#she got home and her parents caught her and just how *dare* she endanger their rep like this! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ravennm84 · 4 years ago

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Lyre Festival Justice

Here is the sequel to Lyre Festival Fraud where you get to see exactly what happened to Lila during her long weekend after she went back to Italy. I thought, at first, that I may have gone to far with the salt... But it’s Lila and I really don’t like her character. So, Warm-Fuzzies and enjoy this salty goodness!!

It was a beautiful day in Rome and Lila was enjoying her shopping spree around the city. She and her mother had spent the first few days after moving back to Italy unpacking and getting settled. It was Sunday, and her mother had to go to the embassy to make sure that all of her paperwork had transferred from Paris, which gave Lila the opportunity to spend the money she’d gotten from the idiots from her old class. Really, she couldn’t believe how stupid they all were to have just handed her over €2,000 for a luxury vacation in Venice. She should have gotten at least €3,000 from the class, but that Mari-brat and stick-in-the-mud Adrien had convinced some of them that she was lying. Oh well, €2,000 was better than nothing.

Best part, none of it could be traced back to her. They travelled to Venice on their own, nothing had been written down, her old mobile phone was disconnected and in a landfill somewhere, and she would just tell her mother that she had gotten all her new clothes at a thrift shop she remembered from the last time they’d been living in Rome. And if the idiots got in trouble and tried to say that she was involved, she’d turn on the tears and her mother would side with her like she always did. Seeing a little cafe, she stopped in to get a good cappuccino, it had been too long since she’d had a deceit cup of coffee.

It was mid afternoon by the time she got home. She had made a stop at the thrift store to grab a couple of their shopping bags to hide the real ones inside. It felt wrong to put a Versace skirt in a bargain bag, but one does what one must to keep her life going smoothly. Opening the door to the apartment, she barely caught sight of her mother sitting on the couch before Lila started gushing about how great it was to be back in Italy and all the things she’d missed.

She prattled on for a couple minutes before noticing that her mother hadn’t said anything. Turning to look at her, Lila flinched when she saw her. Something was seriously wrong, the last time she had seen her mother so angry was when she’d told her that her dad was cheating on her. That hadn’t been true but they had ended up getting divorced anyway, which was to Lila’s benefit since the man had always called her out on her lies.

“Is everything okay, Mama?” She asked cautiously, doing her best to sound and appear small and innocent.

“Sit down.”

Her tone left no room for argument. Lila set down her bags and sat in the chair across from her mother.

“Mama, wha-”

“Be quiet!” She snapped, and Lila shut her mouth. This actually seemed worse than the fight her parents had before they divorced. “I received a very strange email on Friday night, from a former classmate of yours in Paris. It seemed that the majority of your class was under the impression that we were throwing a party for a lot of important politicians, celebrities, and musicians on a private island and you had invited them. I told myself, ‘not my daughter, she would never do something like that’. But the email went on, with a list of the students that were supposedly going on this trip and gave you money for the expenses. Again, I thought ‘Lila would never be so cruel as to steal money from her friends right before we left Paris’. So I told the person who sent me that detailed information, that I would handle it. I still thought it was a joke.”

The teenage girl didn’t even have to listen to the end of this story, she knew that goody-two-shoes Marinette had ratted her out. Lila was fighting every instinct she had to run and lock herself in her room, but if she moved even a little her mother would stop her. She could only sit there and hope that she could come up with some kind of lie to convince her mother that she was being set up.

“Then when I went into the embassy today, my boss pulled me into his office and started grilling me as to why I allowed seven unaccompanied minors entry into the country. I tried to explain that I had no idea what he was talking about, and then he started reading off the names. Do you want to guess why those names sounded so familiar?”

By this point, Lila was practically curling into herself to make herself appear smaller. She had to say something, any lie that would make her mother believe her and only her. Turning on the tears, she buried her face in her hands and spoke between sobs. Fake crying always gave her a few extra seconds to think before she had to speak. “I swear, Mama. I didn’t want to do it. Marinette forced me to take those papers from your office to give to our classmates so they could get into the country without their parents. I never took any money from them, I swear! Marinette was bullying me the entire time we were in Paris, I was scared of what she’d do to me if I didn’t do what she said. You’ve got to believe me!”

“So you’re saying that you didn’t tell your class about some non-existent party on a private island, had no knowledge of who was coming into Italy, where they were going, or anything like that?” Her mother’s eyes narrowed as she brought out her mobile phone.

Her hands were shaking as she kept her face buried in her hands, something about her mother’s tone and the way she spoke made this feel like a trap. But she couldn’t backtrack now, Marinette was her way out and she had to stick with it. So she nodded as she continued to sob into her hands.

“Then please explain this to me.” Her mother turned the phone towards her and Lila looked up, her face falling in horror when she heard her own voice. It was a video of her telling her class about who was going to be at the party that she and her mom were organizing, how she was going to need to know for sure who all was coming before the weekend, and Marinette had somehow gotten video of Alya and Nino each handing her €300!

It took longer than she would like to admit for the shock to wear off, but she was smart enough to stick to her original story. “It’s fake! Marinette must have made it to get me in trouble. Max probably helped her, he’s really good with computers. It’s all too convenient to be true. I mean, she sends you all this information about which people are going, how much money they gave me, and a story about a party on a private island in Venice, that anyone would be able to see is clearly fake. Can’t you see that I’m being set up?”

Her mother’s eyes grew harder as she stood from her chair, causing Lila to shrink even further into her own.

“You say that this is all a set up and you had no idea where your classmates were going in Italy, but you just told me the exact city where they were found. You left them waiting on a dock for you to come ferry them to that non-existent private island, and don’t even bother saying that you know which city because of the video I just showed you, because it never names the city they were in.”

Well, crap. She was about to try another tactic, but her mother cut her off before the first syllable left her mouth.

“Young lady, do you have any idea how much trouble you are in?” she yelled, her face beginning to turn a purplish-red and began pacing the room. “You forged my signature on multiple federal documents, endangered the lives of multiple minors, committed theft, and god knows how many other laws you’ve broken. I can’t protect you from this! You will be facing federal charges for what you’ve done!”

Lila felt her stomach drop to her ankles. “But-but that was all in Paris, and I had diplomatic immunity while I was there!”

“It became an international incident when you forged an ambassador’s signature on federal documents that endangered minors! My boss gave me a choice,” her voice grew even harder and colder than before. “Either you answer for what you’ve done and plead guilty, or I lose my job and we both go to trial for what you’ve done.”

“You’d let me go to jail for one little lie? It’s not like anyone got hurt!” Lila screamed, standing from her chair in a panic. This was much worse than she’d imagined.

“And what if they had been?” Her mother screamed back. “What if they had been kidnapped and sold into human trafficking? What if one of them had fallen off the dock and drowned in the channel or hit by a boat? I would be held responsible for that because you forged my signature! Do you not care about the people around you at all? What is wrong with you?”

“But nothing happened to them! It’s their own fault for being stupid enough to believe such an obvious lie. And you’re taking their side over mine? How dare you call yourself my mother and claim to love me!”

“Don’t you dare try to blame me for your bad behavior!” Her mother yelled back as she advanced on her, making her fall back onto the chair. Mme. Rossi looked back at the shopping bags she had knocked over when she had turned, revealing the Versace bag. Tilting her head back, she took multiple deep breaths before looking at her daughter.

“This is what’s going to happen. You are going to return everything you bought today, and you are going to explain to the managers of each store exactly why you are returning everything.” Lila was about to protest, but one look from her mother had her mouth snapping shut. “We will also be clearing out your savings to pay back your classmates for the money you took, their travel expenses, their parents travel expenses, and any money they lost while being away from their jobs to retrieve their children. After that, you will be standing trial for forgery and fraud. If you know what’s good for you, you will go before the judge and apologize profusely for what you’ve done and listen to everything the judge tells you. If you’re lucky you may receive a lenient sentence; but either way, you can expect your next school to be a reformatory school. And if you try to fight me on any of this, I will let a court appointed attorney with no experience handle your case instead of the family lawyer. Have I made myself clear?”

No longer having to fake her tears, Lila nodded to her mother, resigning herself to the fact that her life had been ruined because her mother didn’t love her and Marinette didn’t know how to keep her nose out of where it didn’t belong.

~oOo~

The rest of the day, Lila was forced to return everything that she bought back to the stores and tell the managers how she had stolen the money from her classmates and then abandoned them in a country and city that they weren’t familiar with. The people that overheard her were horrified by what she had done and the managers banned her from ever shopping in those stores again. After all, if she was willing to steal money from her friends, there was little doubt that she would steal from the stores.

After everything was returned, she was taken to the embassy where they recorded her confession on how she lied to everyone, forged her mother’s signature on the documents she stole, and how she scammed over €2,000 from her former classmates. After the confession was taped, she was taken outside of the embassy and handed over to the police to be kept in a juvenile detention center. She screamed at her mother, not believing that she would just hand her over like that, but the woman looked down her nose at her and said, “It’s time for you to face the consequences of your actions, young lady.”

When she arrived at the police station, she was relieved to see their family lawyer was waiting for her, although he was less than thrilled by what she had done. He explained that even as a minor, she could be serving 2-6 years just for the forgery of the documents, that wasn’t even factoring in the scam or reckless endangerment of seven minors. If she were to be tried as an adult, she could be serving 6 years for each document, facing serious fines and more time for each classmate she endangered.

After hearing that, Lila had to rush to the trash can to throw up. She couldn’t believe that one little lie could get her into so much trouble. But this wasn’t her fault, none of it was. If there was anyone to blame, it was that goody-two-shoes Marinette Dupain-Cheng. After all the effort she went through to destroy that girl, she just wouldn’t back down. She would make that girl pay for what she’d done. As soon as the charges were all dropped, she would do everything she could, use every dirty trick in the book to force the nosy girl to end her life and stay out of hers.

But that would have to wait for now. For the time being, she would do what her mother said and play her part. Act like the innocent girl that had gotten caught up in her own fibs while trying to make friends in a new country. She didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt or in trouble, she was just so overwhelmed and she is so sorry for everything that happened. She would need to cry a lot, that was a given, but she could do this. Just fake it until she could get her revenge on the girl that ruined her life.

~oOo~Three Months Later~oOo~

Lila hadn’t meant to lose control in front of the judge. She’d spent months locked away with a bunch of low-class delinquents, talking to different lawyers and quack-doctors before going to court. She had been the picture of innocence and childhood regret the second she walked into the courtroom, she was sure to get off all the charges against her. But she and her lawyer had been blindsided.

The quack-doctors had called her a narcissist and a sociopath, in need of desperate help. To prove that, all of her lies, everything she had said while in Paris had been brought into evidence against her. They’d exposed her truancy and forgery at her old school, found proof of her purposefully getting Marinette expelled, and faking interviews on the Ladyblog which brought her more lawsuits from a bunch of the celebrities she’d lied about.

Some of her classmates had come to give testimony on what she had done and said during her time in Paris. The goodie-two-shoes brat had even come to Italy to give testimony against her, though Lila hadn’t been allowed in the courtroom while she was there, as Marinette hadn’t felt safe to be in the same room. Lila’s lawyer had actually agreed, probably so she wouldn’t cause a scene. And she probably would have. She would have stabbed her in the face with a pencil, in front of the entire courtroom, if she had the chance.

But the worst had to do with the school security cameras. After M. Damocles and Mme. Bustier had been fired for neglectful and abusive behavior to their students, which had been brought about by the investigation into Marinette’s expulsion, the Board of Governors went farther back through the recordings to see how long the bullying had been going on. What they found was video evidence of Lila grabbing an akuma out of the air and putting it into her earring, and then willingly working with the known terrorist.

To make matters even worse, Ladybug and Chat Noir had sent a video as testimony of the times Lila had purposefully interfered with their rescues and had led Chat away from Ladybug to make her more vulnerable to the akuma Oni-chan. Her lawyer tried to get the video stricken from evidence as he couldn’t cross-examine the two heroes, but it was denied.

Her parents had been sitting behind her when they showed those videos. When her mother saw them, it was like she completely shut down. She heard her say that she wanted to leave, and Lila watched as her father helped her mother to her feet and lead her out of the courtroom without looking back.

The judge had been absolutely disgusted with her, going as far as to call her a monster for willingly aiding a terrorist. Since she had already confessed to multiple counts of forgery, fraud, and reckless endangerment of minors, and would now be adding slander and other charges from her time in Paris, the most notable being terrorism; he declared that she would be tried as an adult and was likely to spend the rest of her life in prison.

She’d completely lost it at that point, screaming at the top of her lungs as she jumped over the table to attack the judge. She didn’t remember smashing the water pitcher against one guard's head, scratching another guard across the face, or getting tasered in the back. When she woke up, she was strapped to a bed by her wrists and ankles, her head felt really foggy, and there were a bunch of nurses and orderlies that were keeping keen eyes on her.

Lila Rossi spent the rest of her life heavily medicated in a maximum security mental health hospital. Most every night, the nurses would hear her plotting some kind of scheme to show everyone what a loser Marinette was, but then she would trail off about how she wanted to hear the song Jagged Stone wrote for her or the album she’d help Clara Nightingale write. When she saw people, she would ramble and lie about being a princess or a secret agent, and that she was only here to keep her safe until they came to get her. Over the years, it was all written off as the insane ramblings of a very disturbed girl that would be remaining at the hospital for the rest of her life.

#lila salt #lila gets exposed #lila karma #ml fic #lila lies

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itsyourchoice-hp · 4 years ago

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Year 2: Christmas at the Burrow

Cath climbed the steps to the Owlery, the snow crunching under her feet. There were only two weeks left in the term. In her hand she clutched a letter addressed to her parents, asking if she could spend some of the Christmas holidays at the Weasley’s house. Both Harry and Hermione were going to spend the full break there, and Ron had invited both Cath and Draco to join.

She knew that her parents would definitely say no to staying for the whole break, but Cath hoped that they would be in high spirits when they got her letter and allowed her to spend a few days. Although her parents didn’t talk too much about the Weasleys, she knew that her parents had differing opinions on them.

In general, her father was a part of circles made up of mostly wealthy, Pureblood witches and wizards. Though the Weasleys were a Pureblood family, Father had some strong opinions about Mr. Weasley’s fascination with Muggles and how he treated them as equal to himself. Truthfully, Cath didn’t know enough about Muggles to really form an opinion about them. She had never even met or talked to a Muggle before. Mother didn’t say much on the matter but didn’t seem to disapprove of Cath’s friendships with the Weasleys, or with Hermione, who was a Muggle-born witch.

When Cath opened the door to the Owlery, she saw Harry tying a letter to the claw of his snowy owl, Hedwig. He glanced over, and upon realizing it was Cath, waved. Hedwig hooted at him irritably.

“Alright, alright,” Harry said. He finished tying the letter and then let her take off, soaring out of one of the wide windows. “Hi, Cath.”

“Hello,” she replied, approaching one of the school owls, a small brown one with bright brown eyes. It pecked her finger lightly as she attached the letter to its leg.

“Is that the letter to your parents about Christmas break?” Harry asked.

Cath nodded. “I really hope the owl arrives when they’re in a good mood… especially Father. I hope they let me go…”

“Me too,” Harry replied.

“What are you doing?” Cath asked him.

“Sending a letter to my aunt and uncle that I’m not coming home for break,” Harry said. His face darkened. “Although I doubt they’ll really care.”

Cath felt sorry for Harry. As much as her parents could be difficult at times, at least she had parents who loved her and cared for her. She couldn’t believe the things Harry had said in passing over the year about his aunt and uncle, how he used to sleep in a broom cupboard, that often he would be punished and not be able to eat.

There was silence for a minute as they both left the Owlery and descended the stairs. Cath glanced out at the school grounds, watching the Dementors slowly patrolling. She got that dark feeling she got whenever they were near.

“I wish they’d go away,” Cath remarked.

Harry looked around at the Dementors and nodded in agreement. “Me too. I’m tired of passing out cold every time I’m around them. I don’t know why they affect me so much.”

“You aren’t the only one they affect,” Cath assured him. “I don’t know a single person who could look at one without feeling horrible and terrified.”

“I suppose,” said Harry.

They entered one of the towers, grateful to be indoors. Even the castle, usually cold, was a relief from the chill outside. To the right was the corridor leading towards the classrooms. To the left, the stairway that would take Cath towards the Common Room.

“I’ve got to go,” Harry said to her. “I’m meeting with Professor Lupin about an assignment.”

“Alright,” Cath said, noticing his wand in his back pocket as he turned and walked down the corridor.

Cath began descending the staircase, thinking about the letter she sent. She hated feeling like she was missing out on spending time with her friends during the breaks. Sometimes Cath felt as though she was caught between two worlds; her parents, and her life at Hogwarts.

The staircase beneath her gave a big creaking noise and began to move to another landing. Cath sighed in annoyance. It wouldn’t be too much of a detour, but now she was going to have to through the main floor where the Great Hall and offices were. When the staircase connected, she went down the last few steps and rounded the corner.

To her great surprise, her father was talking in a low voice with Professor Dumbledore, looking very angry. Cath stopped for a moment, partially concealed behind a giant stone statue, and tried to hear what they were saying.

“…endangering the students in such a way is completely unacceptable,” she could hear her father say in an icy cold voice.

“I understand your frustration, Lucius, but I assure you-“

“Frustration? I am not frustrated, Albus. I am livid that my son was injured because of an irresponsible decision made by a professor at this school. I simply will not tolerate this nonsense. I have already brought the issue to the board of governors.”

“I would be happy to sit down with the board and discuss the matter there. But, respectfully, I do not think this corridor is the most suitable place for this conversation,” Dumbledore said calmly.

Cath’s father sighed irritably. “I will send you an owl with the date and time of the meeting,” he said curtly.

“I will await your letter,” Dumbledore replied. “Good day, Lucius.”

Cath could hear Dumbledore’s footsteps coming toward her. Quickly trying to look nonchalant, Cath continued down the corridor.

“Ms. Malfoy! What a coincidence,” Professor Dumbledore said pleasantly as they passed.

“Cathryn,” her father said, still in the same place Dumbledore had just come from.

“What are you doing here?” Cath asked.

Upon closer look, he looked very stressed. As he put on his leather gloves and fastened the buttons on his emerald green winter cloak, he replied, “I’ve been trying to reach Dumbledore for weeks about what happened to Draco. Your mother and I were absolutely horrified to hear that he was so badly injured under the supervision of a professor.”

“He seems to be recovering well,” Cath said, trying to reassure him.

“Regardless, it shouldn’t have happened in the first place,” he replied. “Hippogriffs? In a Third Year class? Ridiculous. That idiot should be sacked, and his beast executed.”

Cath had to bite her tongue, horrified at what her father had just said. “Hagrid didn’t mean to.”

“Whose side are you taking in the matter?” Father snapped. Cath felt silenced, not knowing how to respond. Her Father sighed, knowing his tone had been a bit too harsh. “I’m afraid I have to leave. Your mother and I are very much looking forward to you and Draco coming home for Christmas.”

Cath thought about the letter she had just sent. Did she dare bring it up now? Or should she wait until he was home to receive it? One more look at him made up her mind. “Me too,” she replied.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze before turning in the direction of the entrance. Cath watched him leave, his cloak billowing behind him, and then turned around to get to the Common Room. When she arrived, she sighed in annoyance at the group of students waiting to enter. Sir Cadogan had no doubt changed the password on them again.

“Come on,” Dean Thomas groaned. “You can’t just let us in?”

“And put the noble house of Gryffindor in the face of danger?” Sir Cadogan asked incredulously. “Never. Now take out thy sword and fight me like a real knight!”

“We aren’t living in medieval times anymore!” Seamus exclaimed, exasperated.

“Last I checked it was Flibbertigibbet,” Cath offered, taking a step forward.

“We tried that already,” Pavarti Patil said, crossing her arms against her chest.

“Intruders! All of you,” Sir Cadogan waved his sword at them menacingly, as if he had forgotten he was just a portrait hanging on the wall of an old castle.

