Tim: So, seeing as the League and the Order are both based in Tibet, have they ever, I dunno, clashed?
Tim: 'Cause knowing Ra's, there's no way he didn't try to seize the Miraculi at least once.
Marinette (who hasn't actually spent a lot of time with the Order) : I-
Marinette: Actually, I'm not sure, I could ask Su-han.
Marinette: I'd rather not though.
Luka *appearing: I can answer that.
Luka: They used to butt heads all the time since the League's inception
Luka: But one of the former grand guardians instilled the fear of the kwamiis into Ra's so he's only really been making half hearted attempts at take-over
Luka: When the Order fell last century, he tried to dig up the Miracle Box but Fu had it so he just kind of forgot they existed after a while.
Luka: He got quite the scare when the temples just reappeared.
Tim:..And you know this...how?
Luka: Oh, I spent a few months training with the Order, I needed to touch grass after the whole Paris problem.
💙 Dick Grayson deserves a little Paris/LadyNoir-induced emotional crisis, so here’s a soundtrack for it:
Youtube Music link
Basically, I'm working on the last and final chapter of The Prettiest Imposter and thought I'd share the playlist I've been binging for it 💙🦇🐈⬛🩵
The vibe:
Gotham Noir, Batman!Dick hot romance, flirty/suggestive LadyNoir!Marinette, usual Gotham violence, internal crisis, and switch!romance in Paris at the end for this upcoming last chapter 💙
Ngl this fic is giving me MAJOR Dick/Dickinette supremacy motivation despite being a Daminette shipper. It also explains why most of my WIPs in my drafts are either Daminette or Dickinette.
Summary: Marinette has been Audrey Bourgeois' secretary ever since she voiced out her dream of having her own business. Audrey thinks that she should learn more about the nooks and crannies of running a fashion business. However, fate has other plans for her, and honestly, what can our resident guardian could do to counter fate?
Disclaimer: I do not own MLB or DCU.
Pairings: Dick Grayson/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
A/n: Well, here we are with another update. Special thanks to @mysnis for giving me the idea for this chapter in particular!
<Previous Chapter> <Next Chapter>
<Beginning>
Marinette had just finished the online meeting about the progress report from the main Style Queen branch in Paris. She huffed tiredly as she began to relax her overly stiffed body, a result from sitting for 5 hours straight for the meeting. She was going to lay on her bed when her phone started to ring.
She checked on who was calling her and to her surprise, it was Audrey. Curious, she picks up the call. "Madame? Do you need me to bake you more baked goods?" She asked in concern.
"Non non! Everything is perfect as usual! I'm just here to inform you that you have an interview with Brucie, tomorrow morning! I already made sure that your morning schedule is clear!"
"W-wait, What?" Marinette replied dumbly.
"Do I need to spell it out for you, Marinette? Tomorrow morning, you have an interview with Bruce Wayne. He was looking for a new secretary and you are currently looking for a new mentor! Fate, non?"
"F-fate?? Wait! That dinner! I knew you were planning something! Did you pimp me out to him???" Marinette accused while ruffling her hair nervously.
She could hear Audrey's signature shrill laugh from the other side of the connection, "Oh please, Pimping sounds so crude! I merely just help out my darling protege to find a mentor! Anyways, be ready tomorrow morning, Brucie kindly told me that his Butler shall pick you up at 8 A.M sharp! Wear one of your designs and don't bother getting your portfolio and resume together because I already sent a copy to him! Entendue? Good! Have a good night's rest, my dear! Ta~' Then she hung up.
Marinette looked at her phone in disbelief, she was utterly speechless. She has an interview with Bruce Wayne. She has an interview with Bruce Wayne. INTERVIEW! BRUCE WAYNE!
The young secretary's mind went overdrive and crashed immediately. Negative thoughts about the things that would happen and imaginative scenarios about how she would fail the interview, making a mockery of herself in front of one of the most powerful men in Gotham began to pop into her mind. She didn't even notice that she was hyperventilating were it not for the kwamis shouts around her.
"Breathe, Marinette!" Exclaimed Tikki in her ear.
Marinette began rebooting and she made sure to do the breathing exercise that her therapist had mentioned. Once she is calm enough, the fact that she has an interview tomorrow morning made her anxious again. She bolted out from her bed and began pacing.
