#some bustier salt

[sorcerystudios-writing]

The Heroes of Paris: Le Gardien des Pigeons

by Nakira Taisho

Date Posted: (2024-06-27)

Chapters: 20/28

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Original Kwami Character(s), Original Miraculous Ladybug Character(s)

Additional Tags: Gabriel Agreste Is Not Hawk Moth, Emilie Agreste Has a Different Name, Kwami Swap, Fox!Adrien, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Chloé Bourgeois has DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), Peacock!Gabriel, Series Rewrite, Fake Dating, Bustier salt, will include some post s3 characters, Alya Salt

Series: Part 1 of What We Mean to Be

Summary: A design contest is interrupted when a pigeon controlling villain comes into play.

[voxsmistress]

Mama Didn't Raise No Bimbo part FOUR!

lets see what else is in store for y/n ... you didn't think Velvette was just going to let her get away now did you?

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five / Part Six / Part Seven / Part Eight / Part Nine / Part Ten / Part Eleven / Part Twelve / Part Thirteen / Part Fourteen / Part Fifteen / Part Sixteen

Seems Velvette had tagged your photo on her story with the hashtag #newmodel? Flicking your gaze back up to an amused Angel.

“Well toots … you might as well collect all three than just two. Here’s to you babe - you are so fucked”. He raised his glass. Raising your own you blink in shock.

Fucked was right.

It had been a few days since your exciting little adventure to the Vee Tower, coupled with the fact Velvette had not only shared your post on Sinstagram but followed you was helping you gain thousands and thousands of new followers and likes. But like your tequila, you took this with more than a pinch of salt. The Vee’s didn’t do anything for free. There was always a catch. You were waiting for this one to hook you sooner or later.

Unfortunately for you, it was sooner rather than later. You had finished your job for the night ready to head home, plus there was a bottle of whiskey and a hot bath with your name on it. Arm raised to wave a taxi you were distracted by your phone starting to buzz in your other hand. Unknown Number. Huh, weird. Deciding to answer it you lower your arm. What harm could it do?

“Hello?”

“Is this Miss Y/n?” Frowning at the unfamiliar voice, hmm you were rather selective about who got your number. So … who was this?

“Speaking…?”

“Ah Miss Y/n I am Velvette’s assistant, and she is insisting that you come in to meet her to discuss an opportunity that you really do not want to miss out on” huh. Okay. Was not expecting that.

“Uh huhh … and when is she wanting to meet?” Looking up at the darkening sky you had a horrible feeling you weren’t going to be going home anytime soon.

“Well, what are you doing now?” Ohhh nooo! Come on!

“I have just finished work and was actu-”

“Ah perfect so you are free. Come to the Vee tower now and we will sort everything. See you soon” your mouth opened and closed as they hung up on the phone. Right eye twitching you took a deep breath in before exhaling slowly. The bloody nerve! Grinding your teeth you raise your arm up again and wave at a taxi. Trying to calm your anger you shove yourself in the first one that appears, telling them to take you to the Vee Tower. Stewing in the backseat you think it must be nice to be an Overlord – just ordering small insignificant demons around. Shaking off the attitude you realise you need to tidy yourself up.

Looking down at your outfit, a sigh escapes you. Not exactly the outfit you’d want to meet the fashionista Overlord in – a leather bustier, leather pants and your customary neon pink accessories and heels matching of course with your favourite faux fur coat – but it was going to have to do. You didn’t exactly have time to prepare. Scurrying around in your purse to find your compact mirror, you quickly tidy up your eyeliner – snarling at the cabbie when he purposefully swerved nearly wrecking your makeup – and pop a new layer of dark pink lipstick on with a topping of gloss. A quick fluff to your blonde/pink hair and that was the best it was gonna get with such little time to prepare. Spying your perfume, you give a little spritz to your neck, wrists, and boobs. Noting that you’d need to get some more on your next outing as you were nearly out.

Thankfully you had just enough time to get all that done before the taxi pulled up at the tower, throwing the money at the demon you step out on the street. If possible the tower seemed even taller than before. Intimidating. Shaking your head you steel yourself for this meeting, how the last one went down with the other two is not what you want this time round. No unnecessary touching. No being cornered. And no flirting. Okay maybe a little bit of flirting, you were a demon after all. Wait – no! No! Bad thoughts!

Stepping in to the reception you check the board to see what floor Velvette was on, marching to the elevators you ignore the same receptionist who seemed surprised to see you again. Yeah, Bitch I’m back! In the elevator you press Velvette’s floor and breath deeply. It would all be okay. Perhaps they were just going to tell you how much they liked your post? Or they were wanting a thank you in person for all the followers? Or how surprised at how naïve and stupid you sounded. Shaking your head you groan softly. Of course it wasn’t doing to be okay, dealing with the Vee’s was never okay. Or safe.

At the soft ding you pulled your attention away from your depressing thoughts and instead to the scene in front of you. Velvette yelling at a load of models, other demons running around grabbing body parts off the floor and clothes being burned. Well. That was different. A twitch of your lips hid a smile – so the Vee’s weren’t as organised and poised as they’d like you to believe. Good to know.

Taking a step into what felt like the Thunderdome your movement must have caught Velvette’s attention, she suddenly was advancing on you and quite fast for someone so short. You thought you were small, but she only came up to your shoulder. Of course her attitude, energy and that amazing hairdo made up at least a foot, if not more. And living with the other two Vee’s she needed as much attitude and sass to keep up.

“Ah so you are Y/n, totally nice to meet you face to face. Saw your post girl and I am in love with them – that last photo dump was so gorgeous and hitting all the trends so good on you.” Linking her arm with yours like you two were old buddies she pulled you further into the room, her voice so quick you had to focus so intently to understand what she was saying.

“So … any who, guess you are wondering why I brought you here?” She gently shoved you down on the chaise lounge, a small ‘offt’ escapes your lips when you hit the seat. Steadying yourself you turn your body to face the Overlord who decided to take a seat right next to you. Your knees almost touching. Okay then.

“Yes, I was curious why…” a glass of champagne appeared in front of your nose – accepting it gingerly you carefully held it in your lap thanking the demon who passed her boss a glass.

“Look, your style is cute but I think with my influence your style can be out of this world – I am in the market for a new model” - a glance to the pile of body parts in the corner of the room made you gulp - “and with your figure and my style we could totally rock this Hell, making us a tonne of money and you a star so whatcha think – whatcha say I can sort the contract out asap no problem, no fuss”. Blinking in a bit of shock at the speed of what she spoke and what she was speaking about you had to hold your hand up to stop her for a second. Information overload.

“Uh – wow that’s real generous of you Miss Velvette-“

“Please call be Velvette, or Vel! None of this Miss business,” Her smirk was widening, her black lipstick was shining under the florescent lights above us.

“Well, Velvette, I am really touched that you think I could model for you as your fashion range is just fantastic and I love it – but if I am to sign that contract what am I giving you?” You pretend to take a sip from your glass. No liquid entered your lips. It wouldn’t be the first time you’d heard of someone being drugged and signing their soul away – you wouldn’t be one of those.

“Oh, nothing big really. Just something tiny. Teeny really. You wouldn’t even miss it.” She wafted one of her hands around as the other was typing away on her phone.

“Uh huh and what would that teeny tiny thing that I wouldn’t miss be?” You hedged her for the answer what you knew was coming.

“Just your soul babes – nothing big.” Yeah, to her maybe. To you it was a massive thing. And you’ll be honest, you didn’t have masses in this Hell but you did have your soul which was more than some have.

“Then the answer is going to be no, Velvette” you placed your glass down on the table. Her fingers stopped twitching across her screen, her red eyes focused solely on you. Now normally you were one to bow your head and not make eye contact, but you’d had enough of the bullying attitude of these Vee’s now – not one but two now have tried to contract you into losing your soul and you weren’t having it! Matching her glare with one of your own.

“No?” Keeping the eye contact you nodded.

“Not to say I am not grateful that you thought of me, or the fact you even took the time to speak to me. But my soul is non-negotiable. Plus, I have a job already. One which I love and want to continue. So, thank you. But my answer is and will always be - No.” You might have held your eye contact, but your hands were starting to tremble a little. Clenching them together in fists you keep your gaze on hers. A small sneer was pulling on her lips, and you were getting ready to be dismembered like the model before you. But it never came. Instead, she laughed. Laughed?!

Not like an evil MWAHAHA laugh. But a genuine laugh. Confused you wrung your hands together as she lightly slapped your knee and wiped a tear from her eye.

“You got guts girl; I’ll give you that.” A strained smile tugged at your lips, dead heart thumping in your chest. “Fine then. No soul contract – which is a shame we could have had so much fun” her expression darkened with mischief sparkling in her eyes pulling a little heat to your cheeks. “But instead let’s make a little deal? No souls just two businesswomen making a deal, whatcha say?”

Raising your eyebrows in interest you place your elbows on your knees leaning forwards: “what do you suggest?”

“Your socials are starting to take off, people are noticing you babes, and I am here for it! You are a rising star, don’t think I haven’t been paying attention and seeing that people are using your hashtags and your name when they’ve seen you at one of the clubs singing performing”, surprised she had even looked you could feel your blush deepen. “So, here’s the deal – you wear some of my designs, tag them in your socials, etc and you come and do a catwalk for me and sing?”

“You want me to promote your clothes and sing at one of your Cat Walks?” you clarify because this evening was not going the way you had planned or thought it would go.

“That’s it gorgeous – whatcha think?” You think this was probably the longest Velvette had been off her phone.

“And that’s it? No loopholes, no contracts, no soul-binding – just for me to wear your clothes, promote them on my social media and sing at one of your cat walks – that’s it?” You narrow your gaze at the Overlord, there’s got to be some sort of catch here. The way she was gazing at you like a cat that had caught the canary you were sure you were screwed in some way.

“That’s it honey. No catch, no loopholes, just good business”. Humming under your breath, you racked your brains to see if there was anything that could go wrong.

“Okay, how long do I have to promote your clothes for and when is the Catwalk show?” you ask, tapping on your own phone bringing up your notes and typing away.

“Shall we give it six months and see what happens from there? The next Catwalk is in a one month’s time” her smile only got bigger. You couldn’t think where or what could be a loophole, it seemed like too good of a deal. And your mama raised you to believe if a deal was too good to be true then it usually is. But then again. When did you ever listen to her?

