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their-destinys-writer · 7 months

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Akuma Flashpoint - Chapter 2

Rated: M

Chapters: 2/?

Chapter Summary: Marinette gets a new reality check.

Info: Canon compliant up to Season 3, Episode 'Ladybug'. Miracle Queen never happened. Canon divergent from that point forward, but might borrow a few details from later seasons. Very loosely inspired by DC's Flashpoint Paradox (the animated movie). Updates on the last Monday of every month.

Ao3 | Wattpad

A/N: Shout out to @art-the-f-up for the amazing art in this chapter.

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The Vigilante

Marinette stared after Adrien’s disappearing figure, still dumbstruck with his attitude. It was so unlike him to be hostile, even with his own father, who was a supervillain. There wasn’t something wrong.

Everything was wrong.

She stared at her surroundings. It was like the world was completely unaware of how wrong it was. People were walking past her, going about their business like any other morning. Speaking and texting on their phones. Drinking hot beverages. Rushing past, bumping her shoulder, with a croissant in their mouth.

A teen rode by in a bicycle at the edge of the street, past a puddle, splashing Marinette with dirty drain water. The woman raised her knee fruitlessly, for the damage was done. Her baby blue pajama pants were soaked.

Was she in a nightmare?

Marinette took a deep breath, attempting to regain some semblance of control. Yes, Adrien walking away rattled her, but she had to figure out how to fix this. And in that moment, there was only one being who was willing to talk hiding in her own jacket.

In a blink of an eye, she was running across the sidewalk, looking for the nearest alley, while trying two more phone numbers. She found an alley, but there was a couple making out in it. She ran further, until finding a dirtier one, next to an abandoned building. She sat down next to the vandalized trashcan and finally opened her jacket. The kwami immediately fluttered out into the open.

“What is going on?!” Marinette whispered yelled.

“What is going on with you?” Tikki shot back. “You’re acting more deranged than usual.”

“Since when do you call me deranged? No, I got a better question: since when are you so huffy with me?”

“Did you drink something new when I wasn’t looking?”

“I feel like I’m stuck in some nightmare reality.” Marinette held her arms. “Nothing is right. Alya is not answering her phone. I can’t find Nino’s or Chloe’s phone numbers anywhere, Luka and Kagami won’t pick up either, and worse, Adrien and I are not together, apparently.”

Tikki stared at her again, much like she did back in the strange apartment.

“Nino?”

“Yeah, Nino. You know, Carapace.” Marinette shrugged. “I can’t get a hold of my team. And so many of their phone numbers are missing. And you said this phone is mine!” She grabbed the phone again. “But I tried to find Alix, and she’s also missing. I mean, this has to be some time travel thing, right?”

“Marinette,” Tikki said slowly, “did you get hit with a memory loss akuma or something?”

The woman thought for a moment. What was the last thing she remembered before this morning? She had been, in fact, fighting an akuma, right? But it wasn’t a time travelling one. Or memory one. In fact, they had just figured out their power, right? Her power. It had been a her. All they knew about her was that her name was The Genie. She claimed to make wishes come true.

Marinette’s eyes widened.

“I was fighting an akuma,” she said out loud. “The last thing I remember was that I was trying to distract her from Chat Noir. He was off his game because it was the day before Gabriel’s sentencing, and we didn’t expect for him to break out for a last hurrah. But,” her brows furrowed, “she suddenly went after me. Genie held me against a wall and told me I was predictable. I didn’t even say anything before she said that my wish was her command. Next thing I know, I’m waking up in a strange apartment, alone, with you not even talking to me.”

Tikki seemed even more bewildered.

“What did you wish for?” she asked.

“I can’t…” Marinette racked her brain. Why couldn’t she remember wishing something? Unless she didn’t exactly wish it on purpose. She gasped. “I didn’t directly wish it, but I was thinking it.”

“What?!”

“I-I…I was thinking that I didn’t want Adrien to fight his own father.”

Tikki squinted. “Why? Those two argued all the time. Probably still do.”

“No, not like that,” Marinette tried to clear up, even if she wasn’t sure what information this Tikki needed. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but for me, Adrien and I had to fight Gabriel as Ladybug and Chat Noir. Gabriel, who turned out to be Hawkmoth—”

“Wait, what?!” the kwami screeched.

Marinette slightly jumped. “What?”

“You think Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth?!”

“I don’t think; I know,” Marinette cleared up. “You don’t?”

Tikki gaped for a minute. She then took a deep breath and put her tiny paws together.

“Please finish your story.”

“Well,” Marinette continued, “I was just feeling sad for Adrien, seeing him having to fight his own father. It broke my heart.”

“So you wished that Chat Noir didn’t have to fight Hawkmoth?”

“I think I did.” A hand covered her mouth. “Not intentionally, or without even thinking that I wished it. But apparently that didn’t matter.”

