#word darts

[starwarsmum]

HMB Word Darts number 2!

Marinette paced the cell impatiently. It was just her luck that not only had she been unsuccessful in her plan to free the research animals but she had tripped over another person and now they were both being detained. She glanced up at the man who had been shoved into the cell with her but he was scowling at the ceiling so she went back to her restless pacing.

“Would you cease your incessant movement?” He sniped suddenly, making Marinette stop just to glare at him. “We are stuck in here because of you, I would appreciate it if you did not drive me to insanity with your constant back and forth motions.”

“Oh bite me, you were in my way, and if you had been there for a legitimate reason, you wouldn't be in here at all. You had to know being caught and sent to jail was a risk or you're just contributing to the dumb pretty person stereotype.”

“It most certainly was not a risk until you barrelled into me and halted my attempt to free the creatures. I cannot say I have ever been on this side of a jail cell before, and as such I will undoubtedly be released before long as it is my first offense.”

“Man, wish I could say the same,” Marinette sighed, slumping into the seat next to him. She propped her head up on her hand and looked at him with some interest. She hadn't been lying when she said he was pretty, he had a strong jaw and striking features that made her stomach do that weird swooping thing it always did when she was attracted to someone. 

“I suppose the polite thing for me to say is that I am surprised, but that would be a lie, you were sloppy and under-prepared for whatever your mission was.” It was such a shame his personality made her want to hit something. 

“My ‘mission’ was to free the poor animals that Lex Luthor decided were subhuman enough that he could commit horrible crimes on! Besides, what self respecting animal rights activist hasn't been in a jail cell?” She demanded, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms.

“The kind that doesn't get caught!” The man hissed back, voice low so that he wasn't overheard by the officer on duty. “What use would I be to the suffering creatures if I was caught each and every time I worked to free them?”

“You can't have been doing it often enough to make a difference then,” Marinette sniffed, cheeks stained red from anger. She was saved from further conversation when the officer called out to her and said that she could have her phone call. “I would say it's been a pleasure to meet you, but it most certainly has not.”

“Tt, you will be back in here after your phone call, so I do not understand why you would think-”

“Because I shan't be speaking to you when I return,” she retorted, stalking over to the officer. She disappeared down the hall to the phone banks, ignoring the scowling man. 

_ _ _

Damian was grouchy. He had no intention of calling his family for help but there was absolutely zero chance that they wouldn't hear about this unfortunate event. He glared at the officer who had swapped with the one who had taken the woman to the phones.

He stared blankly at the opposite wall, pretending he couldn't hear the guard whispering on the phone, gossiping about having to haul in ‘The Damian Wayne’ for breaking into a LexCorp building. 

He had only been intending to gather intelligence to get an idea of how many animals he needed to find refuge for, but as soon as he had seen how lethargic and unhappy the rats had been, he had seen red. How anyone could cage rats without stimulation or space to run around properly was beyond him, and he had been determined to get the animals free.

He had been more than surprised when he had come across a petite, dark haired woman who had been muttering to herself as she snapped pictures of the cages. He had tried to sink into the shadows but it almost seemed like she had sensed him and turned towards him with a squeak.

It had all gone wrong from there: the woman had knocked over an entire tray of drugs that had been due to be administered in the night, something Damian had already noted and taken a picture of the write up sheets. The resulting cacophony had brought security guards running and Damian had somehow ended up tangled in computer wires of all things when he had tried to get back out of the room.

When she returned from the phones, she stayed true to her declaration that she would ignore him. It was both a relief that she wasn't fawning over him because of his name and an irritation because if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be in this situation at all!

“Alright, your turn,” the guard said, holding the cell door open and motioning for Damian to follow. As he stepped over the threshold of the cell, he begrudgingly decided that he would have to choose a family member that could collect him. 

In an attempt to delay the inevitable, he called Jon, hoping that Conner wasn't near enough to hear and rat him out to Tim. He breathed a sigh of relief when Jon told him that Conner had sped out of the house about ten minutes before, muttering something about dumbass friends.

He sighed and started heading out of the phone room but pulled up short when he spotted a familiar shock of dark hair and a leather jacket. Apprehensively he walked back with the guard to the cell, avoiding looking at Conner for as long as possible.

“...weren't supposed to get caught!” He was saying, sounding simultaneously exasperated and amused.

“Yes, well, I wasn't accounting for someone else to be doing a break-in at the same time,” the woman shot back, looking annoyed and embarrassed. “Whatever, did they say you could bail me out?”

“Yeah, but you have to be the one to tell Tim what hap- Damian? What the hell are you doing here?” Conner had caught sight of him as the guard had opened the cell. “Mars, you didn't tell me you were getting help from Jon's friend! How did you both get caught?”

“I didn't get help from anyone! This guy royally messed it all up when he startled me badly enough that I knocked over a tray of experimental drugs,” the woman scoffed, shooting Damian a disgusted look. “Besides, look at him! He's clearly a rich, pretty boy that decided he would give the whole activism thing a try.”