“So far so good, but what do you get out of it?” Her smirk grew, well that can’t be good. She reached over and squeezed your leg softly, your eyes flitted from her hand to her smug expression.

“I get exactly what I want gorgeous, but honestly helping rising stars get their fame is mainly it” her charming smile didn’t win you over. She was a lying. But let her keep her lies for now. You knew how to play the game and so far, you hadn’t been burnt. What’s a little risk.

“Okay Velvette, you have a deal”. Raising your hand, she slapped hers into yours and gave it a strong shake – red and black smoke erupted from her making you jump back a little but was stopped from the grip she had. Her grin was terrifying. Her hair was waving around her head like it was full of static. But as soon as the smoke and lights appeared, they disappeared as if you had imagined it. Pulling your hand away, the tingle of electricity ran through your fingers, you knew you hadn’t imagined it. Not at all.

“Well then gorgeous now that’s all done – you can pop back tomorrow and we will get all your measurements and go through colour schemes, styles, etc so keep you day wide open yeah!” Finishing off her glass of champagne we leaned back against the chaise lounge – never once had she let her gaze off you.

Nodding in agreement you thank her while rising from your seat, it was time for you to go and drown yourself in that bottle of whiskey. “You can stay if you’d like?” A flush covered your cheeks at her racking her gaze up your body.

“Thank you, but I better get home. Big day tomorrow I want to be rested” you give her your best winning smile, slipping your purse under your arm. Rolling her red eyes at you she huffed a little, “fineee be boring babes”. Happily!

Before you could even think of taking a step towards the elevator the doors slid open. An unimpressed Vox stood in the middle tapping away on his own phone, not tearing his gaze away from it he steps into the room.

“So what unfortunate soul have you managed to convince to work with you now Vel?” His charismatic voice lacked his usual flare and instead sounded bored. Not something you usually would hear from the TV Demon.

Clearing your throat, you were frozen in place when his eyes connected with yours. Uh oh.

“That unfortunate soul would be me” you smile nervously at him, watching as his screen glitched slightly. That was weird. His bored expression disappeared with the glitch and in its place was his usual charming smile.

“Ah Miss Y/n what a pleasure to see you! What was that you just said?” Velvette appeared at your side, wrapping an arm through yours you watched his screen glitch a little again.

“She’s mine now Voxxie” she smirked at the glitching demon.

“She’s WHAT?!”  

Taglist: @tasha-1994 @azullynxx

[marinettesaltprompts]

Hi! So, I’ve been writing a few bits of Marinette salt, some involving my OCs in Mendeleieve’s class calling her (And sometimes Bustier, Damocles) out, and season 5 really helped with that. Finally, it’s good for someone 😅

Anyway, this prompt centers around the class discovering Marinette’s stalker-like tendencies when it comes to Adrien thanks to a certain redhead. Nathaniel and Marinette were assigned to work on a group project together and went to work at Marinette’s house… In her room. While pulling out his supplies, Nathaniel dropped his pencil, and it rolled under Marinette’s bed, where he found numerous photos of Adrien that don’t look like they were taken from a magazine. He finds more, and more until he comes across a spreadsheet of some elaborate plan to get a date with Adrien and finally… The schedule. His friend is a stalker. Before Marinette can return, he takes pictures, hides everything he found and gathers up his belongings with the excuse he has a family emergency at home. Really, he just needs to get out of there.

The next day at school, Nathaniel drags Marc somewhere private and tells him what he saw, and of course, Marc tells his classmates. They’re horrified by the photos on Nathaniel’s phone and set out to confront Marinette right in the middle of class for what she’s done. Adrien is disturbed, Bustier is taking Marinette’s side and berating the class for exposing something so private, the Girl Squad (Sans Alix) is a little torn, and the rest are on Adrien’s side because they weren’t aware that Marinette was doing these things. And all the while, Mendeleiv’s class is calling Marinette out. The ending is up to you, maybe someone gets Akumatized, I don’t know.

(Honestly, this is just word vomit and I’m not really sure about this)

For a supposed "word vomit" prompt, it feels really thought out! I love how you chose to utilise Nathaniel (at least in regards to how Miraculous keep pushing him more and more to the sidelines each season) and I appreciate how open ended you left the idea in case someone gets inspired by your post!

Thank you for sharing your prompt! Hope this blog will inspire you with more ideas to come up with!

[princess-of-the-corner]

You're reblog with the explanation of the Maribat salt prevalence got my brain kinda stuck on on the potential of a possible non-salty Batfam x ML crossover.

As someone who is an actual DC fan and an ML fan but has never touched Maribat with a 10 foot pole, here are a couple plot points I can picture if ML actually crossed over with the Batfam (more of a WFA style one though, considering the nature of ML)

The bats aren't really shocked or concerned Bustier lost a student, if that happens, because they've dealt with far worse from the school systems. They're more curious why the FUCK someone thought Gotham would be a good international tourist destination.

They're not shocked about the international magic terrorist or the children fighting him because *gestures vaguely at every iteration of the Teen Titans ever*, they're just kinda surprised they didn't know about it.

The batgirls are people that exist, and they would get along SO well with Chat.

Especially Stephanie. Which one of them am I describing here? Comedic, joke-cracking blonde cinammon roll who's also a TERRIFYING motherfucker when they wanna be, in love with a hyper-competent black-haired individual who's also a bit of a social disaster, considered too reckless and irresponsible and inexperienced by their teammates/mentors and frequently left out of the loop because of it, AND has an asshole villainous theatre kid for a father. They're SO similar, it's not even funny.

Also, the batgirls get chat on hormone therapy

Max, Markov, and Barbara have a coding fight that Barbara wins, but she's still really intrigued by Markov, spends hours chit chatting about it, and offers to teach Max coding remotely.

Tim trains/hires Lila somehow. This man gets like 3 separate villains working for him in Red Robin, and under his rules too. Tim doesn't really give a shit about your morality, if you're skilled and can be directed, he'll get you on his payroll.

Selina meets LB and CN and is absolutely gone on Chat. She thinks he's so adorable. She likes Mari too, but the punny catsuit kid strikes a chord with her.

Harley meets up with Juleka and they punch things together.

Nino and Harley commiserate about bad clown-themed fashion choices.

Forget Bruce Wayne. Helena Bertinelli, a.k.a Huntress, a.k.a someone who is a teacher as her day job has a field day shepherding the whole miracuclass around and teaching them how to use crossbows.

Just some thoughts running around in my head thanks to that RB. There really is quite a bit of potential here, especially if you allow the Batgirls to exist and let Chat run with the Bats.

Honestly there's so many oppurtunities for fun and shenanigans in a ml/batman crossover when it's actually an ml/batman crossover and not 'Mari as a mary sue who is sooooo beloved and perfect except her old class are evil people worse than Literally The Joker™ despite being dumb teenagers and she's gonna go fuck off and have fun with Batman instead!!!"

Honestly just the fact that the Bats would be more likely to pick up Lila than Marinette. Like Marinette is a girl who has loving parents and a wonderful life and sure she'll be recruited as Ladybug but Lila? Lila and Tim are going to team up to take over the world and there;s nothing we can do about it

[broadwaycutie16]

Random idea I got inspired by your version of Marinette changing schools and Jerk in Sheep's clothing. By no means is an idea that I'm saying you should write or anything, just a fun little twist on a commonly used trope inspired by one of your fics.

To be clear, this involves Marinette, not Saltinette

Marinette changes schools, but not because she thinks her friends are toxic users who care about Lila more than her. Instead, It's simply because her parents are moving, like in that other sugar prompt I mentioned, or because she wanted to develop her designing skills and got accepted. She tells all her friends, and they congratulate her, and she promises to keep in touch.

However, at her new school, things go terribly wrong.

Her classmates call her a liar for her 'supposed' accomplishments. And they don't just go 'That seems a little farfetched and without proof I'm afraid we can't quite believe that', no, they go out of their way to mock and humiliate her for it. They also outright bully her, insulting her fashion choices, mocking her clumsiness and stuttering, and some even try to ruin her designs. Some of the more well-off and 'sophisticated' students (especially if this is some kind of fancy private school), even insult her for 'tainting' their school with her 'pathetic filthy Baker child feet'.

Also, or overall, a lot of them straight up just act like the salt fic versions of Bustier's class/the Miracuclass (I refuse to call them the Akuma class)

The teachers aren't much better. Whenever she gets hurt, for Ladybug reasons or otherwise, they don't believe it without a doctor's note. At first, she understands, afterall anyone could try to fake an injury to get out of work, but even when she's seriously and very visibly hurt or clearly sick, they just tell her to shut up and stop lying. They also insult her for her struggles to pay attention and clumsiness, berating her for it in front of the class, humiliating her. And not in a 'teacher genuinely trying to help a student to deal with something that hinders them as well as the class sometimes way, but in a 'Mean teacher who sees a student who struggles and is kind of anxious and nothing but a useless waste' kind of way.

It all gets to the point that it starts seriously taking a toll on Marinette's physical and mental health.

Marinette's friends find out and have a new mission: find a way to get Marinette out of that school ASAP!

Please write this into a real fanfic. This is a great way to point out the hypocrisy of salt logic that states that Alya and the class should just automatically assume Lila might be lying just because her stories are wild, plus maybe add in someone who mouths off that she’s lying and makes the whole class turn on her automatically without giving Marinette the benefit of the doubt mirroring what salters say should happen woth the Miracuclass and Marinette.

[jayphoenic]

Hello!

I don't know if it's still okay to ask for recommendations. I have recently been into daminette story (and I have been in love with this couple). Do you have good recommendations where Ladybug and Robin swap their body multiple times? I read one fanfic, where they have a similar theme, and I have been obsessed!

Thank you! With LOVE!

I'm sorry but I don't know any stories where they swap bodies. Here's a recommendation of Daminette anyways. Some of these are filled with fluff and some Lila salt so enjoy!

Daminette AO3 Fanfic Recommendations 2

Tolerance by @superpsychonutcase

Chapters: 2/2

Lila is up to her old tricks. Thankfully, Tim and the employees of Wayne Enterprises are not as dimwitted as Bustier and her class.

Warmth by FridayFirefly

Chapters: 2/2

When Damian wakes up with a stranger in his bed, he knows that there is only one possible explanation: that stranger is his Soulmate.

