#mari's is inspired by me and my bestie when i used to get screamed at in my srat gm :)))))

[charfletchh]

😍 for mari, sassa, or coco, 😵 for jacqui, 💭 for nate

😍 mari: charlie loves to stir the pot, but when the kkg group chat starts to yell at exec for whatever sorority drama happened that day, charlie can be counted on to redirect the vitriol away from mari

😍 sassa: if you go into her instagram search bar sassa's account is always in her recents

😍 coco: charlie doesn't normally spend the night (she prefers to do her actual sleeping in her own bed, alone), but she will with coco

😵 jacqui: one time charlie just had to tell them about what she did this weekend and it really couldn't wait, so she went to jacqui's lecture with them and stage whispered through Music Theory

💭 nate: "tall! ooh...tall."

[ladyanput]

Spots Drawn in Marker Pt.1

Based on the AU by @miraculous-of-salt

(I promise this isn't full on bashing.)

Marinette sighed ever so softly as she tapped her pencil against her sketchbook. Today was not seeming to be an inspirational day and she had a portfolio to finish by the end of the month. 

"And I just couldn't believe that Jagged's concert was almost cancelled. But he called me and I filled him with such inspiration and determination that he just couldn't help but rock out." Lila spoke in an airy, wistful tone that Marinette had no doubt she practiced to get just right. "He said I could even get VIP passes to his next show, thanks to what I did, as many as I want."

Well there goes any and all hope for any inspiration this morning. Lila just leeched any creativity out of any room she's in.

"Do you think I could get one?" Alya piped up, beaming over at Lila as she recorded the entire conversation. "I mean, since we're besties, I'd love an interview with Jagged. Lately he's been very tight lipped about a lot of things."

"Of course, Alya, anything for my second best friend!" Lila hugged the girl, beaming brightly as Alya began posting the recording on her blog.

Marinette merely rolled her eyes and settled back in her seat in the back of the class, going back to sketching her ideas for the morning. A beautiful scarf, maybe a nice warm sweater… Marinette was quickly lost in a world of design, a world she could have control of. It was something she had often turned to after Lila had caused her life to go spiralling into a pit where her friends brushed off her concerns for the lies of a shiny new toy.

Marinette was so caught up in her sketching, that she didn't notice when Miss Bustier came in, guiding along a girl who shared a wink with Lila. If only she had noticed.

"Class, we have a new student joining us today. This is Rébecca, she just transferred to our school today. I hope you will all give her a warm welcome." Bustier beamed at her class as many of her students mumbled clumsy, half-hearted hellos.

 Marinette glanced up from her sketchbook and took a good, long look at the new girl. She was tall, slim, with dark bluish-black hair that reached her shoulders. Marinette could tell by looking  at them that her clothes were Gabriel brand, the skinny jeans clinging to her long, long legs like a second skin, the leopard print top accentuating any curves the girl may have had. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Lila has told me so much about you all!" Rébecca beamed at everyone, and that instantly made Marinette narrow her eyes a fraction, while Rébecca strode over to where Lila and Adrien sat, sending a flirty little smile to the model. "And I heard you're quite the helpful one, of course. I'm so glad you volunteered to show me around today."

Oh, that was it. Lila brought along a croney to try and manipulate Adrien some more, maybe help granduerize her stories. Well, this was certainly becoming a fun class. Marinette pressed her lips into a thin line as Rébecca sat down next to Adrien, causing the boy to be uncomfortably sandwiched between the two girls. It made Marinette's blood boil at how the two girls kept pawing at the model, who clearly wanted to get away, while Alya and the others just cooed and urged it on.

Honestly, this entire class has gone crazy.

Marinette made a move to go down there and get them to stop, but Adrien had looked back at her and given her a look that pleaded that she didn't. That's what he wanted, for her to sit down, shut up, and not cause trouble. It took everything in Marinette not to snap her pencil as Miss Bustier began to lesson.

…

Adrien didn't quite know how to feel about this new girl hanging off of his arm, seeming overly cuddly with him, fluttering her lashes and trying to get most of his attention.

"How exactly do you two know each other?" Alya had asked when she and Nino sat down with the duo and Lila. Lila had only perked up, and got a somewhat secretive smile on her face, while Rébecca let out a soft giggle.

“All I can say is, Alya, that Rébecca is my best friend.” Lila boasted, giving Alya an overly obvious wink. Alya stared at Lila, as if slowly digesting her words before her eyes lit up and her hand shot for her phone.

“You’re serious?!” Alya began to open an app on her phone, but Rébecca reached out a hand to stop her, then gave Adrien a pleading look.

“Adrien, I’m very parched. Do you think you could grab me a soda, please? I would greatly appreciate it.” She slid a hand slowly along his arm, giving him a smile then when their eyes met. 

Adrien opened his mouth, but then nodded and made his way to the lunch line, which had grown fairly sizable as lunch was halfway over.

“You’re Ladybug?!” Alya beamed as she reached out and took Rébecca’s hand, an eager gleam in her eyes. “I knew Marinette was wrong about everything! Can I see the earrings?”

Rébecca nodded and pulled aside her hair from her ear, showing off the black spotted red earring, making Alya practically squeal with delight. 

“I just want to say that I’m so honoured that you chose me to be Rena Rouge.” Alya took Rébecca’s hand, so awestruck that she missed the surprised look Lila and Rébecca exchanged. 

