#we can fight. and we can win. | gabriel musing

[generalluxun]

Was musing on an idea earlier and I think its a realization you had Marinette have in Chasing a Dream.

Basically how, "Beating" Chloe at her own game so to speak does not actually fix anything. They might win for the day, but Chloe's not going anywhere after loosing the class election, being insulted until she storms out has not changed her.

I imagine one can argue about why it doesn't work, be it from the perspective of "You can't emotionally bludgeon or isolate people into being nicer".

But on a "Stops harassing us" level even it clearly doesn't work. & from personal experience that one can, IE getting jumped by four boys at school but making the resulting slug fest messy and unpleasant enough that they didn't both me again. Didn't necessarily stop them all together but it kept me safe which was the main focus at the time.

But as said, that doesn't work on Chloe cos frankly none of them can match the sheer psychological damage her family does to her by winning in contests or insulting her. So pf course she's just going to default to her instinctive "Fight" response and process the whole thing quickly before moving on. She's been getting worse from this for years.

Meanwhile social isolation only serves to steady exaggerate her issues & the divide.

If the goal is getting Chloe to stop, or change then its obviously failed so just as she's "mad" for repeating the same things and expecting success they are are equally "mad" for thinking that this time her defeat or embarrassment will stick.

Now, if they are aware of that and accept it then that at least shows self awareness but if not... Yeah what is the goal and what method could be used to reach it if defeating her does nothing?

Obviously that doesn't mean just letting Chloe do as she pleases, but there's a very wide range of responses between being a doormat and spending every day in a clash of wills so to speak.

Heck, Kagami's handling of her in their first interaction at least seemed effective for a fair bit of time, though again it didn't fix things, it did at least seem more constructive. Meanwhile we actually have seen Chloe response extremely well to certain types of feedback.

Like, not exactly harping on 14 year old's for not figuring this all out, but I do think its an interesting question for maybe an outsider to pose in a sort of "So what's the end goal here? Cos this obviously sucks for literally everyone & makes everything harder, all the time."

Sorry tis got away from me a bit.

No worries! It's a writing based problem you see:

1)The writerswanted to keep Chloé as a ready antagonist. It makes writing the recurring episodic plotlines easier.

2)The writers decided somewhere in S5 to hold her 'accountable' for the way they prevented her from learning or growing so they could keep using her as a recurring antagonist.

It's in the same vein as the choice the writers made to give Marinette an exaggerated crush for 4 seasons so they could milk it for farcical humor, then turn around and pretend it was actual narrative trauma the whole time.

They want to have their cake and eat it too.

In a broader sense, yeah, the ML writers lack the ability to show any problem being solved by more than an end of episode pep talk. Addiction, abuse, even Gabriel's 'defeat' came down to one. If a pep talk doesn't solve it, they're just 'evil'.

[rosie-b]

True Blue

Chapter 9: Fight and Flight

6534 words

“Aww, we forgive you too, Bluebird,” Golden Bug said affectionately. “By the way, do you have a name picked out? Not your real one, of course,” he chuckled.

“Uh.” Marinette’s mind raced as she thought. She wasn’t prepared for this! She’d only gotten this Miraculous half an hour ago! “Blue...wing?”

Golden Bug blinked and then smiled. “Bluewing! A pretty name for a pretty hero. Welcome to the team!”

You can read the chapter below or on AO3!

Marinette stood in the light of the attic window, staring in awe at the blue material stretching over her body to cover it.  

A flash of gold on her shoulders caught her eye as two epaulettes appeared on her shoulders; blue-purple-gold feathers grew and spread into a fan in her right hand; she felt herself rise off the floor as a pair of winged heels formed on her feet. A surge of fabric flared out behind her, creating peacock-like shirttails, and above her head, her hair twisted itself into a crown braid. As the transformation ended, a thin, blue mask rimmed in gold spread across her face.  

Feeling oddly in awe of herself, Marinette snapped her fan closed, examined the white gloves on her hands, and cautiously spun around on her heels, which were higher than she was used to yet didn’t seem to make her clumsier than usual. 

Magic is pretty cool, Marinette thought as she faced M. Agreste with a neutral expression as she waited for his judgment. 

He smirked as he looked over her suit, satisfied with the results of her and Duusu’s work.  

“Excellent choice, Marinette! This is a true soldier’s uniform, perfect for fighting in, and it disguises your civilian appearance just enough that Golden Bug will never guess who you are. You look almost ready,” he mused. “I wonder — would you be willing to give the suit a test run? You’ve been late for lessons before; just tell Nathalie you fell asleep in a corner somewhere and she won’t suspect a thing. Oh, yes, this will do nicely!” 

He sounded very excited about this, both Marinette’s successful transformation and the prospect of another akuma attack. But why? Surely he couldn’t expect her to win the final battle on her first day as a magic wielder! 

“Why would I need to do that?” she asked him, trepidation clear in her voice. “If I detransform now, I could still be back downstairs in time for afternoon lessons, and we can always do whatever you’re thinking of later, right?” 

M. Agreste only smiled, a bit darker this time, and adjusted his ascot. “We could do that. But wouldn’t you like to test the suit out a bit first, before you return to those dreary lessons of yours? It’s still possible that the suit won’t work for you, after all.”

Marinette glanced down at the fan she was holding and frowned. True, the suit was a little unfamiliar, but it had been made for her, and she could already tell that it fit perfectly. 

Gabriel continued, “I’m proposing an akumatization, just a short one, mind you! You won’t be engaging the so-called heroes; you’ll only be looking on from the sidelines. I want you to test yourself beside them as they fight; run as fast as they do, leap between buildings, push yourself further than you’ve ever been able to. And you will find it all possible, thanks to your suit’s power! Once the fight is over, you will return to the mansion, detransform, and go back to your lessons as if nothing had happened until the time comes for your first real fight. Are you up to the task, Miss Marinette?” 

Looking at M. Agreste’s determined expression, Marinette felt herself begin to cave. “I guess I could try doing that, but isn’t it more important for me to keep up with my lessons? I was already late enough this morning that I missed one; should we really risk me missing a whole other lesson in the same day?” 

Tugging his ascot off, M. Agreste made a dismissive noise in the back of his throat. “Bah! You are already far ahead of the other students your age, Marinette. One missed lesson will not harm your progress. Nooroo, dark wings rise!” 

Hawk Moth strode over to the window and opened a small panel in it, the one the akuma had flown through in the last fight. 

“I will send the akuma out first, and then it will be your turn to go outside.” At Marinette’s bewildered look, he said, “The side door should let you out without any problems or spying eyes. Ready yourself,” he said, opening the top of his staff, which housed a ready-made akuma. 

A pit grew in her stomach as Marinette watched the akuma fly toward the window. She wasn’t ready to fight anyone, not yet! 

Then again, if M. Agreste wasn’t lying, she wouldn’t have to fight this time. She waited for Hawk Moth’s signal to go downstairs with her knees slightly bent. 

“Go, my beautiful akuma,” Hawk Moth said softly. As the butterfly flapped its way through Paris, he turned to Marinette. “Nathalie should be busy; you may go downstairs and outside. Follow the akuma’s path to the park near your home; that is where the fight will begin. Be careful not to be spotted by Nathalie or the heroes.” 

“I will. Wish me luck.” Marinette laughed breathlessly, because luck was against her now, wasn’t he? 

Hawk Moth’s mouth curved into a confident smile. “You will not need it.”  

He turned away from Marinette, back to the butterfly-shaped window and the dark akuma in the distance. 

Marinette stepped into the elevator, letting its doors close around her like a coffin’s lid. It began its slow descent to the ground floor, and Marinette’s mouth flattened as she prepared for her (hopefully quick enough) dash through the side door. That’s the one the chef uses, right? she thought frantically. Yeah, okay, I know where that is.  

The elevator opened, and she immediately ran to the side door; her heels caught on the rug and moved it out of place as she skidded to a halt and pulled the door open. The handle nearly broke off in her hand, a testament to the strength she’d suddenly gained. Behind her, the rug was still a rumpled mess a foot from the door. I’ll fix it later, she promised herself as she stepped outside and took a deep breath. 

Now, to find the akuma. With few other options, Marinette decided to start running towards Place des Vosges. She was much faster than her untransformed self, she reasoned, so how long could it take? 

Not all that long, apparently! But she nearly plowed into seven buildings, two statues, and three children on the way there. I’ll do better next time, Marinette thought with a firm nod as she came close enough to the park to see the transformed akuma in it. 

He looked nothing like the others. For one thing, he was the ugliest akuma to date; for another, his bright, happy exterior did nothing to prepare for the dark powers he held (which also seemed ironically harmless at first). 

Standing on one of the park benches, the Bubbler waved his wand, trapping three pairs of adults in large bubbles and sending them flying up to the clouds. Marinette’s mouth fell open, and she shrank back behind a nearby building’s corner as if to protect herself from the ghastly akuma, who was cackling in a voice which seemed too familiar for comfort. 

“Ahahaha! Hard to ruin kids’ fun from space, isn’t it? Hey, Paris! Come on, it’s time to party! No chores, no homework, no more nagging, just fun, fun, fun, fun! This is the Bubbler's gift to you.” The Bubbler jumped off the bench and strode over in the direction of François-Dupont. As he did so, he called out, “Adrien! Where are you, dude?” 

Marinette’s face softened as her heart gave a little twinge. “Oh, Nino,” she whispered. “What happened to you?” How had someone made laid-back Nino upset enough to be akumatized? 

Whatever it was, it wasn’t Adrien’s fault, Marinette knew. But before she could try to figure out what had happened, Chat Grise vaulted into the park and confronted the akuma.

She stood there silently at first, waiting for her partner to show up and for the Bubbler to show signs of discomfort. Being stared down by the holder of destruction was enough to crack some akumas; Marinette had seen one or two falter back when she still cheered for every win the heroes scored. 

She couldn’t do that now, though. Today, she was officially joining the enemy side (the right side, not that the heroes seemed to know that). Should she do something to break up the tension and help Nino focus on his goal? 

While she was still thinking, the Bubbler brought his wand out again and shot bubbles in Chat Grise’s direction with a smirk and a laugh. Chat Grise leapt out of the way, slashing one of the bubbles with her claws but backing away when the thin membrane started to pull her hand in instead of popping like she’d expected it to. 

“Come on dude, can’t you see I’m busy?” Nino the Bubbler called in annoyance. “I need to throw my best friend a belated birthday party, to show him I might not have known, but I still care! Why don’t you join in on the fun instead of squashing it?” 

His best friend? Marinette had once held that title, though they’d grown apart in recent years. She felt a stab of guilt as Chat Grise snarled and muttered something at the Bubbler.  

As the two fought, Golden Bug arrived from the other side of the park, dangerously close to Marinette’s hiding spot. She crept back into the alley, flattening herself against a doorway and hoping none of them could see her.

“Hey, ugly! Not to bust your bubble, but if you care so much about giving your friend a birthday party, why do adults seem to take priority in your grand plan?” 

The Bubbler turned to Golden Bug with a deep frown on his blue face. “You guys just don’t get it! If adults have their way, there will be no party at all! Men like Gabriel Agreste don’t care about us kids. We need to throw them all out!” 

Marinette winced. Why had Hawk Moth chosen someone who hated him as his akuma? She couldn’t see this fight ending well. Also, when had Adrien gotten a new friend without telling her? 

“Maybe—” Golden Bug said as he ducked and jumped and rolled to avoid the bubbles the akuma shot at him, “Maybe you should just try finding a different way to celebrate! I’m sure Adrien appreciates that you care so much about him, believe me, but do you really want to get rid of his father, whom I’m sure he still loves even if he is strict?” 

The Bubbler lowered his brows and dipped his bubble wand into the mixture on his back. “Maybe he does, but dear ol’ Gabe still deserves his just reward!” He spun the wand in a circle, spreading bubbles out over the park and making it harder for the heroes to dodge them. 

Marinette’s heart seized, but she wasn’t there to save the city’s golden duo from a problem that they had made.  

Instead, she tried her best to mimic the flips, twists, and quick reflexes of the heroes from her place in the alley, counting on them being too busy evading the bubbles to notice her.  

As she tried, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing, to imitate them, her mind strayed to the adults Bubbler had sent up to space. What would happen if they never came back down, if Hawk Moth did end up winning this time? Would they die? Surely M. Agreste wouldn’t let that happen! 

So distracted was she by her thoughts that she didn’t notice the fight moving to her.  

A large bubble bounced around the corner, swatted by Chat Grise’s baton as she and Golden Bug pressed the Bubbler backwards. Noticing it, Marinette gulped and hurried further down the street, but it was too late.  

The Bubbler saw her first, lowering his wand and frowning in confusion as Hawk Moth’s symbol appeared over his eyes. Chat and Golden Bug saw her next, both skidding to a halt as they looked over her outfit. 

“You’re not Hawk Moth, are you?” Golden Bug asked, spinning his yo-yo in a defensive shield. 

Marinette opened and closed her fan, stuttering as she tried to come up with an excuse. “Feathered me— I’m a bird—”  

As Chat Grise lowered herself into an offensive stance, Marinette inhaled sharply. She wasn’t supposed to be seen today! She was failing already! Taking a slower breath, she lowered her fan and tried again. 

“I’m bird-themed. Hawk Moth is butterfly-themed. I think the answer is obvious, right?” 

Chat Grise straightened out her crouch with a frown. “Why are you hiding, then?” she asked quietly, her voice full of fire as she eyed Marinette warily.  

“Yeah, you’re not exactly sending a clear signal here. I’d make it more obvious which side you’re on in the feather .” 

Chat Grise looked questioningly at her partner. “The future?” 

Golden Bug crossed his arms and ducked under the bubble the akuma half-heartedly threw his way. “It wasn’t my best, I’ll admit it. It’s hard to beak-lieve, but puns are hard to come up with on the spot!”  

Marinette sighed in unison with Chat Grise. “That was painful,” she said disapprovingly. Then she flashed Golden Bug an apologetic smile. Maybe if she pretended to be friendly for now, she could get out of this without needing to fight two trained heroes? 

“Hmph,” the Bubbler sniffed as he looked at the trio. Then he raised his bubble wand and directed a large bubble straight towards Marinette. 

She could only watch in horror as the bubble drew closer, but the heroes had more presence of mind. Charging towards her from opposite directions, they attempted to move her out of the way... but instead, they wound up colliding in a tangled mess of super-powered teens caught in the bubble, which quickly shot upwards with all three of them squished inside. 

Chat Grise was the first to move. “Ugh,” she muttered, scooting back from the others as much as she could to give them some space to untangle themselves. Golden Bug raised his head from Marinette’s lap, where it had landed, and pushed himself up with a groan. 

“That did not go the way I thought it would,” he said, flashing Marinette an apologetic smile with honest green eyes that made her heart flutter in a way she’d never felt before. “Sorry, I promise we’re not usually this inept. Meeting you was a surprise, and I should’ve accounted for that, but I let us get trapped instead. You have every right to mad at me, but I promise, I will find a way out of this!” 

“He usually does,” Chat Grise said with a small smile. “I— I’m sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have assumed,” she said quietly.  

Marinette blinked as she sat up in the bubble, ignoring the way her leg brushed against Golden Bug’s and the way her stomach seemed to fill with butterflies because of it. 

“I forgive you,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have hung back like that; it did make me look suspicious, even though— I would never want to hurt you,” she said, swallowing down the pit that grew in her throat. It wasn’t a lie, was it? 

“Aww, we forgive you too, Bluebird,” Golden Bug said affectionately. “By the way, do you have a name picked out? Not your real one, of course,” he chuckled. 

“Uh.” Marinette’s mind raced as she thought. She wasn’t prepared for this! She’d only gotten this Miraculous half an hour ago! “Blue...wing?” 

Golden Bug blinked and then smiled. “Bluewing! A pretty name for a pretty hero. Welcome to the team!” 

Chat Grise nodded and offered her own quiet, “Welcome!” 

Marinette blushed at all the attention as Golden Bug grabbed her hand closest to him and raised it to his lips for a kiss which did nothing to calm the fire in her cheeks. 

“Guh,” she said as her heart stuttered out a disloyal rhythm. She turned her head away but panicked when she noticed that the bubble had reached the bottom of a cloud. “Gah!”

Pointing out the bubble, she grabbed Golden Bug’s head and directed his eyes outside, where clouds seemed to part around them as they went higher. 

“Oh, no! Chat Grise, use your cataclysm now! We’ll figure the rest out on the way down!” Golden Bug cried. 

“Cataclysm!” As soon as Chat Grise’s fist touched the bubble, it collapsed, sending the three teens downwards in a dizzying spiral. 

“Lucky Charm!” Golden Bug cried desperately. A leaf blower dropped beside him, and he clutched it to his chest.  

“Oh, that solves everything,” Bluewing muttered. At Golden Bug’s wounded look, she quickly amended, “I mean, I’m sure you’ll figure it out!” She offered him a thumbs up with a wavery smile made wavier by the wind. 

He wasn’t looking, already busy trying to find a safe way to land. They were nearing the tops of the buildings. Privately, Marinette was giving up hope and kissing her dreams of getting back to class goodbye. Not that she loved school, but anything was better than dying in her opinion! 

Golden Bug threw his yo-yo far away, managing to wrap it around the Eiffel tower. Before the line tightened, he turned to Chat Grise and Bluewing and yelled, “Hold on to me!” 

Hesitating for only a moment, Bluewing grabbed onto his right side while Chat Grise latched on to his left. Then they were swinging full tilt towards the Eiffel tower, circling it in an orbit that was steadily growing smaller and closer to the tower. 

“Chat Grise, your baton!” 

Pulling back, Chat Grise took her baton out and quickly extended it to the ground. She held on to it tightly, and as Golden Bug released the yo-yo from around the tower’s metal beam, all three of them slid-tumbled down the baton to the ground, where they landed in a heap of bruised, but alive, super-powered teens. 