“So, you said you fought alongside…Chat Noir?” Tikki asked slowly.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” Marinette said in an incredulous tone.

“Marinette,” the kwami said, her voice tuning anxious, “I think you changed reality!”

Art by @art-the-f-up (thank you again!)

“Th-That’s… That’s not possible!” the woman argued. “The only miraculouses capable of doing that are the ladybug and cat ones, and only if they’re together. There’s no way an akuma can be powerful enough to do that.”

“If they can be powerful enough to travel through time, why not change reality? You don’t know the butterfly effect it can have to change one little thing.”

“But how can me not wanting Adrien to fight his own father change reality? Shouldn’t it have made the akuma disappear, or make Genie unable to touch him, or something?”

“I think the akuma took a more sinister route,” Tikki lamented.

“What does that mean?” Marinette questioned, despite her fears about the answer.

Tikki hesitated. It took a deep breath for her to finally speak again.

“Adrien hasn’t been Chat Noir since you fought Stoneheart.”

Her heart beat loudly. That… didn’t sound right. It couldn’t be right. It made no sense. That would mean that…

“That’s not possible.” She shook her head. “No, I finished off Stoneheart because of Chat Noir. He was the only one who had faith in me. It’s how I’m still alive, in fact. If I hadn’t had Chat Noir as my partner, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Chat Noir never showed up again after the stadium. And hasn’t been seen ever since. He’s the partner who abandoned you.”

“No,” Marinette argued. “Adrien would never do that. He would never leave me on my own. Something must’ve happened.”

“And something did,” Tikki reminded. “The akuma. They changed the course of history. They must’ve taken his miraculous, which would also explain how Hawkmoth has been winning.”

“Hawkmoth is winning?!”

“Against the heroes, yes. Against Mayura, I’m not so sure.”

“Whatta you mean ‘against Mayura’?”

“They’re at war with each other. They’re not in your reality?”

“No! Mayura broke down. If it hadn’t been for her betraying Hawkmoth, we wouldn’t have finally caught him. We were the ones who won.”

There was a loud, booming noise somewhere heading south. Marinette and Tikki stared at each other.

“Akuma, right?”

“Or a sentimonster. Or both,” Tikki sighed. “It’s usually both.”

“Either way, we have to deal with…it…” Marinette trailed off, as she realized something important. “Tikki, if Chat Noir is not my partner, do I have anyone else on my team with a miraculous already?”

The kwami looked away. “Uuh…”

“Tikki,” Marinette pressed, “I do have a team, right?”

“Rena Rouge helps you, but you’re not a team.”

“What about all the others?!”

“We lost the miraculous box,” Tikki blurted at last. “You only have the bee miraculous, but you’ve been too scared to give it to anyone since—”

She stopped. Marinette leaned closer.

“Since what?”

“The point is that you don’t have a team,” the kwami said. “Just the vigilante, and the mysterious sidekick.”

“Who and who?”

“Rena Rouge, and some other person we don’t know about who occasionally helps.”

“Rena Rouge is a vigilante?”

“We don’t have time for this!”

“Dammit! Tikki, transform me!”

The familiar pink sparkles swirled around her body, as the suit replaced the clothes she had been wearing. Yet, despite the familiarity of transformation, the outfit didn’t feel right. She felt vulnerable, exposed. Ladybug looked down at herself, only to release a squeak. And immediately tripped on a pair of high heels under her feet.

What was supposed to be an armor that protected her against anything that dared hit her looked more like a nighttime club outfit. Or perhaps a stripper outfit would be more accurate to describe it.

Her shoulders, stomach and upper thighs were exposed. She wore a spotted top that went up to her neck, but that was about all the red she had. Her arms were covered by long, black gloves that ended on her elbows. As bottoms, she wore what looked like a black boy short.

Ladybug wobbled on the long, black boots that reached her thighs, wondering how she was supposed to fight in this… this… thing.

“Tikki, detransform!”

After another pink lightshow, the kwami questioned Marinette’s quick transformation.

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FIGHT WHEN I’M DRESSED AS HALLOWEEN SLUTTY LADYBUG?!”

“But that’s your costume!”

“I can’t fight in high heels. I can barely stand on them!”

“I don’t have time to change your costume. I don’t know enough about the new you to mold it.”

Marinette groaned. It was one thing to fight alone, but it was a whole other level to battle hindered by the patriarchy under her feet.

“Just give me my old costume.”

“Which one?”

“There’s more than one?!”

“It hasn’t been easy with my Marinette!” Tikki yelled. Something Marinette had never seen her own Tikki do in such context. “I can’t do what you’re asking! My powers are still not recognizing that you’re different.”

The kwami looked like she was about to cry. This reality had clearly not been kind to her, and it almost seemed like this universe’s Marinette had not made things easier.

