just a quick sketchy Lambert and Milena (from the marvelous @inexplicifics’s accidental warlord AU) 🥰

Alright then, to take it from the top... here’s some things I’ve done here or there for this dang game, from oldest to newest. With a big chunk of months starting with the margin Floofty there. Much is traditional and such, which is not my most practiced medium. Details on each below, just because I like over-explaining and it helps my nerves about posting.

1st: Fairly certain this Gramble is the first thing I did that was OK enough to show. Or, at least close to the first. He was one of my favorites and still is for his kindness(though he also can be really mean and paranoid, also a reason why I like him), so I wanted to get around to em. Also he’s very cute, I love my little malewife. I wanna scoop him up and hold him. Trouble is, Gramble has to have some of the most awkward proportions I’ve yet experienced while trying to draw a grumpus, I swear. That, and the more I looked at it, the more I grew to be unhappy with it. That generally applies to basically all of the drawings from last year, I find them to be “eh” at best. But it is what it is. 2nd: Second up is Flooftyyy, my most favorite. Intelligent, well-spoken, morally ambiguous, NB... and an asshole. But one with a cause they believe in that’s ultimately well intentioned, which they’ll go to self-destructive lengths to fulfill. And it’s clear they struggle to really get a grasp on how to treat people and have learned to cope with their frustration by shutting everyone out and believing them to be ignorant. While still obviously playing favorites between Eggabell and Triffany :p But by the end of the game, they’re learning that in order to really do what they want, they’ve got to really try and understand others. They’re the sort that I’d love to keep following to see their development. The awkwardness, the uncomfortable apologies and attempts at empathizing or opening up, the potential for blossoming relationships and a connection with others that, maybe, they’ve never quite experienced before. Their character is one that’s kind of close to my heart for being interesting and also quite similar to one I made and roleplayed for years. Add in the fact they’re NB and that just sealed the deal, that’s some fucking gender goddamn euphoria right there. So I had to draw them. 3rd: This one also mostly falls under the same explanation as above, except it was an effort as really figuring out grumpus bodies and proportions and stuff. Albeit in the form of solely Floofty, but my mental bandwidth for anything more than a drawing or two at a time is zilch. After that I’m spent. It was the first thing that I felt even marginally satisfied with, however.... I just feel like I’m in danger when looking at it. Like I’m gonna lose my way of things and habits I’ve built now from observing it too closely. Did keep the eyes, however. Kind of. 4th: To be real w you I just felt like drawing a Filbo after seeing a Filbo. He’s cute and I’d put a smooch on his dumb little head. Also more practice w grump stuff, but with some intentional attempts at stylization. I guess it didn’t stick, but who knows, maybe I could pick some of it back up?  5th: THE FIRST NEW DRAWING FROM A FEW DAYS AGO and it’s FLOOFTY, of course. It’s not really the first, there’s a few other things before it, but they suck so... yeah. I’d crawled out of the Bugsnax hole somewhat after a few months and failing to really do anything I actually wanted to do before, but a particular fic conked me right back 6 ft under. Piled the dirt over me and packed it in tight. So here I am again. And not only is it like that, but after binging a whole nearly 60,000 words in a night/morning, I was struck with the inspiration to actually write myself. Or try to, anyway. I have experience in RPing, but not a whole lot in actually... making a story myself. It’s not been going well, but I’ve talked plenty about that already... I’m sure it gets annoying for the whole maybe one person whose seen most of it to witness. And I’m still having fun. I’d mention the fic, but considering it’s NSFW and I’m officially tagging this... I don’t know if they’d want me advertising it as such. But surprise surprise, it’s Floofty related. And don’t get the wrong idea, while it covers explicit subject matter, that’s not entirely the point. Not a bad thing if it were, just that it’s more than that. I just like good character writing over all else, which is something liking this game to begin with heavily reinforced.... 6th: Heeeere’s Gramble, again. I’d been doing some little drawings for character profile stuff in my notebook, but I started to run into some difficulties when I got to him. This here is one of the results of the couple of little draws I did to try and understand. Again, his proportions are so *weird*. He’s just a little guy.... 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th: Here marks the first impulse draw after considering Buddy/Filbo/Beffica poly stuff. As well as the sudden Buddy drawing in general, which came as a big shock to me. These draws are suuuper rough, but I like the concepts. And goodness has this stuff been a whole ‘nother tangent... I did a fair amount of talking about it here. I’d do more, since there were TONS of details I still wanted to mentioned, but... my hands are starting to hurt. So maybe later. I realized that I kinda of messed up their design in my head bc I thought they had more similar teeth to Clumby. Whoops. That’s what I get for not using reference and same with FlooFTY’S TEETH AND THE WATCH NOOOOOOOOOO- .... *Ahem* I reckon the design is subject to change. Gotta make some little adjustment here or there, like maybe different eyes to distinct them from Floofty, but I actually rather... like the look. The hat, tie, and maybe a change to a bag on the side look nice... if totally not canon. But I will have just a little break from canon, as a treat. Otherwise it’s canon or bust. Personally, at least. I don’t really hold others to that standard unless they say they’re trying to follow canon or diverge so badly that a character is unrecognizable.

