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goggles-mcgee · 2 years ago

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A Little Birdy Told Me 19

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Summary: Just another day at Gotham Academy, well, Damian wished it was. His acquaintances seem to like to make it anything but.

Damian was not having a good day despite his father’s wishes. For the record, he did try to have a good day, it’s not like he purposefully went into the school with the intent to not, but it seemed like any good luck he had had in the last couple of days (which wasn’t much mind you) ran out. The whispers were what had tipped him off to begin with, usually he could brush them off as nonsensical youth gossip and carry on but the stares coupled with the whispers put him a bit on edge. He hadn’t done anything to his knowledge to warrant the behavior he had observed when he walked in but he didn’t let it show that anything was amiss. He merely strode to his locker and dropped off his afternoon class books before shutting it and locking it swiftly. Damian had tried to be nonchalant about his locker in the beginning, but when it had been broken into in his first week he had been livid, and upgraded the security courtesy of Drake. Apparently some schoolmates just wanted a peek into the newest Wayne’s locker and see if there was anything damning they could use against his Father to sell to some tacky tabloid. Needless to say, he and his father had been less than amused and in Damian’s case, hopeful that he would not have to stay in the ridiculous establishment.

As he had said, luck was not on his side back then, so why would it be now?

“Oh our favorite and sometimes benevolent Ice Prince of Gotham Academy.” an annoyingly familiar voice sang out as the body it belonged to slumped against the locker next to Damian’s. “Have you heard the latest gossip, my liege?”

“Hardy. How many times have I told you I do not listen to drivel?” Damian replied in the most monotone voice he could pull-off. The one that made Drake throw pillows at him because he disliked how robotic it made him sound.

“Oh, of course, of course Milord. But…this “drivel” as you call it has to do with you.” Claude Hardy, active member of their drama club, well-liked, class clown and as always an avid gossiper told Damian. Damian didn’t talk to him a lot, or well, it was better to say he tried not to. With Hardy came Allegra Vogel: accomplished flutist, ballerina, the queen of gossip and his class’ president, Alan Lopez: writer, soccer player and like his friends Hardy and Vogel, a gossip and Sebastian Allaway: one of the school’s best track members and whose parents own and run The Cottage, the restaurant that replaced Bamonte’s Restaurant after Don Maroni died and The Maroni Family dissolved (assumedly). An odd group of…almost friends, more so associates maybe to him, he wasn’t sure yet if they were friends but Damian would admit they were entertaining at the least.

“Can you never just get to the point, Claude?” The newest addition to the friend group, and Damian’s associate circle asked dramatically. Damian’s gaze shifted to look over at Gotham Academy’s latest transfer Chloé Bourgeois. Nicknamed Queen Bee by the friend group, but Damian noticed she always smiled sadly when she was called that. Perhaps her friends noticed too because Queen Bee quickly shortened to just Queenie. Both nicknames were ridiculous if you asked Damian, he somewhat disliked nicknames. It was fine when Dick did it, because he did it out of affection, Jason did it to be a dick and Tim did it to be annoying. Well that was his theory in any case.

“You missed it too Queenie!” Hardy helpfully pointed out.

“Traffic was worse than usual but I’m not that late Drama King. English hasn’t even begun.” Bourgeois snarked back.

“Bourgeois has a point. The school day has barely begun, how have we missed anything vital?” Damian asked with a furrowed brow as he closed his locker and led the group in the direction of their English class.

“It’s sad how you both don’t get here early enough to socialize like proper socialites,” Hardy sighed dramatically before he perked up and looked at them with a glint in his eye. One Damian was not a fan of as it often painted trouble for him. “That class exchange thing, the one Damian’s father is funding, the class arrived the other day and oh boy was Headmaster Hammer not amused!”

Damian stiffened but kept walking, the news startled him but he was not going to let it show. He could not let anyone know he knew about the class already and especially not about Marinette. “Oh? I thought they were supposed to start next week? That’s what Father said. I would also like to point out that one cannot be late to gossip as I was not here to begin with.”

“Exactly. At least Wayne has brain cells that work.” Bourgeois teased.

“Are we teasing Claude?” And now another person was walking with them and Damian had to resist the urge to sigh loudly. It was too early to be this social.

“Don’t we always Allegra?” Bourgeois asked as though the answer was obvious which to be fair it was. The group did tease Claude an absurd amount, but he just made it so easy.

“Oh yes of course. How silly of me to forget.” The other blonde responded with a teasing laugh.

“Why are you guys so cruel? I’m just here, existing. I’m just a little guy.” Claude pouted.

“You are taller than us.” Damian pointed out a bit bitterly. He was of average height for his age but it seemed like a lot of his male classmates surpassed average in grade school.

“ANYWAY. Sir Ice Prince and Queenie, you both weren’t here on Friday-”

“I had an appointment, I told the group this on Thursday.” Bourgeois interjected.

“I didn’t want to leave Richard alone after what happened at Wayne Tower on Thursday so my father excused me from class.” Damian threw in, in some way it was the truth. Dick had been rather…wound up after the situation at the Tower and the run in with Brat Chat hadn’t helped anything. He may be playing it off but Damian knew his older brother well and he knew that Dick was holding everything in still. So it was no surprise that Dick was sticking around Marinette more than the rest of them. He was worried about the girl, that much was clear and it didn’t take a genius to guess it was because he felt responsible for her being Fear Toxined when he was there and able to do something, but the fact of the matter was there really wasn’t much he could have done. Dick was stubborn though and would continue to blame himself until Dupain-Cheng was safe or until Damian could beat sense into him. He had no problem exercising the second option. Dick was too hard on himself.

“That’s understandable. How is he doing?” Vogel asked softly.

“Better.” He replied honestly.

“I’m glad Dick is doing better, but you and Chloé really did miss one hell of an…interesting day.” Hardy continued. Damian merely hummed in response, he knew it was futile to try and argue that he was not interested because Hardy didn’t care. Or just didn’t believe him; either option was equally annoying. “Like I said, that French class the school is doing the exchange with arrived on Friday. Like the whole class. I can tell you guys now, they did not make a good impression on our dear schoolmates.”

“Oh…yeah…the class exchange. You said they’re French?” Bourgeois asked nonchalantly, though Damian could see her body stiffen as stutter as they walked before she collected herself.

“Yeah. I thought they’d be nice to speak with. Especially this small group that had been discussing music but…” Vogel scrunched her nose up, it made her distaste well-known. Though, Vogel was not one to hide how she felt to begin with so the expression wasn’t a surprise. Especially to Damian who had knowledge of the class already and he knew he wouldn’t like most, if not all of them. “Instead of telling me about their songs and band and such they only spoke about this girl in their class. I swear, you would think she was newly Sainted or the like with how they looked at her and talked about her. It was like experiencing a cult without actually being in the cult.”

“Oh yeah. It was some real Jim Jones’ shit.” Hardy readily agreed.

“Language.” Damian couldn’t help but quip. He was too used to telling Jason, Tim and Steph that so they would have to add to Alfred’s ‘Swear Jar.’

“And the teacher acted like their behavior was normal!” Hardy continued as though he hadn’t heard Damian. Brat. “She acted like they were perfect little angels.”

“It was disturbing.” Vogul shook her head.

“The teacher…” Bourgeois was inspecting her nails, feigning disinterest but Damian could see the subtle shake in her hand. “What was her name?”

“Why? Think it might be your old one Queenie?” Hardy asked with a smile but the twitch of his brows told Damian he was worried about the answer Bourgeois might give. “What are the chances of that?”

“Just- What was her name, Claude?”

“Uh, something with a ‘B.’”

“You’re beyond help Claude. How do you not remember?” Vogel asked.

“Look. In my defense, I don’t like her and I don’t pay attention to things I don’t like nor care for.”

“You’re horrible. Her name was Caline Bustier. Her class was supposed to be placed in ours but apparently now, that’s not even certain. I think I heard someone say Headmaster Hammer was not at all pleased with how they came in and demanded their schedules. I guess their class president was supposed to be present but she was not there. Word on the street and from the horse’s mouth is that she went missing after the whole Two-Face, Scarecrow situation at The Tower.” Vogel was as connected as ever. Damian was impressed she had all that info already given it had only been a few days since everything went down. Not to mention a weekend passed, which meant some of her sources were not available to talk with, or so Damian assumed. She probably had them all on speed dial for all he knew.

Another thing he observed? All of them looked at him like he had answers. He did, but he wasn’t going to say anything, it was for Marinette’s safety after all. So he sighed like he did best, “Even if I knew something, I wouldn’t tell you.”

They nodded. “Fair.” Hardy said with a shrug, he was used to those kinds of answers. He would have to be since he had been bugging Damian since he started at Gotham Academy.

Bourgeois had stopped walking and though he wanted to just head into the classroom, it was quite literally fifteen steps away from them and if he went ahead it would be incredibly rude to ignore whatever was bothering the girl. Alfred impressed upon him how a gentleman behaved and leaving Bourgeois in this situation was most definitely against Alfred’s teachings. As though the man himself was watching him, Damian stopped walking and barely held in his complaints. His grandpa was terrifying when he wanted to be, especially when it came to manners. Damian shuddered at the memories of Alfred’s etiquette training but managed to hide it as he turned to face Bourgeois who honestly looked close to passing out right there in the middle of the hallway. “Bustier?” She gasped.

“Chloe?” Vogel asked as she placed a hand on the other blonde’s shoulder.

