#wrote it vague XD

[the-random-phan]

[hirazuki]

how about "shiro + lotor 2" from your WIPs? (sorry for making you VLDpost in 2024)

Lmao it's my own damn fault for admitting to VLD WIPs in my folder in 2024 XD

So this is supposed to be another missing scene, along the same lines as my one VLD fic I do have published, this time between Shiro and Lotor when they're on their way to the Kral Zera.

Lotor shifted again, braced against the cool metal, careful not to let the back of his head bump against the edge of the dashboard he was leaning on.  Senses honed by almost ten thousand years of persecution insisted that he remain standing, behind the pilot, in case something -- anything -- were to go awry; smooth sailing after the turbulence of take-off did not by any means imply that safety was guaranteed. The prince, however, had forced his body into a sitting position. With wrists propped up on bent knees, he had chosen a spot to the right of the pilot’s chair. Not only could he use what respite he could get before they arrived at their destination, but the man that had expressly -- and covertly -- gone against the wishes of his team deserved that courtesy. Shiro was risking his very position within Voltron to aid him, and had been open-minded and supportive of him from the start; the very least Lotor could do as thanks, he reasoned, was not hover over the man’s shoulder, behind his back, suggesting not only a lack of trust but possibly sinister intentions. He looked up at the paladin. The man had his hands on the controls, occasionally making some adjustments on the screen in front of him. Probably skirting patrols.  The slight veering off-course of the mechanical lion had increased in frequency the longer they were in flight.  We must be getting close. Neither of them had said much, beyond going over the details of the plan, but it was not uncomfortable. The soft whirring of the Black Lion’s engine and beeping of her controls was pleasant enough that the half-Galra found himself thinking that flying like this for the rest of his life would not be so bad. Soothing. That was the word.  “I apologize,” Lotor said, eventually, breaking the silence. “For what?” “I am aware I have caused a rift between you and the rest of the paladins. That was never my intention.” “Oh,” Shiro replied. “Actually, I don’t think it was you, specifically. It’s… been a long time coming. You were just a convenient subject.” “Ah, convenience. It does always seem to come down to that, doesn’t it?”

[red-hemlock]

❝ i'll survive. somehow, i always do. ❞

From the Villain Starters! @mad-hunts

"Hmm... Tragically bleak, yet still containing some flicker of 'hope' underneath all of that nasty, nitty-gritty gloom-"

Fingertips meet against bars, idle in their trace down the length of cold metal and flecked dust; and patient in their boredom. There's a faint sound, it echoes as her index curls and scratches the tail-end of a red nail against the surface's faded luster. Who knows if he was speaking to her directly, but even the barest bones of a conversation was better than sitting here, listening to him seemingly mumble to himself.

"Sounds like the skeleton to a most scintillating romance novel, darling. You should definitely stash that one away for a rainy-day: you just might be the next millionaire in the making."

[mushroom-for-art]

This is what I think of while I'm at work, multiverse brain stuff featuring the wonderful perfect holdable smoochable loveable surrender all my possessions to Fidget (And Ivy is mentioned and also all those things), belonging to @blues-sues, hope you enjoy my bullshit

Loopholes!!! I will finds them!!

"Welcome to the dreaded brain world, full of mystery, horror, romance and mostly just horrid angst and being rotated for 5 hours at a time, ha!" Matt threw his hands about posing in emphasis to his words before throwing his hands up and lightly slapping the other Mewtwo, an individual of dark purples, on the back which caused them to jolt slightly forward in surprise with casual disregard for personal space.

Fidget spun round in a panic, eyeing up the other Mewtwo, "you shouldn't touch me!" His voice filled with an awareness of his danger to others as his eyes frantically scanned over the red individual waiting for their state to rapidly deteriorate with purple and rot. Matt held his hands up in surrender casually floating back but still hanging close as his feet found the floor again.

"Sorry! Not the touchy type then? Shoulda known that was on me," with a hand he rubbed the back of his neck, "sorry again." Fidget watched his brows coming together in confusion.

"I…." he hesitated unsure what words he needed, "I'm, poisonous, how, are you fine?" Despite knowing better he leant his upper body closer to the red individual, "are you, immune?" He tried to not let the hope creep into his voice. Matt blinked at him with wide slightly vacantly stupid eyes.

"Huh, you are?" Matt looked at him and made a noise, "that, does explain the purple, but uh if you're poisonous then," he glanced at the hand which slapped Fidgets back before snorting, dumbfound, "OH! Yea!" He snorted again in laughter looking back at Fidget, grabbing his elbow he pulled off his arm and after a few seconds the psychic illusion dropped revealing a prosthetic, "not my real hand!" He grinned wrinkling his snout, "neithers the other it's just psychic energy." He chuckled again as Fidget stared at him bewildered.

"Aren't you, worried about handling that? It might have my poison on it still?" Fidget watched the prosthetic flop as Matt twisted it about making a sound.

"Oh yea..guess it could. I'll just stick it in the washing machine or something." He grinned again as Fidget blinked, 'washing machine???' he puzzled.

"That isn't going in the washing machine you numpty or the dishwasher it's not machine safe!" a different voice yelled from elsewhere aimed at Matt as Fidget glanced brows furrowed in deep confusion as Matt made a noise sticking his tongue out in the general direction of the voice though Fidget couldn't see anybody yet.

"Bugger, guess I gotta wash this by hand then, with a wet wipe or somethin'," with a casual shrug he went to reattach his arm only for a new individual of deep gray blues to grab the prosthetic at the connection port and steal it flying off with it casually.

"No you're not, I'll be needing that thank you," her voice was casual, cool and mocking as she shot off with the prosthetic as Matt stood looking baffled before promptly yelling, "HEY!" After the Mewtwo who has already disappeared. Fidget swallowed uncomfortably hoping to not know what they wanted with his poison.

Matt threw his remaining psychic hand in the air as what was left of his other arm raised in emphasis to join before both his shoulders dropped down with his psychic hand bumping his side, "unbelievable, can you believe that," Matt moved to point with his stub pausing and motioning with his psychic arm pointing after the other Mewtwo, "honest, leaving me armless like that." Fidget could only provide an awkward smile looking at Matt in pure confusion while occasionally glancing at the psychic false arm seeing it shimmer and sway with energy.

Fidget jumped a flinch ducking his head down and taking a step back at the giant Mewtwo that seemed to appear besides him, a towering 9 foot maybe more he wasn't sure, sporting darker colors than standard and a fluffed tail.

"What's all the commotion over here, some of us are busy, Matthew." The tall individual didn't regard Fidget watching Matt who cringed with his tongue out at the using of that name.

"Darkness stole my prosthetic which I kinda need to like do things and interact with my new buddy here," moving with casual abandon he wrapped his psychic arm around Fidgets shoulders without pulling him too close, his psychic energy was warm on Fidgets shoulders and felt wobbly ripples of overconfident aura warmed Fidget through the contact, "he's poisonous so kinda need like arm that's not gonna absorb poisons," Matt shrugged at the taller two followed by looking back at Fidget, "no offense." Matt offered a smile in apology as Fidget awkwardly shrugged since he wasn't wrong.

With an awkward vocalization of distress and confusion purple psychic energy lifted and moved Matt to the side, "and any less consideration with your mobility would've resulted in your friends shoulder into your chest plate and a hefty poisoning no doubt, your lack of spatial awareness is, something alright." The tall one casually swayed his hand to the side as he removed the weird warmth of Matts psychic from Fidgets shoulders as Fidget once more swallowed having not realized how close he was to potentially hurting his friend.

"And why don't you simply create a psychic barrier over yourself if you're so worried about poisoning?" The tall one finally regarded Fidget looking at him with a steely level gaze, "observe," the tall Mewtwo raised a hand and Fidget leant back.

"I - I wouldn't really! My poison is really really bad it'd be quite serious if-!" The hand touched his forehead and he froze, much like Matts psychic arm there was an odd sensation the touch was both cool and warm, he could sense a barrier of sorts preventing direct skin on skin, but unlike gloves and other protective measures it didn't feel rough or squeak as a thumb idly moved rubbing casually above his brow below his horns. The psychic energy was more stable and didn't wobble the same way Matts did and it almost assured Fidget with the level of confidence and strength behind it, the aura was cool but not freezing as the psychic energy faintly warmed like a cool gel that warmed with body temperature.

Blinking and slowly lifting his gaze upwards the tall one was glancing over at Matt still slightly levitating for psychic energy as though scruffed, "You see? A simple barrier is all you need."

"Ohhh…like a psychic condom for your fingers."

The hand moved from Fidgets forehead to accusingly point at Matt, "you unspeak that from existence right now you horrid wretched waste of breath and space." Fidget frowned at the loss of touch and the harsh tone of the taller two but noticed Matt simply beamed at him with his tail wagging behind him, clearly proud of himself for causing such a reaction.

The hand unconsciously returned to Fidgets forehead palm resting on the top of his head as he blinked and quietly allowed and enjoyed the sensation of touch.

"That's all well and good but not all of us are as gifted as you are Axel, some of us are a bit shit.," Matt shrugged within his scruff as the tall one Axel exhaled a deep sigh rubbing his temple with his spare hand.

"Yes I'm aware of how much my genes have deteriorated and what has unfortunately arisen from that." Fidget quietly wondered if he should even still be there but the gently touch on his head was still there and still nice but he had the self control and awareness not to shove into the touch less Axel pay attention to him again.

From the sky the prosthetic fell and hit Matt on the head causing him to wince with an oof before clumsily catching it with his psychic hand and gasping realizing the hand had hit his head.

"Stop panicking doofus I cleaned the poison and any residual poison off its sterile won't kill ya unless I beat you to death with it," the dark mewtwo from before glided past casually, "Hi Fidget, bye Fidget." he blinked awkwardly wondering how she knew his name as she passed. "having fun there grandpappy?" Her mouth turned into a taunting grin before she was once more gone flying off. Axel watched after her confused before realizing his hand was still situated on Fidgets head. He slowly lifted his touch with a faint huff like exhale turning his head away.

"As I demonstrated, no poisoning, but I suppose you'll just have to make do with your false parts." Axel turned, his feet leaving the ground as he floated away as Matt was dropped after reattaching his arm.

"Yea thanks for that! I'll remember your weird advice when I get powers, come back whenever you're ready to admit you actually want interaction with your own kind rather than denying it and thinking yourself better!" Matt hollered after the large mewtwo who either didn't hear or chose to ignore him.

Wandering back over to Fidgets side his prosthetic hand pat his shoulder, "sorry about all that, crazy family crazy situations and stuff, happens all the time here." Fidget nodded memorizing how the prosthetic fingers articulated and felt against his skin, cooler now that he took note of it and not as defined as usual mewtwo hands missing the ball like finger ends, but the way they wrapped around his shoulder and offered a light squeeze was unusually pleasant and welcome.

"Yes it's quite strange here… but.. I guess I might enjoy it. Especially if I find my sister." Fidget nodded to himself, while enjoying the attention he missed Ivy and hoped she was okay.

"Well, let's go look yea? She'll be here somewhere, probably being rotated." Matt grinned walking ahead before stopping and offering out his hand, with a moment of cautious hesitation Fidget sighed and took the hand to go with.

"She isn't actually being rotated is she?" He asked as he floated along keeping steady pace with Matts walking, not at all reassured by his shrug.

"Dunno! Maybe? We'll see!" Fidget raised a confused brow but floated along, not minding how the fingers squeezed his hand feeling them growing warm with contact.