"Oh, this is a disaster! Completely a disaster! I-i'm nowhere ready! Merde, what if I fall, what if I accidentally spill water on his expensive suit?! WHAT IF I MADE HIM UNCOMFORTABLE???!!" She panics.
The kwamis looked at each other, exasperated at their silly Guardian. They watched in amusement at Marinette's tirade.
"What if I made him hate me?! I might have to fake my death, change my identity and move somewhere remote! To bora-bora or somewhere in Southeast Asia?! Perhaps, Indonesia?! Yeah, that sounds like a good failsafe, I could even change my name, dyed my hair, and even get cosmetic surgery to alter my look! Maybe I should become a hermit in Tibet instead! YES! That's a good idea!"
Plagg sighed frustratedly at his kitten, and he decided to put a stop to this ridiculous rant. He zoomed in front of Marinette and slap her nose, "Get a hold of yourself, kitten. It's getting ridiculous.".
It worked instantly, the girl sucked a deep breath before letting out a huge sigh. "Sorry..." She mumbled softly. "I spiralled again, didn't I?" She meekly asked Plagg with a sheepish smile.
Plagg gave her a droll look, "Ya think? You even talked about getting plastic surgery and becoming a hermit in Tibet."
Marinette blushed in embarrassment, "Yeah, I don't know where that came from."
The other kwamis floated around Marinette, some were giggling and some were looking at her with an exasperated smile. Duusu flew forward and hugged Marinette's cheek. "It's going to be alright, peafowl! You are good at your job and I'm sure that the Wayne man was impressed with your achievements!"
"That's right, Marinette! I'm sure that you'll do fine in your interview! Besides, we're always there for you so you're never alone!" Tikki agreed.
Nooroo shyly floats forward, "I-if it made you feel better. I-i'll be honored to accompany you! P-perhaps my calmness could help!" He offered meekly.
Marinette smiled warmly and reached forward so that Nooro could perch on her palm. She brought him closer and gave the butterfly kwami a gentle kiss. "Thank you, Nooroo. You're such a dear." She complimented which made the said kwami blush.
Marinette then looks at the assembled kwami and smiles brightly at them. "Thank you, all of you. I don't know where would I be without you all."
"Crash and Burn?" Plagg snarks. "A complete mess?" Trixx added. "Rich but not as elegant!" pipes Kaalki. Tikki and Wayzz moved to them and gave all three a whack.
"Don't listen to them, Guardian. I'm sure without us you would be okay." Wayzz argued.
"But I'd be lonely. Either way, I'm glad that we could meet. I'm glad that fate brought me to you. I love you guys." Marinette said and they all share a big hug.
She doesn't know what will happen tomorrow, but with the kwami around, she felt like she could do anything. With her resolve set, she started to form a plan on how to tackle the interview tomorrow.
"I can't do this~" She whined miserably while hiding her face behind her hands. Currently, she's on her way to the Wayne Enterprise HQ. As Audrey had said Bruce's Butler, Alfred Pennyworth, picked her up at exactly 8 A.M. She wasn't late which was a good sign, she even made sure that she wore her best-designed dress! But after a few minutes sitting in Bruce Wayne's car, her anxiety had come back with gusto.
Alfred clears his throat to catch Marinette's attention. When the nervous girl looks up he gave her a warm smile. "What seems to be the problem, Ms Dupain-Cheng?" He asked kindly.
Marinette chewed her lips while her hands were fiddling together trying to keep herself grounded. "I-it's nothing, Mr Pennyworth. I'm just being silly, that's all."
Alfred hummed thoughtfully, "It must not be that silly since it's making you so nervous. Perhaps, I could give you a bit of advice if you want to talk about it?" he offered kindly.
The girl shrinks but then she felt an encouraging pat from her breast pocket. She looked downwards and was greeted by Nooro's encouraging smile. She let out a shaky sigh, "Well...I'm just nervous about this interview. Mme Bourgeois told me last night and I haven't prepared anything yet! I'm afraid of giving M Wayne the wrong impression. Not to mention, I had coincidentally met him at the park before and I did this stupid thing where I get to be this ridiculous know-it-all! Maybe I shouldn't do this interview." She whined to herself. Alfred smiled softly as he briefly glance at the ruffled-looking girl from the rearview mirror.