Wiggle’s Muse - Short Excerpt turned into a FanFic

Yo, so, I wanted to share a small snippet of a future project I’m working on (while also delaying my current art projects). What I’ve written out here in this post was originally in a format not meant for professional writing purposes, but I said “eh, why the hell not,” and written it out in sort of a short fanfic format for you guys to read. This project btw, is not a fanfic (had to make that clear). What I am working on is a very large scale project for myself and is still in the blocking out/rough draft phases. This right here is probably my most fleshed out scene I’ve written out, and feels pretty complete as it’s own thing. Honestly, I’d appreciate the feedback if any of ya’ll found this interesting! 

Also I’m putting this in a tumblr post because I don’t have an AO3 or fanfiction account, and this is already too short for it anyway. Read the excerpt below

In front of the camera lenses, multiple grumpuses walk back and forth discussing a matter of topics but most importantly, where was Wiggle?

"Has anyone gotten ahold of Wiggle yet? She was supposed to be here hours ago,” a gruff voice coming from out of frame says. “We’ve tried calling her for over an hour, but we got nothing,” says another off camera, “do you think we should reschedule-” before they could finish, the studio doors bust open with a loud thud echoing the studio room. A tall, short armed grumpus with a boa stumbles along the room carrying an oddly shaped banjo.

“There she is,” said the gruff voiced grump, “Wiggle, whatever you got going on, you better do it now cause we got a meeting with investors in half an hour!” From the blurry view of a slightly out of frame Wiggle, she barely registered what the grump said. In a stumble, she walks to the center of the camera’s view & shakes her head, almost slurring her words, “Doooon’t worry, Darling, we’ll get you a new vest later.” “What, no, wait, that’s not what I-” before another word could be said, Wiggle readies her banjo and strikes a quick pose before strumming the strings like her life depended on it.

It didn’t take longer than a few seconds before the crew sprung into action, setting the proper lightning, mics and cameras around her. Her rhythm and measures became a lot more stable, catchy even, and then she broke into song. The next set of lyrics would become an instant, regrettable classic. 

It’s not long before the VHS tape stutters and stops, showing mostly static. A magenta furred Grumpus with some hair covering a part of eye, hits the eject button, takes out the tape and turns off the tv. “Girl, you were a right mess there!” She said with a giggle. “Tell me about it, Vrittany...” Wiggle said frustratingly, pinching the bridge of her nose. “And you’re telling me you can’t come up with anything better than that? Come on now!” “I wish I was lying, but I’m not. No matter what I come up with, nothing is topping whatever the heck my walking coma came up with instead!” Wiggle grabs her mug of coffee and takes a longing sip.

The two sit across from one another at the coffee bar. The aroma of that day’s set of cocoa beans waft through the cafe as most of the outside lamps fill out the darker spots inside. The place is nearly empty besides them, and a single muted green furred occupant sitting at a booth at the opposite end of the cafe, drawing away in his sketchpad.

“So, whatcha gonna do?” Vrittany asked sarcastically, “Stay awake for another week? Get inspired again? Hehe.” Wiggle sets her mug down, and answers, “I did try that again, but in style I fell asleep comfortably on a couch in the lobby”. Vrittany looked a bit stunned. “You’re kidding?! You’re crazy!” “Not crazy, Vrittany,” she takes another sip of her coffee before striking a pose in her high stool seat, bellowing out her voice. “Just creatiiiivly driveeeen~” “Whatever you say, darling,” Vrittany says before turning around to her bar’s sink. She cleans several mugs and glasses with gusto while preparing one last pot of coffee, enough for a single cup for later.