#SunshineOfGotham by sixtyeightdays

Chapters: 14/14

All of Gotham knows Marinette, the Sunshine who's made her way into everyone's hearts.

But so what if all of Gotham knows Marinette? Does her class know that they know Marinette?

Of course not, why would they! But, well, let's see how they find out.

A Welcoming Change by Brinxiethebear

Chapters: 43/43

Damian Wayne always saw himself in a certain light. He was calculating and cold and he always took his work seriously. He was what others would call the Ice Prince. He was a loner and by choice. The only people he ever really tolerated talking to was his family and his only friend, Jon. Mainly he just spent time with his pets.

So can you guess what happens when a new girl ends up coming to his school? It's certainly not what he was expecting. He finds that its a welcoming change nonetheless, no matter what surprises may come his way.

Gotham's (Fashion) Disasters by FaithWarrior

Chapters: 22/?

Marinette and her parents are dragged along to the Rock wedding of the year by none other than the groom himself Jagged Stone. To complicate matters the wedding is in Gotham city America. By the grace of her Ladybug luck Marinette has everything prepared for the trip. But her skills are needed in Gotham, and she might find something while she's there.

Part 1

Remember some chapters are longer than others (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

[foxwitchaine]

So like, will the characters that were getting salted on be less cartoonishly evil in the new reboot? Cause personally, I think some of the stuff you made Adrien and Alya say and do was way too much. I get that you hate them, but they're just kids.

Allow me to correct a misconception here. Rafe and I actually don't hate them because yes, they're kids like you said. However, they're also old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong. Not holding them accountable is doing them a huge disservice. That said, we're taking extra care to avoid the salt avalanche in Version 3, though we're still holding them accountable. If anyone deserves the salt avalanche, it's the adults who are failing the kids by not doing their jobs. Such as Bustier, Damocles, Gabriel, etc. I could go on but I'd be beating a dead horse at this point.

[miraculousdeservesbetter2024]

MAJOR Revelation & Collusion salt/vent incoming:

Look, I’m sorry if I’m misunderstanding something here, but I really dislike these episodes.

Why? To me, it seems like that guy is using Gabriel (the main villain and known terrorist of Miraculous) as the main "mouthpiece" for the fans who have the gall to take up for Chloe or call out her bad character portrayal (“You have a wonderful life, power, wife and a daughter”).

It also feels like the exact same thing when it came to Lila in Revelation, using the whole ���Chloe is capable of change” speech for her own advantage, similar to what she tried to do with Marinette in Chameleon with the whole "friendship and not fighting over a boy" speech. It’s like he’s using them both as mouthpieces to represent the fans who still think Chloe can change or has potential.

So basically he's saying "Only psychopaths think that. You should listen to Marinette when she says Chloe is incapable of change because she’s the protagonist, and you shouldn’t listen to Lila and Gabriel when they say that Chloe can change because they’re the antagonists!”.

It’s really frustrating because any other time, we are made to feel sorry for Gabriel despite everything that he’s done, now we shouldn’t listen to him??? This is really disappointing to think about because he’s ruining Marinette's character this way. I still like Marinette and I really do think she deserves better, but I’m starting to see why people are starting to dislike her. She's becoming ANOTHER Thomas self-insert (on top of the MANY he already has in the series). The guy loves himself TOO much, don't you think?

I'm going to be completely honest here. As a Marinette fan, I still think the way SOME critics go about describing/criticizing/disliking Marinette and her character isn’t necessarily correct, but I must say that it’s still understandable. This guy is basically making her into his own personal mouthpiece, making S5 Marinette’s portrayal the worst as it has ever been 😓

Which is really a letdown because I love Marinette. It’s Chloe’s “Darnation arc” all over again. He’s ruining characters and development just to push his own morals and fill his own ego to the brim and it’s a shame.

And before anyone says:

“Geez! I swear to god people act like they know Chloe more than her own creator!” 🙄

Maybe your right, but MAYBE it wouldn’t of turned out that way if the show wasn’t so inconsistent and contradicting all the time! This is another reason why I think people have so much animosity towards characters like Andre, because the story portrays him as the victim “this entire time” who only got into politics to please his father and Audrey, pretending that he was never a corrupt politician on his own free will. It’s questionable because…he made his own bed. He choose the life that he has now, to have a child with a despicable woman, choose to spoil Chloe rotten, not to discipline her when she was being rotten to other people, and choose to not be there for her for emotional support.

I’m not saying that Chloe bares no blame at all, but it’s not ENTIRELY her fault just because “she’s her own person”. There is such things as bad parents & bad role models 🙄 You don’t have the right to give up on your daughter, saying things like “you have a terrible/cruel daughter” or “you tried everything in your power to help” when all you really did from the beginning was enable her, let her make everyone’s lives miserable and not be there for her like your should have. Yeah, she’s horrible, but at least she has the excuse that she’s a child. Your not only a grown man, but her father.

This goes for other figures in her life also (Audrey, Bustier, her butler, heck, even Ladybug to a degree). People are right, not everybody is responsible for holding her hand through redemption/reformation (and I agree) and to coddle her every time she does something wrong, but to say that “they’ve tried everything/their best”…just isn’t true. It’s more of an excuse to give up on her. Then JUST SAY THAT instead of trying to convince everybody that you did everything that you could.

Enabling =/= Helping.

[solar-halos]

odesta week. day #5 - finnick lives friday

annie and finnick finally have their post-war wedding in district 4. 1k, fluff. also unintentionally set in the Deep Dive universe, so there's a character i mention named jamie. jamie is chill all u need to know about him is that he and annie were friendly with each other before the war so that's why he's there

For the sake of the other victors, Annie and Finnick have their wedding in the fall. It won’t be as hot that way.

As long as they were in District 4, Annie would have married him any time—and any day—of the year. She’ll always tolerate District 13 for letting them live, but they seriously needed to learn how to party.

Having another wedding had been on their to-do list for years. First, she thought Finnick was dead. Then, the next thing she knew, he was being rushed to the hospital, and all she could think about was how he was there with her, warm flesh and beating heart and all.

But she was already pregnant with Benny, which left room for little else. She also had too many nightmares. And then, somewhere down the line, she somehow got pregnant again. It’s not her fault her husband is so hot, no matter the circumstances. At least she didn’t spend the majority of her pregnancy with Moira in an underground bunker, the weight of the entire world on her shoulders. 

The weight of the entire world is still on her shoulders, because Benny and Moira literally are her world, but at least Finnick is there to make everything feel less heavy. Benny and Moira are his world, too. 

“Hey, Finnick.” Thank goodness he’s awake now. She had a question. “What would you do if I had baby fever?”

“Um…” The novelty of this question has worn off by now. He blinks at her, sleepy and relaxed and beautiful. “Don’t you already have baby fever?”

True. No one had warned her about that, but no one had warned her about Finnick being such a good dad, either. Probably because no one thought that they’d ever have to warn her about that, but still. She needs to jump his bones right now. 

She can’t get pregnant now, though, unless she wants to remake her wedding dress. Which she doesn’t. She spent the last five years making snail-amounts of progress on it, but now that it’s done, she doesn’t ever want to take it off. It’s green, like her dress in 13, but the similarities end there. It floats around her knees in a seafoam green cloud, because their wedding was gonna be on the beach and she didn’t need the hemline to drag along the sand, and her mom helped her embroider black swirls all over the bustier.

There were so many things the wedding in 13 was missing. They had the wedding net, yes—that was non negotiable—but it didn’t drape over their shoulders the right way. They had salt water, sure, but that was just salt mixed in with water. And don’t get Annie started on the lack of seashells. 

She and Finnick have been working their fingers raw since last January. The wedding net made out of rope was a breeze, but the grass was a bit trickier. The rope represented the stability of marriage—the grass represented the fragility. It was supposed to be a real good omen if a couple could get through both pieces without getting frustrated at their progress or snapping too many blades of grass.

Most of what Annie remembers about the experience is the laughter. Both of the projects were time consuming, but that’s exactly why they paced themselves the way that they did. They even got to teach Benny and Moira some knots. 

She gets jittery, for some reason, when their wedding day does arrive. Her stomach swoops the entire time he sings in the shower with her. Her heart skips a beat when he twirls her around in her dress, announcing that he couldn’t wait to see her at the altar. She squirms in excitement as she waits for the music at the beach to start up, signifying that she can finally start walking toward Finnick.

She’s not getting cold feet. Far from it. She’s just paranoid that something—or someone—Capitol is gonna swoop in at the last second and mess everything up. Destroy the altar, burn their wedding papers. Something, anything, to make sure that they keep Annie and Finnick apart. 

That doesn’t happen, obviously. They had made sure to keep their wedding small, so that already makes Annie feel a lot safer. The only thing she has to worry about is Haymitch’s geese nipping at everyone’s feet. He brought them all the way from District 12, making a point to announce that this is their first ever wedding. Annie is flattered.

The net constructed out of rope was intricate and heavy, so Jamie and Annie’s mom work together to drape it over Finnick and Annie’s shoulders, manipulating the rope so that it looks like an infinity sign. Then comes the more delicate, silky smooth grass.

“Brings out your eyes,” Finnick whispers to her. 

“Brings out your eyes,” she shoots back. Not very original, she knows, but she’s blushing too hard to think of an actual compliment.

It’s true, though. As a matter of fact, everything at home brings out Finnick’s eyes: the sea, the sky. Maybe it’s because he always looks so happy.

Mags doesn’t officiate the wedding the way they always wanted, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t here at all. She strung together the pearl headband Annie is wearing, and the paperclip bracelet on Finnick’s wrist is courtesy of her handiwork. Then there’s all her favorite foods Annie made sure to include on all those platters she made, because goddamnit, Mags liked to eat. What better way was there to honor that?

Benny and Moira are surprisingly quiet throughout the entire thing. Annie realizes it’s because Johanna keeps sneaking them candy, but Annie pretends she doesn’t notice because she’s supposed to be listening to Haymitch pronounce them husband and wife (he didn’t actually have any of the qualifications, but that didn’t matter, ‘cause the first thing she and Finnick did when they got back home was go down to the Justice Building and make their marriage official in District 4. She likes it better this way—it feels more secure.)

