute to realize Marinette wasn’t paying attention. She looked like she was going to explode. Something was wrong, very wrong.

“I’ll be back in a second I’m just going to go downstairs to check on something” she mumbled and quickly left her room. He sat down on the desk chair and went to search for his phone in his pocket. It wasn’t there. It must have fallen on the floor earlier when he had gotten up to use the restroom. He picked it up and noticed a message on the screen.

Marinette- Maybe we shouldn’t meet. I hadn’t really thought it through and it’s a risk we should think through.

Shit well if she didn’t know before now she sure as hell did now. Ugh he needed to talk to Marinette when she came back. He leaned back in the desk chair and waited for Marinette to return.

5 minutes passed, then 10 minutes passed and still no Marinette. Something was definitely wrong. He went downstairs, she wasn’t anywhere to be found. He went into the Bakery to ask her parents if they knew where she was.

“Excuse me, Have you seen Marinette anywhere? She excused herself about 15 minutes ago and I haven’t seen her since.” He questioned.

“Oh my that girl” she gave a chuckle and continued to speak" “Didn’t she tell you? She said she had an errand to run and left in a hurry” her mother replied.

“No she didn’t tell me.” He sighed.

“I’m sorry, sometimes our daughter is forgetful, we assumed she had told you and you had left through the back awhile ago.” Her father said trying to make Adrien feel better. He went back up to Marinette’s room gathered his things, and gave his farewell to her parents.

He needed to find Marinette. He scrolled through his phone contacts. He pressed call and waited for an answer.

“Hey, Alya I need a huge favor.”

(Scene 3- Marinettes POV)

“I’ll be back in a second I’m just going to go downstairs to check on something” she quickly told him. She felt like her insides were fighting a war, to say she was freaking out would be an understatement. She rushed to the Bathroom and began puking her guts out. This couldn’t be real, it just couldn’t. If it was real than what hadn’t been real. When she finished she felt better. She had to get away so she could take all this information in. She told her parents a lie, and left. She knew Adrien would definitely be mad at her for this, but it was all too much for her.

She decided to go sit in a cafe her and Alya frequented on the weekends. She could hide here for awhile until Adrien left. Marinette got some iced tea and tried to calm down, and she started to connect the dots.

(Memory- Marinette’s POV/ a few months ago.)

“So are you excited about the dance tonight!” Alya practically shouted while they were nearing their destination.

“I’m not so good with dancing,you know that” Marinette replied sheepishly. She and Alya had decided on going to the cafe to get some caffeine before getting ready for the dance.

“Look who it is!” Alya practically shouted. They had just walked into the cafe, when Alya had noticed that Adrien and Nino, Adrien’s best friend were there.

“Hey guys! What’s up?” Alya easily went over and approached the two boys.

“Just getting some coffee before the dance tonight” Nino replied. Marinette noticed Adrien looking down. She wondered if he was alright.

“Yup what he said!” Adrien perked up and pointed towards his friend.

“So, Marinette what’s this I hear about you not liking dancing?” Adrien teased. She would have cursed her best friend for telling him, if not for that it gave her the chance to talk to Adrien.

“It’s not my thing, that’s all…” Marinette replied as sincerely as she could without stuttering. Alya and Nino went to go order the drinks for the four of them.

“If it makes you feel any better Im new to this whole dance thing, Ive never been to a dance.” Adrien continued “but…well if you don’t mind would you save me a dance tonight?… I know it’s not your thing but everyone deserves to cut loose every once in awhile”

“Surereere , I’d be be honored.” Marinette hoped this wasn’t the doing of Alya. She didn’t want Adrien to feel like he was being forced to dance with her.

The four parted ways and got ready for the dance. Everything had been perfect that night, except Adrien never showed up. Nino explained that Adrien suddenly had to work and wasn’t going to be able to come to the dance. Marinette had been definitely a little disappointed, but probably not as disappointed as Adrien had been about going. She could tell he had been excited about it. She went home early, because she hadn’t really been having any fun. When she arrived home she didnt even bother to undress, she was still all done up for the dance almost as if she didn’t want the magic of the night to end even though it had ended for her before it even started. She hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but did anyway because the day had been more exhausting than planned.