“You see us every day! You know we aren’t intruders,” Cath pointed out.

“What’s all the ruckus about?” Percy Weasley said from behind them. He pushed through to get to the front of the line.

“Sir Cadogan changed the password again,” Seamus explained to Percy.

Percy sighed in frustration. “Sir Cadogan,” he said as respectfully as he could. “We had this conversation last week with Professor Dumbledore-”

“Scoundrels! Dogs, all of you!” Sir Cadogan interrupted. “I can see none of you are fit for the task, nor are you brave enough to duel me. Now get back!”

Percy looked so angry a vein was beginning to pop out in his forehead. “I will not have you speak to me that way. I’m Head Boy! I demand you let these students into the Common Room at once.”

“Fine, I’ll let you in…” Sir Cadogan said with a smirk that gave the impression that he was not in fact going to let them in. “If you can tell me who defeated the Wyvern of Wye.”

There were a few exasperated sighs, and Cath worried that steam was going to start escaping Percy’s ears. She had never seen him so cross before; no doubt, he hated having his authority challenged.

“Does anyone know?” Seamus asked the group.

The others shook their heads dejectedly.

Cath suddenly had an idea. It was a long shot, but she might as well try. “Sir Cadogan,” she said, taking a step forward. Maybe if he recognized her from now on he’d let her in… “It was you of course.”

Sir Cadogan didn’t look so much disappointed as he was elated that someone recognized an achievement of his. “Aye, bonnie lass! It was I. It was a dark winter’s night, much like this one… The Wyvern of Wye-”

“Maybe another time,” Dean interrupted, looking expectantly at him.

Sir Cadogan finally gave in, swinging forward with a deep bow.

“Thank Merlin!” Seamus exclaimed.

“Thank goodness you came,” Parvati said gratefully. “I had no idea what he was even talking about.”

“I knew once a Head Boy arrived that he would stop with his ridiculous games,” Percy said from the back of the group. Everyone else ignored him.

“How did you know?” Dean asked.

Cath shrugged. “I just assumed he’d be talking about himself.” She had to admit, she was quite enjoying the attention. She even pretended to act modestly when Dean and Seamus told Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George what had happened.

“Brilliant,” he said to Cath, giving her a lopsided grin. “I never would have thought of that.”

“It’s in A Comprehensive History of the Knights of the Round Table: Fifth Edition,” Hermione said as if it were obvious.

“How could I have forgotten,” Fred said sarcastically. “It’s only my favourite book.”

“I wish I had been there to see Percy get put in his place,” Ginny said ruefully.

Fred and George stood up. “Well, we had best be off…” George said.

“What are the two of you up to?” Hermione asked.

“No good, of course,” Fred replied, winking at her. He had a large piece of very old-looking parchment sticking out of his back trouser pocket, thought Cath doubted that they were going to do any homework.

“Where’s Harry?” Ginny asked, closing her copy of Quidditch Through the Ages and setting it beside her on the couch.

“Meeting Professor Lupin,” Cath answered.

“Did he mention what he was doing with him?” Hermione asked inquisitively.

“Just meeting with him about an assignment,” she replied.

“Doesn’t sound like Harry…” Ron remarked. He was opening a package of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and held them out to the others.

Cath took a few in her hand and examined them. One was green with brown flecks, while the other was plain light blue. Deciding she had better go with the blue one, she popped it into her mouth and hesitantly bit down on it. Soap flavour. Certainly not the worst, considering there were flavours like earwax, sausage, and troll bogey.

A game of exploding snap started somewhere in the Common Room and Cath jumped up at the chance to play her favourite game. Ginny joined her and they sat down at one of the large study tables with a group of other students including Dean and Seamus and Colin Creevey and Alice Stone, both in their year.

***

The fall term was almost at a close, and Cath was still waiting for a reply from her parents about spending part of the Christmas break at the Weasleys’ house. It had been almost a week since she had sent her letter, and there were only five days left of school before the students were dismissed for two weeks.

It was a Sunday afternoon and the grounds were now completely covered in snow. There was not a single could in the sky that day, causing the white snow to sparkle and catch in the light. That morning Hermione and Ron had left for Hogsmeade, sent along with a list of things Cath, Ginny, and Harry wanted them to purchase for them.

Christmas time at Hogwarts was definitely one of Cath’s favourite times at school. In the girls’ dormitory was a huge window with a cushioned window seat. She and Ginny were curled up on it with a mug of hot chocolate, looking outside and soaking in the warmth of the sun.

Far down below Gryffindor tower, Cath could see Hagrid making his way from the edge of the forest toward the castle, dragging a pine tree in each hand through the snow. He left a long, snaking path behind him.

“Do you remember what happened to my brother in Hagrid’s class a while ago?” Cath asked Ginny, remembering the conversation she had had with her father when he was talking with Professor Dumbledore two weeks ago.

Ginny nodded, taking a sip of hot chocolate. “Has he recovered yet?” Cath could hear a trace of sarcasm in her voice.

“Oh, he’s fine,” Cath waved her hand dismissively. “The only thing is, my father was here a few weeks ago talking to Professor Dumbledore. I overheard them in the corridor. He was really upset about what happened and wanted to take some sort of action.”

“What kind of action?” Ginny asked, looking concerned.

Cath shrugged. “I’m not totally sure… he did mention wanting Hagrid to be fired though.”

“That’s not fair!” Ginny remarked. “It wasn’t Hagrid’s fault. Harry said Draco didn’t follow the instructions properly.”

“I know, I don’t think Hagrid is at fault either. I’m going to try my best to convince my father that it was just an accident,” Cath agreed with her before adding darkly, “Though I’m not sure I’ll have much luck, Draco being his favourite child and all.”

Ginny chuckled. “That can’t be true.”

“He doesn’t even try to hide it!”

“C’mon Cath, you don’t think your own father would actually pick a favourite child. He probably just gets on better with Draco because he’s a boy,” Ginny reasoned.

Cath sighed. “Maybe you’re right.” She blew gently on the surface of her hot chocolate before taking a sip, not wanting to burn her tongue. She licked whipped cream from the corners of her lips.

“Anyways, have you heard back from your parents about staying with us during the break?” Ginny asked, crossing her legs in front of her.

“Not yet,” Cath replied dejectedly. “If I don’t get anything back tomorrow, I’ll send another letter. I don’t see why they wouldn’t want me to go. Christmas at our house is so boring anyway.”

“They have to let you come,” Ginny said. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

After a while more of people watching and drinking hot chocolate, Ginny and Cath decided to wander down to the Great Hall to have lunch with some of the other girls in their year. Cath expected to see Harry down there since he hadn’t been able to attend Hogsmeade outings, but he was not in the Common Room or in the Great Hall.

Hagrid had set up the Christmas trees in the entrance hall and was now going to get two more. Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall were using charms and transfiguration to decorate each in Hogwarts house colours.

Unfortunately for Cath, she did not receive a letter from her parents the next day, and despite the several other letters she sent after, much to the chagrin of the owl she kept fastening letters to, did not receive a response until the day before the end of the term.

All it said was:

Cathryn,

We will talk about this when you return home.

***

Cath and Draco pushed their trolleys with their friends through the crowded Platform 9 3/4 and waited in the queue that was forming to exit to Platform 9. All of them were dressed in their warm winter clothes and were chatting excitedly about Christmas.

Cath couldn’t help but feel jealous that all of them were going to be spending the whole two weeks together having fun. She hated the feeling of missing out and wondered if Draco had tried to ask their parents or if he even wanted to join them.

“I think Father and I are going to catch a Quidditch game or two over the break,” Draco was drawling to Hermione.

“What team?” Ron interjected, immediately fascinated by the topic of conversation.

“Puddlemere United, of course,” Draco replied. “We have season passes.”

Cath felt embarrassed by his constant bragging as Ron’s face was overcome with jealousy. She didn’t know why Hermione seemed to find him so interesting.

“That sounds really enjoyable,” she replied. “I’ve never seen a regional team play before. Only our Hogwarts teams.”

“You haven’t?” Draco asked incredulously. “You have to come sometime.”

“There are Mum and Dad,” Ginny said, gesturing to where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing, making conversation with another family. She turned back to Cath and Draco. “Let us know if your parents decide you can come.”

“I hope you can,” Hermione said. “It’s always so much fun at the Burrow.”

“I’ll talk them into it,” Cath said confidently, determined not to miss out on the fun.

“Come, Cathryn,” Draco said. “Mother and Father will be waiting for us.”

They said their goodbyes quickly before Cath and Draco continued to push their trolleys down the narrow corridors of the underground system. Their parents normally met them outside King’s Cross station, where they would help with their luggage and walk over to a store in Diagon Alley and use the Floo network to return home to Wiltshire.

“Did you ask about going to the Burrow?” Cath asked Draco.

“I tried sending a letter, but they never responded,” Draco said. “They probably prefer we stay at home during the break. They hardly get to see us during the year as it is.”

“I suppose…” Cath trailed off. “Do you think they don’t want us to go?”

Draco shrugged uncomfortably, causing Cath to think that he probably thought so. “Just drop it,” he said. “We’ll have a perfectly fine Christmas at home.”

Cath didn’t say anything else, but she certainly wasn’t going to drop it.

Just like always, their parents were waiting for them at the grand entrance of King’s Cross station. It was strange to see them without their regular clothes, but Cath knew that Muggles would be suspicious if they saw people wearing cloaks and robes or pointed hats.

Both their parents greeted them with a smile and helped them with their luggage. Between the four of them, they could carry everything. After returning the trolleys, they made their way outside, where snow was falling gently from the sky. The streets of London were decorated for Christmas, and as they entered Diagon Alley, the streetlights and storefronts were as well.

At last, the Malfoys made it back home. When Cath landed in the fireplace of Malfoy Manor, she couldn’t deny that it felt like home. She stepped out into the sitting room, making sure to dust off her feet before walking through and bringing her things up into her room.

Cath’s bedroom was large but fairly simple. The walls were painted an eggshell white. Against the wall opposite the door was her bed, a four-poster with a sage green bedspread and a beige throw blanket. On either side of her bed were two tall windows that let in the afternoon sun.

A large pine wardrobe sat against the wall to the left of the door. To the right was her small bathroom. The side of the room on which the door was, sat a small desk with a stack of books on it. Cath’s favorite part of her bedroom was the large wicker chair that hung from the ceiling. It was large enough that she could curl up on it and comfortable enough that she occasionally fell asleep while working on homework.

The curtains of her four-poster bed were white and billowy. It was so quiet; Cath had gotten used to sharing a dormitory with the seven other girls in her year. Though she did like her room here, it didn’t feel as warm as the Gryffindor dormitories, and Malfoy Manor as a whole lacked the coziness and charm of Gryffindor Tower.

Cath didn’t bother unpacking. Instead, she set her trunk on the ground and picked a book out of the small stack on her desk. Her mom had bought her a set of novels by a well-known witch for her tenth birthday. Cath had tried and tried countless times to read them, but teen romance novels were not exactly her speed.

The book she had selected from the series was called Meet Me at the Clock Tower. The cover showed a young couple kissing under the clock tower in Diagon Alley, a famous magical landmark. Two bookmarks peeking out about a quarter of the way and halfway through told Cath she had attempted to start this one several times.

From down the hall, she could hear Draco and her parents come up the stairs, presumably to drop off the remaining luggage. Cath flung the book onto her bed and looked out of her doorway. This was her chance to interrogate her parents about why they didn’t want her staying at the Burrow during the winter break.

Her mother walked towards Cath’s room with her other things. When she saw the book lying on Cath’s bed she smiled. “Reading those again? Don’t you think it’s time for some new books?”

Cath forced a smile. “Yeah… I suppose so.”

Her mother pushed her long hair over her shoulder and put Cath’s trunk on the bed. Cath opened her mouth but then hesitated. Before her mother left the room, she said, “Mother, I was just wondering if you and Father had given any more thought about… you know, going to the Weasley’s for a bit?”

Her mother stopped in the doorway, gave a small sigh, and then turned around. This time, her smile looked rather forced. “Darling, don’t you see your friends every day at school?”

Cath was beginning to feel very annoyed at this point. She just wanted a straight answer. “Why can’t I go? All of my friends will be there. I really don’t want to miss out!”

“You know, why don’t you try making some other friends? It’s nice to branch out a little bit, isn’t it darling?” Mother said, that fake smile still plastered on her face.

“But why?” Cath asked. She didn’t mean to, but her voice was beginning to rise.

“There are some things that you won’t fully understand until you’re older, you see. Your father and I both agree that… perhaps you should spend time with other people too,” Mother tried to explain, keeping her voice calm and in control.

Tears sprung to Cath’s eyes. She tended to cry when she felt angry. Perhaps it was time to try a different approach. “Please,” she pleaded, trying to use the tears to her advantage. “Please, mother, I just want to go for a few days.”

Her mother automatically put a hand on her shoulder to comfort Cath. Her sympathetic eyes told Cath that she was giving in. “I’ll… talk to your father,” she said, defeated.

“Oh, thank you!” Cath exclaimed, hugging her mother tightly.

She smoothed Cath’s hair before turning around to leave. Feeling satisfied, Cath jumped onto her bed, sinking into the soft feather mattress. Her mother was far easier to win over than her father.

A moment later, she heard someone else enter her room. Cath looked up and saw Draco leaning against her door frame, arms folded across his chest.

“That was a nice little show you put on there,” Draco said.

“I did it for both of us,” Cath said as if that were supposed to somehow justify it.

“Mother could never say no to you…” Draco said, looking slightly bitter as he said it.

“Well, good thing you have Father,” Cath retorted. “You know, it would help if you could ask him about staying at the Burrow.”

Draco shrugged, looking down. “Maybe.”

“Why have you been acting like that?” Cath asked, sitting up.

“Like what?” Draco asked defensively.

“You know,” Cath said. “Sometimes you’re all over Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and sometimes you avoid them. I don’t get it.”

She could tell she was right; Draco frowned and dropped his arms to his sides. “Whatever, Cath.”

“Ask Father!” she called after him as he turned and went back to his room. Cath lay back down, staring up at the covering of her four-poster. She was already bored. Her friends were no doubt having the time of their lives at the Burrow… probably playing games, eating treats, having snowball fights…

Cath drifted off into a light sleep. She had no idea how long she had slept for when she awoke to Draco hitting her with a pillow.

“Draco!” she groaned.

“Supper is ready,” he said, tossing the pillow back on her bead.

Cath sat up and gathered her hair into a tail and changed into some more comfortable lounge clothes. Their house always seemed so cold, no matter how much Cath bundled up. Her footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor as she made her way across the hall and down the long, curved staircase to the first floor.

She breathed in the smell of food wafting from the kitchen, catching hints of thyme and red wine. Her parents and Draco were already seated, and their House Elves were sending platters of food floating over to the dining table.

Cath always thought their dining table was far too long. It seated at least twelve people and looked rather silly with just the four of them taking up the end. Above their heads was a grand chandelier that had been in the Malfoy family for centuries, according to her father. The teardrop-shaped crystals reflected the flickering candlelight.

On the table was roast beef with carrots and potatoes, and a loaf of steaming hot bread wrapped in a cloth to keep warm. The smell made Cath realize just how hungry she was. Her parents sipped dark red wine from antique goblets.

Her father cleared his throat and Draco and Cath both looked up at them. Meals were more or less void of conversation, so whatever their father was about to say must be important.

“Your mother and I have decided to allow you to visit the Weasleys,” he said. It sounded as though the sentence was incredibly hard for him to get out.

Cath’s eyes widened in delight.

“For two nights,” he continued. “After Christmas day.”

“Oh, thank you!” Cath exclaimed. “Thank you so much!”

Her father forced a smile and nodded, taking a gulp of wine. Their mother was delicately cutting her carrots and potatoes, glancing over to their father.

Cath could tell that Draco was excited but trying to act nonchalantly as he buttered a slice of bread. She had always looked forward to Christmas, but now she wanted to skip right past it so that she could be with her friends at the Burrow.

***

As predicted, the first week of Christmas break was quiet and rather boring. Cath’s parents had a few families over and made her spend time with their friends’ children while they were over. Draco enjoyed bossing Vincent and Gregory around, but Cath had absolutely nothing in common with Corban and Lysandra Yaxley’s daughter Clara, who was a Second Year in Slytherin house.

Clara was a very pretty girl with blonde hair that fell in neat curls at her collar bone. She was very fair-skinned, which made her full pink lips stand out. Clara was graceful and poised. Her every movement was fluid and precise as if she were a ballerina. She was at least a head taller than Cath, who felt awkward and clumsy compared to her.

Cath didn’t know what to talk about and felt stupid just sitting across from her trying not to stare too much. The two of them attempted to play a rather half-hearted game of wizard’s chess before they both resigned themselves to sitting in silence, awkwardly sipping on tea. Cath’s father seemed particularly disappointed that Cath hadn’t become immediate best friends with Clara and encouraged her to try harder when she was back at school.

It was finally the day after Christmas. Cath had scribbled a quick note to Ginny on the day their parents gave her and Draco permission to stay with them for a few days. At ten o’clock sharp, Cath was in the sitting room holding a bag with everything she needed for two days. Draco came in a few minutes later, followed by their parents.

“Are you sure you don’t want to eat breakfast here?” Mother asked. She smoothed Cath’s hair behind her ears as she often did.

“I’m fine,” Cath said confidently. “Well, bye! Thanks again for letting us go.” She hugged both of her parents, genuinely grateful.

“Behave yourselves,” Father said.

Without another word, Cath stepped into the grand fireplace, took a handful of Floo powder, and said confidently, “The Burrow!”

She squeezed her eyes shut as she began to shoot away, keeping her arms close to herself and trying to remain as still as possible so she didn’t end up in someone else’s fireplace. Moments later, her feet landed on solid ground and she stumbled out of the hearth into a small, cramped sitting room.

Cath looked around. She felt as though she were in the most comforting, warm home. Compared to hers, where everything seemed cold and quiet, the Burrow was colorful, warm, and alive. A charmed feather duster glided around, and knitted blankets seemed to cover every sofa and piece of furniture. In the corner to her left was a huge Christmas tree, decorated with a variety of ornaments, including pictures of the Weasley children. The walls were a warm yellow, and on one was a massive clock with many hands, one for each member of the family. All of the arrows but two, who Cath had never met, were pointed at “Home.”

The kitchen was in view, and Cath saw the dishes being washed by themselves, as well as a washcloth wiping surfaces. She could hear muffled voices from upstairs. Cath walked tentatively towards the staircase. She looked up and saw that it looked as though different stories were added to the house at different times; all of the landings were uneven and differently shaped.

She heard a poof from behind her and heard Draco approach her. He looked around with a rather unpleasant look on his face.

“They must be very poor,” he remarked.

Cath felt angry and protective, but before she had the chance to respond, she heard footsteps above her. She looked up and saw Ginny standing at the top of one of the landings.

“Cath! You’re here!” she exclaimed.

“Who’s here?” said someone from about three floors up. Fred and George came into view. “Oh! Hello, Malfoys.”

Hermione burst out of a room and hurried down the stairs. “Oh, I’m so thrilled you both could come!” she exclaimed. She gave both of them a hug, causing Draco’s face to flush slightly. “Did you have a nice Christmas?” she asked.

“It was nice,” Draco replied. He looked a lot more relaxed now.

“Harry, Ron!” Ginny called up the stairs.

The boys came out of a room from the floor above Ginny and saw Cath and Draco. Harry looked incredibly happy. From the little she had heard about his aunt and uncle, Cath was sure that being at the Burrow for Christmas was like heaven.

“Cath, fancy a game of Exploding Snap?” George said, with a look that said he knew she wasn’t going to turn him down.

“Obviously,” she replied.

All of them found a spot in the small living room. While the game was being set up, Cath leaned over to Ginny and asked, “Gin, who are the other two on the clock?”

She pointed to the big clock where Bill and Charlie were away.