This is where Benny and Moira get their time to shine. Annie and Finnick had spent countless hours weaving together a tiny bowl made out of grass, so Benny and Moira are both very careful as they scoop that into the water. 

They had begged Annie and Finnick to let them do this part of the ceremony for them, and she wasn’t about to tell them no. Usually, the person officiating the wedding did that stuff, but their children were too young to officiate anything. Benny was barely six, and Moira wasn’t even five yet, so they had to bend the rules a little. Haymitch didn’t seem to mind. 

“Thank you, my loves,” Annie says, crouching down so she can dip her fingers into the bowl. Finnick follows her lead.

“Thanks, guppies,” he says. “You did an awesome job.”

They stand back up. Annie makes sure their children are back by Johanna’s side before turning back to Finnick, brushing the pad of her thumb against his lips. He does the same.

It’s the funnest kiss they’ve had in a while—Annie knows this because she’s smiling throughout the entire thing, which makes it kinda hard to embrace him properly, but she doesn’t care. They’ll have plenty of time for kisses later. For now, they break apart and book it to the dance floor. 

Annie hadn’t anticipated how heavy the seashells would be. There’s a tradition in Four where the guests clip seashells onto the bride’s dress in exchange for a dance, so eventually the shells replace all the embroidery on her dress, and Annie’s never been happier. Her dress was a labor of love—the shells were a reminder of all the love she’s forever surrounded with. She doesn’t see how she’s ever supposed to take them off. 

She does, though. Much to her dismay, the sun has to go down eventually, and everyone has to go back home. Johanna hefts Benny and Moira in her arms, refusing to admit that she needs help carrying them upstairs, so Finnick and Annie settle on supervising the entire thing. 

They don’t even wake up when Annie and Finnick press goodnight kisses to their foreheads. That’s the level of tired Annie intends on being in a few minutes. Their bed has never looked so good.

Finnick has never looked so good. Maybe it was the dancing or the cake or the matrimony, but he’s literally glowing.

“Hey.” Annie pokes at him. He raises an eyebrow at her in the mirror, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. “I love you.”

“I love you,” he says, but his toothbrush garbles his response, so she pretends not to understand him. He sees right through her, but he still rinses his mouth out and hangs his toothbrush up before telling her again. “I love you, Annie.”

She uses her last burst of energy to fling herself into his arms, soaking up his warmth. Worth it.

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

RANT : ML Season 5's Ending

I don't post about Miraculous much, but I need to get this off my chest.

WARNING :

Salt. Just...all the salt.

Chloe:

I don't like Chloe, she's a horrible person and hogged a lot of screen time throughout the show that could have been given to other characters, such as Nino. However, I find it disturbing that they decided to send a teenage girl to live with her abuser, with absolutely no friends; meanwhile her father, who only deciding to put his foot down last minute, gets to quit the job he's always hated anyway (even though he's abused his power before, and not just for Chloe's sake) without being called out for how he spoiled his daughter AND the adult magical terrorist gets a statue.

Not to mention Felix, a teenage boy who also has done terrible things, basically gets away scot-free. Remember when he basically tried to kill EVERYONE except for four people including himself, remember when he tried to force himself onto Ladybug, remember when he gave all the miraculous to a terrorist, remember when all it took to "redeem" himself was to emotionally manipulate someone in a vulnerable state into watching a play to convince her to solve the problem he caused for him (btw I can't believe Kagami came up with that plan and revealed Ladybug's identity behind her back, what the heck?) I get that he was abused, at the end of the day he's an abuse victim doing literally anything he can to gain the freedom he never had, but if he gets sympathy after all of that, what about Chloe? She was abused, she was neglected. Felix not only is seemingly forgiven and "redeemed", but still gets to be a permanent miraculous holder. When you combine that with how the narrative treats Gabriel and Andre, it looks like a sexist double standard...probably because it is.

Chloe sucks but that isn't entirely her fault. Andre spoiled her rotten, Audrey was a horrible influence when she wasn't straight up neglecting or verbally abusing her, Miss Bustier coddled her and Damocles let her get away with pretty much anything (although in their case I guess the mayor would've prevented them from letting Chloe face substantial consequences), Gabriel (and Lila) manipulated her multiple times. I'm not absolving Chloe of all blame, but she's 14. Leaving her with her abuser is horrible. That isn't cathartic, it's cruel. I'm not even asking for a redemption, I just think this "punishment" is too much.

Gabriel (and Tomoe too I guess):

Let's talk more about Gabriel. Gabriel, the abusive father, the magical terrorist, the guy that spent some of his final moments manipulating a teen, not only gets to make his wish, but also gets to be remembered as a hero. Statue included. Never mind that pretty much all of Adrien's classmates knew he was a terrible father at this point, they all clap and cheer when it's revealed he's getting a statue. The whole world is lied to and told the Alliance rings were hijacked by Monarch and that Gabriel sacrificed himself whilst trying to help stop him (I don't blame Ladybug for that though, I'm solely blaming the writers here). And we're supposed to be fine with this because he misses his wife and "tried to be a good father"? No.

An abused teenage girl is supposedly terrible beyond redemption, but an adult abuser is essentially outright vindicated by the narrative (the person he abused is tricked into thinking he was a hero, and Paris is basically a utopia post-wish). What a horrible message.

Remember, this may not be the end of the show, but this is the end of Gabriel's Agreste's story, and what an unfitting end it is.

Oh, and Tomoe gets away scot-free by the looks of it, because of course. Maybe she'll get comeuppance in a later season, but I'm not gonna defend the finale because of what a future episode might do, especially when this would've been the perfect time (and this goes for the possibility of Gabriel's secret identity being revealed to the public too).

Adrien:

I think Adrien is easily the most overrated character in the show. He's constantly coddled by the narrative, tends to "inspire" Marinette to be more passive and forgiving than she should be, and is incredibly bland (or at least he was until they started pushing just how angry he could get and how entitled to Ladybug's love he could feel, which I guess is something, but that something sure isn't pleasant); but you're telling me he doesn't get to have a legit passion beyond knowing he loves Marinette, to be involved in the final battle, to find out his dad is Monarch OR even that he's a sentimonster? He needs to know his life is tied to that ring and that he should be careful with it. This isn't "protecting him" (he's not a baby, if Felix eventually came to terms with being a sentimonster so can Adrien), if anything it's the opposite. Not letting him know that is dangerous! If not Marinette, Felix? Kagami? Nathalie? No one's going to tell him?! I hate to say it, but by robbing him of his agency and deciding they know what's best for him, they're being controlling over Adrien too; and no, I don't think that's "interesting", not after five seasons of Adrien already being controlled by someone else.

What is the show even trying to say? That Adrien needs to be controlled because he can't handle his emotions? Forget about giving him time or a good support system, he just wouldn't be able to handle it? If it was just his nightmare that'd be one thing, but Chat Blanc seems to indicate this is legitimately what they're saying. Why is this show trying to portray an abuse victim as someone who's dangerous and needs to be kept under control? Not just dangerous, but ultimately more dangerous than his abuser, since Gabriel made his wish and everything turned out fine (and at worst maybe one innocent person would have died/fallen into a coma had his wish not changed), but in "Chat Blanc" EVERYONE other than Chat died.

It does not matter if he finds out in a later season; it doesn't change the fact that his family is willingly lying to him and potentially endangering him by doing so, all for the sake of his abuser. Sure, you could argue Gabriel emotionally manipulated Marinette, but what's everyone else's excuse? I don't care if it leads to "interesting conflict", a) it's a conflict they've done before (Ladybug keeping secrets from Chat Noir), I'm not gonna praise the show for repeating itself, b) don't tell me telling Adrien the truth would've been "too sad" for the show to do but Marinette having to keep her mouth shut about Gabriel for the rest of her life (or even temporarily) is "interesting angst" (at least try to hide your favouritism, besides it's never even implied she feels guilty over this), and c) it's not like it will have a satisfying payoff, after all, it didn't last time. Even if Adrien does find out, Gabriel's not around anymore, so chances are Marinette will have to suffer the consequences of that, not Gabriel. That's not satisfying.

Like...Gabriel may as well have been related to Marinette instead (not her father but her uncle or something). Why not? Remember when he was her favourite fashion designer? (Don't worry if you don't, the show doesn't either.) Maybe have him become her mentor, imagine how much more of a personal impact Ladybug and Monarch finding out each other's identities could've had on both of them.

Why even have the main villain be related to the deuteragonist (giving him a closer connection to the main villain of the show than the actual main character) if you were just gonna side-line him in the final battle and rob him of any sense of closure? Whatever drama they can squeeze out of him finding out who Monarch is (IF he does) won't be nearly as interesting as it would've been to see Chat Noir confront Monarch, face to face, knowing that he's his father. Adrien might not even remember Gabriel being abusive at all, it's not made clear. But if he doesn't, all that time spent on Adrien's relationship with his father, building up a big confrontation between them? Wasted.

Remember how season 4 ended? How it built up Ladybug and Chat Noir working together to retrieve all the Miraculous back, after a season of them being more distant?

What a joke.

Is he the deuteragonist, or a trophy? The show can't seem to decide.

Marinette:

And then there's Marinette who, in a show that supposedly wants to empower young girls, doesn't even get to defeat the main male bad guy. After multiple seasons with her as the main lead, after multiple episodes where she's apologised or made to feel bad for either completely justifiable reactions or things that straight up weren't her fault (remember when she was made to say she was "out of line" at the end of an episode that was supposed to be about racism and police aggression?) meanwhile other characters rarely apologise to her in return, we don't even get the satisfaction of seeing her truly defeat the person that's caused her so much grief.

Seriously, she went through so much in this show; between the class consistently siding with Lila over her (btw turns out Lila basically had nothing to lose the whole time because she had multiple identities, yet another unsatisfying conclusion to a conflict), being forced to become a guardian, losing all the Miraculous, etc, and for what?

She failed. That's not me being too harsh. She may have influenced Gabriel to change his wish (emphasis on "may have", I'm pretty sure that woman was originally Emilie but in that case Nathalie being healed doesn't make sense), but her goal was to prevent the wish in the first place.