Marinette could hardly believe she was alive. 

There was a weed growing in the cement a few inches from her nose. She loved it more than she’d ever loved a plant before. 

On either side of her, Golden Bug and Chat Grise were already pushing themselves up and getting ready to get back to the fight. 

“I think I know what my Lucky Charm is for now!” Golden Bug said excitedly as he pushed his bangs out of his eyes and turned to Chat Grise and Bluewing. “But you’ll both have to help.” 

He stopped and smiled, revealing the dimples in his cheeks, when he noticed Bluewing was still on the ground. 

“Need a hand, Miss Blue?” 

Bluewing stared at him as he extended the aforementioned hand. How could someone so irritatingly stubborn, who she was supposed to be fighting against, be this unbelievably cute? It wasn’t fair! 

“T-thank you,” she stuttered as she reluctantly accepted his help up. 

He pulled her to her feet with a smile and a wink as he turned to the east side of the tower, where the polychromatic Bubbler was approaching them with a pout on his lips. 

“Dudes! What is it gonna take for you to learn your lesson, huh? Leave me and my buddies alone!” 

He launched another flurry of bubbles at them, but these ones didn’t seem to be the trapping-you-and-sending-you-to-space type. No, Marinette realized as a nearby lamppost went down in flames, these bubbles were the exploding type! 

Bluewing flinched as one of the bubbles glided towards her, but Chat Grise knocked it aside with her retrieved baton. It exploded harmlessly a few meters away, and Bluewing let out a sigh of relief before immediately feeling guilty. 

Bubbler glared at Bluewing before sending another volley of bubbles towards them. This time, Golden Bug jumped in front of her, turning on the leaf blower and redirecting every last bubble from the trio. Marinette stared at his back and the muscles there and wished for this battle to just end so she could go home already. She didn’t care who won this round. She just wanted to get away from the danger bubbles! 

One tiny bubble escaped Golden Bug’s notice and drifted over in front of Marinette. The Bubbler’s face appeared on it, and she jumped. 

“Dude,” the Bubbler said in a complaining tone, “Why are you just standing there? Hawk Moth told me you’re on our side!” 

As one, Golden Bug and Chat Grise turned around and stared at Bluewing. 

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. 

“Uhhh,” she said intelligently as she pulled out her fan and half-heartedly fanned the bubble with Nino’s distorted face on it a few millimeters away. 

“Dude, are you trying to hide it? Uncool. Totally uncool.” 

“I-I, Hawk Moth said I didn’t have to fight this time,” Bluewing protested, throwing her hands in the air. 

Chat Grise gritted her teeth and looked away. 

“I have to agree with you, Bubbler,” Golden Bug said, his face showing an unexpected level of hurt and betrayal for someone she’d supposedly just met. “This is totally uncool. Why would you pretend to be on our side? Just to get the upper hand?” 

“Maybe she’s afraid to fight us,” Chat Grise hissed. “I wouldn’t blame her.” 

While the Bubbler started babbling on about loyalty and presents for rich, repressed teen boys, Chat Grise tossed her baton towards his bubble wand, knocking it out of his hand. She grabbed it before the akuma could and threw it over to Golden Bug, who caught it without looking and broke it while he was still looking at Bluewing, waiting for her answer. 

Well, it didn’t seem like there was any way for her to get out of this confrontation. 

Just then, Golden Bug’s earrings started beeping, and he distractedly touched one of them while he caught and purified the akuma with the other hand. 

“Bubbler was right,” Bluewing said quietly. “I am on Hawk Moth’s side. But I didn’t lie earlier. I don’t want to fight you. But next time I see you, we will be getting physical!” 

Golden Bug raised one eyebrow. Marinette went over her words in her head and slowly turned a shade of red previously unknown to humankind. 

“How forward of you,” Golden Bug said drily. “I hope that day will never come. Look, do the right thing, Bluewing! Hawk Moth is a cold-hearted villain. I hope you realize that, and leave him.” 

With that, he and Chat Grise took off, leaving the scene before Nino finished piecing together what had happened. 

“Was I akumatized?” he asked, looking up blearily at Marinette through tilted glasses. 

She bent down and straightened them for him. 

“You were,” she said. “But Golden Bug and Chat Grise won again.” 

And M. Agreste is probably furious with me.  

Marinette sighed and turned to go, ignoring Nino’s confused questions as she started the long walk home. Or the short run. Or however long it would be by rooftop. 

She kind of wished she had a yo-yo or a baton right now. 

Halfway to the mansion, she traded the streets for the rooftops. There were too many people staring at her; they clutched their purses or their children and looked at her in fear. 

Alya must have caught the end of the fight and posted it on her blog. 

Up on top of the roofs, there weren’t any more people to stare at and judge Marinette for her choice of who to back. (It was the right choice! They just didn’t know the facts, like she did!) 

Bluewing sighed and rolled her neck and shoulders back, stretching out the taut muscles there. Then she glanced around the rooftop, just in case someone had seen where she went and climbed up to confront her.  

There wasn’t anyone there. 

But on the other side of the street, larger than life and staring straight at her, was a jumbo-sized billboard of Adrien. 

It was just an ad for Gabriel’s winter collection. But it felt like something more than that to Marinette. 

You let me down, Adrien seemed to say to her with his eyes. You pretended to be friends with the heroes. You could’ve taken their Miraculous while you were in the bubble with them, but you didn’t even try to fight! Don’t you care about the mission? Don’t you care about me ?  

Marinette forced herself to turn away from the billboard. It wasn’t her fault she hadn’t fought today! She wasn’t ready! M. Agreste was supposed to teach her first! 

But Adrien’s eyes seemed to follow her as she leapt away to the next rooftop. 

The rest of the trip back to the mansion seemed to take forever. 

Nathalie was waiting for her when she got back. 

Arms crossed, she stood at the side door, tapping her heel on the floor beside the rumpled rug and frowning. M. Agreste stood beside her, looking surprised, cross, and just as pouty as the Bubbler had been. 

“Marinette, I presume. There’s no need to deny it; your absence at the start of afternoon lessons just as a new ‘hero’ appeared clued me in, and the security tapes told me the rest.” 

“Ms. Sancoeur, I—” 

“There’s no need to apologize. I know who the mastermind around here is,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she turned to face the problem. “Gabriel, how could you put her in so much danger? You know she’s just a teenager, like your son! How can you expect to have her take over the company one day if she’s dying from the Peacock’s poison? For once, ask me about your harebrained plans before putting them into action!” 

M. Agreste frowned and tugged at his ascot. “She isn’t going to die, Nathalie. She’s already taking the medicine for the poison.”

Nathalie stared at him like he was an idiot. “The medicine which couldn’t save your wife? All it does is lessen the symptoms! It isn’t a cure, not by any stretch of the imagination! This ends today. Take off the brooch,” she ordered Marinette. 

“Wait,” M. Agreste said, grabbing Marinette’s hand as she reached up to unpin the Miraculous. “Wait. We know there is a cure, Nathalie. We have the grimoire; we can decode it and put together a solution. In the meantime, the medicine will work to keep the worst effects at bay. Honestly, Nathalie, try to have some faith in me!” 

Marinette blinked. “There’s a grimoire?” 

Nathalie’s lips tightened. “The grimoire of the Miraculous is also in the safe you discovered. But it’s written in a long-dead, ancient language, and in code, on top of that. You should not count on it to solve your problems.” 

“And you shouldn’t blame M. Agreste for my putting on the brooch! What happened today was my idea. Mostly.” 

“M. Agreste, is that true?” Nathalie asked him with an accusing glare. 

“As true as my love for Emilie,” he replied smoothly. 

Nathalie adjusted her glasses. “Right. Well, this solves everything. No doubt we will have Golden Bug and Chat Grise’s Miraculous in no time, now that we have the help of yet another untrained teenager! You had better train her well before you send her out again, Gabriel. And you,” she said, turning on Marinette, “Be careful. Be far more careful than you think you need to be. Just because you are on the right side does not mean you are guaranteed success, or that you will even survive. If you need someone else to take over for you, to become the Peacock in your place, let me know. I won’t let it be said that any of those in my care died because I didn’t act to save them.” 

M. Agreste laughed. “I’m sure that won’t be necessary, Nathalie, although I thank you for the offer,” he said, clapping her on the back. “Now, why don’t we all head inside and let Marinette — or Bluewing, I suppose it is now — detransform and relax. She deserves a reward for her bravery today, no?”

Marinette hesitated. “Are you sure, sir? I didn’t even do anything. I was too afraid,” she admitted shamefully.  

“Oh, I don’t blame you,” M. Agreste said cheerfully. “It was my fault, anyway. I should have given you some basic lessons first before sending you out in the field. I won’t make the same mistake again. Now, what would you like to do to celebrate?”  

Marinette looked at Ms. Sancoeur, but she only sighed and shrugged in a way that suggested she went along with M. Agreste’s suggestion.  

“Well,” she said thoughtfully, “I think Adrien has fencing after school today, right?”  

“It’s his first match of the year, actually,” Nathalie informed her.  

“Right! And Nino was upset because his birthday had already passed, but he didn’t know about it. And now that I think about it, I found out about it too late to give him a gift; I only told him happy birthday and that was it. What if we go cheer him on? I want to make sure he knows we care about him. I’m doing this for him, after all, and I can’t tell him about that, but I can show my support in other ways, and I know he’d be so happy to see you there! What do you think?”  

Gabriel looked a bit surprised, and he checked his watch with a small frown. “That will take longer than I had planned on,” he began, but Ms. Sancoeur shot him a glare and he quailed. “Good idea. I will let the chauffeur know to have the car ready for us.”  

“Perfect. In the time between now and then, you and I can finally start on your afternoon lessons, Marinette,” Nathalie said. She kicked the rug into place as they walked inside, past the kitchen entrance and down the main hall.   

“Oh, and before you do anything else,” Gabriel said, as if he’d just remembered something. “You should hand over your brooch to me. I will keep it in a safe place for you when you do not need it, since wearing it outside of transformations would bring the side effects to you sooner. There we are,” he said as she unpinned the brooch and dropped it into his waiting palm. “I will see both of you in an hour.”  

Nathalie nodded. “Good. Now, come with me, Marinette. I’ve ordered some fresher medicine for you, and I think you should switch to taking it instead of the older pills from Emilie. Twice a day, now, or they won’t have a strong enough countereffect on the magic.” 

“Yes, Ms. Sancoeur,” Marinette said. “I’ll do my best to help you remember.” 

__*__*__*__*__ 

Adrien was a better fencer than Marinette had thought, though she didn’t know what she had expected. 

He fought his opponents with a fierce, fiery energy, like he was mad that they would even dare to face him, although he was always kind to the ones he defeated, which was all of them so far. 

“Such a good sportsman,” Gabriel remarked during one match when he wasn’t busy sketching a new design on the tablet he’d brought with him. 

“He makes the best of them look like amateurs,” Marinette marveled. Would she ever be as good at fighting as he was? Maybe he should have gotten the Peacock, not her. 

“That’s because he’s an Agreste,” Gabriel responded. “He can’t be anything but perfect.” 

Nathalie sat forward, a pinched expression on her face. 

“You care a lot about my son, don’t you?” Gabriel suddenly asked Marinette. 

She tilted her head. “Yes? I thought you knew that already.” 

Gabriel laughed. A few people glanced in their direction, including one person with a camera who might have been paparazzi, but he shot a glare back at them and they turned their attention away. 

“Of course, I know that. But what I mean is... you care for him. You love him, no?” 

“Like a brother,” Marinette responded immediately. She smiled and cheered as Adrien scored another point against a fighter in blue and white. 

“Like a— what?” Gabriel was staring at her like she’d grown two heads. 

She blushed. “Oh! Sorry, I don’t mean to assume we’re that close to each other. But he means a lot to me,” she said in a carefree manner. “I hope we’ll stay as friends forever.” 

“Yes, yes — very good friends,” Gabriel said, sounding a little strangled. He loosened his ascot around his throat. It was probably too tight for him. 

He touched the brooch under it lightly, quickly, so as to be discreet. 

Marinette raised her eyebrows and turned her attention back to the match. At her left, Nathalie was looking at her with a half-surprised, half-amused expression. 

“You were right, Gabriel,” she said, speaking around Marinette’s back, “They’re quite the pair; I think they’ll be friends forever. Another plan of yours going just swimmingly well!” 

“Hmph.” 

Gabriel sat back on the bleachers, clearly upset, but about what, Marinette didn’t know. She was too busy cheering on her best friend to waste time thinking about it. 

After the match finally ended, Adrien was announced as the overall winner, and went up to receive his gold medal. Marinette cheered louder than anyone in the stadium, and he smiled and blushed when he saw her in the audience. He raised the medal a little higher and stood a little straighter when he saw who was standing beside her, looking suitably impressed. 

Then he winked and pressed a kiss to the gold medal. Nathalie facepalmed, but Marinette laughed. Who knew Adrien could be so funny and carefree? She was happier than ever that she’d convinced Gabriel to let him go to public school and come see this match. It was clearly doing wonders for her friend. 

“Congratulations, Adrien!” she cheered when she finally got to see him after the ceremony, when he’d changed back into his usual clothes. He grinned when he saw her, and she pulled him into a hug without thinking. “You were great! I didn’t know you were so good at fencing!” 

“Thanks, Marinette! I’m glad you liked the show,” he said, pulling back from the hug with a light blush on his cheeks. “And thank you for convincing my father and Nathalie to come, too! I don’t know how you did it,” he marveled. 

Marinette smiled. “I think the Bubbler reminded us all that we should do more to show you how much we care about you. You’re one of the most important people in my life, Adrien! I don’t want you to forget it.” 

Adrien blushed deeper as Gabriel and Nathalie caught up to Marinette. They both looked a bit out of breath, bent over and nearly panting. 

“Congratulations, Adrien. Your hard work has been paying off,” Nathalie said once she’d straightened up. She discreetly bumped Gabriel with her elbow. 

“Ah, I mean, yes! You acted like a true Agreste out there. Keep it up,” he said stiffly. 

“He always does his best, doesn’t he? Don’t you think we should maybe, I don’t know, let him pick something as a prize for all his hard work?” Marinette asked, slinging her arm around Adrien’s back and pulling him close. What could she say, she was feeling daring today, and she was determined to make sure Adrien knew he was loved! Nino had had a point, after all. 

“I don’t know, I mean,” M. Agreste said as Nathalie elbowed him again, “Perhaps. What would you like, Adrien?” 

Adrien smiled down at Marinette, wrapping his arm around her in return. “I’d like some more free time to see Marinette, actually. I was talking to M. Dupain this morning, and he said he’d be willing to provide breakfast for both of us at his place if I get there a little earlier! And it would all be diet-appropriate, nothing too— uh, nothing unhealthy. If that’s alright with you, Marinette,” he said, looking into her eyes for approval. 

She smiled broadly. “I think that sounds great! I might have to wake up a little sooner than usual, though.” 

M. Agreste looked flabbergasted. “Are you sure? That’s what you want, breakfast with Marinette every day?”

Adrien’s grip tightened on her waist. “M-hm,” he said, still looking into her eyes with a fond smile. 

“I think we can arrange for that to happen,” Ms. Sancoeur said brusquely, tapping on her tablet. “Don’t you, M. Agreste?” 

“I suppose,” he said, looking closely at Marinette and Adrien. “That might work nicely. It could be just what we need, yes, let M. Dupain know that we’ll accept his offer!” 

“Gladly.” Nathalie typed something on her tablet as the Gorilla pulled up by the sidewalk outside to pick them up in the limousine. 

Gabriel and Nathalie both took their own row, while Adrien sat next to Marinette in the back. 

“So, did you see the news today?” he asked in a whisper, his eyes gleaming despite the darkness of the car. 

Marinette shifted uncomfortably. “Depends on which news you mean,” she whispered back.  

He didn’t know who Bluewing was fighting for, and he wasn't happy with her appearance. That was okay. She was protecting him, and it made sense for him to assume that she was a bad guy without the information he needed, that she was protecting him from. 

“The akuma. I can’t believe Hawk Moth picked up an ally!” His voice was strained. “I mean, who would pick his side? It’s obvious who the villain is! We were all so hopeful when we first saw Bluewing. She was so nice! And she turned out to be just another brainwashed sidekick! I can’t believe it,” he said, hurt lingering in every word. 

Marinette took a ragged breath. “Well, maybe she’ll turn out to be a nice person, after all,” she suggested. 

Adrien scoffed. “Maybe. If she turns on Hawk Moth and fights the real villain instead, but that seems unlikely to me. But hey, she was flirting with Golden Bug, right? Maybe his good looks will convince her to join the right side of the battle,” he said sarcastically.

He was joking, but Marinette’s cheeks turned red, and she looked away before he could notice. She would never leave Gabriel’s side just because a boy looked pretty! Even if she did think his butt looked cute, she would never betray Adrien like that, no matter how hot and funny and charming her enemy was! 

The silence became uncomfortable.

Marinette broke it. “Yeah, you could be right.”  

Outside, the wind tugged a flag to and fro on its pole. She watched it for a moment, then leaned her head against the car window and closed her eyes.  

“I think she has a crush on him.” She whispered it like a rancid secret, a rotten apple slowing poisoning the rest of her mind.  

She felt more miserable now than she could remember ever being before. The Peacock’s broken magic had nothing on the raw guilt and shame consuming her, eating away the last bit of happiness she’d felt watching Adrien fence. 

She had a crush on Golden Bug! On her enemy, who was a direct threat to the boy she’d promised to protect! 

What kind of a hero was she? 

[tealeavesandthorns]

💔 a heartbreaking letter lol WRECK ME

Send an emoji for my muse to send yours: 💔 a heartbreaking letter - @admiralchristopherpike

Chris,

I don't know if I'm going to make it and I can't keep holding onto the hope that we'll be found. I've put off writing this for so long, probably because I don't want to accept the fact that I might never see you and the kids again. The fact is though I might not and I need to tell you all how much I love you whilst I can.