“Oh my god, they are your old class.” It was a statement rather than a question from Hardy. The Style Queen Heiress’s reaction was all the answer they needed but she did give a stiff nod. The answer was…interesting to say the least but it also put Damian on edge. If that was her old class then she must have known about Lila Rossi, granted she had been at their school for about a year now but due to the family’s research, Damian knew the Lila situation had been going on for about four years. So Bourgeois had been in that class when it was happening, Damian knew the school sounded familiar, he just couldn’t remember why. He, of course, had done his own research into Chloé Bourgeois when she had been announced as the new transfer student but admittedly he hadn’t dug too far as Dick and Alfred told him that was not the way to make friends. He couldn’t help being cautious, it was a skill he had to learn very early in the League, so anyone new that came into his life he couldn't help but be suspicious of.

Honestly, he did the bare basics of a background research on Bourgeois that the fact he was being surprised by a fact he could have found out if it weren’t for ‘manners’ and ‘courtesy’, he would have found out about Bustier’s class before the exchange program was finalized. He could have prevented so many annoyances by arguing with his father about them. Though that would have meant never meeting Dupain-Cheng… he didn’t know how to feel about that. “We can speak about this after class. The bell is about to ring and I for one would rather not be counted late while I have the ability to be on time in mere steps.” Damian announces as he walked on, he would gather whatever information he could from Bourgeois at lunch, he had time.

_______________________

[LUNCH]

Chloé took a deep breath in to calm herself for what felt like the millionth time that day. Ever since she found out her former class was the one that won the spot for the Gotham Education Exchange she had felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest all day. She didn’t want to face them, she wasn’t ready to face them, ever since her move to Gotham Chloé had changed and she knew it was for the better. There was no Hawkmoth in Gotham, so no reason to not feel, and well, Jean-Claude made her go to therapy and though she found it ridiculous to begin with, she had to admit it did actually help if you put the work in. It was the end of collège for her when she realized just how absolutely miserable she was. Her parents’ fighting had gotten worse, her classmates were all sheep, she knew that before but she thought they had grown some kind of backbone when Marinette started standing up for herself but then that liar joined the class and things changed. It was terrifying to see just how fast everyone turned on the person they called their ‘Everyday Ladybug’. If they turned on her that fast, what would happen to Chloé?

What happened was nothing she hadn’t expected. Much like Dupain-Cheng she had been sent to the back, at first she had been there with Sabrina but by 4’eme* the redhead had left her. She had the mercy of not being targeted by some of the classmates “pranks” like Dupain-Cheng had been but no one spoke to her, no one acknowledged her unless they absolutely had to. Chloé had tried to get her dad to do something about it but that was when he and her mother’s fights started getting bad and they paid less attention to her. The only one who seemed to care what was happening to her was Jean-Claude, he tried to help as best he could but there was only so much he could do. She thought Mme Bustier would do something as she had always been on her side but when Chloé tried to complain she was hit with that good old infamous ‘good example’ bullshit. It was like a slap to the face. Usually hearing that would have brought a smug smile to her face because it wasn’t her getting that talk, she was the one who got her way and the others were supposed to be the ‘good examples’.

It threw her for a fucking loop is what it did and it sent her in a deep depression. She was so used to getting her way by throwing tantrums, throwing money or just in general throwing something someone’s way, then all of a sudden she couldn’t get her way by doing what she used to do and she was lost, utterly lost. Her mother and dad kept fighting, sometimes she expected it to get physical with how close both got to one another while shouting and maybe that was the one saving grace that never happened but she never wanted to see her mother throw her heels at her dad ever again. That was as physical as it had gotten and it scared her because one of those times one of the heels almost hit her when she tried to enter the room and beg them to stop fighting. That was the last time she tried. By her last year, 3’eme, they had at least taken to fighting with each other through their assistants and poor Jean-Claude in a ridiculous imitation of Mlle Sancoeur (she never did like when Chloé called her by her first name despite the fact she has known her since Chloé was in diapers.) But when they got lawyers involved they didn’t fight over one thing, one important thing, her.

No. She was thrown around like the shared house furniture trying to be divided, except where they argued about who kept what piece of furniture, they argued why the other should keep her. They did it with her in the room. It was then that she realized that neither of her parents’ really loved her, oh she always knew with her mother there was never any love, but when her dad didn’t fight for her? It hurt more than she cared to admit and that was the day of her final akumatization, Folk-Tail. From pictures she had seen her hair had grown down to her feet in its ponytail but it took on the likeness of a scorpion’s tail, her skin had turned gray but it looked like she had cried after just putting on mascara that was definitely not waterproof since she had black streaks starting from her eyes going down her face, she wore what she always imagined Princess Potentilla wore when she was made to live in the small house by her jealous mother and on top of her ponytail sat a crown of forget-me-nots. The tale of Princess Potentilla and Prince Narcissus had always been her favorite fairytale. It was no surprise that her akuma had been fairytale based since at that moment in time all she had wanted was for her life to be like the fairytales Jean-Claude had often read to her. She just wanted a happy ending.

Apparently her power was to assign roles to people, roles of famous fairy tale characters or creatures that she felt they reflected. Since she herself had been a sad reflection of Potentilla, her father was of course King Cloverleaf and her mother Queen Frivola. Those she did not personally know were given basic roles like a villager or the like. She had gotten to most of her class given they were hanging out at the park that day in celebration of their last year of collège. It was no surprise that she found out Lila had been turned into the Big Bad Wolf, what did surprise her was that she had hit Dupain-Cheng and the girl had become Melinette, the helpful, powerful fairy from her favorite story. It shouldn’t have been so surprising and yet it was. It was after she had been defeated that she reflected on it all, her akuma had been surprisingly truthful with what she herself felt but was too scared to acknowledge. Her father was only interested in what had his attention like the glory of being Mayor and his true love running his hotel much like King Cloverleaf loved being King but only because it gave him the means to hunt to his full pleasure. Her mother was a vain woman who cared too much about her reputation much like Queen Frivola who thought herself the most beautiful woman and threw the most lavish balls but when she saw the beauty of her daughter, she hid her from the kingdom out of jealousy. She had no Prince Narcissus. Yet she had Marinette, determined, helpful, kind Marinette who was very much like Melinette, the fairy who raised the Prince.

If she had hit Hawkmoth with her ‘tail’ he for sure would have been Grumedan the Evil Enchanter. It was that akumatization and everything else going on around her that made her snap. She didn’t want to be like her mother or her father. Hell, she had spent so many years trying to be like her mother in an attempt to get the woman to just get her name right! Chloé didn’t even know who she really was but she wanted to find out and she knew that wouldn’t happen in Paris. She broke down to Jean-Claude about it all, she cried for the first time in a long time, she didn’t care if she got akumatized again, she wanted to cry, she needed to cry. That was when Jean-Claude took charge, he yelled at her parents, demanded a meeting with them and the lawyers outside of Paris because he knew emotions would be high and he demanded parental rights over Chloé. In some ways it shocked her and at the same time it didn’t because he was always the one taking care of her. He wanted her. He cared for her. Chloé had zoned out after his demand because she was just so overwhelmed, someone actually wanted her; she missed the fight and following negotiations. Since her parents didn’t want to take care of her Jean-Claude would be her parent, they wouldn’t change her name since Jean-Claude fully expected her parents to still provide for her.

Oh she knew they fought that with everything they had but Jean-Claude told her after the fact that he essentially blackmailed them. If they provided for her by sending money to her and Jean-Claude after their move and if they kept her as their heir for their respective businesses until she was old enough to decide if she wanted to take over either business, then he wouldn’t go to the media with some illegal stuff he knew had gone on and absolute neglect the put their child through. They folded quickly since there was nothing more important to Audrey and André Bourgeois than their reputations. Before she knew it, after all the necessary paperwork was completed, she and Jean-Claude moved in with his sister Margot in Gotham, New Jersey. It was quite the move and it was hard to adjust but Jean-Claude was patient with her but firm, they arrived in the summer which was the perfect time for her to start therapy apparently. She thought it would be hard adjusting to Gotham and its unique brand of crime but it really wasn’t. Costumed weirdos running around causing havoc? Old news. No Miraculous Cure? Now that, that was scary and took time getting used to.

All in all she thought she was getting better and growing. She had friends, actual friends! She liked hanging out with them, listening to them, just in general being with them, she didn’t have to fake anything around them. Sure she had a hard time with Damian but that was just because he was so standoffish and kind of reminded her of Felix which wasn’t great but she was starting to separate the two in her mind. Though both boys were fond of their families, Damian wasn’t as conniving as Felix nor as fake, he was simply blunt and in some way it was refreshing. She liked their little odd group of friends and one acquaintance who was becoming a friend and she didn’t want anything ruining it. Especially not her old class but she was still fragile and they had the power to set her back and she didn’t want that at all. But Chloé Bourgeois was not someone who bowed to anyone and she wouldn’t start now but…she would talk to Jean-Claude about it all and maybe see if her therapist would be available for more sessions or even on speed dial.

“Chloé?” Allegra’s voice tore through the murky fog that her thoughts had become and she finally realized she had somehow made it to their table.

“Hey. You okay Chlo?” Sebastian asked.

“This is about your former class, is it not?” Damian asked but the way he said it made it sound like it wasn’t a question. It made her wince.

“Damian. A little more tact next time please.” Allegra said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“But he’s not wrong is he?” Claude asked next.

Chloé looked at her friends and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat, her hands clenched and unclenched around her lunch tray that she hadn’t noticed she didn’t set down and she took in another deep breath. “I am…I’m scared. I was not the best person to them as I’ve told you all before, I was a bully. But towards the end of my years with that class things changed. They changed. They didn’t speak to me. At all. Me and Mari-another classmate, we were isolated, basically banished to the back to be all but forgotten. Well…I was. Dupai-the other classmate, she wasn’t as…fortunate?”

“Fortunate?” Allan echoed.