“Bill is our oldest brother,” Ginny explained. “He’s five years older than Percy. He works in Egypt as a curse breaker for Gringott’s bank. And Charlie is two years younger than him. He trains dragons in Romania.”

“Are they here?” Cath asked.

Ginny shook her head sadly. “They haven’t been home for Christmas for two years. But we did get to visit Bill in Egypt last summer. Mum always tries to convince them to come home, but they’re having the time of their lives.”

Cath admitted that they both sounded incredibly cool. About halfway into the game, the front door opened, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came in with their arms laden with bags and parcels. They set everything down in the entrance, and Mrs. Weasley waved her wand at all the bags, which began to float into the kitchen and unpack themselves. Carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, apples, and cranberries all washed themselves in the sink while canned and dry goods flew into cupboards and pantries.

“Oh, the Malfoys are here!” Molly exclaimed to Arthur. She came into the living room, stretching her arms out for a hug. Cath, though surprised, received her nearly bone-crushing embrace. Not even Draco could get away. “We’re so thrilled you could join us for a few days. Have you had breakfast? You look hungry.”

“We're fine,” Cath replied politely.

“I’m starving,” Draco said at the exact same time.

“And good heavens, it’s nearly lunchtime! Let me set out some tea and biscuits to hold you over,” she said, hurrying back to the kitchen.

Mr. Weasley stopped her and took off her scarf, coat, and wool hat for her before she went to business. He nodded politely at Cath and Draco as he hung both his and Molly’s outerwear on a coatrack that was already dangerously close to falling over on account of all the jackets and scarfs hanging on its many arms.

“It’s a pleasure to have you,” he said over the noise of the game. “I trust you had a nice Christmas?”

"Very nice, thank you,” Cath replied. “Thank you so much for letting us stay.”

"Of course,” Mr. Weasley smiled. “Any friend of Ron and Ginny’s is a friend of ours.”

Moments later, a fresh pot of tea and some biscuits were making their way to the coffee table. As everyone poured themselves a cup, Cath couldn’t think of a better way to spend Christmas break than with all of her friends in one room.

#harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #hpff #hermione granger #ron weasley #dramione #draco malfoy #malfoy family #read on ao3 #ao3 writer #ao3 feed #fanfiction #wolfstar #writer #fanfiction writer #mine #writing

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sassyduckqueen · 4 years ago

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Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 33

So I wasn't going to include the Dark Owl but I really love the scene where Ladybug and Chat Noir basically own him. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I think the next one will be Sandboy as it's coming up to Halloween and well... creepy Adrien is perfect for Halloween... maybe even a creepy luka too haha

Edit: I forgot to add this but my friend, @naruwitch made a tv tropes page for this story. Here’s the link if you guys want to check it out :D

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/RiseOfAnatis?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=be721fb76b1432a698e46aa462d61073b4705567-1602716317-0-AThNvQ6RHrkR1d_p9c3BbHP3-gd4fnpISPslj-3RJQq44DLa0Xpdv9CT2D3z_GnOFOwGgbLfUmvxw-d3_g8ybdUmz_k92KhUKwVGa5P2x442DtDZU96YzHqMl-IsbGWt6d64twK7E6R0M0dgQKi_uxdKOAhQ8R3mCgFT4x64_gE7BpHLMCFPbZ2rNwiA5tyY1YkYj8mtKOgpQkhfPtaqNV8tSsugb4-Udk_utG7bqsVBy1hpf0ZnTHCHq0uRfYATiwofeWb5FuVx33pJsMfcwa8BRHQX34elWtN-C6J1eLLHBueGAcaK5m8k1OxgHMYef7Ism9X-aLJSKf4jGZYn7NChFjcG97v_OONxYASnqh-m-0gsIX_R_ncMO9z7qLs6wA

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Chapter Thirty-Three: The Dark Owl Returns

"I'm sorry that you can't come over to the Liberty tonight," Luka sighed as he walked out with Marinette. He glanced over to Mr Damocles, who was pushing the students to leave as quickly as they could. Luka let out a soft sigh. He was glad Mr Damocles was trying to be more heroic but his 'patrols' were making his life a lot harder. Mr Damocles seemed to have a talent for getting into a sticky situation. "I have quite a bit of homework to catch up on,"

"Oh! It's not a problem. I mean I love hanging out on the liberty with you but I have to help my parents in the bakery tonight so it's cool," She smiled back, making him smile a little. "We can have a proper hangout on the weekend,"

"Sounds good to me," He smiled, taking his helmet out of the basket and placing it on his head. He unlocked his bike and climbed on it before turning to her. "Have a good evening, Mari,"

"You too, Luka," She smiled, gently pecking his cheek before the two of them went their separate ways. Luka smiled as he cycled down to the Seine but then he remembered why he couldn't hang out with Marinette or anyone else. Thanks to Mr Damocles' out of school activities, he hadn't been able to go to band practice as often, hang out with Aurora, Jean or the others and was sleeping more. It was honestly getting ridiculous. He didn't mind that Mr Damocles was trying to be a better person. It was great in fact but what he did mind is that he was endangering himself and other people as well as taking up Anatis and Lady Noir's time. They hadn't done a proper patrol for about a week. Luckily, Hawkmoth hadn't been that active. They had only dealt with three akumas in this week. Naturally, Mr Ramier had been akumatized into Mr Pigeon again and Andre the ice cream man had been akumatized into Glaciator. He had gone after Marinette for not believing in his ice cream's magic. She had gone out with everyone to get ice cream but she had ended up dropping hers, which caused her to get upset. Knowing how Marinette was, Luka figured she wasn't actually upset over dropping her ice cream but was upset over Adrien as he had turned up with Kagami, whom he seemed to be growing closer to. She had dropped it when she saw the two of them together and he had seen her sad expression at the two of them laughing and sharing ice cream together. Not wanting to see her sad, he had offered to share his with her since he didn't have anyone with him. He was mildly annoyed that Alya had invited both of them, despite knowing that it was more a couple's activity then something friends do but he suspected it was a ploy to get Marinette to confess her feelings to Adrien. Of course, that backfired because Adrien brought Kagami but he didn't blame those two. He did have a word with Alya as Anatis later that night as he felt like her constant pressuring for Marinette to confess to Adrien was unfair and could cause Marinette to become an akuma again. That was something he did not want to face again. Luckily, Alya had realized what she had done and was wrecked with guilt but Anatis had calmed her down, explaining that he understood that she was trying to help her friend but she should take a different approach to it. Instead of pushing her into situations where she felt pressed to confess... he could think of several... she should encourage Marinette to gain the confidence she needed and not laugh at her when she failed. Something which he knew she had done in the past. While he was there, he also advised her to be careful during her filming. It seemed that she had taken his advice, both with Marinette and her blog. As Andre, well, after he had often to share his ice cream with Marinette, she told him that it was ok, that she was just going to go home and that she didn't really believe it anyway. Of course, Andre overhear her and got upset. Luka often to walk her home but she gently kissed his cheek and told him to enjoy himself then she left. He quickly made an excuse to leave and checked on her as Anatis but before they could work anything out, Andre, now Glaciator, attacked them. Luckily, he hid her and defeated him with Lady Noir's help. He later found out that Marinette had got to Andre and apologized to him. He personally didn't see why she was the one to apology. While he understood that Andre was upset at the fact that she didn't believe in his ice cream, she hadn't actually been mean about it or anything. She had only told Luka that she didn't really believe it but he suspected that's because she just wanted to go home. He personally thought that Andre turning into an akuma over her lack of belief was kind of petty. After all, all of Paris believed it so what difference would it make to have one person not believe in it? Sometimes, he just didn't understand people. As for the other akuma, that had been Adrien's bodyguard. He had literally gotten turned into a giant gorilla. He had then proceed to kidnap Adrien and Marinette, who was trying to help him escape his fans and see a film. Anatis had rescued them when Gorizilla had accidentally dropped them from a building. Once he had rescued them, he went back and defeated Gorizilla. He had almost been captured but luckily, Lady Noir turned up. It didn't take a lot to defeat the akuma after that. He sighed as he came to a stop at the Liberty. He locked up his bike and headed downstairs. Rose and Juleka were curled up in each other's arms as he walked through. He gave them a wave before heading to his room, failing to notice Juleka's raised eyebrow but she shrugged and when back to Rose. Once in his room, he locked the door as Tikki flew out.

"Do you think Mr Damocles will go out again?" She asked, yawning. He guessed she had just woken up from a nap.

"I suspect as much," He sighed, checking his phone. Nothing yet but he knew better then to leave it to chance. He may be lucky but the luck only affected him and no one else. He sighed before calling on his transformation, turning into Anatis. He climbed out of the port hole and swung off into the city, towards the school. He landed on the building opposite it and frowned as he saw Mr Damocles attempting to do up his 'owl' belt. He did it up and jumped back to his feet before leaving the office. Anatis sighed to himself before he took out his yoyo and dialed Lady Noir's number. She answered straight away as Mr Damocles rushed out of the building. "Hey, the Owl is on the move,"

"Great," She groaned, sounding just frustrated as he felt. "Any idea where he's heading?"

"Looks like he's going towards the park," He replied, rolling his eyes. "Meet you there, Kitten?"

"Sure. I stopped by the bakery by the way and got some very much needed snacks," She smiled, making him smile as well. "We'll have them while we keep an eye on him,"

"Sounds great," He smiled, standing up. "See you soon,"

She waved and he hung up before following Mr Damocles. He swung across the roofs before landing next to Lady Noir, who pointed to Mr Damocles. He was attempting to rescue a kitten that was stuck up a tree but instead of trying to call for help or rescue it in a normal way, he was attempting to climb up the tree. Anatis sighed and shook his head before jumping down, along with Lady Noir. He threw his yoyo just as Mr Damocles fell from the tree and caught him as Lady Noir caught the cat. It purred and nuzzled into her chin as she held it.

"Mr Owl, this is the fifth time we've come to your rescue this week," Anatis gasped, clearly annoyed before he lowered the man. Mr Damocles stood up and dusted himself down. "You're really gonna get hurt one of these days,"

"At least, wear a helmet," Lady Noir sighed as she gave the cat to it's owners before walking over to Anatis and Mr Damocles as a news van turned up.

"But you don't wear helmets," He argued, making Anatis face palm.

"Because we are real superheroes with real and magical costumes," He groaned, shaking his head. "We have explained this already, Mr Owl. You know it's different for us,"

"Yeah but ever since I was a little boy, I've dreamt of been a super hero and you did tell me to try and be a better person," He pointed out, making Anatis roll his eyes. "Which I have been I might add,"

"Which is great but Mr Dam- Owl, if you want to be a hero then do charity work or something other then... this..." Anatis gasped, gesturing to his outfit. Mr Damocles frowned a little as a brunette woman came over to them.

"Got a few minutes?" She asked as a camera filled them. "Mr Owl, are you planning on any more daring rescues?"

"Please don't encourage him," Anatis groaned as she held a microphone to Mr Damocles who talked to her as Anatis shook his head. Lady Noir looked just as embarrassed.

"And what about this... attempt?"

"Well, thanks to some sound advice from my good friends Anatis and Lady Noir, I am certain that I will do better next time," He answered, making both heroes face palm. "I will be reviewing my weaponry and engaging in more training because wherever there's injustice, there is the Owl!!"

He dabbed, making both Lady Noir and Anatis cringe with embarrassment before he took something out of his belt and began to shake it, creating a sort of mist.

"Owl mist!!" He declared before running off, making Owl Noises as he did. Anatis frowned deeply as the camera followed him before it turned back to him and Lady Noir.

"Any comments? Anatis? Lady Noir?" Clara asked as they watched him leave before they turned to the camera, clearly unsure and embarrassed by the Owl's actions. Anatis rubbed the back of his neck while Lady Noir pressed her forefingers together before grinning a little at the camera.

"Uh... look, he's trying to help but to the kids of Paris.. or anyone... don't copy him ok? It's very dangerous," Anatis warned as Lady Noir nodded.

"Annie's right," She agreed, nodding. "So please don't try this at home... we better go make sure he's not causing anymore trouble,"

"Yeah," Anatis agreed, taking out his yoyo and saluting the reporter before throwing and swinging off. Lady Noir did a dramatic bow and followed him, using her baton. The two of them ran off and tailed Mr Damocles until he finally decided to go home. Both letting out a sigh of relief, they found their way to a rooftop that a nice view of the Eiffel tower. Anatis sat down and stretched as Lady Noir took out the bag of snacks she had gotten from the bakery and handed him a croissant. He smiled and took it before biting into it. "Man, I swear Tom and Sabine's bakery is the best,"

"Yup," She grinned, hiding her blush a little as she ate her own before yawning. "Man, I'm so tired!"

"Hmm, me too, kitten," He sighed, finishing his croissant. "Don't get me wrong I'm glad Mr Damocles is trying to follow my advice but this is getting to be a full time job,"

"Yeah, I'm just glad that Hawkmoth hasn't akumatized anyone," She purred before looking at him. "What do you mean trying to follow your advice?"

"Uh... well, I kind of... um..." He mumbled, rubbing his neck nervously as she folded her arms and rose an eyebrow at him.

"You called him out, didn't you?" She asked in a serious tone, causing Anatis to look down before she grinned and snapped her fingers. "Damn, I can't believe I missed that. Well, what did he do and what did you say?"

"Well, I learnt that he was unfairly accusing and punishing students for things they weren't doing and then letting certain students off due to be threatened or bribed?" He mumbled as she listened. She casted her mind back and realized he must be talking about the events that led up to Despair Bear since Mr Damocles wrongly accused her of tripping the fire alarm without any proof, tried to punish her for it then proceeded to punish the whole school, apart from Chloe, for it. "As for what I said... well... I kind of told him that he was creating a breeding ground for akumas and that if I didn't see an improvement, I'd inform the school board,"

For a second, Lady Noir was silent, causing Anatis to think that maybe he had gone too far until she burst out into laughter. Instantly, he relaxed and smiled as she cackled and held her stomach as she shook with laughter.

"Oh, man! I wish I was there!!" She grinned, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I bet his expression was one of pure terror! I would pay anything to see it!!"

"It was pretty funny," He mumbled, making her smile before he yawned again. "Urg! We need to find a way to get him to stop been the Owl!"

"Hmm but we don't want to do what Ryuko and Aspik did," She mumbled, making him look at her with a confused expression. "Oh, Ryuko kind of revealed his identity straight away in front of almost everyone and well, she wasn't exactly kind about telling him off for endangering himself. Naturally that led to him becoming the Dark Owl but once he was back to normal, he didn't bring out his owl suit until you turned up. I'm afraid you re-inspired him,"

"Oh dear but still Ryuko could have handled that better," He mused, shaking his head. "Maybe we could scare him,"

"Or you could just rant at him," She grinned, making him laugh. "Well, hopefully he won't be active tomorrow,"

"Yeah, we can only hope," He sighed, frowning. He had to be in the park tomorrow afternoon to help Nino with his latest filming project. Marinette would be there too as she was making the costumes as well as starring in it. Nino was making a film based on the exploits of himself and Lady Noir but he had decided to change a few things. For one, he was making the hero of the ladybug a female and instead of there been Lady Noir, there was Chat Noir, which Adrien had agreed to play. Alya was going to be the main villain. "Anyway, I think we can call it a night,"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Lady Noir agreed as she yawned. "I'm knackered,"

"Bedtime for the kitty I think," He smirked, stroking her chin. She began to purr and nuzzle his hand, making him chuckle before he pulled away and jumped up, walking over to the edge of the building as she got up. He turned to look at her as she stretched. "Good night, Kitten,"

"Night, Bug a boo," She grinned, blowing him a kiss before she ran off into the night. Anatis shook his head and allowed him to drop from the edge before throwing his yoyo and swinging through the city til he came to the Liberty. He quietly landed on the roof and climbed down, slipping through the port hole that led to his room. He dropped the transformation and caught Tikki, handing her a cookie. She thanked him and began to eat it as he changed into his PJs and climbed into his bed, placing his hands behind his head as he yawned. Once she had finished her cookie, she flew over and landed on his pillow just abve his head, making him look up at her before he yawned.

"Been a long day huh?" Tikki asked as he nodded.

"Mr Damocles is becoming a full time job," He mumbled before turning over and curling up on his pillow. "Good night, Tikki,"

"Good night, Luka,"

~Next Morning~

"Alya! You need to sound more realistic!!" Nino groaned as Luka sat on the bench, watching. Nino had convinced Marinette to take the role of 'Ladybug' as he insisted she would be perfect for the role of the hero of creativity. She wore a one piece suit that was red with black spots. Her boots blended in with it and her mask matched the suit. Her hair was still in her classic pigtail look and the only thing that remotely looked like anything Anatis had was the yoyo she had. Chat Noir on the other hand was interesting. Adrien was playing him and he had a full black outfit. He had gloves on that had claws worked into the fingers and black cat ears on top of his hair, which had been styled to be more wild and untamed. He had black boots on and a belt around his waist, that doubled up as a tail. He had a black mask over his face and he was wearing contact lens that made his eyes apart cat like. Both 'heroes' looked good and Alya looked awesome as Marinette had recreated her Lady Wifi costume. The problem was she wasn't very good at acting villainous. "You're meant to be an akuma and you've just taken Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous! You need to be victorious!"

"Ok, ok, I get it," Alya replied before taking her place and holding a box. Nino counted down before he began filming. Alya did an evil laugh before turning to Marinette and Adrien. "Give up, Ladybug and Chat Noir! I, Lady Wifi, have your miraculous!! No one can save you now!!"

"Oh no, my earrings!" Marinette gasped as she held her ears.

"Nooo!! We're doomed!!" Adrien howled as Alya laughed evilly but before anyone could do anything else, Mr Damocles ran towards them and jumped on the bench in his full owl costume.

"Oh, no," Luka gasped as he saw him. He jumped up to stop him but before he could, Mr Damocles jumped into action. "Mr Owl, it's not-"

"Whoo whoo!!" He gasped, making everyone look at him before he pointed his grapple gun towards Alya. "Owl Talon! Whoo, whoo!"

He fired it towards Alya but luckily, it missed her and bounced off several things before getting caught on a rubbish truck. Luka flinched as Mr Damocles was then dragged off by it and crashed into a bin. Instantly, Marinette and Adrien ran over to see if he was ok.

"Mr Damocles! Are you ok?!" She gasped, kneeling down as she rested a hand on his arm. "You're not hurt, are you?!"

"I'm not Mr Damocles! I'm the Owl!" He gasped, brushing her hand away and standing up. He blinked as he took them in before narrowing his eyes. "Who are you?! Why have you got Anatis' miraculous?!"

"Uh... Mr Da- I mean... Mr Owl... we were just doing a film based on Anatis and Lady Noir," Adrien explained, taking off his mask as Marinette took off hers. "Nino wanted to make it for a film contest he's entering. He changed the roles a little so I'm playing Chat Noir instead of Lady Noir and Marinette's playing Ladybug instead of Anatis. We were just shooting the last scene,"

"But... Lady Wifi..." He gasped as Alya walked over. She wiped off a bit of her make up. "You mean... it wasn't real? There was no danger?"

"No, we're all ok," Marinette tried to reassure but Mr Damocles saw that everyone had seen his failure and before she could try and reassure him, he had rushed off, clearly embarrassed by his mistake. Luka frowned as he walked over. Marinette let out a sigh as Nino walked over as well. "I hope he'll be ok,"

"Well, he ruined the shot so now we have to do it again," Nino sighed, pinching his nose before turning to Adrien and Marinette. "And could you two try to act more natural?!"

~Later That Evening~

Luka hummed to himself as he re-tuned his guitar. He had to change it's strings and give it a dust down. He fiddled with the pegs, strumming the strings and listening carefully to make sure they were the right notes. He was tuning this model into a open E pitch but he usually used a standard E pitch or drop D. However, he just wanted to experiment with the different sound. Tikki was watching Clara Nightingale's latest single and was dancing to it, making him smile when he looked up to grab a drink. He took a swing before returning his attention to his guitar, gently strumming it as he began to play.