“Well it was Lila that gave me the glowing recommendation.” Rébecca grinned as Alya began practically bursting with excitement as she began dumping question after question on Rébecca, who answered every one with ease, puffing out her chest with pride. Nino even seemed to get into it, thanking her profusely for allowing him to become Carapace, thankful he was able to protect the people of Paris.

    All the while Marinette was seated on the other side of the cafeteria with Rose and Ivan, trying her hardest to design something new for Kitty Section’s concert in a month, completely unaware of the imposter across the room. She was merely smiling as she discussed with Rose the possibility of adding more sparkles to the outfits, while Ivan was increasingly pleading for them not to.

 “Oh come on, they won’t be that bad.” Marinette smirked up at her distressed classmate, playfully sticking out her tongue. “Maybe I’ll even make the costumes neon orange.”

“Don’t you dare..” Ivan growled softly, but any playful banter was cut short by an explosion nearby that shook the school. Many students let out surprised screams as trees seemed to burst from the floor out of nowhere. 

“Hello Paris, I am Dryad, prepare to start tossing away those construction sites you use as excuses to cut down my precious trees!” A voice called out, echoing across the area, and it was then a panic began. Students cried out and began running in various directions, as the branches stretched from the trees and began snatching up various people. 

Adrien ducked off into an alcove, and thinking the coast was clear, transformed and took off, completely unaware of Rébecca watching from around the corner, a stunned look on her face.

…

As soon as school was over, Marinette stretched and let out a soft groan. Her body felt so stiff from that akuma battle earlier, Dryad had been an eco-activist who had been angry that her favourite park had been dozed over to make room for a spa, so she had been an easy target for Hawkmoth.

“Mari, I have to tell you something.” Alya ran up beside her and grabbed her arm, stopping her friend in her tracks. Marinette gave her a smile, though silently wished she were heading home right now for a nap. She just felt so drained after the day, and she wanted to relax with a nice cup of hot cocoa and some cookies with Tikki. 

    “Oh, did you get a new scoop?” Marinette’s smile widened when she saw the eager look in Alya’s eyes, the slight bounce in her step. She knew right away that the young reporter had quite the story if she was stopping Marinette right outside of school. 

    “I sure did, and it’s all thanks to Lila.” Alya grinned, but it quickly dimmed when the smile fell from Marinette’s face. She then huffed and crossed her arms, cocking a hip. “Marinette, this jealous streak of yours is getting annoying.”

    “I’m not jealous, Alya, I’m just tired of you believing her lies, which are so obvious.” Marinette crossed her arms, her own annoyed expression matching Alya’s. 

    “God, I don’t know why I even try with you. You’ll see soon enough what a fool you’ve been, never giving Lila a single chance. When you see my interview tomorrow, you’ll be begging Lila for forgiveness.” Alya said this in the most confident tone she could ever have spoken, making Marinette’s frown then press into firm line. 

    “Alya-” Marinette’s words died as soon as Alya held up a hand and began storming away. The young girl felt a heavy weight in her heart as she watched her best friend walk away. Why did it feel like she was about to walk away from their friendship..?

Marinette shook her head. No, she wouldn't let it come to that! Whatever stunt Lila was trying to pull, it wasn't going to work, Mari refused to back down and let her win, because if Lila won, she'd oh make things worse. She's hurt Marinette's friends, keep using them like she had. And she might even get her hands on Adri-

Adrien. Oh no, that new girl was trying to sink her claws into Adrien too, wasn't she? It just hurt to think about how those two would try and manipulate Adrien. But he wouldn't fall for it right? He knew Lila was a liar, he wouldn't fall for any tricks..

Marinette made her way home, tightly gripping the straps of her backpack, an uneasy feeling rolling in her stomach.

…

Adrien frowned as he was dragged off by Rébecca, who was clutching his arm like a vice.

"Rébecca, what's this about? I have a modeling gig in a few hours, so I can't stay very long.." He tried to point out, stumbling slightly when she abruptly stopped and turned to him, realizing the two of them were in an empty classroom. "Rébecca, is something wrong?"

".. I can't believe it. My Kitty has been before me this whole time.." Rébecca blushed as she slid her hand down his arm, gripping his hand lightly. "I've been so blind."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Adrien blinked in surprise as the girl set her other hand on his chest.

"Don't you recognize me, Chat? Don't you recognize your Ladybug?" She whispered, biting her lower lip. "I guess without the mask, I'm not so special anymore.."

Adrien felt his breath hitch at her words, his mind racing. No, she couldn't be.. Could she?

"I accidentally saw you detransform when I was trying to sneak back into school after our fight with Dryad. I'm sorry, but I thought since I knew, it was only fair to tell you.." She whispered, looking away as if in shame. Rébecca was internally thankful that Lila told her everything she needed to know about Adrien and the class, and was even more grateful she had given into Lila's silly little plan to try and trick the class more. Being Ladybug could be fun, afterall, she always wanted to be famous.

"What, no! M- my Lady, that's not true!" Adrien blurted out the words before he could stop himself, alarmed at the sight of the tears beginning to stream down her face.

"The.. the reason I've been rejecting you is because I've been in love with you, Adrien. And when I found out that you and Chat Noir were the same person, I just couldn't believe it, but it made so much sense" Rébecca leaned closer, their bodies pressing lightly together. "You're right, kitty, we are meant for each other, I was just simply blind to it.. Do you think I could get a second chance, please? I love you, Adrien."

