Fangirling 24/7

Artist and Occasional Writer

[lobtwo]

He's so

[meenawrites]

I have no words 😶

[sparkle9510]

Christine's Toy Box AU

It's been such a long time since I posted something since life's been hella busy. But I got hyperfixated on TADC and while planning a TADC fic based on a tumblr post I saw, I came up with another idea. Figured it may not even come out for a long time or I'll get writer's block and lose motivation, so I'm just gonna post the idea here and see how it goes.

Without further ado-

Welcome, everyone, to Christine's Toy Box AU!

(It's kinda just a dump cause I wrote all of my thoughts down. If y'all want, in a future post, I can sort it out and make it more coherent)

So basically the Amazing Digital Circus project was never meant to be malicious and trap people in the game like how it is at the moment

If you noticed the C&A logo around and saw the Caine and Abel on the pistol, welp, here we have Caine and Abel (Kinger). Two brothers who own C&A and helped to create the project

It was actually meant to be a fun world for Caine's daughter, Christine (Pomni), when she was a child because she was sick and couldn't go out much

She wasn't bedridden, but she couldn't exert herself that much without having attacks and getting sick easily

This meant that she didn't really have any friends at all since she couldn't attend school with other kids

To make up for it, she had a bunch and I mean a bunch of toys to play with. She named them all, though she had favorites (one being a purple bunny plushie :) )

Though sickly, she did her hardest to make her family laugh with silly tricks, hence, they called her their little sweet jester

Caine, Abel, and Abel's wife doted and cherished Christine a ton

To allow her to enjoy action packed adventures, they all begin to work on programming TADC

They had a few investors and a small team and a few investors to fund and work on the project.

Welp, during the testing phase, Abel and his wife decided to be the ones to test the system, but something went wrong

They disappear and while they couldn't locate the exact problem, they knew it had something to do with the program

With how dangerous the project seemed to be, both the company and the project got shut down

Caine was too depressed to continue running the company, especially alone. At this point, no answers, appearances, or signs of his brother and his sister in law, it's assumed they're probably dead

All Christine knows is that her favorite uncle and aunt couldn't visit anymore. She's just a child, so death was sort of a foreign topic to her and Caine wanted to protect her innocence a little longer. Only later when she was older she managed to weasel out of her dad that something went wrong with the project.

Well, turns out the project wasn't exactly shut down. One of the investors saw the potential in profits if the project succeed, so he decided to continue it.

To test the program, he would test it on strangers/victims. With each person added to TADC, the team he hires discover new character files that seemed to manifest in the program files. To their surprise, they can't exactly modify or do anything to those files. All they could do is modify the C.A.I.N.E. AI and other assets, but not character files. The best they can do is just block the character's identity, but that's it.

That doesn't mean they don't try to bypass and learn how

It didn't affect the other parts of the code, so they ignore it. If anything, they study it and the changes that seems to occur in the game

Eventually, due to modern technology and medicinal evolution, Christine was able to overcome the sickness and got better

She was able to venture out without much issues, but if she pushes herself, she could get an attack

She could also get flares where her body will act up

She moves on in life, becomes an accountant, explores abandoned building, etc. She enjoyed it a lot since she never got to do anything like this back then.

Though the fact she was stuck at home for years does cause her to have anxiety and get overwhelmed pretty easily

Eventually, she wants to investigate her uncle and aunt's disappearance and so she goes to the source, the old 'abandoned' C&A company building.

She doesn't tell her dad exactly where she's going exactly. He still gets depressed when the topic gets brought up. He's okay with her exploring. She's an adult. He can't stop her. If anything, he makes her share her location with him in case anything happens. Though if he checks and she's here, he'll probably have a huge meltdown.

She comes across the headset and the research. She hacks into their system (because of course her dad would've taught her a few things about coding and computer security stuff) and realizes what's going on. She finds the documents detailing the findings

Before she could think clearly to send these information to her dad, she tries to put a stop to it all and gets captured

To stop her from snitching and exposing their crimes, the investor put the headset on her, sending her into the game as well as setting a block to her memories.

She doesn't remember a lot when joining the game due to the developers' interference. She remember the general things like her job working as an accountant at the supermarket and some basic info, but a lot of her memories from childhood and anything relating to C&A including her dad, uncle, and aunt is currently blocked

Plot

The actual story might start off focusing on something else and be a bit misleading. It'll take place after episode 6 and maybe Pomni is working on trying to break down Jax's wall, especially since it seems he's not okay. So, the story seems to be about them and their friendship (funnybunny later down the line)

During all these chapters in the fic, she's beginning to get flashes, or hints of memories, but she doesn't know it yet. Maybe glimpse in dreams, but she ignores them, focusing on life in the circus and surviving with her sanity intact

It's not until she sees a tiny purple bunny plushie (probably during an adventure) which triggers a bigger memory and she realizes something is up.