“Knock��� she awoke to sound of something knocking on the glass. It echoed off the walls of her room for a moment, she then got up to see what it was, she had a feeling she knew who it was though.

“What do you want you silly cat?” She was slightly annoyed. She opened her balcony hatch and let him into her room.

“Is everything all right? you are usually meowwre welcoming than this.” He asked her.

“Ah, this…” She probably looked strange considering she was still dressed up. “ I… There was a school dance tonight, that’s why I’m all dressed up, but…” She wasn’t sure if she should tell him about the nights events. “…but it didn’t go exactly as planned, sorry for my attitude earlier, I’m just a little salty.” she felt she could trust him, he was her partner… Well even if he didn’t know that, they had this strange relationship between them anyway.

“So what happened?” He gave her a polite smile.

“Ah, well I was asked to save a dance for one of the most popular guys in school but… He wasn’t able to make it to the dance. I know he couldn’t control it, but I can’t help but be a little disappointed… You see I don’t really care for dances and dancing that much. I was really only going cause my best friend had dragged me into it, but for once I really was genuine in my excitement.” She told the Masked Cat Boy.

“If it’s any consolation to you, you look really nice this evening and I would have loved to dance with you if I had the opportunity” he chided. She was trying not to be flustered, it was just she didn’t get compliments on her looks from boys as often and it suprised her. She kept telling herself.

They continued to chat for a little while longer talking about random things, whatever she wanted to, It was easy to talk to him. That evening in her mind took a turn for the better when Chat appeared. It was almost like magic she thought.

(Scene 3 - Marinette’s POV continued)

The dots were adding up in her mind and it was overwhelming. She needed to calm down or she was going to break down here in the cafe.

“Bzzzzzttt” her phone started ringing. It was Alya, dammit she surely had already heard from Adrien. She picked it up, before Alya had a chance to lecture Marinette she was going to speak first.

“Alya, I need a huge favor” She told her best friend.

“How huge of a favor is this?” Alya questioned playfully.

“Big, I need you to hide me from Adrien. I can’t talk to him right now… sooo can I spend the night at your place, because there is something I need to talk to you about” She pleaded.

“Fine, but you at least owe him an apology, for running off like that.” Alya said. She continued to lecture Marinette for another 5 minuted and then Marinette headed back to her house to get her stuff for the night.

(Scene 4 - Alya POV)

“What did you do to my best friend lover boy?"Alya said anxiously over the phone to Adrien.

"Uhh… That’s kind of confidential, but is she alright?” Adrien asked. Alya had called him back shortly after he had called her earlier.

“She’s not dying, but I don’t think she’s ready to talk to you yet… Give her some time she’ll come around."Alya continued ” I can’t help you with that favor though, her favor out weighs yours, no offense"

“That’s alright at least she’s physically okay” Adrien responded.

Alya got off the phone with Adrien after trying to get a few more details on the events of the day to no avail. Adrien hadn’t budged so she was walking into the situation with Marinette almost blind. She waited for Marinette to arrive at her house. She heard a small knock at her front door. When she opened the door she saw her best friend was a mess. Her hair wasn’t done and had obviously fallen out at some point during the day. She had spilt something on the front of her shirt. She looked like she was being held together by a thread and if someone were to even approach her she would snap in two. Alya saw tears start to bubble over her best friends eyes and fall down her face. It was clear to Alya that Her best friend was falling apart at the seams.

“Marinette, come inside let’s talk okay?” She said softly. Marinette stepped inside and she shut the door. Alya took her best friend into a hug. She talked softly “What in the world happened, Are you feeling okay?” Marinette had felt a bit feverish in her arms. Her best friend told her the first truth Alya had heard from her all week.