Adrien was silent for the longest time, his mind trying to process all of this. This was Ladybug..? His heart began to pound as she poured her heart out to him, his hopes skyrocketing. She loved him, she really loved him! It felt like his dreams were coming true! Grinning, Adrien leaned close, their foreheads pressing lightly together as he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, eyeing her earring before chuckling.

"I love you too, my Lady. We're soulmates, something silly as a misunderstanding could never tear us apart." He murmured, and both of them leaned closer and shared a soft kiss, Rébecca practically preening as she ensnared the gullible model.

…

Marinette huffed softly as she stared at her essay. School had to be built to torture people, there was no way these institutes built up every person of every walk of life, because these essays and term papers were a pain in the butt.

"Tikki, I think my eyes are going to explode.." She groaned as she closed her eyes and rubbed them, feeling the beginnings of a migraine beginning to form.

"It's probably because you stayed up all night." Tikki scolded her, the alarm clock next to Marinette suddenly going off, making the girl jump in her seat.

"Oh no, I'm going to be a total zombie in school today.." Marinette groaned as she put her face in her hands. She hadn't even realized she had stayed up so late, but she had really wanted to finish this dark essay before it became a bigger problem than it was worth. She should have been more mindful.

It was then that her phone beeped. When she looked at the notification, she realized Alya had published that interview she had mentioned yesterday.

"Well, since I'm up on time, I can watch it while I get ready." Marinette shrugged and tapped on the video to play it, and began getting dressed.

Alya was seated in her room, beaming proudly as she sat between Lila and Rébecca.

"Hey guys, it's Alya your lovable Ladyblogger here. I'm here to give you guys the scoop of the century! Over the past year, you've all come to know my amazing best friend, Lila, and her amazing exploits!" Alya grinned as she wrapped an arm around Lila, giving her a quick side up before sitting up again. "Well, Lila has managed to convince someone very special to give me an interview at long last, without her mask."

Marinette watched as she brushed her teeth, raising a brow as she took in Alya's words.

"Everyone, I'd love you to meet our very own Ladybug, finally showing her face, right here, on my blog!" Alya grinned like a cat who had cream.

"I have to say, it's an honour to finally reveal myself to all of you, especially on one of the most important blogs ever. Without you, Alya, I think I'd be lost. You always do the best detective work, and give everyone the greatest stories." Rébecca praised, carefully stroking Alya's ego. "Lila finally convinced me to show myself to the world. You're right, Alya, the world has the right to know.'

Marinette felt the toothbrush drop from her mouth as she stared at her phone screen, the blood beginning to pound through her veins.

"Tikki.." She croaked out after she spit her toothpaste into the sink, her body beginning to tremble. "Oh God, Tikki, she's lying.. She's- she's claiming to be me!"

"Marinette, you need to calm down!" Tikki flew in front of her Chosen's face, panic making her gasp as she saw the tears beginning to well up in Marinette's eyes.

"Why would Alya do that?! I've told her time and time again that I want to keep my identity a secret! It's important to me, it keeps everyone I love out of danger, why would she do this?! Now Rébecca's family could be in danger!" Marinette pulled at her pigtails as her mind began to race.

"Marinette, please, calm down! Maybe you can tell Alya these things at school today! I'm sure she'll listen if you calmly explain these things to you, I'm sure she'll fix it." 

".." Marinette sniffled and wiped away the tears. "You're right, Tikki. Alya has to at least think this is strange, it would be out of character for Ladybug to suddenly out herself like that.."

…

But when Marinette got to school and tried to talk to Alya, the girl merely cut her off and gave her a glare.

"I told you that you'd regret it, Marinette. I told you to try, and look at how things are now, even Ladybug herself thinks you're being unreasonable!" Alya snapped, motioning to where Rébecca sat with Lila, the class all overjoyed to have their wonderful hero Ladybug in that very room! The sight made Marinette feel ill.

"But Alya, Ladybug is always saying how she wanted to keep her identity a secret. Why would she suddenly start exposing herself, while Hawkmoth and Mayura are still at large?" Marinette held out her hands, trying to get Alya to see some kind of reason.

"You know what? I can't believe you're being this selfish right now. Honestly, this is the biggest story I've ever released and you're trying to ruin it!" Alya threw her hands up, catching the attention of a few of their classmates.

"Alya, we're best friends! Please, I just-" Marinette began,but was cut off again by Alya jabbing Marinette in the chest with a finger.

"Exactly, which is why best friends call each other out when they're being unreasonable,when they're making a complete fool of themselves! Look at you, you aren't even looking at the facts, Marinette, this jealous vendetta you have us ridiculous!" Alya snapped, then turned on her heel and stormed away. Marinette was left standing by her desk, her stomach coiling into a nervous ball.

Adrien entered the class not long after, a wide smile on his face. Before he could say anything, he caught Rébecca's eye. The girl stopped talking and abruptly got to her feet and rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as the two shared a passionate kiss.

Marinette felt her heart fall to the floor and shatter.

"Whoa, dude, didn't you two just meet yesterday?" Nino looked confused, as did the rest of the class. Inside, Lila was seething with rage, but she maintained a small smile.