"Ms Dupain-Cheng, I think it is best if you take a deep breath and think about your next step and only the next step. You will never know whether you'll succeed or fail, right? Just one step, Ms Dupain-Cheng. Only one step." Advised the old butler while giving a knowing smile from the mirror. Marinette replied with a sheepish smile of her own.
She looks at her hands again and took a peek at Nooroo who was giving her a wide smile. She nodded to herself, took a deep breath, closes her eyes, and tries to clear her mind. Taking Alfred's words to heart she plans in her mind. She was going to do her best in the interview, she plans on what she was going to speak as an introduction and then she opened her eyes with renewed vigour.
She looks at Alfred and smiled brightly, "Thank you for your advice, sir. It definitely works." Her hands raised to her chest to cup the butterfly pendant that she had worn that day. "Just one step..." She whispered again for courage, then a whisper of a familiar voice added.
Do the next right thing.
She could feel her eyes beginning to water, somehow she could feel Master Fu's encouraging pat on her shoulder. A strange but familiar warmth surged to her whole body and she could feel her nerve starting to lessen. She will do the interview to her best ability. After all what's the worst thing that could happen?
So, after thanking Alfred for driving her to Wayne Enterprise and for the advice Marinette walked bravely to the huge building. Everything was going well so far, she told the receptionist about her appointment and the nice lady showed her the way to Mr Wayne's office.
The worst thing happened when she walked out of the elevator and ran into someone, hard. Her nerve came again during the elevator ride and once the door opened she bolted out from the confined space, and barreled into someone, sending them both to the ground with a loud thud.
"O-oh my gosh! I-I'm so sorry! I-i wasn't looking." She stuttered apologetically as she moved away from the person.
The one whom she stumbled to turns out to be a man who seemed to be the same age as she was. The man shook his head and held out a hand to stop Marinette's stuttering. "It's...fine." He said politely with a smile. He picked himself up and look at Marinette with a calculating gaze. "Who are you?" He asked politely.
"I-i'm Marinette. I-i was here f-for the interview? W-with Mr Wayne?" She said unsurely. She could feel herself being judged under those scrutinizing eyes of his and Marinette unconsciously flinched.
The man hummed noncommittally. "The office is just down the hall. Good luck, I think you'll need it." He said with a bored tone.
That set Marinette off from her previous nervous self. "And what makes you think I'll need it?" A hint of sass bleeds through in her tone. The man blinked, clearly unexpected to see a change of tone from Marinette.
"Oh, I'm not implying anything! It's just..." The man trailed off his words, his eyes darting around the room trying to think of a more polite way to voice his 'concerns'. "Look, I'm sure you are a very competent person, it's just I know Bruce and I don't think he's looking for someone like...you?" He finished unsurely.
Marinette was appalled, no she was furious, sure she had sent the guy flying with her nervous stumble but she couldn't help it. Her nerves got the better of her! However, that doesn't give him any right to judge her so lowly!
Before she could even give a seething remark the man pats her shoulder and gave an empathetic smile, which to Marinette looked so condescending that she wants to punch that smile off his face. "Anyways, good luck and I'm sure that there'll be another path for you." He 'advised' helpfully and leave Marinette seething and glaring murderously on his disappearing back.
Oh, she'll show him. If before she just wants to give her best for this interview and just leave everything to fate, now she's determined to get that job. She'll show him how much of a terrifying secretary she could be.
Dick couldn't believe his odds to stumble upon the girl that he had met as Nightwing. The one that had confused his mind with the way the reports told how she had handled the Riddler and his goons. When the girl had sent him to the ground with her powerful stumble and had stuttered out her apology he was ready to believe that what happened with the Riddler had been a fluke.
There was no way that someone like her could do what the reports had stated. Yep, Dick now has a firm belief that what she had done was certainly a fluke. When she introduced herself and told him that she was here for the Secretary/PA interview with Bruce he winced inwardly.
The girl will be eaten by the wolves, where in this case the wolf is Bruce, but he digresses. So he wished the girl good luck and it seems that she had taken it wrongly. Dick had to find the right words to not hurt Marinette's feelings and after saying his piece he thought that he had done a pretty decent job to shoot down any hope for working as Bruce's PA.
