#paris is very catlike

[justhyperfixiating]

Paris x Reader (Platonic)

Paris gets some Rest

You were reading a book when two little hands appeared on the top edge of it, and pulled down, revealing two big, red eyes.

"Oh, hello, Paris."

"Hi." His raspy voice had changed to suit how small he was. It still threw you off sometimes.

You rested the book on your chest slowly, and Paris crawled over it and into the nook in-between your arm and your chest. You waited for him to get comfy before resuming your book.

It was a slow day, today. Nothing much was happening, and everyone was taking advantage of the opportunity to rest. Lily was playing her games in the other room, and Yumi was completing a puzzle on the floor while cuddling with one of her newer plushies. And it seemed Paris wanted to siphon some body heat from you.

But after a good while of enjoying his presence (and him enjoying yours), your throat began to get dry.

You gently shifted your arm to wake Paris, "Paris?"

"Mm"

"I need to go get something to drink. And maybe something to eat, too, I could get you a blanket and some pillows if you want."

"I'd. Like to stay with you. If you're alright with that."

"That's alright."

You put a bookmark in your book, and set it aside before carefully getting up, adjusting your hold on Paris as you got on your feet.

"Are you comfy enough?"

"Mhm."

"Okay. Let me know if you get uncomfortable."

Getting to the kitchen was easy enough, but when you started thinking through the process of making yourself a mug of tea, you had an idea. Maybe Yumi and Lily would like something?

Of course, making three mugs of tea would be challenging with one arm, but one of the two girls could come and help.

You pulled out your phone and texted Lily.

<Hey Lily>

<wat>

<Would you or yum like tea>

Damn autocorrect

<id like tea>

<let me ask ymui>

<Could one of you help me make the tea?>

<I only have one arm available>

<?>

You took a photo of you and Paris. He was . . . asleep probably wasn't the right word, but he certainly wasn't conscious. Paris's face was in the crook of your neck and he was almost completely limp.

<littleguy.img>

<omg>

<holy shit>

<i will help you for no reason in particular>

You heard Lily swiftly pad down the hallway before she slowed down and entered the kitchen. After a bit of her stifling her laughter at Paris being small and 'asleep', you two got to work.

You started by grabbing the mugs for everyone while Lily put the electric kettle on. While you two worked, Paris would occasionally let out a few quiet clacks. Neither of you knew if that was the sound of him waking up, so both you and Lily would pause whenever he started just to be safe. And when he stopped, you two were a bit more conscious of the noise you were making.

After several more minutes of this odd game of Red Light, Green Light, three warm mugs of tea were ready. Lily reached for her phone and started typing. Your phone vibrated, and she showed you her screen.

<wanna vibe in the same room? yumi wanted to hang out.>

You fumbled to unlock your phone.

<Not sure how Paris will react, but he has known you two longer>

<hell be embarrassed for five secs tops>

<If you say so. I'm good to hang out>

<ok. ill grab uymi, u go baack to ur book>

You pocketed your phone and gave her a thumbs up, then turned around to grab your mug. Lily padded off with the other two mugs to collect Yumi, and you went to go sit back down with your tea and Paris.

Once you got settled in, Yumi tip-toed up to the couch you were sitting on and wordless joined Paris by cuddling into your arm on the same side as him. She held her mug with both hands, careful to not spill the hot liquid all over the three of you. Lily came in a few seconds after, and quietly took a picture before joining the cuddle pile.

Yumi was the first to start softly snoring, and eventually Lily turned her game off. Soon after that, the words on the page started to blur together, and you decided to stop where you were and rest your eyes, too.

A few hours later, Paris 'woke up' and froze when he realized that he was in the middle of/ on top of three sleeping humans. Then he noticed the mugs. Each of the mugs had gotten into precarious positions and a stray toss or turn could cause one of them to fall onto the floor.

Paris carefully crawled off of the cuddle pile and transitioned into his more humanoid form, and he quickly collected up the mugs and went to go wash them.

The small waterfall was quite loud in comparison to the quiet breathing he was surrounded by just a few minutes ago. After a few seconds, he acclimated to the sound of the running tap and started cleaning the cups.

It soothed him to gently wipe away the stains. While the mugs were solid colors, removing the discolorations were like revealing an intricate pattern. He much prefered this to that teeth grinding game of round up Ivan had him going on.

Ivan. He'd almost forgotten about that old fool. Not that he could forget his creator. Not even when he was locked up in that box and completely replaced.

A particularly loud snore from the other room broke his train of thought.

He looked down and saw that he broke the handle of the mug he was washing.

Oops.

Lily could cover for that. Right?

Paris listened for any more signs of the three of you waking up while he cleaned the other mugs. Only so he wouldn't be surprised if one of you came up behind him. No other reason.

Paris thought of Darla and Dorthy.

Nope. No other reason.

When Paris was done cleaning up your (admittedly small) mess, he watched the three of you as you slept for a few moments.

Then he shook his head and let out a sigh before shrinking back down and snuggling back into your body heat. No reason to stay awake if everyone else was asleep, he supposed.

---

Nora took a photo when she got home, of course, and then woke everyone up. The characters aren't the most in character, but i did my best and im rather proud of how this turned out.

Edit: fixed some formatting errors, don't know how I missed them on mobile

[flightfoot]

I'm so glad you love Kira Kira so much!!! It's such an underrated season ahhhh. The only thing keeping it from my own top spot is the treatment of Rio. He's my favorite precure character of all time and I simply can't let it slide T-T

Oooh yes it's so good! Like, it has the most well-constructed character arcs for each of the cures of any season, most are more lopsided.

Like with Ichika! She loves making sweets, but she's not very good at it at first. She's not a lethal chef or anything, she just isn't very experienced and doesn't know a lot. I loved watching her slowly work together with her friends to learn how to bake. It's not like some instant thing, you just notice her slow improvement throughout the season.

She does have something she's naturally gifted at, and that's decoration! She's really good at decorating treats in a way that will bring joy to the person who receives them, to the point that Ciel, a baking prodigy, actually learns from her in that regard.

Himari's arguably the most blatantly autistic cure there's ever been, and that's saying a lot. She loves baking and is an expert on the chemistry of it. Unfortunately, she's been discouraged from sharing her passion in the past, since her classmates got bored with her infodumping about the subject. I love her character arc about learning to come out of her shell and finding a way to use her infodumping tendencies for good by finding a receptive audience who enjoys being taught by her!

Aoi has my favorite character arc of the Cures. I love how she was inspired by her idol to become a musician and rock out with her bandmates, and how she's going against what's expected of her because, surprisingly enough, she's the heir to a wealthy family. She doesn't have any interest in running the corporation though. I loved her finding her voice and standing up for what she wants to do!

Cure Chocolat has one of the prettiest designs in Pretty Cure, in my opinion! Akira's character arc has some weaknesses, but it's still compelling. She's got a sick little sister she's protective of, and she tends to put too much on herself. I didn't really like that the show emphasized those self-sacrificial qualities - seriously she's gonna burn out at some point - but otherwise she's great!

She also has one of the most blatant queer relationships in the show. Like Kira Kira never SAYS that Akira and Yukari are a couple, but it sure hints at it.

There's never been a Pretty Cure character quite like Yukari. Even Yui, who's also a cat, is pretty different from her. Like she has this thing going on where she's good at everything instantly and it gets boring, which is why macarons interested her - she actually FAILED the first several times and had to work at making those to make them good.

I don't even really know how to describe her, she's so catlike. I don't think she actually changes a lot like the others do, you just see more facets of her. I love how easily she's able to act and fool villains, making them think they have the upper hand when she's actually playing them like a fiddle.

So her starting off as this haughty, slightly conceited prodigy who didn't think much of Ichika's merely alright pastries (given that she's world famous and has trained under the fanciest bakers in Paris), but slowly grows to see that even if Ichika's actual pastries are lackluster, they have a lot of heart, a lot of Kira Kira in them, and trying to figure out why that is. Her whole breakdown when she realizes how she just... didn't see what Pikario was going through, why he freaked out and ran away, and how he was then infected with evil and taken advantage of and STILL refused to talk to her even after being purified... she became a lot better at reading people as the season went on. I really love how she reached out to Biburi especially. She might not have been able to do much to save her brother, but she can help her at least.

On the bright side, at least Pikario got to be the first guy to have a claim to being a precure? Even if it was just a temporary power-up and he didn't get a Cure name, he was still first on that.

Pikario's the second-best Heel-Face Turn character I've seen in Precure (sorry Pikario, but Setsuna takes the top spot). I love how understandable his motives are. He and his sister went to Paris to learn how to be bakers together, but she's improving by leaps and bounds while he's being left behind and is becoming more and more frustrated, and she's rarely even around anymore. And then the last straw, when he makes the waffles she complimented so highly before, only for her to tell him they weren't as good as the ones from before... it was honest, but no wonder he snapped.

I love that he and his sister still had things to work out afterwards and that all his problems weren't instantly solved once he was freed of the brainwashing, the underlying problems that caused him to be vulnerable still had to actually be fixed first.

He definitely got cheated, he was one of the most interesting characters in the season (and the franchise, honesty), but he was put in a coma for a substantial portion of the show and didn't get to join the team permanently. But what WAS there still makes him a top-tier character.

---

I adore these characters so much, Kira Kira is SO underrated it's criminal.

[lawisnotmocked]

I was planning on just writing one post about all the notable animal imagery in volume 1 book 2 for les mis letters but it ended up being way too long so I’ve decided to split it up into two separate posts :p Canine imagery has it’s own post and this one is about feline imagery! (With a little bit of bird imagery at the end too 👀)

Book 2 features the first example of cat imagery in Les Mis! Cats have a lot of different Symbolic Associations in Les Mis, including representing Society and the ordinary people of Paris, but many of these associations don’t show up properly until book 3 so for now I’ll be focusing on their Other Symbolic Purpose - representing indecision, choices to make and potential (including the potential to become a different Symbolically Relevant Big Cat).

In 1.2.11 when Valjean sneaks into Myriel’s room, the way he opens the door is described as catlike and uncertain.

Jean Valjean listened. Not a sound. He gave the door a push. He pushed it gently with the tip of his finger, lightly, with the furtive and uneasy gentleness of a cat which is desirous of entering.

When Valjean enters the bishop’s room he still seems unsure about what he plans on doing. The decision he makes next will change the trajectory of his entire life and, in Hugo’s own (translated) words, ‘one would have said that he was hesitating between the two abysses,—the one in which one loses one’s self and that in which one saves one’s self’.

When Valjean does make the decision to steal the silverware and run off with it his feline imagery switches from cat to tiger.

[He] opened the window, seized his cudgel, bestrode the window-sill of the ground floor, put the silver into his knapsack, threw away the basket, crossed the garden, leaped over the wall like a tiger, and fled.