"It may seem like that, but.. We've known each other for so much longer. I've been in love with Ladybug ever since I first met her. And it turns out, she felt the same way." Adrien beamed, lovingly kissing Rébecca's cheek.

Marinette began running before she realized she was doing it. She ran passed Alya, who gave her a look that screamed 'you took too long to confess, this is what you get', a confused Adrien, and a grinning Rébecca. She ignored the shouts for her to come back as she ran and ran, the tears streaming from her eyes.

She didn't have the proof, because the last time she had outed a lie as Ladybug, it had had disastrous consequences. And nobody believes her! No one saw the truth!

Marinette ran from the school and kept running, her lungs soon burning, her muscles soon aching, before she found herself into one of the small parks, which was completely deserted.

Marinette fell to her knees beside one of the fountains, burying her head in her arms as she rested against the basin, crying so hard, she soon passed out.

[unmaskedagain]

Worse than the Devil

Hey Everyone, I got really inspired by the amazing response to my first fic Queen Of Mean. I decided to write a follow up. Its to Selena Gomez’s version of Cruella De Vil. I loved it when it first came out and it sent shivers when I realized it was perfect for my follow up.

Looking back the missing pigtails in the bluenette’s hair when she walked into class Monday morning, dressed like she just got off the runaway, flanked by Chloe at her side, should’ve been the first warning sign.

But in the class’s defense, it had been a crazy weekend. The fireworks that came with Ladybug’s video, Alya’s meltdown, and Lila being outted as a liar didn’t die down after class ended that day.  No. The weekend had been filled out a never-ending stream of group texts, complaining of hurt feelings, nasty little liars, and why, or why wasn’t Marinette replying to their texts? Answering her phone? Didn’t she know they were sorry? Didn’t she know they needed their everyday Ladybug now more than ever? Alya in particular.

Alya, who had spent the entire weekend, nearly 24/7, trying to save her blog; defend her life’s work against the avalanche of criticism that had come it’s way; even the most loyal fans screamed of betrayal. She had released a dozen video explaining what happened and begging her viewers to understand that people make mistakes. Calling Marinette with no answer, texting her best friend for help only to get no reply. Texting Marinette that Lila was a dirty, rotten, liar in over a hundred different way, in over a hundred different texts; only to never get a reply; which Alya never understood. Marinette was right. Lila was a liar. Alya and Marinette should be teaming up to bring her down like their brought down Chloe; stand together like best friends do.

As Alya sat patiently at her desk, with Nino holding her hand in support, waiting for Marinette to arrive so she could find comfort in her bestie, never once did an apology cross her mind. Alya was too indignant, too self-righteous, convinced the Ladybug was victim-blaming. It wasn’t Alya’s fault. Her boyfriend agreed. Her entire class agreed. She just knew, soon, all of Paris would agree.

           When Marinette casually strolled in, talking animatedly with Chloe about their week, she left the other students stunned. Gone was the pintails. Gone was the easy-going, simple, practically trademarked pink pants and grey flower decorated shirt. Gone was the happy smile that the students had always remembered was there to greet them and bring them cheer on a sour Monday, like the day was.

           Instead, Marinette’s hair was down and flowing down her shoulders, longer than they could ever remember it being (though granted they hadn’t paid much attention to their once friend in last few months, except for giving her a few quick glares and sneers) and was perfectly coiffed with strands pullback in braids that would’ve made Daenerys Targaryen take notes. She was dressed in all black; a cropped leather jacket, a sparkly black halter top that tied around her neck in a pretty bow, her jeans black and skin tight, and killer high heels that would make most girls envious. The only color Marinette wore was the sliver bracelets adorning her arms and the classic movie star red lips she sported. Marinette looked a supermodel.

           And if Marinette’s new look didn’t stunned them. Then the look on her face when she glanced at them sure did. Move over Hawkmoth, because if Marinette didn’t scare you, no evil thing could.

It was like the entire classroom went colder. Maybe it was because of the ice in Marinette’s stare, her curved red-stained smirk that screamed: beware. The way everything about her just screamed predator, alpha, top of the food chain. Queen.

           Alya blinked hard. Nino blinked hard. Adrien blinked hard. Too stunned at the sight to even remember to badger the bluenette.  She and Chloe, also dressed like a runaway model, flounced to the back of the class without a hello, a smile, a wave; anything friendly. It was like they were too insignificant for the girls to notice. If they had an ounce of luck still in their lives, that would’ve been so.

           Unfortunately for them that wasn’t the case.

           The girls were painfully aware of their existence; of every move they made over the week, every stupid text they sent, every false apology uttered. Because the downfall of the Ladyblog was just a taste of what was to come. At this point, Marinette and Chloe was just Spiders waiting for the kill.

“Girl, you don’t have to sit with Chloe,” Alya exclaimed.  “We’ll make room, right?” Nino nodded quickly, eager to give his childhood friend an olive branch.

“Why wouldn’t I want to sit with Chloe?” Marinette asked nonchalantly. “She’s my best friend.”

           What happened next was similar to what, Marinette, thought happened in movie; where the main character says something shocking at a dance, there’s a sound of a record scratch, and silence as all eyes turn to the speaker.

           The smirk the spread over Chloe’s face, the glow that filled her, the thought of the havoc she was about to help commence practically made her purr.

“Best friend?” Alix asked, her pink hair pulled back and her face skeptical. “Last I checked, you were mortal enemies.”

