#in pursuit of the uneatable

[nemaliwrites]

Chapter 17: the only one there for you is you

This is wrong, a voice in her head whispers, but she’s quick to shut it down. What’s so wrong about this? Isn’t this exactly what she wanted: a way to take things into her own hands, a way to feel like she’s doing something herself instead of just feeling like things are happening to her? It hasn’t been long since school let out. Lila can’t be far.

Chapter 17 of my @mlbigbang fic is up! Art is, again, by the lovely Neteshez <33

[nemaliwrites]

from chapter 9 of my BB fic:

 “Either way, what we do shouldn’t change. Those two might be illusions, but we know the two of us aren’t, right?” Chat Noir leans back on his staff, smirking. “So true, my lady. After all, you’re far too beautiful to be an illusion.” A giggle forces its way out of her. “Hey,” she says, chiding, “don’t let your guard down, alley cat! We still have to stay focused.” “You’re right,” he says, and his expression shifts into something more serious. “Name?” The akuma — the man — looks like he is cloaked in darkness and shadows. He moves, shimmering in the sun, with an odd kind of grace, contrasted by the sharp talons that tip each and every one of his fingers.  “Nocturne,” Ladybug says. “And Molosse.” It’s been a comfort to them — her more than him, she suspects — to name the akumas before fighting them; she isn’t about to stray from that now. Just because someone has been akumatized doesn’t mean they’re any less human, and giving them a name is a way to remember that. 

This week’s word is…

✨ SUSPECT ✨

Find the word in any WIP and share the sentence containing it! Reply, reblog, stick it in the tags, tag us in a new post, or keep it private. All fandoms, all ships, all writers welcome.

[bittersweetresilience]

reading year in review

companion post to my writing year in review... thank you @teafig for tagging me in this fun new variation and also always being so sweet... i did more than one for some months because i really have. so. many. bookmarks.

serious active interests at the time, sleeper fandoms or genres or pairings

JANUARY

The Arowana by chesslyfe5eva (Danganronpa, 6,486 words)

When Kiyotaka is born, his grandfather gifts the new parents a baby arowana.

i know, i know. danganronpa fic on here and it's not even komaeda. but this one is so insane it grips me. i've never so enjoyed reading about original characters.

The Dog, Untrained by Anonymous (Disco Elysium, 12,950 words)

An exploration of those Cuno has lost, those he's gained, and those he can't let go.

this and the arowana are both from nemali bookmarks and oh. my. god. they possess me. non linear narratives. minor character character studies.

annotated by ritsukies (Miraculous Ladybug, 4,351 words)

Félix and Marinette share a quiet moment together in the shared space of Adrien's bedroom.

JANUARY WAS FELINETTE MONTH FOR THE COSHRIMPERS. all the fics in this series are killer but this one specifically eats my brain. reminds me of the first few picnics... the start of spouse house...

FEBRUARY

Blueberry passion fruit by @ninadove (Miraculous Ladybug, 5,486 words)

He walked up to the counter, because he could not think of anything else to do. For all those times he had rehearsed their reunion, he had failed to consider the most obvious scenario: Adrien might want to run away once more.

this fic was notable to me because it was the first time i had enjoyed a coffee shop au in quite a while. i did fall a little in love with nina writing.

MARCH

sailor's knot by nailgunstigmata (Dungeon Meshi, 5,345 words)

The dangers of the dungeon are plentiful. Some of them are of the moral kind.

FUCKED UP CHILAIOS YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS TO ME. this is the fic i remember blowing me away, briefly but for realsies.

APRIL

The Only Love We Keep by @nemaliwrites (Miraculous Ladybug, 6,935 words)

Five times Zoé’s love wasn’t reciprocated, and one time it was.

i'm obsessed with nemali fic. i almost put in pursuit of the uneatable too. this one obliterates me especially. i love zoé so dearly.

Terrycloth Mother by rowdymouse (Earthbound, 4,325 words)

Tony's faced with a hard task: providing Jeff all the love he never got and desperately needs.

i read this fic and it was so good and so chilling it immediately shot onto my all time favorite fanfiction list.

MAY

in the light of the red moon by @purplecatghostposts (Miraculous Ladybug, 29,317 words)

Félix succeeds in bringing Marinette back. Adrien, Kagami, and Marinette are now trapped in an empty world, unless they can either convince Félix to bring everyone back, or do it themselves. Meanwhile, Félix slowly learns of the consequences of pushing the Miraculous of Emotion past its limits.

i can't say more that this fic is literally my émotion dream fic. it's everything i ever wanted for félix.

My choice, despite everything by dezzert (Honkai: Star Rail, 88,188 words)

Episodes of Gepard and Sampo throughout the years, and what they learn about themselves through each other.

such a well written character and relationship study. i was never that into sampard in the first place but this fic makes me understand it.

JUNE

in the heat of the moment by sesame_seed (Honkai: Star Rail, 4,273 words)

Jing Yuan tries not to mind. His instincts are the least important part of him, after all.