If cats symbolically represent a Regular Person making a Decision in Les Mis, the lion and tiger are like a big cat angel and devil on their shoulders. I’m fairly sure tigers being associated with Malicious, Dangerous And Evil Intentions was an established literary trope during this period? I don’t have any of my other examples on hand right now but I’m reading A Tale of Two Cities at the moment and Dickens uses tiger imagery for the marquis in a very similar way -

Rustling about the room, his softly-slippered feet making no noise on the floor, he moved like a refined tiger:—looked like some enchanted marquis of the impenitently wicked sort, in story, whose periodical change into tiger form was either just going off, or just coming on.

Hugo sympathises a lot with Valjean’s decisions in book 2 so I don’t think he’s trying to argue that Valjean is Evil And Malicious in this moment, but stealing the silverware would’ve absolutely had terrible consequences for him if Myriel hadn’t intervened and I think the tiger imagery is a part of it being portrayed as a bad and impulsive decision from that angle. I think this also represents a shift in Valjean’s mental state from a cautious and quiet domestic cat to a dangerous and impulsive wild animal, just like the wolf imagery Hugo uses for Valjean in 1.2.7. Anyway, cat and tiger imagery will definitely show up again in future chapters! Yippee!

Finally, we also get some owl imagery for Valjean during his moral crisis in 1.2.13 when he‘s thinking about the implications of what Myriel has done for him by gifting him the silver.

He no longer knew where he really was. Like an owl, who should suddenly see the sun rise, the convict had been dazzled and blinded, as it were, by virtue.

I don’t have much to say about this one other than a very surface level appreciation for the mental image this description gives the reader, but I wanted to take note of it because I’m pretty sure Valjean gets more owl imagery later on in the book and I’d like to be able to come back and compare it to this one 👀

There’s also been a couple of other mentions of birds that I’ve been taking note of but I don’t think I have anything to say about them yet either. Watch this space I guess lol 🦉

[luuv-zomby]

catrine demew introject? pls and ty!

Catrine Demew

pt: catrine demew

General

✿ —⁠ name : catrine, calico, paris, adora ✿ —⁠ pronouns : she/fleur/mew ✿ —⁠ gender terms : fem ✿ —⁠ presentation (masc, fem, neu) : fem ✿ —⁠ age : 17 ✿ —⁠ labels : femme sapphic, genderqueer, demiromantic ✿ —⁠ birthday : mar 15

System

✿ —⁠ role(s) : mood booster, anxiety holder ✿ —⁠ type : fictive ✿ —⁠ source : monster high

Personality

✿ —⁠ general mood / emotion : upbeat but a bit nervous ✿ —⁠ traits : perfectionist, creative, dexterous, ✿ —⁠ mannerisms / habits : bounces from project to project/craft to craft, sunbathing (with sunscreen!), taking forever to choose what to wear, organizing pens/pencils ✿ —⁠ priorities : fashion sense, keeping hygienic and well groomed (hair styled, nails done) ✿ —⁠ pet peeves : art block, dirty glasses/sunglasses, her purse being too small to fit everything, frayed paintbrushes ✿ —⁠ introvert / extrovert / omnivert / ambivert : ambivert ✿ —⁠ aesthetic : pattern mixing, cluttered y2k, luxury/designer, purple/blue/pink/black & white ✿ —⁠ theme : art/fashion ✿ —⁠ theme song : super graphic ultra modern girl

Appearance

✿ —⁠ body type : athletic pear ✿ —⁠ species : werecat ✿ —⁠ height / weight : ✿ —⁠ voice / accent : french accent ✿ —⁠ hairstyle / hair type / hair color : ✿ —⁠ facial shape : diamond ✿ —⁠ eye shape / eye color : bright blue upturned, catlike pupils ✿ —⁠ nose shape : cat nose ✿ —⁠ lip shape : heart ✿ —⁠ other features : wavy purple hair with pink streaks, usually curled or in a half up ponytail, cat ears that poke out of her hair, very pale purple skin, long cat tail, beauty mark ✿ —⁠ clothing aesthetic : lots of patterns, puffy sleeves, always wearing a belt that holds drawing tools, tall heels, frills but no lace, sequins/glitter

Ideas

✿ —⁠ dream job : portrait painter ✿ —⁠ fears : large dogs, being imperfect at her art ✿ —⁠ regrets : n/a ✿ —⁠ insecurities : when she gets a portrait wrong, letting her tail move freely ✿ —⁠ core values : being good at and passionate about what she spends her time on, looking and feeling her best, self care ✿ —⁠ philosophies : practice makes perfect (or at least progress)

Interests

✿ —⁠ likes : acrylic paint, oil pastels, fashion shows, birds (especially pigeons) ✿ —⁠ dislikes : the blank page, ✿ —⁠ loves : drawing, sketching, painting (especially gouache and oil paint), high fashion ✿ —⁠ hates : chalk pastels, heavy foundation ✿ —⁠ hyperfixations : her newest art project ✿ —⁠ unbearable : makeup melting down her face, being swarmed by mosquitoes/flies/gnats ✿ —⁠ comforts : parisian food, pop music, her friends ✿ —⁠ favorite color : can't pick, she loves them all but prefers cooler colors ✿ —⁠ favorite activity : making art ✿ —⁠ favorite song : changes almost weekly ✿ —⁠ favorite music genre : pop, lo-fi, lounge ✿ —⁠ favorite game : telestrations (like telephone with pictures/gartic phone) ✿ —⁠ favorite TV show : downton abbey ✿ —⁠ favorite movie : mean girls ✿ —⁠ favorite food : a really good, flakey, buttery croissant ✿ —⁠ favorite drink : iced matcha tea ✿ —⁠ favorite scent : florals & sweet scents (cupcake, rose) ✿ —⁠ favorite flower : lilies ✿ —⁠ favorite feeling : putting the final touch on an artwork ✿ —⁠ favorite season : spring ✿ —⁠ favorite weather : slightly overcast, it lets her get good lighting on her portrait subjects

Extra

✿ —⁠ other : art creds to @ 1percentcharge on tumblr and @ GisCoret on deviantart !! picrew creds to this one and this one!!

image id 1: catrine demew from monster high. she faces the right, leans on a stair railing. /end id 1

image id 2: bust of catrine demew from monster high. she holds a paintbrush to her mouth in thought. /end id 2

image id 3: a picrew of catrine demew from monster high. she has pale skin, purple hair, a white bow in her hair and white cat ears that poke out the top. /end id 3

image id 4: a picrew of catrine demew from monster high. she has pale skin, purple hair, a white bow and pink sunglasses in her hair and white cat ears that poke out the top. /end id 4

image id: a green userbox with a beatles album cover on the left. the right says "this post was made by sybil at spoil-the-party" in orange text. /end id

[luci-j]

Headcannons and Behind the Scenes -- Princess Linx!

Our favorite Felisian princess! Some headcannons, facts, and other behind-the-scenes goodies

* She's actually a canon character! She appeared in a free comic book day comic. Her name was spelled "Lynx" here, though, and she was.... Quite different:

Yeahhhh. She had good bones! And I figured she could be fun to play around with. She isn't so much a "warrior princess" as a princess who knows she has a good life, and wants to make other lives good as a result.

* Who's the baby? That's something for later, let's focus on the present yeah?

* Her voice was always Natasha Lyonne. The was no shuffling on that. It helped the rest of her personality come into play.

* Why the name change? I liked it better.

* She's s STEM gal at heart. Loves science, math, engineering. She doesn't get to play around with it much though because she's first in line for the throne. So she grew up being trained in politics, communication, and conflict resolution.

* Her culture is polyamorous! She grew up with eight mothers and her father. Her biological mother died in childbirth. Her favorite of her stepmoms is a nuclear physicist.

* All of her moms are brilliant in their own rights, from lawyers, to doctors, to educators.

* The birth rate on Felis is fairly low, so she doesn't have as many siblings as you'd expect

* Mimosas are an all the time food <3

* She's yellow-blue colorblind!

* Loves partying, clubs, and dancing

* All the same she can turn on the socialite charm. This duality is based on my, no lie, very real respect for Paris Hilton.

* She also fell for Rocket at first sight. She still loves him to this day, but understands he's happy. So she loves having him as a friend!

* How's he feel about her? Well... 👀

* Meti is basically one of her best friends now. After the initial envy, they see her as someone with impeccable taste. They have phone calls several times a week.

* I included her as another catlike alien because a lot of times you see ONE species of aliens meant to represent cats, ONE for sharks, etc.. She's meant to show that there's more than one way to draw a cat!

* Her dad loves her but worries for her. He's a LOT more chill after his heart attack.

* Does she ever find love for herself? Well. 👀

* She went on several dates with Peter, who introduced her to things like Waffle House and off-roading. He couldn't make the distance work and also she scared him a smidgen. They still consider one another close friends.

* Is she into girls? Not really. Would she kiss Mantis since she's also kissed Meti and Peter at this point? She wouldn't say *no*.

* She keeps a very, very messy room and ship.

* A bit bored at the current moment. Maybe there's a career change in the air in her future.

[youre-drinking-embalming-fluid]

Some Thoughts About Assassin's Creed: Unity

Since I finally upgraded to an actual PC from my work laptop, I'm playing AC Unity for the first time after rerunning Brotherhood, Revelations, and Rogue for hours. It feels fundamentally different from the older AC games, so this is my word dump to get my thoughts down.

Arno, as a character, doesn't feel much different from ACII Ezio or Connor - he's headstrong, brash, and rarely forward-thinking. He gets himself into situations and has to pull himself out of them, or be pulled out by his allies. Physically, though, he represents a HUGE change for me.

Arno moves like a capital-A Assassin. He's catlike, glides between balconies, leaps across rooftops and in and out of windows. Even AC Brotherhood, which I believe has some of the best parkour of any AC game, cannot hold a candle to Unity.* And Arno's movement is what really sets it apart from the older eras.

Altaïr is fairly clunky - a product of being the first game, I think. His climbing, fighting, and assassination technique is textbook, if repetitive. Ezio is crafty, making use of new technology like the hidden gun and hookblade. He's fast and dextrous. Connor is incredibly strong and agile. Edward and Shay are brutish assassins, more suited to open combat than stealth. Edward, Shay, and Connor are all capable fighters, able to take down any number of soldiers in a fight.

Arno does none of this. Despite having only one hidden blade (the first since Altaïr, iirc), he carries out double assassinations - both on level ground and from the air - with grace and deadly accuracy. Previous settings - Rome, New York, etc - create paths for our assassins to follow, rewarding our keen eyes with exciting parkour sequences. Revolutionary Paris is built to provide freedom of movement ANYWHERE, allowing Arno the ninja to move anywhere and take any opportunity provided.

This leads to the customization section. Previous games offered very linear upgrade trees - from unlocking them by progressing through Altaïr's story missions to crafting your own in AC III, Black Flag, and Rogue. Arno is the first assassin who feels fully customizeable, able to switch from a stealth focus to a range focus to a bruiser in seconds.

