In light of current events and a want to do something actionable, I'm going to write something for anyone who donates to organizations like the Northstar Health Collective, Black Visions Collective, bail funds, etc. Follow these steps:
1. Donate to an organization in support of #BlackLivesMatter and send me a screenshot. Any amount is fine!
2. I'll write something for you. A poem, a translation, a fanfic, anything. If you have a specific request, I'll take it! Otherwise, I'll write something that comes to mind :)
I think people should donate to these organizations regardless of if they receive anything in return, but I hope that by doing something like this, we can raise awareness and rally increased support for #BlackLivesMatter.
And for everyone protesting, everyone affected, everyone fighting for what is right. I'm here with you, I support you, and I stand in solidarity with you. Let's get through this together.
Full AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20230084/chapters/47943139
Summary: Every moment in life is fleeting, and yet every moment in life is precious. Every day, every night, every meal, every scene passes by just as it did yesterday, but just like rain, sometimes it all pours down from above, only to disappear again. A fic about our main cast finding their place in the world as they take their first steps into adult life. Adult struggles, nostalgia, romance, but presented in (hopefully) a light-hearted comedic way. It’s a rom-com in the end.
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“The existential crisis of adulthood comes in waves. First, the realization of responsibility: the crushing knowledge that in four years, after college, you’re all alone and bound to set off into the world. Second, the agony of rejection: trying your hardest to achieve your goals only to be burdened by your past mistakes. And third, the devastation of your self-esteem: bit by bit your self-concept itself flattens until it becomes nothing, with every ounce of your human soul pulverized by the veneer of composure that we all hide under. Every breath and every moment is tinged with sorrow, and loneliness creeps in while you watch Netflix in your dingy apartment’s living room alo–”
“A–Alya!! This was great, and I’m glad we relate, but I’m not sure if your new article can really help me right now.” Marinette closed her eyes and massaged her temples, trying to soothe the headache that she felt rising up from inside her skull. She thought that this would be her dream job, but after interning at Gabriel Agreste’s fashion company for a month, she could feel her patience wearing thin.
I don’t know how many of my old friends are on tumblr still, but I recently reopened an in-progress Chapter 3 of my old fic and got inspired again to write. So here’s a little bit of it under the cut. I was just really happy with some of the Adrien + Plagg banter I was writing.
Also stay tuned cause I’m probably going to finish this chapter and post it??? Sometime in the near future??? Hope everyone’s been safe and healthy! And taking care of yourself, self-care is important.
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Context: Adrien is 22 years old. He’s a fresh college graduate and got his father to agree to him starting as a regular ol’ intern at his company. Of course, Marinette is also an intern at Gabriel’s firm and finds herself placed into the same department as Adrien!! Adrien is a bit of a mess though since he’s now a “normal person,” who doesn’t have personal stylists or anything like that anymore, so he’s a bit of a fashion disaster right now. Doesn’t know how to tie a tie, doesn’t know how to do his hair, doesn’t know how to iron his shirt, etc. Marinette’s there to save the day though after coincidentally meeting Adrien on her way to work. She asked Adrien to wash out his hair in the bathroom (it’s a single-stall) while she sneaks around to get hair wax, a new shirt, and what-not. Shenanigans and banter occur.
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Adrien looked into the mirror and sighed, “Looks like it was pretty noticeably bad, Plagg.”
His kwami broke free from his shirt pocket. “What did I say? You should’ve trusted me with the tie instead of watching those online videos.” He crossed his arms.
“Your ‘tie’ looked more like a noose.”
“What’s the difference? Take a piece of fabric, tie it around your neck, loop it around a few times.” He sighed dramatically. “Listen, Chat Noirs weren’t the most noble people, I might’ve gotten some knots mixed up here and there.” Pause. “But whatever you have on your neck right now is far from either.”
“Okay! Okay!” Adrien pulled the tie off from himself. “It’s gone now, happy?”
“I can’t wait to see the craftsmanship that Mawinette will bring to make that tie into a piece of human fashion. That girl’s a keeper y’know, I should’ve made her Chat Noir.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty great.” Adrien smiled, remembering the many times his friend saved him from everyday disasters. A slight blush came to his cheeks.
Plagg suddenly appeared in his field of vision. “She still likes you, you know that right?”
“S---She what?” Adrien rolled his eyes and recoiled his head, placing his hands on his waist. “No way, Plagg! After all this time?”
“Oh, so you don’t know?” With a giant smirk on his face, he rubbed himself against Adrien’s arm. “Then why were you getting all cuddwy and bwushy with her on the twain?”
“It was embarrassing!!” His face was red. “Lots of people, being shoved into a tight space, I was still sweaty from running to the station, it wasn’t a… a thing, it was just awkward…. Plagg, I don’t even have feelings for Ladybug anymore, no way Marinette still thinks of me like tha-”
“You’re telling me that you don’t have eyes on Bugaboo? HAHAHA that’s precious. Whatever you say~”
“It’s the truth! What would she ever see in a guy like me anyway!!”
“She wouldn’t see anything in you now when you’re looking like that.”
“Plagg!!”
“Don’t yell at me, that’s mean!! You better wash your hair before Mawi comes back though~ Good luck.”
I already know this is a stupid question but what do you mean by godfather Adrien? Because I know you don’t mean he’s marientte’s godfather in that scene and oh my god this sounds so stupid sorry I’m just confused
Hahaha. Nah, buddy; it's okay.