There's a vessel approaching us, we think it's hostile, we think they might have mistaken us because the shuttle is big, Gabriele thinks they might think we have cargo aboard, despite repeated communication attempts to tell them we don't.

I'd hate for us to be found and you to have nothing from me. No closure. No last message. Especially given that I didn't get to say goodbye.

My years with you have been the best of my life, you changed my life. Before you came along with that stupid gorgeous smile I was, well I wasn't giving up on love, but I just had started to think that maybe I wasn't worthy of the thing I'd seen all around me. That maybe it wasn't going to be for me. Then in you walked.

You have given me more than I could ever repay. You extended my family, you became my home and in any version of reality I want you to know I'd always choose you. Even one where the roles are reversed and you leave this universe before me.

You're the best of men, an amazing father and you fit against my heart like we were made for each other. Please tell the kids how much I loved them, remind them everyday. I'm going to try to record some messages but if I don't, love them for me too. Give them our history, teach them love wins out.

Please find love again, don't let whatever happens close you off. Keep your heart open, and if you meet someone who loves you and the kids as much as I did, and you love them, know you will always have my blessing.

I'm not scared. I want you to know that. I can't allow myself to be scared because I need to divert every ounce of energy to fighting, fighting to get back to you and the kids.

If it doesn't work out though.

I love you. I loved you.

"To love and win is the best thing. To love and lose is the next best."

[tumblingxelian]

I was legit musing on this idea recently, more for a fanfic than as a "What could have been". But I think it could have been very interesting, especially if we consider a few elements.

When Audrey is introduced Gabriel frames her as evil and that she'll create his most powerful Akuma and she does seem to live up to that.

What's more, Gabriel was considering giving up being Hawk Moth, though be it I doubt he'd have done so permanently, but it was still a plan.

Plus at this point he'd already had anywhere form a season to a season and a half of getting his ass kicked and a new antagonist could be useful.

Plus, unlike Gabriel, AUdrey would not necessarily have the same goals in mind as him. IE, if Hawk Moth wins he gets the heroes Miraculous & boom story over cos he got his wish & time rewrites itself.

But Audrey, she may not even know about the wish or deem the feedback loop not worth the risk (It not like she hasn't known Gabriel for years or that he & Emilia didn't have the Peacock for ages, she could know a lot)

This means her goals as a villain could actually be one's where they can succeed at least partially allowing for more of a back and forth and more varied fights that "Make monsters to lure out heroes, heroes fight monster, monster defeated, rinse & repeat."

But there's something else to consider.

Chloe adored Ladybug and wanted to be a hero, but she also worshipped her mother & tolerated her abuse. Seemingly taking it as a "Get better & then I'll love you" sort of thing.

If Audrey figures out Chloe has the Bee Miraculous she may well decide her daughter is "Exceptional." An exceptionally useful potential tool for her to abuse & misuse that is!

Add in that Tomoe has turned up recently or is set to turn up (I cannot with this timeline) and she could end up playing as a neutral third party, potential enemy to all, or working with Audrey if their interested aligned more.

This could lead to anything from the Butterfly being taken from Gabriel, to the Peacock, or a multi pronged Miraculous Arms race, back and forth between two villains, their devoted follower (One with eyes wide open & the other deceived and lying to herself) with Ladybug & Chat stuck dealing with the fall out.

Honestly, I don't know if Audrey would work as a replacement to Gabriel.

On the one hand, she is EASILY more hateable than him.

On the OTHER hand, the fact that she's so repugnant could make her harder to tolerate in the long run, as she's not repugnant in an entertaining way, which is important for a long term big bad.

Then again, her forming evil plans that get foiled all the time could make her a bit more tolerable, due to the catharsis factor alone, but that can only take you so far.

True.

I think the thing is we could've gotten the 'evil and loving it' type of villain out of Audrey. Like what they tried to turn Chloé into except with her it was just sad and horrific because that's an abused and illiterate child where Audrey is a grown ass adult making her own decisions.

[headoffices-a]

tag dumb | good omens cast | wip

i didn’t mean to fall. i just hung around the wrong people. | (go) crowley musing what else am i gonna be? an aardvark? | (go) crowley visage beautiful nebula; look at that; i helped build that one. | (go) crowley aes it’s a big universe. | (go) crowley misc verse they said ‘get up there and make some trouble.’ | (go) crowley main verse the evil influences. that’s all gonna be me. | (go) crowley ic

i mean the opposite of when you say ‘i don’t like this place, it feels spooky’ | aziraphale musing well; keeping up appearances. | aziraphale visage i have standards. | aziraphale aes don’t let the sun go down on you here. | aziraphale misc verse i’ve been on earth doing this since the beginning | aziraphale main verse i can’t diso- not do what i’m told | aziraphale ic

we can fight. and we can win. | gabriel musing yes; i like the clothes. | gabriel visage miracles are what we do. | gabriel aes pfff- not my department | gabriel misc verse the earth isn’t just going to end itself you know | gabriel main verse i do not sully the temple of my body with... gross matter | gabriel ic

[writer-panda]

Hit on the groom and what became of it - chapter 1/I will keep missing you (if you don’t stop running)

Disclaimer: I don’t own DC or Miraculous. I’m just playing with some crazy concept. 

Chapter 1 (here)  -|-  Next

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

Ladybug landed on top of the Eiffel tower with practiced grace. An agitated worry roiling in her chest about the message Chat Noir left her. The urgency was one thing, but he sounded… pained. Like the weight of the world dragged him down type pain. 

Marinette knew Chat’s home life wasn’t perfect. Skilled at hiding it, maybe, but details leaked through the cracks. An offhand comment here, a muttered accusation there, a sour face yet again here. He lived in pain and tried so hard to work through it. 

She tried to help him whenever she could, both as Ladybug and Marinette. She may not return his feelings, but she always listened. For months during their third year as heroes, she left food on the rooftop when Chat’s suit revealed too many ribs. She wasn’t sure the reason and didn’t dare to ask, lest she learned too much, but she did try to help. There were times she thought she imagined the pained looks, and thin frame, and thinly veiled comments; maybe overexaggerating the situation in her mind, as she often did. After all, he always acted so cheerfully.

Then, Lila happened. 

The first strike landed swift, almost deadly, but she survived. It was what followed that made her reconsider. A prolonged fight, where Marinette chose to retain a cheerful mask to hide the pain. Along the line, she considered confiding in her parents. But what could they do?  Maybe take her from school, but that would mean Lila already won; the Liar would rule unopposed.

Which left Adrien, her last bastion of friendship. 

She still harbored a bit of a crush on him, but it was justified! Like a knight in shining armor, he stood, always ready to defend her. He always ensured her inclusion in class activities and saved her from several catastrophes. 

She still stumbled over her words with him, but when it’s minor stuttering or not talking to anyone, she forced herself to adapt. It was nowhere near as bad as it used to be. 

With the ability to spend more time with Adrien without acting like a spaz, Kagami also appeared more often, and proved to be a good friend. Marinette found a home with the two awkward rich kids ridiculously clueless and unaware of how the real world functioned. In the end, she even grew to accept Adrien might not be destined to be hers but chose to support him nonetheless. 

“My lady?” She was broken out of her musing by a familiar voice.

“Hello, Kitty-cat. I got your message… what’s wrong?” She turned to see Cat Noir slumped over the railing, with his ears tweaking nervously. She didn’t even know he could do it. 

“I… I’m sorry my Lady, but I can’t… I can’t continue to be your partner,” he declared.

“What?!” she squeaked. “What happened? What’s the matter?” 

“I’m… I’m getting married,” he announced, his ears drooping and tail tucked between his legs.  

Oh, that’s… not what she expected to hear. “Married? Congrat…” she drifted off, noticing his sour face. “Chat? What are you not telling me?”

“It’s… I… My…” He struggled to figure out how to say it, but ultimately remained silent for a moment. “There is nothing to be happy about. It’s a… business marriage,” he spat, his eyes narrowing.  

“But… those are illegal!” Ladybug protested.

“Not when you make it look like a love match. Especially if you insinuate at a scandal.” He sneered, jumping off the railing and pacing along the empty rooftop. “My father holds all the cards and I… I’m in no position to oppose him.”

“I’m sure we can…”

He sighed, walking over to her. “Please… M’lady. Don’t try to give me hope. I accepted what I must do.” With that, he reached for the ring, but she stopped him.

“Chat. We can try… You’re my friend. You can’t… We will figure it out. Together.” In all they’d endured, suffered, and triumphed - Marinette had never seen him this despondent… this broken. 

He sighed, his eyes flat and dull. “There is nothing to figure out,” he said, forcing the ring off his finger. 

The transformation fell, leaving Adrien Agreste materialized in place of her long-time partner. Plagg’s sharp cry cut off, as he’s sucked into the ring the second he popped out of it. She stood there, too stunned to notice the blond boy pushed the ring into her palm and closed it. 

Marinette wasn’t sure what thoughts decided to rampantly rage through her head, but the train of thoughts probably broke the collective speed limit everywhere in the world at the same time. 

“M’lady?” Adrien’s soft voice brought her to earth when she was one step from panic.

“A-Adrien?” She choked on the word.

“You heard about me?” He looked dumbfounded. Ladybug, too shocked to say a word, gestured over to the building line. Even from so high and far away, his most recent billboard advertisement stood visible. “Ah… right.”

“Who… who’s the lucky girl?” Inside her mind, she wondered if Kagami right now faced a  similar problem. It was the most logical…

“Lila Rossi,” Adrien admitted, his shoulders hunching. 

Marinette.exe stopped working. 

A moment passed.

Another.

“Um… M’Lady?” The boy tried to prod his ex-partner to respond by waving his hand in front of her face.

“That… that lying…” Ladybug saw red. This could not be happening.

Adrien nodded, the despondent look on his face growing worse every second.“My father deemed her a suitable heiress to the Gabriel brand… I tried to warn him she was a liar, but he… I think he actually admires her skill…” Tears built in his eyes, and Adrien covertly tried to wipe them away. 

“Maybe… maybe you could… I don’t know!” she screamed in frustration. Marinette had several ideas about what Adrien could do, but none of them would help. 

Running away would be a problem. Leaking the story to the press would lead to his home life growing even worse. After dealing with Gabriel Agreste’s parenting, she held no illusion Adrien could win a court battle. The rich too often got away with whatever they desired. She could try to sicc Uncle Jagged on the case… or maybe Clara Nightingale… Nadia Chamack would probably love the news-breaking story, but it would all put Adrien in danger. Who knows what would happen before they could obtain results or protection against Gabriel’s extensive reach. 

Adrien sighed as if knowing exactly where her thoughts took her. Chat was no dummy, he probably scoured over his options more times than he could count. His resignation, the last resort in a long line of failed plans.  “I appreciate you trying, but I already told you I accepted it. Just… take me down, please. I… I didn’t really plan the location well…” He let out a weak chuckle. 

“Fine… I’m sorry kitty...” She grabbed hold of him and swung to the ground. Despondently she watched her best friend, her partner, walk away into the night; resigned to a life of suffering and isolation. 

There must be something she could do, she thought. She closed a gloved fist around the ring. She was Ladybug, and if she put her mind to it, there was nothing she couldn't do.  

-----------

A week later the press learned about the upcoming wedding. Adrien and Lila both left school for home-school. The press and the general public ate up the news story about star-crossed lovers that met in school and became inseparable. It didn’t help that the class kept commenting about how good they were for each other. 

Marinette resisted an urge to gag whenever she caught the sound of the vicious lies and propaganda.  She was asked for comment only once but chose to refuse. It didn’t earn her any popularity in class. Luckily, she convinced Nadia to stop a nasty side-story about her jealousy from being published. 

No closer to a plan, she despondently continued to push through her life without her friend. She, unsurprisingly, hadn’t received a single text or call. Marinette didn’t blame Adrien; his position couldn’t be easy. A month after Adrien departed from her class, Marinette convinced her parents to also home-school her. Without a single friend, the school became a burden. Of course, her reasoning to her parents leaned into her focus on her fashion business. Which wasn’t untrue. It was starting to pick up. 

The only upside to this whole debacle was near-lack of akuma attacks. It seemed Hawkmoth found a hobby. Maybe he wrote poems? 

Nah. Not his style...

Two months after the announcement  Marinette woke to surprise guests: Adrien, his father, and Lila knocked on the bakery’s doors. The bride-to-be in an especially sour mood, as much as she tried to hide it. Gabriel appeared to be devoid of any emotions, as usual.

She seated them on the couch and asked if they would like a drink. She didn’t bother to offer food, not wanting to waste good cake on the likes of Lila and Gabriel. Although, Adrien’s thin cheeks and haunted eyes made her regret the decision. 

All of them declined the drink.

“Madame Marinette, I assume you have heard of the Wedding?” The capitalization clearly discernible in his voice. 

“Yes… Yes sir!” she corrected herself. Trying desperately to mask her disgust behind a layer of nervousness. She couldn’t risk a glance at Adrien, even if this was the first time she’d seen him since that night on the roof. Making it through the meeting would be hard enough without watching him suffer.  

“While initially, I planned to prepare the dress and suit myself, my son convinced me to give a chance to someone else to shine.” Clearly, whatever it was Adrien said, it didn’t include a polite request. “I have seen the dress you made for Rock Star Jagged Stone’s wedding, as well as the suit worn by Nadia Chamack.”

“They are designs I’m particularly proud of, sir.” 

Play the part. Play the part. Don’t send him to the hospital. Papa and Maman would be disappointed. Well, Maman would probably join me… 

Her homicidal train of thought ended as she forced a smile to appear on her face. Contrary to Lila’s stretched thin lips;  Marinette’s smile shines bright and could’ve been mistaken for genuine.

“Indeed… I’ve come to commission you to design and make the gown and the suit for the sweet couple.” He announced like it was the highest honor, but there was an amount of bile in his words Marinette used to think was reserved only for Nino.

“I… I’m… I’m honored, sir!” She beamed. The excitement only half-forced. Her moral compass told her even entertaining the proposal was wrong, but at the same time, her brain furiously flitted crafting possibilities. 

Gabriel nodded imperiously as if her acceptance merely added to a foregone conclusion. “Good. My assistant, Nathalie, will sort out the details. Lex Luthor agreed to pay for the pieces as his wedding gift, so do not be afraid to ask for full price.” He informed her t as if he believed she would give him a discount. 

For a moment, a singular reckless moment, Marinette entertained the temptation to voice her thoughts about Gabriel being cheap. 

She sighed, no, there would be another day for career suicide. The group rose to leave, and Marinette finally glanced at Adrien; his model-trained smile paper-thin. He caught her eyes, and if he radiated sadness two months ago, it didn’t hold a candle to the devastation swimming in his eyes. The exchange broke when Lila gripped a hand tight around his arm and dragged him to the door. 

Gabriel handed her a card, and the group departed. Marinette collapsed onto the couch, the makings of a headache building in her skull. 

This would be awful.  

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

A week later Marinette held a separate meeting, consisting of Nathalie, Lila, Lila’s mother, and Adrien’s aunt. And her, obviously. 

She first asked what kind of dress Lila wanted.

Lila’s eyes lit up in an unholy glee; and she started talking. 

And talking. 

And talking. 

And talking. 

After the long and painstakingly thorough description, Marinette felt faint. Several reasons contributed to that, although the most prominent were the materials, the design, and the way she spoke. Obviously Lila had feelings, the kind likely to trigger an oncoming Auma attack if Hawkmoth hadn’t pranced off to who knows where, about Marinette designing her dress. 

Marinette was happy Adrien’s aunt pointed out the request’s complete madness, but Lila’s mother waved it off, quick to declare only minor adjustments to the request would be needed. 

In the end, Marinette presented several dozen designs, both hers and foreign to have a basis on which she could work. Lila, of course, chose the one that would be hardest to make.

“I’m sorry none of your designs were good, Marinette…” The liar cooed with faked sorrow. She hid a smirk the designer could clearly see. 

The notion was born because it was a picture and not a sketch. 

Marinette smirked, and rose from the couch, ignoring Lila’s irritated scowl at her non-reaction.  

She liked it even less when the girl brought in the ready-made dress. 

“I made it as the first design for Penny Rolling’s wedding, based on Uncle Jagged’s suggestions. I should’ve known Penny didn’t approve of his idea, but…” she waved it off.

Lila, now actively glaring at her, sat back on the couch. All of which was mistaken for amazement by the adults.

Marinette ignored the girl’s dramatics, it was the only way she’d survive this meeting intact. “Of course, there still needs to be several adjustments and personalizations. I will also need to order the amber you requested. And the platinum thread. And the white gold. And probably an industrial-grade 3-D printer… Is that covered by the expenses?” She looked at Nathalie, who nodded. “Great! I will need just a moment.” 

The women watched as Marinette practically leaped at her notebook and added in adjustments to the sketch. Fifteen minutes later, when she presented a new design, impressing them all (sans Lila, obviously) with the flowing lines and intricate details. They praised her talent (even Natalie), and Marinette played the bashful young designer role to a tee. The liar kept glaring though. She couldn’t back away easily, since she already made a scene about wanting that specific dress. Marinette informed them beforehand she would need to know about her specific wishes before she made any adjustments. 

The final design looked pretty much exactly what Lila wanted though, but she didn’t want to give her nemesis the satisfaction. Her entourage did enough of this. 

Under the cover of being too emotional, they ended the meeting. Nathalie remained to finish the deal and sign the contract. 

After all of them left, Marinette collapsed onto her chair. An hour later a notification from her bank came. She received the first half of the payment. When finished, the dress would officially be the most expensive wedding dress to date. Blessed be Lex Luthor and his deep pocket. She chuckled, remembering how much the billionaire got kidnapped because of his money.