I love the newfound freedom of Unity - not just in terms of movement but also style. And that's why it is my favourite AC game - so far!

Shoot me a DM if you ever want to play Co-op! My gaming friends are mostly FPS and RPG people but i do really want to play these missions :)

--

*admittedly I have not been using any mods, though i have seen some remarkable AC Brotherhood parkour mods that really level up the system

[carbuckety]

Favorite Goldenlonzo makeup design?

goldenlonzo my babygirl.... ooh this is a hard question

I really like Joseph Stahl of US Tour 4's makeup, very golden, but very colorful besides and it looks quite pretty and certainly very Cats-like if not catlike. also, oh la la, that muzzle??!??? b&w lonz could NEVER.

For pure giggles i love the paris alonzo design. What the fuck is this

Like haha meme guy-paul image but also that was legit the alonzo makeup. Why? It's like the worst possible compromise of golden & b&w lonzo you could've come to.

It's awful and I love it. So French. So 80s. so Cats

[writingnotes520]

Back on my bullshit (drawing &J ghosts) I put the normal version and the version where they actually look transparent like ghosts

I've already shared my Mercutio design a couple times and Romeo already exists in the show ofc but also shown here are my designs for Tybalt and Paris :D as you can see their main colors are respectively red and green (Tybalt's design was very much influenced by the 1996 R&J movie, and I tried to give him elements that look catlike because of his "Prince of Cats" thing)

I also love drawing ghosts with some sort of indicator of how they died so there's a yellow little cracking thing to indicate where Mercutio was stabbed, a heart over Romeo's throat to indicate him drinking poison for his lover, the x over Tybalt's chest is where Romeo stabbed him, and the apple over Paris' heart indicates that his death was related to his love for someone who already had her sights on another :)

[saturnian-venus]

astro notes pt. iv [beauty & fashion edition]

♤ most people with upturned catlike eyes have mars aspecting their ascendant ex: megan fox (mars conjunction ascendant) cardi b (mars square ascendant) jordin sparks (mars semi-square ascendant)

♤ ladies with jupiter aspecting their ascendant & taurus/libra inner placements are blessed with an alluring hourglass/opposing triangles figure ex: amber rose (jupiter trine ascendant + libra sun) christina hendricks (jupiter sextile ascendant + taurus sun) peggy lee (jupiter semi-sextile ascendant + taurus venus + libra mars)

♤ simple soft glam makeup look lovers probably have venus in earth signs aspecting the ascendant ex: jamie chung (taurus venus + venus trine ascendant) charlize theron (virgo venus + venus conjunction ascendant) sza (capricorn venus + venus semi-sextile ascendant)

♤ aphrodite (1388) aspecting venus can make you look very photogenic ex: cindy crawford (venus conjunct aphrodite) noah mills (venus conjunct aphrodite) naomi campbell (venus trine aphrodite)

♤ every moon in aries/1st house went through a red hair phase ex: janet jackson (aries moon) rosé (aries moon) gloria estefan (moon in the 1st house)

♤ an aspect that can contribute to having fairy/elf like features is a hard aspect between neptune and the asendant ex: sylvie testud (neptune square ascendant) rami malek (neptune opposite ascendant) kate bosworth (neptune inconjunction ascendant)

♤ females with a gorgeous tringale/pear shaped bodies usually have pluto aspecting their asendant & leo/sagittarius inner placements ex: beyoncé (pluto conjunction ascendant + leo mars) christina aguilera (pluto trine ascendant + sagittarius sun + sagittarius venus), rihanna (pluto inconjunction ascendant + sagittarius mars)

♤ people who have deep attractive voices oftentimes have mercury-pluto aspects ex: mark strong (mercury conjunction pluto) laurence fishburne (mercury semi-square pluto) alan rickman (mercury inconjunction pluto) or pluto in the 3rd house ex: martin luther king, emma stone & laura prepon

♤ having neptune aspecting the ascendant can give you downturned doelike eyes ex: paul mccartney (neptune conjunction ascendant) sylvester stallone (neptune square ascendant) grimes (neptune semi-square ascendant)

♤ celebrities known for their famous hairstyles tend to have fire venus combined with moon-venus aspects ex: audrey hepburn (aries venus + moon semi-square venus) whitney houston (leo venus + moon trine venus) farrah fawcett (sagittarius venus + moon opposite venus)

♤ hard sun-uranus aspects can cause asymmetrical face ex: ryan gosling (sun conjunction uranus) paris hilton (sun square uranus) angelina jolie (sun sesqui-quadrate uranus)

♤ people who have their sun/moon aspecting lilith have dark intense attractiveness ex: taissa farmiga (sun trine lilith) ben barnes (moon trine lilith) mia wasikowska (moon square lilith)

♤ the looking bizarre but in a sexy way aspect got to be uranus harsly aspecting the sun ex: anya taylor joy (sun square uranus) benedict cumberbatch (sun square uranus) gemma ward (sun semi-square uranus)

♤ saturn aspecting the asendant & aries/capricorn inner placements can give the individual model qualities ex: miranda kerr (saturn square ascendant + aries sun) gigi hadid (saturn semi-square ascendant + aries venus) vanessa paradis (saturn inconjunction ascendant + capricorn sun)

♤ most of bold heavy makeup lovers have fire venus in the 1st/10th house ex: dua lipa (leo venus in the 10th house) chungha (aries venus in the 10th house) katy perry (sagittarius venus in the 1st house)

♤ psyche (16) aspecting the sun people have an astonishing beauty ex: diane kruger (sun conjunct psyche) monica bellucci (sun trine psyche) aishwarya rai (sun semi-sextile psyche)

♤ famous for their iconic curly hair they got earth moons with sun/uranus aspects ex: andie macdowell (taurus moon + sun square uranus) corbin bleu (virgo moon + sun sextile uranus) keri russell (capricorn moon + sun inconjunction uranus)

♤ having cosmetic surgery to enhance what they got aspect is sun/asendant/midheaven semi-square venus ex: lana del rey (sun semi-square venus) hailey baldwin (asendant semi-square venus) jennifer lawrence (midheaven semi-square venus)

♤ narcissus (37117) conjunct/trine/sextile sun folks are in love with their reflection spends a lot of time in front the mirror and take mirror selfies

♤ big fans of bodycon clothings mostly have venus in a fire house ex: selena quintanilla (venus in the 1st house) famous for her signature looks with bodycon jumpsuits, khloe kardashian (venus in the 5th house) loves bodycon skirts/pants, kim kardashian (venus in the 9th house) most of her wardrobe consist of bodycon dresses

♤ most people with round captivating eyes have moon aspecting their ascendant ex: zooey deschanel (moon conjunction ascendant) dakota fanning (moon square ascendant) marion cotillard (moon semi-square ascendant)

♤ women with a graceful rectangle/banana shaped bodies could have mercury aspecting the ascendant & virgo/aquarius inner placements ex: charlotte rampling (mercury conjunction ascendant + aquarius sun + aquarius venus) zendaya (mercury trine ascendant + virgo sun) mitski (mercury sextile ascendant + virgo venus)

♤ the majority of people born with red hair have got aries/taurus in their big 6 with sun/mars aspects ex: jessica chestian (aries sun + aries venus + sun semi sextile mars) domhnall gleeson (taurus sun + taurus moon + taurus mars + sun conjunct mars) toby stephens (taurus sun + aries venus + sun sesqui-quadrate mars)

♤ water signs individuals like to put on blue eye contact lenses

[kasienda]

Restorative Justice - Ch 6: Restoring Community

Read on Ao3

Chapter 1 - Community Circle

Chapter 2 - Preparation

Chapter 3 - Circle Checkin

Chapter 4 - Acknowledging Harm (Part 1)

Chapter 5 - Acknowledging Harm (Part 2)

Chapter 6 - Restoring Community

Ms. Bustier didn’t speak immediately, but she was smiling at them.

“This is a lot,” she said, releasing a sigh. “It doesn’t seem like enough to say that you’re all amazing, but you very much are. For all you managed to accomplish and juggle while the people in your lives had no idea. People do not give teenagers enough credit.”

The praise was obviously more for the others than her, which was  fine, because Chloé didn’t need such words or sentiments.

“I’m also so proud of you all for your vulnerability and your willingness to share your struggles and to truly listen to one another’s pain. That is such hard work.”

Ms. Bustier’s green eyes landed on her, and to Chloé’s surprise, her teacher’s expression remained soft and proud.

Chloé glanced away, her neck prickling.  

“Chloé, you told us that you hate circles, and yet you fought for this to happen anyway, and once we were all here, you truly engaged in the process as you never have before, and I very much hope you’re satisfied with the results so far.”

Chloé shifted in her seat. She wanted to object, to pull away, to make the kind words stop. She didn’t know what to do with them.

But Ms. Bustier was the first adult in a long time that didn’t seem to outright detest her, didn’t seem to be afraid of her. She might even have a high opinion of Chloé, or at least of her potential.

And Chloé didn’t want to disabuse her of that notion. So she said nothing in response, glancing down at her nails, pretending she didn’t care.

Because she didn’t.

Ms. Bustier’s attention shifted to Marinette, and Chloé’s whole body relaxed.

Maybe she cared.

“Marinette, you were cornered unjustly into coming to this circle, and you were terrified to share and to speak. And you did it anyway. I hope that you sharing this, and allowing the others to do the same, will be a good thing for you.”

Marinette offered a small smile. “I hope that, too.”

Their teacher sighed. “I must admit, I’m also overwhelmed at the situation you are all in. I know that in terms of our relationship it is of vital importance to keep your confidences.”

The sudden tension in the room was palpable. Marinette was ramrod straight and Adrien was squeezing her hand so hard both of their knuckles were turning white.

“But in terms of not just your safety, but the safety of all of Paris, I feel like I should maybe… get you all some more support.”

“You can’t tell anyone!” Marinette cut in.

“You’re all teenagers. You’re going up against a domestic terrorist,” Ms. Bustier said.

“A terrorist with the powers of a miraculous! No one you tell can help us with that.”

Ms. Bustier remained silent, her lips pressed together in a thin line. She definitely didn’t agree.

“You can’t tell anyone,” Marinette said again as if saying it over and over enough times would eventually make it true. “You promised. We opened up, we trusted you. You agreed to honor our privacy,” Marinette’s voice cracked.

“I’m not trying to corner you, Marinette.” Ms. Bustier then looked at each of them. “Or any of you. I understand how keeping your identities secret protects you. And I  want  to keep your confidences. But it’s  also a risk. You just said you had no fallback position. That this is all on your shoulders and you’re all just children. You could be hurt, or killed, and who would know? And what if you were to fail? Where would Paris be? Or the world? Is keeping that secret not  also  irresponsible?”

Chloé privately thought Ms. Bustier had a point, but Marinette was already shaking her head, her mouth open to argue, but Adrien cut in (holding her hand) before she could.