So yeah, if I could write this fic properly, it starts off pretty subtle and maybe the big reveal when a major memory gets triggered/unlocked (though me writing all my ideas down here ruins that subtlety lol)

Fun Facts about this AU

Kinger's and Queenie's design are the king and queen chess pieces because they taught Christine how to play and it would be one of the things they would do when Able and his wife visits

Christine had a huge influence on the game, even when it was hijacked by the investor. She had a lot of toys so a lot of npc/character designs were made with all her toys in mind.

In other words, the casts' designs they end up with when joining TADC are based on her toys she used to play with a lot

C.A.I.N.E. actually has a softer spot of Pomni though it's not too obvious at first

If she were to request anything, he'll more likely to oblige her. This was cause one of the first things Caine and Abel did was program him to listen to Christine. The program was, after all, made for her specifically in mind.

For some reason, when she joined TADC, her sickness followed. While it usually wasn't prominent, she did occasionally get flares or attacks from running and screaming too much. Even though the program was originally made to prevent this, Caine and Abel never actually got to that part yet

And that's pretty much all I thought of. Actually, I came up with some stuff as I wrote this too. Hopefully it sounds interesting. I kinda like it, so once I finish all my art projects or have some spare time, I might start typing some things up.

If you guys want to know more, let me know or send an ask my way! It might help to flesh out this story more I'm ngl.

[sparkle9510]

It's the fact I'm not done hashing out the first part (only got the major plot points, but not the build up and I'm trying not to rush the plot), but I already have ideas for the sequel and the sequel after that.

Fanfic writers, do yall plan everything or write as you go with some goals in mind? Cause I feel like the reason I fall off of writing my fics is because while I figure out major plot points, I can't write the inbetween scenes to get to that point.

[kicsterash]

Didn't post it here yesterday, but here's the trailer to my fanfic! You can also read the first chapter on my AO3, right here

[sparkle9510]

Christine's Toy Box AU

It's been such a long time since I posted something since life's been hella busy. But I got hyperfixated on TADC and while planning a TADC fic based on a tumblr post I saw, I came up with another idea. Figured it may not even come out for a long time or I'll get writer's block and lose motivation, so I'm just gonna post the idea here and see how it goes.

Without further ado-

Welcome, everyone, to Christine's Toy Box AU!

(It's kinda just a dump cause I wrote all of my thoughts down. If y'all want, in a future post, I can sort it out and make it more coherent)

So basically the Amazing Digital Circus project was never meant to be malicious and trap people in the game like how it is at the moment

If you noticed the C&A logo around and saw the Caine and Abel on the pistol, welp, here we have Caine and Abel (Kinger). Two brothers who own C&A and helped to create the project

It was actually meant to be a fun world for Caine's daughter, Christine (Pomni), when she was a child because she was sick and couldn't go out much

She wasn't bedridden, but she couldn't exert herself that much without having attacks and getting sick easily

This meant that she didn't really have any friends at all since she couldn't attend school with other kids

To make up for it, she had a bunch and I mean a bunch of toys to play with. She named them all, though she had favorites (one being a purple bunny plushie :) )

Though sickly, she did her hardest to make her family laugh with silly tricks, hence, they called her their little sweet jester

Caine, Abel, and Abel's wife doted and cherished Christine a ton

To allow her to enjoy action packed adventures, they all begin to work on programming TADC

They had a few investors and a small team and a few investors to fund and work on the project.

Welp, during the testing phase, Abel and his wife decided to be the ones to test the system, but something went wrong

They disappear and while they couldn't locate the exact problem, they knew it had something to do with the program

With how dangerous the project seemed to be, both the company and the project got shut down

Caine was too depressed to continue running the company, especially alone. At this point, no answers, appearances, or signs of his brother and his sister in law, it's assumed they're probably dead

All Christine knows is that her favorite uncle and aunt couldn't visit anymore. She's just a child, so death was sort of a foreign topic to her and Caine wanted to protect her innocence a little longer. Only later when she was older she managed to weasel out of her dad that something went wrong with the project.

Well, turns out the project wasn't exactly shut down. One of the investors saw the potential in profits if the project succeed, so he decided to continue it.

To test the program, he would test it on strangers/victims. With each person added to TADC, the team he hires discover new character files that seemed to manifest in the program files. To their surprise, they can't exactly modify or do anything to those files. All they could do is modify the C.A.I.N.E. AI and other assets, but not character files. The best they can do is just block the character's identity, but that's it.

That doesn't mean they don't try to bypass and learn how

It didn't affect the other parts of the code, so they ignore it. If anything, they study it and the changes that seems to occur in the game

Eventually, due to modern technology and medicinal evolution, Christine was able to overcome the sickness and got better

She was able to venture out without much issues, but if she pushes herself, she could get an attack

She could also get flares where her body will act up

She moves on in life, becomes an accountant, explores abandoned building, etc. She enjoyed it a lot since she never got to do anything like this back then.

Though the fact she was stuck at home for years does cause her to have anxiety and get overwhelmed pretty easily

Eventually, she wants to investigate her uncle and aunt's disappearance and so she goes to the source, the old 'abandoned' C&A company building.