“...you're telling me you don't know who Damian Wayne, leader of Gotham’s animal charities for Wayne Enterprises and outspoken animal rights activist,” Conner deadpanned, making the woman blanch and then blush so much that Damian was concerned she would collapse.

“I- you- he- you run the charitable division for animals at Wayne Enterprises?” She spluttered, turning and pointing an accusing finger at Damian. “If you have that kind of power why are you sneaking around in the dead of night? You have the power to fix things through the right channels!”

Before Damian could defend himself or his actions, the police station door opened and Jon sped in, almost knocking a tray of papers over as he went. Conner turned towards his little brother, amused and lifted a hand in greeting. Jon stared at him for a moment before turning fearfully to Damian and swearing that he hadn't told him.

“Tt, that has been apparent, Kent. Your brother is here for a different inmate,” Damian said, jerking his chin towards the woman. She visually bristled and he smirked at her even as he felt mortified that his family was absolutely going to be hearing about this sooner rather than after.

“Marinette? What are you doing here?” Jon asked, obviously bewildered. The name saved itself in Damian's memory, even as he pretended that he didn't care. 

“Okay, look, clearly you're having a lovely heartwarming moment here, but this is a police station,” the officer said loudly and impatiently. The woman, Marinette, flushed and her eyes narrowed in the officer's direction. “If you're bailing these hooligans out, I need you over here for a few minutes and then you can all get out of my hair.”

Conner and Jon both agreed, although in vastly different ways. It appeared Conner was still mostly allergic to being polite to governing bodies and Marinette appeared to be regretting her choice in phone call.

And she was, very much so, but she didn't really have a choice. She had come to visit the Kents for a couple of weeks and she literally only knew them and Conner’s boyfriend Tim, who she did not know well enough to call and ask to bail her out of jail.

“I can't believe that is the same Damian Jon has been raving about for the past week,” she hissed at Conner, glancing back at the two men. Jon shot her a chagrined look and she glared back at him. “He isn't just asocial, he's straight up condescending.”

“Yeah, but Jon's his best friend so he's got some strong blinders on,” Conner said, not bothering to keep his voice down. “And condescending isn't the worst thing I've ever heard him called, so he must have been more polite than usual.”

“Conner, the man told me I was sloppy and under-prepared,” she said, voice low but the anger she felt seeped into it. She knew she went into most of her plans with healthy optimism and belief that her luck would hold, but sloppy? “I love you and Jon, but if he comes as a package deal, I'm going to be visiting a hell of a lot less.”

“Mars, this is literally your first visit,” Conner said, shooting her an incredulous look. He made a frustrated noise and hunched into his jacket when she stared back at him pointedly. “You are quite literally the kindest person I know, and you're going to let your impression of him after meeting him at a break-in dictate how you treat him?”

“That's not fair, you said he was being nicer than usual!” She shrieked before clamping a hand over her mouth and glancing back apologetically. She dropped back to a whisper and thwapped Conner on the arm. “I am a wonderful judge of character, and in spite of his looks, his personality-”

“Oh, gross, you think he's hot, don't you?” Conner said it with a grimace, but there was enough suppressed laughter in his voice that Marinette growled, even as she blushed. “Mars, I know I said you need a boyfriend but you can do better than Damian Wayne.”

“Believe me, I'm done dating vapid rich boys,” Marinette said, waving a hand. “Adrien put me off them for life, I hate the idea of trying to make conversation about nothing important. Plus, with you as a big brother figure I have impossibly high standards.”

Walking behind them, Damian watched Jon wince at whatever the pair in front were discussing. It nettled him that he had to go with them so that they could get Marinette and his vehicles, but he was glad he could block out their inane chatter. 

“What?” He snapped after the last time Jon had winced and sent him a pitying look. His friend didn't say anything, looking away. “Jonathan Kent, you will tell me why you keep looking at me like I am on my deathbed or I will locate some kryptonite so that you can be on one.”

“You totally blew your first meeting with Marinette!” Jon whined, keeping his voice down for Marinette's benefit. Obviously Conner could hear them but that was unavoidable. “I've been telling her all about my cool best friend for the past week so that she doesn't get scared off by you the second you meet and then you manage it anyway!”

“Tt, I do not care what she thinks of me,” Damian said, glaring at the back of Marinette's head as she had a heated conversation with Conner. “She is an impulsive, emotion driven child that I have no intention of babysitting.”

“Dude, she's literally our age. Plus, she lives in Paris, and has her whole life and she's never been akumatised! Which is a good thing, believe me because- ow!” He glared at Conner and rubbed his forehead. “Because Mari is freaking scary when she gets mad.”

Damian furrowed his brows, wondering what Conner had thought Jon was going to say. Clearly it was a secret regarding Marinette that the older Kent did not want to relay to him, which meant that he definitely wanted to know.