“Last time you check was not long after Lie-La came to class,” Marinette retorted.

“Which is the last time you’re opinion matter to us,” Chloe added. “Or well to Mari here. I never paid you peasant any mind.”

“You can’t be best friends,” Alya jumped up. “You shouldn’t even be friends. I can’t believe it? After what she did to you?”

           The other students nodded.

“She stole your design.” Rose put in.

“Bullied you for years,” Max said.

“Ruined your present for teach!” Kim added.

           Alya nodded smugly at the class backing her up, and gave Marinette a bright smile and an expectant look that always used to work on cowing the other girl.

“Bygones,” Marinette sighed. “I forgave her. And we bonded over how stupid you were at believing Lie-La.” Marinette leaned back in her seat. “Besides it’s not like she ever called me a jealous bitch? Told me to check my sources? Ditched me a million times. Whispered mean words about me right in front of me. And even crueler words behind my back. Chloe would never do that.”

“You know who would?” Chloe grinned. ‘You.” She pointed at Alya. “And you.” She pointed at Alix. “And you!” At Nino “And you, you, you, you. And well everyone here really.”

“Chloe maybe be mean; in fact the greatest mean girl Sharpay,” Marinette smiled lovingly at the blond who preened at the praise.

“But at least I’m not a bad friend,” Chloe snipped viciously.

“Now Chloe that would imply I’m still friends with them at all.”

           At the statement, students wilted into themselves. Their misdeeds weighed heavily on them. They had been so upset at Lila for lying to them, at themselves for believing her, kicking themselves for not listening to Marinette, they never once considered how Marinette felt about the whole mess. But now they knew, she wasn’t happy.

           Little did they know just how furious the once sweet girl was.

           The two girls turned their attention to each other.

“Wasn’t this week just amaz!” Chloe said easily. “Fashion shows are always just so spectacular.”

“Your mom is, like, the best,” Marinette nodded eagerly. “I still can’t believe we got to model.”

           Chloe side-eyed the students, pretending they weren’t listening. “And why not? They were short. And just look at us. We’re beautiful. We deserved to be on that runway.”

“Runaway?” Mylène asked, awed. “You were in a fashion show.”

           Marinette nodded, kindly, though inwardly smirking. “There are pictures from the show online. They’re trending.” So was Marinette’s social media accounts. “We got to model with Kate Upton and Bella and Gigi Hadid.”

“We’re all the rage!” Chloe stated. “Mommy’s thinking of making us the faces of her new line. We’ll be in next week’s issue of Teen Vogue.”

“I posted a few photos on my Insta,” Marinette shrugged. “You can look if you want, I guess.” It was said with a faux unsure, insecure, unassuming voice; a voice that even the most terrifying vampire bat could have even the smartest of victims dancing to it.

           With that the girls went back to their conversation. Pretending they didn’t notice their classmates whipping out their phones to verify.

“WOW,” Rose beamed. “They do have pics with the Hadid sisters. Oh you look so pretty Marinette.”

“Dude is that Kendall Jenner?” Kim asked.

“Beyoncé!” Alya yelled. “Beyoncé was there. You met Beyoncé.”

“Chill,” Chloe snapped. “We didn’t meet her. We just waved. Jay-Z was there too btw.”

“Jay-Z,” Nino whispered in awe.

Before befriending Marinette, Chloe was have gladly lied and said they met the goddess, that was Queen Beyoncé. But Marinette wouldn't suffer liars. And hated anyone who lied about her. Chloe was smart enough to know losing Marinette as a friend would be costly to her; both personally and professionally.

           The blond refused to toss away the blessing that was Marinette’s friendship. Not the like fools before her. They didn’t know what they lost. But Chloe would make sure they did.

           It had taken weeks of slowly inching her way to being Marinette’s friend. The girl had been untrusting the blonde’s actions at first. But eventually, Chloe won her over, proved she could be a good friend, if not the best friend Marinette ever had.

           And the best part? Chloe didn’t have to change. Granted she had to dull unsavory traits like lying and stealing but it was worth it.

“Tony. Stark.” Max gulped like he was just told Santa was in fact real. “You are in a picture with Tony Stark; Iron Man.”

“Pepper Potts wanted a vacation,” Marinette said. “Peter, their son, is a friend of mine. We met last summer when he was visiting England with his class. I was there with my grandma. We hit it off. He knew I was nervous about going on stage so he got his mom to come here so he could support me. It was just supposed to be the two of them. Until Mr. Tony realized and followed along. Swore up and down they were trying to ditch him,” Marinette laughed.

“Oh please,” Chloe huffed. “He was proud that his kid was hanging out with a gorgeous French model.”

“Two gorgeous French models,” Marinette corrected. “The three of us got ice cream afterwards, remember? I can’t wait for this summer. Peter said we can spend of three weeks at Stark Tower; interning. PR for you. You’ll be amazing at it. God knows I could do, though.” She said glumly. Though her internship was going to be assisting the Pepper Potts on her day to day life.

“Ridiculous!” Chloe snapped. “Utterly Ridiculous. You know you can’t wait to get your hands on Thor’s cape to find out what material Alien princes use. Not to mention the plans I saw for a potential Captain America supersuit.”

Marinette crossed her arms, and huffed. “Hey that man is walking around dressed like America’s drunk prom date. Someone has to step in.”

“It’s a classic look,” Nathanial told them.