“I’m sorry, Tikki,” she said. “I’m still very confused about things here, and I’m taking it out on you.”

To her horror, now the kwami was really crying. “That’s the first apology I’ve heard from you in years.”

“Am I really that awful?”

“I’ll see if I can at least flatten your shoes,” Tikki responded instead, wiping away her tears. “I’ll need some time to adjust your outfit to the new you.”

“Thank you. It’s enough to at least be coordinated.”

The kwami nodded. With the two of them ready, Marinette called upon her transformation again. She still felt practically naked, but at least she wasn’t tripping over her own feet. One thing was still familiar, though, and that was her ability with the yoyo. Soon enough, she was soaring through the air, feeling more breezy than usual.

In the distance, she could make out a large figure smashing buildings. Clearly a sentimonster, made up of cables and pieces of electronics like computers and televisions. With the shape much like a Japanese mecha. She got close enough to study the creature, but far enough that it couldn’t see her.

Okay, how do I deal with this without Chat Noir? She wondered. Before she got time to figure it out, she saw a blur of black and orange zip up the giant mecha, causing it to stumble and fall on its knees. After a better look, Ladybug could see a very different looking Rena Rouge standing on the shoulder of the sentimonster, holding her flute over her shoulder.

“Can’t stand up, can you?” she yelled, right before sticking the flute behind the creature’s neck. The sentimonster let out a head-splitting scream that made Ladybug cover her ears. When the noise stopped, she attempted to straighten up, but was immediately hit on the back of her head. Staggering away, she turned to see her attacker, to find them twirling a long ruler.

“Misbehaving children get punished,” she declared. “And you, Ladybug, have been one bad cookie.”

“Oh, a teacher akuma. How original,” Ladybug deadpanned. With a swift movement, she slid her leg across the ground, tripping the akuma. She was about to grab the ruler, but the enemy used it to knock away her yoyo. Ladybug had to dodge twice and roll away to get her weapon. Once she was finally upright again, the akuma was gone.

She cursed under her breath but decided to make her way to the sentimonster instead. If she could get the two of them close, she could use them against each other. Ladybug sprinted from rooftop to rooftop, her yoyo flying from chimney to railing at lighting speed. At last, it wrapped around one of the sentimonster’s arms.

“Need a hand?” she yelled at both the creature and Rena Rouge. But just before she landed a two-legged kick on the sentimonster, Rena Rouge hit it on the very spot she had been about to land. Ladybug had to swerve on the last minute, hitting her shoulder instead. “What the hell?!”

“Thanks for the offer, but no,” Rena Rouge responded, taking another swing with her flute. “Why don’t you focus on your monster, while I fight mine.”

Ladybug had landed on the ground after her kicking failure, her brows furrowing at the scolding. “What?” she said under her breath. She raised her head, with hands cupping her mouth as she yelled: “Whatta you mean my monster?! We can’t just beat them separately!”

There was another head-splitting scream from the sentimonster, as several televisions crashed merely inches away from Ladybug.

“Hey! Careful!”

“You’re gonna lead the other one here!” Rena Rouge yelled from the sentimonster’s shoulder.

“That’s the point!” And as if on cue, a figure jumped from the nearest building to where Rena Rouge was standing. “Gotcha.”

Ladybug threw her yoyo, grabbing the akuma’s leg and pulling. Unfortunately for the heroes, the moment the villain landed on the ground, her hand grabbed Rena Rouge’s ankle.

“Shit!” Ladybug started climbing the sentimonster, avoiding to accidentally pull both the akuma and Rena Rouge along. Just as she was reaching the creature’s chest, it let out another ear-splitting scream as it waved its hand, sending all three women flying and loosening the yoyo’s grip on the akuma, and the akuma’s grip on Rena Rouge.

A scream left Ladybug’s lips when she landed hard on a slanted rooftop. Nearby, Rena Rouge also landed, but started rolling down. When she was about to roll off, Ladybug threw her yoyo just in time to wrap it around the vigilante’s wrist, leaving Rena Rouge hanging off the edge. Ladybug quickly ran to her, making sure to not let her drop.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she pulled her up. But the second she reached out a hand, Rena Rouge slapped it away, climbing on her own instead.

“I don’t need your help,” she growled. “Now get out of my way.”

“Alya, can we please talk?”

“We don’t talk,” she snapped, before turning away. “And I’d like to keep it that way. I thought you knew that already.”

“This is important,” Ladybug insisted. “I figured we don’t talk, but you need to listen to me.”

“Find a wall. It’ll care more.”

Rena Rouge ran off and jumped to the next building, back in the direction of the sentimonster. Letting out a noise of frustration, Ladybug ran after her, until they were moving side by side.

“Rena, I’m sorry for every bad thing I’ve done to you. I wouldn’t be talking to you if it wasn’t important. And it is very important right now.”

“Not interested,” the vigilante responded in a sing-song tone.