"Civilians of Paris, listen to me very careful," A voice came through his computer, making him look up as that was definitely not Clara Nightingale. Tikki looked shocked as he looked at the TV, frowning. He instantly recognized him as the Dark Owl, meaning Mr Damocles had been akumatized again. The Dark Owl pointed to the remote in his hand, making Luka frown as he watched. "With one slight movement, I can release the rope holding up the city bus with all of these animals inside with come crushing down on my two hostages,"

The camera switched to the Eiffel Tower, showing the animal bus and directly underneath it was Juleka, Adrien, Alya and Nino. They were tied to a pole and looked terrified. Luka instantly jumped up and grabbed his phone, ignoring the rest of the broadcast. He dialed Juleka's number but it went straight to voicemail. He frowned and hung up before phoning Rose, letting out a breathe of relief when she answered.

"Rose, is-"

"Luka! It's awful!" She gasped, sounding distressed. "He came and grabbed her!! I tried to stop him-"

"Rose, listen to me. Take deep breathes and don't panic ok?" He reassured. "I'm going to contact Anatis and he'll save them,"

"O-Ok," She sniffed before he hung up. He turned to Tikki but heard the sound of someone walking on the deck. He gestured for Tikki to hide in his pocket before he rushed up to the deck.

"Mum?! Jule-" He shouted, thinking it was her but to his horror, he found the Dark Owl in front of him. For a second, he was sure Dark Owl had worked out he was Anatis but not even Marinette knew that or his family. He backed up as Dark Owl walked over to him.

"Young man, I require you to join your friends. I'm aware that you are connected to the hero Anatis and I swear on my honor as a hero, if Anatis and Lady Noir, surrender their miraculous then no harm will come to you and your friends," He stated as if that would make Luka go with him or remain calm. Luka glanced around, looking for a way to escape. His luck vision lit up the fog machine they used for their concerns. His vision also lit up a basket ball. He grabbed it and threw it straight at the Dark Owl, hitting him in his face before he jumped over to the fog machine and turned it at full. Within seconds, the fog covered at the deck, obscuring the Dark Owl's vision. Luka jumped down into the cabin and ran straight for his mum's room, locking the door as he heard the Dark Owl following. He opened the port hole and climbed out of it before jumping and rolling onto the ground before bolting out of there as fast as he could.

"Tikki, we need to save my friends,"

"The rest of the broadcast warned that he rigged the Effiel Tower with Liquid Nitrogen bombs, if anyone tries to infer, they would trigger and freeze the tower which in turn would make it extremely fragile as glass and it will collapse-"

"I get the idea. He's taken all the kids that were there when he was exposed... that explains why he wants to add me to the mix but that means he's proply gonna go after Marinette," He mumbled, jumping up and climbing over a wall. He looked around and frowned, not seeing him anywhere. "He appears not to be- never mind,"

He could see the Dark Owl, gliding above before he ran as fast as he could, diving out the way when the Dark Owl tried to grab and running into one of the parks, disappearing into the green. The Dark Owl landed on the ground, making Luka hold his breathe as he hid in the bushes.

"Mr Couffaine, come out. I only need you to lure Anatis and Lady Noir to me," He growled but stopped when he noticed the sun was going down. "Very well, Mr Couffaine. Your friends will still lure those heroes to me,"

To his surprise, the Dark Owl left but he gave it a few minutes to be certain before letting out a sigh of relief as Tikki peeked out of his pocket. He quickly sent a warning to Marinette before turning to Tikki.

"Ok, Tikki, time to rescue my friends," He muttered, swiping his earrings. "Tikki! Spots on!!"

He transformed into Anatis before throwing his yoyo and pulling himself onto the roofs of Paris. He took his yoyo and saw Dark Owl was broadcasting again. He clicked on it and watched it.

"Anatis, Lady Noir, the only way to save these children is for you to surrender your miraculous to me and you only have ten minutes!" He declared, pressing the button. Anatis frowned deeply. "Follow the Owl Signal,"

He stopped playing the broadcast and called Lady Noir. Instantly, she answered.

"Dark Owl-"

"Is back. I know and he has captured most of the kids that were making that film. Luckily he doesn't have Luka or Marinette but he could go after them,"

"He already did with Luka but he got away and contacted me. I got him to hide in the underground and it seems Dark Owl is just going ahead with his plan without him," He declared as Lady Noir hummed in agreement.

"I've already scoped out the tower and it's definitely rigged but it looks like Marinette isn't there either," She sighed, making him frown. He was relieved that Marinette was safe but there was no real way to save the others. "Think we can just find his akuma and free them that way,"

"Chances are the akuma is in the same place as before but even with my speed, getting to it would take more then ten minutes and we only have about 8 minutes to stop the countdown," He sighed, frowning as the Owl Signal appeared in the sky. "Our best course of action for now is to get that remote and stop the countdown. Once the children are safe then we can go after his akuma,"

"Makes sense," Lady Noir agreed. "The Owl Signal appears to be pointing towards the stadium. Meet you there?"

"Yeah," He agreed before hanging up and swing over to there. He landed on a building nearby and narrowed his eyes as Lady Noir landed next to him. "It seems like Mr Damocles is holding a bit of a grudge,"

"I get that he was humiliated but holding them captive is too far," She mumbled, getting a nod of him. "What's the plan?"

"I'm going to distract him while you sneak up on him. Try and get the detonator," He replied, getting a nod of her.

"Good plan," She grinned before pressing her baton. A small ear piece dropped out into her palm and she placed it in her ear. "Let's stay in touch,"

"Good thinking, Kitten," He smiled, pressing one of the spots on his yoyo. It lifted, allowing him to pick it up and place it inside his ear. He nodded to her before they went off in their separate directions. Anatis landed on the grass and spun his yoyo around as he looked around the darkened arena. He was on high alert, ready to attack if he needed to. "Mr Damocles?"

"I am not Mr Damocles!!" The Dark Own shouted as the light of the stadium turned on. Anatis frowned a little as he saw him stood on the edge. "I'm the Dark Owl,"

"Ok, Ok, I get it," Anatis muttered, putting his yoyo down and holding up his hands. "Look, why don't we talk about this? I'm sure we can come to a peaceful conclusion without getting anyone hurt,"

"Where's Lady Noir?" The Dark Owl asked, glancing to the side as Lady Noir spoke through the communication device.

"Grapple Iron, Boomerangs, utility belt. Damn Annie he has everything," She gasped. "Maybe we're lucky and the akuma is in one of his weapons,"

"The last time it was in his computer back at the school but I guess it could be different this time. Still, we need to focus on getting the detonator," Anatis replied before holding up his hands. "Lady Noir will be here soon, I'm sure of it,"

"In that case then, you can be the first to place your miraculous in the box located in the middle of the stadium," He declared, making Anatis look over at the crate before he held up the detonator. "Or..."

"Boom! Ok, I get it," He replied, walking over. "Try and get it off him,"

"I'm on it," She replied, jumping up and throwing her baton at him, knocking the detonator out of the Dark Owl's hand. Anatis ran up and jumped, catching the detonator. He was about to hit the button to stop when he heard a yell. Looking up, he saw Lady Noir flying towards him. He held out his arms to catch her but she crashed into him, causing him to drop the detonator. The Dark Owl caught it and grinned as he looked it.

"Oh, look. Time flies," He grinned before throwing it. "This is your last chance to save those poor helpless children!!"

"Heroes don't take hostages!" Anatis growled, glaring at him as he helped Lady Noir up.

"Then give me your miraculous. Otherwise you're too blame," He declared before firing his grapple hook at them. It wrapped around the two heroes, tying them together and causing them to fall over. Anatis rolled them to the side as the Dark Owl tried to punch them before Lady Noir used her cataclysm to break it. The two of them jumped up and took a fighting stance as Dark Owl glared at them. "It's the end of the line for you,"

The two of them charged at him with Lady Noir diving at him with her baton. He blocked it with his arms but Anatis took the chance to wrap his yoyo around his ankle and slide underneath him. Dark Owl went to charge at Lady Noir but Anatis pulled him back and threw him. However, he landed on his feet and smirked.

"There's no way for you to win, Anatis,"

"We'll see about that," Anatis growled back before throwing his yoyo up in the air. "Lucky Charm!!"

A fountain pen appeared, causing Anatis to frown as he caught it. Lady Noir jumped up on the crate and picked up the detonator as Anatis tried to look around yet nothing lit up. He gasped when he saw Dark Owl throwing boomerangs towards and jumped in front of her, using his yoyo to deflect them.

"Activate the hatch, Albert," The Dark Owl ordered, causing Anatis to give him a confused look before they both suddenly fell into the crate. The trap door closed, sealing them inside as they heard him declaring himself as the guardian of Paris before laughing. Anatis got up and helped Lady Noir to her feet as she tried to push the button to stop the countdown.

"No, no!" She gasped before looking at him. "Annie, it's not stopping!!"

"What?!" He gasped, taking off her and pressing the button. It did nothing. "No, no... stop!! Come on!!"

He repeatedly pressed the button as the room began to fill up with a thick liquid, making Lady Noir to frown as she took a bit on her finger and sniffed it before licking it. She gasped as she realized it was cream.

"Oh no!" Anatis gasped, causing her attention to turn to him. He looked extremely worried as the TV inside with them switched on, showing the hostages and the bus.

"Time's up! Albert, drop the bus!!" The Dark Owl declared, causing the bus to be released. Lady Noir covered her mouth in shock as Anatis looked on in horror. The bus plummeted towards the hostages, causing them to scream but then it disappeared in a blue light as the Dark Owl laughed evilly. "You knaves! It was a hologram all along... or at least the bus is. Really, do you think I'd hurt school children?"

"Bastard!!" Anatis shouted, slamming his fist against the walls.

"Temper, temper, Anatis. You really should save your breathe as this next trap is very real," The Dark Owl laughed, making Anatis notice the cream. "The room you're in is filling up with whipped cream, which is too thick to swim in but too thin to float on. You're going to drown softly but surely... unless you give me your miraculous that is,"

Anatis frowned and began to look around as Lady Noir started to bang on the walls. The TV lit up, followed by the pen and then her miraculous. He unscrewed the pen and took out the ink cartridge as a slot opened for the miraculous to be put in before walking over to the camera and using the ink to black it out. Lady Noir turned to him as she hugged herself, looking small and frightened. Dark Owl shouted something about not seeing them didn't matter and basically taking the miraculous of their dead bodies but Anatis ignored that and moved over to Lady Noir.

"He's right, Annie," She mumbled, looking close to tears. "We're done for,"

"Not yet, Kitten," He smiled, gently placing a small kiss on her forehead before gently smiling at her. "You trust me right?"

"More then anything else," She smiled but she still looked frightened, even as he winked at her.

"Alright, Dark Owl, you win!!" He shouted before leaning closer to her. "Close your eyes and no peeking,"

"Annie, no... we can't do this," She gasped but he gently took her hand.

"Trust me," He smiled, causing her to nod then she closed her eyes. Anatis closed his and took a deep breathe. "Spots off,"

"Claws in," She whispered at the same time. The two of them powered down, causing their kwamis to appear. Plagg gasped in surprise as Tikki stared at Marinette in shock. Marinette carefully took of her ring and held out her hand. She gasped softly as she felt Luka touch her hand, expecting him to take her ring but to her surprise, he closed her palm before he leaned in.

"The lucky charm lit up your miraculous but not because we're surrendering but because I think we needed your civilian form. You must have something on you that could help," He whispered in her ear, making her blush before her mind flicked back to the film she was making with Nino. She still had the fake miraculous on her.

"Of course!" She gasped, reaching into her purse. "Annie, I have just the thing,"

"Excellent," He replied as she pulled the box out. She took the fake miraculous out and placed them into his hand. He carefully moved over to the slot and placed them in. He heard it close before he made his way back over to Lady Noir. He heard the Dark Owl declare himself as the only hero in Paris and then heard the cream been drained. He smirked a little before taking out a cookie for Tikki. "Tikki? You good?"

"Yes, Plagg is too," She replied, making Anatis smile before both him and Lady Noir called on their transformations quietly. Lady Noir smirked and summoned her cataclysm, slamming her hand on the crate and turning it to dust as Dark Owl stared at them in surprise.

"What?!" He gasped before glaring at them. "But that's impossible! How did you do it?!"

"What did you expect?" Anatis asked, making Dark Owl glare at him. "A superhero never reveals his secret. I thought you'd know better,"

"Yeah, you see Annie here thought of everything," Lady Noir grinned as she rested her arm against Anatis's shoulder as he stood there with his arms close. "He has a plan A, a plan B and all the alphabet to Z. I mean did you really think we would give you our miraculous, Dark Owl?"

"We're superheroes after all. We never surrender," Anatis grinned, taking out his yoyo as Lady Noir took out her baton. "After all, we're Anatis-"

"And Lady Noir!" She grinned before taking a bow before she looked up and winked at him. "I hope Hawkmoth liked his new toys,"

"Why you?!" He growled, taking out his boomerangs before throwing them. "Boomerang trajectory control, Albert!"

"Who is he talking to?!" Lady Noir gasped as they blocked them.

"I'm guessing his computer. It's where the akuma was last time," Anatis replied, knocking back a few. "Cover me! Even if I know where his akuma is, I'm still gonna need a... Lucky Charm!"

He threw up his yoyo as Lady Noir went toe to toe with Dark Owl. He caught the comic as she was knocked back.

"Are you certain it's in his computer?" She asked as he examined it before looking around, trying to figure out how to use it. He even flicked through the pages to see if anything stood out.

"Yes," He replied, tapping one of the pages. "Even in the comic, Knightowl doesn't work alone. He has Sparrow but also his butler, Albert,"

Lady Noir pinned him down as Anatis rolled up the comic and tucked it into his belt.

"Lady Noir, keep him busy. I'm gonna go and destroy his akumatized object," He declared, throwing his yoyo and swinging off. He ran as fast as he could across the roofs before jumping down and throwing his yoyo. He heard the Dark Owl behind him as Lady Noir tried to slow him down but he threw her off and dived towards him. Anatis jumped towards the school and landed on the window, opening it. As soon as he did, an alarm glared as he took out the comic. The Dark Owl landed behind him, grabbing him as his luck vision lit up certain objects. He dropped the comic book and kicked it into the statue of Knightowl as the Dark Owl took off his earring. His outfit began to disappear as the statue wobbled before it fell, creating a chain reaction that caused the lamp to smash into the computer, knocking it off the desk. The Dark Owl let go of Anatis, allowing him to catch his earring and put it back on as the computer crashed to the floor, breaking and freeing the akuma. He opened his yoyo and captured the butterfly before releasing the purified version. He picked up the comic book and threw it up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybugs!!"

The comic burst into the magical swarm and spreaded around the room, restoring it before it flew out the window around the Eiffel Tower. Anatis smiled as Lady Noir landed next to him before the two of them pressed their fists together as Dark Owl turned back into Mr Damocles.

"Lady Noir? Anatis? What are you doing in my office?" He asked, confused before realization crept on his face. "I was akumatized again wasn't I?"

"Yes... look, Mr Damocles, I get you want to be a hero but been a hero doesn't necessarily mean that you have to what we do," Anatis stated, sighing as Mr Damocles frowned. "I am really glad you followed my advice but maybe you could try and help people in a less dangerous way,"

"Like helping the homeless?" Lady Noir suggested, making Anatis nod. "We're not saying don't help people... it's great that you want to help but we have enough on our plate... we can't keep rescuing you, Mr Owl,"

"I know... I just really want to do good..." He sighed, looking down. "I want to be a hero,"

"Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, Mr Damocles," Anatis stated, placing his hand on the man's shoulder. "You don't have to be like me to be a hero,"

"You're right as usual, Anatis," He smiled, shaking his hand. "I will be my own hero,"

(***)

"Hey, Annie," Lady Noir grinned, joining Anatis as he sat on the roof, keeping an eye on Mr Damocles. He was currently taking a selfie with Kim, Alix and Max. "Babysitting huh?"

"Nope," He grinned. "I was on patrol and happened to see him. Thought I'd see how he's doing. You know he's been tending gardens, volunteering at soup kitchens, feeding animals... he's ready spread his wings,"

"I'm glad," She grinned. "He's his own hero,"

"Exactly," Anatis grinned. "And it means we have more free time,"

"Yeah... sooo wanna go to the movies?" She grinned playfully. Anatis laughed and got up.

"Sorry," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I promised a friend I'd hang out with her as soon as I could,"

"No worries," She grinned, stretching. "See ya later?"

"Of course, Kitten," He grinned before swinging off. He found an alleyway and called off his transformation, catching Tikki and giving her a cookie before walking towards the bakery. He took out his phone as it buzzed, making him smile as he saw it was Marinette. He pushed open the door to the bakery and greeted Sabine, who smiled softly at him.

"Hello, Luka," She smiled. "Marinette's upstairs,"

"Thank you, Mrs Cheng," He smiled back before going upstairs and to her room. He knocked on the trapdoor before he climbed inside. Marinette was setting up a game before she handed him a controller. "You know I'm not brilliant at these,"

"No worries," She grinned, making him sit down before she sat next to him. "The point isn't to be good, Lu. It's meant to be fun,"

"Lu?" He asked, making her look at him with worry.

"Y-Yeah... do you mind?" She asked, making him smile.

"Nope," He grinned. "I like it... Melody..."

"Melody?" She questioned, blushing as Tikki joined Plagg, who was happily chomping on cheese.

"I can't believe Marinette is your holder, Plagg," She muttered, making him look at her.

"What's the big deal, Sugar cube?" He asked, making her shake her head before she looked at Luka and Marinette as they played the game. Naturally, Marinette won and happily called out, making Luka laugh. Plagg followed her line of sight before his eyes went wide. "No..."

"Yes,"

"Seriously?" He sniggered, making Tikki roll his eyes. "Boat kid is in love with Doll face eh? I wonder if they realize they are in a love square,"

"Wait? What do you mean a love square?" Tikki asked, making Plagg gulp. "Is Marinette in love with him?"

"Uhhh...."

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

Next Chapter: https://ultra-sassyduck.tumblr.com/post/634367165279223808/miraculous-rise-of-anatis-34

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timesketcharts · 5 years ago

Text

-Heading to Beacon Academy- Qrow x Ammy(OC)

Summary: Ammy gets ready to leave her home to travel to Beacon Academy. While on the airship she sees someone. I wonder who it could be? I figured I would finally post some of my mini ficlet I guess you could say. Ammy is my rwby oc and I ship with Qrow. This fic is based back when Qrow was a student at Beacon. I hope you enjoy!

~Heading to Beacon Academy~

"Well its almost time for you to board the airship. You sure about this?" Rhona said as they waited outside the airship heading to Beacon Academy. Ammy adjusted the bag on her shoulder before giving a small nod. Her gaze upon the large airship as she wondered on about life without the pack.

"Yes, I'm sure. I know I could just stay here but you know how I feel. Besides Beacon is the best school to become a Hunter..." she trailed off, her expression saddening as she remembered her other reasons for leaving. Rhona's following suit as she also knew how she was feeling. Ammy had kept it secret from the rest of the pack but she was not only going to become a better hunter but also to start a new life for herself. The place she had once called home didn't feel like it anymore. It hadn't felt like it since her parents died. She kept a smile but that didn't take away how she felt inside. Plus because of what happened to her parents, because of her,she didn't want to endanger the rest of the pack, they were her family after all. Rhona placed her hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Hey I know how you feel about all of this but just know that you're always welcomed back here. We're all family here, no matter where we are in the world. There's always an open door." "Thanks Rhona. That makes me feel better. I have to say though you already sound like a leader" she laughed as she gently elbowed her friend in the side. After all Rhona was going to become the new leader of the Gulay pack once she was done with her own studies and such. Ammy was supposed to originally since her mother was the former leader of the pack but she turned it down. After learning what she did as a child she just couldn't take that role, it just didn't feel right to. Hence why she long decided to leave and go find her place elsewhere. "Only to you. I still don't think I'll ever be as great a leader as your mother or my mother at the current moment. I will do my best but I still think you'd be much better to lead...and before you say anything I do understand your reasoning for not becoming so and I respect that fully and will honor it" she said as she pulled her friend close into a hug. Ammy returned the hug and smiled. "Again thank you Rhona. You're a really good friend."