Then, an idea shined in her head.

Oh. 

Oh...

She took off her earrings and dismissed Tikki, promising she needed a quick chat with Plagg about a new potential holder. When Marinette put on the ring, the Kwami of destruction popped back into existence. 

“So… figured out how to help my chosen?” he asked. 

What Tikki didn’t know was when Marinette said she intended to discuss potential holders for Plagg, they really worked on a way to save Adrien. It was their secret since Tikki would most likely disapprove. They didn’t want to risk her disappointment in them. Not until they crafted a fleshed out full-proof plan. 

She nodded. “I have an idea. Let’s hire someone to kidnap him!” 

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Did they hit you on the head, pigtails?”

“No. But look, the problem is whatever we come up with, Adrien ends up blamed or we land ourselves in jail, right?” The Kwami nodded. “So… if we make sure it’s a very public kidnapping and he disappears, we can stash him away until the heat dies down. After we dye his hair and apply fast-tan, he will look different enough no one will connect the two. I’m pretty sure I could get my hands on fake documents if I tried hard enough…” she trailed off thinking of all the minutiae to coordinate to pull this off. 

It would be hard. 

But it would be worth it. 

Plagg slowly nods. “Okay… Somehow, that both makes no sense and seems perfectly legitimate. It’s also your most chaotic plan to date, Pigtails. Let’s do it!” The Kwami cheered, happy to be soon reunited with his chosen kitten. “But what about the costs!”

Marinette already had an answer in mind for that question. “Even after I subtract the costs of materials and other supplies, the payment for the dress, together with my savings, will be more than enough. Now… let’s go wake Tikki up.”

That… ended with the Kwami of Creation vomiting a pile of handcuffs and other police gear at Marinette. 

“Um… Why?”

The little red Kwammi placed her paws on her hips. “Because you should familiarize yourself with those if you plan on going to prison for that plan. It’s no longer just a phone theft, Marinette! You’re talking about breaking more laws than I can count!” She dropped to the pillow below, bemoaning about where she went wrong. 

Marinette scooped up her wayward friend and tried to reassure her. “I just need to be careful. I’m pretty sure I can do it without detection. Maman taught me how to not be seen on the internet. Or in general. Come on. I need to order a secure laptop.”

“I will help!” Plagg offered. “I can cataclysm the internet after you do your thing.”

“What?! No! Think of the cute cat pictures!” Marinette protested. “And video games.” 

“Relax! It’ll just remove any trace of you doing anything online in the several hours or so…” He calmed her.

Tikki trailed after them, a bundle of nerves and worry. “Plagg! It’s irresponsible! You can’t possibly…”

“Pigtails and I have it all under control. What’s the worst that could happen?”

---------

Turns out, a lot. 

Before Marinette put out the hit (kidnapping, she made sure that it was plain as day), she needed to set a price. That one was harder. It wasn’t like you could Google how much you needed to charge to kidnap a celebrity. At least, not without attracting a lot of unwanted attention. 

She asked her mother, under the guise of pure curiosity. It was a normal question any teenage girl asked her mother. How much does it cost to have someone killed, how much cheaper/more expensive a kidnapping is, how to acquire fake documents, that kind of stuff. Not suspicious at all. 

So absorbed in her rant, she missed a merry glint in Sabine’s eyes. She also didn’t question how her Maman knew those prices. 

Finally, she needed to fill the form. 

Assignment: Acquisition and Delivery

Asset(s): Adrien Athanase Agreste

Value: 

Here, Marinette paused. 

Her mom gave her a lengthy lecture about pricing and all. According to her, a professional would take up to fifty thousand dollars for kidnapping and bringing the target to her. Marinette decided, since Adrien was a celebrity, she should double the price. More risks involved, more reward, right? 

But, she also wanted to ensure she hired the best of the best. Compare her work to Gabriel Agreste’s, she came to the conclusion ten times the price was reasonable to ensure only the best in the field would take the job. 

Then, there was the matter of safety and so on and so on. By the end, she settled on two million dollars, as her asking price for one Adrien Agreste. Plagg sagely nodded, agreeing with her assessment. Tikki didn’t comment, as she wasn’t speaking to the two, but also seemed more accepting after spying on Adrien and Lila’s home life. Not that she revealed that tidbit to either of them, lest they drop the plan and directly go at Gabe and the Liar. 

After a few more details and boxes in the form Marinette filled until she came to the end. Only one more detail remained: 

Sponsor:

Marinette stared at the word for a moment. After a quick race of thoughts, she typed slowly. 

Sponsor: The Seamstress

Perfect. Nothing about this could go wrong.

Of course, how could she predict just how big of a mess she would make? 

----------

[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Spell Caster Pt. 1

Masterlist

Hawkmoth stood on the platform above, laughing at the two downed heroes. Ladybug and Chat laid facing each other barely able to move, exhausting shining in their eyes. They had fought long and hard but in the end he had led them into a trap, delivering hit after hit till neither could stand anymore. He had led them to his secret garden where beloved wife rested, and poor Adrien could barely keep himself together. He kept fighting, unwilling to let Hawkmoth win even if it was his father. While Marinette did her best to cover her hurting partner, he was just too much for them. Hawkmoth stood talking to Emilie as if she could hear him, going on about how he was finally going to bring her back. Ladybug shifted her gaze from Hawkmoth’s back to her partner’s eyes. Chat was crying as he stared at his best friend, knowing he hadn’t really helped in the fight.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered softly trying not to draw attention to them for as long as possible. “I’m sorry Ladybug, I should’ve helped but that-that’s my dad. I kept freezing up and I failed you.” Ladybug smiled gently, moving her arm and grabbing his hand.

“It’s not your fault Chaton.” A single tear fell from her eye as they stared at each other.

‘You need to move.’

Ladybug tensed at the voice looking around when she noticed Chat didn’t react to it. The voice was a woman's, it was soft and comforting, almost familiar.

‘You need to move now!’

She couldn’t find anybody else in the room, there was nobody but them. Yet the voice was still there, perhaps she was going crazy. It would make sense to her, especially because she couldn’t place who the voice belonged to.

‘Sweetheart, I will explain later I promise, but you must remember!’

Remember what? Why did this voice want her to remember something, couldn’t they see she was in a bit of trouble right now.

‘Ugh! Foolish girl! You are more than just Ladybug!’

Rude. Of course she was more than Ladybug, she was Marinette...she was Marinette daughter of..

‘Yes Marinette! Marinette daughter of! You are so close, remember the book!’

Marinette, she was Marinette, the book...what book, could the voice mean her spell book?

‘Yes! Yes, my little Spell Caster!’

She was Marinette, she was a spell caster. She was Marinette, and she was a spell caster. She was the daughter of Tom Dupain and Sabine-

‘Not by birth.’

Not by birth…Not by birth?! A distressed whine left her lips as she thought of her Maman, not by birth repeating in her head. Until she shoved it back focusing on her current crisis. She was Marinette and she was a Spell Caster, why hadn’t she thought of this before? She tried so hard to split Ladybug and Marinette to hide her identity that she forgot Marinette was special, if not more than Ladybug. What should she do though? She could alter his mind, but would it work? Would the Miraculous Gods affect her powers? Perhaps she could try an illusion?

“Chat, what was she like? Your mother.” Chat looked surprised as a gentle smile crossed his face.

“She was amazing, soft spoken, always so gentle and warm. She hated violence but she never backed down when it came to her family. She’d...she’d never want this to happen.” Chat broke as more tears fell and he held her hand tightly, barely even able to find the strength to.

“ Do you trust me?” She whispered as Hawkmoth began walking towards them. She’d need him in order to pull this illusion off. She’d need to see his memories. Chat nodded weakly, not willing to look away from her.

“Yes” She smiled and her dark blue eyes shifted into an unnatural swirling lavender.

“eciov reh raeh em tel.” Soon Emilie's soft and melodic voice graced her ear. Perfect, now the illusion will trick him.

‘That’s my Spell Caster.’

Who even is this voice, no no focus, she needs to create the illusion.

‘Silly girl.’

Hey! This voice seriously needed to stop distracting her. She turned her head slightly looking past Hawkmoth, and ignoring the smug smirk that she wanted nothing more than to punch off his face. Very hard.

“trapa mih raet reh evah efiw sih mih wohs.” She watched as an angry vision on Emilie appeared behind him looking as if she had sat up from her high tech coffin. Yes, coffin, the woman was dead, soul long gone and she didn’t have to be a daughter of Hades to know that. Daughter of Hades? What? What is she talking about?

‘Soon my child, soon.’

Who even was this voice! Later, she promised herself focusing on finalizing the illusion.

“Gabriel Agreste.” The same melodic voice called out, but instead of a soft and loving tone it was stern and angry. Hawkmoth turned immediately, staring at the vision of his wife in mute shock and disbelief. “What in the world are you doing!

‘I have called in a favor, one that will help you.’

Ugh, this voice popped in at the worst time. At least they were trying to help her though. She watched as Emilie’s illusion shifted slightly and it took her only a second to realize that it was more than an illusion now. No that was Emilie, just not her in body it was her, her soul.

‘Yes my child.’

She let out a wobbly grin as Emile began tearing into her husband. She squeezed Chat’s hand briefly hoping Emilie’s soul would be here long enough to say goodbye to her son. His eyes moved away from his mom’s form back to Ladybug’s.

“I will explain everything, I promise Chat. After this, no more secrets.”

She turned her attention back on Hawkmoth staring at his back intently. How could she get his miraculous? She was exhausted already so it couldn’t be anything complicated. Not to mention they’d need to get out of the lair after she took it. Summoning and a transportation spell, not a good combination when magically and physically exhausted. This left her in a very tough situation.

‘Someone is coming for you. You are too weak right now, the summoning spell will knock you out. Tell your partner to trust the one that comes from the shadows.’

Someone is coming? How can she know to trust them, just because a voice told her? Ugh, this was too difficult. Very well, tell Chat to trust the one from the shadows and then summon the butterfly Miraculous. She’d already taken the Peacock from Nathalie when they fought her earlier, so all that left was Hawkmoth’s.

“Chat, trust the one that comes from the shadows.”

“What? Ladybug-”

“Please Chat, trust me?”

“Always. Milady.”

“Then trust the one that comes from the shadows.”

“Okay.”

“Good. Suolucarim ylfrettub eht nommus i.”

The Miraculous immediately came to her hand but she didn’t get to celebrate as she began to see black spots. Her transformation dropped and she didn’t even get to enjoy Chat’s shocked face. Soon everything faded to dark with only parting words from the strange voice.

‘You and your partner are safe now my Spell Caster.’

She barely remembered what happened when she came to for the first time, everything was blurry as she panicked. Waking up in an unfamiliar room with someone she could barely see standing above her. Marinette threw a messy punch at the blonde above her, just barely missing even in her state. She lurched to throw herself off the bed but Will stopped her pulling her back onto it and talking softly. It did not help her at all and she didn’t stop panicking until Tikki flew in front of her face. Marinette took deep breaths staring at dearest friend. Will began pulling out new bandages getting ready to fix everything messed up in her panic. He was stopped by Marinette’s hand, she gave a weak smile as their eyes met. “Sorry…” She whispered out accent strong before falling back into the darkness.

Sun was directly in her eyes this time and she whimpered until it was blocked. Eyes meeting yet another stranger and instead of their stunning blue were a bright orange. She let out a distressed whine but did not move, Tikki was pressed against her neck. She was safe, even in the company of a stranger. Percy glanced at the door wishing for Will to magically appear before lifting the girl's head slightly holding a straw to her lips. “Drink please, it’ll help I swear.” He whispered trying to comfort her. Marinette took small sips, eyes changing to a soft and soothing blue at the taste of her favorite toasted white chocolate with triple espresso coffee. She glared when he pulled the straw away from her, causing Percy to laugh softly. He ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to be comforting. “I know, I know but too much will hurt you.” Her eyes watered slightly at the comfort.

“The voice didn’t lie.” She said softly, leaning into his hand. He quirked an eyebrow leaning closer to hear her. “The voice said we’d be safe, and we are.” Percy was silent before connecting the dots and nodding continuing to stroke her hair.

“The voice didn’t lie, you’re safe.” Marinette gave a small smile before darkness took her again.

“I can still barely believe it, Mar. The Gods are real, like real real, and you. You! You’re the daughter of one, her most powerful daughter too! I wouldn’t expect anything less of you. You’ve always been amazing in and outside of Ladybug. You’re my best friend, and-and I can’t wait for you to wake up. I need you to wake up please.” Adrien said softly, holding her hand, playing with her fingers. “I don’t know what our relationship will be. I don’t know if we’ll stay best friends or we’ll start dating. All I know is I want you in my life for the rest of my life.” Marinette squeezed his hand gently as her eyes faded to a soft pink.

“That sounds amazing, Rien.”

“Marinette!” Adrien cried out hugging her, laughter falling from both of them along with happy tears.

“Till the end?”

“Till the end.”

Percy smirked standing in the doorway, Chiron beside him as they watched the two.

“The holders of Creation and Destruction, in our camp.” Chiron mused watching the two before turning and walking toward the archery range. “This summer will be interesting won’t it.” He said ignoring Percy’s snort.

“I call training them Chiron!”

“Oh Gods help us, just what we need. Two more added to the chaos that is Percy Jackson.” Percy grinned, turning back to the two.

Yes, it would be a very interesting summer

✨Tag List Closed✨

@kanamexzeroyaoifangirl

@throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen

@athena452

@thornalchemist23

@fangirlnerd001

@witchbitch1998

@insane-fangirl-of-everything

@thewackest

@vivilikesmiraculous

[silverwhiteraven]

Wings of Broken White - Ch. 1

Tag List: @marichatmay

[ Posted on Ao3 ] [ Chapter 2 ]

[ Author’s Note: Decided to get a head-start on MariChat May this year~! It’s a Chat Blanc and Wing AU, I hope you enjoy <3 ]

[ Summary:  Wings are commonplace in the world, but, some people who have them, also lose them. So how did this miraculous duo get theirs back? ]

Gabriel watched over his young sleeping son, contemplating his decision as the melancholic rain tapped against the outside of the windows.

He could feel the sorrow, heartbreak, and confusion radiating from Adrien even as he slept, each one causing him to curl up tight and his face scrunch in pain. The beautiful wings on his back, black with each feather tipped in white like a starling's and still riddled with fluffy down-feathers, twitching with tension and anxiety. The recent news of his Mother’s disappearance had all these emotions still raw and un-soothed, something no seven year old child should ever have to endure.

Those horrible feelings, rather than deterring Gabriel, only strengthened his resolve.

The Graham de Vanily wedding band slid easily off of Gabriel’s finger, and as he clutched it in his hand, he called out for the first time in a long while, “Nooroo.. Wings Rise.”

His suit was colored in gentle lavender and soft silver details. It still looked as beautiful as the day Emilie said it made him look like a prince and inspired the name, Monarch.

The wedding band was carefully slipped onto Adrien’s finger, too big for his still young hands. But his hand clenched as it was put in place, like he had just been given a drowner’s lifeline.

Monarch then went to the window and crashed it open, summoning a little white butterfly from outside to land in his open palm. Covering it, he silently commanded for his magic to imbue into the little creature. When it was revealed once more, it’s colors now reflected his own silver and lavender. He then reapproached his son’s bedside.

It felt off, using a Blessing, imbued with positive emotions, on someone who wasn’t feeling any of the necessary feelings, only dark ones. But Monarch dismissed the concern in favor of his goal.

Gently, he set the Blessing onto the ring on Adrien’s finger and it disappeared into it.

He could feel the conflict between the good emotions inside the Blessing and the bad ones festering inside of Adrien. But the good seemed to win out as suddenly the boy was relaxing into his sheets, and his body was cocooned in glowing lavender ribbons.

When the lavender light dispersed, there was someone a little different left in Adrien’s place. This boy had hair white as snow, and when his eyes slightly fluttered and then closed again, Monarch saw glacial blue instead of spring green. Another glance revealed that the beautiful dark wings of Adrien were nowhere to be seen, not even a feather left behind.

“White Rose,” Monarch whispered, the flicker of a lavender butterfly outline hovering before his Champion’s face. “You have a desire to see your Mother again, and make your Father happy like he once was. No one should suffer because of something that was meant for good but had been broken and only caused pain. So I give you the power to save those who have been harmed by that broken item, and restore what is meant to be.”

A beat of silence and another fluttering of blue eyes, but White Rose did not stir.

The outline flickered again, and then it was gone like a popped fuse.

Monarch, confused, tried to establish the connection when he felt it fizzle out. But he received nothing. Worried, he reached out to the Blessing directly and tried to pull at it. It didn’t budge, instead, it seemed to fight back. Pain split through Monarch’s head and he gasped, stumbling back.

He had lost connection and control to his own Blessing and Champion.

Monarch realized now why he shouldn't have mixed his magic with the darker emotions that were not meant to be touched by the light of a Blessing. He was uncertain he would be able to retrieve the Blessing at all now, not without breaking the ring he held dearly.

So instead, he gently opened White Rose’s hand and pulled the Graham de Vanily ring from his finger.

“Wings Fall, Nooroo.” As soon as Gabriel was back to himself, he slid the ring back onto his own finger. “I will keep this safe for you, Adrien, until you are ready.” He turned to walk away before pausing, glancing back with sympathy and regret.

“Please be okay. I can’t lose you, too.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Marinette was born with small fluffy wings on her back. Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng were wing-less, so it was reasonable that they were taken by surprise when their child inherited genes they themselves had not.

Tom liked to call her their little croissant because her soft fledgling wings held the golden-browned color of baked bread. Sabine told him it wouldn't stick, and they had no clue what color her mature feathers would take on. And Marinette’s mother was correct.