AAAAAAAA RENJING TIME RENJING TIME RENJING TIME FINALLY. i'm getting emotional about it. this is one of the first renjing fics that inspired me to write my own renjing. i recommend all of this author's fics, especially on the beach and sandalwood and ash.

only the mountain remains by questioningly (Honkai: Star Rail, 10,195 words)

Ever since his return from the frontlines, Jing Yuan has been acting strange, and Dan Feng and Yingxing can't seem to figure out why.

this one's jingrenheng and it won't happen again but holy shit. i remember texting autumn about a particular line in this one, about yingxing having sex with jing yuan being just one of the ways in which he will live forever, and i'm still breathless about it. holy shit.

Sweet Dreams by vahveroinen (Honkai: Star Rail, 1,059 words)

Sunday teaches Aventurine a lesson.

i wish i had done penacony in july because this is too many fics but alas, i read my way through, like, 10 different tags in june. if i'm limiting myself to one aventurine fic it's this one. i forgot i loved somnophilia until i read this fic.

JULY

在路上 by Sweetie_tianyang (Honkai: Star Rail, 221,914 words)

艾利欧的剧本已然走到终点，在死亡如期而至前，刃想最后做一件事情。

i've been translating this fic for over three months now. it's one of my favorite fics ever and i need everyone to read it right now. it is the DEFINITION of renjing. also, i actually bookmarked it on june 30 but reading took a while and i obviously kept thinking about it and i don't have any other favorites in july. sorry to all the june fics i had to skip.

AUGUST

What Real Human Beings Do by @nemaliwrites (Miraculous Ladybug, 1,029 words)

There are ghosts living inside of you.

nemali, i think we should marry.

人不如猫糕 by breaddog003612 (Honkai: Star Rail, 8,845 words)

景元领养了芝麻酥跟糯米团后，某日跟前男友电刀调情被两只猫糕看到了……

you ever love an author so much they unlock your bestiality kink. every time i get an update from this author i get so happy. i love all of this author's jing yuan harem fics and renjing scenes. blade having a child kink is so so SO unbelievably true. i have to lie down about this.

for the hope of it all by @asukiess (Miraculous Ladybug, 9,000 words)

"in five years, there’s a house on the water. adrien’s fumbling with the rope knot keeping our sailboat tied to the dock. you’re watching him from the sand.” a pause, and then: “alive, i might add.”

autumn writing so good it makes you realize you have to read more classic literature to keep up.

SEPTEMBER

不xx就出不去的房间 by Acat3 (Honkai: Star Rail, 26,389 words)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA okay i admit i have only fully read the renjing chapter of this fic but by god i have reread it constantly. feiyuan too. i need to be more horny.

To bring back the fire in her eyes by @ninadove (Miraculous Ladybug, 2,074 words)

“No drink for you tonight,” Colt announced, the triumphant accent thundering down her spine. “It’s bad for the baby.”

obsessed with this fic and also its sequel. amélie. horror. amélie.

OCTOBER

性与爱的莫比乌斯环 by Acat3 (Honkai: Star Rail, 15,946 words)

this fic is so balls to the walls crazy it actually makes me sick. it's so good. i'm frothing at the mouth over it. it's horrible. i love it. please give me more of it immediately. this is also the fic that unlocked freak time with ishi ni sun and for that i will sloppy it infinity.

waiting room by @mostmagical (Mass Effect, 6,565 words)

When Shepard wakes up after everything, Garrus isn't there. And neither is anyone else.

my favorite nicole mass effect fic... it does remind me of 大鱼 but most of all it reminds me of my mostbeloved. and character study.

NOVEMBER

Alma de araña by @ninadove (The Shadow of the Wind, 2,177 words)

The boy you’ll die for peels away from his thoughts, and smiles.

nina writing has been consistently stunning me but this fic was truly a masterpiece. a plus plus plus. you will enjoy whether or not you know the book series.

i don’t want this to end, i just wanna be your friend by bishakespeare (Night in the Woods, 4,414 words)

Five times Casey saved Gregg and one time Gregg couldn’t save Casey.

uuuUUUUUGGGGGHHAAAAUUUUAAAAAUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAA. i got extremely crazy about night in the woods again, if briefly, and this fic. this fic is everything.

call & response by MOKANA (The Bright Sessions, 30,302 words)

Damien sleeps with every character: the fic.

i CANNOT overstate how good this is. porn with narrative and character study. got me reading top damien. lord almighty.

DECEMBER

reasons to stay by sulkybender (Arcane, 1,927 words)

After a while, he starts to think about reasons to live.

i have to sink my teeth into all of this author's fics. prose so good it opens up the world for me.

aside from my beloved friends whom i happened to tag already, hauling @isabugs @celestialtitania @monpetitchattriste @blur0se @heartfulselkie @coffeebanana into this. show me the fics, spouses.

[mostmagical]

reading year in review

posting this at the behest of @bittersweetresilience... 1-2 of my favorite fics that I read for each month of the year

I’m not tagging anyone in this other than mutuals who happen to be on the list because I DON’T KNOW. this is SCARY. I’m just a girl. what do I know about anything.