He knows his adopted father and he knows that Bruce doesn't appreciate a scatterbrain of a secretary, even if she's quite pretty. He left the girl in the hallway thinking that it'll be the last time he'll ever see her again.
Short answer from the universe? He was wrong. He was so wrong.,
Marinette waits outside of the CEO's office, still stewing from that guy's condescending attitude. Not even Nooroo's gentle pat could calm down her rage. She hopes that she won't see that guy soon because as much as she prides her ability to control her emotions she wouldn't count herself to not slap the guy silly.
"Ms Dupain-Cheng, Mr Wayne is ready for your interview." Called the lovely secretary who gave her an encouraging smile.
Marinette shoot out from her seat and nodded excitedly. "Thank you! I'm ready now." She said as she pats down her skirt to smooth any wrinkles away. She marched confidently to the office and greet the familiar man with a bright smile.
"M Wayne! We meet again!"
"Ah, Marinette. I can call you that right?"
She nodded with a confident smile as she approach his desk and waited next to the chair in front of him waiting for his permission.
"Oh! Please, sit-sit! I'm sure you already know what we're going to do today?" He asked with a pleasant smile. Marinette took a seat and gave a small shrug.
"I have to say, M Wayne. Madame Bourgeois informed me on such short notice that I'm afraid my preparation would not be as much as I wanted." She explained elegantly.
"Really? Audrey gave you such short notice? Do you want to reschedule the interview?" Bruce offered fully expecting her to accept the new agreement, instead, Marinette shook her head.
"Oh, no. I'm ready." She confidently declined. "I have a point to prove." She added with a smirk. Bruce chuckled and with that, the interview starts.
Marinette didn't know how they even moved to this topic but right now, instead of interviewing, Marinette is eagerly pointing out the flaws of Batman's hero costume as well as the early Robins costume. Thankfully, Bruce didn't seem put off instead he was listening very intently and even took some notes from her rant. It was pretty surrealistic.
The interview had started out great and it didn't feel like she was being interviewed for a job position, to be honest. They talk about her ability to plan on her feet and anticipate unexpected occurrences. They talk about how she manages Audrey's schedule and made sure the company runs smoothly if one of the others is not present in HQ. Bruce even asked about how she handles difficult business partners or clients and considering the pleased smile on his face she felt like she nailed this interview. At one point, Bruce had asked about her fashion business and Marinette had excitedly explained how she started the business when she was thirteen during the heights of Hawkmoth's reign of terror. All in all, she would consider this a success!
While she was going to move on to talk about the atrocious colour shade that the first Robin had, Bruce Wayne's secretary had come inside the office to inform them about the fitting appointment that they had in one of the reserved meeting rooms. So, they ended the interview there and leave the office while discussing a new topic which is about capes.
"I'm just saying M Wayne, I just think that they should invest in an easily removed cape system. Imagine if the enemy manages to get their hands on the cape? Disaster!" She rants as Bruce frowned thoughtfully.
"You may have a point. Anyways, perhaps we should shelve this conversation for another time. We're here." He said as he opened the meeting room to show that there was already someone inside. "Ah! You're here, perfect. Marinette, I'd like to introduce you to my son. Richard Grayson."
Before either person could introduce themself they both gasped dramatically and pointed at each other with a different variety of shock.
Taglist: @timinette-is-bestbest, @peach-blueberry-pie, @tinybrie, @taewinterbear95, @its-maemain, @flyhighdreamer, @kokoroluna @kitsun3699 @lilfuturescarss @kaimodius @sinoffalsejudgement @night-ngale @laydeekrayzee @fauxnormal @stella17luna @plz-excuse-my-inner-gay @ae-vixrose @toodaloo-kangaroo @ascetic-orange @l-of-the-gbt @lex-am @hemeraandnyxx @tbehartoo @babylovebug18 @allis-sun @wheredoesonegetnameideas @coolspidermanmusicflower @ascetic-orange @th3crypt1d @kamarallil @0anodite0 @talafairy(Tell me if you want to be a part of the taglist!)