As their daughter grew, so too did her wings. The soft baked gold greyed and the soft down was slowly covered by sleek feathers. Soon enough her wingspan became larger, almost outdoing her own height from wingtip to wingtip.

It wasn’t until she was eight, when her wings were finally mature enough for flight, that Tom and Sabine were able to say for certain where her wings had come from in the family tree.

“She’s going to have the wingspan of a Common Crane like your mother,” Sabine chuckled as she watched little Marinette squeak as she fumbled to catch a stack of trays she knocked off a shelf with her wings.

“Yes, she is a marvelous little Crane, isn’t she?” Tom chuckled. “She already has that beautiful grey ombre of a Demoiselle like your great-Grandmother.”

“You're right! She even has those lovely and decoratively long tertiary feathers, too.”

“I thought only boy birds had fancy feathers,” Tom teased his wife.

She elbowed him gently and laughed. “You already know it’s disproved that humans don’t follow the same patterns as birds, Tom, we never have. Anyone can find beauty in another’s feathers.”

“Or lack of,” he adds on, kissing his wife atop her head and causing her to nod and laugh.

Marinette continued to grow, wings and all. When she was nine, she found a new passion in knitting, crochet, embroidery, and sewing. She had loved to draw since she was a toddler, but these new crafts allowed her to bring her imagination to life.

At ten, she purchased her first magazine. The cover featured a white haired and wingless boy her own age, the article titled: `For the FIRST TIME EVER, the public eye meets the MUSE and SON of Gabriel Agreste!’

Tom and Sabine got a good laugh out of the fact that she completely ignored the boy and the article, “She hasn’t hit a boy-crazy faze, thank goodness,” and instead only looked at the fashion and design related pages.

Unfortunately, they also would later witnessed Marinette begin to go through some social rough patches as well, and she vented it through her creations. Something she had meant to show off turned into a source of bullying on her very first day of secondary school, collège, when she was eleven. Marinette had been researching and learning fashion’s history around wings. She learned that higher beauty standards from the upper social classes meant that some people would often bind their wings as a way to keep their postures straight and elegant. She also learned there were ways to hide one’s wings below their clothing, techniques differing from wing-type to wing-type and body-type to body-type.

So during the summer break after her last day of primary school, preparing herself for her first days of secondary school, Marinette set out to make a wing-binder for herself. She succeeded in making two different types in her multiple attempts.

The first one she made was a simple netting, a style and technique that had been around for thousands of years. The netting was intended to slide underneath and between the feathers to rest perfectly out of sight. It’s use ranged from simple posture enhancement, to flight prevention in those who might injure themselves if they tried to fly when they were not ready.

The second type she made was actually more of a corset style, as it would wrap around the torso as well, not just the wings themselves. This style was one intended for hiding wings completely from sight, with the assistance of the proper style of clothing to layer over it. She had made two of this type, one each for two different ways to hide the wings.

The first was basic and classic, her wings meant to be held tight against her back with the ends of her wingtips made to drop down to the back of her legs. This one was best suited to be paired with tight shirts, loose pants, and an over-shirt, shawl, or jacket.

The second was more lax but harder to keep in position for long amounts of time. Her wings were to be spread, dipping under her arms and either over her chest or under her bust, whichever was more comfortable and-or suited the binding’s cut. This style was best paired with a dress or a loose shirt and skirt.

Marinette wanted to wear one of the wing-corsets, hoping to see a few of her friends from primary school and surprise them with her new ability to change her appearance. Sabine and Tom supported her in her excitement. Wanting her to have a comfortable day, they suggested she use the style that wraps her wings around her, especially since it looked like it might rain, and her wings would keep her warm.

When she returned home for lunch, she seemed tired and a little wet from the weather, but happy. Marinette explained that the Mayor’s daughter herself attended Collège Françoise Dupont with her, and was excited to get to know her. She had also seen Nino, Alix, and Kim, but none of her other old friends. The three that were there had been surprised, though, so she was overjoyed to have gotten their reactions and awe. She even asked them to keep her wings a secret so she could surprise the rest of the class with them later.

When Marinette went back to school for the rest of the day, the Dupain-Cheng couple were happy for their daughter. But neither one knew the news of the Mayor’s child would turn out to be bad luck for their precious daughter and her beautiful wings.

[fumikomiyasaki]

♟️ And 🖤 for anyone you want? :3c

🖤 For a Reaction to Your Muse seeing my muse transform

"Is that all you got." Gabriele put her Sword behind her Back, after she casted her Last spell on Despoina, causing this win to Go to her.

"So it really is like that... I'll Show you." She stood Up with a big grin, as Gabriele noticed that Something seemed Off.

She stepped Back as Despoina lit Up Most of the room in a fire. Daire, who was watching the Fight managed to Push Tesa Out of instinct away from the fire...

"So you really pushed yourself this far...and Here I thought it would end differently and I could reach Out to you.... I Wish it wouldn't have come to this.... But I guess as Dorm Leader it is my duty to Strike you down."

"Sister..." Daires tears Fell as Gabriele walked to him and Put a Hand on His shoulder.

"Listen, we will get her Back... I promise. Maybe... This will be our true Chance to save her."

She faced him with a Smile and walked up to Despoina.

"I am ready."

♟️  For a Situation where my Muse has to fight yours

"Listen to me Junko." Emma cried Out after trying to reach Out to Junko.

"Don't Touch me." Junko continued to Push her away...

Emma stand Up with a weak Smile.

"Guess If you won't listen to me normally, I will make you listen... "

She walks Up to her dorm mates Peko who hid scared behind one of the chairs.

"Can I borrow the dorm wand?"

"O-of course..."

Emma grabed the Microphone shaped Wand and begann to sing a lullaby. With it Casting her Magic against Junko.

She shouted to her dorm mates surrounding her.

"I will sing my Song and you Guys Help me, I can strengthen you. Please only do enough spells so we get her unconcious..."

As she shouted the Others got ready.

"This will be the Song I wrote for you and never got to Show you.... Listen Well Junko and remember my Love for you..."

[ali-kitkat]

Audacity Ch 4

First     Previous 

The room was silent for a moment before Jason erupted with laughter, falling over and landing on the floor. Marinette didn’t spare him a second glance as Damian retrieved the ring.

“No offence Pixie Pop, but you’re not exactly terrifying as is. Also how exactly is a ring supposed to help ‘rip him a new asshole’ as you put it?” Jason asked, composing himself as Damian tossed the ring to her. she slipped the ring on and closed her eyes before the flash of light blinded her.

“Hey pigtails.” A nasally voice spoke sheepishly.  

“Hello Plagg.” She replied softly, holding out her hand for him to land on. The mutters from the boys were quite funny to hear, but her focus was on reassuring Plagg. “It’s not your fault Adrien betrayed us.”

“He was my kitten, bug. I should’ve known something was going on when he started to clam up with me.” Plagg cried, lowering himself into her hand. His words became unrecognizable as he blubbered about Adrien’s failings.

“What the fuck is that?”

“He is what is going to help me with Adrien. The miraculous are magic, and they’re powered by kwamis. Plagg here is the kwami of destruction and bad luck. Adrien originally held the ring, before he, you know, recreated the timeline.” She answered.

“Plagg, what say you? Are you up for a little revenge?” Marinette grinned. It was feral and unsettling which caused the boys to take a step back. Plagg, grinned back just as feral; the boys, with a silent look, decided that messing with Marinette was bound to get you maimed.

“Hold up, this thing—” Jason started.

“He’s a kwami.” Marinette said, cutting him off as Plagg hissed in his direction.

“My bad, the kwami can help you how? Also how exactly did Adrien rewrite the universe?” He continued.

“When used properly and depending on which miraculous are combined they can manipulate time, emotions, and bend the fabric of reality. Plagg here can help me transform when I say a particular phrase.” She explained, the grin still in place.

“A phrase? Can you demonstrate?” Dick asked, his family nodded their heads in agreement. Their curiosity peaked; magic was always an interesting thing to see.

“Close your eyes, when transforming the miraculous gives out the same light as when it’s been activated, similar to the one you all saw before.” Marinette gave confirmation and gestured for them to move back. After they all had taken a step back, she spoke. “Plagg, transform me!”

The flash of light was over and when she looked down at the suit, she saw how different it was from the first time she wore it. Her chest was more armored, and the gloves were weighted around the knuckles, and when she flexed her fingers the claws came out. She had actual boots this time! They were steel toed with metatarsal guards; they were heavier. The damage she could deal was eliciting a small squeal from her. Which had caused the others to open their eyes.

“Oh shit. Did she get a pair SAP gloves?”

Glancing at each of their faces was interesting, Tim and Dick were shocked. They had a little fear in their eyes as well. Jason was smiling, except he wasn’t looking at her; his eyes were trained on Damian. His mouth hung low and his eyes, which had been relieved of the mask, were wide like she had personally spun the universe.

“Close your mouth Demon Spawn, you’re going to catch flies.” Jason teased. Damian broke out of his stupor to glare at him as the other brothers started cackling. “You know, we didn’t think that Bruce’s taste in women was genetic, but this proves that theory wrong. Turns out you like dangerous women just as much as he does.”

“Todd, I swear to god—”

“Alright boys that’s enough. Jason stop teasing Damian. Marinette, what exactly is your plan to get the earrings back?” Bruce cut in, interrupting the argument that was bound to end up in a fight. Though the teasing was mildly amusing.

“Adrien is unhinged at the moment. He’s going to want the ring back, but he’s also going to want to show me that he’s my knight. I’m bait.” Marinette explained.

“Is that wise to put yourself and the miraculous in a vicinity so close to him?”

“Probably not, but I know I’m not letting him get away with what he did. He’s obsessed with me and that’s a weakness I can exploit, which means I’ve got a higher chance of winning. His desperation won’t win him any favors.”

*~*~*~*

The plan had been simple, Marinette was to take to the rooftops in order to lure Adrien out. Paris hadn’t seen the heroes since the timeline was rewritten and seeing a girl running around on the roofs of Paris was bound to gain some eyes. Especially since she was laughing as she did so. She had been out for an hour at most before Adrien had made his appearance.

“Ah, there you are milady.”

“Tsk, not your lady. You know that.”

“You will be when I get that ring. Give it back.” He growled, lunging for her. A wild look in his eyes as he did so. She ducked under his arms, kicking him in the back of the knees as she did so. He fell to the ground in a daze.

“Aw are things not going your way,” She taunted. “Is someone getting a little hissy? Catch me if you can.” She took off. The next step of the plan was to have Adrien follow her, which wouldn’t be hard if the desperate look in his eyes was any indication.

She knew the rooftops well. As did he, but the head start she had put her well out of reach. Not enough that he couldn’t spot her silhouette though. Hearing the yo-yo behind her swing out she changed her direction and slid down the angled roof. Her plan was off to a great start and it was simple, she was the bait, and Damian and his family were the babysitters so to speak. Not for her but for when she took the earrings from Adrien.

Adrien followed her through Paris, he had almost grabbed her by the ankle. Only deterred by her extending the baton and slamming it onto his hand.

*~*~*~*

She landed in the area she chose. It was abandoned, an empty factory. A place worthy for a final showdown she mused. She stood tall and stared up at Adrien.

He tackled her as he descended, knocking her to the ground. A little out of breath she twisted in his hold, rearing her back into his. Effectively headbutting him in the face and knocking him loose, off of her. Standing she punched him, hitting him in the stomach and hearing an exhale of air. He inhaled quickly while she snatched the yo-yo from his waist, stretching his legs out her knocked hers out from under her.

She quickly caught herself, he knocked her down again just as she stood back on two feet. She grabbed the baton from the square of her back and extended it into him, throwing him away from her. She retracted the baton before he could get a chance to grab it. Flinging the yo-yo in the air she pulled herself onto a beam above him. She threw the yo-yo again, this time at him, lassoing it around his feet pulling them out from under him. She pulled him up into the air, using the beam as a pulley and jumped down to face him.

“It’s over Adrien.” She said staring him in the eyes. He was glaring at her and swinging his body towards hers.

“It’s not over until I get that ring.” He snarled. “I told you. You are mine and that’s not changing.”

“It is.” She sighed. Taking the baton in her other hand, she hit him across the face with it knocking him out. Letting the yo-yo slip out of her hand she let his limp body hit the ground. The yo-yo dematerialized as she removed the earrings from his ears.

A memory resurfaced as she de-transformed and Plagg landed on her head. If my mother had never slipped into that coma then my father never would have become Papillion. Curses had begun to spill from her lips as she paced in front of Adrien’s unconscious form. There was a low whistle from her left, turning she saw Damian and his family.

“Damn it, he still has another two miraculous.” She said, slipping the earrings onto her earlobes. Tikki had materialized in front of her and flew directly into her cheek. Cupping the kwami in her hands, she let her cry her relief at being freed from Adrien.

“What do mean another two?”

“The miracle box has a variety of miraculous in it, but Fu, the guardian, lost two when he fled from the temple in Tibet, the butterfly and the peacock miraculous.” She explained while rifling through Adrien’s pockets finding nothing. “Gabriel never would have become Papillion if Emilie hadn’t slipped into a coma in the previous timeline. Papillion had an ally called Mayura, who now that I think about it, I’m sure is Nathalie Sancoeur. That never happened here, so that means Adrien either has the two missing miraculous or Fu does. Hand me some zip-ties. I don’t want Adrien to do anything stupid when he wakes up.”

Tim handed her a pair, setting Adrien’s arms behind his back she zip-tied his wrists as tightly as she could. Snagging another from Damian she did his ankles next, she was still pissed at him after all.

*~*~*~*

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[roses-symphony]

Probably almost all of you know how much I love Gucci, their Ideas and philosophy so, I guess you should’ve seen this post coming.

For the non italian followers (which should be 90% of my followers) this dude stage name is Achille Lauro. Born in the 90′s. He is considered a “Rapper” but to me he’s more of a POP/PUNK icon.

This year he got on Sanremo (the italian music song contest) with a Song named “Me ne Frego” (meaning “I don’t care”) and all his looks were created by Gucci’s artistic director Alessandro Michele based on the idea of Lauro of showing a life of just “not caring”, doing what people want to without a negative side to this idea.

He said that during this journey we’d meet 4 Characters, each of them represented by a Wolf, A Thunder, a Mask and a Crown. I didn’t guess even one right and that is extremely amazing because it means they weren’t predictable; everything was so well thought that it was impossible to understand it before he showed it to us.

I. Night - SAN FRANCESCO

San Francesco was the son of a very rich man who, in order to follow God’s call and help the poor, he got rid of his Noble Man Cape and remained naked, giving up to all his wealth and privileges.

Lauro gets on stage with a Gucci custom made black velvet cape, all embroidered in gold. He walks the stage barefoot and, at the climax of his song, he takes off the cape remaining with a body suit covered in crystals (of course he couldn’t get there naked xD)

Beside the symbolic meaning of solidarity to the minors and the ones in need, I want to focus on the clothes ofc. The cape was extremely beautiful, elegante, regal, the pearls and the studs made it look even more expensive. When he undressed, he showed us this bodysuit which was surprisingly fitting him very nicely. Nobody could see that happen.

As always, beside Lauro, there is his guitarist and friend Boss Doms. He was wearing a Burgundy suit with a blush pink turtle neck and red eye make up. He was looking stunning, totally uncoordinated with Lauro outfit YET perfectly matching.

II. Night - ZIGGY STARDUST

This character was created by David Bowie and it’s the representation of a rebellious soul, emblem of absolute artistic and sexual freedom and of non toxic masculinity.  As I said in my post about the Men Gucci FW Show, for this season Michele goal was, in fact, killing toxic masculinity and this idea perfectly matched Lauro performance.

During this night, He sang a cover of a song by Mia Martini, called “Gli uomini non cambiano” (”Men never change”); he sang it using all female nouns and, on his ig page, he posted an handwritten letter addressing it to “Disgusting Fifty years old homophobic men” saying that he knows those people too well due to his past and that he now wants to be rebellious and go against them, making peace with this femininity and when they ask him why he wears female things, he just replies “I’m becoming a Lady”.

The song was very touching, I suggest you listening to it, but back to the outfit: He has an emerald green satin suit, all custom made (on the left arm you can see a patch with his name embroidered on it), a striped shirt with a 80′s style collar and a glittery tie. His makeup and hairstyle is exactly the same as Ziggy Stardust  and, once again, i want to compliment the makeup artist for the amazing Job. Probably this was the most “complete” look.

Boss Doms is, once again, in a suit. Blue with red details. he’s wearing a tiara from the last Gucci Cruise collection and on his face there are tears made of stardust. One again, completely different, amazingly matching.

III. Night - MARCHESA LUISA CASATI STAMPA

She was a very popular woman who became the muse of a lot of artist during her era. She was the lover of the poet Gabriele D’annunzio. She was eccentric and without any boundaries. They say that she used to walk at night at Piazza San Marco in Venice completely naked, with just a fur on her shoulders (sometimes walking a jaguar with her) and having a servant lighting her so that everybody could admire her.

She had many lovers, she was very “free” even in the sexual aspect of her life so, once again, we see the concept of freedom being strongly represented in Lauro performance.

She was known mostly for having sponsored many artists and collected every sort of art since her home was full of art and exotic things (even animals); people used to say that she  was walking art herself thanks to the makeup and dresses she used to wear

Lauro gets on stage with a head piece made of feathers, diamonds and  studs (that wasn’t custom made, it was used in last year fashion week); he wore Gucci stockings embroiled with black diamonds in the shape of the typical “GG” the logo; on top of it an organza cape. 

The best pieces were the glove which held two Gucci Lipsticks (one of which he used to put on himself and his friend during the song) and the pointy leather boots that, once again, had his name printed inside. The best part, to me, of this look was the makeup. It was a shiny black/red shadow, which contoured all his eyes, making him look somehow vampire-ish.