And why did they have to make her look like a fool? Felix's play spelled it out for her that Gabriel is Monarch, she even realises that he referred to the day she lost the Miraculous, but from the way it's presented she only figures out Gabe's Monarch after seeing him de-transform? Why did she think giving him a another chance would turn out well? She tried that all the way back in season 2, and it didn't work. Marinette is kind-hearted but she has her limits. You're telling me Lila crossed a line but Monarch could maybe be reasoned with? Why? Because he has a sob story?

Marinette is strategic and quick-witted. She's not an idiot.

Gabriel gets to make his wish and everyone else (who am I kidding, just Ladybug) has to clean up after him. Not only that, Ladybug does him a favour and ensures everyone is tricked into believing he was a hero. If anything, Chat Noir, the main male superhero, landed the killing blow.

Great. Just great. How empowering.

Bonus nit-picks:

--Did everyone on the planet seriously forget that the Adrien and Kagami in the Alliance rings aren't real, they're virtual simulations? That wasn't a secret. How did they fall for Gabriel's fake plea?

--If they were gonna put the girls from the specials and Future!Alix on the poster, they could've have them do more at least.

--Okay, Luka training with Su-Han was random but I guess since he was a temporary Miraculous holder it kinda makes sense...Penny and ESPECIALLY Jagged though? Nah.

--Ivan was the first person to EVER be akumatized then saved by Ladybug and Chat Noir. So with that in mind, surely he more than anyone would trust that they'd never kidnap two virtual innocent people, and would join Alya in reminding everyone else how they were always there for them, in a touching moment that brings the "first arc" full circle...oh.

--Look, Marinette is very talented, and I realise she had the book to help her but...I'm sorry literally HOW did she fix the Miraculous? Gabriel needed high-tech, presumably very expensive, machinery to re-shape them.

Final thoughts:

What makes this all sting so much more is that, wasn't season 5 supposed to be the original ending, just in case future seasons didn't happen? All seasons after this one are basically bonus seasons. So originally the show ended HERE. The last we would've seen of Chloe was her crying, trapped with her abusive mother. For all we knew Adrien would've been living a lie the rest of his life, looking up to his abuser. Gabriel is never fully revealed as the monster he truly was and is honoured as a "hero". Marinette literally gets stabbed in the back (well, it was her stomach, but you get the idea). There wasn't even a reveal, Ladybug and Chat Noir would've just never found out who the other truly is I guess.

Oh, but don't worry. Marinette and Adrien kissed.

That's all that really matters, right? (Never mind the fact that they spent five seasons building up to the start of a romantic relationship, and it will undoubtedly take even more for it to become a healthy one.)

Maybe the ending was originally different. Maybe they modified the ending of the season finale after finding out season 5 wouldn't be the last season. Maybe this will all somehow be fixed later (no matter how long they may will drag it out for).

Or maybe Marinette's blatantly out of character action (she hates liars, and only lied about her identity because she had to, even considering Gabriel's attempts to emotionally manipulate her previous episodes have made it clear she would not lie to Adrien, let alone the WHOLE WORLD, about Gabriel) will come back to bite her for the sake of having something to blame her for next season.

I don't know.

I don't care.

The writing for this show has been poor for a LONG time. I only stuck around because I still found myself having fun watching it from time to time, even as the problems got worse. That, and I was hopeful it would at least stick the landing. But after this, I don't think I can stomach continuing to watch a show that will probably continue to push such awful messages, and with such awful pacing.

Word of advice, all shows have flaws, so feel free to complain when a show does something you think is stupid (I've never found the argument that kids shows shouldn't be criticised because they're kid shows to make sense), but if you're not enjoying yourself because you can't overlook a show's problems, if you don't find pleasure in watching a show...just stop watching it. It's a waste of your time. Don't "wait for it to get good", don't wait for future seasons to clean up a current season's mess, don't continue watching it just because the fandom makes better content. I promise you there are better shows out there that deserve (and need) your attention.

So with that in mind...I don't think I'll be watching what comes next.

[sorcerystudios-writing]

The Heroes of Paris: Le Fanclub de Guitar Vilain

by Nakira Taisho

Date Posted: (2024-08-01)

Chapters: 25/28

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Original Kwami Character(s), Original Miraculous Ladybug Character(s)

Additional Tags: Gabriel Agreste Is Not Hawk Moth, Emilie Agreste Has a Different Name, Kwami Swap, Fox!Adrien, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Chloé Bourgeois has DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), Peacock!Gabriel, Series Rewrite, Fake Dating, Bustier salt, will include some post s3 characters, Alya Salt

Series: Part 1 of What We Mean to Be

Summary: Jagged Stone is pestered into becoming a victim of Hawkmoth

[aliensunflower-fics]

CHANGING FACES Chapter 6: Arrival

[ Prefer to read on Archive of Our Own? Link HERE! ]

[ Previous Chapter - Next Chapter ]

After years of dealing with each other Lila Rossi win’s when she  convinces Hawkmoth that Marinette is Ladybug. In order to throw off  suspicion and keep the Miracle Box safe Marinette and her supportive parents leave Paris and head to Gotham of all places. In this new place  away from her friends and her unhealthy routines Marinette is forced to  confront herself and change for the better. Helping her on her journey  is a surprising new friend and potential ally. When Alya missing her  friend learns about the chance to win a free trip to Gotham she  convinces the class to work hard to qualify. When her new life clashes  with her old one will Marinette be able to hold on strong to her new  confidence or will she crumble under the pressure?

( This fic will be for the most part comedic, fluffy, and sweet, with only a bit of seriousness to tie it together. With only the mildest salt  because I don’t think the class or Adrien are bad people just that they  can be naive and selfish thanks to the canon writing. I hope you enjoy  reading this work and have fun with me on this journey. )

CHAPTER 6:

Arrival

Marinette had never been so happy to be on solid ground. The plane ride had been… Turbulent to say the least not to mention long leaving Marinette to agonize and worry the entire time that maybe while she was busy up in the sky Hawkmoth would strike luckily the freak of a villain seemed busy and so the flight passed without the need to use Kaalki which was a great thing as Marinette was unsure just how precise the power of voyage was. 

As the small family of 3 disembarked from the plane with their meager belongings Marinette breathed in the fresh air with relief it was chilly and barely light out … She was tired, yes, but she was also giddy and a strange sense of freedom was filling her with every step she took. There was no Hawkmoth here, no purple butterflies no constant need to lock her own emotions into vault, no more need to lie to her parents, no more Bustier telling her to be the classes shining example, no more Lila whispering lies behind her back, no more Adrien too shoot her longing puppy dog stares as he waited for her to ‘forgive him’ when he had never bothered to apologize. 

She was free. She was safe? … Well as safe as one could be moving to a city known for its killer clowns and freaks in masks. Not that Marinette wasn’t prepared for that, her training with her own mother and the Amazon’s of Themyscira for the last few years had transformed her small unassuming body into a weapon. Not to mention the new magical training the Kwamis were giving her, Tikki especially pushed for more training once she started learning just how awful some of the villains of Gotham were and she made Marinette promise that if the Joker so much as even looked at her she would not hesitate to transform him into a cockroach. Technically it wasn’t murder so she figured Batman would be fine with it.

As they moved through the airport presenting their documentation to the necessary people Marinette’s excitement only grew with her fingers twitching with anticipation as the polite woman welcomed them to their new home and they exited the security clearance area into the wider airport. Her eyes scanned the crowd eagerly until they landed on the group of 3 men chatting amongst themselves. She let out a squeal and started running, catching the men’s attention as she flung herself at them in joy. Jason however acted fast and caught her first wrapping her into a tight brotherly hug and lifting her off the ground and away from Dick and Alfred.

“Woah there jelly bean you trying to take the old man out? Lucky I caught you huh!” 

Marinette snorted and rolled her eyes trying to squirm out of Jason’s grasp so she could hug Alfred and Dick who was looking rather put out.

“Oh please Alfred’s not frail he’s like Grandma Gina he will live forever at this rate and be healthier then all of us.” 

Tom and Sabine chuckled at the scene as they walked over with their meager bags and proceeded to hug Alfred and catch up while Dick tried to pry Marinette free from Jason in order to get his hug that Jason had so rudely stolen. Marinette meanwhile dangled from Jason’s arms with an amused and exasperated look on her face. She’d missed her ‘brothers’ greatly and was happy to see them again. There was just one thing, one tiny little thing…

“When did you freaks get so tall!”

The sudden comment had both boys stopping as they seemingly for the first time paused to take in Marinette’s appearance. Sure they had seen pictures of her and video chatted plenty of times but this was the first time in years where they had physically been around her and now that they were… 

“I think the better question here is why are you so short.” Marinette gasped in faux offense squirmed out of Jason’s grasp clutching her heart in mock betrayal. 

“How could you say such a thing… Dick is my favorite now.”

The oldest Wayne grinned and accepted his hug while sticking his tongue out at Jason who was playing the part of the dramatically betrayed. 

However now that Dick was hugging his little sister he could not help but blurt out. “God you really are short.” 

Marinette squawked indignantly at the comment. “What no! I’m normal it's you two who are the-” She gestured at them with waving arms. “Alfred! What have you been feeding them and where can I get some!” 

Alfred chuckled and opened his arms calmly to accept the warm hug of his god daughter. “I’m afraid I haven’t been feeding them anything unusual; they simply sprung up like weeds.”

Marinette huffed and puffed up her cheeks. Stupid genetics.

“Ah don’t feel too bad jelly bean Dickie here isn’t even THAT tall, just wait till you meet Kori in the flesh now that's tall.” 

As the group moved its way out of the airport Marinette recalled the measurements she’d received when designing Kori’s wedding dress, not to mention the pictures that showed the beautiful tan woman towering a full head over Dick at the altar. Maybe it was something in the water of Gotham that made people tall. Considering all the supervillains she would not doubt it.

“When will I finally get to meet Kori and Mar’i face to face anyway? I wanna hug my cute little niece already!!!”

“Why? Because she’s the only one not taller than you?” Jason snickered before letting out a surprised yelp as Marinette playfully punched him in his side with a pout. She had some surprising strength in that arm of hers.

“Later in the week, they wanted to come pick you up with us but it was so early and your parents told us your new school was giving you a week off to adjust to the new timezone before classes start.” Honestly it had been a hectic night with Mar’i refusing to sleep determined to go with Dick to the airport but eventually she fell asleep clutching Silkie and so Dick had left alone.