Vrittany takes off her apron and hangs it on the wayside of the counter as she walks around to take a seat next to Wiggle. After situating herself, she puts a paw on Wiggle’s shoulder. “Listen, pretty sure this is just a rut you’re stuck in right now,” she says. “Doesn’t every artist go through that every now and then?” Wiggle turns her head toward Vrittany, “Well..yeah, but this is different,” she desperately says. “I can’t let a song I made in my sleep be the best thing I’ve ever made! I know I can make something that’ll shake the world more than whatever ‘Do The Wiggle’ was.” 

Vrittany pulls back her paw from Wiggle to put on her best thinking cap. As deeply in thought as she was, her face immediately relaxes into a deadpan expression, “Have ya tried singing from the heart?” Wiggle cracks a smile, “HA, if only that’s how it works! It takes a musical genius to write a hit song in show biz, not just some field day with my feelings.” “Eh, worth a shot. Got any other plans?” “I’m still trying to figure that out. I need some kind of inspiration...almost like a-”

Before she could finish her thought, they both caught a glance at the muted green furred grump who walked up to them. He mustered up the words and said, “E-excuse me, you’re Miss Wiggle, right?” Wiggle turned in her seat to get a better look at the young Grumpus. She could tell he was nervous, clutching his sketchbook in his arms rather tightly. She quickly put on a more relaxed front to help calm things down, while also still showing off a bit of her excited side. “Why yes I am, Darling,” she said enthusiastically. “And I can tell you must be a fan of mine.” “Y-yeah...!” The green grump looked a little more relaxed, but still stiff in the shoulders. “Hey now, no need to be so nervous. I always got time for my fans.” “Thank you, Miss Wiggle. Um…” “No need to finish that thought, Darling, I know what you’re about to ask and I’m happy to oblige!”

Before the young man could stop to say something, Wiggle pulls out one of her many professional hand out photos that she has, and quickly signs with her autograph before handing it to him. “O-Oh, thank you, Miss, but that’s not what I was going to s-say.” he sheepishly says. “Really? Not an autograph,” Wiggle says surprisingly. “It’s usually the first thing fans ask of me.” “Sorry, I just...I wanted to show you this sketch I made…” 

The nervous grumpus slowly turns his sketchbook around to reveal a fully sketched art piece depicting a stylized Wiggle singing her heart out at the bar with Vrittany hanging out in the background cheering her on. He hands it to Wiggle to give them a closer look. It was still somewhat messy, showing a few guidelines and early roughed out shapes, but for what it was, it was still impressive to the two girls.

“Woah, that’s pretty rad!” Vrittany yelled out, leaning out from her seat trying to get a closer look. Wiggle was pretty stun, gasping at the sight of such a piece of artwork. “Darling, you drew this?! Just now,” Wiggle asked in awe. “Yeah! I was listening to some of your music and then you came in and sat down. It made me wanna draw you as fast as I could,” the green grumps says excitedly before rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry if it’s still a little messy looking though…” “Don’t be, because it is beeeaautifuuul~” “T-thank you so much, Miss Wiggle! T-that means a lot to m-me!” the grumpus says while his face lights up red from the praise. “You’re like an inspiration to me.” “Really now? Like a muse? All I do is sing the night away, Darling. You draw little masterpieces like this from me?”

As Wiggle continues to be enthralled by the young man and his work, Vrittany notices the coffee pot had finished brewing. She gets up from her seat and go back behind the counter to finish her last cup for the night. Wiggle and the green grump continue their conversation.

“W-well kind of,” says the grump, “it’s a bunch of music that inspires me when I draw. A lot of your stuff is so upbeat and fun, it gives me lots of different ideas to pump out!” Wiggle looks back, almost flabbergasted. “I’m...honestly a bit stunned that I had that kind of impact on you, Darling,” she says, almost with a melancholy tone, “...heh, kind of forget sometimes I do make some kind of impression on grumps like you.” She looks back down at the sketchbook, entranced by the creativity that sparked in the moment. That dazzling moment where it all clicked...where could she find that, when someone else can find it in her?