“We’re not as alone as you think,” Adrien said, glancing down. “Plagg?”

A little black catlike creature that resembled Pollen far too well to be anything other than a kwami flew out of Adrien’s overshirt. Chloé’s heart rose into her throat.

Adrien and Marinette just got to live with their kwami? Full time?

“Yes!” Marinette hissed. “This is Plagg, and I have Tikki.” A ladybug kwami flitted from Marinette’s purse into the open air beside Plagg.

Ms. Bustier stared at the floating creatures, her eyes as wide as the gap between Chloé’s mother’s visits.

“They are ancient beings,” Marinette said. “They protect us, guide us, and offer advice. The Ladybug is Tikki. She is my partner. She gives me the power to transform and she taught me how to use her powers. But she also counsels me in every aspect of my life. And I imagine Plagg does the same for Adrien, doesn’t he?” she said, turning towards Adrien for confirmation.

Adrien looked absolutely frozen.

But Plagg was already floating above them, nodding sagely. “Of course, I do.”

Adrien’s face rippled, and Chloe knew he was trying not to laugh.

Chloé suppressed a snort.

“You’re the creatures that Ms. Mendeleiev saw?” Ms. Bustier asked.

Plagg opened his mouth to speak.

“Yes!” Tikki jumped in first. Plagg visibly rolled his eyes. The expression looked eerily human. “That was an unfortunate moment of carelessness on our part. Our role in our chosen’s life is as Marinette described.”

“Chosen?” Ms. Bustier echoed, but before either kwami could respond, Ms. Bustier held up a hand. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’m clearly out of my depth and we haven’t finished talking about what we all came here to discuss. Marinette, we can discuss whether or not these secrets should be kept or shared another day. Is that acceptable to you for now?”

Marinette froze in surprise, and then slowly nodded.

“Is that acceptable to all of you?” Ms. Bustier asked.

It was stupid that she was even asking the rest of them. Wherever Marinette went, the others always followed. And it wasn’t like  Chloé cared if more or less people knew.

Well, as long as it didn’t result in the end of all things.

But they all nodded anyway. Chloé too.

Ms. Bustier smiled. “Great. Before we continue, how are you all feeling?”

She held up the talking piece in offering. Adrien raised the hand not entwined with Marinette’s, and Ms. Bustier handed the stuffed animal to him.

“I feel really good,” he said. “Like free. I didn’t know that just telling someone everything that you’ve been feeling is a thing that people really did. And I liked it a lot.”

“Dude, you have no idea how sad that sentence is,” Nino said.

Adrien shrugged before passing the piece to Marinette with a smile.

“I feel lighter than I’ve felt in a long time.” She passed the talking piece to Nino.

“I’m good.” He immediately handed it to Alya.

She clutched it to her lap. “I still feel kinda raw, honestly. But I think it will end up being a good thing.”

Chloé accepted the kitten and sighed. “This wasn’t as awful as it could have been.”

They all laughed.

Her eyebrows furrowed together. Were they going to find all her cutting remarks moving forward cute? She wasn’t cute - at least, not in  that way.

She shoved the kitten at Ms. Bustier, crossed her arms, and glared at all of them. They all kept smiling.

Which was super annoying.

Ms. Bustier looked at each of them. “The final part of our circle is trying to come to some agreements together so that you can come back together as a classroom community, and apparently as a superhero team. After everything you’ve heard, what do you feel you need from each other to be able to do that?”

The room remained silent for several moments. Chloé shifted in her seat. She had no idea what she needed. She  wanted  the bee miraculous, but there was no way Marinette would agree to that.

And honestly, that wasn’t why she had forced this circle to happen.

Nino was the first to raise his hand though, so Ms. Bustier tossed the kitten to him.

He addressed Marinette. “I hate the back and forth of it. I miss Wayzz. And I’ve barely interacted with him, but we’ve joined together. And I feel a connection with him. I know it’s not necessarily safe to have the miraculous full time, but I would like to get to know him better if that’s possible somehow.”

Chloé found herself nodding enthusiastically until she caught Alya doing the same. Then, they both froze, eying one another.

And then, it was even more galling to realize Cesaire didn’t want to share anything with Chloé anymore than Chloé wanted to share something with her.

But they did share something. Even before today they had shared something.

Marinette huffed. “Well now that you all know, it’s not like you can’t come over and just visit.”

Chloé blinked. Surely, Marinette hadn’t meant to include Chloé in that invitation.

Did she?

“And I want everyone to be able to say when they’re mad at someone,” Nino was saying. “Well, at least at me. If I’m doing something wrong I would like the chance to make it right or explain before I’m frozen out.”

Marinette and Alya immediately nodded their agreement, but Nino’s eyes were only on Adrien who looked way less certain.

“I agree in principle,” Adrien said. “I just… it’s always been hard to tell people when I’m upset. But this circle has been amazing. I can see why you would want this, and I promise I will try.”

“All I can ask, dude.” He passed the talking piece to Alya.

She looked up to the group. “I honestly don’t know what I need at the moment. But I do know I’m excited to be a part of this. And I love you all for trusting me with so much of yourselves.”

She held out the talking piece to Chloé.

Chloé let her hand wrap around the soft stuffed animal. She still didn’t know what to ask for, but she really didn’t want to just pass the piece.

She looked across the circle at Adrien who was smiling at her with encouragement once again. Then, she glanced back at Marinette, who was  also  smiling.

  At her.  

It was weird. And it was wrong.

Marinette wasn’t supposed to smile at  her . Marinette was supposed to hate her and it didn’t make sense that just sharing about her mother had changed that.

But if Chloé was honest with herself, she wanted to be a part of their group. It wasn’t about the bee miraculous or recognition. At least, not anymore.

But it wasn’t like Chloé could ask them to be her friend. That was far too pathetic. And Chloé was  never  pathetic.

She adopted her most condescending tone. “I want my suggestions to be taken seriously and not dismissed just because of our past.”

Ms. Bustier arched another eyebrow at her, and Chloé bristled. She had already established that she was rubbish at speaking with respect, but she was  trying, okay? She glanced back to Marinette and was relieved to see the other girl smiling as she nodded.

She got what Chloé was trying to say.

Or at least some of it.

Which was the only reason Chloé was able to add more. “I know you didn’t choose me the way you chose them,” she jutted her chin towards Alya and Nino. “But I really  was  only trying to help Ladybug in the very beginning.”

And maybe her reasons hadn’t been altruistic at all, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t helped. It didn’t mean that she couldn’t help moving forward even if her motives were still pretty selfish.

Before she could say anything more ridiculous, she shoved the talking piece back to Ms. Bustier, who passed the piece to Adrien.

He squeezed Marinette’s hand, looked back up at her, and opened his mouth, but he closed it again before he said anything.

Marinette smiled. “You  just agreed that you would try to share when you were upset.”

It was the perfect thing to say. It dissolved Adrien’s nerves immediately in his startled laughter. Whatever Chloé got out of Marinette or didn’t, she couldn’t regret it. Not when it had made things so much better for Adrien.

“I agreed to do that for Nino,” he bantered back, smiling.

She shrugged, mirroring his expression. “I might need it more than Nino,” she said. “I’m not always great at realizing when I’ve hurt someone. I don’t want to hurt you, or anyone,” she rambled, “but especially you. You have to tell me if I do.”

He granted her a small nod.

“So what do you want to ask me for?” she prompted.

His free hand still rubbed the back of his neck. “I… I don’t like being left completely in the dark. If you say we’re partners I want to be partners. Not your sidekick. If you need me to be a sidekick just  say  that.”

“You are  not a sidekick!”

He laughed again. “Then please include me. If you can’t tell me something, I would like it if you at least acknowledge there’s a secret and tell me why I can’t know. But please don’t keep secrets to protect me or spare my ego.  I don’t want you to shoulder this burden alone. I am more than willing to shoulder it with you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He handed her the kitten.

She sucked in a breath. “I need you all to stop putting yourself into danger needlessly. I can’t stand it when Alya is chasing akumas or Chat leaps in front of me to take a hit. Even you, Chloé. You have a tendency to piss off akumas rather than deescalate the situation.”

Chloé crossed her arms. Marinette was being ridiculous. Chloé was  not  the deescalating type. If anyone came at her, they’d get a piece of her mind.

Before Chloé could say as much, Marinette turned back to Adrien.

“Especially you.” She was glaring daggers at him. And he must have heard this all before because he was remarkably calm.

“I already need you so much,” she told him. “I have always been scared that if I knew who you were, I’d care about you even more. It was already so hard to watch you…” she took a shaky breath, “take hit after hit, to get erased from existence, to just… Now that I know your name, how am I not going to scream it when you’re not okay?”

“I trust you to protect me, too,” he said softly, caressing the side of her face like none of the rest of them were even there. Chloé was embarrassed for him. He was such a sap.

Marinette clearly had a different opinion though. Her glassy eyes never turned from him. But at least the girl didn’t start crying again. Instead, she took in a shuddering breath. “Thank you. I’ll try to live up to that.” Then she turned back towards the center of the circle. “I do probably need more help than I’ve let myself have. I need confidants and second opinions.”

“I’m sure Chloé’s got your back there,” Alya quipped.

Chloé started at being included in the teasing banter before she grinned and nodded. She  was  willing to bombard Marinette with all the second opinions.

It was only when Marinette held up the talking piece toward Ms. Bustier that Chloé realized they had made all the way around the circle once again.

Their teacher placed the stuffed gray kitten in her lap like it was an actual kitten and not a toy.

“Having heard everyone’s asks, is there anything else any of you would like to say?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“I’m honored to have been a part of your circle. Thank you for allowing me to bear witness and to facilitate our discussion today. If you ever feel the need for another, my door is always open.”

“Thank you, Ms. Bustier,” Marinette said.

“Yeah, thanks, Ms B!” Nino piped in.

Adrien scooped Marinette into a hug and then Nino too, a few seconds later. Alya was on Marinette’s other side.

Chloé watched on, feeling awkward. Like, where was she supposed to look.

“C’mon Chloé!” Adrien said. “Get in here!”

Chloé didn’t move and so the other four came to her, and she squawked as they swept her up into their group hug.

It wasn’t the worst thing.

…

The next morning could not have gone worse for Chloé Bourgeois. Her favorite outfit had somehow ended in the regular laundry instead of the drycleaners and was now utterly ruined. Jean was out sick or something and his substitute didn’t know anything about her routine. And the kitchens had run out of her favorite strawberry preserves.

Just when she thought she had left the hotel and escaped the run of incompetence, her driver took a complete wrong turn, and the course correction cost them fifteen minutes, meaning she wouldn’t have time to consume whatever treat Sabrina no doubt had brought her to make her day remotely worthwhile.

Clearly, the universe hated her today.

She stomped grumpily into the school’s hallways only to immediately be accosted by the sight of Adrien and Marinette sucking each other’s faces off.