[tearsoftime0086]

“Yo, Kamille. Mind pouring me one too?”

The mobile suit deck is often empty during the night shift - the mechanics keep a tight schedule, and the crew had recently moved the sim and engineering gear closer to the bridge. Kamille’s betting on this fact as he scouts out his drinking spot, but it seems he’d forgotten to account for one nosy Judau Ashta.

“Aren’t you underage?”

Judau remains unfazed, grabbing the second shot glass on the makeshift table. “It’s cool. The drinking age’s lower in Shangri-La.”

Kamille sighs, but finds himself already reaching for the bottle of whiskey. “And that is?”

The bluff begins to fall apart. “Uh… sixteen? Or eighteen, and I’m close enough to that.”

Kamille just scoffs and pours one out for him - he and Torres had done worse aboard the Argama, after all.

“Knew you weren’t a complete stick-in-the-mud yet,” Judau says. The two of them clink glasses and drink. Judau whips his head back and finishes in one swig. “Phew, that’s some strong stuff, Kamille.”

“You don’t have to drink it all at once,” Kamille responds, taking another deep sip. “And you could add some water, if you want.”

“And ruin perfectly good alcohol? No sir.” This time, Judau tops off both of their glasses, and his expression begins to harden. “So, what’s the occasion? I know you don’t drink very often.”

“I just remembered I brought this bottle onboard with me… Thought I might as well.” Kamille mumbles lamely. Neither of them is convinced with this answer, so he ends up finishing with a quiet, “It was a gift from Amuro.”

“Ah.”

[kuiinncedes]

essay doc title "aiya"

[unproduciblesmackdown]

some threads woven together flawlessly. or fumbled with intently until it's like Look [holds out a cat's cradle] but no. it's good & real

smthing "i can't believe it's this Telling!" about Romance(tm) being multiple times hearing this sentiment like. "okay talking about relationships right. dating has always come easily to me / i've been lucky / i'm Good At romance: i was not single for more than 5 consecutive days from the autumn of '34 to Now. but it wasn't until my late twenties 90 yrs & dozens of Romantic partners into it that, for the first time ever: one of those relationships was actually like, good." and it's like damn i can't believe it's that Telling. that the remarks have this would be twist / punchline (not actually delivered as such. it's not unexpected to them?) that still gets framed thusly as being Successful in dating. spending eons with a bunch of people involved in bad relationships, but you weren't Not dating

also reminded in terms of [i don't really have any podcasts i'm listening to] like one i was like "hm i've heard some episodes. i'll put this one on in the background" then dropkicking it out the window like 10 min in b/c irrelevantly this Guest was like "real talk. ugh it's sooo cool to be poly nowadays 9_9 everyone has to be poly but i'm Naught into it!!! i guess i Feel too much. i want PASSION and DRAMA!!! this is just like how pop in the late '00s / '10s was all 'feminist' telling you to be independent sluts well i care about true LOVE" and like. i don't remember but i don't think they were a man, i'm quite surer they were queer, it was just so fucking lmfao like would you get thee fuck out of here. we actually don't live in "it's like it's illegal to be monogamous :(" world you're not Edgy now b/c you're insecure about what you see as "trendy" but don't Get / don't want in on. you're not going against the grain for being like "maybe i Do want to settle down with my soulmate" like great news that's normative. pick another queer group to Project on b/c they'd rupture your idea of the Bounds of queerness where you're like "ugh they're so mainstream & ruining it for us True queers disrupting the cishet agenda (arguing for queerness to be on The Terms Of said cishet agenda)" e.g. ohh the cishet agenda is pro asexuality!!! (it is not. even if it was? is the Queer Agenda for some people to have to deny their own sexuality & "have" to have sex a certain kind of way with certain people? up next "bi women: gender traitors, why not Choose to (have to) have only certain kinds of sex w/certain people :)" trans people gender traitors We decide what everyone's gender is, bit fucked up of you to be deciding your own huh, what Assumptions are you making you sicko?? you Have to identify / present xyz certain ways or you're failing to be the gender vanguard like we are) like what if the queer agenda was about everything we Can do. we Can have this sex w/these people sure, & we Can: Not do that w/them. like oh no what if cishet men were able to get their hands on the gay resources only when we recognize Aro/Ace identities can ppl Say "yeah i'm....hehe....Not cishet"? legitimate question Yeah What Then. oh no. god's wounds What If you can just say you're trans now & change your pronouns every day. like yeah let's let everyone do that. what if we all did. oh no lol. oh my god more people are talking about polyamory like they're allowed to talk about polyamory & if my monogamy isn't Assumed ""normal"" & i might feel like it's thus more in question?? well don't mind me as i get defensive by way of Derisive & start scoffing & spitting at the queers making the rest of us look bad but we're Really fighting the fight out here (doing what we were already doing but now feeling extra smug & self satisfied about it?)

like "ohh i have too much Emotion for that" like who said you didn't. why do you think polyamory involves less emotion or passion or desire or commitment or whatever. it sure doesn't posit it necessarily requires More either. it posits that it is not monogamy. & like christ Congratulations then. congratulations on having too much of a heart. that is then used to sneer & backbite like i forgot that this person on this damn podcast also brought this up b/c a friend or acquaintance who was poly made whatever kind of proposition & here they are on some podcast going Ugh & talking about how they have too much passion, despite years of top40 telling them, according to them, that feminism is sluttiness now (again this is. according to them. Groundbreaking circling back to bog standard misogyny) & isn't it so groundbreaking in turn if a woman were to sing love songs? imagine. you can have emotions & passion & drama taking the parking spot a stranger wanted. You could've brought the monogamy with a poly partner, when the Agenda for it is always distilled to Exclusivity, like, bring your own, huh? like your own Feelings & Passions & Commitment. but obviously it is the assumption that the poly partner is the Inadequate one there who would be causing any relationship to be Lacking. b/c they sure didn't frame it as some matter of fact Mismatch or else try to start being outright about how poly people are, like the bisexuals, these sluts (feminists!!) who are only giving you Part of themselves when you deserve All Access to your exclusive, locked in partner!!! & like good lord do you ever? with your Reliable kinsey endzones binary gender soulmate for life, do you?? locking them in what, why. excluding what, why. accessing all of what, why.

Romance(tm) being defined by Exclusivity defined by entitlement to as much of this other person as you want, to ensure that exclusivity: compare w/the boundless potential Threats or already Violations to thee proper romantic relationship. spending too much time with other people, sharing too much with them, getting too much support, feeling too much towards them, valuing them too much, to say nothing of what could be considered "intimacy," which then yeah sure includes "well no kissing or sex" but yknow again that does need to be a bound you even accept, monogamy style, & even if you do, that All Thee Rest of it can be attributed to "well you shouldn't be talking to them / having these friends / doing these other things b/c that's a slippery slope to Romance (kissing, sex)." that the exclusivity is so often inevitably defined by, when pushed to it, Exclusion, e.g. like if everyone i loved was held at gunpoint & it's like only One of them could be Not Shot baby it'd be you like tf is this scenario?? gee it'd suck if everyone else died but baby as long as it's not you like The Hell. that it's about Everyone Else being shut out & Less & Lacking & deprioritized thusly in specificass hypothetical winner take all tournaments of disposing of loved ones like what in the christ. & this being an Isolating logic like well that soulmate should be Enough. & the instruction like, yeah any & all feelings passions desires wishes wants needs hopes dreams? file that away under "to be fulfilled by the One True Romance." it'll fulfill Everything in your life!! if it doesn't umm cough must've been doing it wrong. turn your discontent into Passion. philosophically muse on how Fulfillment may have eluded you but maybe just maybe we all still come closest in struggling through a marriage for a few dozens of years & also perhaps parenthood! surely. and don't even think of considering if this cosmos of the nuclear household is not in fact the distilled essence of all that one's life can possibly contain

of course two people can have a long term intimate relationship w/each other exclusively & it not all necessarily play into some nuclear family cisheteropatriarchy agenda moment lmao, but this is just the same as like. yeah people Can exist in ways that some rando today could look at & deem "are they not cishet" but where this is also not of the cishet agenda(tm). b/c ppl Have to be cishet(tm). & Have to be finding their monogamous cishet lifelong spouse. & sure Have to Not do otherwise, so why Wouldn't there be the narrative that all passions & emotions & desires & wants & needs & chance of fulfillment is a matter of the domain of Romance(tm)? the idea like oh you enjoy talking with someone? Love. you're excited / interested / affectionate? Love. you're dtf? either Love or else held to be the other side of the same coin: marked Lack of love(tm). wild that Stimming in enthusiasm is used in this Romance framework lmao as like a recognized Normal nd moment. love the enthusiasm. you could be stimming even more, about more. you could be enthused even more, about more. you Could. you don't Have to, But You Could. you don't Have to be involved in a way you consider some degree of intimate enough to have a particular classification on that basis, but you Could. you don't want to? alright awesome how many versions of a person there can be on this earth. why would one want to define it as "having" to be monogamous though b/c you're Too Legit to be poly. Too Legit queer to respect asexuality. Too Legit trans to respect someone's gender expression/identity being a casual, dynamic, easy experience.

also always noticing like "oh right, another day's work giving Others' feelings legitimacy & priority, & not my own" back in college times when like a couple of times having to outright or gradually* deflect acquaintances whom i'd interacted with trying to go for the dating route. & then nominally having to presume that they are the uniquely burdened one here like oh way to go (did not do fuckall), what is more Legitimate than disappointment re: Romance right. except it's like now hang on i'm also the one going "i thought someone was interacting with me trying to be friendly :/" like lol, no. & as though then taking on this impossible unilateral responsibility to demur from seeming [i want to hang out & interact] interest now on the terms of both neurotypicality (also normative) & amatonormativity. & being like "??" like what would someone even have particularly strong feelings about when i prommy i did not yet feel comfortable bringing even like most of the range of my personality, or comfortable in general w/what i Did bring, what's the basis of this lol. making up a guy. & like we are all performing we are all perceiving & interpreting without a direct channel into someone else's interiority. but like where's Any genuine intimacy leading into this lol? like still a No even if so but at least it'd be less perplexing. & if there isn't even expected to be any then also still No. tf was this one guy trying to start shit over buying textbooks & by start shit i mean keep trying to talk to me when crossing paths on (community college!) campus until i'm like no i don't wanna go to a movie b/c i don't really know you from adam, & he's like "well isn't that the point of dating, to get to know each other" like No this isn't cishet amatonormative marriage speedrun "i'm so good at dating i wasn't single for 93 years! each relationship was shit btw!" central get out of here. luckily he did. rando guys in public & semi public barely count yet also fully count

another thing that's different but the same is it's kind of jarring like another thing you Can do but it rankles within me like i hope to just like. someone being like framed as Superlative Exceptional....like great lmao such a broad thing & common thing & i am fully aware like "Uh Oh Eesh when i am imagining it applied to Me. i do not like it" like how we are [it takes all kinds]ing and [no accounting for taste]ing & all these things we sure Can do. but i do tie it to just like. arguing for people's worth as A Thing on this bitch of an earth where some people get to see others' lives as less than theirs & the supposed cure for this appealing on Merit. where even the Personal, Individual protection against this is "well, just find the one person who is like 'you're Everything & btw i'd drop dead without you like what would be the point of Anything'" like now what tf is reassuring about that lmao....this Other audio experience i forgot where i was already just not that interested but it grated hearing someone assure us that like oh this person's webpage is so Intriguing i Have to talk to this person. another thing much more formal & established being this ode to someone being like So undeniably extraordinary & incredible & superlative etc, like, lovely ode to someone, but i do reflect like eesh i just really do not want that. no ironic "xyz would've hated this!!" like just do not. i'm so Not about merit(tm). i'm so not about anyone Needing to be considered superlative or extraordinary by even One other person. so not about rising Above anyone else as the evidence of worth. so not about praising anyone by assuring people they're Not "Just" [another xyz. a victim. passive. content to abc.]....so not about being stuck in isolation with the immediate Family as one's only support (against The Family: as like. a political deal) until the only other way to exist is to escape, &/or be pushed into, the marriage, aka thee romance (against Romance: also a political deal)