Rhona pulled away and put her hands on her hips confidently. "I believe I am the 'best' friend ever" she exclaimed playfully.

Ammy laughed again as her friend tried to cheer her up. "Yes. Yes you are."

Soon the call for students to begin boarding the airship arrived, drawing their attention away from each other to the ship itself. They watched as the doors opened for them to pile in. Thankfully the ship was quite large so they didn't have to worry about being crammed in. She watched as students began to board, saying their goodbyes to their families and friends who wished them well. Ammy couldn't help but feel anxious. Rhona turned her attention back to Ammy and placed her hand on her back.

"Looks like it's time..." she trailed off.

"Yeah...its seems that way..." Ammy got quiet as well.

"Hey everything's going to be just fine. You're the strongest person I know and you'll do great out there. Besides if you ever need an ear, I'm here! You know how to reach me now go and show these guys how its done," She gently pushed her forward, "Go on and get out there. The world's waiting for you, now go see it."

Ammy smiled and hugged her tightly. She was going to miss her terribly but they could still talk whenever, which put her mind at ease a little. "See you later then. I'll call you when I get there."

"You better. See ya later wolf girl."

Ammy waved at her as she ran off towards the airship's entrance to join the others. It was exciting sure but also nerve-racking. She had never been away from her pack. Ever since her parents passed away she never ventured too far out, even in town. If she went into the heart of mistral she was usually with Rhona and her mother. She saw Rhona wave back at her before getting a text telling her good luck. Smiling she nodded and went inside. Her eyes wide as she looked around. It was massive inside and quite impressive. Searching for a nearby window to watch them take off, she leaned against the wall. Looking out as the doors finally closed and the pilot announced their ascent, she looked out and watched Rhona as she followed the airship. Waving up at her with a proud look on her face as she did. Ammy couldn't help but wave back until they were far off the ground. Continuing to watch until she could barely see her home anymore.

With a small sigh she looked over at all the other students who were already running around and mingling and began to feel a little nervous again. Sure some of them she recognized but there were quite a lot more she didn't. Hopefully she could avoid them for the most part. Talking wasn't exactly her strong suit at the moment with how she felt. For now the best thing she could do is explore. It was extremely large, even with all the new students aboard it, meaning there was a good amount of room to wonder between so avoiding was pretty easy. She did bump into one or two people as she rounded a corner, quickly apologizing in turn. Sighing she walked along the massive windows just looking out at the sky to calm herself before turning her attention back to the world around her. That was when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

In front of her a few feet away she saw a boy and a girl standing near the window, looking out elsewhere. She assumed not only were they siblings but also twins since they looked quite alike. Both with black hair and piercing red eyes. You would've swore they were models or something. It looked like they were scanning the area around them, well the girl was, like she was gathering info but the boy...the boy was looking out at the sky as if disinterested and in his own world. Ammy's attention in turn was more focused on the boy. He was...dare she say it, beautiful. For some reason she was drawn to him, she had never been drawn to anyone before. It was kind of like time stopped, silly thought she knew but that's how it felt to her. Without missing a beat she said exactly what she thought aloud.

"Beautiful."

The boy must have heard her cause he suddenly pulled his attention away from the window. Ammy quickly realized she must have spoke aloud and quickly turned herself around. Ducking around a corner as fast as she could and hoping that he didn't see her. Little did she know the boy had seen her go around the corner but didn't get a look at her face. He just stood there a little confused for he could've sworn he just heard that girl say something to him but who knows. He just looked on for a moment before turning his attention back to his sister, who was still observing the other students.You'd think she was looking for prey. Feeling her brothers gaze they shared a look before she gestured slightly with her head that they move elsewhere. The boy nodding and following behind but not without looking back once more to see if he'd see whoever it was looking at them again.

Ammy on the other hand was leaning against the wall. Her hand resting on her chest as she felt her heart race trying to figure out what that was all about. That had 'NEVER' happened before. Why did she freeze like that? What was it about him that made her do that in the first place? Let alone run off like a child who had been caught stealing out of the cookie jar. She admitted he was good looking but that didn't mean anything. There were plenty of good looking guys, don't get her wrong but why him? Maybe she was still tired from the night before? Yeah that had to be it right? Taking a deep breath she gave herself a few moments before she glanced around the corner. She was pretty sure she looked like a fool but hoped he didn't see her. As she looked back at the area he was at she found they had moved elsewhere. Part of her was relieved but the other wanted to go find them again. Shaking her head she told herself no. A sigh escaping her lips as she wondered of to a nearby chair, taking a seat and texting Rhona on her scroll. Thankful for her quick response she continued to talk to her for the rest of the ride or at least most of it.

Time passed and soon she heard the announcement of them arriving in Vale.Stopping what she was doing, she finally peered out the window to see her new home. Her eyes widened at the scene in front of her. It was beautiful and quite the sight to behold. Holding her scroll in hand she took a deep breath and prepared for what her new world had in store for her.

I hope you like it!

Oh btw my ship name for them is Qrowmitty XD Ammy’s full name is Amitty but she prefers Ammy instead.

#my writing #qrowmitty #qrow branwen #amitty runzel #my oc ammy #rwby

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shawnaisms · 5 years ago

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「 ariana grande / 26 / she/her / female 」 did you see the sold sign in the front yard of ( 102 sea drift lane )? rumor in the cove is that ( shawna davis ) just moved in! from what i’ve heard they’re a ( police officer ) that’s moving to the cove because ( she and her husband needed a fresh start in a new house to make their forever home with their children ). when i think of the ( fly on the wall ) i think of ( a small statured woman in a police uniform, the sound of tiny feet on a hardwood floor, the sound of childrens giggles, hot chocolate in a halloween themed mug, tattoos scattered around a woman's body, popcorn and blankets scattered across a couch and sweet & slow sex & makeout sessions ).

hi! i’m katy and this cutie pie is shawna. you can read a bit more about her HERE, but there are some facts about her under the cut!

sorry boys and girls, she’s happily married to the one and only tyler davis so she is off the market

she and her husband have three beautiful children named brooklyn (7), veronica (4), and oliver (2)

brooklyn was a big surprise. shawna was only 18 when she got pregnant, which definitely wasn’t in their plans. but, she was happy. she freaked out a little bit, but after a while she got used to it and couldn’t wait to be a mom

veronica was the only one that was planned. they knew they wanted at least two babies, and veronica was baby #2. they were really hoping for a boy, but they were extremely happy to find out they were having another little girl. once she was born, they were done having kids and they were happy with the two princesses they got

then came oliver. the end

i’m kidding. then came oliver. he was the biggest surprise because shawna had an iud implant and was under the impression she couldn’t get pregnant, but low and behold, one day shawna didn’t get her period. no biggie, it was late every now and then. but then two months later she still wasn’t getting her period and that was really suspicious. she never had any other symptoms like morning sickness or sore breasts, and she’s constantly eating anyways so she didn’t really notice herself eating more than usual. so she takes a pregnancy test, cries in the bathroom because “we have so many kids! i can’t control another baby, i can’t even keep the ones we have in clothes!” so they get the pregnancy confirmed, get the iud taken out, freak out for six and a half more months, and then the world went still. oliver was the one they didn’t find out the gender on because they already had two girls, and they were certain it would be another girl. but when she pulled that sweet baby up to her chest, she realized he was a boy and her world was complete. she had her baby boy

but then she was like “no more fucking kids, I’M DONE” and got a birth control implant in her arm and two years later, no more babies and it’s staying that way

her children are her life and if you dare hurt them or talk shit on them, shawn will F I G H T you

shawna is a police officer. but that doesn’t mean she’s going to bust you for every little thing. if she’s not in uniform, she’s off the clock and if you wanna be dumb and get caught doing something illegal, that’s on you. but she won’t be the one to snitch on you unless it’s endangering other people

she has a very “mom” personality. she wants to make sure everyone is happy and healthy, she gives people advice, she lets people know she’s always there and wants people to feel safe around her

if you’re considered her friend, you’re also considered family, which means you’re coming to christmas dinner and the davis children call you ‘aunt’ or ‘uncle’

don’t tell her what to do with her kids. give her friendly advice (parents and non-parents), but don’t tell her she was wrong to do something and don’t tell her she’s raising them or disciplining them incorrectly. she isn’t breaking any laws and she’s not hurting them in any way so mind your business

she is willing to babysit. any parents on the block, if you need a sitter when she’s not on duty, she’ll watch your babies for you because she knows the importance of having a good support system and someone you trust to keep your kids safe

not only is she a wife, a mother, a police officer, and god’s gift to the world (i’m kidding, she’s annoying), she’s a vlogger. she vlogs about what’s going on at the house, how things are going, she’s vlogging about things that happened, she vlogs about everything, and yes... those ARE her children screaming in the background, but at least if they’re screaming she knows they’re alive

since everyone’s new to the neighborhood, she feels it’s her duty to keep and extra eye out and act as a neighborhood watch

#intro

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verdigrisprowl · 6 years ago

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June 16 Bevel’s Movie Night - The Greatest Showman & Steven Universe

Everyone agreed the main character was a jerk. However, circuses look fun.

Prowl left before Steven Universe.

Today ItsyBitsySpyers *Soundwave trudges in and parks himself. He's busy as anything catching up after his vacation, but he's here and ready to watch this thing.* Bevel Hey, Soundwave. *waves* ItsyBitsySpyers [[Good evening.]] Bevel Did you have fun on your vacation? ItsyBitsySpyers [[He enjoyed himself more than was expected.]] Bevel Aw, that is good. Did you talk to the Pahvans any? ItsyBitsySpyers [[No. He decided not to stay there. Staying might have brought them harm.]] VProwl *appears* Bevel Hey, Prowl. *waves* ItsyBitsySpyers *Greeting ping.* VProwl *... well, looks like there's only one option today, so takes his usual seat. a vague nod in bevel's general direction* *on to question #2: does he have to worry about soundwave telling—? no wait, she already knows. never mind, no problems here.* ItsyBitsySpyers *Soundwave nods to Prowl - with a small pause to cringe a little at that bad high note - and and settles in.* Ratchet *pops in* Bevel Where did you go after that, Soundwave? VProwl *oh never mind there's ratchet hi ratchet prowl's gonna go sit with ratchet sorry soundwave prowl's gone* Bevel ((Starting asap so get food and potty and all that if you need it Hi, Ratchet! Ratchet Hey! ItsyBitsySpyers *Oh. Well, that's not unusual for these nights. Still, he'd got his hopes up once Prowl sat down.*

[[To Risa. Ask your creator if you know nothing about it.]] VProwl *... RATCHET doesn't know. ratchet only ever caught the very beginning stages. all right, now prowl gets to be nervous.* ItsyBitsySpyers [[Good evening, Ratchet.]] Bevel I have never been there, but I know about Risa. Ratchet Evening, Soundwave. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Then you can be sure he had a tolerable time.]] *Soundwave perks.*

[[Music already?]] ItsyBitsySpyers *Ohhhh this is going to be a good night. Well, if he doesn't have to share the couch, he might as well stretch across it and fold one arm over his middle.* VProwl *Prowl must be tired. The shouty parts of the singing are hurting his audials.* Bevel *lays down on her stomach on the floor* ItsyBitsySpyers *Tilts his head. Was that not a real circus, then?* VProwl *Oh, so it wasn't just the one song, this is a singy movie.* *...... No dogs so far.* Bevel Rude. ItsyBitsySpyers *Really does not like the old human.* VProwl ... They could solve the problem by inviting /him/ into /their/ home. ItsyBitsySpyers [[The only way beings so obsessed with class and currency would dare is to have him work for them, as before.]] *Irritable puff.* VProwl *Okay, now he knows he's tired, the sheets are giving him a headache.* Bevel I like his little shadow machine. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Clever, clever human.]] VProwl Not talented at advertising, is he? ItsyBitsySpyers [[Doesn't seem to be, no.]] ItsyBitsySpyers [[He looks to have finally hit a kind of stride.]] VProwl He's collecting employees he can't yet pay, not customers. *there IS a dog.* ItsyBitsySpyers [[Yes, but at least there are people interested in being a part of it. Which is more than he had to start with.]] VProwl Hm. He knows what to do with negative press, at least. Bevel And they are doing really well too. That is a lot of people in the audience. ItsyBitsySpyers [[No doubt that old human would perish of shock if he saw.]] VProwl ... I can't help but get the sense that... if he were to write a propaganda movie about his own life to justify exploiting outcasts for profit, this is what it would sound like. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Perhaps he did.]] [[Is he still alive?]] Bevel All negotiations should include singing and dancing. VProwl Ugh. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Some of us would have an unfair advantage.]] VProwl I rather enjoy being able to get things done. Ratchet [[ is that MJ ]] Bevel ((Yes VProwl ... I haven't heard a laugh like that since before the Senate was murdered. Bevel It sounded really fake. ItsyBitsySpyers [[You do not sound pleased to hear one again.]] VProwl I'm neutral on it. VProwl Now /she's/ being hoodwinked. The real answer is "because you happened to be here when I was." ItsyBitsySpyers *Suspicious.* [[Is he infatuated with her. Is that what that is.]] [[....And now he leaves them in the cold.]] VProwl Mm-hmm. Bevel Boo. Ratchet He really called them that. VProwl He certainly did. ItsyBitsySpyers *Shaking his head.* [[Vile. He hopes they will all choose to burn their employment contracts.]] [[And the young one is a coward.]] Bevel At least he wanted to put them in the box instead of the standing room. ItsyBitsySpyers [[At least he wanted that, yes.]] VProwl Or unionize. Bevel Unionize! VProwl I heard that's a thing humans do. They could make more money for being called names by their boss. ItsyBitsySpyers [[...Why is he not following his companion and his offspring.]] Bevel *scowls* ItsyBitsySpyers *Angry buzzing.* VProwl ... I'm leaning back toward quitting. Quit and start their own circus. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Agreed.]] Bevel Yeah. Bevel All these parents are awful. VProwl All of these people, in general, are awful. Bevel *nods* VProwl I'm fairly certain the outcasts only aren't awful because they have yet to be afforded the rank and wealth to permit them to be so. The main character started off approximately as low as them and became awful the instant he was rich enough to be so. I think it's a running theme. Bevel I hope not. VProwl The sole exception appears to be his wife, who married him despite his rank; but she's hardly had any opportunity to do anything this movie except interact with him. Bevel *bad father on top of everything else, least favorite character forever* ItsyBitsySpyers [[Two credits on leaving his wife for the opera singer. He has abandoned everything and everyone else that supported him and gave him the opportunity he values.]] Bevel Noooooo. That would be the worst ending ever 😔 VProwl Hm. The moment after the opera singer pointed out that those born into privilege don't know what it's like to be born without it, he threw that concept into his wife's face. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Hmm.]] VProwl ... Why's SHE quitting? Did she find him THAT appealing after one party in the queen's presence? Is—is he supposed to be an appealing person? ItsyBitsySpyers [[Not in the slightest.]]

[[...Oh, Primus.]] Bevel He said he was leaving. VProwl Well. He deserved it. THEY didn't, though. ItsyBitsySpyers [[...Do not tell him the one semi-respectable human employer in this whole affair is--]] Bevel Aw no. VProwl The opera singer, though—just—decided to—casually endanger his reputation and family life in public, because he invited her across the ocean to sing and she was disappointed that "sing" wasn't code for "fuck"? What sense does that make. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Vindictiveness.]] VProwl It's ludicrous. Ratchet It is ironic that the one decent decision he made brought him to ruin. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Presenting them as equals? Hm. He certainly doesn't /treat/ them as such.]] VProwl He is an actor. VProwl If they want their home back, why rally around him for it? I still say they should go start their own circus. Bevel Yeah. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Still agreed.]] [[Himself?]] Bevel I think he means his family? VProwl If they think they need his name and face attached to it to make it work, then THEY can HIRE him to perform for them. Bevel Ha! He does not have any money, so I bet he will need them more than they need him. ItsyBitsySpyers [[...He led them on and ran away on a train?]] VProwl He's got a questionable reputation attached to a recent scandal. THEY'VE got an act. I think he's tracking down his family. Bevel He is! ItsyBitsySpyers [[Easier to transport, less expensive if burned. Not unwise.]] VProwl THAT much fabric? *yknow. the movie's almost over. the loud notes are still hard to listen to.* Bevel *sorry, Prowl* VProwl *well. he could be sleeping better.* VProwl ((... how do you park an elephant)) ItsyBitsySpyers ((any which way you want)) VProwl ((I GUESS)) ItsyBitsySpyers [[Stop singing at the ballet recital. How rude.]] Bevel ((excuse my police, but this guy just double parked his elephant in front of my carriage, can you tow it? VProwl ((*handcuffs its trunk*)) Bevel ((lol ItsyBitsySpyers [[Well. That was an interesting look into human entertainment history.]] Bevel Do they still have circuses on Earth? VProwl There's a circus on my Cybertron. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Oh, yes. They d-- what?]] *Snap attention.* [[Where? When?]] Bevel There is? *sits up excitedly* Ratchet [[ didn't the barnum circus officially shut down a couple years ago ]] VProwl Outside of Iacon. I think it's continuously going. One of the performers owns a bar in Metroplex. Bevel ((last year I think Ratchet [[ i saw it once as a kid, i don't remember much from it though except for the tent and discovering i don't like the big bread pretzels ]] Bevel ((same... also i remember loving the trapeze artists ItsyBitsySpyers ((it closed last year yeah)) VProwl *oh, nope, Prowl isn't staying for this show.* I should head out. Evening. Ratchet Seeya, Prowl. Bevel Night, Prowl. ItsyBitsySpyers [[Goodnight, Prowl.]] [[He should be on his way as well. He is very behind still, and there are things he must check on.]] *Maybe including that circus.* VProwl *disappears* Bevel Aw, ok, Soundwave. ItsyBitsySpyers *Nods, rises, and heads on his way.* Bevel ((i legit forgot she threw herself out of the van like that omg VProwl ((that's one of the most important moments in the show)) Bevel ((this is probably the episode when everything really changed VProwl ((i'd agree with that)) Bevel ((you got hints of things before this and some weird, funky stuff happening, but that reveal was just so big. I'm still sad I was spoiled on it before I started watching the show Bevel (("ok. bye." lol Bevel ((ok, that is all I have to show tonight, thanks everyone for coming VProwl ((gnight~))

#chat

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ayafoxheart · 7 years ago

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Plus ça Change - Verad Bellveil Versus the World, Part 3

(Background Here)

(Based upon events occurring in Verad’s (@dubiousduskwight) Storyline)

How many times had she been here before? It was another evening of excitement and trouble. Neither of which her parents would approve. It ended in a dive bar, followed by a walk home filled with dread and perhaps, a hint of shame. There she stood, just outside the front door, head bowed, heart resigned. There she pulled off her thigh-high boots, knowing that their steep heels would too-loudly announce her late-night return home. It was already well past midnight. She wiped the tears from her cheek with the un-torn sleeve of the leather jacket that clung tight to the sides of her figure.

The break-in at the Caged Bird had gone both well and horribly wrong. In the short term Aya's place in the Tower City would be a dangerous one. She couldn't say here and couldn't risk endangering her family. By necessity this would be a brief visit: recover her things, say another silent goodbye, and vanish into the shadow of the Ishgardian under-city.

But she couldn't wipe the haunting events of that night away with the mere brush of a sleeve. She'd agreed to help Verad because she believed in him. But in the moment of danger, within the house of the enemy, he had seemed to snap: he abandoned the plan, he endangered her and the others, and then when she'd moved to slap some sense into him he had deflected her with a slash of his knife.