“If you won’t talk to me, can you at least help me find Carapace?”

Rena Rouge skidded into a halt, and Ladybug followed, almost falling over. When she looked at her teammate—well, other timeline’s teammate, vigilante in this one—a look of pure hatred almost made her stumble back.

“Don’t ever, ever, talk to me again,” she said in a low growl. She then ran off again, not giving Ladybug a chance to retort.

“Rena, please!” she yelled after her, attempting to catch up again. “I just need to talk to someone that—”

But the rest of her sentence was replaced by a yelp when she had to suddenly dodge incoming mechanical debris. In the dodge, her skin scraped against the hot metal of the rooftop, burning her shoulder.

“Agh! How could I ever think this suit was a good idea?!” she complained. Ladybug made a mental note about fixing the suit once this was all over. In the meantime, she attempted to reach Rena Rouge again, who had stopped at the end of the block and was dodging several coffee makers.

“Rena, I get that maybe now is not the best time!” Ladybug yelled as she approached her friend. “But I need you to at least work with me on this! And if not, maybe talk to Carapace about—”

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Rena Rouge screamed back, finally turning her attention to her. “DID YOU TAKE AN EXTRA DOSE OF CRAZY TODAY?! HOW DARE YOU INSULT NINO’S MEMORY LIKE THIS?!?!?!”

“Nino’s memory?” Ladybug breathed. There was only one reason anyone would say that phrase. “Nino is dead?”

Rena Rouge scoffed. “I knew you had gone crazy; but mocking my late fiancé?! That is a whole new low, Marinette!”

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#miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #akuma flashpoint #ml af #ladrien #marinette dupain-cheng #alya cesaire #ladybug #rena rouge

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artzychic27 · 10 months

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The Recess Class (Appearing soon in Scarlet Beetle & Ikati Black) headcanons, plus stuff you should know about them

Austin A 🩷:

Gender nonconforming

Too fabulous to narrow down his pronouns and sexuality

Mommy issues

She HATES alcohol

Spends hours on his hair. There are all these eyes expecting perfection, and he gives it to them

Owns a few dresses… Okay, a lot. Plus some sequin tuxedo jackets

Took them forever to approve of Jean for for Tomassian

“TeeTee is very precious to me, and if you hurt him, I can and will break your legs, Duparc.”

If you ask, he will paint your nails and do your makeup

Austin B 💛:

AroAce, He/Him

LOVES video games

Will spend hours on end playing Fortnight, and will dominate

Parent issues

Some slight breathing problems. The other Austins all carry inhalers on them just in case

Not crazy about physical affection. He does everything he can to avoid full body contact

He knows everything about everyone. His brain is just full of blackmail material

Talks shit about people with Rochelle

Is he doesn’t have a game console, he will just tap his fingers against any hard surface

Sarcasm king

Queen Elizabeth III is his future prom date. He’s got a little dress picked out for her and everything

Austin Q 💙:

Questioning, He/?

The only one who actually takes care of his brother because his parents are shit

Parent issues for days

When he moves out after graduation, he plans to have Félice live with him so he can look after him when he’s in his headspace

In case you couldn’t tell… He loves sharks

Wants to study marine biology and psychology

Not crazy about being the center of attention, but once in a while, it’s nice

Loves his freckles

Pretty good at sports

Victoria is desperately trying to get him to join the kickball team, but he’s not up for it

Austin T 💚:

Gay, He/Him

The class baker

Gives the best hugs. It’s because he so warm and wears soft clothes

His classmates all immediately hugged Jean when he introduced him to them

Has a tooth gap, and he loves it

A bit of a nerd for Marvel. He keeps a few comics in his locker, and he may or may not have chased Marc and Nathaniel off like they were stray raccoons when he caught them trying to steal some

Austin T: Hey!… Psps… Go! Get!

Marc: … *Tries to take a comic*

Austin T: No! *Hits his textbook against a locker, scaring them off with the loud sound* Damn strays.

Loves carrying Jean, because he can

Let’s the other Austins sleep over at his home because their parents suck

Lotta Jameson ⚠️:

Aromantic, She/Her

A bad bitch rocking goggles and leather jackets

Own seven pairs of goggles because she makes them work

Loves her curly red hair

Will hug you… With consent

Can and will slide down a stair rail if she so pleases

Likes to jump down from high surfaces. It gives her classmates heart attacks

Sort of the class daredevil in case you couldn’t tell

She, Lacey, Alix, and Kim love daring each other

Short and just a little bit crazy

Somehow, she’s never broken a single bone

Probably chugs a bunch of sugar-laced coffee every morning

Back in elementary, she always hogged the swings. Her nickname was Swinger Girl

Her family’s kind of protective, and school is the only place where she can be as spontaneous as she pleases

… Oh, and she had leukemia when she was nine

Kendra Anne Gunderson 🙃:

Polyromantic, She/Her

Has no idea how to sit in chairs properly. She sits upside down while taking quizzes

Able to read text and write upside down

It’s a weird talent, but she’s proud of it

In the Legally Blonde Club with Austin A and Rose (Blondes who wear a ton of pink)

Can be a bit snarky, but she means well… Sometimes

Will protect Austin T with every fiber of her being

In elementary school, her nickname was Upside Down Girl because she’d always hang upside down from the monkey bars

Family life’s okay

Best friends with Lotta

She knows she should stop hanging upside because she gets dizzy spells afterwards, but she can’t stop

DJ Detweiler🃏:

Genderfluid, Bisexual, She/He

Sort of the unquestioned leader of the class

Amazing at card games; wins every time

A prank genius and hasn’t been caught once

Never seen without his red beanie

Had a small time crush on Spinelli. They actually kissed when they were in the fourth grade

She’s got information on every teacher at DuPont (And a lot on Damocles)

Only use in case of an emergency

Wants to get Damocles fired for funneling money from a club she’s in toward something non-school related she still can’t figure out

Knows how to out-swindle a swindler. It requires patience, focus, and the right team

He’s gone to the school board with several issues that negatively affected the students… When he was in the fourth grade

He’s already to stick up for his friends and fellow students

Austin Spinelli 🩰:

Achillean, He/Him

“Not gay. Achillean.”

The toughest guy in class and makes sure everyone knows it

And he’s so tough that he takes ballet and looks badass doing it

Accidentally put bleach in with his red clothes, and they came out pink. He ain’t complaining

“Screw toxic masculinity!”

Curses out people he doesn’t like in Italian

Daddy issues. He’s a bit of a momma’s boy

Wants to join theater, but is worried what people will think

Beck was sort of his older sibling figure growing up because his sisters weren’t… Great

A member of the art club. His main medium is chalk

He’s got his own chalk wall, draws, takes a picture, and then erases it

Would rather not be associated with the Austins for… Reasons. So, he goes by his last name

Gia Griswald🪖:

Trans girl, She/Her

Military family, so she moved around a lot

Polyglot- English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Swahili, Hindi

Dresses in a lot of camo prints

Speaks softly, but will give it to you straight if you fuck shit up

Her dad, a well-respected army general, speaks in a lot of military terms, and sometimes she does, too without realizing it

He was the most supportive when she came out, and wore a lapel pin to show his support

Well versed in her history classes

Shortest in the class and loving every second of it

Unlabeled in terms of sexuality, but she dates the person, not the gender

Slight crush on Mindy

Victoria LaSelle🏀:

Agender, bisexual, He/She/They

One of the coolest people in school

Amazing at basketball and baseball

When she was in the fifth grade, she got in a car crash and damaged her spine, and she lost most of the feeling in her legs

Not stopping him from playing her favorite sports like a motherfucking boss, tho

Ambulatory wheelchair user, and she will whip out her cane just to show off how tall she is

Coming in with a shaved head and beautiful eyeliner, making everyone simp. The fucking nerve

Gets pissed whenever parents tell their kids not to bother her with questions

“Lady, your kid’s curious, alright? Shut the fudge up.”

Gerard’s been their best friend since forever. They met at the hospital where Gerard was getting fitted for a prosthetic leg

They bond over fucking with ableist asshole’s heads and being tall and gorgeous

She’s an amazing chef and took over the cafeteria for two weeks

Crop tops. That is all.

Oh, and they’ve got a nerdy older brother they’ll protect with their life

Gerard Grundler🤓:

Trans guy, pan, polyamorous, He/Him

Another redhead!

Tooth gap, loves it

Resident genius of the glass and got several offers to skip a few grades, but he said no

Always helping his friends with their homework

“Whoa, look at that guy. A genius, easy on the eyes. He’s perfect- Whaaaat?! He has no leg?!”

Had to get his leg amputated up to his knee after some poorly built floor crumbled under the weight of so many people during a cousin’s wedding

If someone even thinks of making an ableist comment, he’ll roll up his pant leg and be like, “Continue, bitch.”

M. Grotke continuously offers him homework passes so he can take a break, but he’s stubborn

He has passed out a few times from pulling all noghters for projects, but his friends make sure he gets rest

He and Max are friendly rivals, but things get heated during science fairs

Tries not to use so many big words. He’s worried his friends will feel dumb for not knowing what they mean

Mindy Blumberg🎼:

Demigirl, panromantic, They/She

Tallest person in class (Sorry, Victoria!)