He was still looking at Jon when Marinette stopped in her tracks, which meant that Damian almost tripped over her. He cursed as he righted himself, glaring down at the petite woman. She gave him a shrewd look, tilting her head slightly and squinting. 

“Oh my God, you're Jon's best friend,” she said quietly. She swept an eye over him, though he didn't get the feeling that it was sexual in nature. It was almost like she was getting his rough size and comparing it to Jon's. “Shit, did I screw up a mission? Oh man, I can't have screwed up a proper mission, you're not-"

“You owe me twenty bucks, Jon,” Conner crowed smugly, flitting over to his brother. Damian was taken aback by the speed at which he moved, and was ready to snarl out a warning but Marinette didn't even look at him. She was still staring at Damian with a horrified expression. “And given he didn't have any backup, I'd say this was a personal mission, Mars.”

“What am I missing in this conversation?” Damian demanded as Jon handed over a twenty dollar note while grumbling. The two Kents bickered, ignoring him completely and he turned to Marinette with an eyebrow raised, speaking imperiously. “Tell me.”

“That's- I- how are you more handsome under the mask? Wait, no, I meant- shut up Conner, I am having a crisis and you are such a little shit, I'm telling Tim that you-”

“Oh yeah, are you also gonna tell him that you got caught in a LexCorp building?” He rebutted, smirking at her. Damian had frozen the moment she had mentioned masks and was trying to work out how he had been rumbled.

“Kent, does she know your identity?” Damian asked in a low voice and both of them replied affirmatively. Exasperated, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why are you being so cavalier in regards to a civilian knowing your identities? Not to mention that you should have informed me so that I would be able to steer clear of them so that my own was not compromised.”

“Oh, I'm not a civilian,” Marinette said offhandedly, still blushing but giving a small smile. When he turned to her, she looked down at the floor before glancing back up. “I, uh, I've met you in the suits before. I usually wear something slightly more spotted, with red?”

“...you are Ladybug?” She nodded and gave him a grimace while he quickly revised every part of their interactions that night. “That is how you got into the building without triggering the alarm, you used the horse - Kaalki, was it?”

“Mhm,” Marinette squeaked, looking pleased that he had remembered the kwami’s name. “It's also why I couldn't get out before we were found; I thought a random civilian would see my transformation. One that was breaking into a building, no less.”

“A more than reasonable assumption,” Damian agreed, stepping slightly closer to her. Now that he knew he was dealing with another hero (one that he had spent a lot of time openly admiring) he felt guilty for the disparaging comments he had made. 

“As adorable as this is,” Conner said loudly, making both of them flush although Damian less obviously. “Maybe we can get moving? We have plans tomorrow and I'd like to get some sleep between now and then.”

“I'm sorry, you're right,” Marinette said guiltily, fidgeting. “Assuming Damian is parked near the LexCorp building, we can probably get there ourselves if you want? That way you can both head home now.”

It was a neat solution that also meant that they wouldn't have overbearing Supers watching over them and Damian was impressed. Given Conner's complaint, it left little room to argue and the brothers departed with a pointed comment that they would expect her home shortly.

“Shall we?” She asked, looking up at him shyly and Damian found himself offering his elbow to her. She blushed again as she took it, before launching into a conversation about his work with animal charities. 

They arrived at her motorcycle much too soon and Damian surprised both of them by asking for her phone number so they could arrange a time to combine their efforts to free the research animals.

[egophiliac]

I was wanting to try doing an art piece in the style of the signature spell poster art pieces you create. But I’m not really the best at coming up with a composition for such a thing.

Do you have a process for how you come up with the compositions for them?

oh, awesome! it is an INCREDIBLY enjoyable style to work in; I hope you have fun with it! :D

I'm not great at putting my thought/art process into words, so my apologies if this doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'll try! my first step is always to do a LOT of thumbnails to figure out both the idea and how I want to show it; not trying to do a real sketch or anything, just little doodles to figure out what exactly I'm trying to portray. (I also call these "garbage passes" because they're not meant to be any good, they're just there to throw things out. aha. ha. ...anyway.) I think it's important during that first stage to really focus on the idea and the layout and not to get too bogged down in the actual drawing yet!

I tend to save my final thumbnails, so I'll use 'em as examples (I posted the ones up through episode 5 here if you're interested!) (and, uhhh, spoilers through episode 5 also in this post, hopefully that won't be an issue!)

the main thing I try to think about in composition is balance -- not necessarily in terms of symmetry, but in where each element is placed and how much space it's taking up. remember, empty space is still space! it's also really important to think about the parts that don't have anything in them, as much as the parts that do!

personally, I like to divide things up roughly by both halves and by thirds -- there's a lot more in-depth info out there on why the "rule of thirds" in particular works well visually, but in short, our brains tend to focus on things that are placed closer to imaginary division lines, instead of in the exact center of an image. so even when I'm doing something that is very centered and symmetrical, I try to keep that in mind and generally aim around those for landmarks like faces/eyes (or...where they would be, anyway) and other focal points.

it's not a formula of "the character's face should be in this division of this grid" or anything, more like "our minds like to focus on these areas, let's think about how to use that", if that makes sense! and of course rules are made to be broken, art is lawless anarchy, and so on. but it can be a good starting place for deciding where you want to put things!