She could fault herself: she had intended to strike him with the palm, but in his madness he'd shown no hesitation to drawing her blood. Even as he'd recovered his senses, she'd recoiled from his reach. Who could blame her? The confusion of the night still clung thick, but she knew she'd never forget that moment of terror in the dark alley behind the Caged Bird where she faced an ill-tempered Verad and his flashing knife.

In the present, she pushed the front door open as quietly as she should. Light feet stepped inside. She moved slow and careful as she mounted the stairs. This was was virtually indistinguishable from those not-so-distant teenage evenings: dressed for a night out on the town in a flirtatious little skirt, a cute leather jacket, and an array of glittering jewelry all intended to draw the eye. Only the blood-soaked bandage tied tight around her upper right arm revealed anything untoward. The jacket had been sliced open, the flesh beneath gouged and still bleeding.

She had not expected the old sentry to still be at his old station.

Thule Lord Tharin: warrior, master of his house, father. The old man had nearly wasted away under the crushing weight of failure and advancing age. His rule over his children had faltered and failed. The family of which he dreamed seemed to disperse and scatter. Only his eldest son had become that for which he'd hoped - and that one true son grew to detest a father who had abandoned all that had mattered to their Ala Mhigan forebears. He was a father who could never convince himself that he had done his best, but the return of his daughter, and the opening of the city's long-sealed gates had still breathed a fresh sense of life into his tired body. In recent days he had cut his long, matted hair - trimmed his gray beard.

Now he had returned to the lonely post where he had sat many long vigils. His aim was always to catch his daughter upon her return from late night sojourns. There he would impress upon her the full seriousness of her transgressions. Their yelling argument would wake the family. Their conflict would tear them apart. He would never admit how deeply he worried for her safety. How the long hours of waiting were filled with the dread of her absence.

And what now? He found himself seated far across the main room of the inn. With the flick of his finger the low-beam of his lantern flared brighter into a dim spot-light that caught his daughter by surprise.

She flinched, the breath caught deep in her throat. Reflexively she steeled herself for his powerful, practiced glare, her heart pounded in her ears. In an instant she was again the rebellious, terrified teenager terrified of her father's reproach. The years that had passed, the freedom she had won, the name she had made for herself vanished in the sudden realization that he was there.

He knew all this. He knew the role he had played. He lifted his pipe and cupped the bowl with his fingers. Striking a match, he puffed softly as the embers burned a soft amber within. She did not move, frozen in place as if stunned.

He lowered the pipe and exhaled a deep sigh of relief. His voice, when he spoke, was softened with age and wear. It carried to the stairs with just enough force to be heard, but no longer held the authority to shake.

"Thank the Twelve. I thought I'd have to go out there and find you..."

The gentleness of his tone broke the spell. She turned her eyes toward him and offered a long stare. He returned it silently, just watching her from his ruined throne. She nearly leapt from the stair, and hurried to him with an anxiousness that threatened the quietness of her mission.

He coughed, ever-so-slightly. "I'd over-heard just enough," he couldn't quite make eye-contact, but he seemed to catch sight of the blood-soaked bandage. "I knew you were up to something dangerous tonight, and I had to make sure you got home alright." He turned relieved eyes back upon her, and pulled the pipe quickly to his mouth to seek its calm.

She didn't seem to know how to respond. A long moment passed as she just stared at him with wide-eyed surprised. At last she leaned down to him, wrapping her arms around him in an affectionate embrace. "Father..." she sighed softly, tears welling within her eyes as conflicting emotions overwhelmed her.

He hesitantly wrapped one arm around her as best he could to return the gesture, "You're hurt." He commented as she leaned back from the hug. "Don't tell me that Duskwight friend of yours had anything to to with this?"

Verad had been staying at the inn for some time. Though her family had initially regarded him with suspicion, his charming manner had a way of softening the hardest of hearts with the warmth of affection. She flinched at the question, daring not to answer it honestly. Her eyes grew more worried as she hesitated; she'd never been able to lie to him, and he'd see right through her at a time like this.

"I see..." the old man sighed. "Well, I am sure he protected you as best he could." He nodded to himself, as if confirming the comforting truth for his own sake. "I know you've found loyal friends."

Her heart cried out, but she struggled to hold back the truth that ached inside. Verad's own knife had been responsible, but she'd never admit it: not to her father, not to her friends.

Struggling, she offered only a meek nod in reply, "I have..."

The old man turned his head as he regarded his daughter. Old instincts die hard. He could offer a thousand words of rebuke and advice, knowing full well that her behavior would put her in danger (of which he did not know the half). That she could be safe, secure, and surrounded by family if she just listened to what he said. But that wasn't why he was here. He'd convinced himself of that, hadn't he? He did his best to suppress the accusatory look that came so naturally to his features at this hour.

Instead, he changed the subject. "Kael stopped by earlier this evening, looking for you."

She swallowed hard at the mention of her eldest brother, guilt swelling within her breast.

"He had hopes of speaking to you alone, today. He said it was wonderful that you'd been to visit the children, and they were loving the toys you gave them. But, he said, he had something he wanted to talk to you about privately." He narrowed his eyes somewhat, as if trying to guess a hidden truth. He slipped the pipe stem back into his mouth, "I'm supposing it had something to do with Gyr Abania."

She deflected her eyes as her expression fell with guilt. "I'm sorry that I didn't get to see him again." She shook her head before looking back, "But I can't help him with that. My concern is far closer to home right now."

"Ala Mhigo is your home." Replied the father reflexively, his voice rising in volume and sternness.

Her eyes locked on his as she pulled her lips tight. She slipped easily into practiced defiance, "My home is where you are."

He tensed his jaw. Old habits die hard. An expression of contrition briefly crossing his features, but he didn't speak.

It was enough. Maybe he wouldn't press her this time. Her voice softened, "I'm sorry," she said with a breath of regret, "But I have to leave. There's just no other way."

"I know that." He answered flatly. "You've had the look of a frightened fox since you came through the door."

His eyes turned to the bandage on her arm, "But you can't leave this untreated. It is a long journey to Ul'dah. Let me get your mother..." He moved to start the difficult rise from his seat.

"No," she interrupted emphatically, "this is hard enough already, don't wake her."

He paused mid-way and looked back at her with concern. Buried deep within that look was an implicit threat to overrule her. To do what he thought best regardless of the consequences. But he had come to know better by now, at least for the night.

"Very, well. Then allow me." He finished the struggle to stand.

She hesitated, but knew he was right. Verad's darting knife had cut into the flesh of her bicep, the pain was at times excruciating and she continued to bleed through the make-shift bandage that had been applied. She nodded to him.

He reached for her arm, carefully untying the cloth wound around it. He cringed at the sight of what was beneath. It was only a flesh wound, but the cut had sliced straight-through the leather of her jacket, and had gouged her arm and muscle. It hurt him deeply to see his daughter so wounded. How much had he given during his life to protect her? Why did he always seem to fail when it mattered most.

He struggled for a moment but managed, "We must stitch this closed. If we don't, it could become infected or worse. I hope you know someone who can heal this properly soon, but we can't let it wait for you to get there."

He moved with considerable effort, supporting himself against the bar as he moved around it. "Your mother keeps a kit under the bar for this. Just in case someone gets out of hand down here..."

While he fetched the first-aid kit, Aya struggled to pull her right arm free of the tight-fitting jacket. She cringed in pain with the motions before resting the elbow of her now bare arm on the table. She looked away, trying to hide the full nature of her wound from her own eyes. She could still see Verad, and that casual flick of his blade.

Her father returned to his chair, letting out a breath of exertion as he settled back down. He set the kit upon the table, and thumbed it open. He knew what he was doing, he'd dressed numerous such wounds in his lifetime, and many far worse. But this is one he'd have much preferred to never have seen. Still, he knew, with effort he could close it. And in time it would heal.

He girded his thoughts, trying to focus purely on the matter at hand. She'd want tight stitching to prevent scarring. Even if she may seek magical healing soon, if he botched this it could be too late. An open wound was too dangerous, and someone had to treat it. Piece by piece he extracted the elements of the kit, setting those unnecessary to the side, while preparing those he would need.

"Still fighting to protect your friends, are you?" He commented without looking at her, while picking from a small selection of needles. "Some things never change."

She flicked her eyes quickly towards him. "I suppose..." she answered meekly, afraid to fully meet his gaze.

"It always worried your mother, you know." He open the lid a small cylinder. He'd been shown how to use this unusual device. It would heat the needle without the use of a flame.

His daughter continued to watch his eyes, glancing only momentarily at his preparations. She'd overheard them talking about her fighting as a child. It wasn't often, but it always seemed to end with somebody hurt. "And you?"

He paused at the question, taking in an audible breath as he set the cylinder aside to do its work. His fingers opened a container of salve, prepared by her mother.

"It made me proud." He admitted, earnestly. She looked at him wide-eyed and astonished. He dipped his finger into the medicinal ointment, "This is going to sting." He stated matter-of-factually. He began to apply it, as gently as he could manage. Warm and joyful memories of his cheerful little girl clouded his mind as he treated the grown-up version. She cringed and bit down hard to avoid crying out at the intensity of the stinging pain.

"Though, I think if I'd known you'd still be up to it at this age I'd have been more worried."

He looked up at her, but she'd turned away. She was trying her best to not think about something else.

He carried on, "How did you ever get that name, anyway?" He extracted the sterilized needle, and threaded it. His aged fingers, once so strong and powerful, still moved with careful precision.

"What name?" She asked innocently, though she knew full well to what he was referring.

"Foxheart." He answered, his eyes sharply focused as he carefully tied the thread off. It was the first time she'd heard him use that name- and it sounded beyond strange from his lips.

She gave him time to finish before answering. "For a while, in the Shroud, I ran with a pack of wolves. They came to trust me, but knew I was neither as brave nor as strong as they were."

Her father nodded at the answer. "Well, I certainly can't imagine you as a wolf." He set the needle down, taking another look at her with eyes filled with memory.

She swallowed, wondering just what her father would think of her if he knew it all. Then again, he had lived his life on the battlefield, and navigated the treacheries and terror of the King of Ruin. Only the Twelve knew what compromises he had made in his time.

He poured brandy from an open bottle into an empty tumbler that rest on the table. "At least the Ishgardians make a decent brandy." He slid the glass to her, "Trust me when I say you're going to want that."

She accepted the glass, drinking its contents in one quick shot before continuing. "Though I wasn't as strong, I did find my place there. They came to see me as clever, quick, and careful. I think they thought it was amusing: like a fox among wolves."

He nodded thoughtfully, while dabbing a cloth in the brandy. "Truly?" He asked rhetorically, "Well, I happen to think the fox suits you well."

She'd have sworn he smirked, "You've your mother's beauty, and my foolishness I fear." Taking the spirit-soaked cloth he began to rub the wound and the area around it.

She took in a sharp breath, cringing at the words and the sting of alcohol. She had no idea how to respond to his speaking like this. Once upon a time he had shown her such affection, but that was so long ago. Had she really only known harshness and regret? Memories of their closeness came pouring forth in a fountain of sentimental yearning.

"Here," he offered her a wooden peg from the kit. "You're going to want to bite down on this. If you don't, you'll wake the entire house." The gesture and statement hurt the man far more than he'd ever admit. He hated this. But someone had to do it, and better him than anyone else. With effort he could close the wound, but he knew only time could heal it.

The father steeled himself for that which he was dreading. It had been hard enough to look upon his daughter's wound. Harder still to steady himself to pierce her tender skin again and again with the painful steel of the needle. Every fiber of him rebelled at the thought.

She took the pin of wood, and set it between her teeth. She bit down. Her chest began to rise further and faster with deep, worried breaths of anticipation. He tried to ignore her fear. His eyes focused. He'd use the best technique he had learned. It would take longer, but the result would be more reliable, and heal cleaner. Every stitch independent, close together. This had to be done right. Never had it seemed to matter more.

A moment later the needle first pierced her sensitive flesh. Reflexively her teeth bore down on the softer wood between them. It was more than the needle. Tears began to stream from her eyes.

He paid careful mind to his work. It had been a long time since he had treated such a wound, but clever fingers still retained their muscle memory. Each stitch individually tied off, was made close to the one before. It was intricate, grueling work that seemed to stretch for an eternity under the dim lantern light of the quickly vanishing night.

Neither spoke, and both were exhausted as he finished tying off the final stitch. He set the needle aside, and returned to the balm which he applied to the now-closed wound. Her jaw finally relaxed. She set aside the wooden pin, now indelibly marked by her teeth.

"I'm sorry..." he said, "I know how terribly this must have hurt."

What he could never know was how much more painful it had been knowing who was responsible, and how much worse that memory would remain.

She breathed deep and tired. Long, deep, and exhausted breaths that seemed to sum the entire evening. "Thank you."

He nodded, biting his lower lip in an expression she often mimicked when stressed. But he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Fierce and tough. That's my daughter." He stated with a nod, before moving to reassemble the kit, putting the pieces away one at a time.

She lifted her eyes, staring off into the distance. He poured himself a drought of brandy, and took it stiffly.

"If I ever find the bastard who did this to you, I'm going to give them the drubbing of a lifetime." He announced in a fatherly manner.

She turned toward him, silent for a moment. She knew exactly who it was, and hoped he would never find out. "I know you will..." she said at long last, "You've always protected me. Even when you haven't realized it. But, I'm afraid its worse this time..."

"What do you mean?" He snapped the kit shut.

"Voidsent." She answered with a single word full of foreboding menace.

"Those monsters in children's stories?" He asked, incredulously.

"As real as dragons." She answered flatly. "And there's one after my friends and I."

His expression fell grimly. "Aya..."

She turned her eyes quickly toward him, "You've protected me my whole life. You've protected all of us." She had quickly drawn a long, cylindrical device from a small pouch on her belt. "Right now you have to think about the entire family, and not just me. Protect everyone. Mother, uncle, all of the children here. They're counting on you. I have to help my friends stop these people."

He nodded, eyeing the object curiously. It was a magitek beacon, one she'd acquired long ago. It had aided her escape from the city and on many adventures since.

"At the press of this switch it will shine with bright light. If you -ever- think there may be something dangerous nearby, you shine this at it. The monster we've encountered seems to be afraid of light, and it may be enough to buy you and others the time to get away."

The old man's eyes narrowed. "Do you understand?" She asked. Running away was never a style he'd admit to, even if he had done just that again, and again over his life. "Shine this light at the monster... got it." He said, as though he understood more fully than he did.

She took out a card, with a couple of names written on it. "These are two Dragoons, one a former Dragoon, to contact if there is -any- sign of trouble." Her tone had become quicker, she struggled to remain calm at the thought of the danger she could have already brought upon her own family.

Her father nodded, regarding the card carefully, "Orrin Halgren, and V'aleera..." he paused at the second name, "V'aleera?" he repeated, "Why does that sound so familiar?"

"You knew her when she was a child, she grew up right here."

"Ah... the Miqo'te girl," a hint of a smile crept across his lips as he remembered, "and she rose all the way to Dragoon?"

Aya nodded, "The finest." He smiled. The city seemed a little brighter at the thought.

"I have to get my things and leave. I can't stay here, I'll put you all of you in danger."

Her father nodded. He was still looking at the card. His expression grew resigned. All her life he had wanted nothing more than to protect her. To keep her close and safe. There was nothing he wouldn't do, nothing he would flinch at, nothing that could stand in his way, save death itself. Now helplessness gripped him.

He didn't look up. She slipped quietly upstairs, visiting her own room and that recently used by one Verad. She gathered their remaining belongings she could, hefting a pair of small packs over her left shoulder. By the time she returned to the entry-way her father had risen, and stood to greet her, supported by the heavy walking stick at his side.

His gaze followed her down the stairs, "Promise me you'll come back." She put her arm around him, embracing him again. "I will, and sooner than you think..."

She slipped out the door and grabbed her boots without putting them on. He watched as she moved swiftly into the darkness of their underground avenue. Barefoot and still wearing that skirt he'd have never allowed. His late night vigil had exhausted him. He grasped at the door frame, bracing. Silently he watched the vision of his daughter retreat into the darkness. He'd been here many times before. So many times. Too many times. The sadness was as powerful as ever.

But he was not angry. Not at her. Not this time. Rather than shouts, tears were all that was left in the darkness he faced. He'd closed the wound. With time, he hoped, it will heal.

#Aya #aya foxheart #ffxiv #balmung.#roleplay #story #writing #verad bellveil vs the world #hqe

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howtohero · 7 years ago

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#108 Fighting Atop A Moving Vehicle

As a superhero you’ll get to do a lot of cool things. You’ll explore new (probably enchanted, possibly living) locales, travel to far off galaxies, definitely meet at least one wise, platitude-spewing animal with a biologically impossible beard. But one of the most common, coolest (looking) things that superheroes do is fight bad guys (usually around eight or nine) on the tops of moving vehicles.

Now, there are several reasons why you might find yourself in such a situation. Perhaps some crime-loving scoundrel has jumped onto a nearby train in order to escape the law. Maybe the bad guy’s doctor told them they needed more fresh air so they’re doing all of their fights outside now. Possibly some foul-footed felon has decided that the road to world domination can only be reached by stealing the roofs off of unsuspecting vehicles. Regardless you’ll definitely find yourself precariously perched on top of a vehicle moving several miles per hour and we’re going to help you maximize that experience. Really carpe that diem if you know what I’m saying.

As we said before, fighting someone, or multiple someones, on top of a vehicle looks super cool. It’s just like car-surfing, except you’re not alone and also the other person keeps punching you. So you’re going to want to make sure you’ve got someone stationed nearby to snap a couple of pics. If only to finally get a good horizontal picture to put as the banner of your blog which I’m sure you have to update your fans on the ever increasingly inane crimes you’re solving and fighting. Make sure you’ve got one of your support-squadders or a trusted reporter or just a professional photographer planted in a nearby car. Then make sure to do as many cool poses as you can whilst still effectively fighting the lizard mobsters or circus strongmen or whomever. If you’ve got the time take a few silly ones too. You might as well. Stick out your tongue (just make sure the bad guy doesn’t grab it or throw dung pellets at it or something), put your opponent in a headlock and give them a noogie (this is the second time I’ve used the word noogie this week, is this a new catchphrase???). Pictures like these will go a long way towards showing the public that you’re one of those fun-loving superheroes and that you did not intentionally endanger a hapless commuter by wrestling with a semi-tangible ghoul on the roof of their car.

As most cool looking things are, fighting on top of a vehicle is quite dangerous. Like super-duper dangerous. Have you ever tried flinging yourself off of a stationary vehicle? Go on and try it now, I’ll wait. (Ok so while they’re gone doing that we need to talk about employee benefits.) Oh my gosh can we not do this right now I’m in the middle of doing something. (I know but everyone is gone flinging themselves off of blimps like you told them to so I just thought…) Wait what, why would they be throwing themselves off of blimps. (You told them to! You have a very persuasive way of speaking!) Ok but, thanks, but I didn’t say blimps I just said “vehicles” why would you assume they’re all going to climb on top of blimps. (I don’t know I’ve always thought our readers had a kind of “go big or go home” sort of attitude.) And that translates to them going for blimp rides and then, while the blimp is in the air, climbing on top of the blimp and then throwing themselves off of it??? (Hey I didn’t say the blimp was in the air, that was you!) Aren’t blimps always in the air? (No why would they always be in the air?) I dunno have you ever seen one not in the air. (I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one in the air {Howtohero over here asking the real questions} that doesn’t even make any sense! See that’s what I’m talking about, why do I have to share a space with that guy? {Howtohero parenthesis asking the real questions!} Enough!) Look I really don’t have time to get into this right now, look they’re coming back everyone be cool!