“It’s a crime against fashion,” Marinette hissed.

           With that, the girls went back to talking about their weekend and bickering over summer plans. Or at least they tried to.

“You could’ve invited us,” Alya snapped. “Or at least told us.”

“Why?” Marinette asked. “We’re not friends. Why don’t you ask Lila how it was? I’m sure, she’ll happily spin you a yarn about how amazing everything was. And promise you’ll meet them next time.”

           It was like a slap to the face. The entire class quieted back down; wishing the bell would ring already. And wondering where Miss Bustier was.

           Unfortunately for the teacher, quite a few concerned parents and staff members had taken issue with how Bustier had been running her class. Bullying, students being constantly turned into Akumas, why Lila could miss so much school without it being a major issue.

“Don’t you think you’re being harsh?” Adrien asked. “They’re sorry.”

No, Marinette thought darkly. They weren’t. Not yet. But they would be soon.

“Okay,” Marinette shrugged, carelessly, inhumanly. “I don’t see why that matters. I accept their apology but it changes nothing. Sorry doesn’t fix anything. It doesn’t magically make every alright again. It’s no Ladybug charm. Let it go.” She warned.

           While Marinette did have plans to bring down Adrien, they were for a later time. And when she did, it would be painful. And it would break him. Like he helped break her.

           For months Adrien had stood by, remained silent as Marinette was made into an outcast, bullied, lost all her friends… when he knew. Knew Lila was lying, knew Marinette was just trying to help. After he promised, vowed to have her back. Instead, Adrien let them deface her sketchbook after Lila accuse Marinette of yet another bullying incident; destroying all of Marinette’s hard work. Despite knowing Marinette couldn’t have possible done what Lila said she had. He just let it happen, too afraid to stand up and tell the truth.

           Adrien didn’t take the hint. Or didn’t recognize a warning when he heard it.

“Their hurting too!” The blond boy defended, outraged at how his everyday Ladybug

“How?” Marinette asked curiously, innocently reminiscent of the girl who had been their friend who had existed when the world was still a wholesome place. “You said it yourself it’s not like Lila was hurting anybody. At least that’s what you told me, remember? You knew Lila was lying since like forever and you’re just fine.”

           It went silent again. Adrien paled. Marinette could barely stop the smile from slipping onto her face. If she wasn’t careful, they might combined their collective ten brain cells and catch on. See that she was a monster that should’ve never been released.

“You knew?” Nino asked in horrified disbelief.

           Dozens of hurt filled eyes trained on Adrien. It was at that moment Ms. Mendeleiev walked into class. “Students, I’ll be filling in today and possibly for the rest of the week. Everyone in their seats. Class is about to begin.”

           It was the smoothest devastation Chloe had ever witnessed and grew up with her mother and Gabriel Agreste as role models.

           In few years, the blonde knew there would be few would who hesitate to call Marinette, or herself, the devil. Too stunned to realize just how much worse either girl was.

           Chloe glanced at the girl who had become her best friend, and fellow mean-girl-in-arms. Marinette had her bluebell eyes trained on the chaos she had just unleashed, once again, on her fellow classmates.

           A lessor man, woman would’ve shivered. Chloe had shivered and had nightmares the first time that gaze rested on her.

           However, when time wore off the shock; Chloe realize she’d only see those type of eyes watching from underneath a rock.

           If you weren’t scared of the New Marinette, then you hadn’t met her yet.

Look out world, Chloe thought. Long Live the Queen.

[globerjk]

The Designer, Her Model and Her Hero (1)

For the ML Secret Santa @mlsecretsanta exchange. This is my gift to @chelseaapproved

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

“For the millionth time Plagg, Marinette it’s just a very good friend” Adrien said exasperated. His Kuami was convinced that the boy had feelings for his classmate and was taking the opportunity to tease him once they got to the bathroom before leaving school to go to Marinette´s place for the afternoon.

According to what the little cat kept saying over and over again for the past few months, his chosen -more often than not- showed a softer side for the pigtailed girl who sat behind him at school and now that the boy had agreed, or rather offered himself as the model for her latest fashion competition, Plagg didn’t seemed able to shut up about it.

The assignment was to present a model, male or female, wearing a business casual outfit with a twitch.  The aspiring designer´s first choice had been Alya, but once he overheard them talking about it at their free period he got strangely annoyed and jump at the opportunity to volunteer as a replacement once Marinette´s bestie confirmed that she would most likely be on a trip with her family the same weekend of the event.

Marinette got a little nervous and mumble something about measurements, closeness and fittings that Adrien didn’t quite understand but with the help of an exited Alya and an amused Nino they manage to get her on board.

Marinette tried to at least convince her other friends to join her an Adrien for the first session but Alya had plans to hang out at the zoo with Nino even though he didn’t seem to have any idea about it.

“Plans for the zoo, you say?” Marinette asked.

“Yes! Important plans!” Alya answer with confidence.

“Plans your boyfriend had no idea beforehand” skepticism written all over beautiful blue bell eyes.

“What are you suggesting Marinette?” Alya said smugly “That I´m making up excuses to ditch you alone with your new model? Now why would I do that?” then turned her attention to the boys “Any guesses, Adrien?”

Adrien was taken aback and asked Marinette instead “Want me to try to come up with an answer?