“Oh my god! Get a room!” she screeched, whacking the back of his head with her purse as she strutted past.

Adrien pulled away from his new girlfriend long enough to offer Chloé a shit eating grin.

“Having regrets, Chlo?”

“So many regrets!” she called back. She was lying. She had no regrets. It was good to see him smile again.

His answering laugh told her he understood, or didn’t mind, at the very least.

She entered the classroom to find the whole class was in a titter.

“Oh my god! It finally happened!” Rose squealed happily. “They look so cute together!”

“How do you think it happened?”

“I don’t care! I’m just glad that it did!”

And just, ugh. Today was going to be so annoying!

Chloé stalked to her seat, determined to tune them all out.

Adrien and Marinette eventually came in hand in hand five minutes before the bell. Everyone broke into cheers and whistles to the newly minted couple.

Marinette’s face was the color of Ladybug’s suit, but Chloé didn’t care because Adrien’s face was brighter than the sun’s glare on her father’s freshly waxed Audi.

“How’d it happen?” Kim asked.  

They both immediately glanced at Chloé.

No, no, no! She wanted nothing to do with this.

Marinette’s smirk told her she was doomed. Chloé’s head thunked loudly onto her desk.

“Honestly? Chloé locked us in a room with her and yelled at us for being stupid,” Marinette explained and Chloé didn’t even have to look up. She could hear the glee in Marinette’s voice.

“Chloé did what?” Sabrina asked, and Cholé couldn’t bring herself to look at her best friend’s confusion. Chloé had never pulled off a scheme before without consulting Sabrina first.

“And I got defensive,” Marinette continued, “but in the shouting everything came out. And now she gets to say I told you so.”

“I told you so!” Chloe snapped back and the whole class chuckled.  

Marinette grinned. “And Adrien and I get to be happy, so everyone wins!” She held up their joined hands, which Adrien used as an opportunity to gently kiss the back of her hand.

The class cooed and awed in approval.

It  was cute. Like, disgustingly so. Chloé didn’t know how she was going to stand being in the same room as the couple for at least another week.

“That’s amazing! Congrats guys!” Nathaniel said.

“It’s about time!” Alix added.

Mylene’s brows furrowed and turned her way. “I can’t believe Chloé did something nice.”

Nice?!

Chloé resented that. She was  not  nice! She would never be  nice. She threw everyone in a room, blackmailed them into sharing their deepest secrets, and screamed at them. She wasn’t nice.

She didn’t  want  to be nice.

Two or three of their classmates patted Chloe’s shoulders in excitement. And she wanted to throw them all out a window!

What was happening? Did they not remember who she was – what she could do to each and everyone of them?

The bell rang and everyone scrambled to their seats. Ms. Bustier offered them all a fond tolerant smile as she walked into the classroom.

“You should already have your work out,” she reminded them.

The class moved to comply and the lesson began a few minutes later. Despite Ms. Bustier earning her title of Chloé’s favorite teacher all over again the day prior, the class period proved to be monotonous. Chloé could not sit still or stay focused.

She sighed in relief when the bell finally signified the break between classes.

But before Chloé could bolt from the room, Marinette was standing in front of Sabrina and Chloé’s desk.

She held a box with her family’s bakery logo on prominent display.

“Hey Chloé,” Marinette greeted with an open smile like they had been friends for years instead of enemies. “I wanted to invite you to join us for lunch today. Sabrina, you’re welcome, too.” Sabrina glanced between the two girls, uncertain.

“I want to be clear about one thing, Dup- Marinette.”

“Yeah?”

“We may have reached an understanding, but I’m still going to be a bitch.”

Because clearly, they all needed the reminder.

Marinette smiled. She fucking  smiled. “ Don’t worry, Chloé. I will always be there to put you in your place whenever you step over a line.” Then she placed a bakery box on the desk. “See you at lunch.”

Chloé glared unhappily at the box.

“What do I have to do to get you to stop bringing me macarons?!”

Marinette shrugged as she picked up her bag from her desk. “You could eat them.”

Sabrina was eyeing the box with barely concealed delight. Chloé slid the box over.

“Oh, just open it already! Eat whatever you like.”

Sabrina seized on it and ate through two of them immediately. “Don’t you want one, Chloé?”

“I suppose I could eat one, but only so you don’t look like a pig eating all by yourself.”

Sabrina wilted. Just slightly, but Chloé noticed. She always noticed.

But this time she felt guilty. Why did she say stuff like that to her best friend?

She ate her cookie slowly and when she was done she made a point of  not looking at Sabrina.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t need to say that.”

Sabrina froze mid bite, and stared at Chloé like she had never seen her before. “You’re  sorry?”

“Did I stutter?” Chloé growled back.

Sabrina smiled as she turned with another macaron raised to her lips. “Thank you, Chloé. You’re forgiven.”

It wasn’t a hug, but Sabrina hadn’t been  tha t upset. And Chloe probably didn’t actually want a hug.

Probably.

The class gradually filed back in as the break continued. The bell rang, and Ms. Bustier had barely opened her mouth to start their next lesson when an akuma alert went off. She glanced way too obviously toward the superhero corner, which of course drew the whole class's attention to that spot. Adrien and Marinette both sat ramrod straight, frozen like the newest intern caught in her mother’s ire.

Chloé sighed. Everyone was an amateur.

Except her of course.

“No!” she wailed. “There simply  can’t  be an akuma today! Do you know how much time I spent on my hair this morning? I am  not  going outside in this weather. You can’t make me evacuate. I’ll just wait here. So  what  if the akuma gets me! The ladybugs will just fix it later. But the ladybugs will  not fix the damage that’ll be done to my hair by this humidity!”

And sure enough, all eyes were on her. Marinette had slipped out the back while Adrien was through the other door. “Chloé,” their teacher began with a stern expression, but Chloé could see the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “You know you have to evacuate with the rest of the class if only so I know where everyone is.”

“Ugh!” she screeched. “It’s ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous,” she screeched as she stomped out of her seat and out the classroom, knowing her classmates would follow.

Which would keep them safer and allow Adrien and Marinette to do their job.

Not that she did it for any of them. No, of course not. She did it for… her brain stuttered as she couldn’t think of anything.

Maybe she  did  do it for all of them.

She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder.

They would never get her to admit it.

Because she was always going to be a bitch.

She liked that about herself.

…

[iwanthermidnightz]

Your recent asks reminded me of this beautiful story about Karlie's kindness 🥺

https://time.com/4138683/katie-couric-karlie-kloss-abby-shapiro-and-the-power-of-kindness/?xid=IFT-Section

I hope it puts a smile on your face today iwhm!

Thank you for reminding me of this! I love that it was written by Katie Couric. It definitely lifted my spirits! 😊

It’s almost impossible to avoid Karlie Kloss these days. There she is on top of a cab, crouched catlike in her indigo stretchy jeans; extolling the virtues of L’Oréal mascara; running in a sports bra, wearing a watch, on a Times Square Jumbotron; throwing a football to her father on Instagram; and posing in front of a building on her first day of school in NYC. Portraits of an effortlessly beautiful 23-year-old, graced with an enviable combination of good genes and ambition. Ted Koehler could have written the song he wrote in 1932 for her: “She’s got the world on a string, sitting on a rainbow.”

Abby Shapiro did too. But one day last spring, when my colleague Andrew Rothschild approached me, I knew from the expression on his face that he was going to tell me something awful. People have come to know me as an advocate for cancer research, and rarely a week goes by when I’m not approached by someone desperate for information about some iteration of this cruel disease. We slipped into one of the few places offering a modicum of privacy in the vast, open spaces of our offices. “My cousin Abby is sick,” he began, and the story grew increasingly bleak by the second. Abby Shapiro. Sixteen years old. Washington, D.C. Funny, bright, outgoing. A breaststroke swimmer, she was being recruited by colleges like Tufts and Colby. She returned home from a college tour with a pain in her knee, and was later diagnosed with osteosarcoma. And then what felt like a final punch in the gut: an only child.

I asked what I could do, knowing full well that my ability to affect the outcome was uncertain. I offered to reach out to Abby’s mom Trudy and help track down any clinical trials through researchers at Stand Up To Cancer. But Andrew had something else in mind: “Can you think of someone, anyone, who might be able to send her a message, cheer her up?” Abby was in the hospital and wasn’t doing well. She needed something to smile about.

I then channeled my teenage self and emailed Karlie Kloss, who I had gotten to know a bit through a mutual friend. I asked Karlie if she might help persuade Taylor Swift to send Abby a Snapchat, a text, an email, because, let’s face it, what 16-year-old girl doesn’t like Taylor Swift? I also emailed Taylor’s publicist, who wrote back that she’d be happy to send a care package to Abby from Taylor—full of Swift swag.

Karlie wanted to do something too. So between jetting off to Paris and Milan, she found time for Abby. Not a cursory call, but several long and personal conversations through the waning days of summer. By then, Abby was having a very difficult time.

When Karlie learned that Abby’s health had taken a dramatic turn for the worse, she took a red-eye from Los Angeles to New York City, jumped on a train bound for Washington and visited Abby at Georgetown Hospital. She sat with her for hours, and when her assistant poked her head in the room and told her it was time to go, Karlie demurred and said she would take a later train back to New York.

Abby died on Labor Day, one week after Karlie’s visit. The experimental drug that everyone was praying would work didn’t.

On a warm afternoon in late September, over a glass of iced tea on the patio of the Willard Hotel, Abby’s parents told me that once Karlie had called Abby to say she was having a rough day and that Abby was the only person she wanted to talk to. Knowing how special this made Abby feel, they said, was profound.

I never got to meet Abby. But after reading the testimonials in the program for her funeral, I learned that she was loyal, determined, fearless, a brilliant mimic, witty, warm. She had a best friend named Eleanor and loved cheese and piecrust. One day she was looking at colleges. Six months later, she was gone. It’s futile to ask the one question that tortures those who lose someone to cancer, or to anything else for that matter. But that didn’t stop me from asking it anyway: Why?

It’s almost too painful to think about the enormous hole her death has left and the unrelenting pain her parents are enduring. They told me that one of the few sources of relief from their sadness came from the extraordinary people who cared for their daughter during her last days.

I don’t really know Karlie Kloss, whose name I say as if she’s a brand, like Kleenex. We once had cappuccino at the Polo Bar, and I was impressed with how poised, levelheaded and naturally curious she was, and we email now and then. But hearing the story of her friendship with Abby, I feel like I’m starting to now know who she really is.

Social media is a strange phenomenon. We swipe through photos of celebrities on Instagram or read their tweets and think we have a window into their lives. But those are just one-dimensional images on a flat screen. What’s real are the human moments, like the important, if fleeting, friendship between Karlie and Abby, young women who gave each other so much. In this unlikely Venn diagram where two lives intersected, suffering met kindness and darkness found a bit of light. And that is something truly worth sharing.