The voice of an Angel and the body of a pro wrestler

She sings a lot of opera

Has been chosen a few times to sing the school song for graduations

Wears a lot of pastels and Austin T is living for it

Starts working out with Kim, Denise, and Marcelle when they see them bench a desk

They give the best hugs

Austin A paints her nails since she can’t keep her hands steady

In the same ballet class as Spinelli

Slight crush on Gia. Spinelli’s her wingman

Rochelle Weems🤫:

Demigender, polysexual, Ze/Zir

The class gossip (Or, it would be gossip if it weren’t true)

The Blackmail Vault

Ze and Austin B can often be found whispering to each other, and it scares people

Ze was born with kyphosis and is always hunched over

Wears a back brace to school and is insecure about it, so ze spills secrets about people before they can make fun of zir

Victoria and Gerard invite zir to their rant group. It’s like a support group for disabled teens and young adults, but they just talk shit about ablists, eat cookies, and bedazzle their canes, wheelchairs, crutches, etc.

Always tenting zir fingers like a villain

Has never invited anyone over to zir house

REALLY likes cookies

Not crazy about the idea of making friends, but Victoria and Gerard will change zir mind by any means necessary

Mason Ewing 📓:

Bigender, asexual, He/She

Childhood friends with DJ

May or may not have thought about kissing Austin A when he walked into class wearing a pink skirt

The most organized out of the class, and takes great pride in it

May have undiagnosed OCD

Mason/Simon: …

Mason: … Neurodivergent?

Simon: Yes.

Mason: Cool.

A real stickler for the rules. Think of Iida Tenya

Loves his label maker (Which he definitely did not name Lin Manuel Miranda), because labeling stuff is just solid fun

Would have run for grade representative, but she’s just got so much on her plate

She keeps everyone’s birthdays, allergies, interests, triggers, likes and dislikes logged in her binder. It’s her way of showing she cares

Marcelle Anciel👟:

Trans girl, Pan, She/Her

Marc’s younger sister by three seconds, and he won’t stop talking about it

She was supposed to be in Mme. Mendeleiv’s class, but there was a typo in the system, so now she’s in the Recess Class

Fortunately, DJ and the others are doing what they can to help her out (And that involves fucking with Damocles)

‘Till then, she’s loving the chaos

A member of the ‘Tall & Gorgeous Club’ with Victoria, Gerard, Austin Q, and Mindy

Has a slight crush on Ondine and the others will not stop teasing her about it

Has physically dragged Mason to his home to put him to sleep when it’s clear he got none

The secret mom friend, but refuses to admit it

She and Victoria have the best sneakers

Whenever they play one-on-one basketball, they end up exhausted, tied, and sweaty before calling the game off

The Recess Class isn’t crazy about the Akuma Class since they seem to be Monarch’s primary targets, but she’s slowly convincing them they’re alright

Beck King👑:

Nonbinary, Achillean, They/Them

An older sibling figure to the class, ever since elementary school

A part of the class group chat

Plays hockey and is the captain

They’re rocking their unibrow

May or may not be rich and with government connections

People swore they’ve seen people in suits following Beck around

Always wears a crown-shaped hair clip to keep their gorgeous bangs off their face

At some point, everyone in the Recess Class has had a crush on them

It’s inevitable, really

They will stop to hug Beck when they see them

Sort of took care of Spinelli when he needed a break from his family. They were also the first person he came out to

M. Grotke☮️:

Transman and gay, he/him

A total DILF

A badass activist who dresses like it’s the seventies

Always encourages his students to fight the power

He teaches them what history books refuse to tell children- That slavery was not the start of black history, the pilgrims were assholes, King Henry the 8th was a jackass to his wives, the horrors people with mental disabilities went through back in the day, the Radium Girls, and the Royal Family didn’t do shit about Apartheid

Spinelli’s father figure in a way

Crushing hard on M. Monlataing but has no clue what to even say

Takes yoga with Mme. Bustier and they occasionally gossip about teachers they don’t like

Mme. Bustier: You know that’s not her real hair color.

M. Grotke: Oh, believe me, honey, I know. Sue is definitely not a blonde.

They met at a protest and haven’t stop hanging out since

Really HATES the mayor… He was a little high at the polls

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #mlb ocs #disney recess #Recess #90s nostalgia #ao3fic #scarlet beetle & ikati black #character info #recess class

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imsparky2002 · 10 months

Text

Halloween Fun: Part 4

The Akuma class were surprised at how thorough the school had been with decorating every room. It was known that Principal Damocles loved Halloween, but this was a whole new level of commitment. As they entered Miss Bustier's classroom, there were gasps of shock at the decor. Cobwebs everywhere, an eerie fog on the floor, ominous messages and fake blood on the walls, and for some reason, an old phone on the teacher’s desk.

“I am loving this spooky vibe!” Alya said, taking a picture to post on her blog. “They really went all out with this place.”

“Y-Yeah...” Mylene shivered, looking at the fake blood. “It’s r-really detailed.” Ivan gave his girlfriend a comforting hug. “It’s alright, Little Mouse. None of it’s real.” he whispered. “Exactly, the staff just wanted to get into the spirit of the holiday.” Nathaniel replied, holding in the urge to chuckle. The guests hadn’t even shown up and they were already getting spooked!