01 JANUARY

Graine de toi by MireilleTanaka (Miraculous Ladybug)

Ladybug and Chat Noir think they’re close, until they begin waking up in one another’s skin. AU: Adrien is homeschooled, and he and Marinette have never met

Body swap AND Never Met AU fic based loosely on Kimi na wa that lived in my head for ages. @blur0se sent this to me when we were just little baby new friends because she thought I would like it and she was exactly right because I loved it.

In Pursuit of the Uneatable by @nemaliwrites (Miraculous Ladybug

In a Paris where Lila weaves tales that blind the city, Marinette stands accused, isolated. Her parents' trust is shattered, her friends distant, and in battle, illusions blur the line between ally and enemy. As the shadows and uncertainty threaten to close in, Marinette finds herself turning to the last person who claims to be on her side: a boy in a white mask who calls himself a fox hunter.

This fic is so good and we are all blessed to have a chance to read Nemali writing… I feel awful because I still need to finish this fic but I think about it all the time. Nemali’s prose and Lila characterization, and just the general concept– AGH. Top tier.

02 FEBRUARY

never been in love by bittersweetResilience (Miraculous Ladybug)

Félix wonders if he has a heart. If he does, it doesn’t beat like that.

I love ace spectrum characters I love Sunny writing I love Sunny ace spectrum fic… Made me cry.

03 MARCH

watership down by bittersweetResilience (Miraculous Ladybug)

“Of course we get along.” Emilie’s hand reaches over to slip into Amélie’s. As always, her fingers loosen as soon as Amélie has reciprocated the hold. She swings their hands in a carefree arc between them, looking into the woods ahead, relying on Amélie’s grip to keep them linked. “We’re soulmates. No secrets between us.” Amélie and Emilie, through the years. A non-linear narrative.

This fic is sooo good you guys. So good. GAH. Sunny writing + Sunny Amelie and Félix, and complicated family relationships, and pretty prose and WATERSHIP DOWN. It feels like a coming of age film in your head.

Season of Giving by The_Rabbit42 (Miraculous Ladybug)

As Christmas draws near, Adrien and Marinette want to find special presents to give their partner and… other partner. Combined with Adrien rediscovering what Christmas is without his parents, Marinette getting sick, and Alya and Adrien becoming closer friends, it's sure to be a memorable holiday.

Honestly, this year, March was one of my lowest months for a lot of personal reasons, and I happened to stumble upon this Christmas fic and it just made me feel better.

04 APRIL

Maybe This Life by @coffeebanana (Miraculous Ladybug)

"Adrien's in the hospital." Woken in the dead of night by a series of frantic phone calls, Marinette finds herself boarding a bus from New York to Montreal instead of flying home for winter break. Not that she has a clue how she'll navigate living with Adrien—who definitely wants nothing to do with her since the break up—for the indefinite future. Adrien just wants to find the energy to convince Marinette he's fine—that she can leave. Because having her here hurts too much, and he's better off alone. At least, that's what he tells himself. They're an ocean away from home, stuck together in a one-bedroom apartment, in a city suffocated by snow. The distance between them has never felt so insurmountable. But maybe there's hope after all.

MTL fic… Sad, awkward exes fic. And CoffeeBanana writing. What more could you ask for in life…? So excited to see more of this unfold when Kayla is finally free from deadlines…

05 MAY

again. I didn’t do anything in May because I was 100%-ing ME3. and it ruined my life. (/pos) anyway. Mass Effect fic dump now

06 JUNE

picture perfect (get your head out of the sky) by luffia (Mass Effect Trilogy)

The logic of attraction is awful, and realising you have a thing for your undead human best friend who technically outranks you makes it all ten times worse.

This is just so funny. Jack torturing Garrus by pointing out his attraction lives in my head forever. Perfectly executed feeling of Oh. and then Oh no.

Beating Like A Hammer by skybound2 (Mass Effect Trilogy)

Garrus doesn't know if she is real, or a hallucination, but when Shepard storms back into his life on Omega, he finds that he doesn't much care. He just knows that he's not letting her go again, not if he can help it.

Shepard staying with Garrus and sending the other two squadmates to close the vents during his recruitment mission. Who would I be if I didn’t have at least one Omega fic on here. Be real.

07 JULY

it makes sense that it should hurt in this way (that my heart should break – and my hands should shake – ) by calypsid (Mass Effect Trilogy)

When Garrus gets home to Palaven, he finds something in his luggage he doesn't remember putting there himself.

I cannot explain to you how often I think about this fic. It’s short and sweet— Shepard isn’t even really there, but it’s just a fic that sticks with me so entirely. I actually need to go back to it because I think I was still lurking in the fandom and I probably didn’t comment, which is an absolute crime.

the view between by @bbutterflies (Miraculous Ladybug)

Adrien is standing at the front doors of the mansion. It’s abandoned now, though it doesn’t look much different. It feels safer somehow. He hates himself for thinking it. Father was a hero. His eyes burn and he fights away the guilt. Father was a hero and it doesn’t matter what else happened before because he’s gone. All Adrien has of his parents is the twin rings on his hand.