It is currently 6:00pm EST, November 29th, 2024, as I am writing this. (7:15pm, December 5th, 2024, for post) This is something I have needed to write for a while, and I finally found the strength to do so.
What I would like to discuss is the Maribat Tumblr scene and events of earlier this year.
~ As a disclaimer, this is not being made to send harassment or hate. Its purpose is to enlighten the fandom of my personal experiences, including what I have witnessed myself. None of the following will be anything but my own testimony and pieces accessible by members of the fandom. ~
I, the one writing this as well as runner of this account, am Stilly. Otherwise known as ScarletImpulse on Ao3 and Discord and VelveteenShadow on Tumblr.
Why am I putting this out there with a new account versus using my own tumblr? It, my personal tumblr, was blocked by the blog that is arguably seen the most on this platform. The blocking was due to the following.
Back in February, the 2023 Maribat Awards’ Nominations List was released. One of my pieces was nominated but not accepted due to a relationship being tagged in the piece. A lot unfolded from there and I would like to own up to my side of it.
In the moment, I was saying things with no weight behind them when it came to any words I used. I had said that the event was biased, had favoritism, should have different mods, and was unfair due to the reasoning given for my piece not making it into the category whilst another fic was accepted.
Someone left a reply to the post right off to get clarification. The reason I did not speak up myself is I was afraid that the reason for my piece not making it into the one category (Rare Pairs) would then disqualify it, thus removing it, from another category (Favorite Fic).
The clarification given to the person was rather vague. After that, it spiraled into another person asking with rather inappropriate, strong language and the OG blog giving nearly the same energy back. A couple key things were said that were extra that read as rude, there is the use of “favoritism” which most likely was used in reference to my reactionary words, and a specific thing that I would like to specify on.
~ “...I had said that if they changed the tags we would be willing to add them back in.” (Another Mod, February 3rd, 10:01 am)
This part was never said directly before. I, nor anyone, was told that if I changed my fic tags that it could be accepted. The only mention of tags by the blog were these two following ones in separate reblogs.
~ “I do not read all of the fics submitted, and rely on authors tagging their works appropriately.
As a reminder, tagging works appropriately is important for readers so they are not misled.” (Main Mod, February 2nd, 6:45pm)
~ “Instead, I would suggest tagging the Timari in the Additional Tags part of AO3, or even as ‘Minor Tim/Marinette Dupain-Cheng’, that way fic readers and mods alike will not mistake it for something it is not next time.” (Another Mod, February 2nd, 8:44pm)
I was also not reached out to about this problem. A lot of what went down could have been solved by being clear about the tag changing and/or reaching out to me to resolve the issue. Instead, they reference information that could only be known by being in the server I said all of my frustrations through.
There is no way they should have had access to what I said because none of the individuals associated with the blog at the time were within that server when it went down. (Even so, I should not have said the things I did and I own up to that.) It also shows they were aware of my discord account so I could be reasonably reached.
The blocking itself? That came from them seeing someone share out my Tumblr username through a different discord entirely. At least in that case, the individuals were also in there.
I was not the only one who got blocked during that stretch. I cannot speak for them, nor will I. However, I can say that the public was blocked in a sense from the situation because reblogs (where the conversation went down) were hidden. They can now only be found through the reblogs of others.
I am accepting and confirming all of that further in this google doc to show versus purely tell and prove I am not free of innocence for my actions during that. It is so important for people in the fandom to be aware that it happened. Both sides of that made mistakes. They need to be held accountable for it.
There are a couple more interesting things that sprouted that I will mention briefly here but will be expanded upon in the doc. Once again, this is for fandom awareness.
The access to a discord they were not a part of was used to send screenshots of what I said during the heat of the situation to yet another discord which got me banned from it. I was not allowed to even ask for further information or clarification because I was told through a bot message and the one mod I knew had their dms set to friends only.
“A concerned member sent the [server name] staff several screenshots of you publicly threating physical harm against other members of our server. This is not acceptable behavior in what should be a fun, safe space to enjoy fandom.
This directly violates the rules of our server & is egregious enough to bypass prior warnings. Our mod team has made the decision that it is in the best interests of protecting our server members to remove you. Thank you. This decision cannot be appealed.” (Dyno Bot, February 8th, 8:13 pm)
There’s nothing else for me to speak upon for that. The message is between the bot and I so if the server wished for me to not share that out, perhaps banning without a prior warning would prevent that.