She doesn't tell her dad exactly where she's going exactly. He still gets depressed when the topic gets brought up. He's okay with her exploring. She's an adult. He can't stop her. If anything, he makes her share her location with him in case anything happens. Though if he checks and she's here, he'll probably have a huge meltdown.

She comes across the headset and the research. She hacks into their system (because of course her dad would've taught her a few things about coding and computer security stuff) and realizes what's going on. She finds the documents detailing the findings

Before she could think clearly to send these information to her dad, she tries to put a stop to it all and gets captured

To stop her from snitching and exposing their crimes, the investor put the headset on her, sending her into the game as well as setting a block to her memories.

She doesn't remember a lot when joining the game due to the developers' interference. She remember the general things like her job working as an accountant at the supermarket and some basic info, but a lot of her memories from childhood and anything relating to C&A including her dad, uncle, and aunt is currently blocked

Plot

The actual story might start off focusing on something else and be a bit misleading. It'll take place after episode 6 and maybe Pomni is working on trying to break down Jax's wall, especially since it seems he's not okay. So, the story seems to be about them and their friendship (funnybunny later down the line)

During all these chapters in the fic, she's beginning to get flashes, or hints of memories, but she doesn't know it yet. Maybe glimpse in dreams, but she ignores them, focusing on life in the circus and surviving with her sanity intact

It's not until she sees a tiny purple bunny plushie (probably during an adventure) which triggers a bigger memory and she realizes something is up.

So yeah, if I could write this fic properly, it starts off pretty subtle and maybe the big reveal when a major memory gets triggered/unlocked (though me writing all my ideas down here ruins that subtlety lol)

Fun Facts about this AU

Kinger's and Queenie's design are the king and queen chess pieces because they taught Christine how to play and it would be one of the things they would do when Able and his wife visits

Christine had a huge influence on the game, even when it was hijacked by the investor. She had a lot of toys so a lot of npc/character designs were made with all her toys in mind.

In other words, the casts' designs they end up with when joining TADC are based on her toys she used to play with a lot

C.A.I.N.E. actually has a softer spot of Pomni though it's not too obvious at first

If she were to request anything, he'll more likely to oblige her. This was cause one of the first things Caine and Abel did was program him to listen to Christine. The program was, after all, made for her specifically in mind.

For some reason, when she joined TADC, her sickness followed. While it usually wasn't prominent, she did occasionally get flares or attacks from running and screaming too much. Even though the program was originally made to prevent this, Caine and Abel never actually got to that part yet

And that's pretty much all I thought of. Actually, I came up with some stuff as I wrote this too. Hopefully it sounds interesting. I kinda like it, so once I finish all my art projects or have some spare time, I might start typing some things up.

If you guys want to know more, let me know or send an ask my way! It might help to flesh out this story more I'm ngl.

[daialune]

its ok

[veeaziel]

every day i am percieved™️

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

There is a reason for this though!

The original tweet summarizes it pretty well. Fanfic tends to be popular among certain types of neurodivergent people (aka people most likely to read excessively as a child, and have burnout as an adult) for the same reasons that we tend to hyperfixate–neurochemical signaling (I hope I’m using that phrase correctly). What I mean is, for people who are really dependent on changes in dopamine/serotonin/neurotransmitter levels, who have low levels or wonky neural reward systems (perhaps the most common types of neurodivergence)…people like us rely on dependable external sources of those neurochemicals. In order to function, we spend a lot of our free time trying to level out our brain chemistry using things that can reliably bring us a steady stream of joyful moments (rewards) without costing too much of the mental effort that is already in short supply. 

significantly: the investment of reading has to be balanced with a steady “return on investment”–and this return has to start fairly quickly. because again, we don’t have a lot of attention/energy to invest on tiring things. we have perpetual “low batteries” in that regard.

that doesn’t mean these stories are “simple,” or that they lack complexity or value–only that the reward has to come in short regular intervals, and it has to have a low “upfront cost.” these stories are only “easy” to read in the sense that the effort we put into them is rewarded in a timely manner. which is why fanfic stories are so perfectly formulated for neurodivergent readers–they are often beautifully written, but skip a lot of the upfront costs (of introducing new characters, of world-building, of getting the audience emotionally connected to the story elements).

the nature of fanfiction is that the reader has a pre-existing relationship with this world and these characters. that–combined with the shorter average length of fics–means that fan fics very quickly start rewarding the reader in a way that traditional fiction struggles to. that’s not a bad thing! and maybe it’s something more traditionally published writers should be paying attention to.

Fanfic, as a genre, has been uniquely helpful and accessible to many neurodivergent readers who would otherwise struggle to immerse themselves in stories. I’m glad so many of you have found a way to love and enjoy reading again! The important thing is that you are spending time inside stories you love–the way those stories are published or presented to the world is just one detail. The fact that you find joy in the process of reading (or listening!) to stories–that is what matters.