I've only read a handful of Post-S5 fics, but I read this one and it hit sooo well. It’s so sad and haunting and such a lovely peek into Adrien’s brain.

08 AUGUST

大鱼 by bittersweetResilience (Honkai: Star Rail)

It feels like lightning, the thrust of the spear through him. The same lightning that crackles at his fingertips, that arcs up his spine, that dances over his skin like fireflies in those winedrunk memories. Bandaged hands and bleeding ink and a hundred thousand fragments of abundance and destruction. or, Jing Yuan lets go of these seven hundred years of dreams.

Well of course. I gotta. The Renjing character study of all character studies (I’m unqualified to say this). I love this fic because first of all, Sunny prose is always beautiful, and second of all, Sunny loves this fic. I love what Renjing did to your writing. I love that you started writing more fluff and AUs and reading Chinese fic, and I know this fic is a big part of the journey. I loved reading it.

Well. Fuck. by quondam (Mass Effect Trilogy)

When he least expects it, Garrus finds Shepard at the door of his apartment on the Citadel, looking for a place to spend the night. Set between ME1 & ME2. Prompt called for a fill on humor & sex.

This is my favorite Shakarian smut. I don’t read a TON of smut. But I love this one. SO much. Amazing humor. Post-ME1, pre-ME2, with a very in-character Garrus. And I love that awkward ME1 Garrus.

09 SEPTEMBER

Marked Introductions by Feynite (Mass Effect Trilogy)

The words on Shepard’s forearm are… not in English.

I love the world-building in this fic and specifically the thought put into the turian language aspect. They even used phonetics… I cheered in my bed with my Bachelor’s degree. It’s actually bookmarked with a note that just says “LINGUISTICS” because I got so excited.

the light that throws itself on everything by @asukiess (Miraculous Ladybug)

the light that throws itself on everything, stretching twice, at dusk and again at dawn, agrees to stay, but only for a while.

This is it. The fic that revived my love of poetry. The reason I write fandom poems now. It’s everything… It’s the light… The light throwing itself on everything… Tragic. Gay. Poetry.

10 OCTOBER

Observations Upon Waking by interventionsandlullabies (Mass Effect Trilogy)

A collection of moments in which Garrus wakes up and takes in his surroundings. Some better, some worse. Some best.

I adore this author’s internal monologue for Garrus so so much. Cathartic post-ME3 fic. A little sad, but then a lot happy.

11 NOVEMBER

Edge of Yesterday by @that-wildwolf (Mass Effect Trilogy)

The war is over and Shepard's still alive. Except she doesn't really understand what war everyone is talking about, or who half of these people are... The last thing she does remember is the Normandy blowing up over Alchera. Which apparently was a few years ago, and things had changed a lot during that time. She doesn't even know which bothers her more: that everyone wants her to be someone she's not, or that Garrus has been strangely distant ever since she woke up... TL;DR: Shepard survives but loses all her memories since her death in ME2. Shakarian angst and regular angst, all mixed up together into a nice hurt/comfort cocktail. Despite the scary tags this has a happy ending.

I think I’ve been pretty loud about how much I love this fic, but why not be a little louder. This is probably my favorite fic I’ve read this year. I cried so many times, stayed up so late reading some nights, and I still think about it all the time. Some of my absolute favorite tropes done exceedingly well, and just all-around wonderful character moments. And I even made a friend out of reading it, so I doubly win.

Change Starts With Today by ThatWildWolf (Mass Effect Trilogy)

From the records of Doctor Marta Domańska, professional psychiatrist specialising in trauma: 2188, one year since the conclusion of the Reaper War. Patient admitted to psychotherapy: turian male, 25 to 30 years old, shows signs of deep-rooted psychological trauma. Admitted to therapy after losing a loved one; patient classified as high-risk. Advised course of action: continue psychotherapy and monitoring patient's state. Prescribe mood stabilisers if needed.

I would be remiss not to include this. A lovely little companion piece to EoY with an amazing Garrus character study and a very lovable OC. Makes my heart ache all over again. Reliving the magic, really.

12 DECEMBER

dreamt a cipher by @milkywayes (Mass Effect Trilogy)

Her own personal Noverian peak. That’s what it was supposed to be. Nothing but the discovery: no distractions, no comfort, no windows looking out—no familiar faces. But it's starting to look like her winning streak might have ended in that pile of Citadel rubble, if it ever extended that far to begin with.

Another fic that has been on my radar forever but I didn’t read until the end of the year. So sad, but also such great humor and such a compelling mystery that it all balances out perfectly. Wonderful world-building, incredible characterization, and honestly? Jealousy-inducing prose, it’s so good— so much so that I’m almost embarrassed to tag milky but I have to… milky deserves to know…

Tomorrow's Light by ThatWildWolf (Mass Effect Trilogy)

Garrus asked Shepard to move to Palaven with him. Things are looking up and rebuilding after the Reaper War is well underway, but loneliness and pain take their toll nonetheless. An examination of life and love in the wake of incredible trauma, of a galaxy torn apart and put back together, through the lens of two people. [Post-canon, Shakarian, equal parts fluff and angst.]