Another thing that came from the situation was an account named “Dike” on Tumblr. It put out a nicely written transcript essentially of what happened and the sides of things.
This has since been deleted.
This is another example of something that was said in the fandom’s tumblr space that has been forced to live in reblogs of others. However, the person, Dike (who I will not disclose without permission), had asked me as well as one of the individuals associated with the situation to read over the google doc of the mock trial. I saw things from Dike being deleted and took action to make a copy.
This is the copy of the original google doc posted by Dike with all the information perfectly intact from when it was first written. It was given by him to the public once so regaining your access to it should not cause a problem. However, it does make it easy to identify who Dike is, so I am going to link you to a reblog that saved it from fully disappearing instead.
Reblog of Dike’s OG Post
Please check that out for more information on that situation specifically. It does a great job at laying it out.
All of this I wanted to bring up because it is imperative for the fandom to know what a certain blog on Maribat Tumblr with influence has done. This is not to go throw hate on them. It is to give awareness.
The original purpose of the blog (as far as I am aware) was to make calendars for the fandom. Since then, it has evolved to do awards and other events. That’s amazing.
A problem, however, is the sharing of events that can come across as selective. They do their own events then only one other Maribat tumblr’s has been shared by the blog. That would not be inherently bad if they did not make such an effort to get the attention of the fandom.
Finding events run for Maribat as a fandom can be done relatively easily with the tagging feature in tumblr. Only sharing out the two places makes it an even harder time for events run by other fandom tumblrs to get traction though.
It also does not help that the blog blocked one of those other fandom tumblrs. To remind, I am speaking only for myself, so I purely know this because I am the owner of the Maribat Menagerie tumblr and I was searching to see if 2024 awards were posted yet, just to be met with a “ghost blog” message. If there are any others who have experienced the same, it is on them to speak on it.
Once again, this is boiling down to making it harder on others in the fandom getting that traction to more of the fandom. Without a typically checked Tumblr of the fandom sharing things, it gets left to the algorithm which only tends to favor polls.
One last related piece to the topic is a discord server list that was made by the blog. It is yet another case of not being inherently bad in its target purpose but has been used rather strangely.
The fandom may not be aware that the list has been edited throughout the months since its release. There is a note that states “All links posted with server permission prior to adding” which is important to know as I talk on this.
This list is made to help the fandom find discords because minus those with a Tumblr related to their discord, fic links are the only real go to place to find them, which can be a game.
The problem I have, which may not be one to others, is how the list has changed while still not including more less member-heavy servers beyond their own. I understand and respect the decision to only include those who have given permission. It is just weird that at least one that was originally on the list has been removed then replaced.
In fact, this occurred just days ago as far as I am aware. Originally, the “Daminette” server, that was featured since the list was made, was changed out with “League of Daminette” which you can find out through checking any reblog under the original post with a date before November 24th, 2024.
Mentioning the servers is relevant because I found that out after making this tumblr and checking the 2024 Maribat Awards. That announcement post was also changed after originally being posted with the only difference being a server link.
Let me preface, having a server link in a post is totally fine. It is how it is in the post that seems a bit unnecessary for an announcement of a nomination form, not a server. Having “Come join us on discord” the same color and font size as the nomination form link is a choice. That is going to catch people’s eyes and they will most likely miss the “Nominations open until January 15th” in small text in between them.
It is also when that is important to mention for that part above. The addition of the link happened after the nomination form was shared around to multiple places. I found out due to it being shared within the Menagerie. Whether or not that was on purpose or just a case of them forgetting, I cannot speak on. However, it is worth mentioning that if it was not, then that is quite the timing and coincidence.
Ultimately, everything I have written out for you here is for your benefit. The Maribatter who decided to read this. Take all of this information as you want. I am not in charge of who, how, why you interact with the fandom. I want this fandom space to allow people to make their own choices.
As a last word, I hope that if any of the persons who may have a problem with what I have brought up publicly consider saying this should have been handled privately, they take a moment to realize that their chance was lost when they put their side out publicly then tried to hide it (whether intentionally or not, I will not assume).