At his side, Boss Doms with an amazing velvet Jacket and elegant black slacks, a Pussy Bow pink shirt and the most beautiful smokey eyes I’ve ever seen in my life.  I might be wrong here but I think that, in this case, he should have represented the servant that walked Miss Casati around Venice, but maybe I am Wrong.

IV. Night - QUEEN ELISABETH I THE VIRGIN QUEEN

For the last night, he got inspired by the Virgin Queen, married to her country, who fought for arts, freedom and died without wanting any medication and being a queen up to her last day, never abdicating.

The velvet pants, along with the red boots and the pearls makeup, have been shown on Gucci runways already, but they were able to put all together in order to create the perfect representation of the character.

Boss Doms was wearing a beautiful embroidered jacket (I guess they were Chinese dragons but I can’t see it properly), He was wearing shorts, giving a very strong AC/DC vibe to his look. He had a matching makeup with pearls on his temples and jaw and, around his eyes, he had holographic fake lashes.

Being the last night, they went even further on stage, completing it with a kiss (as they actually always do during every performance they have).

So, my final thoughts:

First thing first, I want to underline the fact that not even one of the nights the look they showed gave out a “costume” vibe; they were pure outfits, stage outfits which, every time, enchanted one of the aspect of the song. 

Lauro never looked “ridiculous” or like “too femminine”, he looked powerful, serious, without any limit. They represented freedom, freedom of being whoever you want, having the power to fight all those boomers who kept on attaching them, who kept on criticizing them.

During today interview, when somebody told him that he should have focused more on the song rather than the “look” he answered that he has a project, and the song was just a tool to deliver the message of his project. He didn’t want to win the festival, he just wanted to be remembered.

And he did.

I think he should be really thankful to all his creative staff, to Alessandro Michele who believed in him as an ambassador of this same message and I do really really hope to see more collaborations like this because he’s a very sensitive soul, he is a great gentleman, he never yells, he never replies in an angry way and he has a very kind smile. And this world needs more kindness and more beauty.

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: The Rebellion of Adrien Agreste, ch. 16

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Luka Couffaine, Lila Rossi/karma, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/aneurism, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi, Plagg & Tikki

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Lila Rossi, Jagged Stone, Plagg, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine, Penny Rolling, Anarka Couffaine, Rose Lavillant, Juleka Couffaine, Kagami Tsurugi, Alya Césaire, Chloé Bourgeois, Wayhem, Nadja Chamack, Nathalie Sancoeur, Sabine Cheng, Tom Dupain, Tikki, Fang, Principal Damocles, Caline Bustier, Ms. Mendeleiev, original minor character, Alec Cataldi, Lila Rossi’s Mother, Sabrina Raincomprix, Roger Raincomprix, Mylène Haprèle, Le Gorille | Adrien Agreste’s Bodyguard, Nino Lahiffe, Nooroo

Tags: Lila Rossi salt, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Teenage Rebellion, Swearing, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Crack Treated Seriously, Lila Rossi’s Lies Are Exposed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Luka Couffaine Needs a Hug, Paparazzi, Parentification, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Gabriel Agreste Needs an Aneurism, Uncle Jagged Stone, we’re all queer here, the spirit of punk is sometimes just being allowed to be yourself, Kagami Finds Her Groove, punk rock fashion, Savage Kagami, Marinette protection squad, Good Parent Sabine Cheng, Good Parent Tom Dupain, Protective Kagami Tsurugi, Protective Luka Couffaine, Bisexual Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Pansexual Luka Couffaine, Sharing a Bed, Pet Names, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Instagram, Bullying, Social Media, Anxiety, Makeover, Hugs, will cure your acne, Face Punching, Bad Ass Juleka Couffaine, Rumors, Protective Juleka Couffaine, Protective Adrien Agreste, Lawyers, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Holding Hands, accountability, mental health, Jagged Stone’s well-paid pet shark, How to Make the Evening News, Sexy eyeliner for days, one fish two fish Lila is a screwed fish, How to have fun and piss Gabriel off, Fuckery, sweet litigious karma, Alya sugar, lawyer shark doo doo doo doo doo doo, Schadenfreude, Bad Ass Alya Césaire, Gaslighting, abuse denormalization, Jagged likes his lawyers like he likes his pets: toothy af, Blood in the Water, Everything you didn’t know you wanted and some things you did, Gabriel Agreste is shark bait, Denial, Consequences, Principal Damocles salt, caline bustier salt, the impotence of Gabriel Agreste, snarky Nooroo, lies and the lying liars who tell them, Lila’s brain is a narcissistic hellscape, Lila’s mind is built like an Escher piece, Alec Cataldi salt, Adrien Sugar, wholesome salt, Fu Salt, Kwami Shenanigans, Nooroo is a little shit

Summary: Kwami Omake

Notes: This is the last chapter already written, and next week is finals week at my institution, so I won’t have time to write more just yet. I’ve been getting in snatches of paragraphs for a different fic (for The Untamed), but I now feel more motivation for this fic. Some crap went down a few months ago and made writing for ML hard for a while. As it turns out, wonderful people creating fanart for it is inspiring af.

AO3 link

Chapters 1-2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

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

Tikki was almost falling asleep after the excitement of the morning when suddenly Plagg was in Marinette’s bag with her. She only barely managed to stop from letting out a startled cry.

“Plagg!” she hissed, glaring. “If my holder—”

“That’s why we need to go talk somewhere else, Sugarcube.”

Plagg was, at least, keeping his voice down. Small favors.

She scowled. “We’re not tempting Mme. Mendeleiev again. It was bad enough last time!”

He rolled his eyes. “Ugh, fine. We stay in the walls and floors until we find an empty room.”

“You had best hope there isn’t an Akuma Alert while we’re gone.”

It was unlikely, given that Marinette hadn’t had a chance to purify the Akuma Mme. Mendeleiev had captured. She likely wouldn’t even notice Tikki was gone, as Alya was sticking to her like glue, still occasionally crying when her guilt overflowed.

They did have to have a conversation—their holders had managed to get rid of the threat of the liar, but there were other issues to address. Namely the way his holder’s father was likely to react to what was happening as it continued. It wouldn’t do for Chat Noir to be on lockdown, after all.

They were able to make their way to the locker room and into an empty locker without any issue.

“Have you been reading the news?” Plagg asked once they had ascertained they wouldn’t be discovered. “Good ol’ Gabe tried to fire Lila a second time. Forgot he already had, I guess.”

Tikki frowned, not sure whether that was a good development. “So he’s irrational over it?”

Plagg snorted contemptuously. “When’s he not irrational, is more the question. Just more so than usual. My kid deals with way too much shit from that man.”

She was well aware of that, having heard enough through Marinette, who had always wondered how to help—both Adrien and Chat Noir, at that, since she was aware both had awful home lives but had no idea they were the same home life.

In many ways, Gabriel Agreste’s latest act of assholery was a blessing in disguise if it finally made Plagg’s holder snap and actively seek help. The boy was far too passive, and it was nice to see him finally put his foot down.

That it had involved an attempt to force him to date his “muse” the Liar was beyond the pale and more than a little creepy, in Tikki’s eyes. Sure, in some centuries their holders and all their friends would be married with kids by now, but allowing kids to grow more was a civilized move and a boon of modern society.

“If he likes her so much, he can date her,” Plagg commented.

Tikki had to suppress a smile at how in tune he was with her thoughts, truly her other half. “It’s illegal now.”

“Like Gabe cares about illegal,” Plagg scoffed. “The man’s a moral abyss. It’s shocking Adrien is such a good kid given his sire, but I guess it’s a good thing he’s had little involvement in his life beyond donating sperm.”

“Plagg!” Tikki frowned at him; that was taking it a bit far. Or at least she hoped it wasn’t that bad. “I hope you don’t talk like that around your holder.”

“I wish,” he muttered. “But no, the kid still hopes for his dad’s approval. Though from recent events that might’ve waned a bit.”

That was probably as good an opening as she was going to get.

“Recent events that might compromise your holder’s identity. His dad is obviously a loose cannon, and while it’s good the Liar was taken out, we need to counsel our holders to get the rest taken care of and their lives stabilized. Otherwise Hawkmoth could win.”

“Yeah, I know. But no Fu.”

Tikki already knew all the arguments he could bring up there, and she agreed with them. The man had trauma, certainly, but he kept making mistakes based on them that were hurting the kids. She had expected he would mentor them, not hide in his massage parlor and expect them to learn to swim on their own.

“Agreed. He’s prone to panic and bad decisions.”

Plagg looked briefly startled, but grinned. “Ah, always knew I’d create a rebel out of you, Sugarcube.”

She rolled her eyes affectionately. “I trust our judgment better, is all.”

“Been waiting a few millennia to hear you say that!”

He preened, and Tikki fixed him with an unimpressed stare.

“‘Our,’ Plagg. I know better than to trust yours alone. The dinosaurs, Atlantis…”

“Yeah, yeah. Make a few mistakes, everyone reminds you of them forever.”

Thankfully he knew better than to argue or mention her own. She hated reminders of her own failures, particularly the one that had gone beyond its target and through the millennia to the present. Tikki hadn’t expected the creation of abnormal cell growth to take on a life of its own… but maybe that was why she so rarely let herself lose her temper.

Plagg yawned widely, as though putting on a show to distract her, knowing she needed it.

Stinky Sock, always being so observant, making himself likeable.

“They’ll all be at Pigtails’ place tonight. We can plan more after we know their plan, right?”

Tikki hid a smile. “Let me guess. It’s naptime?”

He smiled. “You know me so well.”

She considered for a moment.

“Mind making a pit-stop along the way? I can purify that Akuma so my holder doesn’t have to worry about it.”

“Ooo!” Plagg brightened. “I wonder if that teacher has any of that delicious magic cheese…”

“Ugh, Stinky Sock. You and your cheese!”

Still, she felt the anxiety of the day start to ease at his antics as she led the way to the science room.

As it turned out, there was cheese, and a very pleasant teacher who actually apologized for trying to capture them and wished them luck fighting Hawkmoth. She even had a cookie for Tikki.

Life was good.

[ofgoldenangel]

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

SUMMARY: Gabriel Meets Wally West at the Christmas Tree lighting and they spend a wonderful time together. With Snowball fights and Hot chocolate  TRIGGERS: None WRITTEN WITH: @fasterthanl1ght​

Gabriel: loved all these lights and happy kids faces he passed while walking through Rockefeller It was amazing to see how the humans celebrating the holiday season. He found a nice spot in front of the tree on a park bench smiling softly hearing the sounds of happy kids and movement of people. He felt eyes on him as he gave them a soft smile "Hello, Enjoying the Holiday fun?"

Wally:  Wally was having a blast. Christmas in Rockefeller. It didn't get much more iconic than that. He passed by a family making a snowman, some kids having a snowball fight, a couple taking a romantic walk. As he approached a park bench he got a look at the guy sitting on it and was slightly floored. Damn. He'd met some good looking folks in his time, like the Titans or the Justice League, but this guy was like on another level. It took him a second to realize he was staring and he turned away a bit just to avoid making it super obvious. "Hm me? Yeah man I love this time of year. It's my favorite!" Wow did he always sound like such a nerd? He coughed a bit feeling the need to clear his throat suddenly before turning the question on the other man. "What about you? Are you stoked for Christmas? Or you know, whatever you celebrate?"

Gabriel:  Gabe chuckled softly feeling eyes on him as he sat near the hub of all the activity, he'd briefly saw Sam and Charlie dancing feeling extreme happiness to see them enjoying themselves when he turned his attention to the boy with bright red hair something he'd yet to see in this new world. "Same, I love the idea of bring families closer and sending everyone good will." He mused looking at the other chuckling softly "I'm very stoked for it, this will be the first year in awhile I've got all my siblings close enough to spend time with them. We celebrate Christmas, well I suppose some of us do either way I'm super excited."

Wally: Family. It was a little hard to think of that with Barry gone and his parents...well he just didn't really want to think of them. Hell he hadn't even decided if he was going to visit Iris yet. He smiled lightly and decided to join the guy on the bench to look at the tree. "I was an only child but I can imagine it must be pretty great having your siblings around for Christmas. In any case Christmas is the best for sure."

Gabriel: Looked at the other wondering if he had someone to spend the holidays with, he'd learned that many people were sometimes without family which made his  heart hurt for those. "Really how interesting, I'm sure my youngest brother wishes he was an only child. But I rather like it, we sort of had a family falling out years ago this the first time we are all in the same city together. I'm sort of working up my courage to see how he is doing at the Lux club."

Wally: "Ah. Sibling rivalry. I've heard tales of it." The Titans were probably the closest thing to siblings he had and they had their tiffs for sure. Dick probably had the best examples of sibling rivalry of anyone he'd ever met. But that didn't mean the Bat Fam didn't have each other's backs when it counted. Mostly. He pat the other on the back in encouragement and grinned. "Hey man don't sweat it. I'm sure your brother will come around. If ever there was a time to patch things up and start again, this is it. That's what Christmas and New Years is all about right? Peace on Earth and goodwill and stuff."

Gabriel: He smiled nodding his head "it can be quite crazy but lucky I'm pretty close to the youngest group so I i admit its hard playing both sides." He mused looking at the other he was hoping to move forward with his fallen brothers, especially  Lucifer, he really missed his younger sibling and hopped maybe with everything happening they could get on better terms. "Thank you that's very kind of you to say, currently he is going through a rough patch and I want to be there for him but I don't want to come off overbearing. Its hard being the elder brother at times especially when once upon a time we were so close. I miss that closeness we used to share."

Wally: "That is a fine line to walk. Wanting to be closer but afraid to push them away at the same time." He'd done the same thing with his friends. It had taken him so long to decide to come back to them but he did and they welcomed him without question. He knew not everyone was so lucky but he had hope. "I think you'll be close again. You're his brother. That has to count for something." Wally was sometimes too optimistic for his own good but during Christmas he felt it was justified. His specialty was bringing some cheer to where it was needed most and as he watched the kids playing, some he even recognized from F.E.A.S.T. an idea came to him and he grinned. "You wanna join a snowball fight?" It was totally random but this guy sounded like he could use some good old fashioned winter fun right about now.

Gabriel: "You are right very fine line so far the last time we saw one another it was nice, we didn't beat each other up like before." He mused smiling softly he missed Lucifer and fighting with him in the Veil only made that feeling so much stronger if he was honest with himself.  "I love your optimistic not maybe people have that gift , I think you are right clear all the negative from my head and we should get close again. I never stopped caring about him I'll just have to show him." Gabe's smile returned almost tenfold when the other mention a snowball fight. "I'd love one! its actually be my first in a long time promise to take it easy on me? OH I'm Gabriel by the way, Gabe for short." He replied hopping off the bench holding out his hand.

Wally: Alright that just wasn't fair. No one should be allowed to look that good. The dude, Gabe's smile was practically blinding. Holy hell. Wally did his best to shake it off and laughed as he held out his hand to shake the others. "Wally West. Optimism is kind of my thing. There's always a bright side somewhere if you're willing to look." He grinned happily and started towards the kids calling to them. "Hey guys, this is my new friend Gabe! Mind if we join you?" They kids all looked at each other before agreeing excitedly and separated themselves into teams. Having a grown up on their side gave them a great advantage after all. Wally turned back to Gabe nearly buzzing with his own excitement. "Alright if this is your first snowball fight I'll try and go easy on you. The kids might not though so just, heads up. Basically there's two teams right. And you just run around pelting each other with snowballs until the other teams give up! Easy!" Ok so maybe those rules were oversimplified but that's how he used to play with the Titans. Only they used super powers. Which reminded him of one other thing Gabe should know. "Just remember when you're making a snowball don't pack it too tight. And make sure there's no rocks or ice in it. We don't want anyone getting hurt you know. This is strictly for fun. No tears allowed. Unless of course you feel the need to cry when my team wins. I promise I won't judge." Cute or not Gabe was so going down and Wally couldn't wait.

Gabriel: He was quite happy for the distraction in the form of Wally the male seemed to be just as fun as he was plus it gave him an excuse to not wonder into the Lux too early and set Lucifer off. He walked a rather thin line when it came to his youngest brother but he was still happy to be close to him once again. "Sounds like great advice to live by when one thinks about it" he mused letting the other talk giving the kids a slight wave of his hand. He looked at his teammates smiling before being pulled back to Wally. "That sounds amazing, I hope you wont cry if I get you a couple times then?" he teased nodding his head he'd seen the other making the snowballs enough to get the hang of it plus it will be fun either way I'm sure" he mused before nodding is head chuckling at the other "I promise no tears or pain, but try not to cry if If my team takes the win after all I could be some snow chap" he mused moving over to his team to help make some snowballs for the starting fight.

Wally: Wally was glad he could provide a distraction if nothing else. Christmas time was no time to be down when you could be getting that holiday cheer. He grinned a cheeky grin at the other's words, before switching his tone to one of mock sympathy. "Listen Gabe you're a cool guy and all, but you're not going to hit me. Not even once. But don't feel too bad though. I was the dodge ball king back in high school." Or he would have been if he'd been allowed to use his powers. He totally let those jerks pelt him back then.The kids had built up two snow barricades to act as bases for their teams and Wally went to the one closest to him to plot with the kids on his side. Once their strategy was set he picked up a snowball and made a show of stretching out in front of the enemy team and Gabe. "All right kiddos let me show you how a pro gets things done." With that he sent a snowball flying straight at Gabe. At normal speed of course. He didn't want to crush the poor guy on his first strike. Not in his first snowball fight ever. With the first ball in the air the game was on and with a yell it began. "ATTACK!" The kids behind him all screamed and let their own snowballs fly. Wally was smiling like a loon as he peppered the other team as best he could with going over board.