Am I the luckiest girl in the world that an EoY follow-up fic was published the month after I read EoY? I think so… This fic was lovely and cathartic and I love the way Wild gets into their brains…

[flightfoot]

do you know of lila take down fics that don't bash the children?

Hm, I'm assuming you mean ones that are still focused around Lila being a schoolyard bully? I generally stay away from those nowadays, instead opting to just read the fics where everyone's aged up and she's presented as more of a supervillain (those tend to not bash anyone else), but I do still have some recs for you!

Not Quite Right by @ladynoirfanao3

When Marinette wakes up one morning, she can’t help but feel that something is just a little bit… off. No one else around her seems to feel the same, however, and she is forced to shake off the strange feelings. It proves to be more difficult than she imagined, especially when an akuma attack leaves her feeling helpless as she watches Chat Noir and Ladybug arrive on scene.

---

In Pursuit Of The Uneatable by @nemaliwrites

Who do you trust when your own reflection becomes a stranger? In a Paris where Lila weaves tales that blind the city, Marinette stands accused, isolated. Her parents' trust is shattered, her friends distant, and in battle, illusions blur the line between ally and enemy. As the shadows and uncertainty threaten to close in, Marinette finds herself turning to the last person who claims to be on her side: a boy in a white mask who calls himself a fox hunter.

---

Hold Me By Both Hands by @angelofthequeers

“I know he said never to take you back,” Plagg mutters. “But he’d change his tune if he knew.” He looks Adrien straight in the eye and, more serious than Adrien’s ever seen him before, says, “There’s someone you gotta meet. He’s been looking for that book for ages.” How differently might the events of season 2 have gone if Adrien had also known of Master Fu from the start?

---

Accidents Are Also Miracles by @liiinerle

After some turbulent days that end with five people knowing her secret identity as Ladybug, Marinette loses faith in her ability to keep herself hidden. Wracked with doubts and insecurities, she pleads with Alya to take over as Scarabella, and tries to disconnect from heroing altogether. Along the way, she starts to date Kagami. Hard as she tries, though, she can't stop worrying - especially not once Monarch takes a particular, and personal, interest in her. At the same time, Alya tries to adjust to her new role while she works to uncover who Monarch really is, and makes some realisations about her own wishes. Kagami struggles against a controlling and abusive parent, and a girlfriend who seems bent on destroying herself - with or without Monarch's involvement. And in the meantime, Alix keeps popping her head back in with offers to help (because cool though time travel is, she misses hanging out in her own time).

---

Side Effects Include: Empathy by Word_Devourer

Adrien develops touch-based empathy from using a Miraculous as long as he has. This can only go well.

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The Investigation by @11jj11

Adrien and Marinette are finally dating-- which is what Alya has always wanted... but yet this sudden transformation in their relationship overnight? Things aren't adding up. They are suddenly so much closer than they ever have been before, Adrien is apparently a flirt, Marinette is no longer a stuttering mess, and not to mention the nicknames that came out of no where. Alya is happy for her friends, but she knows there's something more going on, and the reporter in her is going to get to the bottom of it.

---

best (fake) smile by Reiaji

After Gabriel arranges for Lila to be his date at Paris Fashion Week, Adrien rights a wrong as best he knows how: with a little bit of sweetness, a little bit of subtlety, and a lot of social media magic.

[ask-the-critters-survival-au]

Static dances out from the speaker of the monitor... which is probably power by magic now that you think about it-

"I am sorry children... Picky does not seem willing to listen... It hurts me to think she still considers Dogday to have abandoned you all- especially because it was her own words that confirmed my knowledge of where he is. She seems so... scared to believe what I have said. So quit to curl her ears and ignore it. So quick to turn her emotions into rage... I feel like forcing her to confront that truth may break her."

"I hope you have a plan children. One that does not involve making a deal that could permanently disable you or make this situation even worse. As Hoppy explained the rules behind our contracts? I hope so- if only for you not to fall victims to one of my fellows suggesting a deal that will do more harm then good."

"I have been hard at work devising a way to create a deal that could help you all without harming you or making the situation worse... and I believe I have finally found it. I am to assume that much of the food you all have is food either to rotten to eat or stuff your bodies cannot consume? Picky has told us of your carnivore diets... which does not make sense do to what was used to make you. Studying of that strange issue must be dealt with later."

"Using the rules established- it should be possible for you to use the rule of equivalent exchange to turn that rotten and uneatable food into something you can eat. Again, it perplexes me that none of you can eat other things- Ah sorry, Lost in my thoughts again. I will warn you now that you may end up with an amount of food a small bit less then what you use for the deal- but that should be made up for in spades by the meat sent back being cooked- allowing your bodies to absorb much more of the nutrients then simple raw meat."