(blue - thirds, red - half)

and against the finished versions, because they do usually end up changing a lot (including the empty space of the border):

(...these actually lined up a lot better than I thought they would. :') it makes me look like I do things way more intentionally than I do.)

other stuff I just try to keep in mind is that our eyes like following arcs and paths, which can be a good way to guide the eye:

and frame and control the focus:

honestly, composition is one of those things I feel like I struggle with a lot, so I'm not sure how much of this is helpful or actually makes sense outside of my head. but hopefully it helps a little! it's all just stuff to think about while drawing and not anything hard-and-fast, so don't, like, stress out about making sure things are lining up exactly on the thirds or anything. again, it's more "our brains think these are the dopest parts of the rectangle" than anything else! take advantage of the cool parts of the rectangle!

NOW GO HAVE FUN DRAWING seriously though, it is always super cool that other people like this idea and style enough to want to do it themselves and for other/their own characters! thank you! ❤️❤️❤️

[totohasitprintedout]

for some reason this sentence cracks me up

P.S. thank you Lando for giving us memeable content in every interview <3

[coquelicoq]

i still can't really have a conversation in french but i can read the french dictionary and i can translate 18th-century treatises on mollusks from french. that should count for something.

[tj-crochets]

so in the past I have made themed gifts for people who have helped me* and it's been a little weird but like. Understandable to the person I am gifting the thing to weird? My current problem is that I want to make something for my endocrinologist because he has improved my quality of life hugely** but endocrinology doesn't have an easily themed gift and my endocrinologist reminds me very very strongly of like a sad greyhound or a whippet but I cannot explain to this very nice, very normal man that "hey I made you a plushie of a dog because I wanted to thank you for the steroids and you remind me of a dog. In a good way!" *like teeth plushies for the dentist who helped me figure out I have to have dental anesthetic without epinephrine in it, or a chicken plushie for the people at the chicken restaurant that went the extra mile to get their ingredients list that were the reason I figured out I'm allergic to coconut **I had what would have been a severe allergic reaction and it wasn't pleasant but I didn't end up in the hospital and I didn't take like a week minimum to recover and

[disturbnot]

inactivity puppy tax

[kroganloveinterest]

nice of you to join us, warlock. i see the two of you still can't seem to grasp the concept of wearing less insensitive attire...

[amoralmorel]

listen. i need markings like perhaps that of a poisonous frog that indicate to the world that i am aroace. because. well. i do not wish to be apostrophized by people with intentions.

[bubmyg]

anyway i reiterate the cheesy as fuck sentiment abt having grown up with jeongguk like once a month but hearing him describe how his growth has been a process and he has so many factors to account for in whatever that shift may be just made me sit and reminisce a little like i too cant pinpoint a particular moment as a fan and at the same time, the shy youngest who barely spoke in interviews that i felt instantly adoring to doesn’t feel disconnected or surprising from the soft spoken but quietly confident man i continue to adore today. like there wasn’t some drastic image shift. jeongguk has just been jeongguk, at least as long as ive known him, and i think that’s what makes him so easy to love and root for. i’ve never doubted his sincerity and i think that’s one of his strongest traits as a vocalist: he’s believable and he’s genuine and he’s so passionate abt the art of performing and improving. he so ardently is my forever singer and i continuously feel quite inspired by his growth that has never quite come without an equal, if not greater, amount of suffocating love and tenderness. i greatly appreciate that i have been able to “grow up” loving jeongguk

[kaitowotd]

Kaito's Bear of the Day: Monokuma

never in all my years would I expect to see him as a boardwalk game stand prize, but here we are. To all my friends living in the US: If you choose to celebrate, don't forget to have fun with your families and friends first and foremost + DON'T BLOW YOUR FINGERS OFF WHEN LIGHTING FIREWORKS!!!! If you don't celebrate, whether it be out of choice or because you don't live in the US, I hope you also have a fantastic day with whatever it is you may be doing today!

[starwarsmum]

HMB Word Darts: prompt for this one is Meeting The In-Laws ❤️

Marinette stretched and looked around at the full plane. It was six hours into the eight hour flight and she was anxious to be landing. She should have slept, she had meant to sleep, but her mind was blasting through very stressful scenarios instead. 

“Nette, can you chill the fuck out?” Jason muttered from next to her. She blushed and grimaced apologetically but couldn't stop her leg from bouncing. Jason sighed and took her hand in his, stroking the back of it with his thumb. “What's on your mind?”

“I just…I haven't come back here since Hawkmoth was stopped and I don't know how to feel about it all. Like, I'm allowed to rage, be upset or whatever, but all I'm feeling is anxiety,” Marinette rambled, focusing on the calluses on his fingers and palm. They grounded her and made her exhale fully for the first time in an hour.