“No!” Shouted Marinette

“Yes!” Said Alya at the same time so the boy turned to Nino whispering “Should I get involve?”

His friend just laugh and place a hand to his shoulder moving him from where the girls were arguing again.

“Dude, time has taught me that when they get like it’s better to just move far, far away and not get any of those girl’s attention when they argue. Believe me when I tell you that you never, ever, want to get in the middle of that and that nothing, and I mean nothing, you say is going to be the right thing to let out of your mouth”

After a hiss from Marinette and an apology from Alya they took off, each couple on a different direction. The walk to the bakery was quiet and Adrien felt like maybe he was imposing on his designer friend with this contest thing.

“I can help you look for another model if you prefer” he said once they were about to enter her building and Marinette was still as nervous as she´s been the entire walk.

“Why? You don´t want to do it anymore?” She asked with big sad eyes.

“No! It´s not that at all, I´m the one who offered, remember? It’s just that you weren’t really sure and we pressure you. Then the argument at the school steps with Alya before leaving… and you´re awfully silent since we left those two.”

She seem genuinely disappointed that he even suggested another person to help with the contest. -Does she want me or not- He thought -she is definitely giving me mixed signals-

“I´m sorry. I was just… umm... Just... Distracted” She hurried to reassure him

“Distracted?”

“Yeah… thinking about… umm… alterations! Alterations to the design because I have cero time to start from scratch so I´m keeping the original design I had for Alya that I loved. Now I have to make it a good fit for your masculine I mean male body” She said it all in one go and got a little fluster at the end.  They entered the front door to the bakery, said a quick hello to her parents and went upstairs to start working.

Once she began adapting her concepts for a boy´s body and showing him her ideas something occurred to him.  It could be distracting for the judges if they knew he was a professional, not to mention what the other contestants may assume given that he was also the heir to a fashion empire, so they agreed that in order to make this all about the design and not the famous guy wearing it, the twitch in the project should be a fashionable mask.  Marinette´s first suggestion was to make it Chat Noir´s stile, but sensing Adrien´s discomfort she rapidly discarded the sketch, or rather saved it for another occasion.  It was a great design after all and she was very fond of the Cat super hero.

“I´m sure you can come up with something different, Marinette. You are really talented… I mean, look at this sketches and it’s only been a week since you started working on them for Alya” Adrien said to a blushing Marinette while admiring the first drafts for the alterations.

“T-thanks Adrien, I guess is better to go with something completely original for the mask as well.  Something that doesn’t make you look like someone else but rather something inspired by you” Marinette answer trying to minimize her stutter and then added in a low voice “and you are plenty inspiring”

“What?” Adrien turned to look at her.

“What?!” she panicked

“I´m sure I heard you say something else”

“No you didn´t” She said with a high pitch voice.

“Okay, I must be imagining things” He dismissed, smiling and returning his attention to her design book.

Marinette let out a sigh and resume her search for types of masks on her tablet.  She didn’t remember to change her computer home screen so turning that device on was in no case an option near this particular visitor.

She actually unplugged it just to be sure it wouldn’t activate by accident.

The rest of the afternoon was relatively calm, as where the other days they got together to resume her work.  Marinette found it easier to be around Adrien when focused on her project, so even the day when she had to actually touch him for measurements, they survived with minimal blushing and stuttering from both.

The mask she ended up making covered almost all of his face, leaving just his right eye on display which, according to the judges, was one of the most interesting parts of the garment.  She also gained extra points for originality since most of the other contestants went with different mixes of denim and formal fabric (denim shirt and black slacks or denim pants with suit jackets).  Marinette opted for a look more on edge, having a trending journalist as her first inspiration and a young hot model as her second.

The attire was what could be described as simple but chick and could easily be worn every day.  Adrien did the catwalk that day in a white form fitting white polo shirt with black skinny trousers and a simple but elegant leather jacket at hand that he put on at the end of the road.

She won the first place. 

---

“You know kid… at this point I’m going to need some proof” The black cat resumed the teasing while eating what felt like the must smelly cheese known to men.

“You keep saying that she’s just your friend, but I could sense the love in the air since you gave her your umbrella. And that was like three whole years ago”

“It was pouring outside and we happened to have a ride home, she didn’t” Adrien defended while cleaning the excess of makeup he used to disguise the one eye he had on display for the contest.

“She lives across the street from school, but whatever” Plagg continued unimpressed “Anyway… you ditched Kagamy on your first date to help Marinette up when she felt on the ice and then went running after her, followed her to the bathroom, even though she had her own date there”

“I... I ran after a friend upset. That’s how friendship works, you should try it sometime” The boy turned to poke on the cats little belly

“Again, I will need some prove. You kept trying to date fencing girl and somehow always got back to your soft looks directed to the baker.  After today? Nothing you say will make me change my mind” Plagg insisted

“She won, I was next to her as her model! Would you have want me to ignore her and not congratulate her? I was right there and just…”

“And just have to get so overly excited?” Adrien was interrupted “You carry her and turned in circles with her on your arms… her feet didn’t touch the floor for at least half a minute there” The smirk in Plagg´s expression could be even overheard.

“It was a big contest! This can open all kinds of doors for Marinette, so what if I was happy for her… Of course I care about Mari, she is my friend”

“If you call her your friend one more time I’m going to scream” The Kwami said “Just for my sanity and I believe for your happiness, go and try to prove me wrong”

“Okay! I’ll go and prove it to you. Plagg transform me” Adrien roared already in his transformation pose.