[soranihimawari]

Spiral

A timeskip!Satori Tendou x flatmate!reader short

Pairing: timeskip!satori x flatemate!reader

Warnings: fluff & slice of life // suggestive

Word count: ~1.8k

How I pictured Satori

Who thought answering a personal ad in Paris was going to lead to one of the longest relationships in your life? Certainly not Satori Tendou, who at the time was starting his apprenticeship at the local chocolatier and ganachery. Hard to believe three years since you received a call back from a foreign number had passed, but let’s be real. Life was not the most fair when it came to you. After all, you had been gifted a unisex name, so imagine the guess monster’s face when a gothic chic androgynous person with a few hatboxes showed up at his door. You apologize together to the other laughing a bit saying things will work out. Yet, there was also one other major issue: language. You honestly presumed his French was rough, judging by the back and forth text messages, because they all sounded similar to a google translate text block. Regardless the chocolatier and the goth make it work.

Truthfully, living with Satori has been one of the best experiences of your joint young adult life. You’ve been prompted to official taste tester for him alongside him being a subject for your photography book. Always trying to respect each other spaces was a primary thing to figure out, so together you tackle a schedule to use the common spaces: bathroom, laundry, kitchen, etc. Since then, English basic alongside various Japanese to French dictionaries have joined the bookshelves you helped build with Satori.

Three years later, you’re sifting flour and scattering it on the marble table in the kitchen. As a treat, you decide to make your grandmother’s recipe for buttered bread. Rolling out the dough you refrigerated after it rose, you also take out the homemade butter brick you’re used to seeing folded into the center of the bread dough. For a person who usually wears all black, you’re skilled enough to not get a speck on your clothes is impressive. Eyeing the calendar, you circled the date in Satori’s favorite color. Eventually, once the bread had been placed in the oven, you sit on the couch while the timer on your phone is turned on.

Hours later, with the bread cooled on the counter, beside it a small envelope (filled with cupcake glitter) and with a very rigid hiragana script, your flatmate’s name is written there. Yet, who would have thought you’d be asleep when Satori arrived home? Certainly not the birthday celebrant. Satori comes home to find you curled up on the couch, steady deep breaths heard when he found the corner (a sure sign you were knocked out), in something other than the signature black you’ve been known to wear: you were wearing an updated lilac cocktail dress (inspired from the 1950s) complete with bunny slippers. It was enough for the chocolatier to smile more to himself than anything. Also, does it help he had a heart to heart talk with his best friend who actually gave him some sage advice? Yes, because as it stands his heart patters nervously in his chest. The rhythm tells him what’s been weighing in his mind—he likes you, a little more than you’ve been lead to believe. Now will he act on it and will you not push him away? Time will tell because as it stands, you stir as he joins you on the couch, but rather than waking next to cushions, you wake feeling a chef coat button.

“Evening sleeping beauty,” Satori greets.

He has a catlike expression and you roll your eyes at the nickname, but it’s ok. Because you expect it from him. There have been too many times when you’ve been out together and the general consensus are either you two are together (or there was something no one would be surprised if you’re fixing to get to that point). Yet when you readjust yourself, turning into him, breathing in the hints of chocolate and confectionery sugars, your eyes flutter open.

“Tori?” your groggy voice greets. You rub the heels of your palm against your eyes trying to rid the corners of the slumber man’s dust.

There is a delightful hum you hear, thus waking you fully. Needless to say, waking up and trying to squirm was not the best idea, not when your flatmate can hold you so securely by the waist. Next thing you know, you’re no longer resting on his shoulder, no, you’re brought to sit atop his lap, much like cradling a young child. You realize you’re pinned, straddling him as you feel him flex beneath you; years of lifting the delivery of flour and ample time dedicated to kneading had coerced old athletic muscles into a refined one for a chocolatier. Tendou keeps a hand above the zipper of your dress and the other traces lines from your knees to your ankle and back again. The smoothness makes you seem like a marionette, the best one he’s ever seen—he doesn’t want to play with you like the way you described old flames before; he wants something a bit more dare he think it: sweet.

“Lilac, really?” Satori has a look in his eye.

You feel his hand pinch the satin fabric of the sleeve of the dress, a smirk resting on his features. He notices how flushed you’re becoming because of the proximity your faces are, but it doesn’t bother him. Never had, never will, he thought.

“You said it reminded you of home,” you say with a pout. “Something about school pride?”

Satori hugs you closer, muttering nervously, “liking you is going to kill me.”

“It won’t,” you reply just as quick, tilting your head to read his expression.

It’s filled with a hearth fired neutrality you didn’t think he possessed, but of all things, you can tell how much he cares when he does not push you away, yet his hands freeze their ministrations. There is a quiet pause when you find yourself staring at him, not like a subject for your work photographing life in the city, no. It was more like a more ‘adult-like’ love, ie the type that both would want to work out in the long run. In those seconds, with his confession slightly forgotten, you sit back a bit, choosing your next words carefully. Suddenly, the atmosphere where you both were changed into one charged with a mutual desire (three years worth of closeness, friendship, might have naturally progressed to this, according to a friend of yours)—with hope on your fingertips, you grip the collar of his coat and pull him down toward you before you feel his smile against your lips. “Sois courageux petit prince.”

A ghost of a kiss stays between you both. Like testing the waters of the sea, both of you are still a bit stunned. You would think three years of living with the other would have made this sort of move eons ago. However, with life and work in the way, it often gets pushed asunder. Tonight though, with the new day just minutes away, you readjust your self in a more comfortable position. Platonic or not, that gray area needed to be tested and by the gods did he pass it with you. One kiss turned into two, then when your limbs chose to rest against his shoulders, you rest your head against a wiser outsider.

“Bien devant toi chérie,” his hands leave your waist to travel to hold your face gently in his palms before slowly closing the space between you.

This kiss is just as gentle as you could imagine, perhaps even better because two people who are so sure of themselves (and comfortable in their own skin), prove how fearless they can when their souls seemed to spiral outward into a deeper understanding of a love well earned. Essentially, his kisses leave you wanting to carry on, still calculated and careful, ever since you walked through the front door something told Satori he wanted you to stay. You’re so grateful you did because right now, you’re thoroughly enjoying this nonverbal exchange.

“Stay,” you murmur drowsily hypnotized by the ministrations he uses when you require more air in your lungs. He nods, almost bumping heads with you. You lean back a bit and though he supports you, you laugh slightly at his reaction to instinctively catch you.

“Help me out of this,” he instructs hotly tacking on a “please” when your hands unbutton the first three buttons on his coat. You peck his lips as you do so until the end of the coat and he wiggles free from its confines. Satori may not have had many dates but past, but he follows your lead when you choose to lay back down on the couch and he hovers above you for a mere second before he rightfully kisses you the way he’s been meaning to. A confession isn’t really necessary, although when the sunlight seeps through the curtains the following morning, you’re no longer wearing the lilac number from the night before—you’re wearing a partially buttoned ganchery coat with the embroidered kanji of Satori Tendou’s name.

French translations:

Sois courageux petit prince—Be brave little prince

Bien devant toi chérie—way ahead of you sweetheart

[pseudofaux]

hi,Pseu! Can we get more daddy!vamp please? this time with comte and dazai and your choice for the third? no third if you just want to write extra for comte and dazai

I’m so happy someone else wanted more of these! 🥰 Please enjoy DaddyVamp hours for Comte, Dazai, and Vincent below! ☺️☺️☺️ (Jean, Leo, and Theo here.)

(Requests are open through May 1 if you would like to get one in!)

Comte is like Leo: emotional about it all. The birth of his child makes him confront several of his demons, and he commits before the baby’s even born to being a stable father— so he doesn’t let his uncertainty show in front of the baby once they arrive, only confesses it to you during whispered exchanges of worry, fear, and love while your newborn sleeps nearby. He actually has some anxiety that will need to be treated but he sticks to his rule about never showing the big worries to the baby, and he stabilizes as the child thrives, sleeps well, eats well. He lives to play peekaboo with the daily paper until the child gets hiccups from laughing. Of course le Comte wants to spoil his baby but he barely gets the chance thanks to your circle of friends (be prepared for him to spoil you extra instead!). He’s the kind of father that very significantly benefits from being around the parents of slightly older children. He’s seen so many small ones in his life but never paid enough attention... so while the anxiety is something he has to struggle with, your baby also makes him more mindful and centered. 💛 Baby grows up naturally generous (Comte is very proud)... a natural mess, too (always needs a housekeeper, always pays them very well for their trouble), and ends up dedicating themselves to establishing a lot of free schools and other philanthropic efforts in Paris and beyond.

Dazai is a bit catlike with the baby, lots of sniffs and pushing one of his fingers into baby’s cheek. “What are you thinking?” he asks your newborn every day, holding them up (head supported!) and looking into their eyes. “What is in your head, hmm? Where did you come from?” As baby gets better able to focus they look back very solemnly, and eventually begin to babble, Dazai likes that even though it’s a bit of a puzzle. He won’t say it, because he doesn’t think he has to, but he LOVES wearing baby in a sling, the balance of his body when he is walking around just feels better with little one cradled close. He likes the way they smell and isn’t squeamish about the occasional wet burp since that’s just a part of the human condition; humans are gross. You may have to remind him from time to time that your family is him, the baby, and you-- he’s the most likely to go off with his new accomplice without telling anyone. As the child grows they keep going off on adventures, especially into wooded areas and when it rains they are always out turning over stones to show the earth it is raining. 💜 Baby grows up to be something like an accountant, very focused in their work and extremely dreamy as soon as they are off the clock. They write a few scripts and many poems, and have a very large appetite for life and all its pleasures (and thrills).

Vincent is deeply, deeply moved by the baby’s existence (of course!). He does all the tummy times together with baby, and as soon as baby can hold their head up he finds safe pigments and sets them on frameless canvas to play with blobs of color. Everything the baby does is marvelous and makes him smile, he’s completely in love with zero reservations about the gladness of it all. He is a little torn between wanting to experience this joy with more children and the importance of devoting himself to providing joy and love to this one child-- you two will have to decide what you want to do about that. No matter what you choose, you have this perfect child for him to love and he is going to do his absolute best! Vincent likes it best when baby (later child) naps in the sunny studio. He dreams of baby first writing with a paintbrush and is careful to show them all kinds of art in the world, not just the kinds in his own studio. Uncle Theo helps with that and likes the way this van Goghling is quiet and appreciative and unstupid-- they have almost the exact same private taste. 💙 Baby grows up to be a gentle and joyful sculptor, and they keep that sharp eye for what they like. From an early age they have a very, very good radar for pretense and BS, and avoid it.

[scribble-blog]

Soulmate AU part 3!!

First • Previous • Here • Next

Side note, I’m a grandma in a 22 year old body who doesn’t understand technology. If somebody can teach me how to get readmores to work on tumblr mobile, and possibly how to start linking the posts together, I’d appreciate it!