“You know, you still haven't totally explained the whole ‘Hawkmoth thing’ to me,” Jason remarked drily, frowning when she hesitated. “Mari, if you don't tell me I'll just assume the worst and I don't think either of us wants to deal with that.”

“Okay, okay,” she relented, squeezing his hand tightly. He didn't say anything and she blew out another breath before beginning. “So, I told you about Hawkmoth the emotional terrorist, right? And that the Justice League helped take him down about six months before you…returned to Gotham.

“Well, he was active before I came to Gotham. Like, very active and we had two superheroes: Ladybug and Chat Noir. They were young, like fourteen/fifteen when they started? But they beat his akumas and that's all that really matters. 

“But then Ladybug went missing. She just stopped showing up and then there was a new Ladybug, Scarabella, who said she had to take over. And she was fine, Hawkmoth never got the earrings or ring, but they also didn't get anywhere with it? 

“Anyway, after I spoke with Dinah and told her a little about my history she got the League to look into it,” she shrugged, still staring at Jason's fingers. 

“...you realise that doesn't tell me nearly enough,” Jason said in a low voice, and Marinette knew that if she had the nerve to look him in the eye she would see a green taint. “Mari, please, just tell me whatever it is you're so afraid of.”

“I don't know, okay? The last time I was here I helped facilitate a conversation between the League and the local heroes. And that should have been amazing, I should have been thrilled to be a part of saving my home city. But all I could think was that it wasn't home anymore, and that I let everyone down.”

“That makes no sense,” Jason said after a brief and awkward silence. “How could you have let anyone down? You were a teenager and you lost your parents. It is a goddamned miracle that you didn't end up as a puppet for that Hawkmoth guy.”

“I guess you're right,” Marinette replied, knowing that he wasn't but not wanting to argue. He made a sound that crossed between a huff and a growl and she winced. “Look, everyone has secrets that they'd rather not share. All I can say right now is that I was connected to the heroes before I left. That's why I'm confident we can get their help now.”

Jason didn't say anything but his hand pulled away from hers before clenching into fists. Marinette wasn't sure what he was thinking but she was fairly sure the Pit was whispering awful things to him again. They had had long conversations about how he had come back differently and he had admitted that when the Pit was in the driver's seat he wasn't sure what lines he wouldn't cross.

It was the main reason he hadn't kissed her again, in spite of Marinette insisting that she would be fine. He had the idea that he would wind up hurting her if he spent too much time with her and nothing she said would change his mind.

The silence persisted through the remainder of the flight and he didn't break it until they were checking into a hotel. Once they were settled in their separate rooms, she knocked on the door that connected them.

“I don't know how to feel about you being connected to the heroes,” he said once they were sitting on his bed. She gave him a questioning look and he rubbed his face with both hands. “It just seems so twisted that we didn't tell you about the whole Robin thing so you didn't get hurt but, actually, you probably would've found it easier to talk to us if you'd known.”

“Yeah, believe me I've thought about it a lot,” she said in as light-hearted a tone as she could manage. “It all feels like some cosmic joke and I wish I could say that I found it funny but…it's just another thing I screwed up in the long list of my failures, I guess.”

“Hey, that's not true. You were a traumatised teenager and you had no idea if you could even trust us. It's not like we told you what was going on either,” Jason argued, pulling her into a hug. “If anyone's to blame for what happened, it's me and Bruce, not you.”

“How about we just agree not to blame ourselves,” Marinette laughed, holding carefully still so that he wouldn't push her away. “Anyway, the most important thing is that I know who the current Ladybug holder is and can probably get us face time with Tikki.”

“And Tikki is…”

“The Kwami of creation, counterpart to the Kwami of Destruction who has the whole green thing going on. She'd know if the Pit Madness is linked to Plagg.”

They chatted for a few minutes longer before Marinette stood and stretched. Jason gave her a quizzical look; she never ended a hug first.

“I already messaged my friend about meeting up but she hasn't got back to me yet. I figured I should probably visit the cemetery while I have some time,” she explained, staring out of the window rather than looking at him. “You don't have to come with me, I can call you when Alya gets back to me-”

“Of course I'm coming with you,” Jason said immediately, standing and grabbing his jacket. A wave of relief crashed through Marinette - she didn't want to go alone, but hadn't wanted to ask.

_ _ _

Jason wondered if he should feel weird, visiting a cemetery. Logically, he knew that he didn't remember crawling out of his grave but he still had flashes, sometimes. A feeling of slight claustrophobia, cool dirt under his nails and pressed against his face. 

Perhaps if this was that cemetery, he would, but this Parisian cemetery was full of sunlight and fresh air. Not to mention he had Marinette with him, practically the only thing that he had in his new life that meant anything to him. So he was struggling to find anything to be anxious about.