where in romance(tm) is there Not this narrative about how you'd better find all the support & fulfillment you need in your whole self & life & being in This. where is there not "ideally" isolation. where is there not exclusivity as the definition. with this also ofc assuming the "correct" monogamous approach. & the cisheteropatriarchy. like yeah sure people Can do xyz that would resemble like ah the cishet lifelong monogamous partnership, & Not be of that agenda. like there Can be ppl who would be perceived cishet by someone to whom "cishet" has any meaning but like, without that agenda. we had & can have all our phenotypes without the concepts of white supremacy / antiblackness around which to categorize "race," we have all our bodies w/o there necessarily, inevitably being ableism. & in the meantime against the [we Have to xyz] & the Normative & the assertion of "merited" deservingness & the isolating & authoritarian & controlling & extractive & prescriptive & limiting, & plenty of other things....polyamory like supposed "opposite" of aromanticism but it's peak harmonious when like, it is also very much outside how romance is "supposed" to be, to the extent of like ohh it doesn't count b/c it is so uncontained by any Definitions. ohh i could never be polyamorous b/c they're Diluting themselves (there's the Isolating & Exclusivity definitions....the Most romantic relationship? baby idgaf if everyone else in my life died. you wouldn't either re: all your loved ones, right. why are you talking to them again. or hanging out with them again. or saying Love to them again or changing your plans for them or listening to them or etc etc. & of course you couldn't kiss anyone else, why Wouldn't this relationship crumble away if that weren't the case??? lol) like okay you're not polyamorous, that others Are is good for you. ppl being trans is good for cis people; no genders as constraining classes. ppl being ace is good for allo people; no compulsory sexuality. people being bi is good for everyone; same. etc etc etc. that They can exist as themselves unhindered = you can; that they can't, you can't. you're not Too Good to be them; acting/doing Better than someone else is acting/doing is like, about choices lol. versus [oh it's not even a choice i Couldn't be poly....b/c i'm too good for that] like. now what does this do for anyone exactly. but make you feel more secure through feeling superior b/c you're hearing more often more casually more proximately about different choices people are making for themselves

anyways surfacing from [my god. writing a post now] & i would like to emphasize "aromantic sure but & also anti-romance i mean it. like politically" & "lovelessness let's gooo. politically as well like can we Not with the affective-centric"

[arsenickittycat]

image: "into the flames" by VinceFL, flickr

[flightfoot]

ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 5K - 10K words

So I’ve been going through and adding particularly good fics I’ve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!

Plagg eats Destruction while Tikki eats Creation. They choose not to tell their Holders exactly what that means.

Ladybug’s partner joins with Hawk Moth and she can’t figure out why. Not at first, anyway.

Adrien had started expecting the family breakfasts. He had NOT been expecting his father to collapse in the middle of one.

Adrien and Marinette both vaguely remember young playmates from when they were kids. Their first friend. Shame they didn’t remember each other’s names.

Marinette’s itching to win a prize for beating a merfolk in a race. Thankfully, a merman, Chat Noir, decides to challenge her. Pity that Adrien was busy that day.

Adrien finds a tiny, mousy guest in his new home, and makes a new friend.

Marinette helps lead a revolution to overthrow King Adrien with the help of her most trusted ally, Chat Noir. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir find a toddler wandering around during an akuma attack. Who could her parents be?

Chat Noir wrote a tweet mocking himself as Adrien. This totally does not come back to bite him in any way.

An akuma swapped Marinette’s and Chat Noir’s bodies. Marinette AS Marinette, not as Ladybug. This causes some problems.

All this and more below the break!

---

you don’t even know me at all (but I was made for loving you) by @ladyofthenoodle

They didn’t remember each other. The hospital told them there’d been an accident—brain damage—but Alya had told them the truth, later. Who’d they’d been to each other. What they’d given up, and why.

But even with their memories of each other gone, Adrien and Marinette are still inextricably tied together—by law, by their social circles, and by their hearts.

And in the apartment they share, there's only one bed.

Yep, it’s the “there was only one bed” trope XD! I especially love how it was used here, how Adrien and Marinette are strangers now but they had a whole life together, and they pine for each other even without remembering, and how Marinette just can’t believe how in love with her Adrien is even though he doesn’t remember her. I loved the emotional turmoil the two of them went through together in the fic, and the resolution, it’s great!

---

Experimental Feeding by Machina_Fun_T

Plagg eats Destruction*. Tikki eats Creation*.

They don't explain that to their holders.

*Warning - This diet has side effects.

I just found the whole idea here fascinating. Basically, Plagg and Tikki prefer to eat things that align with their concept somehow, and even get boosts from them. They decide not to explain the details to their Holders though (just to mess with them I think) which prompts Adrien and Marinette to both do a lot of experimentation to figure out what their kwami likes to eat the most.

---

Until I Found You by @linnieluna

Working their way up to a settled adulthood, Marinette and Adrien, now 23, gain a reason to believe that they are expecting—way earlier than they ever planned. Still unwed, it evokes a revelation on Adrien’s behalf.

Was it time to take the next step forward?

I loved the emotions here, how Adrien and Marinette reacted to the results of the pregnancy test, how complicated their feelings about it were - and how it prompted Adrien to take action. It’s a really sweet fic!

---

From school bells to wedding bells by @linnieluna

When the superhero duo takes on another exhausting fight against an akuma, Chat Noir does what he never hesitates to do and takes a hit for his partner. The problem being: neither of them knew what power the akuma possessed.

That is... until he is transported into the future. More specifically, to his friend Marinette's wedding.

Ah I love time travel fics! Older!Marinette’s surprised, Younger!Adrien’s bewildered, and Older!Adrien is off knowing exactly what happened and giving his younger self some subtle heads-up. 

It gives Adrien something to look forward to, to cling onto, through bad days in the future at least!

---

u + me = love by @xiueryn

Marinette has a massive crush on Adrien. He has a crush on the superhero, Ladybug. When he says the only person he'll invite as his plus one to an event is Ladybug, Marinette takes her chance to romance him for the night. AU.

(a fanboy and fangirl start to date.)

This is just a fun Ladrien story. Ladybug is happy to oblige in Adrien’s fantasies, and no one else believes that he’s actually dating Ladybug.

---

Disintegrated Pancakes by @scribeofrhapsody

Adrien had started expecting the family breakfasts. He had NOT been expecting his father to collapse in the middle of one.

I’m shocked I haven’t seen more of this sort of thing, with Adrien finding out his father’s Monarch via seeing the Cataclysm wound. I love that Alya gets involved in this, being the person Adrien runs into after fleeing the room, and then Adrien getting to talk things out with Gabriel and Nathalie. Thankfully Gabriel is at least not completely incapable of being reasoned with here, or things could have gone worse than they did. It’s a nice little read, though with an ambiguous ending (at least at the time when I write this).

---

Like Smoke From A Furnace by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

Marinette and Adrien give up their Miraculous. Ladybug and Chat Noir never meet again.

This one’s an angsty fic with a happy ending (though there is a little fluff in there as well.) Adrien and Marinette get together and have a family together, while Scarabella and Kitty Noire continue to fight Monarch for the next decade. But it still eats at Marinette that she never found out what happened to Chat Noir, that he never said anything before they both vanished, and Chat reappearing during an akuma attack when Kitty Noire was taken out of commission doesn’t help with that - especially since he won’t leave her head and she needs to commit herself to her family, doesn’t want to be torn by his presence. She cares about her family too much. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir never meet again... but there are other ways for them to meet up and talk things out.

---

with this ring by @thelibraryloser

She thought “you and me against the world” had sounded like lopsided odds before, when she hadn’t even dreamed “you against me” was a possibility. Or maybe she had dreamed it, but at least in those dreams he’d had cold blue eyes and a stark white mask.

The villain she’d fought today had looked at her through her partner’s own bright green eyes.

It wasn’t meant to be this way.

Short and sweet Sentiadrien enemies canon divergence fic here! I adored Marinette finding out why her kitty seemed to have “betrayed” her, and the righteous anger on his behalf once she figured out that it wasn’t of his own free will. Her comforting Adrien about it was just... really good. It’s a Hawkmoth Defeat fic too, so the immediate aftermath gets covered as well. Adrien needs a hug.

---

Miracoffee by @pauliestorylover

Ever since the last Mr Pigeon attack over nine months ago, Hawkmoth has fallen off the face of the earth, seemingly for good. There’s never been a better chance for an identity reveal—but after keeping her identity a secret for so many years, Marinette feels incredibly nervous about one.

When Chat Noir accidentally finds Ladybug working at a café, Alya comes up with a brilliant idea. If Ladybug and Chat Noir interact regularly in a civilian setting, surely they’ll move towards an identity reveal without outside interference?

Adrien Never Goes To Public School Coffee Shop AU here! It’s funny how he clocks Marinette as being Ladybug IMMEDIATELY. And then after discussing it for awhile, decide to make a bit of a game of the identity reveal, having Chat come in on pre-determined days and seeing whether Ladybug can figure out who she is, all while they get to know each other, even if in passing. 

Love the other Miraculous heroes making cameos as well, Marinette seems annoyed that Nino cosplaying as Carapace actually doesn’t tip anyone off XD.

---

Nothing Else Matters by LiquefiedStars

Marinette couldn’t figure out Chat Noir. He was supposed to be her partner, but instead ended up working for Hawk Moth. Still, her heart betrayed her and when a strong connection forms between them, Ladybug goes to Chat looking for answers, finding out more than she bargained for.

Sentiadrien enemies AU fic! He never wanted to fight against her, but Gabriel caught him before he could transform for the first time, and with his father using his Amoks against him, he had no choice. 

I like that there’s a solid explanation for why Fu let Adrien keep his Miraculous even though he’s been working against Ladybug, I don’t often see explanations for that that I’m satisfied with.

---

For the Sake of a Ring by @rosie-b

An akuma that transfers people's consciousnesses into other universes hits Ladybug, sending her into a world where everything is the same... but instead of earrings, she's wearing a ring on one hand! She's only just arrived in this universe, but already Plagg seems to have gone missing. It's up to Marinette to figure out what happened before she's sent back home!

This fic takes place in the future, after Season 5, but it does not contain any leaks or major spoilers. Please keep the comment section spoiler-free, too!

This is really cute, Marinette gets transported into a world where she’s married to Adrien and is really confused as to why and how they got married at sixteen. Adrien’s just an adorable puppy who thinks his wife is the most amazing person in the world! 

---

His Princess and Her Knight by @seas-of-silver

Adrien, Marinette, Nino and Alya have a group assignment about how the past has shaped them into the people they are today, but they’ll make a discovery that’ll send them searching for answers.