Gabriel: Gabe had to admit he was beyond glad that he could spend time with Wally he seemed like quite a fun person plus his bright red hair had captured Gabriel's attention almost immediately. He decided it was best to not go over using his strength and powers less the other feel he gave them an unfair advantage. "I bet I can hit you just once during this little snowball fight, Loser buys the Hot chocolate what do you say? We both come out a winner." He mused holding out his hand winking at Wally. He smiled watching the kids excitedly get ready for the fight, it was times like this he loved humanity, things were so simply to kids compare to adults. "Okay now we are going to not only win but have an amazing time okay?" He told the kids smiling at their cheers before he ducked to move away from the snowballs flying "Cheater!" he chuckled out loud throwing his snowballs "Let them have it."

Wally: "Alright hot stuff, you're on. I'll take that bet. That hot chocolate is going to taste so much sweeter when you buy it for me." Wally wasted no time and once the game started he was off like a rocket. No super speed yet but even his normal fast was crazy. He made snow balls in record time and his team now had an endless supply. When he joined the fray he targeted Gabe specifically. Mostly because he didn't want to go for the kids because that seemed kind of low but also because it was the best tactical option to take out the strongest asset first. He almost missed the snowball coming at him from the side but his speed kicked in just for a split second, lighting flashed across his eyes as he moved imperceptibly fast just enough to doge before time slowed again and he was going at the kids pace. Any normal human wouldn't have seen that be he was unaware of who the person was that he had actually challenged.

Gabriel: He couldn't help but chuckle at the other he could tell he was going to like Wally alot, they male had similar energy to him which made wanting to be friends with him quite easy. He wouldn't even mind paying for Hot chocolate if his team lost after all this fight was the most fun he'd had in ages. He didn't know Wally had powers of course had he been human maybe he wouldn't have noticed the sudden super speed. He couldn't help but smile using some of his strategy to up his aim a bit trying to get a snowball and hit the red haired male moving to dodge anything coming his way. "is that the best you've got Wally?"

Wally: The kids were dropping fast now as one by one they started to get tired or took one too many snow balls. Wally was laughing and running around making more snowballs and generally having a great time. He might as well have been a kid himself for all the fun he was having. There was a reason he got along so well with the kids from F.E.A.S.T. It was also why the Flash helped deliver presents on Christmas Eve. This was what the holidays were about and Wally loved it with his every fiber of his being. The challenge from Gabe only made him grin wider. "You wish. You haven't seen even half the things I can do." The battle was slowing down as the kids gradually began to sit on the side lines. Of course his energy reserves were doing just fine and he wasn't waning at all in his onslaught. He saw the snowball Gabe threw at him coming and caught it mid air with a smirk. He pulled his arm back and sent it flying right back at Gabe, certain that it was going to hit.

Gabriel: Gabe was enjoying himself itd been such a long time since he'd  be this free and happy. Lately he'd been feeling a tad off but after spending time with the kids and Wally he felt rejuvenate in a way he couldn't explain. The holidays while not all of his siblings favorite time still was great because they once again were all together.  He could tell the kids were getting tired with their snowball antics which was fine because his subject was Wally. He chuckled at the others reply looking back at this attempts he enjoyed the fun that came with fight. So when wally caught his snowball only to throw it back he let it hit him. " ahh I've been hit" he fell to the ground pretending to die " how cruel the world is did you see how vicious he was in his attack kids?" He chuckled making the kids laugh.

Wally: Wally laughed and did a victory lap as Gabe went down, moaning about his epic loss. "Woo! That's right! Team Wally for the win! Heck yeah!" The next moment he was gobsmacked as the kids proceeded to ignore him in favor of going to check up on Gabriel to make sure he was ok. His heart melted at the sight of them checking Gabe's forehead and trying to see if he was hurt. They were such good kids. He shook his head smiling lightly as he went over to help. He held out his hand to help the other up out of the snow. "Looks like victory is mine. These kids are shaming me pretty good in sportsmanship though so what do you say. Truce?"

Gabriel: Gabriel chuckled softly watching Wally do his victory lap before he had all the kids rush to him checking him over. This is why he loved kids so much, they were always so kind and loving before the world or people molded and changed them. “I’m okay I shall struggle with this loss” He teased the kids tickling a few before waving his hand “I will say though I have all these candy canes, and it's only fair to share them huh?” He mused handing each kid from both teams cane telling them how great they played as they ran off to their parents who were waiting. He smirked at the hand Wally held out to him taking it without any issue hiding a little bit of snow in his other patting through the others bright red hair. “Oops” he smirks laughing nodding his head “quite so, they are brilliant at sportsmanship and I do accept that Truce. How about that Hot Chocolate I promised?”

Wally: The scene was heart warming really. The kids obviously loved the candy canes and he loved seeing them so happy and carefree. However his own happiness was tinged with a little bitterness as he watched some return to their parents, and some to their chaperones from FEAST. It wasn't fair that those so young had to go through something as terrible as growing up without a home or family. But that was why he did what he did. If no one else would love them then he would. Just like Barry did for him. He was smiling as he helped Gabe up until something cold ran through his hair and down his back. "ha-ah! AH! COLD!" He jerked back and shook his hair out as best as he could but the damage was done and his usually bright red fluffy locks were now damp and limp as they hung down into his eyes. "Well that was cheap! So much for sportsmanship!" He shivered and made a show of shaking off the cold. It might have been a little exaggerated but that smirk of Gabe's left him even more flustered than the snow and he had to play that off. "You do realize this means I have to get you back at some point?" Despite his words he was still grinning like mad at the other. "But later. Right now I'm going to need something to warm up after all this cold."

Gabriel: He had greatly loved hanging out with the children and spending time playing a game he'd only seen from Heaven. He had fun, enjoying the laughter of child who seemed to wish him and Wally all good will before they left.  Gabe chuckled at how well he'd managed a sneak attack on Wally if anything Michael would be proud of how well he'd played things. "sorry Wally but you know its only fair I was cold now we both can be." He chuckled happily looking at the other before smiling " I suppose so but either way I planned to warm you up with some nice Hot Chocolate so maybe you'll find it in your heart to forgive me" He gave a rather cute pout before nodding his head pulling the other towards the Hot Chocolate tent "They have a couple kinds, Mellow Hot Chocolate, Mint Hot Chocolate or Regular what do you feel like?"

Wally: Ok. Saying something like 'i was planning to warm you up' should not have sounded sexy at all. And yet here he was, having those kinds of thoughts when clearer that was no the intention. Then Gabe hit him with a pout that should not have been as cute as it was and Wally was even more confused. He was freakin hopeless. He was also really good at being in denial so he just laughed and shook his head. "Your bribe is tempting, therefore I will forgive you. This time." He was grinning ear to ear as he followed the other into the tent, sighing as the warmth and scent of chocolate filled the air. "Mmm you know I think I'll go for the mint. I like switching things up."

Gabriel: Had to admit it was nice having Friends even if their was something quite new between them it felt nice to have someone to hang out with that wasn't his family. He chuckled softly "Yes I told you I can be quite convincing, plus I've just thought to share the snow with you since you shared with me" He teased the other before nodding his head "perfect I'll get a mellow one" He mused ordering their hot chocolate and paying for their stepping to the side to wait for it. "smells good doesn't it?"

Wally:  Wally had severely underestimated just how convincing his new friend could be. hell it's not like the guy was actually doing anything particularly convincing in the first place. Wally was just weak. That was it. He rolled his eyes still smiling. "How generous of you. We should get you a medal to commemorate your generosity." He stood beside Gabe as they waited for their drinks, the other people happily chatting and milling about around them. He took a deep breath and slowly released it, taking in the smell of chocolate hanging in the air. "Mm it does. Thank you. I know we tease and all but I do actually appreciate it. The drink and the snowball fight. People underestimate what a little fun can do you know." Wally may not have admitted it to himself or anyone else but he also had a lot on his mind this season and a snowball fight with a perfect stranger turned friend had been just the distraction he needed.

Gabriel:  Gabe smiled at the other he was quite glad to have run into someone new while hanging out by the tree, he'd known plenty of his siblings were off doing whatever made them happier so it was nice to have something of his own. "I wouldn't mind one, I bet I'd look very dashing with some medals" He chuckled softly looking around everything smelled heavenly and he could still hear the sounds of happiness filling the air. "You are very welcome Wally, I appreciate you hanging out with me after the game, its been quite along time since I've had this much fun" He replied honestly smiling when their drinks were done passing Wally's his. "So what other things do you like to do for fun? I'm curious"

Wally:  Dashing was definitely one way to put it but Gabe didn't need a medal to look good. He did that just fine with his stunning smile and those blue eyes and that curly hair and, oh wow. Wally really needed to stop. He was getting way too ahead of himself here. He chuckled and nodded. "Yes dashing. I'm sure you would. And you're welcome too. Though It's not like I was going out of my way or anything. I just like having fun. Especially this time of year." He was more than happy to spread the love and cheer with someone who needed it. The last question had him pondering for a second. "Well, I play video games and watch movies, jam out on my guitar or bass, go running, swimming, basketball, I volunteer a lot. That's actually how I knew those kids. Most of them were from F.E.A.S.T. I don't know if you've heard of it but it's a great place. They do a lot of good there and i'm happy to be a small part of that." Was he speed talking? He didn't think so but when he got to rambling it was harder for him to tell. Shockingly he wasn't used to talking about himself this much. Which meant it was time to switch subjects. "What about you? What sort of things do you do when you're not getting utterly destroyed in snow ball fights?"

Gabriel:  Had to admit this wasn't his first time being called dashing, there were entire artworks detailed to his face taking on his beauty unlike his brothers who looked more like a hot mess then anything real. Yet hearing it from wally made him smile a bit more chuckling "it's still was quite the first meeting, it's been awhile since I've had fun like that, things have been rather strange since moving here to New York. Much like everyone else its been a rather up and down year." He replied honestly he hadn't felt this happy since before he arrived here and learned the truth of his father's cruelty towards his siblings. "That sounds amazing, i mean not many people volunteer much here I've noticed and I have heard of F.E.A.S.T  I love their work and often working towards doing more for them. Sort of a pet project of mine, i have quite the soft spot for children." He mused enjoying all the new information he'd gotten from Wally he was quite a wonderful person. "Well not at completely exciting as everything you do,  I enjoy reading all types of books really you'll often find me with a book in my hand compared to gaming controller but I still can hold my own thanks to my elder brother.  I also love cooking and baking so i like finding and trying new food to create, spending time with my family is always a plus in my book. It never fails to make me smile finding activities that will make my siblings smile and laugh. " He mused honestly smiling softly as their drinks were given to them taking a sip. "Mhmm its soo good isn't it?"

Wally:  "Tell me about it. New York ain't like Kansas that's for sure. It's a whole other animal." New York City was probably three times the size of Keystone City and eve for a guy who could see it all in seconds, it was a lot. He listened, nodding along and smiling as Gabe explained his own interests. They had a lot in common but some differences as well. Wally for example, couldn't cook to save his life. It took WAY too long for a speedster. "A love of books we have in common and also a love of food. Though I am probably the worst cook you can imagine. Big ups to you for learning how to cook. I usually make due with fast food and hot pockets." He sipped his hot chocolate admiring the way he talked about his family. No wonder the guy was excited to see them this year. By the sound of it they seemed very important to him. He was about to answer Gabe's comment about the drink when he tipped it back and got nothing. "Huh. It was. Must have been better than I thought since I downed that in no time."

Gabriel:  "I take it you are from Kansas then? I've never been there I hear its a lot of farm land is that true?" Gabe questioned wondering about other places outside of New York.  He was beyond happy to be making friends with the other boy it wasn't as if he had plenty and enjoyed having people around after coming from so many siblings "Yeah? food is amazing and sometimes a good book is enough to keep me entertained all night, I've never had a hot pocket before does it taste good?" he asked wondering if the other wanted to grab some food later with him given that he seemed to like food as much as he did. "I enjoy cooking it does take some time though If i ever cook for you I can just invite you over when it's done, then you reap the reward of my cooking" he mused smiling as he sipped his drink till the end before looking at the other. "That's cute Wally, I'm glad you like it, you know we don't have to end our company if you'd like, maybe we could look around together and grab some more treats?"

Wally:  "Put it to you this way. If you like wheat, corn and cows...and nothing else, than Kansas is a great place for you." He wasn't joking either. Outside of the cities that was pretty much what Kansas had. "Oh and tornadoes. But you get used to it." They didn't mean anything to him but even for the rest of the Kansas populations it was a normal enough occurrence that it didn't faze them too much. Wally was a little taken aback by the offer to cook for him. Out of the blue. They'd barely met but Gabe seemed so, open. More so even than him and that was saying something. "Well, I mean sure I'd love to hang out some more. And I'd love to try your cooking and show you what a hot pocket tastes like, not that it's anything to write home about. But...I don't know I'm just not used to people liking me so quickly. Are you sure you really to want to do this? I'm asking now so you don't make a mistake you might regret later." Wally winked and laughed but there was an undertone of insecurity there that he couldn't mask if he tried. It was just a habit of his to make light of things that worried him or things that he was unsure of.

Gabriel:  "I have to admit I've never seen a Cow up close are they cool animals? though I have to wonder what place you like more New York or Kansas" Gabe asked curiously things about Wally keep getting more and more interesting as he chatted with the other. "Tornadoes quite the thing they are destruction and beauty if you believe the whole eye of the storm thing" He mused He smiled softly at the other "I love cooking for people....that offer was odd huh? sorry I'm quite new at this whole making friends thing.  I'd like to try a hot pocket especially if you give me tips. I like you Wally you are fun to hang out with...I'm sorry if I'm too strange" He mused running a hand through his hair, humans were so hard to understand but then again he did like Wally. "I want to hang out more with you and get to know you, if you'd be willing to get to know me?"

Wally:  "Oh Kansas for sure. Don't get me wrong, New York is great and all. But in the famous words of Dorothy Gale, there's just no place like home." Keystone would always be his city and even if he was currently stationed in New York City he still cleaned up the Keystones streets any chance he got. Central too if Barry was busy. "I've seen tornadoes and cows up close and personal so I can say for sure that cows are cute and that tornadoes are awesome. The destruction isn't, but nature is incredible in it's own right." As Gabriel began to apologize Wally was quick to ease his worries. "No no you're not odd at all. I'm the one who's odd. Frankly I was just surprised you hadn't gotten tired of me yet. I'm not exactly everyone's cup of tea you know." He chuckled a little at the quip and smiled. "Of course I'd be happy to hang out with you. And if you really REALLY want to, I'll even get you a hot pocket. Though as a cook you might want to brace yourself. They're not exactly five star quality haha." This whole meeting felt incredibly serendipitous. Almost like it was too good to be true. That didn't bother Wally at all. He'd always been of the mind set that you roll with the good times and the bad. He was going to enjoy this new friendship as long as it lasted.

Gabriel: “Sounds like a nice place, maybe one day I can go visit down there, at least see where you came from and how cool it sounds.” Gabe replied smiling softly it was nice to see other places and he thinks he might have seen Kansas once upon a time but he hardly remembered anymore. “Cows and cute and tornadoes are awesome just so long as the destruction is kept to a minimum, Got it” He mused chuckling. Gabriel wasn’t sure if he mis-stepped but he was grateful when Wally told him he hadn't and he didn’t want to ruin his friendship. “Oh good I’m so glad to hear that you don’t find me odd. I don’t think I could, you are very fun Wally, I mean what about you makes people tired?” he questioned curiously what about Wally made people upset he couldn’t understand at all. “I don’t mind, My other siblings are huge snack lovers, they might have even fed them to me and I don’t remember every new thing they like to show me in terms of food there is a lot. But I can get some good ideas from them about food related fun” He mused happily chuckling softly before wrapping his arm around Wally’s shoulder. “This is going to be the start of a great friendship just you wait Wally.”

Wally:  Gabe definitely made Kansas sound a lot cooler than it actually was. Obviously Wally liked it because that was where he grew up and that's where his home city was but most people didn't really care for it. Especially people who were used to huge metropolitan areas. But Gabe seemed really interested so, why not? "Maybe I'll take you sometime. Show you the sights." Even if there weren't too many sights to see. This whole whirlwind of a friendship was fast even for Wally but he didn't mind one bit. Gabe was kind and generous and easy on the eyes. Wally wasn't surprised they hit it off so well but he was surprised at how quick Gabe was to defend him when they had only just met. The insecure part of him knew it was probably only temporary and that one day Gabe would grow tired of him but the optimistic side didn't really care. If that was what happened then he'd cross that bridge when they got there. For now he was just happy to get to know the guy. He smiled hearing him talk more about his siblings so fondly. "You're family sounds like a great bunch. Complicated, but still great. I'm lucky to find people who can tolerate me." He felt a warmth that had nothing to do with the hot chocolate cover him as Gabriel put his arm around him. For a second he wanted nothing more than to just stay like that, warm and safe and happy. He didn't know how long this would last, whatever this was, but he intended to enjoy every moment of it. "I think so too Gabe." A great friendship indeed. Whatever came next Wally was going to embrace it for however long he could. /END

[chasingmyfreedom]

Dear Diary,

(CW for Death musing, suicide ideation/mentions, gorey descriptions)

I need to get this off my chest before it eats me alive. Normally, I’d summarize the day before I reopened my wounds, but there was nothing really of note that happened. It was an average day. One of the more scheduled times I meet with John to spar. In fact, that’s what brought the issue to my attention. Well, the Peters girls were first, but twice is coincidence, thrice is a trend. 

The Crowd is planning something They’re calling “Sundown,” and have been for a while. We don’t really know what it is, even Their own don’t, but Watchers were warning Their loyal that if they were even seen with a member of the club, they would receive no mercy from their God. We have theories, strong ones, about what this event is, but nothing set in stone. Perhaps that’s why it scares me so much.