Chloé nodded. “I would take my fate over hers any day. I was forgotten in a way, but they did bad talk me and insult me when they knew I could hear but they never acknowledged my existence. It was like I wasn’t there in the room while they were talking. But Ma-my classmate, they bullied her, worse than I ever did and I admit I bullied her for years. While I did it out of jealousy and to just get her mad or in trouble, they did it to break her. I did nothing to help. I was going through things, yes, but that’s no excuse and I don’t know how I’m going to face any of them.”

It was quiet. Awkwardly quiet. Chloé was close to just pushing away from the table and just storming out because everything she was feeling was too much but a small yet loud ‘Hm’ stopped her and called her attention. It came from Damian who was staring at her with his calculating eyes that gave her the creeps from time to time. It was like he was trying to pull your secrets out of you with his eyes. She stared back at him as he stared at her and leaned his elbows on the table, interlocking his fingers and resting his face on his hands. “So you know Lila Rossi. Tell me about her and everything she’s done to Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Well that was not what Chloé expected him to say.

________________________

Chloe Bourgeois

@Bee-utifulMe

School is barely halfway over and I’m already ready to call my therapist.

#imdonewithtoday #gothamacademy #itsbarelynoon

💞MAPS💞

@ImTheMapImTheMap

RE: Chloe Bourgeois

@Bee-utifulMe

[School is barely halfway over and I’m already ready…]

Mood.

#Iwasnotpreparedforthatenglishtest #TTuTT

Notes:

*4'eme (3'eme) are the last two level of schooling in college (French schooling). College typically goes from ages 11-15, 4'eme is for those 13-14, 3'eme is 14-15.

Prince Narcissus and The Princess Potentilla is a fairy tale that you can read here if you would like context -> HERE

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starguardianniom · 2 years ago

Text

Adrien's revelation about his feelings for Marinette and before that, their "friendship"

I got big mood about it, for the moment he realise when he noticed his feelings changed for her.

That moment? The "statue kiss" in The Puppeteer 2, aka one of the most embarassing and cringe moment of the show, period.

Especially since it was one of those moments that Adrien witnessed Marinette in one of her creepiest and weirdest moment ever toward him that he's aware of and saw and somehow didn't have a problem with in the end because of her excuse and her being more upset about his joke than her behavior being beyond unacceptable toward what she thought was a statue of him, as he consider her a good friend and good friends don't creepily sniff your statue, don't pull out some of its hair to keep and don't kiss them on the lips.

But that kiss apparently made him change his feelings toward her subtely until he could pinpoint it in season 5.

Like, what? The Fuck?

Are you freaking kidding me?

Adrien, my sweet cinnamon bun, please have more self-respect for yourself.

You do not catch feelings for a girl who acts so gross toward what she thinks is a statue of yourself, please.

Heck, he was weirded out as hell when she was sniffing him, pulling his hair (his eye twitched), and of course when she kissed him he immediatly pulled away, to his defense he had no idea she would do that, because why the hell would she try to kiss a statue of him when she can barely stay in the same space alone with him in the first place? As the beginning of the episode showed, she freaked out when they were left alone and yelled (begged) to not be left alone with him, to his sadness before she corrected herself.

But him saying the moment he started to see her as more of a friend was that moment when she kissed him as a statue takes the cake.

Not to mention that already from the start their "friendship" is not really the greatest, because well, 95% of the time they get moments because Marinette or one of their friends made sure they would spend time together in some ways, or just make sure Marinette would be around or get opportunities to confess her love for him more than anything else, like actually hanging out for real as friends and not it just being a plot for a confession on Marinette's part.

Especially since Marinette has his entire schedule for the next 3 years, broke into his locker, his house (multiple times, mind you), stole his stuff, manipulated people to get into trouble so she could get a chance at maybe getting a date with him, when she's not outright trying to get rid of the competition, stalks him to another country, make sure he doesn't hang with other girls that she hates, abuse her powers to get a chance, and so on.

Let's be real here, their friendship was more genuine on Adrien side than Marinette, who said herself once in Riposte that she didn't want him to like her like that but to like her as in a romantic view instead of platonic.

Half the time the show shove Marinette down Adrien's throat because she wants to be his girlfriend, except she has a whole network to try to make it work, her friends, her family, hell, she even use her powers to try to make a move. Took 5 seasons of unhealthy behavior and 2 erased end of the universe to make it happen. Yeah!

Because I remember people being salty about how Adrien regarded knowing Ladybug's identity in Chat Blanc being wrong because he knew who she was and she wasn't aware of it, until she almost got akumatized, but the whole thing started because Marinette decided to use her powers to break into Adrien's room knowing he wasn't home to give him a gift, something that Tikki had opposed to, and of course Marinette being Marinette, didn't listen, and well, it led to that.

Not to mention that she wasn't any better when Ephemeral came, as she decided that Viperion and Su-Han would learn Chat Noir's identity behind his back and they wouldn't tell him after she learned it and later forget about it, and the whole thing fell apart because once she realised he was her precious Adrien, she decided to see how it would go. And then still proceeded with her plan. So Adrien literally had 2 other people knowing who he was and wasn't made aware of and probably wouldn't have before a long time, not sure if he would still have dated Marinette if he had found out about it.

Sure, Adrien knew in Chat Blanc, but it wasn't planned at all on his part unlike her, he sure as hell didn't tell anyone else behind her back with the promise of her never finding out like it was her original plan in Ephemeral, when he transformed to save her, well, it was either throwing his secret away, or well, they were screwed above and beyond. He didn't know Nathalie was watching and ratted him to his father, whom he doesn't know he's Hawk Moth until later in the episode when he gets traumatized by him and akumatized. Especially since Adrien finding out Marinette was Ladybug was completely on Marinette's fault for not sticking to her golden rule of never taking risks with their identities that was also shoved down his throat and ours for 3 seasons straight, but she threw that through the window (literally) by going into his room and acting like a total obsessive maniac, sniffing his pillow while laying down his bed, why, just why?

And why does Adrien just rolls with her being weird around him all the time? At one point he could get fed up and just tell her off, because well, she only acts like this toward him, and if she can't act normally around him, that won't stand, he wants to be like other kids and fit in, Marinette's behavior toward him compared to how she acts around the rest of their friends should drive a wedge between them because he wants to be part of the group, and if the girl who's the most liked by their friends can't act normal around him, what are his chances with others? Because Marinette is really the only weird one around him. Kagami, Chloé and Lila are clingy sure, but they also can function without problem around him, Marinette, barely managed at times. That went for 4 seasons. I think Adrien telling Marinette off about her behavior, especially since months passed in the show, could have been a good way to make Marinette realise that she puts him so high on a pedestrial that not only she was making it difficult for herself to endear herself to him, but maybe backpedal on her behavior that wasn't fair to him much as she has so huge expectations and pressure feeling for him that Gabriel's expectations and pressure of him can almost look good next to her views of him. That would have been a good character development for her I believe.

Instead in season 5 they joke about how she used to be and he just let it slide and doesn't concern how she learned his habits without his knowing.

Because let's face it, Marinette didn't so much got to know everything about him that there was to know as she was more studying him, like a project you're working on and need to know every little details so it won't blow up in your face or fall apart. Don't tell me she learned stuff from him by asking him directly and hanging out with him normally back in season 1, she could barely talk to him at all, or stay too long before running away or trying to. She puts him so high on a pedestrial she can't see him past the clouds. That's not a healthy way of friendship or romance mindsetfor her to be in. Even more because her worship of him is entirely on her, he doesn't want anyone to treat him like a god, he just wants to be treated normally, and she can barely manage that.

Also, Marinette monopolize so much of his time that the rest of the class sans Nino (and possibly Chloé) barely knows him, they are so quick to throw him on Marinette, or the other way, that they don't really interact at all, again he wanted to have friends, he barely interacts with anyone not named Marinette, Nino, Chloé or Lila. I think Luka got more lines with him than most of the class did. And I'm not talking about them talking about Adrien, but them talking to Adrien as in in a conversation with him and them talking together. We saw in Felix that only Nino, Marinette and Lila thought Adrien wouldn't be that mean, meanwhile Alya, Rose and Juleka get akumatized over "Adrien" being mean toward them, since they barely know him, being too busy shipping him with Marinette instead of trying to be friends with him like he would probably want to. Leave Marinette alone with him, Nino, get with Alya and leave the lovebirds alone. I swear Nino gets shoved away in favor of Marinette and it pisses me off, given how little freedom Adrien has when he can hang out with him it would be nice if he actually could and not just have Alya glaring at him for wanting to spend some alone time with him and not her, or for her to immediatly ask if she and Marinette could tag along.

Let's not forget the huge mistakes Marinette made because of her being unable to cool her heart and head when it came to him, as seen in Heart Hunter and Strike Back. Fu losing his memories and her being the guardian, later Hawk Moth getting most of the miraculouses, leaving her with only her original partner once again.

All of the unhealthy behavior she exhibit in the show because she got traumatized confessing to Kim the year prior courtesy of Chloé. Note that it's the act of confessing itself that seems to have scarred Marinette completely, not Kim or Chloé, Kim probably because she knows he was manipulated into it and is probably more unaware of how much hurt she ended up feelings as they probably have known each other for years maybe (who knows), and well Chloé had been her bully for some years by that point so nothing new here, just another new way of being tormented by her. It was the act of pourring her heart and feelings out in the open to someone she loved only to then being brutally having it turned into a sick joke that left an horrible trauma on her, to the point that she swears that she'll know everything about the next guy she'll fall in love with and make sure they're not friends with Chloé. But that second part went away with Adrien who is friends with Chloé so. Yeah.

So again, why the heck should I approve of Adrienette? Why should I like it? Why should I like that Adrien finally got with Marinette after realising he started to grow romantically interested in her after one of her worst moment ever toward him? Why would they even be good friends? For all the things I said above, I'll say that's why I'll never approve, like it or ship it, or think they could be good friends, unless Marinette just stopped feeling romantic toward him.