“What school are you going to anyway, jelly bean? Maybe I can come pick you up sometime after school for some lessons in self defense at my gym.” Mostly he wanted to see her flatten some of the men twice her size; he knew Sabine had been training Marinette since she was young and he was eager to see what his little sis was capable of.

Marinette smiled at the thought. “That sounds nice, as for my new school mom and Alfred arranged it for me, I think it's called Gotham Academy.”

Marinette missed the way Dick and Jason whipped their heads around to glare at Alfred. Gotham Academy wasn’t a bad school, in fact one could easily say the opposite: it had great staff, good facilities, and it had accepted Marinette on a full ride scholarship thanks to her high grades and many achievements. The problem was the school was also full of a bunch of rich leeches, but worst of all it had Damian. Now both older Wayne’s could admit they loved there little brother even if Jason would deny it to keep his cool reputation but Damian had a bit of a bad track record with first impressions. Not to mention the fact that the 3 Wayne’s had already discussed how best to introduce the Dupain-Chengs to the rest of the family so they could all be one bigger happier family and they had agreed to wait and while and let them settle in before dropping the bomb that was the Wayne family and more specifically BRUCE on to them but if Marinette met Damian at school and got a bad idea of him… Things would get complicated.

Alfred however unlike the younger two Wayne men was not worried. He had a feeling that Marinette and Damian were just what the other needed right now. Yes, he’d heard many things about Marinette’s situation from her parents. What she needed now was someone to bring out that bold Marinette he knew was waiting for a chance to shine. And as for his youngest grandson while he had been doing much better and had made friends he was still hostile and wary Marinette however might be just what he needed. The old man chuckled with a warm smile. 

“I think you will like Gotham Academy very much, Marinette.”

—-----------------------------------

Damian Wayne had a reputation. Since his first ever day at school at the age of 10 after he’d moved in with his father the young heir had… Problems with other students. His personality was icey and his training too deeply ingrained that school and him had not gone well. Yet his father refused to let him skip or be homeschooled, determined that with time school would help him develop his social skills. For the first few years Damian was alone he shoved people away and did only what was required waiting for the day when finally his father would see that school was beneath him and he could achieve so much more without it.

At 13 that reputation evolved. And not for the better. Damian had been so sure of his own intelligence and his own superiority that he failed to notice that viper slinking through the grass. A girl, the same age as him, unlike other girls who had failed to approach him due to the obvious attempts, Lila had been more subtle. Instead of acting interested in him she acted unfazed she even began dating Jon the only person his age Damian was close to. He’d let his guard down thinking that she was nothing but a simple sweet girl. But he had never been more wrong. 

Somehow the viper had found his weakness, somehow she knew that deep down under all his posturing he felt insecure, unloved, unwanted, and she prayed on it. She made him feel strong, she made him feel special, she made him feel wanted, she used lies to paint Jon the villain and herself the victim so that Damian would save her and fall deeper into the strange infatuation that clouded his mind. She was a snake. And worst of all he had not even discovered her lies himself; it had been sheer dumb luck overhearing her plot her schemes that had revealed the truth to him.

But by that point it was too late. The vipers poison had already spread and Damian Wayne’s reputation fell from just ‘ice king’ to ‘monster’ even after the lawsuit even after proving her lies and sending the snakes father to jail. Even after he had proven himself innocent… The reputation clung to him. It was a stain that would not wash off, even after Dick convinced him to go to therapy and his attitude improved, even after he fixed the broken relationship with his family, even after he broke out of his shell and made friends in his school, the stain was still there and every action he did and didn’t take only made it worse.

It's not that Damian wasn’t trying, because he was really. He tried to be polite and courteous; he tried to make a good impression. But somehow someway it often seemed to go wrong, though it did not help that his peers were a bunch of rich kids who tended to be overly sensitive, at least in Damian’s eyes. It did not help that Damian was self admittedly a little… Overly blunt and honest not to mention how sensitive he was about girls flirting with him, he knew he’d not fully recovered from the Vipers poison and so even now 3 years after she was gone he was on high alert constantly on the lookout for lies and manipulation. And this… alertness of his had led to again more then a few terrible first impressions. 

To put it simply, Damian was aware that whenever a new student was joining the school bets were made on how fast Damian Wayne would manage to offend them. So when the teacher announced that come next Monday a new student would be joining the class a young girl all the way from France no less a ripple of excitement went through the class as once more bets were being made. This time however Damian Wayne was determined to make them all lose. He would be polite, and courteous he would not snap, not say anything un-intentionally mean, he would be normal, he would simply ignore the new girl and all would be well.

Which is why of course his Teachers asked him to give the new girl the school tour. He was one of the few who spoke French and they were unsure how good the girl's English was so they wanted to play it safe and coincidentally all the other students who could speak French just so happened to be too busy to help the new student. Damian seethed he knew it was a lie, they just wanted to force him to interact with her for their little bets. Fine then! A Wayne is not so easily defeated. He would be a perfect gentleman, he would not offend the girl, it would be fine. He would prove to himself and everyone else that Damian Wayne might be the Ice Prince of Gotham but he was no brute. Bring it on Monday Damian Wayne was ready to meet the new girl.

( Thank you again for all the patience and support! I tend to update slowly due to well... The need to keep food on the table and my finances have been especially tight lately so I was struggling but things are getting better now so hopefully I can write more often in the near future. This first chapter was more to establish some stuff I know its a little short but it felt good to get back into this fic with something a little neater sweeter and smaller. Hopefully I have more up soon! )

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[comics-and-fanworks]

Are you still open for Lila Salt, Alya Salt, Bustier Salt, and Damocles Salt but also Adrigami, Lukadrien, Chlogami or Felinette (as in Felix & Marinette)? I rarely see some felinette here on tumblr then on AO3 and Wattpad though.

Hello! Thank you for asking!

I'm open to writing any kind of salt! My turnout is a little slow though cause I have a bunch of classes and as a result, a bunch of homework. Typically I try to work in order, so I'll try to complete the requests I have in my inbox now.

So yeah! Just send me what you want to see, and I'll add it to the list of stories to write!

[mcheang]

I don't know if you like this idea but here it goes.

Lila tells the classroom that Marinette is bullying her. The classroom goes with Marinette's parents to talk about their daughter's behavior, but the parents believe that Lila has a "lying disease" they do not believe her and they reveal the disease to the classroom. The room hesitates and they decide to ask the maestea and the director. They confirm said disease. Now that every time Lila speaks, the room doubts.

In the loop

Remember, I have not watched the season 5 episodes yet. Though I have heard a few things. I edited Lila’s disease slightly here.

In order to akumatize Marinette, Gabriel knew he needed Lila’s help in making her miserable. Alas, Adrien’s threat to get her fired was not entirely empty. He may not be able to fire Lila, but he has a large fan base willing to protest Lila’s employment.

So Gabriel fires Lila, pointing out she can come back once he sees Marinette leaving Adrien alone.

Fuming, Lila goes back to ruining Marinette’s reputation. She tells her classmates she thinks Marinette is bullying her with fake evidence.

Some doubt Lila as they know Marinette, including Alya who knows her best friend is Ladybug (and still somehow trusts Lila…)

Perhaps Marinette was being overly unfriendly and Lila was overly sensitive. Though after the false expulsion, who could blame her?

Knowing Bustier was no help in these situations, the class decides to ask Marinette’s parents for support.

When Sabine and Tom heard how Lila was reacting dramatically to Marinette’s cold shoulder, they sigh over the poor girl’s illness, making her imagine such horrible delusions.

What illness?

Oh, Lila has a rare disease that causes her to imagine scenarios that may not have happened in real life. It’s so tragic. That is why she thought Marinette was cheating and stole her necklace.

Max: why didn’t anyone tell us?

Rose: I think she didn’t want to be treated different (like how she was treated as if she were made of glass when the class found out she was sick)

Kim: it’s ok then, we won’t bring it up. And we’ll comfort Lila whenever her delusions about Marinette seem to be acting up.

After that, no matter how much Lila insulted Marinette, the class just behaved condescendingly to her, as if amusing her lies to keep her happy.

They also did their best to separate her from Marinette who seemed to be a trigger point for her rare illness.

And her grand stories are now taken with a grain of salt.

It would not be surprising if Lila mistook Ladybug saving the general public as saving her personally to the point they became best friends.

And perhaps Jagged wrote a song that Lila for some reason thought was meant for her.

And if Lila does so much charity work, it’s no wonder she thinks she and Prince Ali are partners.

Lila eventually accuses them of not believing her.

They confess they know about her special disease when they met Sabine and Tom.

Lila internally cursed. She had expected them to go to Bustier who would pressure Marinette to be nicer and let Lila lie all she wanted.

Great, now she had lost even her sheep.

No job, no popularity, and Marinette is still close to Adrien.

Fine, she’ll do things the akuma way.

Welcome back Chameleon.

Just one problem. She has to kiss Marinette now. She did not think this one through.

Fine, she can bump into Marinette then. Or get Adrien first.

She actually did manage to sneak a kiss on Adrien.

But Marinette had learned her lesson after dealing with Felix that Adrien was not so pushy!

She pushed Chameleon away, tossing objects behind her to keep her away.

One of those objects was a textbook that hit chameleon straight in the face.

Poof.

Another textbook was lying on the ground.

Great, now Marinette has to find another clamshell. Lucky charm.

Back in class, everyone assures like it doesn’t matter if her stories are not true. She was an excellent storyteller and Marc and Nathaniel would be glad to add her to their team.

Lila pretends to be grateful and accepts, silently plotting to at least ruin Marinette/Ladybug’s reputation via a comic book.

[knifedancer]

Winds of Change - The Storm (Start)

On a class trip, Marinette finds herself separated from her classmates and injured when a terrible hurricane hits. Swept away by the storm surge, she's saved by an unexpected presence: Argos. They have to seek shelter together until the weather improves. But what happens when Marinette sacrifices herself to save Felix?

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ENDING: Dark, Salt, Hope, and Bittersweet. Read one or read them all. AO3

Looking for an ending?