Now that you’ve gone outside and thrown yourself off of stationary station wagons [Howtohero bears no responsibility for any injuries sustained by readers who have flung themselves off of vehicles at our advice] Ooh good catch. [Whatever, I’m billing you for these hours.] Not you too! Ahem, see, it wasn’t very fun was it. Now imagine if that car was hurtling through the streets at 100 miles per hour or imagine if that car was a train hurtling through the countryside or a plane (or a blimp!) soaring through the skies! It would be so painful! You’d probably break a lot of bones. So to avoid all that you need to take a few precautions before climbing up onto a dune buggy and grappling with a sand devil. Put on a helmet, anything that’s protective, will fit over your cowl and doesn’t contain too many unnecessary protrusions that a bad guy can grab onto. You should also try taping a few pillows to your torso. This way you’ll be maximally protected and also, if you get tired, you can take a nap just whenever! Also if your support squad has access to a helicopter, see if you can have them airdrop a mattress onto the car directly behind the one you’re fighting on top of in case you get hurled onto it.

You also want to make sure you’re always facing the direction that the vehicle is moving in. This way you won’t be caught off guard and incapacitated by a low hanging highway sign, stoplight or a tunnel. If you can’t fly or otherwise manipulate your personal gravity, you’re going to need some sort of way of making sure you’re not thrown from the vehicle without the supervillain even having to do anything. Invest in some magna-boots (“magna” is short for magnet and also is just a cool sounding word) and make sure you place them on a low setting before you join a rooftop rumpus. If the magnetic pull of your boots is too low, you’ll be flung from the car as if you were wearing slippers or something but if it’s too high you won’t be able to move your feet at all which is sort of a huge disadvantage in a fight.

Additionally, if you can’t fly, you’re going to want to avoid fights on top of aerial vehicles. The drop is just way too high up (as I’m sure you all know after that blimp jump). You’ll definitely die. Plus, the odds are low that you’re even going to be able to get any cool pictures out of it. If you insist on fighting someone on top of an airplane though (maybe your arch-nemesis dared you to, I don’t know) at least make sure that you bring more oxygen than your enemy does. You might able to just keep moving around long enough for them to get tired or pass out from lack of oxygen then you can drag them back inside the plane and turn them over to the air marshal or a kind looking stranger who you’re sure will hand them over to the proper authorities once the plane lands. (In this scenario you don’t actually have a ticket for this flight and in fact never intended to be on the plane at all. Your nemesis was on the plane flying home to visit her parents and decided it would be fun to film a video challenging you to an airplane rooftop duel and then paid for inflight wifi so she could send it to you so then you had to get up to that plane through sheer force of spite to knock some sense into her).

So while fighting on top of vehicles might be fun and look super cool, you also need to stay safe. After all, how many superheroes do you see out there fighting crime with a neck brace and eight-twelve broken ribs? Look outside your window right now and tell me how many of those you see. (Ok so while they’re doing that we really need to discuss the matter of my sala-) Shh not now, not in front of the children! (Do children even read this blog? The polling we did was inconclusive.) This is not the time! Oh, you’re back. How many did you see? That’s right, none! Because you can’t be a superhero with so many broken bones and neck injuries! So put on a helmet, hire a photographer and be safe out there!

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ragecndybars · 7 years ago

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How Post-Pacifrisk Sans Becomes PTA Sans

An overly long and detailed description of how I see the origins of PTA Sans.

Alright, I know PTA Sans is mostly a joke AU, but I’m gonna be real honest with y’all, it’s one of my main headcanons for Post Pacifrisk monsters. Like, I wouldn’t even consider it AU, just a continuation.

I mean, the way I see it, even after they get to the surface, Sans is Not Great. Like, he’s ecstatic at first, of course -- they all got out of the underground, Frisk didn’t kill anyone, monster/human relations are far better than they’d dared to hope, etc -- but then after a week or so, when all the hustle dies down, he just kinda. Casually thinks to himself, “I wonder if the kid can still reset?” And from then on, he’s super paranoid that a reset will occur at any second.

After a while, with the others’ help, he gets himself back together, and Frisk manages to convince him that she’s not going to reset this time, but that doesn’t change the fact that Sans has been living in a world completely free of consequence for a long time, and after so long of becoming numb to it all, it’s really hard to start giving a shit again. So, naturally, everyone decides that what he needs is to find something to be passionate about again -- and Sans is like, hey, it’s a lot of work that I don’t wanna do, but for the first time in a long time I have a genuine shot at happiness, and also Papyrus is already getting excited at the idea, so I guess I’ll give it a try.

(rest under the cut b/c this got long af)

Naturally, going back to being a scientist is right out -- way too many bad memories -- so Alphys can’t really help. Papyrus has become a sort of figurehead for the monsters since he’s so likable, kind, and genuine, and he also still doesn’t really know about the war Asgore called on humanity a while ago, so there’s no chance of him slipping up and mentioning that little detail. But that much attention and always smiling for the camera is really not Sans’ thing either. Undyne is a soccer coach/mom, and probably an athlete of several other types, but geez, Sans gets tired just watching those kids chase that ball around. Toriel lets him try as a substitute teacher for a week, but oh my god turns out being a teacher is actually a lot of work, and he likes the work, but he’s just not quite ready for that level of it yet. Mettaton’s band is full and Sans can only play various comedic noises on the trombone anyway, so that leaves him with not a lot of choices.

But then Asgore approaches him one day all like, “Y’know, Sans, there’s an opening in the PTA at Frisk’s school, and we really want to fill it with a monster for the sake of making our voice heard. Will you give it a try?”

And Sans, despite not liking the sound of it at all, decides, well, he does like Frisk and wants to stick up for the kid, and he is kinda interested in seeing what, exactly, PTAs do, so why not?

Next Wednesday, he shows up to his first meeting, Toriel having at least convinced him to wash his trademark hoodie and shorts, and immediately some of the parents hate him. None of them are bold enough to make any snide remarks -- not even Linda; we’ll get to her later -- but they’re very blatantly suspicious, condescending, and etc. Sans doesn’t actually give one singular shit, so he just trolls them constantly throughout the meeting and doesn’t pay a single shred of attention to what’s going on otherwise -- he has no idea what half the terms they’re using mean, anyway. And, whaddya know, he has a blast! So he happily agrees to go to more of these meetings, if only because Helen’s face turns a very interesting shade of puce when he does so.

The others are ecstatic, thinking he’s finally found something to care about, and they’re so excited that he can’t bear to correct them, so he just kinda rolls with it. But, unfortunately, Papyrus is naturally very invested in the whole thing now, and he starts asking Sans about what the PTA is doing, how Frisk’s schooling in general is going, what the other parents are like, etc. etc. Which means that, since Sans is too weak to leave his brother disappointed, he has to actually start trying, ugggghhhh.

So, with the help of Frisk (I’m tempted to say Toriel but she’s probably just as clueless as Sans honestly), he starts to do some research on some of the things he vaguely remembers Linda and co. arguing about. Like vaccines... okay, so they’re mandatory medicine that keeps kids from getting fatal diseases; cool. And gluten is just... a thing some people are allergic to, but a lot more people think they’re allergic to than are actually allergic to it? O... kay... He knows what autism is, because Toriel did some research when they found out Frisk had it and shared her notes with him. What’s “quiet hands”? Frisk gets... oddly subdued when he asks, so he drops it.

Eventually, he’s sufficiently educated in all the relevant ridiculous PTA topics, and he starts paying a tiny bit of attention during meetings, just so he can have something to report home to Papyrus about, and --

Wait.

Did Linda just say... she’s against vaccines? ......Because she thinks they “cause autism”?

At first, he isn’t even mad at all; he’s just confused. He’s convinced that he’s missing something here; he must’ve missed some crucial details in his research, because Linda has proven herself to be a passive-aggressive, somewhat racist, very self-righteous person so far, but she can’t really be willing to sacrifice her children’s health and possibly lives just because she thinks they might turn out like Frisk. Frisk is a great kid. Can autism even be “caught”? He doesn’t think so, but...

Well, he dismisses those thoughts, because, as I said, he just assumes he missed something in his research, and Papyrus has no idea what he’s talking about when he recites Linda’s whole rant at home later, but he’s still satisfied.

But then. He starts to get bigger audiences for his recitations. And the other monsters hear the shit Linda’s been spewing. And they are Not Pleased.

Like, “What do you MEAN they want to separate the P.E. class by gender and species?!?!?! That’s stupid!!! I teach all the kids perfectly fine!!! And why should they have to learn different things based on whether they’re a boy or a girl, or a human or a monster?????? AND WHERE DO FRISK AND MONSTER KID GO?!?! THEY AREN’T BOYS OR GIRLS!!”

And, “W-wait, she’s... anti... vaccines? B-but they’re absolutely vital! Literally! Th-they stop fatal illnesses! Not only is she endangering her own ch-child, but she’s endangering the other children, too!”

And, “WHAT?!?!?! LUNCHES THAT DON’T ALLOW SPAGHETTI???!! WHY?!?! ... WHAT IS “GLUTEN” AND WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO EAT IT?!?!”

And, “Excuse me, she said what about the dress code? Why exactly does she want gender to be a determining factor in what clothes you can or cannot wear? Every child should be able to shine just like whatever type of star they want to! Just like they can choose to be whomever they wish on stage! ...What? ...WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE WANTS TO BAN DISABLED KIDS FROM THEATER AND CHOIR -- “

And, “Hmph, if she thinks my child’s stimming is disruptive to the class, then perhaps she should keep tighter reigns on her own child, at least until he stops disrespecting me and the other staff at every possible opportunity! ...Oh, maybe that was a bit harsh...”

Except it isn’t too harsh. At all. And, as these semiweekly discussions get more and more heated, Sans starts doing more research and paying more attention and speaking up more and being a more active participant in general, and suddenly OH NO, HE CARES ABOUT THIS. HE ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT THIS. HE FEELS SOME KIND OF very faint and vague but still present PASSION ABOUT THIS.

(That passion being the passion he has for casually tearing Linda’s arguments down in front of the whole PTA with a huge shit-eating grin on her face while the few other members who are actually on his side try and fail to stifle their laughter in the background. It’s like stand-up comedy, but twenty times better.)

So, basically, Sans is sinking deeper and deeper into the PTA rabbit hole, but he still hasn’t reached the level of really hating Linda or Helen or anyone, and he still hasn’t said a single thing that’s technically an insult. He doesn’t think they’re reprehensible people so much as he thinks they’re really, really stupid and have no idea what’s best for their kids.

And then, one day, both he and Linda get called into the (Vice?) Principal’s office, and when they walk in Frisk and Linda’s kid are both there. Frisk looks close to tears, and Linda’s kid -- we’ll call him Timmy -- doesn’t look much better.

The (Vice?) Principal (whichever one isn’t Toriel) explains that Timmy had been mercilessly bullying Frisk, and when a teacher intervened he refused to stop, so they were both sent to the office, and Sans was Frisk’s only available guardian.

Naturally, Sans is already on edge, because A) Linda is there, and as much as he doesn’t despise her yet, he’s really not up for dealing with her bullshit right now, B) why the hell did Frisk get sent to the office? For being bullied? and C) He doesn’t like it when people bully his kid. Not that he’s nearly as protective of Frisk as he is of, say, Papyrus, but he has a vested interest in their happiness, and he doesn’t take kindly to random kids bullying them to the point of tears.

But Sans keeps his cool and just slinks into the chair next to Frisk, giving them a comforting shoulder squeeze after glancing at them to make sure they didn’t mind being touched right now. Linda, on the other hand, is absolutely outraged -- not because her child was bullying another child, mind you, but because he got in trouble for it.

And Sans’ mind is just. Blown. In a very bad way. Because, okay, it’s one thing to be dumb enough to convince yourself that vaccines are bad for your kid, and it’s another thing entirely to get pissed when your kid gets in trouble for their own actions. I mean, it wasn’t like she was saying Timmy didn’t do it -- she didn’t seem surprised to hear of his bullying habits at all, as a matter of fact -- she was just saying that he shouldn’t have gotten in trouble for it.

So, naturally, Sans responds in his usual carefree, subtly scathing manner, but Linda is having none of it. She turns around and marches up to Firsk and just starts yelling -- not adressing them, but talking about them as if they weren’t in the room and saying some pretty awful things.

Sans’ anger is already starting to flare, but, before he can act on it or supress it, Frisk starts to panic and flap their hands, and Linda loudly snaps “Quiet hands!” This only upsets Frisk more, and their stimming intensifies -- they’re actually crying now, which is saying a lot, because Frisk doesn’t cry very often, and he’s seen them in some situations that definitely warranted tears --

And Linda reached out and grabs Frisk’s hands, forcibly holding them at their sides.

Now, as I said earlier, Sans isn’t as protective of Frisk as he is of Papyrus, but they’re definitely number two on his list, and Linda is very, very low on the list. And now even lower. And she is physically preventing Frisk from comforting themselves (so this is what quiet hands is), and, for the first time in years, he’s happy; his friends -- his family is happy, and he actually CARES about something again, and everything is going right for once in his goddamned life, and like HELL is he gonna let some privelaged suburban soccer mom take that away from them.

No one ever spoke again of the incident in the (Vice?) Principal’s office, but suffice it to say that Linda didn’t lay hands on Sans’ kid ever, ever again.

And that’s the story of how Sans went from not giving a shit about anything to being a PTA Legend for years to come.

#Undertale #Sans the Skeleton #Parentale #PTA AU #Sans UT #Frisk UT #L I N D A #oh my god this post is so long I'm so sorry #I didn't mean to I swear

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visanimus · 7 years ago

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Oooh! How about Noctis from ffxv x reader where they go to a haunted house together, something goes wrong and actual daemons attack, and reader reveals she's actually a kitsune while trying to protect him? (Just in case you don't know they're badass, multi-tailed shapeshifting foxes in japanese mythology that can also take human form and use magic, mainly foxfire. The mythology is actually really cool and there's folk stories about them taking human form to be with those they fell in love with)

Thanks for the kitsune refresher, I actually got a book that covers Japanese mythology.

| Noctis Lucis Caelum

• Keeping your secret away from your boyfriend, a prince of his kingdom that was close enough to your family’s homeland (that had been there for a few 100 generations or so), was difficult at times though not all the time. It was easy to give ambiguous answers about where you were from, it was easier to say that your parents traveled around so your couldn’t exactly recall where you first lived. It have you an excuse for many things you didn’t know was the norm here in Insomnia and it’s surrounding towns and countries. Though that wasn’t the real reason why you lie to your friends. You weren’t completely human; you were a kitsune.

• Having grown up around your family in the country side before going off to Insomnia haven’t really taught you everything there was to be humans, and so it was a bit difficult navigating through human society and learning as much a possible about them in order to blend in. Meeting the prince and his friends was an experience that helped you in furthering your education. Being around them was easy and helped you with a few social faux pas that happened from time to time. One day you and Noctis developed feelings for each other and started courting one another. This is why you ended up spending ‘All Hallows Eve’ with the group. Prompto was the one to suggest a “Haunted House” before the movie marathon with pulled of sweets and Ignis’s home cooked meal that reflected the festive Insomnian holiday.

• You never had ever been to a haunted house before and were a bit apprehensive to do so because of your instincts warning you. You shouldn’t step in there. The hairs on your neck would stand, as you stood frozen, until Noctis’s reassuring hand held your hand in his with a shy smile at you. Calmness washed over you but that sense of urgency and a need to protect Noctis rose within you. A phantom like swish was felt behind you as your tail almost flickered into existence and your ears almost twitched into visibility as you felt your need to fight would slowly rise. It would be best to calm down before you blew your cover in front of someone you cared for, who might not react well to you and your heritage. Smiling at the man, you followed him into the haunted house and stuck with him as you and your friends were separated.

• Getting scared at every corner with no real danger actually helped you enjoy the festivities. You were able to cling to Noctis’s arm and hide behind him, and he was able to play the hero and defend you against the terribly cheesy Hallow decorations. Both of you were giggling and laughing at the absurd idea of actually being scared and instead, enjoying your time together as a couple undisturbed. Small jokes about running from monsters to how Noctis would have to the shining knight on top of a white steed in order to save you from them sent you both into a breathless fit of laughter.

• Those laugh filled moments ended as the room began to shake as something tore through the floorboards. The sound as wood splintered and scattered through the floor ripped a genuine scream from you and Noctis as he grabbed your hand and almost dragged you out of the room into the hallway. Heavy foot steps shook the hallway and made it difficult for both of you to keep your footing. Noctis’s voice screaming out into the house, “Guys! There’s a daemon here and it’s her with me and ______! We have to get her out of here!” You could almost roll your eyes of you weren’t shaken from being caught off guard but you tore yourself from Noctis in order to atleast slow down the daemon. You wouldn’t have to allow others see your true form unless it was a dire situation. Fear painted his features as Noctis turned back to grab you, only to see a flurry of fluffy tails and ears as your clothing changed to match the seemingly magical transformation.

• Heat circulated underneath the skin of your palms and finger tips as you summoned a part of you you hadn’t felt in some time. Blue fire ignited and danced around you as you remembered the chant that would eat away at the daemon in front of you and protect your prince. The moment your fingers snapped you felt the rush of heat travel through your body and out of your hands onto the daemon that caused your senses to act up earlier and nearly endanger your love’s life. Silent whispers of multiple spirits’ acceptance of your fox fire usage as they blessed you and the human you wish to protect gave you enough time to grab his hand and dash out of the house to meet up with the test of your friends. In this form you were stronger and quicker with any human, with reflexes that left many jealous of your kind. Your picked up on the sound of the daemon’s screaming before it was silent as you calmed down.

• The palpating heartbeat of yours started to calm as your human companions started to bombard you with various questions about what happened, what you were and what was happening. Ignis and Gladio’s authoritative voices cut through the various questions Prompto and Noctis hadn’t been able to stop asking as they took in every detail of your appearance and exchanging information of what they saw in that house. Once everyone was quiet and calmed down enough, you all got into a car and drove back to Noctis’s apartment. You decided to tell them what you were and what you did with the promise that they would never tell another soul. They agreed and you told your story.

• “My kind is what you would call a Kitsune. Yes, like the stories you heard about my kind, but with you humans, no offense, tend to embellish a few details about my species. Both of my parents raised me out on the 'country' side as many would call it and that's why I never knew much about your human holidays or how you all loved your day to day lives. But I knew that I wanted to know more about your species -- Noctis mess with my tails and ears one more time and I will use Foxfire on your hair.""But you remind me of a cat, who's a cutie?""How dare you. Especially after I saved your total royal behind."

#final fantasy xv #final fantasy 15 #ffxv #noctis lucis caelum #final fantasy imagines #ffxv imagines #halloween requests

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sage-nebula · 8 years ago

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Least-favourite HP character, aside from Snape?

Hmmm … maybe Petunia Dursley?

I mean, don’t get it twisted—both Petunia and Vernon are obviously horrible, for more or less the same reasons. If I dislike Petunia more than I dislike Vernon, it’s by a very small margin—like, a 1% margin. But I’ve been thinking a bit on this lately, and when I think about the books and then compare them to fandom trends, it makes me realize both something about the characters themselves, as well as how fandom perceives characters, and especially how fandom tends to perceive female abusers vs. male abusers in terms of how guilty they are of the act, as well as how likely it is that they can be (or should be) redeemed.

To be more specific—I think it’s obvious to see why Vernon is often perceived as the main instigator behind Harry’s abuse, as well as The Definite Worst™ of the two. He’s the one that creates the most bluster, the one that is the loudest, the one that takes action more often than not. He’s loud, he’s aggressive, he’s in-your-face. He definitely scares Harry for a time (though it’s worth it to note that Harry is wary of Petunia, too, but more on that in a minute). On top of all of this, he’s a man, and society has conditioned us to see men as more likely to be abusers, whereas we’re conditioned to see women more as nurturers / victims. This is the exact reason why female abusers are so often unreported. (Additionally, taking it back to fiction from a real world context, you’re more likely to see male abusers portrayed than female—and in fandom, particularly since many fic writers and the like are women, you’re more likely to see male characters who either a.) are abusers, or b.) could be abusers focused on, while female abusers are likely to be ignored / toned down / redeemed. We see this even in Pokémon fandom; although Lusamine abuses her children more on-screen, versus Ghetsis’ surprise reveal as an abuser at the end of BW, Ghetsis is the one who is seen as irredeemable while so many people clamor for a happy ending for Lusamine. I’m not saying Ghetsis should be redeemed, mind you; I’m saying they’re both vile, but only one of them is consistently excused by fandom, and gee, I wonder why?)