“We're here,” she said softly, laying a bouquet of flowers on the twin graves in front of them. “Maman, Papa, this is the boy I told you about, Jason. Jason, my maman and papa, Sabine and Tom.”

Jason didn't say anything, a lump in his throat choking off any words he might have said. Marinette didn't seem to expect him to say anything anyway, her soft voice rambling on as she talked about everything and nothing. 

She had just started talking about planning to see her friend when her phone rang. Apologising, she pulled it out of her pocket and stepped away. She was speaking very swiftly in French and Jason didn't bother trying to keep up.

“I’m sorry I never got the chance to meet you,” Jason said once Marinette was further away. He felt a little silly, talking to a couple of headstones, but Marinette had done it. “She talks about you now, but even before that I could tell she loved you. Whenever she talks about you she kind of…lights up a bit.”

He went silent, relieved there wasn't anyone else there to hear him talking to no-one. It wasn't too much longer before Marinette returned, looking pensive. She grinned sheepishly when he asked what was wrong.

“Well, my friend says she can meet up with us right away, but she's going to an event with our old class. So we can either wait until she's free next week, or suffer through rubbing elbows with a bunch of people I haven't seen in a long time. I'm inclined to head straight there so I can get some answers but I'd understand if you wanted to give it a miss and wait a little longer.”

“I don't think I want to waste any time on this,” Jason answered immediately. She beamed at him before leading him out of the cemetery and, hopefully, to answers.

_ _ _

As they approached the park outside the old collége, Marinette felt her eyes straying to the newly finished apartment buildings that stood where the bakery had previously. She had known it was happening, they had been blocking it off the last time she was here, but it still made her ache to see anything other than the bakery standing there.

“Marinette?! Oh my gosh, hi!” A pink blur launched herself at Marinette, who caught Rose easily. She hadn't changed much; her blonde hair was still in a pixie cut although there was now a hot pink streak running through it. Her clothes had aged with her and she sported pink jeans, a black vest and a white jacket, but she was still bright and bubbly.

“Hey Rose, long time no see,” Marinette replied softly, hugging the other girl back. Jason stayed back, not interrupting but not being too far away from her. “Alya mentioned you all were going to be here, I'm glad I managed to see you.”

There were excited shouts and greetings all around as Marinette came closer to everyone. She spotted Alya, who grinned at her, standing with Nino and Adrien. She made her way around everyone she could before reaching the trio and gave Alya a tight hug.

“Girl, it's been way too long,” Alya said in a low voice, full of affection. Nino took a turn squeezing her as well, although Adrien merely lifted an awkward hand in greeting. “How have you been? I haven't seen you since, what, a year ago?”

“Something like that,” Marinette said, smiling before she gestured for Jason to step closer. “Jason, these are my old classmates, Alya, Nino and  Adrien. All of you, this is Jason Todd.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Jason said, not stepping close enough for any of them to touch him. “Nette’s told me about you all before, it's nice to be able to put faces to names.”

“I wish I could say I'd heard of you,” Alya replied, gaze turning inquisitive behind her lenses. “But as I said, Marinette and I don't actually talk too often anymore. So what brings you-”

“Oh gosh, I'm so sorry I'm late everyone! I was just helping one of the heroes with a statement to the Italian Embassy and lost track of time.”

Marinette felt a detached amusement when she turned and saw her one-time enemy, Lila Rossi. The young woman was dressed in a ridiculously poofy dress, the sleeves almost comically wide. Her looks hadn't overly changed, her hair still in ponytails. 

“Wow, Lila, that's so cool,” Juleka muttered, blushing when everyone looked at her. Marinette refrained from rolling her eyes - it was hard to get worked up about someone lying for clout when it didn't impact her directly, after everything she had been through.

“Yeah, it's really something else,” Alya said through slightly gritted teeth. Marinette almost jolted when she realised that Alya would obviously know that Lila was lying now. With a vague sense of detachment, she wondered whether Alya had tried to call the other girl out at all.

“Alya, just leave it,” Adrien muttered, giving Alya a reproachful look. Marinette looked at him quizzically, curious as to why he was trying to talk Alya down. “The high road, remember? It'll all come out in due time.”

Nino didn't seem to be paying the pair much attention, but Marinette was very interested in what was going on. Alya took a deep breath, and forced a smile back onto her face. She turned back to Marinette and released the breath before moving past it.

“Anyway, what were you saying? About why you're back in Paris?” Alya continued, brow furrowed in concern. “And who's tall, dark and handsome back there? Jason, you said, right?”

“It's…complicated,” Marinette hedged, glancing at Adrien and Nino briefly. “I kind of need to talk to our little friend, T? And maybe our other mutual friend, P?”

“Oh,” Alya said, eyes widening behind her glasses. “Right, okay, sure thing girl. Is it, like, time sensitive or…”

“The sooner the better, honestly. I know you're having a party right now, if you could just let CN know that I need to talk to P, I can wait for him somewhere-”

“Um, give me twenty minutes? And then the party should be in full swing and I won't have to watch every little thing.”