Dark | Salt | Hope | Bittersweet

~~~~~~~

It was a fine June day in Hong Kong, where the Parisian akuma class had chosen to spend their end of the year trip. Marinette wandered along the store fronts, looking for the perfect souvenirs for her family while her classmates buzzed from one table to the next in the bazaar. They were just out of her reach, flitting about on the bluenette’s peripherals, barely acknowledging her existence within their group. Things had not really improved at school but at least the bullying had stopped after she had reported Kim for pushing her into a locker – which was caught on the newly installed security cameras! Ladybug’s public endorsement of the new camera system throughout Paris was very popular and had come in very handy for her civilian self. It did not stop the lies or isolating behavior, but at least things were tamer. Another change had been Adrien’s sudden interest in the young designer. Things were still new; they had not put any labels on their relationship…was it even a relationship? Whatever. They were focused on getting to know each other and spending time together. There had even been a few times in the last two months where she and the model had almost kissed! Perhaps she should finally ask him what they were…

While perusing some ceramic figurines, Marinette caught a flash of something purple from the corner of her eye and she turned her face toward the rooftops to seek it out. Her eyes narrowed as she squinted toward one particular shadowed overhang across the large square from where she was, sensing something that was not entirely visible to the naked eye but having no proof. Tikki’s pats against her leg from her satchel made her shake her head. Ladybug should not be seen in China so, unless it impacted herself directly, she was not going to panic about it. She smiled politely to the vendor and purchased the small porcelain bird, which would be a gift to her grandfather. He’d appreciate the classic lines and old-fashioned process of how it was made. Turning around, she looked around to find a classmate, only to find that she was left alone again. Marinette sighed and began walking down the direction she had last seen them, hoping to catch up with her group. She knew that this was the likely outcome when Bustier had split them into smaller groups but had hoped no one would leave her behind. Guess that was out the window!

As she walked, she had the feeling of eyes on her back. A quick glance around as she pretended to look for her friends gave her no evidence of whom might be watching. Hearing a soft chime, the bluenette pulled her phone from her jacket pocket to check her weather app. She had downloaded it specifically so she wouldn’t get caught in bad weather while overseas – unfortunately the app was in Mandarin and, although she thought it would be good practice, she was still struggling to remember all the Hanzi symbols. “Hmm, there’s a summer storm coming in. Is that the symbol for rain or wind? It has been rather breezy today…” Distracted by her phone, Marinette did not see the attack coming. One minute she was walking between buildings, the next she was being shoved roughly into an alleyway. The bluenette stumbled and slammed her side into a dumpster with a hiss as the wind was knocked out of her. She could hear her phone clatter across the pavement before making a sickening crunch. Pushing herself back onto her feet, she looked up to find Lila’s cruel smile as her foot stomped down one more time on her now shattered phone.

“What is it this time, Lila?” She asked lowly, cradling her bruised ribcage.

“I warned you, Marinette, to stay away from Adrien,” her eyes took on a wicked gleam.

“Adrien can talk to whomever he wants, he’s not someone you can control or a possession you can own!”

The Italian chuckled darkly, “That’s where you’re wrong. And I’m done giving you warnings.” That’s when Marinette realized Lila was holding a short piece of metal pipe, which she now brandished against her open palm as if testing the weight, her fingers carefully avoiding the slightly jagged end where it had been previously cut. “You know, it’s a real shame about the crime rate in other countries…” Marinette barely had time to duck under the first swing, covering her head with both arms as Lila swung the pipe against her jacket-covered ribs, followed by one to her shin that made a horrible snapping and tearing sound before it collapsed under her. Tears sprung to the bluenette’s eyes; she cried out as she curled into the side of the dumpster for protection. She felt Tikki buzzing angrily in her satchel along with a huge burst of creation magic…uh oh.

Just as Lila was about to swing again, a gust of wind strong enough to knock a person off their feet whipped through the alleyway and rain began to fall, growing steadily heavier as the sky darkened. Her attacker let off a shriek as she was drenched before running off to find cover, leaving the bluenette behind to whatever fate would befall her. Marinette sucked in a ragged breath, letting her tears wash away with the rain, as she looked down at her leg. There was a horrible gash just beyond the edge of her pink capris, but nothing appeared to be sticking out of it. Grabbing hold of the bricks in the wall, she dragged herself back onto her feet and attempted to put weight on it – causing her to muffle a whimper, something was definitely fractured but she could hobble at least. Balancing on her good foot, she fished her phone up from the ground and confirmed that the entire screen was shattered beyond use. Marinette opened her bag and met the eyes of a contrite looking kwami as she tucked her phone away.

“Was it you that made this storm kick up suddenly?”

“I’m so sorry, Marinette…I was so angry that she was hurting you and I couldn’t think of anything else to help…”

The girl smiled softly, her hair and clothes beginning to stick to her skin. “Thanks, Tikki. I think you might have overdone it though…” Marinette stumbled towards the mouth of the alley, using the wall to support herself as she moved. Once she was closer to the market square, she looked around to find the place deserted in a hurry, the winds beginning to tear up the fabric sided stalls as growing rivers of water took over the streets. “It looks like you made the summer storm into a full-on cyclone…” the secret heroine murmured in terrified amazement, shutting her satchel. How was she going to get back to the hotel? Could she even find higher ground on her own without a map? Bracing for the pain that she was likely to feel, she pushed off the wall and hobbled towards a street sign on the corner, gripping the pole tightly as she tried to get her bearings. If she could get across the street, there would be a direct route back to the thoroughfare that led to their hotel around the next corner…

‘How deep does flood water have to be to sweep a person off their feet again?’ the girl questioned, not remembering the exact number Aurore had mentioned on her weather podcast. She looked down into the rushing water in front of her, it looked to be about 10-12cm deep already – she could make that, couldn’t she? No real choice now… Biting her lip, Marinette summoned her strength and stepped down off the curb, attempting to hop with little assistance from her injured leg – she made it about halfway when her footing was knocked out from under her, the water cushioning her fall, and she was swept down the street with a scream. The young designer splashed about as she attempted to get into a rescue position, struggling to keep her head above the rushing water as she cried for help. Up ahead she could see the water pounding against the side of a white delivery van before it diverted down the street and her mind raced with panic, not knowing how she could brace to be slammed against that without losing consciousness or breaking more than one bone! Closing her eyes tight and bringing her arms up to protect her face, she prayed for any intervention that might help her, she left off a scream of utter fear…

Only to feel herself pulled from the waters and into the wind driven rain, held by a set of arms cloaked in a familiar fabric. Opening her eyes, Marinette turned to meet the magenta gaze of Argos as he leaped off the van and onto a neighboring roof. “Ar-Argos? What are you doing here?”

“It seems I’m here to fish you out of the flood waters. What the hell were you thinking?” came the angry question from the villain gone anti-hero.

“Look, I was out shopping for souvenirs for my family – I just found one for my grandfather but I haven’t found anything for my Maman… Anyways, then the storm happened very suddenly! I was trying to get back to my hotel! But my leg is injured, and the water was too fast…” she tried to defend herself.

“And how the hell were you injured? One minute you’re in the square and the next you’re missing…” Argos angrily replied. “I followed you and Adrien to China; I knew one of you would likely get into trouble. Adrien luckily has Gorilla but you, oh ho, you are a natural magnet for trouble.”

Marinette looked away; her face scrunched in pain as her voice dropped to a whisper. “…you wouldn’t believe me, if I said how…no one does…”

Argos’ forehead creased in concentration, his gaze taking on an analytical light. “What do you mean?”

“The girl that models with Adrien sometimes…Lila Rossi, she hates me and has lied since day one to get her way. I think she’s spying on your cousin for his father. She wants me to stay away from him so she can seduce him or something…” Marinette took a shuddering breath and let her eyes wander over the rain drenched rooftops, her voice breaking as she admitted the truth. “She attacked me in an alleyway, hit me with a metal pipe and left me for dead when the storm started.”

The hands holding her tightened and she could swear that, although it could not be heard over the present storm, a snarl reverberated against her side. She dared not look up to see what might be held in his eyes. “…I see. Does my cousin know?”

Marinette nodded weakly, shivering lightly as winds quickly chilled her wet clothes. “He knows she’s lying, but not about the abuse. Not sure if he knows if she is spying for his father. This is the first time in a while that anyone has become physical with me…” She looked out from the rooftop, realizing she must have been washed off course by several blocks, she couldn’t recognize a thing. Argos stumbled slightly as the winds beat down on them once more, making the raindrops feel like needles stabbing into their exposed skin.

“We’ll need to discuss this more later. For now, we need to find shelter.” The purple suited teen hopped from roof to roof, attempting to open the access hatches they came across – only to find them battened down tight. Letting the winds at their back to carry them further inland, Argos eventually brought them down to a small shack against a larger building on a slight hillside. It looked rickety and seemed to shake as the howling winds ripped through the streets but the wood around the latch was rotten enough to mean it was not as secured as the other buildings around them. With a slight splintering, Argos kicked in the shed’s door and settled her down on her good foot nearest the entryway before he dropped his transformation. Duusu was nowhere in sight, likely hidden away in a pocket just as quickly as he appeared from the brooch. Marinette watched as the proud, conniving Felix stalked through the room looking through the meager items stored here.

After all that had happened – on both sides of the mask – she couldn’t readily trust him. Adrien had been adamant that his cousin was turning over a new leaf, but she was unsure. Ladybug had little to no interaction with Felix beyond their first few…mishaps. Marinette had certainly met him once or twice while spending time with Adrien – like the ill-fated night of the Diamond Dance. Argos was an entirely different story, having become both a nuisance and an occasional protector. He wasn’t working with Monarch; however, he knew the villain’s identity and was unwilling to share it with the heroes. He was looking to obtain their Miraculous to make his own Wish – which had led to several confrontations on the battlefield. Felix himself was still a bit of an obnoxious jerk but, as Argos, he seemed to have appointed himself as Marinette’s bodyguard whenever his cousin was not present. Sometimes it was helpful, like the time she was being chased by a pack of wild pigs – gods, that akuma was ridiculous – and the peacock holder had pulled her onto nearby building with a scoff before dashing away. More often than not, it was just annoying. Whenever he showed up, he acted as if he was personally put-out by having to do so. It irked her to no end, yet Argos did just save her from the flood waters…

She took a moment to inconspicuously tap twice on the side of her satchel and nearly sobbed when she felt Tikki’s two taps in reply. ‘Thank goodness, at least she wasn’t hurt or lost in that current…’ Looking around the small space herself, she noted it housed mostly garbage – complete with a disassembled motorbike missing several key pieces, some rusted lumps that used to be hand tools, and a pile of loose recycling. The shed itself was perhaps three by three and a half meters in size, the wood panels that made up the walls and roof weathered by years of storms. The bluenette shivered as the wind blasted through the open doorway, causing the door to bang against the wall and empty aluminum cans to clatter about. Another rogue gust was so strong that Marinette stumbled sideways; she released a startled cry as she attempted to steady her footing with her injured leg. Felix turned at the noise and looked concerned for a moment before scowling down at her injury.

“There’s nothing here to bind your leg with, we may need to improvise until the storm dies down. No use trying to stand on it,” came the blond’s gruff reply.

Marinette scoffed softly, “Really? And here I thought we were about to perform a waltz in the Ritz ballroom. My injuries are not that severe. We’re more likely to develop hypothermia or die when this rickety old shack comes down on top of us.” The building let out an ominous creak as if in agreement with her statement.

Felix’s eyes narrowed and crossed the limited floor space, gesturing towards the doorway. “Would you rather be outside in that?”

“No, but we certainly could have found better shelter! Something off the ground and made of brick!”

“Well, excuse me, princess, if it isn’t to your liking!” The blond threw up his hands in defeat and turned to stalk away towards the opposite corner.

Another heavy gust smashed something heavy into the side and roof of the shed, adding a sickening SNAP! to the creaks and moans. Marinette watched in horror as, within an instant, part of the roof started to give way above Felix’s head. Time seemed to slow and her hero instincts pushed her into motion. Ignoring the searing pain in her leg and ribs, the young designer launched herself towards the blond while screaming his name. He began to turn at the sound just in time for her two palms to roughly press against his chest. Their eyes met for a single, fear filled, heart stopping second as he was pushed away from the falling debris…

‘Thank goodness,’ she thought.

Then everything went black.