Also, the taglist is now full! Though if people want, I could try doing a supplemental taglist? Either in a reblogged or in a separate post to notify you? Let me know in the replies!

Damian Wayne, as it turns out, is almost very certainly the son of Bruce Wayne, who sponsored their entire trip to Gotham. There are only two official pictures of him that are clear enough to truly check against, but Marinette sees the eyes and she nods. “That’s him.”

Trixx, Pollen, Kaalki, and Plagg are scattered about the bed, napping and lounging. Adrien also lounges, catlike and crosswise with the bed, entirely over the pillows at their back. Chloé holds the laptop that Marinette is hovering over, even from her seated position with her much smaller stature.

“It would be you,” Chloé snorts. “Oh, let’s just traipse over to America for a quick class visit! Oops, my soulmate is the incredibly handsome son of the incredibly wealthy man who invited us here!”

“Still more believable than you, Miss ‘My soulmate and I have literally been standing two feet from each other for weeks because not only do we have the exact same friends, but we’re part of the same superhero group and never realized until Ladybug allowed us to learn each other’s secret identities.’” Adrien doesn’t move as he calls her out, lazily curled into the warmth of his two friends and the pillows cocooning him.

“I don’t think any of us can speak,” Marinette groans. “I’m living a cheap rom com, Chloé’s got all the plot elements of a high budget Shakespearian drama, and Mr. ‘Didn’t know I wasn’t straight until my soulmate mark was a guys name” is straight out of a b movie comedy.”

“At least I got my act together pretty quickly once it occurred to me that I could like guys too,” Adrien points out. “And now Jon and I talk all the time, and he even comes to Paris sometimes to see me, or we’ll meet up for my occasional business trips in America. Which reminds me,” he pulled out his phone, sending off a quick text, “he wants to come meet you guys. Next week, while we’re all actually on the same continent.”

“Kudos to you for shaking off whatever Gabe tried to stuff your head full of,” Chloé says. “Took me ages to admit that I was gay, and that was even WITH my soulmark and both Marinette and Ladybug constantly in front of me.”

“Feeling pretty objectified,” Marinette protests.

“Oh shut it, I know for a fact that you’ve basically been the gay awakening crush of every not straight girl in our class. And several outside of it. And that’s not even counting all the dudes that fall in love with you.”

“I still object,” Marinette pouts at Chloé.

“Objection overruled.” Adrien sits up. “Marinette. You’re like, the perfect crush. They have a warning about you in the introductory packet for Mme. Bustier’s class.”

“They do not,” Marinette gasps, outraged. “I wrote that packet!”

“And then the class unanimously decided you were too dangerous to be walking around without a warning sign,” Chloé pinched her cheek. “If it makes you feel any better, it’s still in the packet despite Lila’s best efforts to get it thrown out.”

That does make Marinette feel better.

“Damian Wayne resurfaces after year of being believed dead,” Adrien reads from his phone. “Gotham’s Newest Wayne: The True Son! These all read like tabloids but as far as I can tell the Wayne’s don’t tolerate stuff like that. So I guess it’s true?”

“I’m tired of looking him up,” Marinette groans. “Can we just leave it be?”

“Nope,” Chloé pops the P. “Congrats, Dupain-Cheng, this is what friends are for.”

“I wish I could talk to Tikki about it,” Marinette sighs. “Especially because I have literally never heard anyone talk about that- electric feeling when we touched. Is it a Ladybug thing?”

Plagg opens one big green eye. “Cool it, Spots. It’s definitely a Ladybug thing. You’re literally the reason these marks exist.”

Marinette sticks her tongue out at the mini god. “I just miss her.”

“Join the club,” he grumbles, closing his eye and going back to napping.

“Good news,” Chloé says, bringing her attention back to the laptop. “Searching your name very easily leads to you, and our class, and the fact that we won the contest. So, unless he decides he’s not ready to meet you, you’ll have the chance to find him at the gala. Or at Wayne Enterprises. Or at any of the places the Wayne’s own, which is two-thirds of our trip destinations.”

“Oh god,” Marinette says. “What if he didn’t want to find me?”

Adrien, Chloé, and four Kwamis hit her at the same time, shoving her back into the bed.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mari,” Adrien scolds her from his position atop the newly formed cuddle pile. “I saw his face too. If the boy isn’t already in love with you, he’ll be hunting you down just for the chance to fall.”

Trixx nuzzled into her side. “I may not be Tikki but all of us Kwamis know how incredible you are, Marinette.”

She sighed. “Alright guys, get off.”

———

Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Tim already knew who the girl was, because he’d been curious when his favorite artist had started talking about the source of his newest looks.

But having Damian demand his help in searching for everything he could find on her, and then only asking for the bare minimum of information about her trip itinerary- Tim wasn’t an idiot.

“So. She’s your soulmate.” Tim takes a sip of the coffee he’d been working on, making a face and instantly setting it back down when he realized it had gone cold.

Damian carefully did not change his expression, but it wasn’t fooling anyone. “And so what if she is?”

Tim looked back at the monitor. “So nothing. Congrats, Demon Spawn. I’m happy for you.”

He barely caught the edge of the scowl the younger Wayne tried to hide.

“Hey, no.” Tim spun his chair to face Damian. “Look, we’ve had our differences and disagreements-“

“You had me on the superhero equivalent of a terrorism watch list,” Damian interrupted.

“And you literally tried to kill me within the first day of meeting me.”

“A byproduct of my indoctrination from birth into a murder cult,” His brother kept his face still but the tone was wry.

“You kept trying to kill me.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill you!” Damian finally exclaimed, losing his collected demeanor. “Just-“

“Point being,” Tim stressed, “even if we haven’t always gotten along- haven’t ever, really- I’m still happy for you. Soulmates are a special thing. We all kind of thought you might not have one, with the way you always acted when Dick tried to ask.”

Damian forced down the immediate retort and looked at Tim. “I thought that maybe my dying would have prevented my name from showing up for them. And my teachings-“ he said the word with the inflection that meant he was discussing Assassin Upbringing rather than here- “were as such that most connections, be they familial, friendly, or romantic, were- unnecessary and even dangerous.” It felt tantamount to a betrayal of his younger self to confide anything in Drake like this, but... Damian really was, in many ways, a better and more mature person than the spoiled, aggressive, near sociopathic brat he’d arrived as seven years ago. He still kept the veneer of it up, but he was no longer the boy who needed to fight Drake to prove his worth as Bruce’s son.

Now he just waited for Drake to embarrass himself by passing out after staying up for far too long surviving on caffeine and energy drinks. Much easier.

And Drake didn’t ever seem as eager to blackmail and fight as Damian ever had, so he figured a small amount of vulnerability was a proper thank you for his discretion in finding Marinette.

Tim just took another grimacing sip of the cold coffee. “Man. In that case, even happier for you that you’re shrugging off yet another of the Child Assassin School’s upsetting and frankly terrible rules. Though as for the dying thing, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter as long as you don’t actively die now that you have the mark.”

Damian shrugged. “Irrelevant now, as I will not be dying anytime soon, and neither will she. And she clearly knows that we’re soulmates.”

“Still confused about that,” Tim frowned, looking back at him. “You said there was an electric current between you? Or it felt like that?”

Damian couldn’t stop his hand from twitching, the memory of it clear enough to feel. “Yes. I don’t understand it myself either.”

“I’ll search around. See if anything comes up.” Tim handed him a pile of papers. “Here, the info you wanted on her itinerary, plus things I thought would be pertinent without going over whatever line you seem to have drawn.”

Damian took them, and very begrudgingly said, “Thank you,” before ducking out of the room.

He waited until he was back in his own room before flicking through them, finding the trip schedule and the hotel rooms listed, the names of her class and teachers, and finally a list of her accomplishments and a copy of the paper that had won her class the trip, authored by her.

He read through it, noting the names of her classmates and their own community efforts, and the way her own section in the paper was minuscule compared to both each other persons section and the list of accomplishments Drake had drafted.

One classmate had, if no less written than than any other person, a distinctly different tone to what Marinette had written, and most of her community building and service events were merely echoes or assisting what another person had done. Damian shrugged it off, as there were sometimes people who simply tagged along, and never put their own effort out there. Followers, and not leaders.

All in all, he found himself more intrigued than ever about her.

TAGLIST:

@the-fusionist @rebecarojas07 @lowandco @kotaleartzu @resignedcatservant @alenee13 @mystery-5-5 @ladybug-182 @actual-disaster-human @loysydark @rumbelle18 @magic-miraculous @vixen-uchiha @athena452 @mochegato @ash-amg @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @thestressmademedoit @sassakitty @doriebell @jessigurl-design @emotionalsupportginger @kceedraws @kuroko26 @moonystars14 @toodaloo-kangaroo @myazael @theatreandcomicfreak @mer-mel @dahjokester @northernbluetongue @area51qt @renscorpio @redscarlet95 @razzledazzle247 @rosep16 @tired-butterfly @catthhay @shamefullove @imanerddealwith @chaosace @captainmac6 @bigpicklebananatree @abrx2002 @cici-schnee @multplelifes @shreky-boi @purple-people-eaters-productions @crazylittlemunchkin @weird-pale-blonde-person

[mirabugtm]

Marichat short :D

A/N: I wrote this a while ago, so I hope you enjoy! I’m planning on doing a couple of things revolving around the Adrien Marinette Chat Ladybug relationship, but it’ll probably wouldn’t be until summer break that I actually begin to write it XD

Adrien sighs as he stares at the night sky behind the glass walls of his room. Once again, he’s all alone on this lovely night.

He held up a rose that he picked for his one true love, or so he thought. It was a long time ago, but he can still remember the day clearly when she told him that she couldn’t take it anymore and left him on the rooftop.

Why? Why was she so afraid? He knows that she has the whole city of Paris to protect, but sometimes he wished she can tell him, they were dating after all.

The moon shines brightly above them. Turning his head, Adrien spots Plagg, sleeping on the edge of the bed peacefully.

“Plagg,” he calls out softly.

A moment of silence. Adrien raises his voice slightly louder trying to wake up the lazy Kwami. Of course, no response.

Adrien chuckles as he thinks up quickly of an idea. “I have… I have some Camembert for you if you wake up.”

“Mmm, Camembert…” the little creature begins to stir in his sleep, his eye slightly opening at the sound of a delicious yet smelly treat being offered to him.

Adrien sits up from the bed and from the ledge, takes a piece of camembert cheese to offer to his little companion. Plagg practically floats from his sleeping space, lured towards the cheese. When the Kwami finally gains consciousness, he notices the boy wide awake.

“Plagg?” Adrien calls out to him again.

“What is it?” he replies, snatching the cheese from his fingers and popping it into his mouth. “You better have a good reason for waking me up this late.”

Adrien stares out his window again in awe.