It was more like half an hour later, and Alya dragged Jason and her away to a secluded alleyway. She pulled up short when she saw both Adrien and Nino standing there, looking confused and a little concerned.

“Okay, so this is going to be a little awkward. Mari knows about me,” Alya said to the other two. Nino nodded, but Adrien started, his eyes wide and brow furrowed. “Honestly, if Mari hadn't chosen me, I wouldn't be who I am, so…”

There was a pause as Nino and Adrien looked at her confusedly before something apparently twigged. Nino did a double take and made a noise of comprehension. Adrien's was by far a more comical reaction. He flushed red and practically jumped towards Marinette.

“Wait, you were Ladybug?” Adrien whisper-shouted, grabbing hold of Marinette's shoulders. She winced almost imperceptibly and Jason snarled as he grabbed Adrien's upper arms. “Sorry, I'm sorry, it's just- I can't believe it was you, all that time.”

“The fuck does he mean, you were Ladybug?” Jason hissed, eyes beginning to glow green. Marinette felt a distant panic, not knowing how to pull him back. But apparently she needn't have worried because Plagg was suddenly in his face, staring at him.

“Pigtails, how did you find someone who's been in the Lazarus Pits?” Plagg asked, his tiny body inches from Jason's face. “Don't you know how embarrassing it is to have awful things you created waved in your face? How would you like it if I found something you made when you were a kid and showed everyone?”

“Plagg, this is not the time,” Tikki chided, floating over to Marinette and nuzzling her cheek. “It is so good to see you again, Marinette! But you should tell your boy to put Adrien down.”

Jason released Adrien slowly, the green in his eyes flickering out as Plagg continued to hover in his face. Marinette watched as Plagg flew even closer and settled himself on Jason's nose, still staring unblinkingly. Her gaze flickered to Adrien, who was staring at her in amazement. 

“Okay, so this is mind blowing for obvious reasons,” Marinette said, stunned. “But Plagg, the Pits are the reason we're here. Jason was exposed to them and it's making him a little-”

“Full of rage?” Plagg said snarkily, floating over to her. “Pigtails, the Pits are evil and if he was exposed to them…”

“I know, that's why we're here. Jason was a little bit dead a couple of years ago and now he's not but he's got Pit Madness. When I saw the green, I thought of you and we were hoping you would be able to help,” Marinette explained, only flinching slightly when she said ‘dead’.

“How can someone be ‘a little bit dead’?” Adrien asked incredulously, inching closer to Marinette again until Jason growled at him. 

“She means I was very dead but, through some magic bullshit, I'm not anymore. But the Pit Madness is making things a lot harder and she's hoping someone here can fix me,” Jason said, conveying through tone that he didn't think they could.

“I just want you to feel normal again, Jay,” Marinette said softly, touching his hand. Alya shot her a scrutinising look but didn't say anything. “So, can you help?”

“Sure thing, Bug,” Plagg said, eyes glowing brighter. Jason turned rigid, eyes wide and also glowing. Tikki shrieked and cut them off before it could go any further.

“Plagg, what are you thinking?! Don't you remember what happened last time you cleansed someone of Pit Madness?” Tikki chastised. “If we're going to do this, we need to get him lying down. And maybe have a bucket to hand,” she added thoughtfully.

Marinette glanced at Alya before announcing that their hotel would be the best place to go.

_ _ _

Marinette paced in her room, Nino sitting on her bed as they waited for Alya, Adrien and the Kwamis to finish whatever the heck they were doing to cleanse Jason. She had tried sitting still but she had picked at her fingers so much that they had started bleeding. 

“It's awesome to see you by the way, Dudette,” Nino said at last, looking up from the music app on his phone. Marinette shot him a tight grin but didn't say anything back. “And it's really freaking cool that you used the earrings before Alya.”

“It was a lifetime ago,” Marinette muttered, fingers stroking her ear lobes absentmindedly. “I can't believe you know about Alya and Adrien, but she didn't tell you about me.”

“Yeah, but it wasn't really her secret to tell,” Nino said in that relaxed way of his. “Thanks for trusting Als with everything when you had to go, she's been a really good hero.”

“I knew she would be,” Marinette said quietly. They lapsed into silence until both Adrien and Alya came out of the adjoining room. Immediately she was upon them. “How's he doing?”

“Tikki says he's going to be fine,” Alya reassured her. “But it's going to be several hours before you can go in to see him. Which gives us plenty of time to catch up, okay? Starting with how Jason got exposed to the Pits.”

“Well, he was killed in a joker attack…” Marinette began, launching into a brief explanation of Jason's story. Or at least, in so much as she knew it. Adrien's eyes were fixed on her as she talked but she mostly just stared at the door separating her from Jason.

The others were silent while she spoke, and for a time afterwards. Marinette paid them very little mind as she waited for Tikki to come and explain what was happening. So she was surprised when Adrien came and sat down next to her.