This fic is adorable, Adrien, Marinette, and Nino uncover that they all went to the same preschool together, with Adrien and Marinette immediately latching onto each other, Adrien being the knight to Marinette’s princess, and also making friends with Nino. Sadly he was pulled after two weeks, but it made quite an impression on him.

---

A Friendship Not Abandoned (Just Delayed) by @nomolosk

Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste first met as tiny little kids, but then Adrien had to move away. When they finally meet again, will they even remember each other, much less become friends again?

Poor Adrien keeps on saying or doing just the wrong thing to give Marinette the impression that he’s a bully like Chloe when he’s not, and he keeps desperately trying to fix it. So a bit of an enemies au in that way, since Marinette doesn’t like him much. He does gradually manage to convince her that he’s a good person though.

---

as luck would have it by @silver-hibiscus

It's Adrien's birthday, and there's an akuma attack. Luckily, Ladybug and Chat Noir are there to save the day! Even if they're not the heroes that we're familiar with...

Not so much a kwami swap as an another au entirely.

Same title as one of my own fics, funnily enough! Though entirely different premise. This is a Gabenath fic, with Gabriel as Chat Noir and Nathalie as Ladybug, complete with a lovesquare and some unspecified other person as Hawk Moth. In this version, Gabriel and Emilie had some terrible fights and were separated, with Gabriel realizing along the way that he’d been a distant father and working to rectify that, he’s a pretty decent person here. I could actually kind of see this being a feasible path Gabriel could have gone down, if he wasn’t so desperate to revive Emilie and hadn’t gone so far to try to distance himself from who he was and where he came from back before he met Emilie and started changing to fit in with the upper class.

---

The Price by @clawsoutspotsoff  

He clutched his chest, feeling his lungs burn  as his body started to give out beneath him. No. Not now. Not this time, when he was so close.

He wrenched his arm back, striking with the other as he called his sword to his hand, fire and lightning and ice tearing through his nerves as he did, but finally, finally, the resistance gave way and he stumbled backwards.

Without looking, he turned and ran, calling a portal to appear before him. He fell through it, landing on a cold, hard floor in utter darkness. He could still hear shouting over the rushing in his ears, every part of his body failing at once, and before he could be pursued, before he could collapse any further, he forced raspy words through his torn, aching throat.

"Plagg, Tikki, unify!"

The world went blessedly, eerily silent.

---

Written for MiraculousFanworks' fanfic wars 2022

Will that be cash, credit, or memories?

This was a great look at how the Wish could potentially happen, what the kwamis might do to help mitigate the worst aspects of it on the people they care about... and what the price would be for it.

---

Emotional Mountain Ranges by @liiinerle

After Zoé's attempted romantic confession to Marinette is interrupted by an incensed Chloé and Audrey Bourgeois, she's left distraught and adrift, a crying mess in an alleyway far from home. Ladybug saves her from the incoming akuma, and tries to help her back on her feet - and Zoé wonders what she could possibly have done to earn this much attention from a superhero...

Lovely Zoenette fic here! I especially like how Marinette talks to Zoe, reassures her that she’s good enough, that she (as Ladybug) isn’t as perfect and composed as she thinks, and just... tries to get Zoe to have more confidence in herself. It’s mostly from Zoe’s perspective too, which I like since there aren’t a lot of Zoe POV fics.

---

The Mer-Human Race by @rosie-b

Bringing her hand closer to his lips, Adrien tried to plant a kiss on it, but Marinette pulled away before his lips could touch her.

“Save it for your girlfriend,” she said teasingly. “Or do you still not have one yet?”

Adrien smirked and crossed his arms.

“It’s a girl,” he said. “And I know her in real life. That’s all you get. Now, let’s get back to planning, shall we? We have a mermaid to beat.”

Lovely world-building here! Merfolk and humans have had a treaty for a long time, so there’s a tradition where merfolk can challenge humans to a race, and whoever wins gets to ask for a reasonable sort of reward (in Marinette’s case, she wants to be allowed to captain a ship at a younger age than is usually allowed). Alya, Nino, and Adrien are naturally very encouraging towards Marinette, and luckily for her, a nice merman going by the name of Chat Noir shows up and challenges her to a race...

Yeah you can see where this is going XD. It’s fun, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

---

Late Bloomer by @generalluxun

On what might very well be the last night of her life, Sabrina Raincomprix pulls out a very special scrapbook, pressed between the pages is the past, the past she has never shared with anyone. She relives how she got to this moment one page at a time, preparing herself for the end. A phone call interrupts her self-imposed exile and brings news that could change her life forever.

Even if it does though the question looms... change it how?

Sabrina-centric Hanahaki AU here! I love how it goes into Sabrina’s relationship with Chloe over the years, the good and the bad - and even what happens post Revolution. 

I love the description of some of the plants involved, and what they mean, what they represent. If you want a fic that delves more in Sabrina’s character and her relationship with Chloe, this is a solid choice.

---

Slowly Fading (from my misery) by @wehadabondingmoment

“You’re looking awfully deep in thought today, minou.” Ladybug’s gloved hand stroked over his hair and Chat Noir closed his eyes with an unstable breath.

He got like this sometimes. Lately, it had been getting worse.

Or: Gabriel likes using the rings to order his son around. After a while, it starts having effects on Chat Noir as well. (The more often Gabriel commands Adrien to act a certain way, the more it gets ingrained in his mentality. He suffers because of it.)

This is a gorgeous fic. Adrien’s been puppeted around, forced to obey orders for reasons he doesn’t understand, for so long, so often that a lot of times his own body doesn’t even feel like his. A lot of residual orders keep on bubbling up and stopping him from doing what he wants to do, and he just... doesn’t understand why. Considering how Adrien looked in Pretension when Gabriel forced him to go to his room so he could talk to Marinette alone, and how desperately Adrien tried to head back there but couldn’t make himself open the door, how terrified and confused he’d seemed, I think his feelings here, his mindset, is pretty close to canon.

---

Spread Your Wings by @myladynoire

Set before the Finale. Félix uses his Kwagatama to summon his father's memory and has a talk with him.

I love Colt’s characterization here, how we see his mindset, his beliefs, and even what made him the way he is. We have a limited amount of knowledge about him in canon, only having the play Felix and Kagami put on to go off of, but myladynoire made good use of it! I’m glad Felix got some closure here as well.

---

Cheating Cat by @11jj11

When Emma and Isaac Dupain-Cheng realize that Adrien is Chat Noir, that can only mean one thing... that he's cheating on Marinette with Ladybug, and they're the only ones that know!

This is really cute, with Emma and Isaac being worried about Adrien supposedly cheating on Marinette and wanting to talk to Ladybug to stop her from dating Chat Noir. That’s not all that’s going on here, though - Isaac’s actually adopted, but he and Adrien are still related, which puts an interesting twist on the tale. There’s a reason he’s especially sympathetic to the fact that Adrien being Chat Noir means he would have had to fight his own father...

---

A Mousey guest by charliepoet13

Adrien Agreste has finally managed to break away from his father and make his way out into the world. One faithful night, after settling down in his new home, he spots a strange guest.

Adrien X Multimouse fic here! So this is inspired by the Borrowers, with little people the size of mice living amongst ordinary-sized humans, and Marinette got a little careless here XD. But soon finds that Adrien’s friendly and not a threat. It’s adorable and reminds me of the The Littles book series that I read when I was a kid!

---

Three Crazy Days by @lea-panthera

In which Marinette's mind is forced to stretch a mile.

So Bunnix drops off Marinette’s future daughter for her to take care of, who blabs that her grandfather is Hawk Moth, and then things quickly spin out of control XD.

---

all of your flaws and all of my flaws (are laid out one-by-one) by @coffeebanana

Ladybug and Marinette have both been acting strangely since Monarch's defeat, and Chat Noir would give anything to know why—to be able to help them. He just...didn't expect his answers to come when Ladybug drags him to his father's statue in the middle of the night along with a bag full of spray paint.

If you felt unsatisfied with Adrien being left in the dark about Monarch, with Ladybug lying about Gabriel being a hero, this is a great fic to read. Marinette’s breaking down keeping this secret, seeing people treat Gabriel as the hero she told people he was, until she finally snaps and has to do SOMETHING, has to tell SOMEONE the truth. 

Which Chat takes pretty well! He knows how persuasive his father could be, and he’s mostly just relieved at finally hearing someone say that Gabriel wasn’t a hero. It’s still a lot to cope with though.

---

@ ladybug by @hefoundme

Trending in Paris

1 · Trending #JusticeForPapillombre

2 · Technology · Trending Tsurugi Corp Trending with Tomoe Tsurugi

3 · Trending #LadynoirStrong

So this is a multimedia type fic showing various online conversations and things that would likely be going on in Miraculous Paris. It doesn’t really have a coherent narrative per se, and is more like a series of vignettes. It’s a lot of fun, like there’s a section going over Andre’s ice cream reviews, Alix talking with Max about how she’s worried about Alim falling down conspiracy rabbit holes, an image of the most popular google search terms for Adrien, all sorts of things! It must’ve taken a lot of work and I think it’s worth a look. 

---

Don’t be a Stranger by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

Chat Noir has been fighting Chrysalide alone for years when one day, Ladybug appears. She seems to already know him, and is a little too eager to be friends. But the more she pushes for her and Chat Noir to reveal their identities, the harder she is to trust.

Written for Ladynoir July Prompt 31 - “In Every Universe”

This is an intriguing story, with a somewhat open ending. I don’t want to spoil too much about it - the plot hook in the summary should already give you a pretty good idea of the premise. It is a little strange seeing LADYBUG pushing for an identity reveal and making jokes during akuma fights, but given what’s happened, I could see why she’d try to do things that made her think of Chat.

---

hands red series by katrinette

Summary for the first fic in the series, a serpent in these still waters:

Marinette's on her knees before her new king, preparing to swear the oath that binds her to serve him to the best of her ability.

To the man whose father had her parents killed.

Every word tastes like ash in her mouth.

Marinette’s plotting to overthrow the corrupt monarch, as the French tend to do. She doesn’t know King Adrien all that well, since he just ascended to the throne recently, but she’s certain that he’s just as bad as his father.

Of course, rebellion’s aren’t very effective without help, so after biting her tongue with the new king, she rants to her partner in crime, a man whose true name and face she does not know, but who she deeply trusts nonetheless: Chat Noir.

---

Falling (sick) with you by @chocoluckchipz

Nothing would be easier than taking a pair of earrings off an unconscious Ladybug. Doing so would bring his mother back and end their decade-long strife. He shouldn't be hesitating when a chance of a life time presented itself to him. He should not be looking for excuses and reasonings as to why spending another twenty or so years fighting this woman rather than pleasing his father and giving his mother another chance at life was not such a bad idea after all.

Ah, I love a good enemies au! Even when they’re enemies, Chat is unwilling to hurt Ladybug. Though honestly, he makes himself out to be more of a villain than he actually is, it’s pretty obvious to everyone that he’s not trying as hard as he could to get her earrings. There’s very good reason for that.

---

Lost Little Kitten by soliea0death

Monarch hasn't been seen for a while, but that doesn't mean that Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't still needed as the heroes of Paris. Also, the new holder of the rabbit miraculous may need some more practice when dealing with time travel. One-shot Ladynoir ;);)

This is adorable. Ladybug and Chat Noir find a toddler wandering around and try to find her parents, to no avail, so they decide to take care of her (well Ladybug said she was gonna leave her with Marinette, but you know what that really means). Of course Bunnix had to come to collect her since she was displaced from time, but neglected to say who her parents were...