What I mean is that Adrien gives off this vibe of being The Godfather, I mean, the head of the mafia.
It's just... The way the scene is directed is brilliant!
The fact that the two of them are sat down and far from each other already hints that shit's about to go down.
Then he starts talking, reminding her of his warning, the one she had completely ignored, resulting in Marinette getting hurt. At the same time as he refuses to even look at her or make eye contact. And that alone would be a line from a gangster film, right before the chaos ensues.
And now he's only facing her to cut off her bullshit, for she had started badmouthing Marinette again as if she weren't aware already that Adrien knows for a fact that she's a liar.
Then he tells her what to do. It's a "favour" he's asking of her (I'll get to this in a bit), but we all know he's no longer Mr. Nice Guy, when he tells her to do this, he's ordering her to do so, and he will not take a no for an answer.
And this?!?!?
Oh, God. This is so good I don't even know where to start!
Here is where you can see the double meaning when I used "favour"; one the one hand, favours are commonly asked and done by friends; and on the other, this is no favour, this is blackmail.
You can feel it in the growl of his voice, in the sarcastic, threatening tone he uses. Either Lila does his bidding and helps Marinette out, or Adrien's done with her. And that would be her downfall, at least from her perspective.
Because, given that she doesn't know she's just another pawn in Gabriel's plan, if Adrien were to draw a line between them, he could easily tell his father why his latest "muse" is a bad influence; meaning she would lose her advantage over most people.
I disagree. I think the question was who carried the bigger burden. Chat Noir’s presence and powers are important but they’re straightforward (even though M messed them up too). Ladybug carries the weight but that’s okay. Chat levels her - I don’t think this episode did anything to shoot that down.
As we know, the Ladybug represent Creation and the Cat represents Destruction.
We know the Ladybug has the biggest responsibility as the only Miraculous capable of undoing damage and purifying the Akuma/Amoks sent out.
HOWEVER, we also know her main power, Lucky Charm, is not the easiest power to use. The power of Creation likewise requires a sharp, creative mind which means Ladybug has to think as she is avoiding danger, and requires even more time to efficiently gather the necessary tools to use her Lucky Charm.
THIS is what makes Cat Noir's role crucial.
The Cat is naturally the complement to the Ladybug being the power of Destruction and we all know, destroying stuff is easy as demonstrated by Cataclysm. Its a very straightforward power. One touch and Poof its all dust.
But its BECAUSE the Cat is so straightforward, Cat Noir has more leeway to move. He doesn't HAVE to think. He just has to buy time for Ladybug. And that's what he always does. He creates openings for LB, he helps stall so she can do what she does best, whether is MaGuyvering her Lucky Charm to retrieving a new ally to assist. Not to mention his power is extremely useful in breaking some of those hard to break akumatized objects.
Sure you can argue that he tends to hinder Ladybug by distracting her with his puns and unnecessary flirting or getting akumatized because he was impulsive but nonetheless, Ladybug would have a MUCH harder time without Cat Noir.
“I think its sweet how much Adrien values his friendship with Marinette. I don’t get why people don’t think its possible for Adrien to fall for Marinette just cause he is establishing a friendship first. Friends to lovers is a nice idea and be interesting to see how that contrast with Chat Noir feelings for Ladybug”
I want Nathalie to figure out that Adrien is Chat Noir before Adrien figures out she’s Mayura and figures out his father is Hawk Moth.
Because then Nathalie will be placed in a moral quagmire. Up until this point, Nathalie is a morally grey character. Her intentions are pure while her methods are questionable. She’s different from Hawk Moth in that Hawk Moth has already crossed several lines that makes his otherwise pure intentions extremely questionable. Furthermore, we are still not exactly clear that his intentions are completely pure; his reason can be perceived as quite selfish.
Nathalie, on the other hand, has no dog in this fight so to speak. Nathalie is doing this (at least as far as we know) for selfless reasons. She has absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose in becoming Mayura. If Gabriel’s successful, Nathalie loses.
But she’s still helping Gabriel because she loves him and because she cares for Adrien and thinks that this is the best way to help them both.
But what if she finds out that Gabriel and Adrien’s happiness contradict each other? That in helping Gabriel, she’s actually hurting Adrien. Then, this is where things have the potential to get interesting.
What Nathalie does at that point would help redefine her morality. She could continue to help Gabriel, believing she knows what is best for Adrien, choosing her love for Gabriel, and thus become a deranged villain like Hawk Moth with selfish reasons.
Or, she could protect Adrien and show that her intentions remain selfless. That all this time, she really just wanted to help them both and not solely do what’s best for the man she loves.
I think the Mayura/Chat Noir reveal has the potential to be a powerful tool in this story.
I straight up hate TSA. I feel like rather than provide safety for their services, they honestly take it away, but that’s just me
Truly. I think the TSA is doing it’s job, and I don’t blame them because of all the things happening in the U.S, but tbh I feel more scared than secure a lot of the time, esp when they base things off of my race/ethnicity hahahaha
Y'all, today I got all of my bags checked by the TSA, you know this type of thing happens. I've gotten my bags checked for barely 3 oz bottle of liquid, tea bags, etc. Today it was a stapler and a condenser microphone.
But today, I was asked where I was from while this happened. He asked me, "where are you from?"
After a pause I said, "I'm from Idaho, I live here."
He asked me, "Are you from Japan?"
I replied. "I'm an American. I live here. I go to school here. I have an American passport, would you like to see it?"