[attackofjak]

I feel understood 🥰

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

a bunch of people have reblogged this with the default “i feel called out” reaction….and i know when we say that we mean it tongue-in-cheek….but this comment sorta blew my mind & shifted my perspective up and to the left a little thank you♥

[zadabug98]

The Serotonin is stored in the Ao3

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

The Serotonin is stored in the Ao3

[kizo2703]

#this 100% happened to me#but i’m a middle aged writer and english teacher with an academic literature background#when i burned out got sick and had a breakdown i couldn’t read regular books anymore i could only read fanfic#i saw on twitter where someone said literature is prescriptive. you read the kind of fiction that fits your personal need#we’re all overwhelmed right now and that’s why we like the tropey fiction whether fanfic or romance novels or superhero movies#we UNDERSTAND the rules of fiction and dont’ have to work to understand while the payoff comes quickly. kiss. hea. battle/victory

[depressedfandomfatty]

The important thing for me and why fanfic is so much easier is I can pick for my mood.

I can pick a hurt comfort or a slow burn or an angst with a happy ending.

I can remove the tags I don’t want to see, I can check word count,check if it’s finished and it’s so much easier than books

I know these characters and I see them in my mind so they can pull me on journey into a world I love, unless it’s au universes

Tagging fics and sorting them into a system I can deal with, oh yeah and it’s also free so there is that.

[evanoshiix]

Here are all the coloured sketches! I probably won’t end up rendering them tho, so you can have them now, enjoy :)

[evanoshiix]

Heyo! I'm loving all the Kismet content right now! <3 Any headcanons or angsty things you wanna share? 👀

I may have a few :)

Boom heavily stepped into the role of the “sunshine kid” growing up and placed a lot of his self worth on whether he could make others smile. He felt very dejected and useless when Branch went grey and he could even get him to smile

Ablaze heavily blames himself for not being able to get to the stage on time to stop Branch from being turned into a rock zombie and carries that guilt with him even once they meet up again

Despite Trickee’s extroverted personality, he still let his paranoia get the best of him and he ran away, and now he feels the guilt of abandoning Ablaze, who dropped everything to bring him far away from the Bergens just to make him feel better

Hype decided to be the oldest brother because he didn’t want any kids growing up alone. He really connected with Branch, considering he’d also been abandoned and left behind by his family as a kid, and he didn’t want Branch to feel as alone as he did

Branch kept all the letters Hype sent him over the years, even though he never responded. He wasn’t sure if it was Pride or the fear of getting close to somebody again, but he couldn’t bring himself ask him to come back no matter how lonely he was. He does feel incredibly guilty for driving him away

[sparkle9510]

My thirst for angst has been quenched... for now :3 Idk if I'll actually find the motivation to start and finish, but would it be okay if I draw fanart of your Diamond!Hype AU at some point?

[itsdragonfire13]

Kismet Harmony

Part 1, Part 2(You are here!)

Alright, here's what I'm thinking about what our 4 boys do once they have to leave Branch behind with promises to be back with BroZone.

Hype is the one to point out they have no idea what John Dory even looks like. Boom says he probably looks like Branch. Trickee says they can just ask other people on the trail.

They talk to both giants and other trolls and every single one seems to either know of John Dory or know someone who does. They each make him out to be some feral mountain man.

“Are we sure we need him?” -Hype

“Yes.” -Trickee

“Then how do we find him?” -Boom

“Maybe if we play BroZone on full volume he’ll appear.” -Ablaze

Ten minutes later, sitting on a hill top, Boom cranks a boom box to full volume and plays ‘Perfect’

“It was a joke.” It works.

Rhonda comes bursting out of the bushes, scaring Kismet, and almost destroys the boom box in her excitement to get to it. John throws the door open, ignoring the 4 trolls who had tackled each other to get out of the way, and and loudly shouts he’s here and who is playing BroZone?

"Wow he does look like Branch."

Gonna work on part 3, and hopefully it'll be a bit longer, if anyone has any ideas/questions just toss them into my inbox and I'll try to get to them.

[itsdragonfire13]

Au based on the fact that Branch was originally supposed to be the one taken.

Part 1(You are here!), Part 2,

——-

- Branch is taken for being a part of Kismet, which means Kismet gets the letters and sneak in through the ducts only to find a pissed off Branch stuck in a perfume bottle.

- They make fun of him for about 5 mins before trying to break it/unscrew the top to let him out.

- It quickly becomes clear they can’t get him out, panic starts especially when Branch tells them what Velvet and Veener are using him for, and why they got those letters.

- That makes them panic more.

- Branch mumbles that there is something that can break diamond, it takes Kismet asking 3 times before he finally admits that if they can find his brothers and get them to sing together, there may be a chance, a small, tiny, chance they could do the perfect family harmony and break the diamond.

- Kismet had no idea he had brothers. They have questions.

- Branch tells them that last he heard John Dory was in the Neverglade Trail, but that was 20ish years ago and he doesn’t know if he’s still there.

That’s all I got so far I’m calling this Kismet Harmony just so I can find it easier.

[vivianthepigeon]

I desperately need more Kismet fanfics/fanart

Without it I will go insane

[mich-vanadis]

As much as I love Brozone there's so little to none Kismet content, other than bandmates, what's Branch's relationship with them? Did they started the band when they Branch's brothers left? Or did the band already existed while Brozone haven't disbanded yet. Whose the leader? The vocals? The choreographer?