“How would you like to go on an evening stroll?”

-.-

Marinette can’t sleep. If it’s from worrying all night about Hawkmoth or the fact that she is now the new Guardian of the Miraculous, she doesn’t know. The rest of the Kwami are all sound asleep, their soft breaths comforting her as she sits from her bed. The moon is especially bright tonight.

“Marinette?” Tikki calls out to her. “Is something wrong?”

The girl in question smiles sadly at the little creature. “No it’s fine. I, I think I just need a bit of fresh air.”

“Is this about Adrien again?”

Marinette pauses, takes in a deep breath, and lets it out. The painful memory comes back to her, but she shoves it away mentally as she shakes her head. “No, it’s not that Tikki,” she says softly. “I just…” She just, what? She doesn’t know.

“I’m going out. Watch the others for me, Tikki, okay?”

“Okay,” she says quietly as the girl slowly crawls out of bed. Marinette slowly climbs down, making sure to keep herself quiet as she makes her way to the balcony on her roof. The room is dark, everything a scattered mess. Her designs are all over the place, filled with notes of frustration as she can’t completely focus on them. She nearly slips on a paper, carefully picking it up before the others could wake up and notice her absence.

Once she opens the window and climbs out, she notices someone sitting on her balcony ledge, admiring the moon as it shines brightly. She recognizes his black cat ears, blonde hair, his over silhouette.

“Chat Noir,” Marinette calls out. “What are you doing here?”

The hero in question nearly falls over as soon as he hears the voice, losing balance and wobbling forward. Marinette gasps as she runs over to help him but he miraculously pulls himself up, launching himself high up in the air with a flip and landing safely on his feet.

She stumbles upon him, her body nearly crashing onto his. He’s lucky enough to grab the ledge to stop the both of them from flying over.

Marinette widens her eyes in shock. “I’m so sorry!” she squeals. “Are you okay?”

Chat laughs at their predicament. “My Lady, you’re very clumsy,” he says with a slight smile, his green catlike eyes softly glowing under the moonlight. She notices his soft gaze and pulls away nervously.

“I- uhhh, Chat, why are you here?” she asks as she straightens herself, wiping herself off of any dust. Chat himself leans slightly against the ledge in response.

He shrugs. “I like the view from your place. It’s my favorite place to return to when I patrol.”

She arches an eyebrow. “Oh really?” she asks in disbelief. She crosses her arms with a half smile on her face. “You’ve been coming here a lot more often.”

“You’ve noticed?” he replies, scratching his head with his free hand in embarrassment. “I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you.”

“No it’s fine,” she says, meeting him on the ledge, his gaze following her. “I enjoy your company sometimes.”

“Oh?” the young hero blinks. “Well I’m honored to be in your presence.”

“Don’t push it,” Marinette teases, releasing another breath. Her tired eyes wander over to meet his, his endearing gaze making her flush slightly. “Um… well, I…”

“You don’t need to say anything if you don’t want to. But please, I’d like your company for a little bit before I go.”

The teen stares helplessly into the hero’s eyes, filled with an emotion she can’t quite place. “You don’t even have to talk.”

“It’s fine.” Marinette returns to gazing at the open sky. “It’s nice today. No akumatizations tonight. It looks like you get to have a break.

He smiles. “Yeah.”

[pl-panda]

Damienette arranged marriage: part 24

Credits: Miraculous Ladybug team for the elements I take from MLB show. DC for their characters, @ozmav for the AU, @maribat-archive for giving me access to so many different stories to have take inspirations from, @thyladyanput for idea for Chat Damian and me for the plot.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 part 14 part 15

part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21

Part 22

Part 23

Damienette arranged marriage: part 24

NEXT

----------------------

“Papa will help us on this one. And maybe we should call the cavalry from Gotham?”

“Relax Angel. We have two to one number advantage. We can deal with them.” Damian reassured her. 

‘Fine. We two weeks until we leave. It is decided then. In one week, we storm the Agreste Manor.”

--------------------

The week passed by faster than anyone wanted. Marinette especially felt like it was all in such rush. It was overwhelming. After over two years of fighting hawkmoth they were finally about to put an end to his reign. That is if Tim’s assumptions were correct. It was still just a theory. Really solid one, but theory nonetheless. They did know Adrien was Chat Noir. This was without doubt. Nobody else could be him if what Tim gathered was correct. It’s amazing what you can figure in two months with good logic skills and enough hacking skill to have White House Coffee machine prepare a frappuccino with your face on it for a week. ‘Batboys’ had weirdest truth or dare in the whole world, Marinette decided. 

The raid was supposed to happen on saturday. This way they were sure that Adrien would be home and there would be little interruptions. Precisely on 10:20 A.M., the time when Adrien should be practicing his piano, Ladybug, Pink Tigress, Ryuko and Viperion walked to the front gate of the Agreste Manor. Marinette did ask her father to use Ox miraculous and help them, but he politely declined. Tom felt like the hero gig was not really for him. It was okay. Not everyone need to be on the front line. 

A camera eye popped out of the wall as soon as Ladybug pressed the bell. 

“Hi. I have an urgent matter with Mousier Agreste. It’s about his son.” She spoke. It was risky, but if he didn’t allow them to enter, he would only raise suspicion. It was a perfect trap. Small crowd already gathered in here and got curious. Rejecting Paris’ beloved heroes would be bad for image and much too suspicious. 

There was no answer, but the gate opened, letting the group in. As they walked, Ladybug and the others indeed noticed several automated defence turrets, now half-burried underground while disabled. They were probably loaded with rubber bullets, but how did this not violate gun regulations anyway was a surprise. 

Doors to the manor were opened by Gorilla, who then stepped aside and let them in. Nobody noticed three shadows jumping over the front yard. Gabriel was already waiting for them with Natalie by his side.

“Ladybug. What a surprising visit. Is something wrong?” He asked in a worried tone. 

“Yes. But I would prefer if we talked in somewhere more private.” Ladybug said, nudging her head toward atelier. 

“Of course. Nathalie. Go check on Adrien in the meantime.” The man motioned to his secretary and let group of colorful heroes to his private study. As the doors closed he turned to the heroes. “Now. What is this urgent matter you need to discuss.”

“Like I mentioned, it’s about your son Mousier.”

“Adrien?” Gabriel grasped. “Did something happen to him? Is he in trouble?!” If Ladybug didn’t know the man as Marinette and didn’t suspect him of being hawkmoth she would actually think he cared about his son. 

“Yes. He is in big big trouble.” Pink Tigress practically growled. Marinette wondered if it was the mask or was her mother always like that but she didn’t show it. 

“Tigress. Control your emotions.” Ryuko scolded the newest heroine, but it was obvious she was having hard time herself.

“Ladybug. What is this all about?!” Gabriel shouted. “I demand an explanation.” He recomposed himself and fixed his tie.

“Well… Your son… He… You see…” Suddenly, the confidence Ladybug usually showed disappeared.

“What our Bug is trying to say is that we believe your son is Chat Noir.” Viperion offered some help to the distressed heroine.

“And how is that bad? If what you say is true I am proud of my son and his accomplishments in defending Paris. His mother would surely be proud.” The designer defended his son while acting confused. Except Ladybug saw right through the scene. It was too much out of character for Gabriel Agreste to be real. This confirmed it. He was Hawkmoth. 

“Except Chat Noir switched sides. He is a traitor. That is why Tigress reacted like that. For some time, he is working with Hawkmoth.” Ladybug straightened up and looked in the eyes of man before her. 

“What?! Perpeterous! My son would never do such thing. He was always loyal to those he considered family.” 

“If you could please call him in here, I would be happy to discuss some things with him in your presence if that’s okay.” The girl in red gave a weak smile and nodded toward the intercom.

Gabriel reluctantly walked to it and pressed a button. “Nathalie. Could you please bring Adrien in here?”

It wasn’t long before the secretary and prodigal son entered the room.

“You wished to see me father?” Adrien started, but then he noticed several heroes standing in there. “Oh! Ladybug? I am honored to meet you again.” In the back, Ryuko was stopping Pink Tigress from attacking by holding hand in front of her. Viperion was doing the same for Dragon-themed hero.

“Adrien Agreste.” Ladybug started in stern tone. “As the Great Guardian of Miraculous I hereby renounce your right to the Ring of Black Cat. You are no longer a hero of Paris or part of the team.” She grabbed his hand and was about to pull the ring when he chuckled. 

“So that’s it my lady? After all this time together you would end it just like that?” There was something dark in his face. “Plagg! Darkclaws out!”

Suddenly a black Kwami was sucked out of his pocket and entered the ring. In a flash of green light he was now Chat Noir, except instead his bell was now silver and his face was twisted. His features were more catlike and when he smiled he had fangs. Hearing the commotion, Gorilla barged into the room through other doors. He looked confused at the situation. He didn’t even mother with the fact that the entrance was locked and he kept holding the doorknob 

“Guess there is no more hiding it Father.” Adrien said. It could very well refer to him being Chat Noir, but Gabriel understood the suggestion.

“Indeed son. Nooroo! Darkwings rise!” There was another flash of light and Hawkmoth joined the fray.

“Duusu! Spread my feathers!” Nathalie was transformed into Mayura with the help of her booch. Only no longer it was damaged so she was now able to fight in full strength. 

Hawkmoth hit the floor with his cane, opening a small hole from which flew a white butterfly. “You’ve made a mistake Ladybug. Engaging me in my own home was a stupid strategy.” He then charged new Akuma and sent it at the Gorilla, who was still holding the doorknob. It entered the damaged object and transformed him into smaller version of gorizilla. “Now the chances are more fair, don’t you think?” He grinned maliciously at her.

“No. I think they will be equal about… now!” She shouted and tossed her Yo-Yo. It zoomed right past surprised Hawkmoth and Shattered the window. Through it jumped Spoiler, Red Robin and Robin, all already in battle stance.

“Ah. I see you called different help from the states. I guess I should be worried now?” The mocking tone from the villain was never that good. Suddenly, the floor on the right side lowered slightly making a ramp. From there, walked a lines of robots. “You like it? I got it from my own friend in America.” He gloated. This was not good. They needed new plan.

“Spoiler, Robin, Red Robin! I need you to take care of the robots. Tigress! Get Mayura. Ryuko. You will go after hawkmoth. Viperion! Take the Akuma out and then help Ryuko!” Ladybug started shouting new battle plans.

“What about you?” 

“I will take care of Chat Noir.” She stated and lunged at the irritating cat, who just stood there the whole time with a grin on his face. 

Ladybug used her Yo-Yo to attach to the roof before smashing into Chat Noir leg-first. The cat was pushed back and she proceeded with continous assault, switching between Tossing her weapon at him and using some of the moves she learned from maman over the years. 

This was like a spark. Immediately after Ladybug’s charge, other heroes also attacked. The battle has begun. At least until there was an ear-piercing cry of pain that got everyone’s attention.

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