After an awkward minute of silence, the young grump spoke up and said, “If you like, you can keep the sketch page, Miss Wiggle?” Wiggle snapped her head back up from the sketchbook to the green fuzzball. “W-wait really? Are you sure you wanna give up this piece of art?” said Wiggle worryingly. “It’s no problem at all,” said the green grump proudly. “I already took a picture of it to save for later. I’m gonna make a painted version of it online later! Besides, it’ll make me happy if you kept it, since I was going to give it to you anyway.” “Oh Darling, you’re nothing more than a sweet one now, aren’t you? I’ll gladly keep it!” “Thank you so much, Miss Wiggle!”

Wiggle hands the sketchbook back to the green grumpus and he tears out the sketch. “No, Darling, thank you,” Wiggle says ecstatically. Vrittany returns from behind the bar with a to-go cup in hand, saying “Here’s your order, kid.”  “Oh, thank you, Vrittany. How much was it again,” the green grump asked. “Eh, don’t worry about it. Don’t feel like counting change. It’s on the house.” “O-oh you sure?” “You wanna change my mind?” “Don’t think I can, so thank you!” The green grump turns back to Wiggle and says “It was so nice meeting you in person, Miss Wiggle!”

“The pleasure is all mine, Dar-,” Wiggle catches herself before she realizes something. “Actually, what was your name?” “It’s Grite, Grite Tillsland!” Wiggle lets a genuine soft smile grow on her face. She felt a lot more at ease and happier knowing her new friend was much more relax and happy overall. She reached out her paw for a handshake, and Grite reciprocated.

“The pleasure’s mine, Grite, Darling.”

Angel Wings Darken Part 4

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26286832/chapters/64065646

Ok, so here’s the next part!! We get to see Gab’s, Nat’s, Sabine’s, and Tom’s reaction~!

“-I’m helping Joker. and Hawkmoth, Mayura, if you know what's good for you, leave your miraculous at my balcony unless you want to see what a protege of Joker can do,” ice filled Gabriel’s veins as he heard that. Nathalie froze behind him, her tablet falling from her numb fingers. They barely heard the crack over the buzzing in their ears as they watched her lips turn into a sinister smile. They barely were able to register what was happening on the screen in front of them.

It wasn’t until the screen froze on the retreating back of Marinette, Damian, and Chloe were they able to move.

“Sir, what are we going to do?” Nathalie asked shakily as in the corner of the screen they watched the comments blow up in confusion and fear and anger. “Y-you know what the Joker can do. If-if he really did turn her evil, what could she do to us that’s worse than following her demands?” Nathalie asked, somehow only stumbling a couple of times.

Gabriel’s eyes couldn’t leave the screen as TViNews popped up with an enlarged picture of Bug’s sinister smile. He barely heard the news anchor-Prime Queen he realized-talking. He couldn’t turn away from the grin or cold eyes. He felt trapped by them, feeling like they were staring directly at him, like she could see what he was doing right then.

And he didn’t like that feeling at all.

“W-e need to first deal with the press. Act like we were being tricked. Send out a public apology and cut any and all ties to Ms. Rossi. As for Adrien, I’m not sure. One thing for sure, we can’t use him as a model anymore. Make sure any lawyer contacted to help Adrien, whether our own or a public servant, knows to comply with the plaintiff’s wishes. We do not want this excelating any further.”

“Sir?”

“What?” he demanded looking over at her with a glare as his thoughts ran around trying to ignore the threat Bug gave him. He was trying to process this, trying to understand how his greatest foe was the same person as the one he tried getting akumatized and also working for him. He just couldn’t see how Ladybug = Marinette. They seemed like entirely two different people.

But alas.

It was true.

“Should we do what she asks, sir?” Gabriel turned back to the screen grimacing when he heard her cackle as someone analyzed the footage again. Seeing her grin once more, his skin started crawling. I never knew someone one so heroic and kind could be so chilling and disturbing, he thought tensing up.

“I need some time to think. For now, do what I said. The longer we say nothing, the bigger a risk we have of the public turning against us and tanking our stocks. We can’t have that that happen,” he snapped out and Nathalie startled but nodded, bending over to pick the cracked tablet before going to her desk quickly.

As soon as the door closed, Gabriel held his head in his hand, messing up his carefully done hair as pins ran throu him. “God have mercy,” he whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

They couldn’t believe it….

Their baby….

a monster.

But maybe….maybe they could get her back?