Istg they're going to worm inside my brain like a parasite

[sparkle9510]

No literally! There's little to no content that my imagination's going wild on how they met, interact, personality, etc.

But no content from the movie is good >:3 it means tons of headcanons

[mercurialrain]

I Couldn’t Have, I Was Playing Hopscotch with Hawkmoth

Felix slid into his seat next to Dupain-Cheng, wondering what would happen today. 

It seemed that her new policy of dealing with Lila’s lies and the simultaneous ire of the class was to say whatever crazy thing popped into her head whenever they accused her of something. It had been rather entertaining, to say the least. 

The first time she’d done it, their faces had been so comical that it had made Felix wish he’d brought his camera to school. 

“Marinette! How could you shove Lila into the lockers?” Kim had stood in front of the crowd, his arms crossed in what was clearly meant to be an intimidating pose. 

Marinette had looked up with a blank expression. 

“I couldn’t have, I was playing hopscotch with Hawkmoth. He’s a really bad loser, so I had to leave before he had a full-on temper tantrum.” She had said it with the blandest tone he’d ever heard her use, which only added to the effect. 

Everyone’s mouths had opened and closed like a fish’s, trying to figure out how to respond to her answer. It was obviously not true, but how did someone respond to that?

She’d held Kim’s gaze, no trace of amusement on her face. 

It had worked exactly how he suspected she intended; they hadn’t managed to come up with anything before Bustier had come back in the room, breezily instructing everyone to turn to page 294 in their textbooks. 

The next time, it seemed that they had come a little better prepared, allowing Alix to lead the charge. She was notorious for having a witty retort to everything, so it made sense. Unfortunately, Marinette had also come with a plan. 

“Marinette! Care to tell us why you sabotaged Lila’s project in the art room?”

Marinette had held up a finger, digging in her backpack. The class had watched with interest, as this was the first reaction that hadn’t been outright hostile or bland. 

She’d pulled out her tablet and typed something before turning it around. 

Can’t talk. I lost my voice after too much yelling at the heavy metal concert I went to last night. 

Alix had blinked at the idea of sugar-sweet Marinette attending a heavy metal concert, but recovered quickly. “Ok, so type out why you destroyed her project!”

Some more typing, then a response. Couldn’t have, I was helping scientists extract DNA from mosquitoes in amber to make dinosaurs.

“That’s the plot of Jurassic Park!”

Where do you think they got the idea from?

Alix had stared for a moment more before throwing up her hands. “This is useless, she’s clearly gone off the deep end!” She’d stormed out, leaving the rest of the class behind, unsure of what to do now that they’d lost their ringer.

Again, Bustier had made the decision of what to do for them, coming in with a reminder of the worksheet they had due at the end of class. 

Needless to say, Felix believed that this was a very good use of her creative mind. Watching her outsmart the idiots of the class in her own way was endlessly amusing and had quickly become his favorite part of the day. 

Today, before the daily confrontation, Bustier had assigned them a project, a partner project with their deskmate. For Felix, that was Marinette. Since they’d been working on the project all day, Lila hadn’t had the chance to leave and lie about anything, pushing the confrontation to likely after the lunch break. Felix could hardly wait to see what she said this time. Maybe this project would allow him to get to know and understand her better.

“So for the project I was thinking that we make a PowerPoint-” Marinette cut herself off, staring at him with a puzzled expression. “You’re almost smiling at me. Are you feeling alright?”

Felix immediately wiped his expression, mildly mortified that he’d outwardly shown his amusement, but forged ahead. “I see you got your voice back. Was the heavy metal worth it?”

“What? Oh, that. I’m fine.”

“Oh, I know. Your recent interactions with the class have been thoroughly entertaining.” 

“Glad you’ve been enjoying it. Confusion is certainly better than outright hostility.” She sighed, suddenly looking very tired. 

“It’s about time that you started retaliating, even if it’s just by scrambling the two collective brain cells they have left. I don’t know that I could’ve put up with Rossi’s bullshit for as long as you have with the patience you’ve had.”

Her eyes snapped to him. “You know she’s lying?”

He scoffed. “Please, don’t insult my intelligence like that. Of course I know she’s lying.”

Marinette was silent. He could almost see the burden on her shoulders getting lighter with the realization she wasn’t alone in knowing Rossi was a liar and was about to comment further on it when Marinette smiled. It was a mischievous smile that promised trouble, which immediately intrigued Felix. He hadn’t seen much of her troublemaker side except for the few glimpses from her last interactions with the class, but he had a feeling there was one hell of a wicked streak somewhere underneath that cotton candy. 

“You wanna help?”

He considered for a moment. Was it worth getting involved in? On one hand, it was enjoyable to just be merely a spectator. On the other hand, he wanted to know more about this side of Marinette and it was always enjoyable to see idiots put in their place. 

“I’m in.”