Anyway this was adorable, and I loved the explanation for how, exactly, the little girl ended up in the wrong time period.

---

Eat, Pray, Duck by @trishacollins

Gabriel Agreste split his twin sons apart when his wife died, keeping one with him and sending one to London with his sister. Unfortunately, the Supreme was not willing to let this be.

He wanted a matched set.

Felix is a weapon, a servant of the Supreme. On a mission to retrieve the stolen Miraculous.

In a world that has outlawed kindness, sometimes the most dangerous person is the one who chooses it anyway.

I love this glimpse at what might have been going on with Felix back in Shadybug and Claw Noir’s world, I did wonder what might have been going on with him. Poor kid, he managed to have it even worse than he did in canon. I really loved seeing his interactions with Luka, the Couffaines rebel through kindness it seems!

---

Front Page News by @tiredfloridianbutverygay

Nadja couldn't sleep at night, not when there were still so many unanswered questions about the final battle. How did the Alliance rings seem to have the exact answer, to know exactly what to say?

Why did they turn everyone into a Miraculous-powered army? Why was Gabriel asking everyone to join with Monarch to help capture Ladybug and Cat Noir?

It was time to get to the bottom of this, and Paris' best investigative journalist was on the case! No stone would be left unturned and Paris would never be the same.

This one’s a pretty unique follow-up to the season 5 finale! I love Alya and Nadja investigating to try and figure out what happened with Monarch and exposing the truth, people deserve to know.

---

Friends who kiss by @kuromori4

It’s been about a week since Shadybug and Claw Noir’s goody-two shoes alternate universe counterparts convinced them to betray the Supreme and join the Resistance. And while they are determined to be better… It hasn’t been easy. While both Shadybug and Claw Noir have a lifetime of problems to untangle if they want to be good people, they realize a new look doesn’t magically make you a nice person. As if that weren’t hard enough to deal with, the two ex-Villains struggle with defining what their new relationship might be.

I love the two of them talking things out, and struggling. Shadybug in particular is still very prickly and prone to making snide comments about Adrien, even though she doesn’t really know him, and she still hasn’t totally come to terms with her own true feelings about Claw Noir. Though by the end they um. Figure that out, I guess you could say XD.

---

Dragon by @liiinerle

Tomoe keeps telling Kagami about the importance of her heritage, but refuses to tell her what that heritage is. When Kagami looks it up for herself, she finds a lot of interesting information, a lot of frustration, and a deep and burning question - which Tomoe refuses to help her answer.

This is a Kagami character study, with Kagami questioning her mother’s actions, but knowing that standing up to her is a no-win proposition. It doesn’t help that D’Argencourt’s mirroring some aspects of her mother’s behavior, with being upset if she doesn’t fight well, but also being upset if she beats him. There’s no right answer here, which leads her to take out her frustration on others. Luckily, Marinette’s there to calm her down, to talk things out with her.

---

adrien agreste and the consequences of tweets making fun of yourself by Anonymous

Well, Adrien thinks, what’s the worst that could come from a few poorly thought-out tweets lightly ribbing his own civilian identity?

I love the focus here on how people just assume what Adrien’s thinking and feeling and act on his behalf, without actually waiting to see what HE wants, and Adrien’s growing frustration. How they create a version of him in their heads, but don’t care to check with reality to see whether he actually wants their “defense”. 

---

Spin the Bottle by @kasienda

When the bottle cap comes to a stop dead center on Nino, Adrien’s both relieved and somehow more anxious.

His first kiss - not his actual first kiss, but still kinda his first kiss - the first kiss he will remember, will be with someone he deeply cares about.

But Adrien also cares what Nino thinks of him, so what if he’s a terrible kisser?

Nino offers him a reassuring smile, and he relaxes. Adrien glances at Alya for permission, and she just shoos him towards Nino.

Adrien turns to Nino, leaning closer. If his stomach had been squirming before, it now feels like a half dozen Kwamis have taken up residence in his gut. But Adrien doesn’t hesitate. He blocks out the presence of all of his friends watching, and instead focuses on Nino - like Nino is a stage partner in a photoshoot.

Except kissing Nino is nothing like a photoshoot.

...

Adrien kisses Nino in a game of Spin the Bottle, and then neither can stop thinking about it. Alya really likes how flustered her boyfriend is by all this. Marinette though, can't handle it and keeps running away.

This is a great Alya X Adrien X Nino X Marinette poly fic! I love them all talking out their feelings and realizing new things about themselves. Alya’s instrumental and bringing everyone together, though she, herself, is also nervous about confessing to her longstanding crush XD

---

a rose by any other name by @asukiess

Adrien's scared Loveybug only loves Catwalker.

Loveybug's scared Chat Noir only loves her, and not Ladybug.

How does the rest of the saying go again?

So obviously, this is part of the Loveybug AU, where Marinette gets stressed by her responsibilities as Ladybug and wanting to get away from that persona, and adopts a new persona as Loveybug, complete with a new transformation. This is a really good glimpse of this AU, I really love the Ladrien (Lovedrien?) especially, with her talking out her conundrum with Adrien.

---

The Two-Body Problem by @mixelation

Good news: they now knew how the akuma’s power worked, and the akuma had run off and given them time to regroup.

Bad news: the akuma’s power meant she was now in Chat Noir’s body, and Chat Noir was in her body. Her body, which was currently still Marinette.

Ah, I love a good body swap. This is set while Adrien and Marinette are dating, so he can’t help flirting with Marinette a little, even in these circumstances - which is a bit of a problem since Marinette doesn’t realize he’s her boyfriend. And also they’re in each other’s bodies, which makes it feel weird.

And then there’s the whole “someone is gonna need to use the Ladybug Miraculous” problem. It’s not as if Chat KNOWS that he currently has her Miraculous in his earlobes...

---

Windows 5 + 1 by @dadplagg-mamatikki

A bet between Kim and Alix trigger a chain reactions of events where Adrien jumps out of windows.

I love this. Adrien needs very little prompting to jump out of windows, heck he’ll do it with NO prompting, it’s hilarious XD. Heck he even asked whether Kim would prefer a normal jump or a theatrical one! It’s really not that surprising though, considering how we’ve seen Adrien dive from the top of his rock-climbing wall onto his couch.

---

I know there’s been pain this year (But it’s time to let it go) by @ninadove

“What? Nooo! Adrien doesn’t hate Christmas.”

“Are you absolutely certain? What was he like last year?”

“Well, he —”

Marinette furrowed her brow, scanning her own memories. Of course she was absolutely certain. At least, she thought she was.

Okay — she could not ignore that Adrien had run away from home that night, wandering the snow-covered streets to escape the freezing cold of his own home. Nor could she brush away the disintegrated Morris column, cataclysmed for the crime of bearing his own face.

Oh, and the shaky videos circulating on YouTube. That musical number was… Concerning, to say the least. Still, it was no smoking gun.

Right?

“Oh my god,” she squeaked, plopping down against the counter. “Adrien hates Christmas.”

I love Marinette and Felix doing their best to cheer Adrien up, it’s adorable. Especially Marinette’s attempt. It’s very Marinette, I laughed out loud XD. There’s a lot of senticousin bonding here, so if you like that, this is a good one to check out!

---

A Shadyverse Holiday by @lucid-ao3

The duo's curiosity grew after the encounter with their alternate selves from the Shadyverse. What was this other world like, and how were Shadybug and Claw Noir doing in the aftermath of their visit?

It's the polite thing to do, after all, for a superhero team to check in on their parallel universe counterparts and wish them happy holidays.

That is, if there's any happiness to find...

[In which Ladybug and Chat Noir take a holiday trip to the Shadyverse.]

I love this glimpse of the Reverse World, and how it makes Ladybug and Chat Noir question whether their own is really so different, if things could have turned out in their own world the way they did in the Reverse World - for better or worse.

---

what makes a human (am I?) by GraceM_TheStoriedLife

Adrien comes to Marinette's out of nowhere. Usually Chat is her rock. Tonight, it's her turn. (Or, in which Adrien discovers some secrets he's not prepared for and Marinette is as Marinette-y as always.

So Adrien discovers he’s a sentimonster and immediately runs to Marinette for support. It’s as cute and angsty as you’d expect. She is, of course, very supportive of him. Also some discussion of Gabriel being abusive, since both she and Nino had been trying to get Adrien to see that. Especially with how, exactly, Adrien found out he’s a sentimonster. He can relate a little better to Felix’s experiences now than is healthy, I’ll just say.

---

Caught In A Multimouse Trap by @a-flaming-idiot

Adrien was having a rather slow morning. That was until he discovered a tiny superhero trapped in his home and decides to be a bit of a hero even out of his suit.

This was adorable! Adrien does his best to care for the little miniature superhero caught in a mousetrap, bandaging her up as best as he can (thankfully only her tail got caught so it’s more of a phantom pain than an actual injury) and just... it’s really cute.

---

fine line by @bbutterflies

“Catwalker?” Loveybug asks.

“Hmm?”

“Do you remember… what happened before us?”

“What do you mean?”

“Before we were heroes. Was there someone else?”

Catwalker goes quiet for a moment. “I don’t know,” he finally says.

This is a surprisingly angsty take on the Loveybug AU. Here, since the Loveybug and Cat Walker transformations are so unnatural, they’re having negative side effects on Marinette and Adrien, causing them to be constantly exhausted and even to get amnesia the longer they continue using them.

---

You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess by @mexicancat-girl

With Team Miraculous now full-time holders, Ladybug has them patrolling in pairs like her and Chat Noir.

New partners Pigella and Purple Tigress get along phenomenally, their easy banter and similar wavelengths making working with each other a joy in and out of combat.

But sometimes Tigress is surprised just how close she is with her partner. Sometimes she tries not to feel too guilty thinking about it.

There’s some nice Julerose here! I love them kinda getting into a lovesquare with each other, though it’s not as much of a problem as it is in canon since it’s reciprocal in every relationship and they’re both down for a poly. It’s fun, and I love the “Luka attempting to woo some of his love interests” plot going on in the background XD.

---

Plans Aren’t Everything by BeeRye

Feeling a bit fed up with constantly having her dates with Marinette cut short, Kagami sets aside some time in order to plan the perfect outing for the two of them. Despite being the holder of the Miraculous of the Black Cat, she believes one day of romance isn't too much to ask for. As long as she treats it all like she does everything else in her life, the results she wants should come to pass.

She doesn't quite know what to do if that ends up not being the case.

This was adorable and captured Kagami’s mindset well, she decided, rather optimistically that she could just brute force the date into going well. Unfortunately, that’s not gonna stop Hawk Moth. Fortunately, Marinette has her own back-up plans...

[dead-dolphins]

Illicit Affairs: 1st Drabble

It’s been a long time coming, but here it is at last—the very first drabble of the cheating AU! Omg omg omg!!! XD Just a heads-up: I wrote this purely for fun, without a solid plot, just capturing the vibes of the AU. Don’t worry, there’s more to come! I hope to catch your attention and, well, enjoy! TW: Eren's fantasies and mentions of potential cheating.

Eren was always the first to arrive at the stables before dawn. As the morning light, indifferent to the season, began to spread over the meadows where the Jaeger and Arlert manors stood, his presence in that shared space came well before anyone else stirred.