For all the fluff that happens when it is all romantic and soft and stuff, I remember all the terrible moments, thoughts and actions that led to them, preventing me from liking it.

Even their "friendship" moments, that were also most of the time Marinette being hurled toward him, either by herself or with the help of her friends.

Because I'm sure that Marinette would probably be able to do worse than what Chat Blanc would have done if something happened to Adrien and she couldn't save him.

She could and probably would be worse than Gabriel ever was.

The only one time I actually liked Adrienette was in Oblivio, when they had no idea who they were, and as such didn't have their trauma and insecurities with them which made it the healthiest they've ever been.

Marinette doesn't need a boyfriend, she needs a therapist to overcome her freaking trauma before actually heading in a romance. She deserves this much. She needs the help, badly. Her friends can only do so much and they are amazing, but they are also kids who aren't equiped to deal with her trauma. They all have their own traumas and worries to work on too.

Seriously where are the therapists in this city for real?

Adrien and Luka deserved better.

Adrien also needs therapy because Gabriel sucks for life.

And the kids need to reign their shipping tendencies, nice of them to help, but sometimes, please don't get involved, because either it won't work or Marinette will take it apart by herself even without meaning to.

So those are my feelings on the Adrinette ship and the Adrinette friendship.

#ml s5 spoilers #ml season 5 leaks #ml s5 leaks #adrien agreste #marinette salt #adrinette salt #never have i ever loathed a ship this hard #or a friendship for that matter #dumb kids but good kids the class is #adrien deserves better #i love alya #but she needs to tone down the shipping

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generalluxun · 9 months ago

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Colt's Brother(one of many)

A.R. Fathom

-also a 'Lord of War' come to Paris to get what 'the family is owed'(The peacock miraculous)

-Colt did not die in silence, and the Fathoms are a large and tightly knit clan

-'Colt was a bastard, but he was our bastard. We paid the blood price for that geegaw and we'll have it.'

His son, Magnus Fathom

-calls Amilie 'Desert belly'

-Meanest dog in the hunt

-Not happy to be in Europe, at all.

#miraculous ladybug #ml fanfiction musings #OCs?#kinda #Paris deserves a better class of villain

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kimbapisnotsushi · 2 years ago

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i should make a poll of which high school romance manga second lead got well and truly fucked over

#KIKUCHI THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE HE DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER #aya in waiting for spring!!!!#atohira in hibichouchou #i actually really really liked atohira bc he was also on taichi's side in a way #THE #THE ML'S FRIEND #IN I FELL IN LOVE AFTER SCHOOL AAAAAAAH #HE WAS SO NICE TOO #god fuck that class president guy in the hedgehog series i keep forgetting the name of #sou says stuff

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trashyangelic · 17 days ago

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oooh I like this one but wish there were a part two where the Bustier Class and Bustier herself are outcasted after the party with the trio (Chloe, Alya, and Marinette).

Mean Queens

This was for a prompt I mentioned earlier today. I decided to test my hand at Loyal!Alya fic to see how it plays out. Hope you like it.

Marinette had officially been exiled to the back of the class and excommunicated. Lila and most of the class had been waiting for Marinette to arrive; each with cold looks on their faces. The bluenette had looked for Alya, hoping her bestie could tell her what was going on. But there was no sign of the glasses-wearing girl yet. So she had tried to catch Adrien’s eye but he had refused to make eye contact.

Then it all came out.

Keep reading

#ml salt #ml fic #alya deserves better #class salt #a little bit of adrien salt #marinette dupain cheng

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lovysmtalks · 1 year ago

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Adrien is the Ken of Daminette and every other existing ship with Marinette

I can't explain why or how, just "I'm just ken, where I see love she sees a friend" fits most of the usual daminette scenarios, OR any other ship.

#AdrienisKenough

#maribat #ml x dc #marinette deserves better #marinette dupain cheng #mlb au #maridami #marinette x damian #class salt #adrien salt #felinette #jasonette #damimari #daminette #mlb crossover #timinette #dickinette #lukanette #marikami #marinette x kagami

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leona-hawthorne · 2 months ago

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hiii, i’m hannah! congrats on 1k! i love your writing you totally deserve it❤️❤️

i’d like to order an herbal tea please ma’am. my fav hogwarts class is potions and i’m a slytherin.

thanks soooo much!!

thank you ml!!! i hope you like this 💌🤍

1k celebration navigation latte art

ミ★ THANKS?… mattheo riddle

The air was thick with the earthy tang of crushed herbs and a faint hint of smoke, remnants of a botched potion someone had abandoned earlier. You leaned over your cauldron, carefully adding a pinch of powdered asphodel, watching the mixture swirl into a soft, luminescent green. Professor Slughorn had excused everyone twenty minutes ago, but you stayed behind to perfect the Draught of Living Death. It wasn’t just about the grade—it was the principle. You had a reputation in Potions to maintain.

From the corner of your eye, you caught movement by the supply cupboard. Turning slightly, you noticed Mattheo Riddle. He was crouched down, rifling through jars and bottles with a carelessness that made you wince. A faint scowl tugged at your lips as he grabbed a jar, inspected it for half a second, and then tossed it back onto the shelf with a dull clink.

“You know, smashing Slughorn’s ingredients probably won’t get you out of homework,” you quipped without looking up from your cauldron.

“Homework?” His voice came smooth and low, like the first sip of spiked butterbeer. “Do I look like someone who’s worried about homework?”

You rolled your eyes, glancing at him. His tie was nowhere to be found, his shirt untucked with the sleeves pushed up to reveal ink-stained forearms. He stood, holding a vial of unicorn horn dust like he’d found some priceless artifact, and smirked when he caught your gaze.

“Well, you’re clearly worried about something,” you said, gesturing vaguely at the mess he was leaving behind. “Unless this is just your idea of helping.”

Mattheo wandered over to your table, lazily swirling the vial between his fingers. “Helping isn’t really my thing,” he admitted, leaning against the edge of your workspace. “But I am curious—what’s got you brewing that after hours? A little light poison-making for fun?”

“It’s for the Draught of Living Death,” you said, turning back to your cauldron. “And if you don’t stop distracting me, I’m going to need it for myself.”

“Touché.” He chuckled, setting the vial down on the table with an unnecessary flourish. “But, for the record, you’re stirring it wrong.”

You froze, narrowing your eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Clockwise, not counterclockwise,” he said, arms folded smugly. “Slughorn’s book is wrong about the order. If you stir it counterclockwise now, the powdered asphodel reacts too quickly with the valerian root. Your potion will split before it settles.”

You stared at him, torn between annoyance and genuine intrigue. “And you know this… how?”

He shrugged, a cocky tilt to his head. “Let’s just say I’ve had some practice.”

“You? Practice?” You couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped you. “What’s next? You’re secretly top of the class?”

“Hardly,” he said, grinning. “I’m just very… hands-on with my learning.”

There was a flicker of something genuine in his tone, enough to make you hesitate. Against your better judgment, you switched your stirring direction, watching as the potion’s surface rippled and settled into a perfect, glassy stillness.

“Well, would you look at that,” you muttered, begrudgingly impressed.

“Don’t look so surprised.” His voice was teasing, but his smile was softer now. “I can be helpful when I want to be.”

“Guess there’s a first time for everything,” you said, turning to meet his gaze.

He was closer now, his dark curls falling haphazardly into his eyes as he watched you with a mixture of amusement and something else—something quieter. For a moment, the usual sharp edges of his presence seemed to soften, and you felt an unexpected warmth creeping up your neck.

“Thanks, Riddle,” you said, fighting the stupid smile finding its way onto your lips.

He winked. “Call me Mattheo.”

#mattheo riddle #slytherin boys #mattheo riddle x y/n #mattheo riddle x you #mattheo riddle x reader #mattheo riddle fluff #mattheo riddle fanfic #harry potter #slytherin #benjamin wadsworth #latte art #leona-hawthorne’s 1k celebration

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elina-sakura · 2 years ago

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It honestly does feel like it’s being used more to create conflict and suspense while ignoring how this would impact the characters and their relationships.

Especially the episode Ladybug. Throughout season 3, it felt like it was being built up for something big that Lila will do, and I genuinely thought it was going to lead an impact. And with how the episode played out, I thought Marinette was going to develop trust issues from her friends, her teachers, and even possibly her family.

There is also a potential character arc for Marinette to go through: learning that while it’s okay to forgive others, it is important to be emotionally honest about how they hurt you.

Or how in season 3, Marinette could possibly lean more into trusting Kagami and Luka with the Miraculous instead of Alya and Nino. And perhaps Marinette starts trusting more of her classmates with the Miraculous.

What’s the point of Marinette getting beaten down and turned against by the people she trusts most if it’s not going cause some sort of change in her? It’s being treated as just another thing she has to overcome to then be happy she exposed the bullies but realistically being treated like that by pretty much everyone in your life would be pretty traumatic regardless of whether it gets “resolved”. What I’m saying is Marinette should be developing trust and intimacy issues with everyone regardless of if they’re friend or foe.

#miraculous Ladybug #ml writing critical #ml writing salt #marinette dupain cheng #marinette deserves better #class salt #no hate though #they are teenagers #teachers on the other hand #you guys keep failing your job #I want overarching character arcs #not restricting to just build up in multiple episodes #and then impacted and resolved in just one episode #and then kind of forgotten in the end

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dangermousie · 1 year ago

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2023 End of Year Post - kdrama edition

Yes, we have a some of December left, and I want to check out Death's Game but whatever. I got time for this now and not sure if I will have later so here goes.

This is only going to cover kdramas that aired in 2023; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it’s not on the list. This was an excellent kdrama year, the likes of which we hadn't had in a long time.