“Don’t you think it’s time to stop?” Tim looked up to where Bruce was standing in the doorway. “You refuse to say who it is, and the Hanahaki is interfering with your ability to fight. I hate to see you like this.”
“The surgery isn’t an option.” He shifted in bed, surrounded by blue petals. Soon they’d be full flowers.
“That’s not what I’m saying. There is always a chance of reciprocation, and your health is more important.” Tim shook his head.
“Confessing isn’t an option either.”
~
It wasn’t ideal for him to be out fighting, but it was all hands on deck. He ducked from the goon's fist and swung his bo staff. His opponent fell to the ground, and Tim turned to see what else he could do to help. Before he could even process what was happening, something flew toward him and knocked him out cold.
The next thing he knew, a loud ringing and bright light split his head open.
“-Obin! Red Robin, do you hear me?” He looked around to see who was saying that, and maybe find this Red Robin fellow. A man dressed like a bat stood over him, looking really concerned.
“…What the fuck?” A tiny child dressed like a traffic light with a sword appeared next to the man-bat.
“Tch. He is either extremely concussed or has head damage. Look at him, he doesn’t know what's going on.”
“Agent A, prep the med bay.”
~
Apparently, Tim was supposed to know who these people were. They took him to some sort of underground cave, where an older man checked him out.
“It seems his hanahaki has halted in its growth. And has some form of memory problems.”
“Excuse me? Hanahaki?” He attempted to stand before falling back on the bed. “Since when have I had hanahaki?”
The man-bat had changed into normal clothes and was leaning against the door frame. Another man who was still in his black and blue suit answered.
“A couple of months, and you never told us who you were in love with.”
Tim leaned against the headboard, what if he never found out who it was? Would he get better?
~
Tim spent the next few days on bed rest, relearning who everyone was.
Dick stuck his head into Tim’s room.
“Tim, your friend Marinette is here. The one from Paris? She knows about our Identities.”
A girl came into the room and pulled him into the best hug he could remember.
“I told them you should have never gone into the field, and look what happened! You can’t even remember me!” She pulled him back to arm's length.
“Sorry about that, but how do you know about us? As far as I knew, it was family only?” He tried to fight back a blush, as he felt pain in his chest for the first time since his head injury. He found who he was in love with.
“I was a hero in Paris and needed help from the Justice League in defeating my villain. They sent you and a couple of other young heroes. I happened to befriend you as a civilian and figure out who you were.” She straightened his blanket nervously. “And we were inseparable since. I was the one who figured out you had hanahaki, but not who for.”
“Well, Alfred said it's stopped for now.”
“I heard. I also heard you’re expected to regain your memories, so it’s just a matter of waiting.”
“I guess so.”
~
A week went by with no progress, but Tim was learning a lot about his family. When his memories started coming back, it was random small things. Like his rooftop stalking before he had become Robin, or how much he hated Galas. Especially the ones with his parents.
The day Tim remembered the Tower incident, Jason knew immediately. He had confessed to Tim that he was dreading it and hoped he could forgive him again. The memories of Jason’s death came after, and with that Jason waking up to a crying Tim at four am. He remembered being forced out of the Robin mantel by Dick. And then accepting that Dick, the original Robin, was the best person to make that call.
When his suspicions about him loving Marinette were confirmed he went to Bruce. Bruce was in his office, working from home. He looked up, surprised when Tim knocked and entered.
“Hello Tim, what can I do for you?” Bruce closed his computer and waited for Tim to speak.
“I’ve remembered who it was. Who I like. But I also remember why I don’t want to say.”
Many emotions passed across Bruce’s face, but it settled on grim acceptance.
“You hate not knowing things, and as a detective have probably been working to try and figure it out,” Bruce said nothing but gave a slight nod. “I am more willing to say why I was keeping it a secret before my amnesia.” And he told Bruce.
“We’ll let Alfred know that the hanahaki could resume any moment now.” Bruce stood with Tim, and seemed to hesitate before speaking, “I’m proud of you Tim.”
~
Marinette’s schedule had allowed her another visit, and at this point, Tim had regained most of his memories of their Friendship (and his crush). His nerves were so bad that he wasn’t able to stomach breakfast, and he spent most of the day before she arrived wearing down the carpet in his room.