It had been this way since he was a child, barely able to hold onto the saddle. He sought these quiet, uninterrupted moments to tend to his horse alone. The stable, the ride—they were his, his sanctuary, his refuge. In the early morning mist, he would steal away, feeling the power beneath him as his mount surged forward, the wind sharp against his face. And afterward, he’d return home, slipping into the warmth of a shower, letting the water wash away the grit and sweat before he made his way to the studio, where his hands sought a different kind of mastery—the mastery of art.

It wasn’t simply a matter of morning exercise—it was a ritual, a quiet preparation for the day ahead. In those moments, alone with his horse, he could feel the tension drain from him, a stillness settling in his bones before the storm of the day. Then the studio waited, with its demanding clients, always expecting more than he could give. And beyond that, the strained silence of home, where his wife’s rage simmered just beneath the surface, flaring up when the cold indifference could no longer be ignored—an indifference that perhaps, just perhaps had always been there. 

Thus, following his routine, Eren arose from the emptiness of his double bed, its crisp linens untouched by another’s warmth.  Dressed in his riding gear and holding his whip, he approached the stable, eager for the thrill of the ride with Pearl, his black shire mare of ten years. The anticipation of the open air, the thrill of the ride, coursed through him as he approached the stall, ready to embrace the untamed spirit of the wind.

However, on that morning, as ostentatious as it was, Eren realised he was not the only one in his sacred place.

Upon crossing the threshold, he noticed an open stall. Though this might have unsettled him, because these things like these never, ever happened in such a methodic place a distant hum drew his attention. It was a soft melody, in a vague, haunting tone, which made him walk toward the source of, as if it were casting a spell over him. Schubert, it was. 

“Hello?” he called out, but the only answer was silence. 

Undeterred, he walked through the stables until he reached the last stall. When he finally entered, he felt as though the gods had smiled upon him.

There, atop a red cashmere blanket spread across the hay bales, a vision of serene grace was curled up with her tiny little nose buried in a book. Oh, he knew her, of course he did. The spell had been cast upon him weeks ago at that opulent, decadent gathering, but now, with her so near and so vulnerably exposed, he was even more entranced. This was Mikasa, the daughter of his closest friend, an enchantress bound by ties of loyalty and propriety that made her sight all the more tormenting.

She seemed blissfully unaware of his presence, and seizing those fleeting moments, he allowed his gaze to linger upon her with a fervent intensity. Her midnight-black hair cascading like a veil, and her skin, pale and flawless, gleamed with an almost otherworldly purity. Eren’s eyes were ensnared by her, unable to avert their gaze.  She was exquisitely beautiful, a beauty that cut to the bone, and also… agonisingly forbidden. 

“Hey,” Eren rasped, his voice rough as he knocked the gate with his fist. He forced himself to keep his gaze from lingering too long on the way her white jeans clung to her curves, especially in her butt.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Mikasa replied, her voice breaking from its melodic flow as she looked up from the book she had been engrossed in. From his vantage point, Eren first noticed her lips—her  natural, rosy lips. “I didn’t realise someone had arrived.”

Eren let out a groan, blinking. He thought the noise he had made should have been sufficient to alert her. It felt almost as if she had purposefully overlooked him, drawing him closer with the pretence of ignorance. But it sounded quite stupid to think, wasn’t it? “I was just concerned about the open box,” he said.  “We usually don’t leave them open for safety reasons.”

“I see.” She closed the book and rose from her makeshift seat. For a fleeting moment, Eren feared he had angered her, a thought that unsettled him deeply. The only person he didn’t mind provoking was his wife, but the idea of doing the same to Mikasa was far less agreeable. It seemed she harboured no such desire to be antagonised, and that realisation troubled him.

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” he continued, trying to maintain his composure despite the turbulent feelings roiling within him. “It’s unusual to find the stables like this.”

She shook her head slightly, her dark hair falling around her shoulders like a silken curtain. “It’s no trouble. I came here to find a quiet place to read. I didn’t realise I was encroaching on someone’s routine.” She smiled, as if trying to ease him somehow. “It won’t happen again, Mr. Jaeger.”

The formal address sent a shiver through him. Her tone, innocently sensual, seemed to blur the line between reality and fantasy, leaving him momentarily uncertain if his senses had deceived him. But the small, wicked smile curling at her lips soon dispelled any doubt. It was clear now—she had spoken with intent, deliberately weaving her words to provoke.

Eren swallowed hard, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying to shake off the effect of her presence. “I appreciate your understanding,” he said, though the words felt hollow against the backdrop of his confusion.

Mikasa nodded, a glint of amusement dancing in her face. “Of course. I’ll be sure to choose a more appropriate place next time.”

As the girl moved to gather her things, Eren’s gaze, despite his efforts to maintain propriety, inevitably fell on the fabric of her jeans, stretching against her round butt. For a brief moment, an intrusive thought crossed his mind—an unsettling curiosity about whether her ass cheeks would be as pale as her face skin, and whether it would redden easily if… if spanked them with his hand. The thought was both inappropriate and unwelcome, stirring a flush of guilt and shame within him.

He forced himself to look away, shaking his head as if to clear his mind of the unwelcome intrusion.  But he could not rid himself of the thought. It was as if it embedded itself into his consciousness with an unshakeable persistence. 

He had always harboured thoughts of restraint and discipline, of the primal urge to dominate. And something in her was calling to let those fantasies fulfil. Yet… she was still forbidden. She was his best friend’s adopted daughter, ten years younger and entirely beyond his reach. The boundary was clear, unbreakable, or so it should have been. He couldn’t betray Armin like that, nor could he do it to her, innocent as she was. Yet, the more he tried to suppress the thought, the more the desire took root.

When Mikasa finally rose, her book tumbled from her grasp, and he seized the chance to divert his gaze. As he picked it up, a surge of surprise swept over him. The so-called “innocent girl” was engrossed in something far from innocent. 

“Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” he read. “An interesting choice of book.”

Instead of reaching for the book as he had anticipated, she merely laughed. “Don’t tell anyone;  I borrowed it from the trunk of forbidden books.”

Eren looked at her once more, and it was then that he reconfirmed what his instincts had whispered all along. She was, in some way, playing a game to allure him, and if this was her strategy, then he was more than willing to engage.

“So,” he began. “The trunk of forbidden books, you say? I never imagined you to be one for such… provocative literature.”

Mikasa tilted her head, a mischievous glint in her eye. “One must explore the forbidden to understand the world fully. Don’t you agree, Mr. Jaeger?”

The question hung in the air. Eren felt a flush of heat rise to his cheeks, both from her insinuation and the brazen challenge in her tone. He forced a casual smile, attempting to mask the growing tension. “Indeed,” he replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “But I think we’re both aware of the boundaries that come with such… explorations.”

Her gaze softened, but the mischief remained. “Boundaries are meant to be tested, aren’t they?.”

“Have you ever explored your boundaries, Mikasa?” he asked, his voice taking on a rough, husky edge as he spoke her name.

“I suppose that depends on what you mean by boundaries. There are many kinds—emotional, physical, societal.” She brushed past him, and stopped just beyond his reach.  “And sexual.”

Her voice, low and sultry, made the word hang heavy in the air between them. Eren could feel the tension crackling, a charged silence punctuated only by the soft rustling of hay and the distant sound of a horse’s whinny.

“And which boundaries are you most interested in exploring, Mikasa?” he asked, his voice rough.

Mikasa turned slightly, her profile illuminated by the soft morning light filtering through the stable’s open door. “At my age, I want to explore everything—absolutely everything. There’s still so much to learn, but…” She lowered her voice, ensuring only he could hear. “Lately, the idea of discovering my sexual boundaries has been calling to me, Mr. Jaeger. Quite strongly, I might say.”

Eren’s breath caught in his throat. Her bold response shattered any remnants of propriety he had clung to. 

“That’s why I’ve been pilfering these books,” Mikasa continued, her voice a blend of candour and intrigue. “Though, ah, they haven’t quite lived up to my expectations. They’re exquisitely written, and the portrayal of female pleasure is beautiful, but... I find myself craving something a bit more... intense.”

Her admission stirred a maelstrom of thoughts within him. His mind was consumed by a torrent of sinful fantasies, each more decadent than the last. All he could think about was how he could push the boundaries of her desires and explore the depths of their mutual transgressions.

He took a step closer, the distance between them now minimal. “I also have a chest of forbidden books,” he murmured, his tone dropping to a hushed, secretive note. “In my library at home. Perhaps someday, if you’re interested, I could lend you one. I have a collection of favourites that you might like.”

Her  gaze met his, a flicker of excitement mingling with the challenge in her eyes. “I would like that.” she said softly, “but there’s no need to bring it to me. I can fetch it by myself; one day when your wife isn’t around.” The hint of a smile played on her lips. “Hitch doesn’t seem to like me.”

The way Mikasa spoke Hitch’s name, devoid of any honorifics or any semblance of respect, nearly made Eren laugh. It was undeniable; Hitch, his beloved wife, was widely disliked, and he was no exception to that sentiment—he was among the first to voice it.

“Hitch has never been one to win hearts. Her absence is often a blessing in more ways than one, and, trust me, she blesses me most of the time.”

Mikasa smirked, stepping out of reach. “Then I’ll probably be visiting you very soon, Mr. Jaeger,” she said. “But you know, you shouldn’t mention this to anyone. It could get complicated.”

Eren’s eyes  lingered on her butt as she walked away, his mind filled with vivid, provocative images. He couldn’t help but imagine him not only spanking her with his hand but also with the whip he held so commandingly while her wrists were tied to one of his bedposts. Oh, what a beautiful scenario that was and he wanted to make it a reality.

“No, of course, no,” he said. “Your secret is safe with me.” It was unmistakably clear that Mikasa, that little wretched beast wanted him, and god fuck it, he wanted her just as fiercely. 

Later, as he rode his horse across the vast grasslands and encountered his best friend, who was already heading off to work, a sense of impending chaos settled uneasily in his stomach. Yet, the feeling quickly evaporated as he recalled Mikasa’s lips and her butt—her beautiful round butt.

[alpaca-clouds]

Some thoughts on Nocturne S1

Oh boy. I am gonna talk about this a lot more during the next couple of days. But let me right now quickly just do a vague collection of thoughts I have so far.

I am gonna put them under the cut, because of spoilers.

I love that Maria and Richter are siblings for all intents and purposes

I also love the general theme of found family going through it and how found family in of itself is an act of rebellion

I very much appreciated the random "No Gods, no Masters" graffitti in the background of episode 5.

The character designs for the Black characters are PEAK. I do not think I have ever seen better designs for Black characters in 2D animation. They have the low nose bridge, they have the two colored lips, they have the bright palms. I am in love.

Edouard is my son. I love him so much.

I KNEW ORLOX WAS GAY! I JUST KNEW IT! But also, I am gonna write so much Orlox/Mizrak stuff, you are not gonna believe it.

The theme seems to be that in general: "When in doubt, the character is gay." Which I very much approve of.

I love that they brought in the Otherworld as an entity.

And that we deal with the Old Gods. (Though it being Egyptian gods kinda makes me go: "Anne Rice much?")

Expect a write up on Sekmet, though xD

I just love how freaking GIANT Erzebeth is! (All I wanna do, is see you turn into, a giant woman...)

Edouard being a good and sentient night creature is the stuff I am here for.

Alucard to the last minute rescue, eh?

I feel kinda let down that we never learned more about Drolta.

Also, being the person who wrote essay upon essay about colonialism: I very much enjoy the heavy emphasis on colonialism here.

I love the heavy, heavy emphasis on songs and music in this one. That was a theme I did not expect.