- - - - - -

After school, Felix and Marinette were at their desk, waiting for the confrontation. 

And like a bad penny, the class came back to try again. It seemed that they were shuffling who was leading the ‘Marinette how dare you’ brigade, and this time they had chosen Adrien. Felix knew about her crush on him, so he supposed that it was a rather strategic move on their part, if he wasn’t able to see the barely hidden disdain for the boy on her face. 

“Marinette, you know that it wasn’t kind of you to throw Lila’s backpack down the stairs while she was in the cafeteria. That’s not the everyday Ladybug we all know and love.” 

Ah, the guilt trip method. Usually foolproof on someone as empathetic as Marinette, rendered useless by Marinette’s developing apathy towards the class.

“It must’ve been someone else. I spent the lunch break teaching Mr. Ramier’s pigeons how to moonwalk. I wouldn’t have gotten back in time if Felix hadn’t realized the time and dragged me back.”

“Now, Marinette, don’t lie about it.”

“I’m not. Felix?”

Felix nodded, pulling up a video on his phone and showing it to the class. In it, Marinette stood next to some pigeons, clearly demonstrating how to moonwalk. The pigeons looked on curiously, occasionally pecking at her shoes and awkwardly waddling backwards. Mr. Ramier sat in the background, alternately cheering or throwing birdseed to the pigeons. The video clearly had the timestamp of about ten minutes before their break ended, so they would’ve had to rush to get back to class. There was no way they could’ve done anything.

Marinette looked back at Adrien and folded her arms. “Well? I’ll take my apology now.”

Felix snorted at the flabbergasted expression on Adrien’s face, casually putting his arm over Marinette’s shoulders. He didn’t really know why he did it, only that it felt right. Apparently she didn’t mind, since she just readjusted to be a bit more comfortable. “Give him a minute, he’s rebooting.”

“Wait, are the two of you dating?” He blurted out, then immediately looked like he regretted it. 

This time, Marinette snorted. “Because the only reason he’d support me was if he was my boyfriend? No, that’s what friends are meant to do, Adrien.” The last sentence was laden with poison that Felix didn’t know the context for, but Adrien did, because he flinched. 

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, turning away. 

As soon as the class turned away, her head fell on his shoulder, her face crumpling in pain. He didn’t know what to do but hug her shoulders tighter. He’d seen that her love language was physical touch, so maybe it would help? After a while, her face smoothed and she lifted her head, seemingly doing better. 

“Hey, thanks for backing me up.”

Felix shrugged. “It was fun.”

She turned to look at him. “No, I’m serious. It’s been a long time since anyone’s had my back, even if it’s just to mess with someone. Thank you.”

Why did he suddenly feel all warm inside? “So what’s the next plan?”

Marinette looked surprised. “You want to be involved in the next one?”

“Sure, why not?”

She looked away, her cheeks turning a light pink. “Maybe we could, well, I don’t know, I don’t want you thinking that I’m just saying this because Adrien said it because I promise I’m really not, but maybe we could, um, discuss it on a date?”

“But we hardly know each other.” What did she see in him that she liked? Sure, he’d helped her once, but that was hardly grounds for someone liking someone, was it?

“That’s the point of the date. To get to know someone. Besides, I want to see if you’re as nice as I suspect you are under that prickly exterior.” She was looking at him again, cheeks now a bright red, but with determination in her eyes. 

Well, hadn’t he wanted to get to know her better too? “Sure.”

[danismilek]

[makumakuma-03-deactivated202301]

June bride

[sparkle9510]

Baby Robins and Tiny Ladybugs Ch. 4

I live! It's been over 2 years since I last updated, and I am so sorry for that! It's been a rollercoaster ^^; Writers block, college, internships, graduation, you name it. I hope you guys enjoy this! -------------------------------------- First Prev Next “If she causes you problems, let me know,” Marinette warned him. “She doesn’t hurt my friends and gets away with it.” 

“Thanks Marinette! From now on, we’ll have each other’s backs,” Adrien smiled. “I guess that makes us partners huh?” 

“I guess that does,” she agreed, smirking and holding her fist up. “Partners?” 

“Partners.” 

“Pound it!”

—

A pause settled into the air for a minute or two as both of their brains short circuited. It had made the connection of the all too familiar gesture.

“...Mon chaton?” Marinette hesitantly asked. 

She studied Adrien’s face, which had an unreadable gaze. Was this a mistake? Was she going to out herself to a civilian, one she has a crush on? How was this going to affect their relationship? She’s going to have to go on the run. Make herself a new identity. That wasn’t going to be hard right? Maybe-

“...Our everyday Ladybug inside and out of the mask,” Adrien finally settled on, “and I would not have it any other way. My lady, I am glad we got to reunite outside the mask. Like in Cinderella, I’ve found my purrincess.”

Marinette felt heat flow up to her cheeks. Imagine that. Her prince in shining leather, next to her, all this time. Then the last thing he said registered.

“... Chaton, out of all the times to pun, it had to be now?” 