Surely, if they talk to her they could get her to go back to being their precious baby girl. Their kind, helpful daughter.

Yeah.

They can do that. Talking to their daughter, telling her how much they miss her, that’ll surely get her to come back to her senses. With a determined look, the two went back to work, listening as the people that came into the bakery gossiping about what happened.

“-Yes, you heard that correctly, Paris. Mayor Bourgeois and the Board of Education are having the students involved in the attack come back to Paris by tomorrow. Mayor Bourgeois is having his daughter Chloe stay behind to try getting Marinette Dupain-Cheng, also known as Ladybug, to come back to Paris. Will she succeed? Stay tuned to learn if she did,” Nadja’s voice startled them as they worked. They turned when they heard the repeat. The class photo was on the screen showing a time that was an estimate of when the Mayor hoped to get the class back in Paris.

When talking about Chloe and the girl they used to see as their daughter-but they hoped they could get her back- they showed a picture of the two at the park across from them beaming. They scowled at the image.

At the reminder.

It was all her fault.

Had Chloe stayed away…

Their darling daughter wouldn’t have changed. As soon as Marinette got back, they were going to keep her away from that girl.

Away from the girl that turned her into that monster.

Lila may have lied about some things, but she was correct that their daughter had changed. But they were going to change her back.

Marinette didn’t have a choice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sir, she’s here,” Nathalie called showing him the footage of the plane landing. It was a private jet. The same one Chloe posted a selfie with saying they were going to Paris for the lawsuits. It was early. No doubt most everyone would be home getting ready or asleep.

“We have no choice. Take them. Put them on her balcony,” Gabriel said with a defeated sigh as he gestured to the broaches and book.

“Even the book, sir?” She had a look of shock on her face, even when he nodded again.

“Yes, even the book. There’s no point in keeping it if we don’t have the miraculouses. I need to give up. I can’t win. And I doubt she’ll want to revive Emilie after everything that’s happened. When you get back we’ll finally put her to rest,” he said with a sigh, glancing at the portrait behind him.

“Of course, sir,” she picked up the items, Dusuu and Nooru floated next to her as they left his office. Reaching the bakery, she went to the side next to an alley and held the broaches loosely in one hand and held the book out. “Goodbye,” she muttered softly and the two kwami looked at her sadly, but they were happy to finally be free. Together, they put their broaches on the book and then carried the book up. When she saw that they were over the railing, Nathalie turned away. She could only sigh as she sat in the car heading back to Agreste Manor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sabine smiled when she watched the footage of Marinette’s plane landing. “Tom, she’s here!” she called out and Tom nodded heading to the front. They watched as Marinette transformed and swung away from the airport. Closing up the shop, they made their way to the courthouse. Lots of people were trying to get in, but because they were the parents of Marinette, the witness here, they were let in.

All they could feel was shock.

They couldn’t believe the look their daughter had on her face.

As she watched Lila be chained to her seat. They didn’t even hear the added charges to Lila’s case. They couldn’t hear anything. Buzzing was the only thing they could hear. When Marinette left after hearing that everyone was guilty, they followed after her. Sabine caught her daughter's arm before she left the steps. “Marinette.”

Marinette turned with an icy look. She held no warmth in her eyes looking between her mother and father. “What?” she asked, watching as Damian and Chloe came closer to them.

“What? What do you mean ‘what’? We’re your parents Marinette. Aren’t we allowed to talk to you? You must have been terrified when the Joker took you. Surely now that your safe from him, you can drop this act? Go back to being our baby girl. You’re safe now. There’s no need to be scared of him anymore,” Sabine said and Tom came up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders.

“Ha!” she ripped her arm from Sabine’s grip with a scornful laugh. “You truly don’t know me at all if you think I’m scared of Joker,” she started but then turned away and started walking down the steps, Chloe and Damian coming to her sides. While he was still apprehensive, he knew she wasn’t going to hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it.

“Marinette! Come back here!” Sabine shouted, unaware of the people gathering to watch.

“Sweetie, you can be honest with us. No need to pretend,” Tom tried and Marinette whipped around to glare at the two. The couple froze from where they had started to move, their bodies acting like they were statues instead of living, breathing people.