The Flame’s theory is that this is a mass conversion. The Crowd plans to use the Old Tongue against us to reprogram our minds and bring us all under Their reign in time for Their new Voice. It would explain why They’re supposedly bringing in everyone They can; you need numbers to perform a mass ceremony as far as I’m aware. I’ll admit, I’m a bit... behind on the Old Tongue, so I know more of how it works than the language itself. I’ve noticed a few more cars on the street and a few more unfamiliar faces around town recently, so the influx of people seems confirmed. The use of Old Tongue is more in the realm of hypothesis and comes from the Grandmother, if I remember correctly. Though, I suppose it doesn’t matter much what came from who at this point. Moves are clearly being made, so something is certainly happening. The instatement of a new Voice. A shifting of power. They want to scare us into submission. To prove that They have power over the town still, despite the other Voices that arrived here. 

To be honest? That... terrifies me. I spent twelve years being forced to do what my family wanted. Two or three of those was spent hiding my interests, exploring “useless” things while no one was looking. I’ve spent the last four years trying to undo that damage and actually investigate the world and myself. It took four years to prove to myself that I don’t have to be them, that I can do whatever I want, no matter how useless people may think it is, but that can all be taken away in a moment. The little progress I’ve made, all gone, drowned beneath discordant harmonies. 

That scares me. It scares me worse than death. Death isn’t scary. There’s always someone who will remember you, and as long as they do, you’re not truly dead. As long as you leave some sort of legacy, even a small one, you’ll never be truly forgotten. But this? This could end everything. We’d become... puppets, at best; blissfully unaware of what was happening around us and unable to fight back. We’d become what They want us to be: perfect little obedient husks, only there to be the flesh They claim as Their own. 

I’m through being what others want me to be. The only thing that matters is my satisfaction. But They’re going to take that choice away and give us a different one: 

Join Them or kill yourself. 

Those are the options really. Either you come to terms with the fact you may never wake up again and know only Their fake, plastic bliss, or you take your own life so They can’t have the satisfaction or utility. 

I don’t know how I feel about that. I feel... conflicted. Afraid. Angry. Determined. Tired. Trapped. Panicked. I can feel it in my body. Just thinking about it I can barely write. I thought I was finally free. But I’m not. I’m still just as trapped as I was before this one just wears a different mask but the blood’s all the same. I’m afraid to lose myself. I’m angry that They dare try. I’m determined to stop them, but I’m so tired of having to fight for every little thing I should just be entitled to! I shouldn’t have to fight for the right to live-! No one should-! I shouldn’t have to scour censored pages for any scrap of information! I shouldn’t have to be afraid I’ll lose the few things I brought with me! I shouldn’t have to fight for my life every day! It’s exhausting. 

I’ve tasted Their Song. It’s bitter. Enticing in the same way as poisonous creatures are. To lose all sense of who you are... It’s awful. You’re nothing more than a writhing bag of blood and bones desperately trying to keep itself alive long enough to make more. I don’t want to be reduced to that. I refuse to be reduced to that. If that means that, in my final moments of clarity, I have to be the one to pierce my own heart and paint Their town red, so be it. I don’t want to die. There’s too many things I haven’t seen. But between The Song and Death, I’ll take my chances on an afterlife. 

But what’s more exhausting is that They might fail. If Their sequence is wrong or They let one wrong person in, there could be worse damage done. I’d like to be optimistic and say that this Pact has enough information to stop Them, but it’s obvious they don’t. One of them crawled back into the womb in fear, but I can see His reasoning. One of them has gone completely silent, engaged in a silent war of His own. One is in pieces and barely playing paperboy. And the last will have the Grandmother to distract Her soon if we’re not careful. How could any of them get anything done? Did they expect to be productive? 

Before I got here, they decided on the Hunter as their target. I’m afraid they’ve forgotten the other half of the war. They won’t be able to stop Sundown. They won’t be able to stop the Hunter. It’s only a matter of time who gets to us first. After all, He’s still working in the background. He’s still taking me Gods know where and dropping me deeper in the woods every time. If He’s smart, He’ll strike at Sundown. The Pact will be in disarray, The Crowd will be distracted, it’s the perfect opportunity to strike. I don’t think The Crowd can defeat him. His concept is too universal. Too difficult to kill. There’s too many horrible people in the world. There’s too many horrible people in Their Song. They can’t kill Him. 

If He strikes, then we’re equally dead. There’s maybe a handful of people in this entire town who know how to fend for themselves. An even smaller handful that would survive. With my newfound weaknesses, I’m not sure I can count myself amongst them. 

Somehow though, He’s more merciful than They are. The Crowd gives you no choice; the Hunter allows you to flee because it will make the Hunt more interesting. A Hunt... that’s what this will be. I suppose I am old enough now, aren’t I? A year older than Michael. I never thought I’d outlive him.

I’m... confused. Why do I suddenly want Him to win? It... burns. I can feel it. Shame, disgust... anticipation. My chest hurts. It feels like it's trying to burst out from itself. I can feel the acid in my throat. 

I want Him to win because I would have a chance. If I could escape, I could try again. I don’t want to escape alone. I’d probably have to, one way or another. 

This feeling is ugly. Painful. I don’t like it. I don’t like being powerless. I don’t like my choices being taken away. I don’t like having to abandon someone. I don’t want to leave my brother here. I don’t want to leave Maddie here. I don’t want to leave Alex here. I don’t want to leave John here. I don’t want to leave Uni here. She’d never make it through a Hunt. I don’t know if any of them could. I don’t know how they did it. Maybe I should have listened to Michael and Gabriel more. 

It is the end of the fucking world, isn’t it? 

I’m being... dramatic. It’s not the whole world, it’s just the end of mine. I don’t know what I want to do about it. I wish I knew how it was ending. That would make preparing easier. 

If I knew the Crowd would win, I would just enjoy myself. Maybe be reckless. I should try it once, even though it’s stupid. It would take the risk out of everything. I don’t want Them to have me anyway. Maybe I could say something. Or find my brother. Tie up loose ends.

If I knew the Hunter would win, I’d make sure I trained the whole time. Remind myself how to hunt. Read a few more local flora books to find out what’s poisonous. See if I can figure out how to farm. If I could survive long enough, I could get out. Page would have my head, but it’s the price to pay for a continuing story, right? But I wouldn’t let Him have me either. I hope He has fun taking skill from my cold, dead body. 

... Fuck. I only meant to pick a scab, not gut myself all over the page. But I have to feel it, right? If I suppress it again, it’ll come out when I don’t want it to. I’m allowed to feel things. That’s what Dr. Garrison said. I can’t let this come out while I’m teaching. I can’t let this lash out at people. I can’t knock out my students. I can’t overly harm my sparring partner. We need as many people as we can get to have any chance at all. They can’t learn if they’re unconscious. They can’t fight if they’re too wounded. I can’t fight if I let this control me. 

I have to pretend I have some hope. I have to look for the names. I have to help the Grandmother. I have to find a way to re-write the Song. I have to fight. 

... But today, I’m allowed to cry about this. I’m allowed one day. That’s what Dr. Garrison said. I can cry today. I don’t want to, but I already am, so I might as well make a day of it-! I’ll take the day off from school. I’ll tell Yvonne the nightmares were too bad. I can’t do this. 

I can’t do this today. I’ll be back tomorrow. 

[ofmallory]

( tati gabrielle , cis female , she/her, twenty-four ) omg ! i was walking yonge street downtown , and you’ll never guess who i saw . mallory roth ! i just saw a post about them on sixsecrets ! i think it said something like “ still no word on the status of mal roth's next album — but at least twitter stans are posting some hilarious memes about the three - year - long wait ” . isn’t that wild ? i guess it makes sense through , since they’re apparently fickle and self-absorbed . but i’ve heard they’re also ardent and ingenious ! i’ll just stick to giving them the benefit of the doubt . i mean , it’s not like i know them personally — they’re a famous singer / songwriter ! you know , i’ve actually heard rumors that ____ , but they’re just rumors … i think . i dunno . if you happen to run into them , tell them i’m their biggest fan ! ( sam , she/her , 23 , est )

* lorde career claim !

greetings and salutations! i’m sam and i’ve been thinking about this muse for aaaages, but this is my very first time writing her! character info is under the cut and of course, please message me if you would like to plot!

triggers : abandonment, theft, car accident.

STATS

FULL NAME: mallory corine roth ; born mallory im

NICKNAMES: mal, moll, mollie

GENDER + PRONOUNS: cis female + she / her

DOB + AGE: december 31st, 1995 +  twenty - four

ZODIAC: capricorn

HOMETOWN: oakland, california

ORIENTATION: panromantic / pansexual

OCCUPATION: singer / songwriter

HISTORY

mallory im was born and raised in oakland, california. her mother was a nineteen - year - old pre law student at uc berkeley and her father was in the midst of his fifteen minutes of fame as a musician with a number one song on the radio. he was in town for a gig which mal’s mother attended, and then just a few weeks later she discovered that she was pregnant. her parents ( mal’s maternal grandparents ) were absolutely furious. they disowned her on the spot, kicking her out of their house and stopping their payments of her college tuition. forced to drop out, she resorted to working several small jobs at once in order to cover doctor visits and the rent for her small, run - down apartment.

much of what mal knows about her early childhood is things that she was told rather than things that she actually remembers. after she was born, her mother resumed her college courses in between her revolving door or minimum wage jobs. her parents were civil with each other. by the time that she was born, her father’s career had completely fallen off and he put most of his earnings into starting a record label ( that wasn’t very successful at first ), but he would still send them some money every once in a while.

mal was three years old when her mother began dating a local businessman. the owner of a luxury car dealership, he was slightly older and a widower with two children of his own, and he and mal’s mom fell absolutely smitten with each other. it wasn’t long before they were picking out flower arrangements and setting a date for their wedding ( mal was the flower girl and her soon - to - be stepbrothers were groomsmen ). 

after the marriage took place, mal’s new stepfather was completely committed to taking care of the new members of his family. he moved them into his home, paid for mal’s mother to complete her degree, and even formally adopted his new stepdaughter, her surname officially changing to roth. 

the few years that ensued were uneventful outside of a few things : mal started taking music lessons, her stepbrothers went off to college and so she became the only child of the household, and her mother completed law school and opened up a practice in the city. 

mal tried countless hobbies, but nothing besides music could hold her interest for long. in high school, she joined the skater kids clique and started to rebel. it was just small things at first : sneaking out after curfew, trying cigarettes, drinking at the skate park with her friends on the weekends. her parents had noticed of course, so they scolded her a little and figured that was that. spoiler alert : it wasn’t.

at approximately two in the morning on her sixteenth birthday, mal and a few of her friends drunkenly stole a car from her stepfather’s dealership and wound up crashing into lake merritt. mal was behind the wheel at the time. fortunately, no one was seriously injured. her parents were simultaneously relieved and furious. however, they were far more interested in helping her rather than punishing her. deciding that a change of scenery and being away from her friends who they deemed to be a bad influence might be good for her, mal’s mother and stepfather sent her to live with a virtual stranger.

in the years since he had started his record label, mal’s father had upgraded his reputation, going from washed - up musician to successful businessman and mentor. he’s credited with launching the careers of several artists in the genres of rap and r & b. he was earning more money than ever, dating beautiful celebrities, and buying all sorts of expensive items for himself. he sent cards & money for birthdays & holidays and called on the phone every once in a while, but mal had never met him.

she never thought much of it. their first in - person meeting was actually rather anticlimactic. his chauffeur picked her up from the airport and brought her to his enormous bel air mansion, and he was just leaving for work when she arrived. he told her to make herself at home, and that was it.

mal spent her first few weeks in los angeles exploring her new home. she poked around the edges of the local party scene and found that it had lost its appeal for her after the accident, so she turned her attention to the one constant in her life : music.

she started accompanying her father to the studio and quickly caught onto the basics. at just sixteen years old she was writing songs that artists were literally fighting over, but as she noticed her words growing more and more personal, mal started keeping songs for herself and soon she had more than enough for an entire album.

the song royals was released in 2013 when mal was sixteen years old, written about her first impressions of los angeles as someone who had never left their less famous and glamorous hometown. it was kind of an experiment. no one really knew what was going to happen, but no one was expecting the song to become the PHENOMENON that it did.

royals was critically acclaimed, spent nine weeks at the number one spot on the billboard hot 100 chart, and went on to win two grammy awards : best pop solo performance and song of the year.

her debut album pure heroine was released in 2013 as well, and her second album melodrama was released in 2017. the long break in between albums became a literal meme that’s starting to pop up again now that it’s been around three years since mal has released something new.

she moved to toronto in 2016 while she was working on her second album. it was just supposed to be a little vacation that would hopefully help to clear her head because she was struggling to write at the time, but mal wound up falling in love with the city and decided to make it her permanent residence.

PERSONALITY

Perfectionist™️

I HATE EVERYBODY by halsey is honestly a perfect explanation for how she typically is in her personal relationships. she falls hard and fast, and when the relationship inevitably disintegrates she’s devastatingly heartbroken until she discovers a new infatuation. she does it with both romances and friends, moving through the lives of people around her in search of something she’s never found.

basically, she wants love but expects it to happen right away, and when it doesn’t she immediately writes off the relationship as a failure. 

the type of person to literally move to a new house if her refrigerator stopped working because she doesn’t feel like getting it fixed.

almost overly generous with friends. you like her perfume? here, take the bottle! car broke down? come on, she’ll buy you a new one! material things = love is something she isn’t even aware that she believes in, but she absolutely does.

she’s REALLY self - centered though. people do often approach her for advice, but she’s just not a good listener.

lowkey insecure and worries that she’s unloveable but she’d never outright say so except for in her music.

she’s approachable, but not really the chatty, small talk type. because of this, she’s gotten a bit of an unfair reputation for being frigid in the media.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

best friend ( basically the one person she’s never gotten even a little bit bored of. )

friends ( usually surface level, but also former friends, childhood friends, industry friends )

industry rivals

enemies

pr relationships ( romantic, platonic, negative, but all 100% fake )

exes / hookups / ewb / fwb 

her current infatuation - could be platonic or romantic

THERE IS A POTENTIAL CONNECTION THAT INVOLVES HER SECRET, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME IF YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED AND WE CAN DISCUSS!

these are just some base ideas for connections, so please don’t feel limited to what’s listed here!

[figure-skating-watch-party]

Gran Premio Italia (2nd stage), Egna

Just stopping by to quickly yell about Gran Premio Italia. ... I love Matteo Rizzo. I love him. 

MEN

The jumps were very moody for the guys in the SP. Poor Mattia dalla Torre, especially. But! His step sequence in the Step out for a while SP is really interesting. The next competitior was Alessandro Fadini and he was returning to a competition after a year-long absence due to an injury and he seemed happy with the skate to Two feet so we are happy! 

I’m really not a fan of Daniel Grassl’s Muse SP... But sure he does jump. Quad lutz here and there... 

[And yes I know it’s not fair to think that but I can’t help it: while watching Daniel I’m just kind of sad because of Matteo. Because Daniel seems to be jumping with such ease, seems to be so comfortable, not being nervous. And I know how much Matteo tries and wants to succeed. And I want to see him on top of Europe, fighting with the guys from Russia and meanwhile he’s just fighting to be number one in Italy. (sorry for the rant, I just love Matteo too much...)]

Matteo Rizzo is poetry on ice. What can I say. My favourite (currently competing) skater skating to my favourite singer ever. (Andrea Bocelli - Romanza). I cannot be not biased. I love it 😭

The free program went really well! Jumps were mostly behaving and the guys showed great performances. I was so happy about Mattia dalla Torre’s redemption skate and his In this shirt FP. All the jumps were clean! He did a beautiful 3A to start the program. It’s just a beautiful program overall. 

Though I don’t know maybe I liked Alessandro Fadini’s Caruso even a bit more or at least equally as much. I loved the long spiral and give me alllll the illusion spins you can. And he was so happy in the k&c, you have to be happy for him. 

Besides the fact, that I really like men skating in suits I absolutely looooove story-telling programs. I’m here all for Gabriele Frangipani’s Peaky blinders FP. The choreography is so entertaining. 

Matteo seemed to be enjoying his The Greatest showman program so much. The facial expressions. The energy. The whole attitude. I can’t ask for more (maybe for the 4T to fully come back)... I don’t like this program very much, but I don’t care, as long as he’s happy. And I’m so relieved because yesterday I was quite sad, even though it was not a bad skate at all. I was just comparing him with Daniel so much. And here in the free, Matteo was only ten points behind! Everything’s possible. I believe in him, I believe that he gained some much needed confidence here and I’m just  already looking forward to see Matteo again!

I have to admit that Daniel’s choices of music and my taste did not meet this season at all. I’d love to support the guy, he has great spins, he jumps with ease, seems very nice, I have nothing against him, I have everything against the choreo though. He deserved to win, I’m perfectly ok with that. But he also deserves much better programs. (Have you seen the weird leg holding??? I don’t even want to know what’s that suppossed to mean...) 

PAIRS

In pairs we finally saw Nicole della Monica & Matteo Guarise, they have a new SP and it’s beautiful. They really are ready to fight again for the top positions in Europe (after being absent from competitons for almost a year). 

I really enjoyed Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii’s SP to Oblivion. They were told last week that they would skate in this event because another pair withdrew and they skated so well. If I understood it correctly, this is their second season skating together... and I’m really really impressed. And I loved hearing Ondřej Hotárek praise their FP so much. 

 In my opinion in pairs it’s the most difficult - out of the four disciplines - to really perform a program, to really skate to the music and to really express a story or the emotions and not just have the music as a background support. You really can’t do that in ice dance but in pairs maybe it’s sometimes the case. But certainly not this skate. This was beautifully interpreted and performed from the beginning to the end. 

I also like Rebecca Ghilardi/Filipo Ambrosini’s FP to Grande Amore so much. But this wasn’t their day. However, they had a good SP yesterday, great skate at the first stage of Gran premio Italia so it should be ok. 

And I hope we’ll see some ice dance next time!