“My lady, if not now then when ever? Get used to it cause this cat is armed and loaded. If you don’t like it, I guess you’d better put me under Agreste.”

*groan* “Adrien, that was the lamest thing I’ve heard yet.”

—

“Hey Mari!” Alya called out to her once Marinette stepped into the classroom. “Where were you Sunday? We were waiting for you girl!” 

“Sunday?” Marinette tilted her head to the side slightly. “Was there a hangout or something?” 

“We had a class picnic, remember?,” Mylene informed her, “you promised to bring some pastries from the bakery, but you never showed.” 

“Wait, what?” Marinette was stunned, “what-”

“Marinette,” Lila cooed, “if you weren’t going to be able to make it, you should’ve at least given us a head’s up. We would’ve been able to find an alternative. In fact, I know a patissiere that would’ve been able to help if we gave them an early notice.”

Marinette was stunned and a bit hurt. What ploy was this? Looks like everyone knew about it but her. Well, almost everyone. Adrien would’ve told her. 

After the reveal, she felt that their bond was closer than ever. Now, she had someone to talk to, to relate to, about having two lives. He wasn’t just her best friend in the mask, but outside too. They chatted a lot more, especially through text and video calls. She no longer stuttered around him, and he opened himself more to her as she did to him. So, it goes without saying that whatever happens, they would let each other know.

“Marinette,” Lila pouted, “I know we haven’t gotten along well, but I didn’t think you would flake out on us. I- I’m sorry if I caused you some ill will…” 

Tears began pooling under her eye and she started to sniffle. Marinette’s anger began to grow. It was the same thing over and over again. When will she quit?

“Lila-” Marinette began before stopping herself.”Funny, I wouldn't do that. I didn’t even know about it in the first place. So, how was I supposed to make baked goods if I wasn’t even aware?”

“But Lila said she texted you,” Nino chirped in. 

“Yeah, Lila volunteered to let you know and was the one who told us you agreed,” Kim continued, both him and Nino looked at Marinette with a skeptical look on their faces. 

Marinette bit her lips. The room felt big yet suffocating at the same time. How could she prove herself to people that didn’t give her the light of day?

“Where was my invitation?” 

Everyone turned over to look at Adrien who stood at the doorway. He walked over to Marinette, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Unlike his usual smile, he was giving the class a stern look. 

“Why wasn’t I told of the picnic too?” Adrien pressed on.

“Adrien,” Lila plastered on a sympathetic smile, “you were busy with a photoshoot yesterday, so we didn’t want to bother you. Your dad told me how important it was. That’s why I didn’t message you, but I did message Marinette about it. I don’t know why she’s lying and trying to make me look like the bad guy.”

Tears began welling up again.  

“And I’m telling you,” Marinette butted in, “I never received any text.” “But you did,” Lila insisted, “see?” 

Lila pulls out her phone and unlocked it, sharing her screen with the class. There, shown, are the messages “Marinette” had sent, agreeing to it.

“Girl,” Alya peered onto it, “the pics don’t lie. If you were too busy or got held up, you should’ve said something, not pretend not to receive anything. We would’ve totally understood.”

“I-” Marinette began once again, trying to defend herself, but the bell rang, signaling the start of class. 

Sighing, she walked to her seat and got her tablet out, ready for class. Alya gave her a pat on the shoulders, but Marinette didn’t feel any better. Looking around, she saw a few disappointed looks pointed her way along with Lila’s smug one. She couldn’t help but bite her bottom lip as she forced herself to focus in class, forgetting everything else around her. 

—

Unfortunately it got worse from there. More forgotten invites, some accusations which included her allegedly saying things here and there whether it be insults or creating rumors, and even “evidence” of her bullying Lila. Between those lies, Lila made sure to point out the moments where Marinette really did have to flake out or was being impulsive. Her little comments festered until those around her began to harbor resenting feelings. 

It frustrated Marinette that Lila’s promise seemed to be working and her friends were distancing themselves more by the day. While they were still friends, she noticed them having less patience with her, making more snide remarks, and gave her less invites to hangouts. Though that wasn’t the only thing that was happening…

*splash* 

Bringing her hands up, Marinette wiped away the paint that dropped on her. Her classmates began to prank her with the encouragement of Lila. She spewed how it would help them all bond closer, especially mend their friendship (as if there was one in the first place). It started small that she paid no mind, but it became more daring recently. 

Marinette grimaces as she surveyed the damages. Luckily the paint wasn’t going to permanently stain her outfit, but it was definitely going to be a pain in the ass to get rid of. 

“Oh dear,” Lila cooed apologetically, “it seems there was a mishap. I thought I was carrying a bucket of water I got from the art room, but it was paint by mistake. My bad.” 

“Mari!” Adrien quickly walked up to help Marinette, frowning at Lila. “Lila, this is going too far. This ends now.” 

He placed the bucket upright before surveying the extent of the mess. Marinette watched a few emotions go through his face before he looked resigned but resolute. He placed an arm around her and turned her towards the door, gently pushing her towards it.