I am looking forward to see Vampire Tera

Also: We got finally a confirmation that Castlevania vampires are created through a baptism of blood.

Did I mention Edouard is my son?!

[carpedzem]

Also unless he's said something new recently...discduo ending was tommy's handiwork? He wrote that ending. He's given no indication that Dream "made" him write it that way ('cause trust me, after the falling out, he would've vagued it if nothing else)

Not to mention the very end of the stream literally still follows the premise of the world reset, like they didn't say the whole server was going to fight XD. From Eret's word it was only c!Eret and c!Foolish

c!discduo ending writes itself perfectly into what bad said. besides these people think as that ending would suddenly mean that what? c!dream becomes unredeemable? i laugh. if anything reset gives c!dream another chance to be better to make better choice to love and be loved again. dxd reset mean ALSO HIM. dxd reset makes c!dream even more tragic. it confirms that for dxd the server is just a doll house. it makes c!dream their plaything just like every other character. that ending is not an own some people act it is. it goes perfectly with our narrative actually. it has been 2-3 years since pandemic i know schools are open again ITS TIME TO USE THAT

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

RAIN CODE Fan Meeting Report ②

From after the reading play to around the middle of the daytime program.

Previous Post: RAINCODE Fan Meeting Report ①

⚠️This is a looong post! Please read this only if you have the time.

⚠️Contains spoilers!

There is already a report article on famitsu.com, so it may be easier to understand while looking at the photos on there.

Note: I wrote some related topics together and sequentially, so this post is not exactly the same as the actual order of topics in the event.

------

A short introduction of the guests and some of my personal impressions of each of them:

After the reading play by Fukuhara and Suzushiro, the other guests appeared on stage one by one. Most people introduced themselves normally, but Kodaka's greeting was the only quirky one:

He is probably the only person who would say something like that out of the blue at a fan event 😅

------

After that, a segment titled "Inquiries to the World Detective Organization" began, in which messages from fans were read out.

Apparently a lot of messages were supposed to be read during this segment, but a question to the VAs about their memories of the recording session took longer than expected and ended up being almost entirely about this topic.

As for Yuma's voice recording, Yuma was often panicked, frightened, and dismayed, and Fukuhara was repeatedly asked to make such performances more exaggerated. So he used the voice of a certain boy character as a reference. Then the MC immediately asked:

Japanese people can easily recognize it, but there are probably many who don't, so I'll make it clear. He meant the protagonist of Doraemon (JA: Nobita / EN: Noby)! XD

Doraemon itself has no relation to Spike Chunsoft, but since the voice actress of Danganronpa's signature character Monokuma is the voice actress of Doraemon, it is interesting to note that the protagonist of RAIN CODE is a reference to the voice of Doraemon's protagonist.

I will mention this in my future post about the evening program, but as those who have played RAIN CODE know, when Yuma and Shinigami say goodbye at the end of the story, Shinigami makes an emergency exit appear, and the design of the door is actually very similar to a tool that Doraemon often uses! So the developers must really like Doraemon... 😅

------

As for Shinigami, Suzushiro said that she remembered how long the audition process was. There were more auditions than usual, but she was only given vague requirements and told to perform different patterns, so she said she had no idea what the right voice was, but she gave it her all anyway. The reason for this, according to Kodaka, is that he paid special attention to the type of voice. He wanted to avoid sounding completely annoying, because Shinigami has a lot of terrible things to say to Yuma. So he was looking for a voice that could say horrible things without annoying the player.

By the way, around this topic Kodaka joked, "Since RAIN CODE is a detective story, we made sure to check everyone's backgrounds during the auditions." To which Suzushiro replied, "So that's what those people in the back were!" Then "Don't worry. The results of the investigation showed that everyone was innocent." He continued to joke.

Suzushiro being examined during the audition (My own imagination.):

However, she said that she still struggled to find the right voice for Shinigami after she passed the audition. She said that she had originally planned to change her voice between the spirit form and the true form. She was instructed not to be too mascot-like when playing the spirit form, but when she tried to change the voice, she couldn't help but sound like a mascot, so she ended up speaking the same way as the true form.

She also said that Shinigami talks a lot throughout the game, so she was careful not to make it annoying for the players.

The voice recording for Yuma and Shinigami took a very long time, almost two years. During that time, they recorded almost every week. According to Fukuhara, one of the reasons it took so long was that, Yuma often had to scream or cry, so the recording took a lot of energy, and he was always unable to record the target number of words for that day, which was often carried over to the next time. Then the voices recorded at the end were different from the ones recorded at the beginning, so they re-recorded the lines recorded at the beginning.

------

As for Halara, Ishikawa said that the most important feature of Halara's voice was that she had to have a neutral voice, and that she sometimes received instructions during the recording such as, "Now you sounded a little masculine, so let's take it back a little," or "Speak a little cooler".

Kodaka said that Halara's first person pronoun was "boku" (*generally used by males in Japanese) and his/her appearance was masculine, so he adjusted the impression by adding Yui Ishikawa's graceful voice to give it a feminine impression and make it more neutral.

(This is just my personal opinion, but Halara's appearance doesn't look that masculine...🤔 But I am sure Kodaka said something like that. Well, I guess he means that he/she is masculine because he/she is tall?)

------

As for Desuhiko, KENN said that he had originally imagined a slightly higher voice, but was instructed to speak more naturally and closer to his natural voice. Other than that, there were not much many re-recordings.

------

Kodaka and Sakakibara were asked by the MC about the feedback and reactions they received after the release of RAIN CODE, but Kodaka said that he had not received much feedback. (He seemed a bit hesitant to answer when asked, so I personally speculated that he might have had negative feedback in mind and then denied that he hadn't received much...but that's really a personal guess, so it might just be that he feels he hasn't received that much feedback compared to Danganronpa).

When Sakakibara mentioned sales, Kodaka interupted in like this:

Well, maybe the above does not convey the nuance well. I think if I replace "Kodaka" with "Shinigami," it would make more sense:

haha 😂 Sakakibara was just talking about sales, but Kodaka seemed to be making fun of him, like, "See, producers are quick to want to talk about money!" (This itself is not an actual statement. But the statement in the image above, "It's all about money, after all. Producers are money hungry (結局は金なんですよ、金。プロデューサーは金の亡者だからね)," is true.)

Kodaka was obviously rude, but Sakakibara did not seem to care. (Perhaps Kodaka is usually like this 😅)

Then when the topic of sequels and future developments came up:

I don't think it was just because Kodaka pushed him, but Sakakibara told us that he would like to make a sequel or an anime :)

------

The next segment, "Collect Memory Shards of Master Detectives!", looked back at some scenes from the game.

The first scene that was discussed was the one where Halara kicks open a gate in chapter 1. This is the scene where Halara says it is open, even though he/she kicked it down him/herself. When Ishikawa said that she did not expect the scene to turn out like this when she recorded the audio, Kodaka said that the audio for that scene was actually recorded first and the video was made later. According to him, RAIN CODE has many scenes where the video was adjusted to match the audio in this way. I think this was from him talking about when they had a meeting for the promotion, he said that the scene where Halara kicks open the gate was well received when he showed it to people overseas. (Yeah, it's a funny scene for everyone XD)

------ The next scene was Yuma's disguise in chapter 2. Fukuhara was asked to comment on a message from a fan who said Yuma in disguise was so cute:

Fukuhara said that he had noticed that Yuma was rather originally cute, and then Kodaka said that he had actually initially worn more makeup to emphasize that it was a comedy scene. However, when Komatsuzaki checked the sprites on the actual machine, he said that it might be better to make Yuma just normally cute, and then he modified the sprites. Kodaka commented that he thinks that decision by Komatsuzaki worked.

------

The next scene was when Desuhiko was rejected by Shinigami at the end of the Mystery Labyrinth in chapter 2. In a message from a fan who wanted to know Desuhiko's success rate in picking up girls, and when the topic came up, Kodaka replied, "Zero. But he makes all kinds of excuses for himself, and in his mind they are not supposed to have happened." KENN said, "Uh, so he does mind control, right?" Kodaka agreed and said, "Yes, yes."

By the way, it was funny to hear Ishikawa say "It's cool" in a low voice, perhaps in response to the sound of the word "mind control" here. (To which KENN replied, "Is it cool?" 😂):

------

Then, the scene in chapter 5 where the fact that the meat buns were human flesh was revealed was discussed.

The VAs knew from the script that the meat buns sold in the Kanai Ward were made of human flesh, so they had mixed feelings when they saw the in-game tips about the meat buns.

As for Fukuhara, he somehow said that he had dared Yuma to eat meat buns many times, apologizing over and over again in his mind. (This part of the topic was rather fast-moving, so I did not understand the reason why he did so 😅)

According to Kodaka, in his mind, Yuma was never supposed to eat the meat buns. But before he knew it, Yuma was able to eat the meat buns in the game, and he thought, "Huh?...Oh well." lol

When asked by the MC when he first came up with the idea for the human meat buns, Kodaka replied that it had been there from the very beginning, and that he had recently sorted through his file and found the minutes of a meeting with the former producer in which it was noted that this idea might not be favorable for CERO (the rating system). But he apparently left it ambiguous and pushed it through 😅.

(For your information, the former producer he mentioned was probably Yoshinori Terasawa, the producer of the Danganronpa series. In an interview on dengekionline.com, Kodaka says that RAIN CODE was conceived with former producer Terasawa.)

------ After that, there was an advertisement about the event merchandise available at the venue. It was announced that those who bought the OST could participate in an autograph session with Kodaka. I have already posted a short manga about the autograph session in my previous post.

The VAs had left for the next reading, and only the MC, Kodaka, and Sakakibara were left on stage, and as I recall, the sequel was discussed again at that time. So MC asked Kodaka, "What can fans do to ensure a sequel for RAIN CODE?" Kodaka immediately answered, "Pay money! (課金だよ課金！)". 😂 I laughed a lot at his answer.

(It totally looked like this to me):

Every time he makes a statement like this, I am sure that he IS the person who wrote Monokuma's or Shinigami's lines. lol ------

This is finally half of the daytime program! XD

Next:

[mayz-dayz]

HI! so here's the fic since people are asking to read it, sorry for any spelling mistakes I was in rush! The whole premise is that during the middle school bullying Midoriya and Bakugou both turned to the Internet for comfort where him and Bakugo end up e-dating without realizing it's eachother! It's a pretty NSFW fic which SH topics and child abuse (Bakugous mom is abusive which is why he takes out his anger on Midoriya) ENJOY(or don't)!! Feedback welcome!

Izuku felt the eyes of his peers pierce into his back, how they all waited for the teacher to get done with the lesson so they could terrorize him for the third time today. Izuku wouldn't say they were all bullies some people would just tease him and he was used to that kind of treatment. The real bullies were Katsuki and his little group of wannabe edgelord's. Izuku sat quietly and patiently and then it happend, the lesson ended, and now all hell is officially going to break loose.

"Midoriya did you understand that?"

"Midoriya is this hard for you to learn without having a quirk"

"Midoriya why are you even in this school you're quirkless"

Izuku's classmates yelled at him laughing and giggling. All things he would take out on himself later. Izuku's eyes grazed around the room watching everyone laugh at him, but then Katsuki stands up and izuku immediately feels tears welling in his eyes. Katsuki snickers,

"How's that sound Deku? The sound of extras who are worth nothing looking down on you? You have to be real fuckin' useless for that to happen"

Izuku looks at Katsuki, he thought to himself how those words weren't as hurtful as the ones Katsuki said right before the lesson started, but oh man how it hurt. Izuku rubbed away a few of his stray tears and could hear the class mocking him for being a "crybaby". It was now officially the end of the day and all of the students rushed out the room knowing what was to come. Izuku didn't pack up, he was well aware of his "end of the day routine". He stood up and walked to the back of the now empty class, Katsuki walked over and smiled, another bully handed him a marker, Katsuki uncapped it and smiled.