~~~

If you had asked Felix yesterday if he knew true fear, he would have sneered. His youth had been filled with abuse and pain at the hands of his father, who made sure the young Fathom knew the true meaning of fear.

But he would have been wrong.

For nothing had ever made him feel such pure, unadulterated terror as hearing Marinette scream his name with a tone filled with desperate dread in that shed. Her small, calloused hands shoving him from danger mere seconds from impact. Her bluebell eyes wide with fear and relief. Watching with growing horror as a large piece of debris crashed into the back of her girl’s skull with a gut-wrenching crack! Her eyes rolling back in her head as her limp body fell; being covered by debris and drenched with the unforgiving rain that came between the jagged timbers of the roof.

Felix’s back slammed into the wall, knocking the air from his lungs. “Mari-nette…” he wheezed, gasping for breath before his vocal cords finally let out a broken cry, “MARINETTE!”

Panic rising like bile in his throat, he rushed over and pushed the rubble away, digging the girl he promised his cousin to protect free. Carefully he pulled her away from the remaining pile and looked her over, finding a large and bloodied gash on the back of her skull. Felix could not stop his eyes from following the trail of bright red spots back towards the heap of timbers and roof tiles, from seeking the blood covered support beam that was meant for him. Swallowing thickly, he pulled his eyes away and back towards the bluenette. She was unresponsive, pale, and barely breathing but alive!

‘Not for long, if you don’t do something, idiot!’ he chastised himself mentally. The blond’s eyes flickered over the room again, now desperate for anything he could use to staunch the bleeding as he began to rip his shirt sleeve and press it firmly against Marinette’s head wound. Felix watched as the fabric turned red but the flow down her neck eventually slowed. ‘There has to be something else…’ His eyes fell upon her purse and he reached for it with his free hand. Opening it, he began to pull trinkets free as he desperately searched for anything – a scarf, a sanitary pad, gauze – that he could use for first aid…only to find the one thing he never expected.

A red kwami with black spots. Like a ladybug. Just as Duusu had described.

The little red goddess rose from her hiding place and solemnly took sentry over the unconscious girl, floating at his eye level. He froze as he stared at the creature, his mind whirling as it connected the logical dots and stripped back the Miraculous magic that – until this point – concealed her identity.

Marinette had a kwami.

Not just any kwami, the Ladybug kwami of Creation.

Marinette was Ladybug.

Wait… Ladybug was the Miraculous Guardian.

Oh gods, that meant Marinette was the Guardian.

Her multitude of identities collided in his mind, every memory coalescing into a single portrait of the bluenette before him. The pieces fell into place too easily, it made too much sense. Of course, she was Ladybug! He knew of no one more selfless or heroic – nor frustrating – than Marinette. But she had saved him – saved the person she knew had betrayed her and treated her so poorly, who had attacked her and made battles difficult... Knowing he could find out her identity and run back to Monarch. Or take her Miraculous for his own designs, for his own Wish. Hell, he could take the Miraculous right now!

Felix felt Tikki’s patient stare as he fingered the plain black earrings still secured to Marinette’s earlobes. It would be so easy; he could easily see his goal within reach. Ladybug was his enemy, but Marinette was… She was Adrien’s current fascination – possibly girlfriend – wasn’t she? He plucked a large splinter from her hair, careful not to agitate the bloody spot on the crown of her head. “Why did you save me? I don’t deserve to be saved…for what I’ve done…for the pain I’ve caused…” Tears burned at the corners of his eyes as he traced her delicate features with his fingertips. “I’m a horrible person, Marinette. I’m broken inside, I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“My Bug would sacrifice herself to save anyone in trouble, it’s why she kept the Ladybug mantle even when she doubted herself…” Tikki calmly supplied.

“What do you mean ‘doubted herself’?” Felix demanded of the red kwami. That description did not fit either of the girl’s identities in his mind as he knew her.

Clumsy, flaky, nervous as a civilian.

Righteous, confident, commanding as the Parisian heroine.

And, if his cousin was right about her design prowess, the embodiment of creation in both.

“She was so young when she was given my Miraculous, just thirteen. There was no training, she and Chat were simply thrown into the fight without warning, and our prior guardian was far too old... She made a mistake during Stoneheart and tried to give up the earrings,” Tikki paused as she looked at her injured chosen as she recalled that day. “But her friend, Alya, was in danger of being crushed. Marinette took immediate action and never stopped. Even when her friends abandoned her, even when she was bullied or belittled or betrayed,” the tiny god glared at the blond and he flinched.

“She never gave up saving people. Even those that didn’t ‘deserve saving’ – because everyone deserves to be saved,” the red kwami stated with finality.

Felix felt a new wellspring of guilt at his actions, but the little goddess was not done. “Hawkmoth even tried to akumatize her…” A stabbing pain, like an icy knife, went up his spine at the thought. Marinette, even without being Ladybug, would be a terrifying akuma! “She fought him off by sheer strength of will. But my little Bug has been so alone. Shouldering the world by herself. Losing allies and the Miraculous…because of you, Felix.”

The blond could no longer look into the eyes of the red kwami, too pained by his guilt and overwhelming sadness. He turned his gaze down to the face of the unconscious girl in his lap. ‘What have I done? If I had known she was you… would I have done the things I did? Would I have made my deal with Hawkmoth or stood beside you?’ Felix blinked back a few tears and gently shifted Marinette in his arms, making sure to keep the pressure applied to her head wound. ‘I can’t take back what I did but…’

“Young Master, what will you do now?” Duusu asked from his vest pocket.

“Duusu, transform me,” simply ordered the blond with a determined look in his eye. With a bright flash of light, he was transformed into Argos. He surveyed the room with a calculating eye. “Tikki, would you bring me that empty can over there?” The little goddess stared, seeming to assess his motives. Seeing her hesitancy, he softly added, “Please.”

Tikki nodded in acknowledgement before complying. The peacock user pulled a feather from his fan and infused it into the can, building a mini shelter amok that would comfortably fit the two teens in a more fortified corner of the building they were in. Argos gently lifted the immobile girl bridal style, carefully cradling her injured head against his neck, before settling them both onto the floor of his amok structure. With a gesture, the door closed behind them to keep out the wind and rain. He wrapped his cape around them both, knowing his transformation would only hold out for so long but hoping the added material might help keep Marinette a little warmer.

Eventually he heard the beeping of his Miraculous and glanced at the lapel pin on his chest. One of the five red gems darkened. Four minutes left, he needed to figure out a plan. Argos knew from experience that his amok would remain so long as he did not break it or release the feather. Not that he had anything on him to recharge… ‘May as well not exhaust Duusu,’ he thought with a frown.

With a deep breath, he released his transformation and watched as the two kwami settled onto the bluenette’s chest to monitor her shallow breaths. He gently brushed his fingers over her brow and cheek. “Marinette. Please wake up. We have so many things left to fight about, you still need to find a perfect gift for your mother, and I…I have so many things to say to you. So many things to apologize for.” Tears came to his eyes once more as he looked upon her still form that laid limply against him, pulling her a little tighter into his arms as his whole body shook from suppressed sobs. “I’ve been such a fool! Please, I’ll do anything if you just wake up!”

The two kwami watched Felix brokenly cry in silence, Tikki knowing her powers would help the girl recover but unsure how long that might take. Humans being unconscious with a concussion was not a good sign and, if the injuries Marinette sustained were worse than they appeared, her powers could not reverse the damage like with an akuma. Duusu watched her holder, knowing this was the moment that would decide his future fate. Would he turn over a new leaf and finally help reunite the Miraculous? Or would this twist him into a worse tyrant than Monarch?

Felix removed his vest and what remained of his dress shirt. He draped the vest wider over his back, then wrapped the shirt around Marinette’s torso before huddling over her body to share what warmth he could. Outside the storm raged, drowning out the intermittent sounds of the boy's quiet sniffles and whispered words of encouragement to the injured girl.

~~~~~~~

How does it end? YOU CHOOSE. YOU DECIDE. READ ONE, READ THEM ALL.

Dark | Salt | Hope | Bittersweet

[jasmine-the-fox]

Hi Jasmine

I wanted to request a fic plz where

Marc is related to the waynes and he takes Alix, Nathaniel, Marinette, Luka, Chloe and Kagami to meet them at a field trip to gotham

can I ask some Lila, Alya and miss bustier salt plz

and Can the fic have Marc x Nathaniel please

you dont have to do it

but Thank you so much for reading this

God bless

Different from my usual ships but 100% will write this no problem. If you have a few more details to help me or extra stuff you want added you know where to reach me