Petals were piling up in his bathroom sink, Alfred and Bruce the only ones aware of it. Tim hoped the problem would resolve before his siblings uncovered it though.
Tim was attacked from behind by a hug and fell to the ground.
“Ow! Sorry Tim, I don’t want to give you another head injury!” Adrien helped him stand, and Marinette was behind him rolling her eyes. “I’ll let you guys catch up, I’m going to find Dick.”
Marinette brushed invisible dust off of Tim’s shoulders as Adrien sped off.
“Sorry about that, he’s been really worried about you.”
“It’s fine, I’m glad to see him again. But I did want to tell you something really important. I remembered who I’m in love with-”
Tim was cut off from Marinette dragging him into his room, and closing the door.
“Has your Hanahaki resumed?”
“Yes.”
“Who knows?”
“Alfred and Bruce. Now you.”
“Are you ever going to tell me who it is?”
“Well, if I do confess, it won’t be for reciprocation. It’ll be to heal because she’s sort of.. engaged?” Marinette paused, not fully comprehending what he said.
There was only one person Tim knew well enough to be in love with who was engaged. Marinette looked back up at a nervous Tim and started to cry.
~
After an hour of talking through the whole situation, Adrien rejoined them. And Marinette wasn’t one to hide things from her fiance. Tim was okay with that, expecting that anyway. The model wasn’t mad at all, just joking he fully understood why Tim fell in love. He was more concerned with whether Tim’s hanahaki had started to recede yet. Which it seemed to, the talk was very helpful. Marinette had scolded him for trying to be noble and suffer in silence. Tim had pointed out that he only had the hanahaki for a couple of weeks before she had gotten engaged, making him even more reluctant to speak to his best friend.
Tim made the announcement at dinner, by then there was only a faint pressure in his lungs. A group hug, started by Dick was done to celebrate. Followed by constant interrogation of who it was, their guests watching in amusement. Alfred had put a stop to that and served dinner.
Not all Hanahaki cases end in a happy ending, but Tim wouldn’t have changed anything about how his ended.
author's note: Hope you liked it! If you did, feel free to check out my other works on ao3!
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After Gabriel Agreste makes his wish and the new world begins, Marinette takes some time away from Paris while repairing the Miraculous that he had stolen as Monarch to joing Jagged on a world tour honoring the superheroes of each stop along the tour. Unfortunately, once the European leg of the tour is done, the first stop in the US leg is Gotham, New Jersey.
Surely, nothing will go wrong in such a notable place.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
I know, I know, this is not one of my already existing Owl House fics. Writer's block and a fickle muse have made those harder to focus on, so here, have my new fixation: Maribat.
Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot did not think of himself as a supervillain. He thought of himself as more of a businessman with flexible morals. The GCPD considers him an organized crime boss. His "employees," on the other hand...
"Will one of you... FUCKING IDIOTS please tell me what in the hell this is?!"
"The shipment?"
Penguin rounded on the unfortunate henchman who'd answered.
"The shipment," he seethed. "Tell me..."
"Frankie," the henchman offered.
"Frankie," Penguin said. "Can you please tell me..." He opened the back of the semi trailer, exposing its contents. "DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A TRUCKLOAD OF TOP-OF-THE-LINE LASER-GUIDED SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES TO YOU?!"
"No, Mister Cobblepot."
"Would you mind telling me what in the hell you expect me to do with a truckload of SUPERHERO COSPLAY?!?"
"Uhhhhhhhh..." Frankie could see his life flashing before his eyes.
"It's really good stuff, tho," another unfortunate henchman opined. "Like, real 'hot cooter' stuff."
"I don't give a rat's ass how good it bloody is!" There was a pause. "Wait, are you attempting to say haute couture?"
Authors Note: My friends convinced me to write what I dreamt of last night so here’s my quick ficlet on the part I remember. Join us on discord if you’d like.
The Mimic
By: The Coffee Fandom
Gifted to: @velveteenshadow and @aries-infinity
Fandom: Maribat
Rating: Explicit
(Dead Dove: Do Not Eat)
Pairings: Gen
Summary:
It was rampant in the streets. There was no escaping it. So many had been infected already but in Gotham? It created a sense of community almost.