“Now Adrien, don’t be silly,” Lila chuckled. “We meant no harm! It was just a joke! We didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“Yeah, take it easy sunshine,” Alya went up to pat Adrien’s shoulder. “You know tensions have been rising between the two. Maybe a good laugh will help the two get along.”

But I’m not laughing…

Marinette sighed, giving up. It’s been months at this point of her trying to clear things up with Alya, but she’s stubborn. In other cases, Marinette could give her some respect for it cause she’s not as easily swayed. However, it was also a con cause once her mind’s made up, it’s hard to deter her from her conclusions. 

“Babe, my bro’s right. Even with the water, it would’ve been harsh.”

Everyone turned towards Nino who had voiced this. Kim stood next to him nodding as well. They moved through the crowd until they stood besides Adrien and Marinette. 

“Nino?” Alya called, confused. 

“Alya,” Nino looked disappointed. “This is getting closer to bullying. I’m not gonna stand there and watch my friend get hurt.”

“Come on guys,” Kim continued. “Think about this. Whether paint or water, it’ll ruin Mari’s clothes. We all know she makes her own outfits and it can get ruined with this. Think of all the effort she puts into making them.”

“Nino, Kim,” Lila feigned hurt. “Do you guys really think I’m a bully? When it was Marinette that was mean to me from the very start?” 

She started sniffling, placing one hand over her nose and mouth. 

Here comes the waterworks. Marinette gave Adrien her biggest done face. He seemed to share it too, albeit more subtle.

“Maybe I do,” Nino stated. 

“Nino!” Alya was growing more visibly upset.

“I’ve known Mari since école,” Nino argued. “No matter how she felt, she has always helped others. She would never do the things Lila claims. Lila, on the other hand, only got to know and from the actions I’ve seen? Hasn’t earned my complete trust. So, yeah I’ll believe Marinette and side with her over Lila any time.”

“What Nino said,” Kim smiled, turning towards Marinette. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.” 

Ignoring the class who began comforting Lila once she began full on “crying”, the quartet left. They came across Mrs. Bustier, informing her that they were going to Marinette’s to get a change of clothes before coming back.  However, there were no guarantees as to when. 

“Thanks guys,” Marinette smiled, “I appreciate the support.”

“Of course!” Nino replied, rubbing his neck sheepishly. “We’ve been through thick and thin. We know you’re not what Lila paints you to be. Which is why…uh… Sorry for not believing you before, when you tried warning me and Alya.”

“Yeah,” Kim laughed nervously, “we started noticing some of the things she said were too good to be true. Not only that, but her trying to expel you and framing you for thief wasn’t cool. We should’ve noticed it way earlier though, sorry Mari.”

“It did hurt at first that my friends believed that I was such a bad person,” Marinette admitted, earning a wince from the two, “but I accept your apologies. Thanks for realizing the truth and standing up for me.”

“I’m glad Princess,” Adrien chimed in from the side. “Now you have more people in your corner. I guess this kitty will have to learn how to share.”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, you’ll always be my favorite.” She quipped.

“Of course, this stray cat isn't going anywhere. Now let’s go, you’ve been drenched in paint long enough!”

“You just want to take some of the pastries.”

Adrien and Marinette teased each other relentlessly much to the bewildered Nino and Kim. This was the first time seeing Marinette interacting with Adrien without stuttering or being more clumsy than usual. 

“How long has this been going on??” Kim exclaimed, much to their amusement. ------------------------------- Anddddd I'll end it here! Trying to get my mindset back into what I have planned for this as well as trying not to rush the plot xd. Sorry no batfam appearances. I made a general plot to help guide me but it ended up having it so that they may show up next chapter >.< Wanted to highlight more of what Lila's been doing and show that she's been cultivating the class and molding them to what she wants. If you're still here from when I first started, thank you guys for the support! I really appreciate it! Let me know what you guys enjoyed, what you miss, things to improve, anything! If you just want to rant about Season 5, lmk and I'll send message! I'm cool with talking about it anywhere ^-^. Taglist (I know it’s been a while, so if you want to be taken off, lmk please!): @mooshoon @bluerosette23 @zestyzealot @luciferge @gingerdaile @crazylittlemunchkin @queenmj10 @hypnosharkrebeldreamer @razzledazzle247 @dorkus-minimus @this-is-vander @abrx2002 @maribat-is-lifeblood @sturchling @witchsblackfox @noirdots @zalladane @jessigurl-design @myazael @velvetterabby @dawnwave16 @novicevoice @weird-pale-blonde-person @theyellowfeverexperience @lla-en-rouge @silverwhiteraven @corabeth11 @chocolatecatstheron @tired-butterfly @sassakitty @mon-berry @echpr @loysydark @miraculous-simmer7 @jardimazul @risingmoonyue @theatreandcomicfreak @dast218  @gracerosana @redscarlet95 @fusser90 @sam-spectra @elmokingkong @pirats-pizzacanninibles @shamefullove @xahriia @buticaaba @erick-rose99-stuff  @emjrabbitwolf

[aliciedraws]

Love Square Animatic with Chat Blanc <3 

more animatics here~