However, although it’s easy to see why Vernon is often unquestionably interpreted as the worse of the two / Petunia is often seen as the one who can be redeemed, what I’ve actually come to realize is that not only is their abuse equally as bad (e.g. Vernon is not the only one who gets physical with Harry; Petunia threw a soapy frying pan at Harry’s head in the beginning of Chamber of Secrets because he babbled nonsense “spells” at Dudley to scare him; she then made him pull weeds in the garden despite how hot it was and how physically taxing that can be as further punishment), but that it could be interpreted that a lot of Vernon’s blustering and outright action is a direct result of what he thinks Petunia wants, i.e., she’s actually the one in control, and his horrid behavior feeds off hers.

There are two things that make me think this. The first is the very first chapter of Philosopher’s Stone, which is largely from Vernon’s point of view. Vernon goes about his day noticing the strange happenings around the city: all the owls, the people in cloaks, whispers about the Potters, et cetera. He grows increasingly unnerved by this, not only because he likes ordinary things and dislikes magic, but specifically because he knows that Petunia will be upset:

He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking … no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn’t such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn’t even sure his nephew was called Harry. He’d never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn’t blame her—if he’d had a sister like that … but all the same, those people in cloaks …

And lo and behold, he’s right:

Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters …

Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He’d have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. “Er—Petunia, dear—you haven’t heard from your sister lately, have you?”

As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn’t have a sister.

“No,” she said sharply. “Why?”

“Funny stuff on the news,” Mr. Dursley mumbled. “Owls … shooting stars … and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today …”

“So?” snapped Mrs. Dursley.

“Well, I just thought … maybe … it was something to do with … you know … her crowd.”

Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he’d heard the name “Potter.” He decided he didn’t dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, “Their son—he’d be about Dudley’s age now, wouldn’t he?”

“I suppose so,” said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.

“What’s his name again? Howard, isn’t it?”

“Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me.”

“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. “Yes, I quite agree.”

All throughout that scene, what we’re presented with is a Vernon who is afraid to talk to Petunia about this, and a Petunia who is very harsh, direct, and angry. This is not to say that Vernon likes magic, of course; it’s made quite plain all throughout the chapter that he thinks the people in cloaks are vagabonds, that he thinks they are hooligans who need to get jobs, et cetera. He’s not any more fond of magic or strangeness than Petunia herself is. However, despite Vernon’s own aversion to such things (and the disdain he has for those things in his own head), it’s pretty evident that between the two of them here, when it’s just the two of them, the one who is actually dominant and in control of the situation is Petunia. Vernon didn’t call her earlier in the day, despite hearing things about a “Harry Potter,” because he was afraid of upsetting her. And later that evening, when he feels he can no longer put the conversation off, he mumbles, he has a lot of hesitation in his speech, he chickens out of mentioning the fact that he heard about the Potters earlier in the day, and his heart sinks as he agrees with her that Harry’s name is “nasty” and “common.” Vernon is afraid of Petunia’s reaction in this scene, not the other way around.

The other thing that makes me think that Vernon overcompensates for Petunia’s own feelings on the matter comes from Order of the Phoenix, after Petunia receives the Howler. Here’s the scene in full:

“Hang on,” said Uncle Vernon, looking from his wife to Harry and back again, apparently dazed and confused by the unprecedented understanding that seemed to have sprung up between them. “Hang on. This Lord Voldything’s back, you say.”

“Yes.”

“The one who murdered your parents.”

“Yes.”

“And now he’s sending dismembers after you?”

“Looks like it,“ said Harry.

“I see,” said Uncle Vernon, looking from his white-faced wife to Harry and hitching up his trousers. He seemed to be swelling, his great purple face stretching before Harry’s eyes. “Well, that settles it,” he said, his shirt front straining as he inflated himself, “you can get out of this house, boy!”

“What?” said Harry.

“You heard me—OUT!” Uncle Vernon bellowed, and even Aunt Petunia and Dudley jumped. “OUT! OUT! I should’ve done this years ago! Owls treating the place like a rest home, puddings exploding, half the lounge destroyed, Dudley’s tail, Marge bobbing around on the ceiling and that flying Ford Anglia—OUT! OUT! You’ve had it! You’re history! You’re not staying here if some loony’s after you, you’re not endangering my wife and son, you’re not bringing trouble down on us, if you’re going the same way as your useless parents, I’ve had it! OUT!”

Harry stood rooted to the spot. The letters from the Ministry, Mr. Weasley and Sirius were all crushed in his left hand. Don’t leave the house again, whatever you do. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE’S HOUSE.

“You heard me!” said Uncle Vernon, bending forwards now, his massive purple face coming so close to Harry’s, he actually felt flecks of spit hit his face. “Get going! You were all keen to leave half an hour ago! I’m right behind you! Get out and never darken our doorstep again! Why we ever kept you in the first place, I don’t know, Marge was right, it should have been the orphanage. We were too damn soft for our own good, thought we could squash it out of you, thought we could turn you normal, but you’ve been rotten from the beginning and I’ve had enough—OWLS!”

The fifth owl zoomed down the chimney so fast it actually hit the floor before zooming into the air again with a loud screech. Harry raised his hand to seize the letter, which was in a scarlet envelope, but it soared straight over his head, flying directly at Aunt Petunia, who let out a scream and ducked, her arms over her face. The owl dropped the red envelope on her head, turned, and flew straight back up the chimney.

Harry darted forwards to pick up the letter, but Aunt Petunia beat him to it.

“You can open it if you like,” said Harry, “but I’ll hear what it says anyway. That’s a Howler.”

“Let go of it, Petunia!” roared Uncle Vernon. “Don’t touch it, it could be dangerous!”

“It’s addressed to me,” said Aunt Petunia in a shaking voice. “It’s addressed to me, Vernon, look! Mrs. Petunia Dursley, The Kitchen, Number Four, Privet Drive—”

She caught her breath, horrified. The red envelope had begun to smoke.

“Open it!” Harry urged her. “Get it over with! It’ll happen anyway.”

“No.”

Aunt Petunia’s hand was trembling. She looked wildly around the kitchen as though looking for an escape route, but too late—the envelope burst into flames. Aunt Petunia screamed and dropped it.

An awful voice filled the kitchen, echoing in the confined space, issuing from the burning letter on the table.

“REMEMBER MY LAST, PETUNIA.”

Aunt Petunia looked as though she might faint. She sank into the chair beside Dudley, her face in her hands. The remains of the envelope smoldered into ash in the silence.

“What is this?” Uncle Vernon said hoarsely. “What—I don’t—Petunia?”

Aunt Petunia said nothing. Dudley was staring stupidly at his mother, his mouth hanging open. The silence spiraled horribly. Harry was watching his aunt, utterly bewildered, his head throbbing fit to burst.

“Petunia, dear?” said Uncle Vernon timidly. “P-Petunia?”

She raised her head. She was still trembling. She swallowed.

“The boy—the boy will have to stay, Vernon,” she said weakly.

“W-what?”

“He stays,” she said. She was not looking at Harry. She got to her feet again.

“He … but Petunia …”

“If we throw him out, the neighbors will talk,” she said. She was rapidly regaining her usual brisk, snappish manner, though she was still very pale. “They’ll ask awkward questions, they’ll want to know where he’s gone. We’ll have to keep him.”

Uncle Vernon was deflating like an old tire.

“But Petunia, dear—”

Aunt Petunia ignored him. She turned to Harry.

Prior to the Howler arriving, Vernon has absolutely no qualms about screaming at Harry. He “inflates,” he “bellows,” he screams in such a way that Harry feels flecks of spit hit his face (ew). It’s more than obvious—as it has been for the past four books prior to this one—that Vernon has absolutely no problem being loud, aggressive, and abusive to Harry.

But that changes when Petunia gets the Howler. Note that although Vernon “roars” at Petunia to drop the Howler, she doesn’t. She doesn’t even attempt to. Nor does she show any real reaction to the fact that he ordered her to drop it because it could be dangerous. Instead, she points out that it’s addressed to her—and this is, understandably, exciting for her (in an odd, frightening way), because she has always wanted to be part of the magical world despite the fact that she’s a muggle, hence her loathing of Lily. Regardless, Vernon yells at her to drop the letter—presumably using the same volume he was using when he was trying to kick Harry out of the house—but Petunia doesn’t react to that. She’s not scared of him.

Then the Howler explodes, Petunia gets her message, and Vernon goes hoarse. He stammers as he tries to ask her what that meant, what just happened—but she ignores his questions. She stays silent. And when Vernon asks after her again, the dialogue tag says that he does so timidly. This is not a word usually used to describe Vernon, and what’s really interesting here is that Petunia hasn’t actually done anything yet. Just like he did in the first chapter of Philosopher’s Stone, though, Vernon is cautious about upsetting her. Given that he’s asking this timidly, one could say that he’s afraid of upsetting her, especially since he has no idea what that Howler was on about. And then, when Petunia says that Harry has to stay, Vernon is still only able to stutter and sputter, weakly trying to counter what she’s saying, but unable to do so. It’s not that he agrees with the neighbors, but rather that Vernon cannot argue with Petunia, and never has been able to. Despite how aggressive and violent he is toward Harry, Vernon has never once shown that toward Petunia. Rather, what we’ve instead seen is that Petunia is harsh, angry, and snappy with Vernon in ways that he is not with her. (Of course, that chapter ends with Vernon screaming at Harry, “YOU HEARD YOUR AUNT, NOW GET TO BED,” but that just proves my point, tbh.)

What I’m getting at here is that while Vernon is clearly the one who instigates most of the abuse toward Harry in a way that is eye catching (e.g. he drags Harry to his cupboard, gets in his face and screams, et cetera), one interpretation of this could be that Vernon overcompensates because a.) Petunia is also of the opinion that Harry should be abused and mistreated, given that she hates him because he’s Lily’s son, and b.) having Harry there makes Petunia unhappy, which makes her angry, which stresses Vernon out / makes him angry, which he then takes out on Harry. It’s a vicious cycle; because Petunia lashes out at Vernon (and she does lash out at him when she’s upset—the first chapter of the first book shows this), Vernon in turn lashes out at Harry. And if nothing else, all three Dursleys use Harry as a punching bag for their emotional outlets (Dudley literally learned this from both of his parents), so if Vernon is feeling stressed or upset because Petunia is stressed or upset, then it’s very likely he’ll take it out on Harry, no doubt while complaining about Harry to Petunia, who will agree and feel relieved that Vernon agrees with her about how awful Harry is, regardless of whether or not Harry actually did anything wrong.

The point that I’m trying to make here is—over my many years in this fandom I’ve seen this tendency to treat Petunia as if she’s just going along with Vernon’s hatred and abuse of Harry, or to try and view Petunia as the one most likely to get fed up with the abuse and whisk Harry away somewhere to love him and treat him with care. I think, though, that this is an incorrect interpretation of her character brought about by the fact that a.) Vernon’s abuse is much more bombastic (particularly in the movies, because again, that soapy frying pan scene from the book has stuck with me since childhood), and b.) people are conditioned to see men as abusers more readily than women, who are stereotyped to be more nurturing and loving. Therefore, since Petunia is a woman, people more readily want to make her have a change of heart, wherein she sweeps Harry up in her arms and protects him from mean, nasty Vernon. The truth of the matter is that both Petunia and Vernon are horrid, but if we’re going to actually look at the power dynamics between the two, Petunia is actually the dominant one in their relationship, and a potential read of the situation could be that Vernon is worse than he might otherwise be (in terms of actual action, not attitude) because of Petunia—that he overcompensates because he thinks that’s what she wants. (Hence why he’s so confused and stammers so much when she says Harry has to stay. He thought she would also want Harry gone; the fact that she doesn’t is confusing to him, and reduces him to asking after her “timidly,” to “deflating,” to stammering and stuttering because he doesn’t know what to do.)

TL;DR:

If I had to pick a least favorite character after Snape, it would have to be Petunia and Vernon, but with Petunia disliked a little more than Vernon given the fact that I’m not at all fond of fandom’s tendency to try and excuse / sweep away her abuse / put her in leather pants. I can understand the feeling of wanting Harry to have one blood relative that’s not horrid to him (and after the majority of the series, he does have one—Dudley is the Dursley who is redeemed, as he should be), but Petunia Dursley is not, and would never be, that relative.

#ryttu3k #least favorite character meme #plus after what my biological mother put me through the fact that people can't see #that women can be just as horrid of abusers as men #really rubs me the wrong way #i'm coming to realize it's a bit of a touchy subject heh #long post for ts #meta

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lawless-ladies · 8 years ago

Text

7 Facts Meme

TAGGED BY: @bloodthirstybirdbabe

TAGGING:@hisdaughterfromhell, @cfgreycells, @neverhisalice, @twentytwocalliber, @notbravebychoice, @thewhiitecat, @former-psychiatrist

RULES: list seven random facts about your character about how they were made and/or facts that have not been made known yet. Tag seven other people.

MOLLY

1. She maintained a friendship with James Flint, the bartender at the Diamond District’s old discotheque, for years; he served as a sort of older brother figure to her.

2. She can’t stand contemporary music—she much prefers vintage covers of newer songs, like the kind Postmodern Jukebox would put together.

3. Her first time trolling Batman after her death was continually unplugging the Batcomputer and thereby letting the Riddler get away with his crime while Batman was preoccupied fixing his equipment.

4. You know the Rated E-for-Everyone swearing Sergeant Calhoun does in Wreck-It Ralph? Molly absolutely does that. The harshest words she’ll use are “damn” and “hell”; other than that, she swears like a twelve-year-old.

5. She wasn’t actually a member of the Molehill Mob—she was already working as the Riddler’s henchgirl (and girlfriend) when James inducted her as an honorary member, seeing how well she got along with the rest of the boys.

6. She loves Baz Luhrmann movies. Moulin Rouge may not be a very good movie, and The Great Gatsby might be a bit style over substance, but she adores them both.

7. She once got mistaken for a stripper outside of a club she was visiting; the poor guy trying to pick her up was not expecting her to whip a gun out of her purse.

MOUSEY

1. She is a chronic flirt, regardless of what side she is supposed to be on. She’s certainly not above leering at Batman even as he’s trying to pummel her and the Riddler’s gang, and she’s even worse around Nightwing.

2. She originally an away from home and ended up being taken in by a member of the Rat Gang.

3. She has a collection of cute hats, ranging in everything from berets to straw hats.

4. She can come across as inappropriately flirty or sexual at times, even during completely innocuous conversations, but God forbid anyone else do the same or she will have a massive overreaction.

5. She makes a mean cup of hot cocoa.

6. She’s the ultimate master of worming her way into large crowds and scanning the surrounding people and area; her attention span for such things is a lot longer than her normal behavior would lead one to believe.

7. She absolutely does not get along with her roommate at Gotham University, mainly because of her long absences where she refuses to clean up after herself.

MOTH

1. She still suffers from social anxiety and a hint of emotional clapback from her experience with the Riddler. Being so mistreated by someone she admired has definitely made a big impact in the way she interacts with men.

2. She grew up in an old money family; her parents never held a job because they never felt a financial need to, but they spent more time showing off their wealth than fostering her. Unfortunately, no one wanted to hear about how lonely she was because how dare a rich girl complain about her life?

3. She prefers poetry to books on the whole—why waste a lot of words to get across a sentiment?

4. She took ballet for seven years and still habitually stretches to stay flexible.

5. She has a soft spot for old sci-fi shows like Star Trek, Westworld, and Doctor Who.

6. Her favorite musicians are Vienna Teng and Emilie Autumn.

7. She avoids watching the news or reading the paper so she doesn’t have to hear about the rogues.

PAULINE

1. She grew up dirt-poor—her father was a layabout who lived off food stamps when he was more than capable and qualified of getting a job, and she resented him for it for so long. This is largely the reason she has such a taste for the finer things in life.

2. She walks around the house in just a robe on lazy days.

3. Her favorite movies are Dragonwyck, House of Usher, and Crimson Peak. She also idolizes Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe.

4. She regularly has to tell people that she hasn’t had breast implants—she’s gotten a lot of rude comments from stagehands.

5. She currently writes to and used to regularly pal around with a trio of ex-villainesses—Dragon Fly, Silken Spider, and Tiger Moth— she met at the stage door one evening.

6. She’s actually very claustrophobic, to the point where she doesn’t even like riding around in smaller cars unless the driver has the top down.

7. She isn’t actually that adverse to going back into crime, but she doesn’t want to endanger her career.

ANNA

1. She’s an awesome pastry chef, but only when it comes to small things in cups. She can’t bake a whole cheesecake, but she can make a mean tray of cheesecake shots.

2. She’s the only “Riddler moll” who could actually throw a convincing punch. Even Molly was better with a gun than in hand-to-hand combat, but Anna could beat you to a pulp if she wanted.

3. She still harbors a bit of suspicion and hurt toward the Riddler, even though she knows she was still working for an imposter. She doesn’t want the real thing to turn out to be anything like the man she worked for.

4. She had to wear a back brace for a few years since her prematurely developing chest was giving her back problems. It only came off midway through her freshman year of high school.

5. She only worked at the Dairymen’s League as a cover originally and she desperately wants to quit, but her modelling gig doesn’t pay quite enough on its own.

6. She still can’t watch any kind of movie with emotionally coercive and pushy men.

7. She arranges some kind of party every time she feels lonely—it’s a good way to both surround herself with friendly affection and hide her real feelings.

BETSY

1. She loves going to casinos and horseraces.

2. She first caught Riddler’s eye after admitting to fixing a basketball playoff at Gotham’s biggest indoor stadium.

3. She has tried her own hand at disguise, but is woefully bad at it—she always comes off looking like a second-rate silent actress.

4. She does not own any kind of dress shoe at all)

5. She drinks at least sixty liquid ounces of iced coffee in a week.

6. She goes down the Iceberg regularly to hear Lori sing and to scope out the other rogues, the better to get the measure of them for future encounters.

7. She loves country Western music in addition to Lori’s signature cabaret tunes; her favorite singer is Johnny Cash.

PUSSYCAT

1. She ran a Catwoman fan club in her California hometown.

2. She’s actually bisexual and harbored a huge hero crush on Selina.

3. She has met all four Robins, but she’s only liked one—the original Dick Grayson.

4. She’s a fantastic bowler, even though she doesn’t have a full team she plays with. She just likes to go down to the lanes whenever she’s bored.

5. She took ballet for seven years as well, but really only liked the clothes. She even has a lot of her costume parts saved.

6. She got to pick out her own henchgirl costume after she didn’t like the one Selina originally offered her.

7. I added her because she was one of the few other molls that I actually liked and had a positive character—I saw her as a sweet, ambitious, and individualistic young lady who I thought should have been explored more.

SIREN

1. I added her because I had a feeling she probably started out as a Riddler accomplice who ended up branching out into a criminal identity of her own. Her singing gimmick had only recently been discovered before her arrangement with Betsy and Edward, and they more or less helped her come into her own.

2. She had several surgeons threatened with death if they didn’t fix her voice after she broke out of prison the first time.

3. She has a surprising amount of history books laying around at home, mostly about dangerous women and the more decadent eras of history.

4. She keeps her nails very long and goes in for expensive manicures every three weeks (paid for by her various crimes).

5. She tried to team up with Black Widow, but quickly got annoyed with her.

6. She’s also a fantastic dancer specializing in sultrier dances like the tango and has definitely taught Betsy how to dance with her.

7. She doesn’t actually own a car, but cheats free rides out of male taxi drivers by use of her voice.

#Baby remember my name (The ladies)

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