“There’s no pretending here. You’re just in denial about the truth. That I never will, and never have been the daughter you think I am in your heads. Joker….he’s many things, but he showed me the truth. He helped me realize that I’m done taking people’s crap. I won’t let anyone walk over me again. Nor take advantage of me. I’m done with that. He helped me become the person I’m meant to be. See, I finally have all the miraculous back. Right where they’re meant to be,” she said, holding her hand out to show the two inactive miraculouses. “If your done with your delusions, I need to head off.”

“No! We are your parents and you will listen to us!” Sabine yelled as Marinette took another step down. Marinette didn’t even turn around, just turned so that they had the profile of her face.

“You haven’t been parents to me since I was 10. Stop lying to yourselves” she replied coldly before walking toward the bakery to pack up, leaving the two sputtering in their spots as people around them glared and muttered as they walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

She looked around her old room, seeing if she left anything that she wanted or needed. Old photos decorated the floor while most were in the trash. The mannequin stayed in its place, but the stylized ‘M’ was ripped up and destroyed. Her computer was turned to the side and off, showing the ports. The flash drives used were in her purse. The few remaining wall decorations were in boxes. The chaise and umbrella were gone, already being packed into the jet beside her rug and mirror. The vanity was cleared of everything, it’s drawers left open showing the plain wood inside.

Her desk was bare of all her sewing equipment and organization cabinet. Her bed sheets were packed with her clothes. All that was left was what was originally there: the desk, vanity, the mattress, and trash can(well she wasn’t going to bring it, she took it from the kitchen). But she wasn’t going to take them. She didn’t care about them. They were easily replaced. Dust and dirt littered the ground right beside the photos.

The only photos she took were the ones on her phone and a few baby pictures. She didn’t want the others. They were a reminder of all the sheep she had surrounded herself with.

She didn’t want sheep in her new place. Picking up the last box which contained all her sketchbooks, she left her old home.

“Marinette!” a voice shouted and Marinette looked around the street. Most people were either working or just avoiding her, knowing they couldn’t do anything to change her mind. But then her eyes landed on Jagged and Penny, coming over to her from their limo.

“Uncle Jagged?” she asked confused and Jagged beamed at her.

“How’s my rockin’ niece? I just got caught up on what happened,” Jagged said and Marinette bit her lip. Her eyes softened when she looked between their matching looks of concern.

“I’m fine, Jagged. Thank you thou,” she said, handing the box to Damian when he appeared at her side.

“Where are you going?” Penny asked looking at the boxes in the limo Chloe had brought.

“Leaving. Moving to Gotham,” she replied looking away.

“Your parents?” Penny asked, her tone neutral toward the couple. Thou, watching Marinette scowl at the question, Penny frowned.

“I don’t need them. They’re delusional. Want me to be someone I’m not,” she bit out, gnashing her teeth together.

“Say, your heading to Gotham?” Jagged asked and Marinette nodded. Getting the confirmation, Jagged beamed at her. “That’s my home town! You can live with me and Penny!” he offered and Marinette had a small smile on her lips.

“Marinette-” Penny started and leaned in not wanting anyone to overhear. When she pulled back, Marinette was beaming at the two and started nodding frantically. All Penny could do was smile softly at the girl when she did that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, we’re never getting her to work here now,” Gabriel said watching the screen. TViNews was showing Marinette walking out of the courthouse beaming between Jagged and Penny Stone. Announcing her as their new daughter. Behind the three were Sabine and Tom, scowling as they watched them walk down the steps.

“How does it feel to be adopted by Jagged Stone?” Nadja asked with a smile that Marinette returned as her eyes closed with a laugh bubbling out of her.

“Amazing. He’s already been calling me his niece! I know he and Penny will be the best parents I could ask for!” she replied, causing the couple to smile and hug her tightly as Nadja continued to ask questions that he ignored, looking over at Nathalie.

“That does seem to be the case, sir. Seems like you should look elsewhere. We both know Jagged won’t let just anyone work with her,” Nathalie replied and Gabriel sighed with a nod as he turned off the monitor.

“Adrien?”

“He’s in his room. He hasn’t done much since the lawsuit. Luckily our stocks are still going strong. Our investors are very forgiving it seems and are ignoring what Adrien and Lila have done.”

“Good, good. Just like I hoped. Now, go start searching to see if there are any aspiring designers. I want any you find on my desk as soon as possible.” “As you wish, sir,” Nathalie said with a slight bow before leaving the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’re really ok with this B?” Dick asked, looking at Bruce closely. Bruce turned to give his sons a look.