DRAMAS WATCHED

In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality so pls don't come for me, fans of some popular dramas that are on my nope list. Also, I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list.

33. The Escape of the Seven - this is so aggressively stupid and mean that it feels like the makers are playing a practical joke seeing how much their audience will take. This has a season 2 coming, so the answer is a lot.

32. Behind Your Touch - the FL gets superpowers by touching people's and animals' butts. Yes, you read this right. Do I really need to add anything?

31. King the Land - yes, it was a hit. Yes, it stars popular actors. I HATED IT LIKE IT TOUCHED MY BUTT TO GET SUPERPOWERS!!! Plastic people in paint by the numbers story, with about as much genuineness or retability as a barbie aisle in walmart. I never expect much from Yoona so whatever, but to have LJH go from The Red Sleeve to this boggles the mind.

30. Mrs Durian - this is so dumb that I think I lost a few IQ points watching this, but its insanity becomes entertaining - I mean what kdrama can you name where a daughter in law declares her love and lust for her mother in law at a family dinner?

29. The Matchmakers - there is nothing offensive about this drama at all. But there is nothing in the least interesting either. If elevator music took drama shape, it would be this show.

28. Destined with You - sorry, Rowoon, I am still fond of you, but you are two for two in drama duds department this year. This is a drama where I loved ep 1, liked ep 2, was indifferent to 3 and...you get the point. Each ep was worse than the one before, and I bailed before I was dragged into a cosmic singularity.

27. Oasis - great first two episodes. Unfortunately it was not a two ep show. The performances are solid but the story is just not there - the effect is like a fancy chef making an amazing sauce to put on pig slop.

26. Boyhood - it's not you, it's me in action. I can see why people would like it but a 34-year old playing a high schooler in a Weak Hero Class 1 Slapstick Edition is no go for me.

25. Castaway Diva - it's so precious and kooky in the most annoying ways, with the most well-adjusted abused castaway in history. I like magic realism when done by Jorge Amado, but this ain't Amado.

24. Island - it had a good concept, good cast and fun visuals but the execution deserved one of ML's swords through the neck.

23. The Worst of Evil - if I wanted an American show, I'd watch one. Very solid performances though.

22. Song of the Bandits - period edition of what I said about The Worst of Evil.

21. Welcome to Samdalri - and goodbye to any hope of emotional involvement.

20. Joseon Attorney - I have yet to like a single sageuk centered around a profession and this was not an exception. I guess it could be worse but it also could have been so much better.

19. Twinkling Watermelon - everyone loved this drama. Everyone except for me. It's the kind of precious that sets my teeth on edge and I couldn't stand half the main characters we were supposed to root for. I guess I like my fruits to shine steadily.

18. Our Blooming Youth - probably the biggest disappointment on this list. This is not a bad drama by any means, but with that cast and that story (I loved the novel), I was hoping for a memorable sageuk not merely all right.

17. Vigilante - it has the emotional complexity and nuance of a punch to the throat but it gives us quasi-gay openly-murderous dudes going after psychos and Yoo Ji Tae holding feral Nam Joo Hyuk by his hoodie at his feet.

16. The Forbidden Marriage - expected nothing but it was a surprisingly enjoyable trifle of a costume drama that was also quite pretty.

15. Arthdal Chronicles: Sword of Aramun - a hot mess but such an entertaining epic one. And it gave us TWO Lee Jun Kis in period gear and who am I to cavil at the bounty of God?

14. The Story of Park's Marriage - it's a trifle, a souffle, so light it might blow away, but it keeps my attention and is so fun and sweet.

13. My Lovely Liar - a huge surprise, that manages to mix a murder mystery and a romcom, and shocked me by showing Hwang Minhyun can act.

12. Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - the original ToNT was my fave drama of its year and I did not think it needed a sequel. But this is not a sequel but more of a side-quel and is such a total delight with brotherly love, adventures, romance and hijinks. It's a joy.

11. Perfect Marriage Revenge - it's actually very hard to do a soap right but this slim 12 ep drama managed. So fun, so crazy, such a good ship!

10. My Lovely Boxer - not really about sports, but about two broken people finding salvation because of and in each other. Also, if you like age gap romances, this is delicious. Sort of loses steam by the end but c’est la vie.

9. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - this was a sageuk that was not on my radar with a bunch of actors I was not familiar with but it took my heart away. A good plot that was perfectly paced, characters and ships I adored, a logical ending. This is one of the biggest positive surprises of the year for me.

8. Tell Me That You Love Me - a slice of life remake (sort of, it's more "inspired by") of my favorite jdrama of all time. It's not as good as the jdrama because nothing could be, but it's an aching lovely story with some incredible performances.

7. See You In My 19th Life - funny and romantic and haunting and hopeful and odd. This was one of my favorites of the year.

6. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow - it's rare for me to like a (1) sequel (2) with FL actress change (3) that is a Hong Sisters drama. But this was such a gorgeous, surprisingly achy story of love and loss and love regained with some cool monster fighting in the middle. Between the two seasons, this is the first Hong Sisters' drama I enjoyed from beginning to end in well over a decade.

5. My Demon - so tropey (chaebols, supernaturals) but it proves that these tropes are popular for a reason. The chemistry is fire, the story is unpredictable and the whole thing is an addictive delight. A rare drama where I like each new ep more than the last one.

4. Goryeo Khitan War - an old school sageuk in every meaning of the term (no romance, no eye candy, lots of bearded men, battles and politics), this feels like watching an epic movie more than a drama. The vast cast all earns their place and the performances (mainly from character actors given a chance to shine) are incredible.

3. Call It Love - two very very damaged people finding love and healing with each other. This is a narrative very hard to do to my satisfaction but when it's done well, as here, there are few things that can hold a candle to it.

2. My Dearest - a masterpiece of cinematography, narrative, performances. This is an old-school epic romance in the best sense of the term. If it doesn't make you swoon or break your heart, there is something wrong with you. A story of two untraditional, strong-willed, flawed people who fall in love in the middle of the horrifying Qing invasion of Korea and have to deal with all that the world throws at them, this is a bona fide masterpiece.

1 - Moon in the Day - who knew my favorite kdrama of the year will star a store brand Domyoji from Extraordinary You and an actress I was never familiar with. But this part period/part modern fantasy tale of doomed cursed lovers is everything I knew I wanted and everything I didn't know I wanted but did. Two lovers where their love did not save them and in modern day it might not again, has got me obsessed the way I haven't been in years.

FAVORITE DRAMA

Moon in the Day - if there is such a thing as a drama made perfectly for me, this gorgeous, emotionally haunting, utterly romantic, twisty tale is it.

WORST DRAMA

The Escape of the Seven. This drama is proof that demons exist and not sexy ones like Song Kang but horrible nasty ones who delight in the torment this hot mess inflicted on its viewers.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Do Ha, Moon in the Day - a Silla general and a consummate killer who committed atrocities on the orders of his monster father and yearned to die for them, who found the meaning in life in loving his enemy but it did not make him better, a man so obsessed he literally was around for 1500 years of horrifying ghostly existence and still went "worth it" for a woman who killed him as long as he knew she loved him while she did it. He's intense and competent and beyond fucked up and has never had a normal day and I love him so so so very much from a safe distance.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Gil Chae, My Dearest - she starts out as vain and spoiled but the horrors that break so many others bring out all her fierce survivor potential and she becomes such a force of nature - capable of incredible love but also sacrifice and strength and compassion.

Runner Up: Shin Hye Sun's reincarnator in See You In My 19th Life - quirky, damaged, strong, so odd and so vulnerable at once.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

There are a lot of characters who fit that category (King Injo in My Dearest? My God) but the crown belongs to So Ri Bu from Moon in the Day. You think you've seen abusive parents but until you've seen a man abuse his son his whole life and then continue for 1500 years after his death, you ain't seen nothing!

FAVORITE SHIP

The doomed by the narrative OTP of Moon in The Day. Only thing that's better than enemies to lovers is enemies while lovers and their impossible relationship where her killing him is a supreme act of love and his refusing to let go is so strong that he stays around for 1500 years watching her, helpless as she dies over and over again, is everything you ever want.

Runner up: Jang Hyun/Gil Chae, My Dearest. They are so strong and so damaged and it takes them so long to figure out what they feel and what the other person feels but their love and sacrifice and complexities are perfect.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Kim Shi Yeol/Hong Joo, The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - an assassin bodyguard pretending to be a carefree scholar and a widow of the man he killed to protect his king (and whose life was destroyed as a result.) I enjoyed the main OTP of this drama but I was utterly and completely unhinged for the secondary couple.

I'd have probably picked Rang and his mermaid from TotNT 1938 even over them, but they really were the main OTP of that drama.

NOTP

King the Land couple seems like an easy target but honestly, they are both so terribly bland and antiseptic and marketing by committee, they kinda deserve each other. So I am gonna go with Destined with You, one half of which thinks supernaturally roofying someone into loving them is cute and the other half thinks dating one woman while wooing another is totally a-ok. Ugh.

FAVORITE SCENE

There is no competition for the scene in the slave market in My Dearest, where Jang Hyun finds Gil Chae - the way he screams and tries to clutch the hem of her skirt will live in my head forever.

And the scene where he 'wins' that horrifying bet, or the scene where she finds him in a pile of bodies - they are as good also. Or when he fights off a squad to protect her even though he's sick. That whole drama is perfect.

Runner up: the scene of Do Ha executing Ri Ta's family, covered in blood, as she looks at him from the crowd in Moon in the Day.