"As of the recording of this message... Crafty has only been revealed to me. For the sake of future proofing I have also prepared a deal for her as well. I am not sure of the nature of her episodes of madness... all I do know is that she may freak out at no having anything to paint with- and even that is faulty knowledge. So, with this extra deal, it should be simple to change any spare art supplies you have around into another color. In the case you don't have any... I will attempt to devise a safe deal for that for out next contact."

"All you must do is gather the proper items listed for the magics to consume and warp and accept the deal as per our rules. I hope this can help you all moving forward. I got suggest rationing what you can and eating slowly, as flooding the body with nutrients during starvation can cause a multitude of issues. Perhaps getting you all glass jars to preserve the food is in order. I'll attempt to keep the spell work up so you may continue to do this at any time... but magic can be finicky."

"Maybe making this deal to Picky in return for stopping her pursuit would work, but I am still unsure any magic can be done away from the monitor. What are your thoughts on this Children?"

"I will also look into this issue of you not being able to eat food stuff other then meat- that should not be so yet it is... what has Playtime done this time- How would one warp the human stomach that way? Possibly an inhibiter to the brain? or possibly an certain change in the enzymes your bodies produce?- Ah sorry- Rambling once again. Talk to you all soon. Please- Be safe."

(Heh- Magic time : ), Hopefully everything here makes sense and seems fair to you mod. No need to have our beloved stars starve no? Of course if not that is always alright! I simply wish to fulfill my promise of doing all I can to aid these young souls! Hope you have a great day!)

YES YES! FOOD! IM SOOO TIRED OF EATING ROTTEN FLESH! WE ARE SO TAKING THAT DEAL.

I’m not surprised about Picky. She’s…always been a little ignorant.

She’d still hunt me down even if she got that deal. Me and her...have history.

And Crafty not having paint isn’t exactly the problem. She doesn’t have hands to paint with anymore.

You can thank CatNap for that.

[Mod note: I hope you have a good day as well! I love getting your asks :)]

[rosekasa]

top 5 fics? (from the year or month bc i know it can be hard to choose just 5)

HSHEZHDJEJDJD lowkey i love ur questions bc they make me actually think. BUT THIS IS SO HARD

so this is really funny because i just went through all the fics ive adored over the past 30ish days and have discovered. they are all by @nemaliwrites shdjdjsj

- in pursuit of the uneatable - @nemaliwrites

- none of this is real - @nemaliwrites

- a body without spirit - @nemaliwrites

10/10 READS ALL OF THEM!!

i havent really had the bandwidth to read fics this past month but nemali's fics always give me something to Think about ❤️🫶 always recommend them

ask me my top 5 anything

[porterdavis]

Quote of the Day

The dueling Republican clinchpoops, Trump and Ron DeSantis, are nasty and pitiless, “the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable,” as Oscar Wilde described fox hunting.

Maureen Dowd

[rosiewitchescottage]

We have a wild boar park here in Lancashire and it's well worth a visit.

(The Forest of Bowland is one of our UK National Parks.)

Beavers are gradually being reintroduced across The UK. Apparently it's going well. And I really hope we get to see them in Lancashire before too long.

We've already got one of the areas where the native red squirrel is protected.

I'd love to see wolves reintroduced. But I can see why farmers would need to know that sufficient effort was being made to help them to protect their live stock, on top of everything else that would need doing.

To be frank. I'm not sure I'd trust our current government, nor those that we might get next election time, to do the job in the best way.

In the same vein, I loathe fox hunting because of the barbaric cruelty involved in killing the foxes.

But I also know that many farmers have no love for foxes. Because, just like wolves, they are highly efficient predators who can do serious damage amongst livestock.

There's also the countryside management involved, which I can see the value of. Plus the community spirit engendered.

But hunting for fun, rather than killing simply to eat the meat. I'll never be able to get on board with that. It isn't the sport that they call it.

I'm right with Oscar Wilde on the subject. "The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable."

King Charles III has been keen on environmental matters, since long before it became fashionable.

As Monarch he doesn't have any say in Government matters/politics. But there's still plenty that he can be involved with.

He's always been a little too keen on fox hunting for my peace of mind. But heigh ho. None of us are perfect.

We do have many wildlife and nature charities.

The Wildlife Trust, The Woodland Trust, The Wildlife and Wetland Trust.

And one dedicated to Rewilding Britain

There are wildlife reserves popping up across the country, which are great to see.

Plus our National Parks.

On the subject of exports. That's one subject I get really annoyed about.

One thing that I hoped Brexit would be able to achieve was getting more British Made Products.

Sadly not. 🙄

Patriotism, for me, has always been about The British (and especially my own English) People. Our Government has left much to be desired for quite some time.🙄

I'm a Monarchy Supporter, precisely because The Monarch is Head of The British People, not The Government.

Actually your society is the freaks for shooting everything that moves and burning half your "nature reserves" every year so that upperclass dandies can eat leaded pheasant. North Americans are the well adjusted ones here, your country has become a desolate suburban lawn in island form

[eton75]

“The unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable.”