“No, Alya I’m not okay”

[isaacathom]

im figuring for most of the game Rhia ONLY refers to Jun as ‘my uncle’ - she doesnt refer to him by name. you can figure out that she means Jun through his own dialogue and through interactions with Lyndelle, who Rhia says is her cousin. and Lyndelle speaks quite openly about her father and how much she aspires to be just like him, and how much he inspires Rhia, too. so when you eventually meet Jun in relation to Team bullshit, and he’s friendly and kind, you go ‘ooohhhhh thats her uncle, right’.

the main reason she does it is because shes paranoid about accidentally incriminating him. when shes berating Elliot for leaving her behind, and describing in detail what occured after she left, she’s fully aware that if she says his name, and then FAILS to stop Elliot and the player (and Zeke, iirc) from leaving, they might report his connections. its a VERY weak defence, admittedly, given how easy it is to work out who she’s referring to. but theres also the fact that shes NOT related to him. and Elliot, knowing this fact (knowing that she’s Seren, and that her entire family live in Johto and didn’t take her ‘home’), would be unable to connect that dot. Being that he is obsessed with Seren, rather than Rhia. the player knows she means Jun, but the player has also actually met Jun - which Rhia doesn’t know. But they’ve met, and they know that Jun isn’t enthusiastic about Team shit, and only works with them because he is blackmailed and wants to protect his family.

so. yknow. if she just says ‘her uncle’, theres room for interpretation. its vague enough. plus, if you actually go to HER records, the records of Rhia Stanton, you will not find Jun Zhang anywhere. he’s her step uncle. instead you will find Patrick’s family, and the family of her ‘mother’. who i think, for shits and gigs, dont have any brothers. that’d be funny. someone investigating Rhia’s ‘uncle’ claims would actually have to look a long way into her records to find a man who could match that description. ofc in reality they’d just ask Jun because that’s her home address now but like, yknow. they share no blood, both in general and as far as her legal records are concerned. so. yknow. someone trying to be covert and investigate Rhia would have to put a lot of extra effort to find this info.

idk i think itd be fun if Rhia’s going on her long tirade explaining the time between her being assaulted and Jun finding her and speaking in these vague terms. not in any overt hilarious way, i just think itd be cool for her to do. then, of course, once shits all cleared, he’s just Jun. well, ok, she alternates, because she does feel a genuine familial attachment to Jun and Bronwyn and Lyndelle, and terms like ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ and ‘cousin’ are vague enough that it can describe how she feels while not NECESSARILY necessitating blood ties. its a cute thing. initially it was part of her cover story, calling them auntie and uncle (and then mostly just calling Lyndelle by name), but at one point Rhia would’ve just slipped and called Jun ‘uncle’ in private and honestly it probably made him cry. and shes fretting and apologising and saying ‘fuck fuck i meant Jun sorry’ and hes all ‘no no its fine.... you can call me uncle if you want.’ and shes like ‘wait, really?????’ ‘absolutely, Rhia. if you want to!’ and she cries too. Bronwyn comes downstairs to find them hugging and crying and shes just ‘did i walk in on something?? do you want me to give you a minute’ and they both laugh reallyyyy awkwardly and theres a silence, before Rhia goes ‘heyyyyyy uuhhhhhh i had a question..... am i allowed to call you auntie????’ and bronwyns very confused about what exactly brought this on, looks at Jun, looks back at Rhia, back at Jun, and it clicks and she goes ‘oooooohhhhhhhhhhh. oooohhhh. you mean actually?’ and rhia nods and bronwyn goes ‘well, you do already, dont you? why not! :)’ and its just a big fun time.

then lyndelle also walks in and is INCREDIBLY confused. what the fuck is happening. why is everyoe laughing and crying and hugging and shit. did something happen???????? it is an incredily weird time.

uhhhhh point is she means it sincerely but not in a blood tie way and its also juuuuuuussssttt vague enough that she doesnt give anything away when shes trying to keep shit secret. of course, if pressed in a normal situation, she’d tell you exactly who ‘uncle’ is, the talented Dr Jun Zhang, but in any remotely crime-y shit, you wont get a peep.

so i guess she just always calls him uncle? maybe after the whole team/org blows over, she switches to ‘Uncle Jun’, rather than just uncle? that’d be kinda cute.

im not sure exactly when shed start sincerely calling then family, though. she has like 8 years to figure that out. it certainly wasnt in the first year or so - she was still mixed in that time. at some point, certainly.