Or the scene where he talks about how he cannot live as a person but at least maybe she will kill him and he will die as one. Or when her confession in the past intercuts with his walking in the present, or when he comes home in his bloodied armor and she finds he has a fever and it's the first tender touch he's probably ever known. Her murdering So Ri Bu saying she knows she's going against filial piety in loving her parents' murderer, the way they hug, both bloody, as he says "let's live." The way she says she can't go on as she's hit rock bottom and he replies she cannot quit because she must accompany him to his rock bottom now. Honestly, the drama is a font of amazingness.

Also, the opening scene of Goryeo Khitan War or the scene of Yang Gyu ordering to shoot the captives and having to do so himself.

The OTP meeting again at the intersection at the end of ep 1 of Tell Me That You Love Me. SHS comforting ABH as he's having a traumatic breakdown in 19th Life. The love-making scene in Call It Love. There were a lot of great scenes this year.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Lee Jang Hyun, My Dearest - is that even a competition? He's flawed - vain, often emotionally closed off, not great at processing emotions, lashing out when hurt. He is also incredibly heroic in a real, knows the cost but bears it, kind of way. Whatever he does, he commits utterly but it's never without understanding the cost. He felt both larger than life and utterly real. He went through hell and maintained his soul and the way he loved Gil Chae was breath-taking to behold.

Runner Up: Yang Gyu, Goryeo Khitan War - an experienced military commander who wins an impossible victory even as it ravages his soul. Competence is sexy as fuck.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Rang, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - 1938 really was Rang's chance to shine and he took it. For a character I started out disliking in the original, he really stole my entire heart in this drama. I am so glad he got his happy ending with his brother and his girl.

Runner Up: Crown Prince, My Dearest. He started out as a sheltered, spoiled aristocrat, convinced the world owed him for existing. He grew up slowly and painfully into an amazing man. And then was murdered for it and I cried.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Arthdal - it leaves the story at a good stopping point but it's very much a "world in flux, adventures and conflicts continue" ending and I would love to see more of these characters. I know we won't but it would have been nice.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Behind Your Touch - should have been snipped at birth.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Vigilante - I don't mean it had scissors taken to it because it's not cdrama and there is no NRTA, but this drama would have benefitted from being longer. I mean, I love fights and gay polycules as much as the next tumblr person but a bit more character development would not have come amiss. (ahaha - I said come. Leave me alone.)

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

I don't care about cops/doctors/trash collectors/whoever - workplace drama centering on their "cases" needs to die. I hate procedurals from any country and Korea is no exception.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Supernatural critter devoted to their OTP with all the power of their long life.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Our Blooming Youth - it was far from terrible but it was a giant meh. I was so excited to see Park Hyung Sik in a sageuk (that wasn't the hot mess that was Hwarang) and I adored the source novel. It actually started well and then...it's like Revenge of the Beige!

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

I want to say Moon in the Day but to be honest, I was excited by posters and trailers so it wasn't wholly a surprise despite not having much of an opinion on the actors before I saw them. So I am going to say My Demon. I was bored by the trailers, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a Kim Yoo Jung drama and before this year I would have said Song Kang was an incredibly limited actor in everything I've seen him in and not appealing to me at all. And here I am rabidly rabiding for this drama!

If I am not limiting myself to dramas but can use this for actors - Hwang Minhyun in My Lovely Liar. I genuinely did not think the man could act and then he gave such a pitch-perfect, nuanced performance out of nowhere!

2023 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

I have actually watched all the kdramas that aired this year that I wanted to check out except for Evilive. I am saving this for when I have time.

BEST NON-2023 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2023

I don't know if I'd say it's the best but Say You Love Me (2004) with Kim Rae Won as a quasi monk seduced away from his true love by an evil older woman was a hell of a ride.

MOST ANTICIPATED

Love Song for Illusion (Lady assassin falls for her royal target who has two personalities), Captivating the King (lady spy falls for her royal target who is tormented) - notice a theme? Also Flower that Blooms at Night because Honey Lee in a sageuk, The Life of Mrs Ock (Lim Ji Yeon in a sageuk), The Love Story of Chun Hwa (an "erotic" sageuk, hmmmm, what?!), Hong Rang (Lee Jae Wook in a super angst sageuk), Queen Woo (that cast and set in Goguryeo!), Wong Kyung (about Lee Bang Won's wife and I love the cast.) Basically, if it's period, I am there with bells on.

#kdrama #year in review #my dearest #moon in the day #call it love #tell me that you love me #goryeo khitan war #tale of the nine tailed 1938 #tale of the nine tailed: 1938 #The Secret Romantic Guesthouse #my demon #the story of park's marriage contract #perfect marriage revenge #Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow #see you in my 19th life #my lovely boxer

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goggles-mcgee · 2 years ago

Text

Too Late: Epilogue

The last chapter of this story for @miner249er

First Story in Series

Beginning Chapter

Last Chapter

Summary: Wu Fei came back from training only to hear news that changed her whole world, meanwhile Nooroo's mind wanders while he watched over Marinette.

Wu Fei was someone who liked to believe that she grew from her mistakes. She had faith she had in fact done so, but she knew she had not accomplished it alone. She owed thanks to her French-Chinese friend, Marinette. Oh, she knew a lot of it was herself but the other teen helped her realize the difference between Revenge and Justice when she had still been lost and hurt. Losing her adoptive father, Wu Shifu, had been a hurt that she believed nothing could soothe, but she lived as though it hadn’t hurt as badly as it had. But losing someone who loved you, cared for you, raised you, CHOSE you, was something she never wished upon anyone. Not even an enemy. Her bàba was her family, whether they shared blood or not, he could have taken her somewhere else like the CWI or a hatch house but he didn’t. He took her in and adopted her and he told her it was the best thing he had ever done as he believed she was a blessing. Thinking of him still hurt but it was more bittersweet than the blinding pain it used to be. Memories of them together were held near and dear to her heart and now she strived to be the woman he taught her to be.

That was the reason she left to train. Fei had strayed from the path she had been taught and wanted to remedy that immediately after she had acquired the Prodigious. The powers she had gained were exhilarating but she did not doubt the weight of their responsibility thus another reason to train. It wasn’t easy. Nothing worth it ever is, but she was proud to say all the training paid off. Her only regret was not being in contact with Marinette for so long but Mei Shi was a strict mentor when it came to her training for the Prodigious and for becoming another Guardian of the Sacred Cave and forbid outside distractions. Though the being was rather fond of Marinette whenever Fei and her called or messaged one another, Mei Shi usually asked Fei to send his well wishes to the French-Chinese girl. Now that training was done, Fei couldn’t wait to get back to their talks whether they were deep or meaningless, she missed her friend, her only friend.

That was why, as soon as training was done, she immediately sent a message to let her friend know she was finished and they should find a day that worked for both of them so they could video chat. She didn’t get a response the first day. That was okay, Marinette was a busy individual and when she was busy she tended to neglect her phone much the same way that Fei herself did when she herself was in a creative zone and deep into her training with Mei Shu. But the days kept passing and messages went with no responses, let alone read and Fei grew more worried. She even called Marinette’s parents bakery but either the line was busy or no longer in use. Her worry increased to the point she was in an anxious frenzy and had no idea what to do short of finding a way to Paris to make sure her friend was okay. Then she remembered Cheng Wang and his open invitation to visit him and his restaurant whenever she wanted. Whether she needed a meal or simply needed someone to talk to. It was an offer that Fei really appreciated but rarely took up.

It was time to take up that offer to make sure her friend was okay because Fei had a bad feeling and usually her bad feeling’s were always something worth fretting over. She was scared. This feeling wasn’t something like the time she had a bad feeling and realized she was missing an ingredient from a potion that Mei Shu had been instructing her to make, an important ingredient. The result had been…less than ideal but nothing life threatening. No, this feeling made her heart pound, her lungs squeeze, her body tense and her stomach sick. It only came when she thought of Marinette and she was about ready to use her dragon form to take her to Paris but she couldn’t be impulsive. Impulsivity caused mistakes, mistakes caused consequences you might not be ready nor willing to face. Fei had to be smart, she had to be calm, she had to be rational and going to Cheng Wang was what her rational thoughts were screaming and she was not going to deny them as they were the only good ideas she was having.

One short yet long-feeling trip had Fei standing in front of The Thousand Delights restaurant and to her surprise it had a closed sign taped to the door and windows. Fei’s heart dropped when she read it was for an undetermined amount of time but that it was not forever. The restaurant was closing for a family emergency and a little voice inside Fei whispered, Marinette. Desperately wanting to be wrong, Fei ran up the stairs to Master Cheng’s apartment that was located above the restaurant, much like his niece and her husband. The door was ajar and though she knew it was incredibly rude not to knock or saw something to announce her presence, Fei’s heart was racing, something was wrong and she needed to help so she just entered the home in a rush. There was no thought of her shoes on the floors, only to see if Master Cheng was okay, to see the problem, to fix the problem. Except there was no problem, well, not one she could see besides Master Cheng packing a suitcase. He was leaving? Why was he leaving?

Master Cheng blinked at her in confusion, he didn’t even reprimand her about her shoes, he was usually a stickler for rules. “Fei?”

“Master Cheng…what…what’s going on?” Maybe it was too broad a question but Fei didn’t know a lot of things at the moment and Master Cheng was the only one who could give her answers.

The heart-broken, desperate look he gave her did not make things better. “Oh Little One,” He had taken to calling her that and Marinette Littler One, “You do not know.”

“No. Know what? I…I’ve been training.”

“Come. Sit. I will…I will make us some tea.” Master Cheng said after a moment as he moved away from his suitcase to lead Fei more into his apartment and close the door.

“What? But-”

“Believe me. You will need the tea.”