[incorrectlooneytunesquotes]

The English country gentleman galloping after a fox -- the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable.

Bugs Bunny

[nemaliwrites]

Kasie West, Pivot Point / Vera Nazarian, Salt of the Air / A Softer World / In Pursuit of the Uneatable

Illusions, love, and Ladynoir: a webweave. For Chapter 7 of my @mlbigbang fic.

[nemaliwrites]

from chapter 15 of In Pursuit of the Uneatable:

Tikki thinks about her words for a second, making it clear that she’s choosing them very carefully. “I know you, Marinette,” she says, “and that means I know him, too. I know that you are brave and loyal and dependable. I know that you are strong, and that when you want to do something you put your whole heart into it.” Tikki doesn’t sound anything other than genuine, which is good. But still, Marinette gets the impression that the kwami is holding something back. “What are you saying, Tikki?” she asks.  “I’m saying,” Tikki says, “that Chat Blanc calls himself a fox hunter. And if I know anything about you, Marinette, then he won’t stop until he catches himself a fox.”

This week’s word is…

✨ IMPRESS ✨

Find the word in any WIP and share the sentence containing it! Reply, reblog, stick it in the tags, tag us in a new post, or keep it private. All fandoms, all ships, all writers welcome.

[fieriframes]

[A group of people standing in a room. Caption: The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable!]

[foxfxce]

Like for a starter! Specify verse or I’ll randomize it

[flightfoot]

got any fic focusing on marinette's trauma? all i can find are adrien trama fics

That makes sense. All Hawk Moth related trauma is stuff that Adrien would also have, and who it would be ten times worse for. Still, I'll see what I can do. I'm gonna stick to ones where the trauma Marinette suffers is derived at least somewhat from canon, and not like, from being captured and tortured, or having a fatal illness, or her mom dying, or anything like that. I'm assuming you want ones that are at least close-ish to canon, instead of just "Marinette angst" fics.

---

A Small but Stubborn Fire by @cardiac-agreste

What if you were the parent of a teenage superhero, but didn't know they were? All you know is the nightmares, the panic attacks, and the bruises. She's missing school, she's disappearing on you, and she's not telling you anything. So you assume the worst: Assault. Depression. A permanent rift in the family. And what do you do when you realize you weren't thinking dark enough? Because your fourteen-year old daughter is the hero who flirts with death on the nightly news. -- Come inside and read about one mother's struggles to raise her daughter in a dangerous world while avoiding the mistakes her own mother made with her.

This is a more serious take on the consequences of Hawk Moth's war on Paris, with actual bloody, painful deaths as a consequence of many akumas, and Parisians developing PTSD because of what they've gone through. Ladybug can fix all the physical scars, but not the mental ones, including her own.

I love the focus on Sabine here. She's not just presented as being a mom - though of course that IS an important role she has. But she's explored as a character in her own right, one with a lot of emotional baggage as a result of her abusive mother, and trying to not fall into her mistakes, but sometimes doing so anyway out of fear for Marinette's safety. She's a really fleshed out, humanly flawed character, sometimes admitting that she would do something selfish if it means protecting the people she cares most about, like her daughter, even if its at others expense. She grows and changes a lot throughout the course of the story, her perspective on many matters changing multiple times as a result of getting new information or seeing the consequences of her previous approaches, and adjusting as a result.

If you want a fic that more realistically explores the dark consequences of Miraculous's setting, that fleshes out Sabine, or just develops a character in a complex way, then I highly recommend you check "A Small but Stubborn Fire" out!

---

In Pursuit of the Uneatable by @nemaliwrites

Who do you trust when your own reflection becomes a stranger? In a Paris where Lila weaves tales that blind the city, Marinette stands accused, isolated. Her parents' trust is shattered, her friends distant, and in battle, illusions blur the line between ally and enemy. As the shadows and uncertainty threaten to close in, Marinette finds herself turning to the last person who claims to be on her side: a boy in a white mask who calls himself a fox hunter.

THIS IS NOT A BASHING FIC. Well, Lila bashing, I guess, but even then she gets a lot more consideration than usual. Anyway, there's no animosity towards Marinette's friends and family here. Instead, the fic has more of this melancholy, contemplative tone, with Marinette feeling boxed in by Lila, and trying to figure out how to navigate her circumstances, especially being around Lila. Even when there isn't any particular threat against her, just having Lila around, knowing that she could pull something else to make Marinette's life worse, and thinking that there's no way to counter her, that she always wins... you can feel how suffocating it is. But she does have a way out, a mysterious boy who she's seen around, who completely has her back as far as Lila's concerned... but she might not want him to, to the extent that he goes.

By the way, this IS a Lovesquare fic, the thing with the boy... well, that'll make sense once you read the fic. But it's not romantic, I can tell you that.