the same sort of terms follow for Jun and Bronwyn too. Bronwyn probably took a little longer - mostly because she had slightly less history with Rhia than Jun did - but both of them feel very close to her and refer to her as their niece on a few occasions. Jun especially. mostly because meeting Jun is actually required for story progression, so IF he mentioned his family at all, itd be in vague terms. because just like Rhia, he really doesnt want to tie them into his business. he hates this business, why would he want them connected? so its just ‘my niece’ not ‘my niece, rhia, that cop whose been sorta bothering you the whole game’. YOU know, obviously, the player knows thats probably whats happening. which is probably also the point where you should be going ‘hang on......... her uncles in the evil team??? does she know???’ and it should cause people to think twice. ideally between meeting Jun in a team context and the tower sequence the player should see her again - presumably to insert the whole Seren thing which ive technically retconned out of existence but still needs to occur i guesssss - and she should seem especially suss in that instance. in fact, yea, having that be the point where she asks you to ask elliot about Seren makes sense, and should look INCREDIBLY shifty. like, whyyy cant she just ask him herself? why do you have to do it? what does that mean? theres probably been minor hints about it throughout the game, and there IS a cemetery why you can find graves for both her parents AND a grave for Seren with only her DOB and an end year. and Zeke probably actually knows about it, even if he didnt know Seren personally (given the age difference - he’s older than the player but younger than Rhia, being that he is like.... 17??? which is 6 years younger than her and anywhere from 2-5 older than you. idk. there would be minor info sprinkled about Seren throughout the game, to the point where the player COULD fill in the blanks about what the fuck is happening themselves. to a point, anyway. like, hmm.... so Seren was Elliot’s charge, and vanished, and now this girl who is roughly how old she’d be now is asking me to ask Elliot about her...... hmmmm. and the player might click it. the details, about how he abandoned her, come out only from Rhia herself in her tirade against Elliot. what Elliot tells you is slightly different. ooh, thats a bit, actually.

how Rhia recounts the events and how Elliot does is vastly different. mostly because they drastically diverge at a point, but also in terms of what they recount in that similar lead up. Rhia talks about how shifty the plan was, how he made her wait while he spoke to the gym leaders before coming to get her, how they were on their own despite the other groups being fairly large and proportionally uneven, how she ended up leading the way down the corridor (of her own arrogance, but her point is that He didnt stop her). Elliot talks about her boundless enthusiasm to take part, her insistence, his concern that he’d end up disappointing her if the gym leaders found out and subsequently stopped her. and the specific ‘incident’ bit, the description is different too. Elliot doesn’t really go into specifics. its just ‘there were..... complications. i had no choice but to flee’. Rhia instead describes in details how they were grabbed from behind when the corridor opened up abruptly, how the grunts jeered them and held hands over their mouths, how she kicked one of the grunts in the arm so they let Elliot go, how Elliot hesitated for JUST a moment before bolting, silently, down the corridor. that silence is a big part of it, too. Elliot will say to you that he tried to find help, which is true (to a point), but Rhia’s statement makes that seem strange. if he ran silently, how much did he want help? whether he DID actually leave without crying out at all is..... unclear. neither account of events is wholly accurate. the commonalities are true, but the minor parts are based on interpretation. in fact, the ONLY people perhaps equipped to offer an objective view on what happened in the confrontation are the Grunts, who could talk about how Seren crossed the threshold first with a pokeball in hand, and how Elliot passed closely behind without, and how Barny got kicked in the hand and probably later in the face by the flailing Seren, how Smokes followed Elliot down the hall and saw him completely leave the premises, how Tiny Fae later told Jun about Seren. that sorta shit. those are random names i dont even know what the fuck those mean.

i think thatd be a very neat difference. just to emphasise how they both feel about it. how Rhia would highlight the choices available to Elliot (and technically herself, but trust me, that isnt her idea) and how Elliot would highlight how inevitable he felt his choices were, or how he didnt have them.if it isnt obvious i probably agree with Rhia more, though shes a lot less blameless than she makes it out and there is probably more actual manipulation of information in her recounting over Elliots. like yea, both are manipulated to elicit a specific response (sympathy for both, and anger at Elliot in Rhia’s case). but since Rhia is making a point when she’s telling her version, she’s likely slightly twisted parts of it. the emotional impact of the event isnt changed, but some of the physical elements are likely emphasised to make Elliot feel reaaallllllll fucking guilty. like ‘you thought i was dead, but i lived! but in agonising pain for a while and there have been permanent physical and mental repercussions for your actions, asshole!’ what fun! :)