Fei didn’t argue but she did toe off her shoes and set them by the door before she made her way to sit on one of the couches to wait. She didn’t want to wait but she knew she had to be patient. But how could she be patient when she knew the news she was about to receive was bad enough to warrant tea? The urge to bite her nails was strong but Mei Shu had been working really hard with her to break that particular habit. Though the more seconds that passed the more they felt like hours and the more impatience began to consume Fei. Restlessness crawled up her legs and seized her heart and she was almost about to just get up and go help despite how rude it might come across. Master Cheng was a kind person but she had no doubt he would be upset if she busted into the kitchen and interrupted him so she bounced a leg to try and occupy her and burn some of her restless energy.

“Sorry for the wait, I forgot I had packed my favorite tea to go with me on my trip.” Master Cheng announced softly as he walked into the room with his teapot and two cups on a tray. Fei even spotted some cookies.

“No worries.” Fei replied even if the words tasted bitter like a lie. She watched as Master Cheng placed the tray gently on the little coffee table and arranged everything on the table for them to reach them comfortably. She watched as he poured them both a cup of his favorite Longjing Green Tea, it brought a small secretive smile to her face as she recalled its other name, Dragon Well. It was something so simple and yet it made her feel a little less frantic and stressed, that seemed to be the normal when it came to her visits with Master Cheng. He was such a calming presence to be around. “You, You mentioned a trip?”

Master Cheng took a seat across from her and picked up his own cup of tea and blew at the steam and sighed. “Yes. I am taking a trip to Paris…You…You haven’t heard… anything?”

The way he said it, much like before, like it was something that weighed on his mind, on his shoulders, on his very spirit. “I’m afraid not. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been away training with a new mentor. He is…old fashioned and strict but kind, but while training he forbade outside distractions.”

“Ah, I had a great aunt like that. She had a thing about technology, I assume your mentor is much the same.”

“He is.”

Master Cheng nodded and stared off into his cup of tea for a moment before he brought it up to his lips and took a sip. “Much has happened back in Paris I’m afraid…”

Fei’s heart skipped a beat but she forced herself to shakily take a sip of her tea before she did anything rash. She swallowed the tea and then swallowed her lips before she asked, “Marinette? Is it…Does it have to do with Marinette?”

The silence that followed was answer enough.

“What happened?” Fei asked after she had a sip of her tea and after the silence started to feel more than a little suffocating.

Master Cheng took in a deep breath before he placed his cup on the saucer and back on the table between them. He stared down at his hands for a few seconds before he looked up at her. Eye contact had never felt so foreboding. “Marinette is…she is missing.”

Missing?

She couldn’t be.

Marinette couldn’t be missing, she just couldn’t. Please not Fei’s first friend. Not her best friend.

“It started with an akuma. I assume you are…familiar with them in the sense you have heard of them.”

All Fei could do was nod, her throat was too choked up.

“The akuma was…She was…Marinette was the akuma.” Master Cheng admitted and when he did so it seemed like it tore a bit of himself away. He looked so pained by the admission that Fei knew without a doubt he had actually felt that odd flash of pain one felt squeeze their heart in times of true sadness and panic.

And yet. She still wanted to doubt what he said despite her gut telling her he was being truthful. “No…Marinette would never…”

Master Cheng looked so bitterly resigned before he spoke again, “There is this American writer I am fond of. She has written many words, said probably many more but there is this one quote I can never forget. ‘The human capacity for burden is like bamboo – far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first sight.’ It is a thought provoking quote and an inspirational one, but like many things…bamboo can break with enough determination and the right tools.”

“Marinette…she’s the bamboo.”

“We all are, but in this case? Yes. I guess things were not going well in her class, quite the opposite in fact. It wasn’t one big thing that hit her, rather it was many things, some small, some not. It’s only human to break after that much pressure. The only thing is that Paris had a madman set out to use any strong negative emotion against everyone.”

“Had. You…You said, ‘had’.” Fei pointed out.

It made Master Cheng chuckle, albeit weakly. “You are very smart, very intuitive. Marinette…as an akuma…this is rather hard to explain…”

It certainly seemed hard to explain. Fei couldn’t see how Marinette as an akuma connected to the past tense talk of Paris’ supervillain. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s no fault of yours.”

“Nor yours.”

“...True. It’s just…the circumstances make one feel like they could have done more. I could have done more,” Master Cheng insisted, his voice thick with tears and it was such a shock to Fei. She had never seen him cry. Never. “Marinette was not happy, I noticed this in our last call but she brushed aside my concern and thought it best to give her space. If I had done more, if I had pressed…maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe The Followers would have never happened.”

“Th-The Followers?”

“Even as an akuma, Marinette wanted to protect people, she called herself The Protector. Not much is known about what she did before but…the akuma because I know Marinette could never, the akuma supposedly beat Gabriel Agreste and his assistant to the point of immediate hospitalization. It’s not confirmed but it is heavily speculated that he and his assistant were in fact-”

“Hawkmoth and Mayura.” Fei gasped. It made sense. Too much sense and yet not enough at the same time. “She…she saved Paris…but how…how did she end up missing then?”

“No one knows. She saved everyone and then just disappeared. No heroes were seen that day. Marinette was never defeated as an akuma. Never-”

“Never purified!” Fei couldn’t help but finish, her mind was going a mile a minute.

“Indeed. She disappeared as an akuma and…she left behind overzealous fans. Fans of her akuma form and those who believe she was Ladybug which it seems was the truth. These people became a group who basically became more of a cult, they, in her name, decided they too would ‘protect’ Paris. In doing so they have murdered a woman, maybe a man, they have put two young ladies in the hospital, one more injured than the other and they have taken it upon themselves to ‘protect’ the memory of their messiah.” Master Cheng explained with an obvious heavy heart.

“The Protector…”

Master Cheng nodded. “That’s why I am going to Paris. This cult has stolen many items that Marinette has made by hand for others. They have even gone as far as breaking into Sabine and Tom’s bakery and apartment. They have already taken objects but I’m going over to help pack the rest of Marinette’s things and bring them back here. We don’t want them getting their hands on anything else and I honestly don’t think Sabine would be able to handle anymore thefts.”

Fei felt an all too familiar feeling of loss hit her full force but she refused to buckle under its pressure like she had done before. Not when she knew there was still hope. Hope to find and see her friend again. “I’m coming with.”

_________________________

Nooroo did his best not to panic at the fact that Marinette was still unconscious but it was an old habit that was not so easy to break. Even if he could feel she was perfectly fine through their connection. A connection that comforted him yet confused him, it was like no connection he had ever made before. There was always some kind of connection between a Kwami and the Holder of their Miraculous, especially if they were a Harmony, a perfect match. Then there was the opposite of that which was a Dissonance, a very imperfect match one that could be destructive if a Holder still forced a transformation. If a Kwami was in a Dissonance for too long it would result in damage done to the Miraculous which is what happened to Duusuu unfortunately. The two souls would continue to clash within the transformation without the wearer being aware until they started being affected by it. The Holder would succumb to either the injuries or the illness they were cursed with and the Miraculous would break and infuse itself with that curse.

Emilie Agreste had unfortunately learned of this curse first hand despite Duusuu’s continued warnings. At some point Nooroo stopped caring what would happen to the woman, Duusuu had warned her and pleaded for her so many times, it had to be pure stupidity or desperation to ignore them and though Nooroo shared a fascination of humanity with Tikki, he felt irritated in the face of their stupidity. Duusuu though, poor Duusuu was a bleeding heart and had a soft spot for the blonde woman and did her best to save her. Even if Duusuu hadn’t tried, their fate had been sealed the moment Emilie fell into a coma and Gabriel Agreste showed some of the worst humanity had to offer. Duusuu was spared for a good amount of time while Nooroo had been chained to power-hungry Holder once more. It had happened before but not like this.

The sad part was that Gabriel could have been a good enough Holder for him, not a Harmony but close but his actions and the change he went through caused the connection between them to go askew, closer to a Dissonance but never reaching that level. The only reason it never did was because Gabriel at least had the brain to feed him, even if it wasn’t as often as it should have been and he let him rest though he never went out of his way to make sure Nooroo was okay or comfy. A good bond with a Kwami was essential to the growth of a connection thus the growth of power a Miraculous had. Being free of Gabriel was like plunging into cool waters after being in intense heat for an extended period of time, all the shackles of the commands he was given were broken and it was like he could finally feel.

Marinette had freed him, though not entirely herself. She possessed the power of a Champion, those who fought for the Butterfly Miraculous though Gabriel had twisted the magic so much that they couldn’t even be called Champions when he made them, much like past Holders who used the Butterfly Miraculous in such a way, the man gave the creatures he created new names. He dubbed them Akumas. From what Nooroo could recall of his time in Japan so many years ago, he recalled the different meanings: demon, devil, fire spirit, group of undefined beings that brought pain and suffering. It fit in a poetic way. Marinette was no Akuma, but to call her a Champion didn’t feel right either. She became something entirely different when she accepted the butterfly in the height of her hurt and anger, when she accepted all of them, when she felt for them, when she sympathized with them.

Nooroo was as much Marinette’s as she was his and he knew he would be safe as long as he was with her. He would protect her too, as much as he could. “Don’t worry Little Caterpillar, we’ll get through this and out of it, you will blossom and transform.” He muttered softly as he ran a little hub through her hair.

“Oh. Hello there! It’s not very often I see my kind here. Actually not often at all.” A voice startled Nooroo enough to nearly make him fall into Marinette’s hair. He flew up and turned every direction he could until his eyes focused on what was definitely a Kwami. One he did not recognize.

“You…You are a Kwami, but not one I know…”

The Kwami laughed, though not unkindly. “That’s not surprising. I was one of the younger ones and not many knew of me before my Miraculous went missing from the Box I was part of.”

That somewhat answered Nooroo’s question and yet didn’t and left him with more. “I am Nooroo. Kwami of Transmission and Hope.”