“It is so good to see you again, M'lady,” he whispered, grinning brightly at her. She smiled back, but the old panic that used to come when Adrien looked at her didn't surface. “I can't believe that we were in the same class.”

“It is a little crazy,” Marinette said, a giggle bubbling up. “God, if I'd known you were Chat I don't think I would've been as nervous to talk to you. I used to have such a crazy crush on you.”

“Wait, are you telling me that I was the other boy?” Adrien's eyes were wide and it made Marinette giggle even harder. She was gasping for breath as she nodded, the situation finally fully hitting her. “This isn't funny, Bugaboo!”

“Yes it is,” she gasped back, tears of mirth prickling her eyes. “It's almost…as funny…as Lila…saying she…was with the heroes…when you were…right there…”

“Ugh, don't get me started on that,” Alya grumbled, throwing herself dramatically onto Marinette's bed. “Girl, why didn't you stop me from putting the video of her claiming to be Ladybug's best friend on my blog? I can't believe I fell for that.”

“Jagged Stone's pet kitten, anyone?” Marinette said, snorting when Nino leveled a tired look at her. “She was so obvious with her lies, but now I guess I get why you were a little willing to believe her, chaton.”

The conversation turned to complaining about people lying for clout, Adrien sharing some crazy fan stories and Marinette talking about famous people at galas who somehow still did it, bragging about knowing the Gotham Bat because they'd been saved once.

It successfully distracted Marinette and she jumped when the interconnecting door opened, revealing a pale Jason. Immediately, she leaped to her feet and pulled him over to the bed so she could check him. She was completely oblivious to Adrien handing Plagg some camembert, or Alya letting Tikki nestle in her hair.

“Mari, chill out, I'm fine,” Jason said at last, although his voice rasped slightly, like he'd been throwing up. “The little demon cat thing purged me or whatever, I'm just tired.”

“Well excuse me for worrying,” Marinette sniped back, forcing his chin to point in her direction so she could look in his eyes. “May I point out that you were just cleansed of Pit Madness by miniature gods who have the powers of creation and destruction? They're cute but Plagg literally sank Atlantis and destroyed the dinosaurs.”

“Pigtails, I'm pretty sure I said not to bring up my past failures,” grumbled Plagg from inside Adrien's pocket. 

“Sorry,” Marinette said, sounding anything but. She continued to stare at Jason, even after she was sure he was okay, until Alya cleared her throat. She looked questioningly at the current heroine, head tilted slightly.

“If Plagg and Tikki are done here, I'm pretty sure all Jason needs now is rest,” Alya said warmly. “And I'm sorry to cut a very entertaining visit short, but I have to get to work. And Adrien, you have that appointment?”

After that, Marinette was left alone with Jason. She promised they would be in Paris for a little longer and that they could meet up for dinner in that time. Then, she crawled onto the bed next to Jason, resting her head on the same pillow.

“Hey,” he whispered, turning to look at her. His eyes were so blue and so much clearer than they had been that she couldn't make a sound. “I guess this means I don't have to worry about being a danger to you anymore.”

“Mhm.” Marinette didn't know what else to say, her heart swelling in her chest. Tentatively, she moved until she was resting her head on his shoulder, his arm curving around her. 

They lay like that until they both fell asleep and Marinette knew that she would have the best sleep since before donning the mantle of Ladybug.

[tankgotstuckinthecircusgate]

Luca stands under the board for darts(?) and Clemente throws knives at him trying to hit the marks😭

[watcheraurora]

"Tango noises" are really hard to try and spell sometimes

[icewindandboringhorror]

Everytime I face a new character limit on a website that didn't have them before/used to have really long ones... AUGHHhhh the modern social media world was not made for people like me (lovers of details, rambling, elaboration, thorough explanation, and nuance)

[makoredeyes]

Next word is: moan.

No happy sounds in this one!

“Oh no…” Felspring moaned, seeming to wither with grief as Felwinter found a ship he could pop the canopy on without difficulty.

[dwellordream]

"According to Brother Louvel, Naamah was filled with a mystic purity of spirit when she went to the King of Persis, and when she lay down with strangers in the market. But that is what they say at Gentian House, and not at Alyssum, where they say she trembled to lay aside her modesty, nor at Balm, where they say she came in compassion. I know, for I listened to the adepts talk. At Bryony, they say she made a good bargain of it, and at Camellia, that her perfection unveiled left him blind for a fortnight, which led him to betray her out of uncomprehending fear. Dahlia claims she bestowed herself like a queen, while Heliotrope says she basked in love as in the sun, which shines on middens and kings' chambers alike. Jasmine House, to which I would have been heir, holds that she did it for pleasure, and Orchis, for a lark. Eglantine maintains she charmed with the sweetness of her song. What Valerian claims I know not, for of the two Houses that cater to tastes with a sharper edge, we heard less; but I heard once that Mandrake holds Naamah chose her patrons like victims and whipped them to violent pleasures, leaving them sated and half-dead."

Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Dart