“I can’t exactly stop her, now can I?” he asked and the three boys looked away at that. “Look, I’m not really ok with it. Joker managed to get Mari to work with him. Who would be ok with that? But we have to face the facts. We can’t stop her from doing that. All we can hope is that she doesn’t do anything horrible with Joker,” he said with a sigh, leaning back against his chair while Dick, Jason, and Tim shuffled their feets against the ground.

“I knew we should have done something to that mad-man,” Jason muttered and Bruce didn’t have the heart to scold him. Since it could very well be true.

“Maybe….maybe not thou,” Dick said and Jason turned to him confused.

“How can you say that? That psychopath turned Marinette to the dark side!”

“Yes….and no,” Tim spoke up that time and Jason whirled around to glare at Tim who managed to tilt his head back to look Jason in the eye in defiance.

“What did you say?” Jason demanded.

“Yes and no. Marinette may be working with that psychopath, but she wouldn’t do the same things as him. Whether we like it or not, he did get Marinette to stand up for herself. She’s finally speaking up against the harassment, the bullying, the negligence. All because of Joker. Yes he did it throu making her think she doesn’t have us on her side, but we can show her we are still standing behind her. And maybe….just maybe….she could get Joker to stop killing people,” Tim explained with a sigh.

“You really think that?” Dick asked, looking slightly disbelieving at the thought. Tim just shrugged at the question.

“I can’t say for certain. But we can hope,” he replied and that had the two nodding.

“Fine. But the moment Marinette does something deranged with him, you can’t stop me,” Jason replied and they could only nod. But they didn’t bother saying that he’d most likely have to get in line since Damian would probably be doing that first.

“Let’s get ourselves cleaned up finally. Damian and Marinette should be landing soon, it would be best we show her she has us as soon as she lands,” Bruce said and the boys nodded, moving to their rooms to do exactly that.

Ok, so here it is! I hope you enjoyed this!! And maybe….one day i’ll do a part 5. Who knows. Cause I don't. I didn’t think I'd be doin this many parts but here I am. There is honestly a good chance you guys can get me into doin one last part. But anyways, the next fic will another Dark!Mari fic! After that….maybe ‘A New Hero’ will be updated. We’ll see. Until next time!! -Love Willa<3<3<3

Deceptively Human

An avatar of the Stranger makes a poor choice in victims.

A rendition of Jon getting spooky and then getting Martin cuddles.

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Monster Jon Concept: - Owl/Cat Witch aesthetic - Hair: Thick messy bun at base of skull, Black w/ gray, stray feathers sticking up out of the scalp. - Eyes (on face): Round, deep black with gold rings as irises, drips black ink (can turn gold or red) - Mouth: Wide with thin cat-like teeth, double canines, sharp, can vomit ink and magnetic tape -Hands: 7 fingers on each hand, very long thin and sharp fingers with extra joints, wide flat palms, cold and dry (can use his fingers for writing), very fine motor skills -Body: Stretched out, random eyes that constantly shift positions (like face eyes w/o ink), jerky movements

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The rope chaffed at Martin’s wrists as he struggled and screamed against his gag at the grainy surveillance feed in front of him. Jon was backed into a corner just outside the archives with what appeared to be Martin towering over him and shouting abuse.

Jon, much to his credit, seemed to be standing his ground but the continued insults aimed at Jon’s appearance and personality from Martin’s doppelganger were beginning to visibly wear on him. His shoulders bowed deeper as the doppelganger called him a hypochondriac and an attention seeker.

“How long till he breaks?” came a whisper from behind Martin, “Humiliated by his own beloved. ”

Martin lashed out against the ropes as best he could but only succeeded in slightly turning the swivel chair he was tied to. The voice laughed again before the body followed; cloth and sand and a sense of wrongness all tied together into the mangled for of a Stranger. It reached for the volume dial and the garbled sounds of the Martin doppelganger hissed and echoed into the room.

"No wonder you're parents left you. I would want to die too if my kid was as messed up as you!"

Jon balked hard on screen, looking at the doppelganger with horror and betrayal. Martin sobbed into the gag, trying to push as many happy and loving thoughts at Jon as he could so Jonmight know that thing wasn’t Martin.

“Look at him, shaking apart at a few mean words. Pathetic.”