“Oooo formal greeting! Okay.” The Kwami cleared its throat before it introduced itself. “I am Frenze. Kwami of Strength and Friendship! It’s nice to meet you Nooroo, why did you come to this island? Was it with that human? Why is that human asleep? Where’s your boat? Did you even come on boat? Oh my goodness! Are you guys shipwrecked? Did you fall overboard?”

Yep. Definitely a Kwami of friendship.

CWI - Children's Welfare Institute is an orphanage located in Shanghai, China

hatch house or also known as a baby hatch - A baby hatch is a small home where parents drop off children, where they hopefully will be taken to an orphanage. The Ministry of Civil Affairs began the baby hatch program as a response to the increasing number of abandoned infants. Currently, there are 32 baby hatches across China, and each hatch only accepts children from within the same city.

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pruneunfair · 6 months ago

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Women who deserve better, both in story and writting. *Spoiler warning*

Isabella de Mare

Shes who I think of when someone asks me which character has the most wasted potential. She's a horrible human being with no other qualities but that was fine because she was set up at first as this conniving mastermind behind it all, her whole monologe about not putting all your faith in men was pretty badass and she even knew Ceasre would fall out of love with her eventually, girl just wanted that power. Unfortunately authors didn't want her to be smarter or even as smart as the FL so they dumbed her down into a spoiled green tea bitch with a low intelligence stat.

Rhyse Sinclair

Honestly she's one of the better green tea women I've seen, I like that instead of her immediately trying to mess with Edith she's trying to be her friend and actually does a good job playing the role of the sweet saint while dropping hints of her new rotten nature. I think she was originally a sweet girl who wanted the best for Edith until the Author started to influence her more and more.

Iris Van Conrad

Correct me if I get something wrong cause i just started reading this one. While Iris is annoying and just the typical punching bag designed for the FL to basically say "I'm not like other girls." I kind of pity her, she's getting humiliated every which way. In the beginning the FL pours wine on her for insulting her dress and a comment said that was classy? That's literally the opposite of how to handle a situation with class, she's not hard to dislike but not hard to like either, I want to hope she'll become a real threat but it's unlikely

Rashta Ishka

Ah, the iconic Rashta and probably one of the most famous green tea bitches. This girl was done dirty by both the story and the writting. She's the anti-sue to Naviers Mary sue. She was a slave sold by her father, was taken advantage of by one of her masters and got pregnant, her child was then taken from her by her master and he gave her a dead baby he claimed was hers and that's only a slice of what she goes through.

Nobody really likes her, she's regarded as a stupid slave who barges in on the empress, Sovieshu happily takes advantage of her to try to make Navier jealous and her only friend is manipulating her into ruin, all while any chance at her being complex is destroyed by the writers who turn her from a smart grey character/Villainess to another wicked punching bag to be used as a stepping stone for Navier and Heinrey.

Aisha

Basically Rashta but even worse. She never succeeds in any of her plans or schemes and is always one step behind the girlboss protagonist Robelia. Aisha exists to be the "other girl" fans can make fun of. The moment the protagonist shows up, the ML (who I'd beg to differ is the sole conflict and not her) ditches her to be with Robelia now that's she's "interesting" leaving Aisha to basically throw childish tantrums as she fails to be better than the FL and worse yet, the writer justifies Alexandros cheating and is viewed as misunderstood while Aisha still a pick me concubine who's only personality is trying and failing to win over Alexandros.

Minthe

The only one who's not from a manhwa. Minthe is proof to me that no one on webtoon really cares if your a mistress just as long as your the protagonist. She is one of the few character in lore olympus written with acknowledged flaws and reasons to be upset, Hades gets in an emotional affair with Persephone and apparently she's evil for not sucking it up and being reasonably upset, she's often a victim of prejudice by the other characters and is literally called "nymph trash". Even the fans would ridicule her for being upset and getting in the way of the creepy ship between Hades and Persephone to the point of bodyshaming her and being overly happy when Persephone turned her into a plant. In the end Minthe gets a half-assed arc and leaves the story forever.

Diane Poitier

One of the other well written women in historical manhwas. She's treated pretty badly by everyone including her brother and the Emperor who she tries desperately to keep by her side and she wrongfully takes it out on the protagonist Adelheid but whats different between her and other concubines in other media, Diane was there before Adelheid so it gave a reason why she was defensive (not an excuse but a reason). Seeing her break down when Adelheid actually cared about her broke my heart and really showed just how little worth outside of the Emperor she really has for herself and makes some pretty nice character development for herself and died realizing she blamed her problems on the wrong person.

#rashta #the remarried empress #anti lo #webtoon #I will abdicate my title as empress #sister i am the queen in this life #Today the villainess has fun again #I thought it was a common possession #divorcing my tyrant husband

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huellitaa · 5 months ago

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hello hello huelittaa 👋✨ do u have any tips for someone struggling with motivation to workout? or even to take a simple walk? thank uu 🤍

bee's physical activity handbook: motive 🎀 . ݁₊ ⊹

hiiii ml!!!!!!!! 🫶🏻🩷💗 sorry this has been sitting in my inbox for a few days BUT IM HERE NOW !!!!! honestly this is something i also struggle with myself ,, i am still recovering from depression personally so this is still difficult for me sometimes too but these are some things i do !!!! ♡

🧁𓂃 ࣪˖ 1. prepare urself for the possibility

so since i know i have this problem a lot, it helps me to be prepared for this in advance. i actually have a whole notion page filled with a table of letters to myself in specific situations i find myself in a lot, this included, and have a whole archived stored of cute photos and motivation and things like articles and videos and tumblr posts on the main page and in the letters that make me wanna get up and do shit and its my LIFESAVER. (should i make a post on this?)

but i'd suggest to keep a note or page or document , physical or digital, filled with just motivation for this specific thing, like things you like about it, photos romanticising working out or going outside, songs that motivate you, etc etc etc. the list goes on but you get the point ♡

🎀𓂃 ࣪˖ 2. detective chapter: analysis! ♡

figure out why you dont want to. this is the main thing that helps me and its so simple but once u figure out the root u figure out the rest and this applies just the same here too. is it laziness? mental health? exhaustion? overworking? burnout? you won't be able to continue until you haven't found the actual problem. it's like trying to travel with no path to travel on.

💭𓂃 ࣪˖ 3. pep talk!

one thing i do that helps me the most is literally just lay in bed or wherever you are where ur procrastinating and thinking about this over and over and going back and forth whether to do it or not is to force the thoughts out (literally. u can envision it if it helps!) and deadass bully myself into doing it 😭😭

(🗒🎀 note: i've also found it helps for some people to do this in the mirror, just so ur face to face w urself as it were. plus u get to admire urself at the same time so its a win all around)

if ur not into harsh motivation, another thing i love, esp when im not feeling great enough to deal w harsh motivation is pretend ur giving advice to a friend or ur child in this position. this is one of the greatest pieces of advice ive ever gotten i literally cannot stress this enough. do this‼️ p.s. you can do this in ur head or out loud. i usually do some mix of both because i am a professional at talking to myself constantly literally all the time

🧁𓂃 ࣪˖ 4. use gratitude in ur favour!

one thing i like to do is essentially guilt trip myself into doing it. erm. you can also call this gratitude it sounds a lot better. think of how grateful you are to even have the opportunity to go outside safely to go for a walk, to be able to work out and keep urself healthy, because there's always someone who's not going to be able to do those things. it is a privilege to live your life and this should be classed as one too.

🎀𓂃 ࣪˖ 5. all about the outlook

another thing i love that falls into the category of motivation is treating it as an act of love and luxury rather than a chore and changing ur outlook on it. for example,

"oh, i have to do this or i'm a failure" or "i really don't want to do it today"

🎀𓂃 ࣪˖ into...

"i deserve to do this for myself because i deserve to be taken care of and kept in good health."

and i find this makes me so much more open to it because you do deserve it.

🧸𓂃 ࣪˖ 6. romanticism; obviously!

okayyyy i know you hear this EVERYWHERE but ‼️its‼️because‼️its true‼️ romanticism is my LIFE not a day goes by where i dont act like im a silly girl in a pink girly shoujo world, and i do this even more so when i dont wanna get up and do simple tasks like this.

some things that give me motivation via romanticism is getting dressed up and cute even if i'm just going for a walk and listening to music and appreciating the world (🗒🎀 note: i love taking pictures or going on different routes whenever i go for walks! it makes the experience so much sweeter and more enjoyable ♡), or putting on cute clothes, loud music and grabbing a pretty waterbottle and hyping myself up to do even just 10 mins of pilates because something is always better than nothing!!!!!!!!!!!

🎀𓂃 ࣪˖ 7. something is better than nothing

with the last note from my previous point in mind, try and always do just a little bit, even if it's not the amount you intended. say you wanted to workout for 20 minutes every day, but you really weren't feeling it today? do 10 instead. this way ur still doing something. we always have tomorrow. take it at ur own pace. you wanted to go running every day? just go for a walk. you can always try again. there is no limit on how many attempts you have with these things. this is always better than just doing nothing at all. this is basically finding the middle ground when you do these things. which leads me onto my final point ,,♡

✨️𓂃 ࣪˖ 8. finding the middle ground

the no.1 thing in all of this is please don't beat urself up for it if you don't feel like it sometimes, but still keep to it as best as possible. say for example you really didn't want to one day but you had no real reason not to, you should still do it. but if your emotional or physical health or anything like that is in a bad place right now, then allow urself to skip for a day or two. dont beat urself up over it, but keep to it when and where you can because i know its difficult sometimes ♡

all my love, and u got this!!!!!!!!!! 🩷🫶🏻💬💗🎀

#IMSO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET BACK TO YOU AJDJFKSJFS #anyway. im here now. i hope this helps you i love u #asks ୨𖹭୧ #it girlism ୨𖹭୧

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