As usual, Chloe took the opportunity to ridicule and tease her classmates. “Once a scaredy-cat, always a scaredy-cat, Haprele.” Chloe sneered. “It’s just a bunch of lame props! Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” Mylene just gave her a frown. “Last time you teased me, I got akumatized. Do you want Horrificator to come back for a visit?” she countered. Chloe shut up immediately.

“Yo, where’s Rose and Juleka?” Kim asked, noticing their absence. As someone who was in on the scare, and providing them with his tech, Max jumped in. “Rose is at the dentist.” he said. “And Juleka told me she was out sailing with Luka and their mom.” Nathaniel added. “Juleka would’ve loved all of this.” Marinette admitted. “Yeah, but I don’t think Rose would’ve.” Adrien replied. “A cute peppy girl like her wouldn’t want anything to do with a scary holiday like Halloween.”

GhostRose hid behind the bookshelf, rolling her eyes as her classmates spoke of her as if she were a frightened little child. “We’ll see about that.” JV muttered from her hiding spot inside the fake desk. All of a sudden, the phone begins to ring. Adrien goes to pick it up. He gives a couple of “Ohs” and “Oks” and then says goodbye. He looks puzzled as he hangs up.

“Who was it, dude?” Nino asked. “That was Miss Bustier. She said she thought it would be fun if for Halloween, her ancestor taught the class.” he replied. The class began to mutter in confusion. “Ancestor?” Sabrina asked. “Yes. Apparently, her ancestor Florence used to teach at DuPont, and now her spirit stays here at the school.” he replied. “So I guess her ghost is going to teach us.”

“Oh shit.” Alix said. “I remember looking up the school’s website, and I stumbled on the list of former teachers. Florence Bustier really exists.”

Kim began to sweat and rock back and forth a little. “Come on guys, this is just Miss B pranking us. There’s no such thing as ghosts!” he said nervously. Some of the kids were about to argue with him, but were interrupted when Marinette got a notification on her phone.

“Huh, Aurore just texted me. Says they have some ‘guests’ in their class.” she stated. Mylene got a notification as well and look surprised. “Reshma says they got a vampire.” Mylene replied. “As well as... oh my god! The Phantom of DuPont?” Everyone except for Lila, Alya and Adrien gasped in shock. “What’s that” Adrien asked. As the expert on the subject, Mylene took some time to explain.

“Well, you know our school is hundreds of years old. There’s this old legend about a ghost that haunts the school, mostly the theater. They say he’s caused terrible accidents, but that he also helps sometimes!”

Kim just groaned and started rocking back and forth in his seat. “Aw come on, man!” he complained. “Every time I hear about that... thing, I feel like I'm gonna have a heart attack.” Nathaniel nodded. “One thing’s for sure. The Phantom loves to give people a fright.” he replied. Lila tried yet another attempt at gaining popularity by using her silver tongue. “Oh, I’ve met the phantom before! He can be SO romantic when he wants to be.” Lila blushed. “Most the stories say the Phantom was gay.” Marinette corrected. “G-gay people existed back then?” Lila gaped. The rest of the class looked at her with a “really?” face. Their conversation stopped as a ghostly voice echoed throughout the room.

“Oooooohwhoooo, greetings my dear stuuuuudents! How are yoooou on this fine spooooky daaaay?” it wailed. Marinette had a pretty good idea who this was supposed to be.

“Guys,” she said. “I think this is the “ancestor” Miss Bustier was talking about.”

There was a flash of lightning, and a white translucent figure rose out of the floor. It looked like one of those old Scooby Doo ghosts, except this one was floating from the ground. What the students who were in on the scare knew that this illusion was provided by a projector, holograms, and a bunch of mirrors.

Another flash, and she disappeared once more, reappearing behind Adrien and Alya, causing them to scream. She glided towards them, arms outstretched.

“Ooooooh, I am Miss Boooostier. It’s a pleasure to meeet yoouuu!” she moaned. Alya tentatively smiled and trembled a little as she responded. “H-hello, Miss Boostier. What are you going to teach us?” she asked. The spectre glided away, going through Kim’s body, causing him to yelp in fear.

“Ooooooh, well, befooore we start our frightful histoooory lessons fooor the day, we have soooome guest stuuudents of our oooown to meet!” Boostier said. “Wh-who are the guests?” Sabrina shivered.

Just at that moment, the old phone rang. Since Boostier was unable to pick it up, Marinette went up to put the phone to her ghostly ears. :Helllloooo, Miss Boooostier speeeakinnng!” Boostier answered.

GhostRose gave an ominous chuckle as she prepared to make her entrance.

“Hello... Miss Boostier.” she replied.