It turned to Martin and twisted it’s face into something that resembled a grin before stepping forward. Martin took the opportunity to thrash and managed to slam his head into the disgusting cotton stuff jaw of his captor. It yelped before spinning Martin away from the surveillance console.

“Naughty, naughty~” the Stranger said as it began to dig it’s rusty claws into Martin’s face.

An unholy shriek suddenly tore through the speakers before they popped and gave out under the stress. The Stranger withdrew it’s claws from Martin bleeding cheek and turned to the screens.

“What!?” It growled, slamming its fists into the console.

Martin just barely managed to turn and get a glimpse of the now HD video feed where Jon had his cane buried in the doppelganger’s throat.

“ Where is Martin Blackwood? ”

The doppelganger groaned and gagged but refused to answer as static began to distort through the fried speakers. Jon ground down on it’s throat and bent down face-to-face with it.

“ Where is Martin Blackwood? ”

The doppelganger shuddered and shrieked before going still. A dark green fluid began to seep from it’s mouth as Jon removed his cane and looked up at the security camera. The video froze for just a moment before Jon’s face was suddenly inches from the lens and was now being displayed on every screen.

His eyes were wrong, instead of the warm brown eyes with the threes flecks of blue in the left that Martin had memorized, they were depthless black with glowing gold rings for irises. Ink-like tears began to seep from them as Jon grinned with too many thin sharp teeth.

“ Knock, knock. May I come in? ”

The Stranger hit the power button with such force that it dented the panel and looked back at Martin, “What the fuck?”

The screens all jumped back to life full of static and a high pitched squeal began echoing from the abused and damaged speakers. Patterns of stylized eyes began to flicker in and out of the screens.

“Stop or I kill your precious assistant!” The Stranger yelled as it tried to reach for Martin’s throat with rusted claws.

A distorted laugh began to join the squealing speakers and caused the Stranger to stop and turn back to the screens. The center screen began to bulge outward as a black mass materialized in the tube. A hand broke through first with seven thin fingers tipped with black talons followed by an arm that was too long. Magnetic tape began spool out of the other screens as the second hand joined the first.

Martin could only watch in horror as the tape wrapped around the Stranger and pulled it closer to the head that was now forming through the screen.

“ Statement of the entity formerly known as Jeremy Fox-Wright regarding his plans to kill the archival assistant, Martin Blackwood. ” Jon’s voice resonated horribly through the room as his head and shoulder fully breached the screen revealing unfamiliar feature and an ever shifting amount of eyes, “ Statement begins. ”

Martin blacked out

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The bed was soft and warm under Martin’s battered body. He hummed and snuggled into the duvet deeper and pulled Jon’s bony body closer.

This was nice… and then he remembered he should still be tied to a rather uncomfortable chair in the defunct security guard office.

Jon grumbled in protest as Martin shot up into a sitting position and winced as a large bandage pulled at the skin of his cheek. He looked around wildly before settling into the confusion of being safe in their apartment with a now grumpy Jon trying to crawl back into his lap.

“What? How? When? Who?”

Jon squinted up at him, “Too many questions.”

Martin shot him an unimpressed look before falling back into the pillows and making Jon reposition again. Jon huffed in annoyance before trying to find a better position tucked into Martin’s chest.

“No cuddles until you explain,” Martin said as Jon attempted to get Martin to hold him.

“A stranger infiltrated the Institute with a doppelganger, kidnapped you, attempted to catch me off guard and possibly kill me, I found you and took care of it.”

Martin rolled his eyes as he rolled to the side and let Jon wiggle into his chest with a sound of victory.

“And what about the spooky shit?”

Jon shrugged, “Not sure yet. Too tired to think about it.”

Martin grinned softly and let it go for now. They laid there napping for a few hours before Martin thought of something.

"When did you figure it out?"

Jon blearily looked up from where he'd buried his face in Martin's chest and raised an eyebrow.

"When did you figure out that it wasn't me?"

"When it told me I was an idiot for ever thinking you actually loved me," Jon said sleepily, “Knew it was bullshit because I can usually feel the affection coming off of you like a radiator.”

Martin blushed, “Can’t help it. I love you.”

“Mmm, love you too.”

Martin looked down at where Jon had tucked his head back down and pulled him impossibly closer just to feel him go completely limp in his arms with a delighted hum. If he could, Martin knew Jon would be purring.