Anyway, it's this interesting psychological, low-key sort of fic. If you want a look at the more emotional consequences of Lila's brand of bullying and isolation WITHOUT any sort of demonization or bashing towards anyone else, but just exploring the effects on Marinette and how to respond to it, then this fic is worth a look.

Oh, also, this is rated M, though I'm honestly not sure why. Marinette's not in the best headspace, but it's not a "this isn't appropriate for teens" headspace, there's nothing sexual, and the most that is present in the story as far as violence and gore goes are some bruises that were acquired under indeterminate (though probably abusive) circumstances, and the breaking of an arm and being bludgeoned in the head, and neither of them are described particularly graphically. So long as you're 13+, this fic's probably fine.

---

Stop Time by @liiinerle

— she put her hand on the page, blocking it so the words wouldn’t scream so loudly at her. They had screamed more than enough already. Gritting her teeth, she pulled her fingers together, crumpling the paper slightly — just enough that it didn’t look so pristine and mocking. It needed to be full of despair, in every possible way. “Marinette —” started Mullo. “No! Never again. Marinette is… gone, forever.” She let go of the paper. Now it lay alone in the light, as the last thing she could ever tell them. That she loved them, that she’d miss them, that she would never talk to them again. A suicide note. Of sorts. ----- Fu accidentally names Marinette as the new guardian, and not Ladybug. She's forced to fake her own death and go into hiding in order to get away from Hawk Moth. She finds a hiding spot in the Louvre, but there she's forced to face the effects of her going away by a very unexpected source: her friend Alix.

Definitely mind the tags on this one! But if it ain't triggering to you, then I highly recommend reading it. You can really feel Marinette's struggles here, with basically making herself homeless, unable to reach out to her friends and family, needing to steal just to feed herself and the kwamis, and then dealing with everyone in her life grieving... and then moving on. Except for a few people who don't...

It's just... it's really good, really heart-wrenching.

---

Bend the World Around It by @kasienda

“Tell me it was real." She can’t look at him. She can barely stand the pain in his voice. She definitely can’t face it. “It wasn’t.” He shakes his head, and turns to her - his eyes swirling in their intensity. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Tell me that you were there. We were there together, having the same dream.” She squeezes her eyes shut. She wants to lie to him. She needs to lie to him. But she can’t. Lying would be like it never happened. But it did happen. And if it’s all they get to have, she wants him to know it. “I think we were having the same dream,” she whispers, unable to meet his eyes.

So this is an adorable Jubilation aftermath fic, with Ladybug and Chat Noir both mourning the loss of what only they remember, of a dream that never was. And them deciding that screw it, it may not have been real to anyone else, but it was real to them. They remember those years together, and they want to live together, if only during the times when they can afford to be missing from home. They remember being happily married, and crave that life.

---

I (Wish I) Knew You by @buggachat

University has been hard on Marinette. Making new friends and maintaining her grades is a lot easier said than done when she has to disappear at odd times to fight akumas. She's struggling, and with Alya away with family and Adrien painfully out of reach, she's never felt lonelier.

If only she could talk to someone who really understood her struggles... but it's not like Chat Noir would know anything about loneliness. Right?

Nice aged-up Ladynoir fic here! Marinette’s struggling with losing friends and lovers because of her flakiness due to her superhero activities, until at last she breaks down. Thankfully, Chat Noir’s there at least - and it soon turns out he’s got problems of his own that he’s been hiding.

There’s some fluff and angst, it’s mostly just the two of them navigating life, dealing with their feelings and talking things out.

---

Accidents Are Also Miracles by @liiinerle

After a few turbulent days where four new people discover her secret identity, Marinette loses faith in her ability to keep the secret hidden. Wracked with doubts and insecurities, she pleads with Alya to take over as Scarabella, but she still can't let those worries go. Especially not once Monarch starts taking a particular, and personal, interest in her.

Along the way, she also starts to date Kagami, and has to deal with changing feelings about herself, Adrien, Alya, Kagami, and the idea of being Ladybug. At the same time, Alya works to uncover Monarch's secret identity, while Kagami struggles against a controlling parent, and a girlfriend who seems bent on destroying herself - with or without Monarch's involvement.

Fantastic Marigami fic here! You’ve got three major POVs in this fic: Marinette, Kagami, and to my delight, Alya. I loved getting to see Alya cope with taking over as Scarabella especially.

But of course, this fic centers more around Marinette and Kagami, with Marinette struggling with Monarch targeting her, and Kagami struggling against her abusive parent, as well as both of them trying to navigate their relationship together when they know that not everyone will approve. 

There’s also some other plots going on in here, like Sabrina breaking away from Chloe and becoming more independent (and closer to Adrien in fact), as well as a Lila takedown plot, though thankfully not one that involves demonizing other characters. While there are conversations about people believing Lila and siding with her, no one’s actually attacked for it except for Lila herself.

Oh yeah, and while this fic may not have much focus on Adrien, he’s still treated fairly and with respect, even when he messes up. He can make mistakes, but people understand where he’s coming from, and are still kind to him and want things to be okay, and to help him escape his abusive circumstances.