Izuku makes it back home and is greeted by his cheerful mother, he smiles at her and gives a vague explanation of his day before going to the bathroom.

Izuku takes off his clothes and sees the dehumanizing writing Katsuki wrote on his chest, mocking him, his body, and his intelligence. Izuku ran a bath and scrubed all of these things away, he looked down at his body, he looks at scars no one noticed. He steps out of the bath and goes searching under the bathroom cabinets and pulls out a razor blade, he steps back in the bath and places the blade against his wrist, digs in, and slices. He watches how the water goes from clear to a faint rosy color, he smiles and repeats his five more times before stepping out of the bath.

Izuku goes to his room and puts on a pair of shorts and an Allmight hoodie his mom bought him when he was twelve but it's still too big. He logs onto his computer and watches Allmight highlights then enters a chatroom,

ALLMIGHT FAN'S ONLY.(12 members)

Zuku-Might1527: "Did you guys see the new Allmight highlights from 4 hours ago??＼⁠(⁠^⁠o⁠^⁠)⁠／"

Redshadow: "omg yeah they were so good they got all the best angles :⁠-⁠)"

xXGlaoq.: "Let's all take a shot every time he says "I am here" LOL XD"

(replying to xXGlaoq) 69Allmight: "we'd be HAMMERED LMAOOOO"

*Welcome! "Your Hero." Officially now 13 members!*

TinyMight: "welcome!!"

xXGlaoq: "Hi! Thanks for joining"

Your Hero: "Hi."

Zuku-Might1527: "HAII!!(⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡"

KIYONAN: "Zuku needs to be the destinated greeter he's always so nice to new ppl (⁠T-T⁠)"

Izuku flushed at that message, he joined the chatroom back when it only had three members and he's just glad to have a bunch of people who are interested in the same things as him. While Izuku was getting giddy over the praise he saw a notification pop up on the bottom of his screen

"*2 New Messages*"

Izuku wondered who this could be, he's pretty friendly with everyone, he's friends with people from many chatrooms so he's used to being talked to everyday. He pulled his legs up to his chest in his chair, the light from the computer lighting up his face and creating mood lighting for his room. He clicked on the mail icon to open the message,

Your Hero.: "hey. Saw your bio and thought you were pretty cool"

Your Hero.: "wanna be friends?"

Izuku's face flushed harder, he's used to making plenty of friends in the Internet but never had anyone compliment his bio on this profile, which was

"(He/Him)

STOP RIGHT THERE...HAI! (⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧ My name's Zuku! We can be friends, shoot me a DM at ANYTIME!(⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) Arguably Allmights #1 fan(•̀⁠ ⁠o•́⁠ ⁠) 15!!"

Izuku started typing on his keyboard,

Zuku-Might1527: "Of course! What's your name and pronouns?"

Your Hero.: "Oh yeah should've started with that. My name's"

Zuku-Might1527: "?"

Katsuki started at his computer screen, he didn't think this far, he just wanted to make a friend. He sat for a good three minutes, he thought about the names of the American business men his family worked with and it finally clicked in his head,

Your Hero.: "sorry, My mom called me for something right before I was about to type it I accidentally sent the message in a rush my name's Anderson"

Zuku-Might1527: "no worries! And nice name, sounds Western, are you?"

Your Hero.: "no, my parents are just creative"

Izuku smiled, Western names amused him. On the other side of the screen Katsuki was proud of himself for remembering a name he heard years ago, he was about to type again when he heard a bang on his door,

"KATSUKI GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE NOW"

he flinched, it was his mom, he hated when she was angry. He closed his laptop and ran out and was face to face with his mother "Y-yes Ma'am?" It wasn't long before his mother struck his face and he felt a long painful sting.

"I told you before I got home to clean the kitchen, bathroom, and basement."

Katsuki took a sharp breath,

"I forgot to clean the bathroom, I'm sorry, I cleaned everything else though."

He felt another slap hit his other cheek, he winced at the pain and covered his cheek.

"No sorry ass apologies. Go clean it now."

Katsuki mom walked off to her and her husband's room and slammed the door, Katsuki waited till she slammed the door to start crying, he went down to the basement and started cleaning. He hated his mom, his dad would try and defend him but she would get angry at him too.

He finished cleaning the basement after 4 hours, he slumped against the wall and cried, he punched the concrete wall of the basement and immediately yelped in pain, he thought to himself "that's what Deku is for. His face is easier to hit."

[justsome-di]

Hi! Wanted to let you know that I really love your take on Nano and the evolution of it through time. I also quit the whole thing for the same reasons around 2016 after two years. I was curious: what are your expectations for a healthy writing community? I've seen that a lot of people want different things and conflict happen because nobody really talks about it. The most people are willing to say is the obvious don't be an asshole (although obviously that doesn't stop some), but I rarely see people say things like "I don't want to share my writing but I do want to share the efforts of it" or "I want to talk about every details of my stories and brainstorm with others" and things like that. So what are your thoughts on it? P.S. I started following you and then I found out you're also into MDZS XD Love that!

Hi!!

When I think of a healthy writing community, I think about two 12-year-olds sharing their grand story ideas and their original characters that are master-level wizards at age 19 or famous detectives at 15 and the two 12-year-olds gush over each other's ideas and draw their characters and help each other come up with names and ideas and titles.

I think writing communities really thrive when people are encouraged to share their ideas and can get a positive response. There's times to critique works and times to just hype people up--and I think people really do not know the difference.

I've noticed a few, consistent issues:

Competition: I think some writers get competitive over how fast they write, how much, how often, etc. And I've been in some Discord servers when a person is suddenly getting praise or recognition, and you can tell there's tension. Suddenly people stop talking and log off. There's a lot of battle of the egos.

Different skill levels in one space: this is a big issue, though it's not anyone's fault. I've noticed that some writers in some servers are well-experienced with great writing and then other writers are beginners. It's not a big deal, really, but it does hamper feedback. Beginner writers get discouraged and overwhelmed when well-experienced writers offer more detailed critiques. And likewise, experienced writers probably aren't getting super in-depth critiques they need. Not to say people are unsupportive, but it's just not the most productive set up!

Selfishness: I'm not sure if that's the best way to phrase it, but I've noticed that often people will share their writing in servers but not interact with other's writings.

These are pretty limited to Discord which imo isn't a productive space for large writing groups anyway. But unfortunately when a lot of people move to Discord, it's hard to find a sense of community on tumblr or other sites.

But I can't just bitch and not offer suggestions so:

Keep online communities alive. We can't limit ourselves to Discord servers. Post your writing. Engage with other blogs. Reblog. Reply. Send in asks. If you're reading something someone wrote, let them know. Say something in the tags or send in an ask.

Be a hype man: We should encourage each other to continue writing--not everyone is looking for critiques all the time

Know your place: I've seen way too many people shit on ideas for events or special blogs. If you see something that you don't like, just leave it be. If you're not interested in something, it's not for you. Let the micro-communities do their thing and find their people. You do not need to be involved in every facet of the general writing community.

Post. Your. Writing. Or post stuff about your writing. It's hard to find other writers when they don't share! I can't hype up your story if I don't know about it!

I often see a lot of suggestions get vague. Like you said--"Don't be an asshole." Okay. Great. But what does that mean? And how does it get enforced in moderated communities like servers? What if the mods of the servers are assholes?

Or I see "support each other!" Okay, but we need an actual game plan for getting early-2010s level of community back. We need to bring back ask memes and character memes and ask culture. Because people back then weren't just twiddling their thumbs waiting for an interaction, there was effort put into all of it. People were designing games and events and taking time to engage with each other.

I don't think people understand that healthy communities need to be nurtured and inclusive. And this is definitely glamorizing the internet of 10-15 years ago. There's always been bullying and toxic people. But I think we could definitely build on what used to be and make something that's mature and welcoming to everyone.

I'm hoping with NaNo on their steady decline through the past couple of years really encourages people to rekindle other online communities. I think a lot of people have been nostalgic over the past few days, and a lot of people have taken the initiative to coordinate their own events. It's starting to bring back some of the unconditional support that used to exist.

(I love mdzs so much omggg and I'm reading through tgcf too and I aaaahhhh I'm very normal about it)

[bubblesxo]

I love your fic!!! I fucking adore de-aged Bruce fics and Gotham!Bruce is such a fun way to go about it!! And oh, is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to writing with Bruce and everybody? Or anything you wanna share about the process? I’m super curious!!!

oh thank you so much!!! that means so much to me to hear <33 i'm really glad that you're enjoying the story! i agree, gotham!bruce is a really fun way to tackle the topic of bruce's youth.

i'm really excited to write more bonding between bruce and his kids, as well as some alfred and jim scenes coming up!! (of course, harvey will be making another appearance, don't worry! he's just basically in dix's position in gotham canon here---very knowledgeable, very seasoned, but a bit older at this point. he's happily retired with a wife, and is distinctly spending it away from gotham XD) this fic was made with family relationships in mind, so i'm excited for when bruce finally begins to trust them a bit and starts to care about them more. (as a sneak peak for the next chapter, i'll say now that damian makes an appearance very soon!)

speaking of alfred, i really need to lore drop about him more coming up.

anyway, one of my favorite things ever to include in the fic is bruce random lore-dropping. like, his family has NO IDEA about most of the stuff he casually says, it's just such good comedy fuel for me XD i need some comedy to offset the trauma that all of the characters have, after all!

i have some plot points coming up that i am so so so excited to write!!! more short-term, i have a character coming up that's been mentioned a few times in-fic already as a bit of foreshadowing. he's only in like one chapter atm but miiightt make an appearance later. *wink wink*

more middle-term, there's an arc coming up soon that is gonna be both angst and comedy gold. it includes a character who has been mentioned by name but not discussed haha. he's around for a while (meaning at least a few chapters as a very very prominent character and probably a few as more of a background character) and i know that people are probably gonna be super hype when i introduce him, especially from the time period i'm taking him from!!

finally, i have an important long-term plotline that's going to go on in the background for most of the fic. i was thinking about writing it in a bit more blatantly in about 4 chapters, but now looking at all of this written down, i think i'll shove that chapter into the next round and write something a bit more foreshadowy for now and less obvious. i don't wanna give the plot away too soon, after all! (if you try, you can probably guess the character i'm referring to here, though probably not his name...)

i'm thinking of doing a special babs chapter coming up to talk about her whole parentage thing in this ficverse, too! do you think that would be interesting to anyone? LOL

i also am going to start tying selina in more often in the future, which is going to be a ton of fun!! and looking back on all of this, i'm starting to worry about just *how long* this fic is going to be XD but hey, whatever! i'll go with my muse.

looking back on what i wrote, this seems to be suuuuper vague, and i'm sorry about that!! but mid-term and long-term ones are a bit of a surprise and a mystery, respectively, and i don't want to spoil the fun too much XD

thank you so much for the ask!! i love talking about things on here, especially my fic! feel free to send more asks if you ever feel like it<33 and of course thank you so much for reading and enjoying my fic !!<33