“I didn’t mean right now….” Plagg snarled as he was suctioned to the ring.

[maryofone]

Fucking Up

We all fuck up at some point. Fucking up can take all kinds of forms. You can fuck up something as simple as dinner, or you can fuck up your whole life.

Fucking up your life in the long-term sucks, obviously, but it’s those short-term fuckups I find especially unbearable. The times when you said something or did something that you probably shouldn’t have, and the consequences of what you said or did subsequently fucked something up; like an event or a friendship or a moment when everyone was looking at you. Those are the cringeworthy fuckups and we all hope to avoid them. But we all fuck up at some point, and the more gracefully you can weather the aftermath the better.

I’ve made a few short-term fuckups in my day, but the biggest one that refuses to ever leave my conscience was at Ottawa Fashion Week. The reason this particular fuckup haunts me is because it involves two of my best friends, whom I adore and respect to an almost excessive degree. My friend was attending the show to capture content for his magazine, his boyfriend was his plus-one and I got to be his plus-two. Attending a fashion show with two of my besties had all the makings of an awesome night, but there were some other ingredients that would inspire just the opposite. Ingredients like an open bar and a mild dose of Zoloft I was on at the time. Thanks to a nasty case of ‘situational depression’ I couldn’t climb out of, I had temporarily turned to a pharmaceutical solution. The solution was helping, but not while I was drinking. Because you see, Zoloft has this one side effect whereby it causes people to become fucking monsters when they throw some booze into the mix.

The night started out okay as the three of us milled about the convention centre, nibbling on appetizers and sipping free wine. As I recall, I’d really made sure to maximize that free wine as much as possible before the lights went down. Once the runway show was over there was another mingling session with more wine. And more talking. Specifically me talking. Constantly. Don’t remember the people I talked to whatsoever, I just remember talking. Regaling, entertaining, amusing… or so I thought. From my perspective it seemed like everyone was being chatty and boisterous and having the best time – but in retrospect it’s possible no one else was quite on the frequency I was.

Eventually my friends made it clear that it was time to leave, and as we slowly glided down the mega escalator towards the lobby, I saw something of interest. Some sort of women’s health organization had set up a particularly eye-catching installation in the lobby: a giant vagina. Literally a giant vagina-inspired canal that people were invited to actually walk through to learn more about ovarian cancer or whatever the issue was. This hilarious image, mixed with the booze and Zoloft, caused me to erupt on that escalator. Again, my memory of the details is blurry, but I do remember making quite a few jokes about the giant vagina to my friends at TOP VOLUME in this cavernous lobby. Still having the time of my life, I kept talking and laughing as we made our way into the underground parking garage and into my friends’ car. The very instant I shut my car door, however, the party was over.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” My friend yelled. It was the first time I’d ever heard him yell, and I’d known him for years. “You were fucking SCREAMING in there!! That was so fucking humiliating OH MY FUCKING GOD MARY!!”

Sure, friends get in fights. But having this particular friend – the docile, easygoing, ever-Zen friend literally scream at me about my behaviour was one of the single worst feelings I’ve ever had in my life, to this day. I immediately started bawling and apologizing, but neither friend was interested in hearing it. It was such a horrible car ride I begged them to drop me off before they even got to my place. I just spilled out into the street, sobbing. No grace to be found.

Despite how deeply drunk I was, I did not go to bed when I got home. I started texting my other friend (the less furious one) over and over. Profusely apologizing; BEGGING for forgiveness in text after text after text. And he didn’t tell me to fuck off, he just kept saying one thing: “Please stop texting. Just go to bed. Stop texting. Just get some sleep. Please stop texting.”

Waking up hungover and remembering what happened was pretty close to hell on Earth. I tried texting my friend again to which I got the same response. “Just take some time. No texting. We’ll talk soon, I promise.”

After three of the longest days of my life, my friend finally agreed to come over and talk about it. As we sat quietly on the couch, he calmly explained to me how the night actually went. Evidently I was an embarrassment for most of the evening, not just the last three minutes. Not only did I make a crass and slurring spectacle of myself, I also made my friend look bad at an event that he was attending for his job. He’d invited me as a fellow creative professional so we could all be inspired together, and instead I was just this foul-mouthed waste-case that mortified them both the entire evening.  But interestingly, he didn’t seem all that angry about the night. What he really wanted to talk about was how I handled myself afterward; how I reacted when I found out that I fucked up.

“Of course we love you, and we’ll get over it, but you can’t just force us to accept your apology and move on immediately, just because it’s uncomfortable for you. You need to sit in it for a minute.”

The ol “sit there and think about what you’ve done” punishment. It’s fucking TORTURE. It’s one thing to be able to apologize for fucking up, and it’s another to really sit in it and acknowledge that things are going to be fucked up for a while because of what you did. Some people can’t handle that punishment. Some people will apologize fifty times over and force people to forgive them because they just can’t take the feeling that they fucked up. They just want to slap as many sorry bandaids on the situation as possible so they never actually have to look at the wound. It’s hard to fuck up and then have to stare that reality right in the face. Saying sorry is the easy part.

That night of the fashion show is still my least favourite fuck-up to date. But it did teach me a valuable lesson... that when you shit on the carpet, you just have to sit in it for a while, so you know not to do it again.