And now we have a teacher involved with the scares! Miss Bustier’s a fan of the holiday and decided to some of the students out with this little prank. Next up is GhostRose, so that’ll be exciting. As usual thanks to Weeby for helping me out with the dialogue. Make sure to reblog, reply, post and ask for thoughts on the content. @artzychic27 @msweebyness

#miss bustier #caline bustier #caline #miss boostier #florence boostier #florence #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #ghosts #ghost #halloween fun #halloween #akuma class

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celestiall0tus · 7 months

Text

All That Remained - Terms and Conditions - Velze

Beginning || Previous || Next

Soclequine returned to the shop after lunch. She turned the key when something brushed her leg. She startled slightly and looked down. A white cat with strange markings looked up at her. It peered at her with milky white eyes. She knelt and offered her hand.

“You’re a strange one, aren’t you? Never seen a cat like you before.”

The cat sniffed her hand, then rubbed its chin on it.

Soclequine squealed and considered. “You know, promise you’ll stay out of trouble, and you can come in.”

The cat shuffled its paws in excitement. Soclequine grinned and opened the door. It trotted in and up onto the counter. It immediately hopped onto the counter and curled up. She scratched its head and opened the store. She played with it between helping customers. She fawned over how friendly it was as did the customers. It gave nothing but love and affection to everyone.

“You’re so adorable! I might see if mom will let me keep you.”

The cat purred. Soclequine showered it with love when a customer came in.

Lila took a breath at the door, then composed herself. She eyed Velze being loved on by Soclequine. She put on her best smile and approached the counter.

“Oh, thank you so much for finding my little one!” Lila exclaimed.

Soclequine paused and looked at Lila. “He’s your cat?”

“He is. A little rascal, that one. I’ll take him off your hands.”

The cat hissed.

Soclequine held the cat away from Lila. “I don’t believe you.”

“Oh, but you must. I know he doesn’t show compassion towards me, but I swear he is my precious boy.”

The cat’s tail lashed, and it yowled. Lila flinched and struggled to recover as she forced a smile.

“See? He misses me.”

Soclequine backed away and whispered in Chinese to the cat. “I’ll distract her. Run.”

A bright flash blinded the girls. The cat took off before the light faded. Lila stopped her foot and gave chase. Soclequine looked at wrist and saw a prismatic turtle shell bracelet. She moved to take it off but paused. It felt special, magical.

Soclequine took a picture and sent it to Marinette.

Marinette’s phone buzzed. She gleefully answered it as an escape. She gasped at the image that Soclequine sent her. Soclequine also explained that it magically appeared from a strange white cat. The others looked over her shoulder and read the text.

“Well, Marinette? You done stalling?” Alix asked.

“I… don’t know… what you mean,” Marinette said.

Alya sighed. “Marinette, I think it’s time.”

“Alya, we can’t. You know that. We need to remain a secret at all times,” Marinette argued.

“Secret? Look at us already. Juleka, Alix, and Rose were all granted a miraculous before our very eyes. This kwami does not care. It is doing whatever it wants,” Alya pointed out.

“It’s something, but it’s not a kwami,” Marinette argued.

“Sure looked like one to me,” Alix interjected.

Juleka and Rose muttered in agreement.

Marinette freaked out. “Kwami? What are those things?”

Alya rubbed her forehead. She watched Marinette spin more lies when color caught her eyes. She looked atop the glass enclosure and saw prismatic colors shift in and out. She considered as she looked between Juleka, Rose, and Alix. They had done something to earn a miraculous. If she did something, would it give her one too?

Alya hummed, then sighed. “Enough lies. I’m done lying, Marinette.”

“Alya? What are you-?”

Alya turned to their friends. “I was Rena Rouge, then Rena Furtive. I was one of the heroes that had safeguarded Paris.”

“Alya! What are you doing?” Marinette demanded.

“I’m done, Marinette. We’ve lied and kept this secret for so long. And look now. Juleka, Rose, and Alix all got a miraculous, gifted to them by Velze. And judging by the photo Soclequine sent you, she was bestowed one as well. And, it’s selfish, but I want my own miraculous. I want to be a superhero again.”

“I-I’m sure that Ladybug would give you your own miraculous to keep… eventually,” Marinette muttered.

“And how long must I wait? How long must I prove my loyalties? Time and time again, I’ve been by her side, but it was never enough. Now I have an opportunity. We all do. We present ourselves to Velze and we can get our own miraculous. We won’t need Ladybug to hand them out. We don’t need to wait any longer.”

“How could you accept this? We don’t know what that thing really is.”

“Hold up!” Luka interrupted.

Luka moved through the crowd to the Alya and Marinette.

“Luka, please, this is between me and Alya,” Marinette remarked.

“I’m sorry, Marinette, but I’m stepping in. After all, Alya reflects how others have been feeling,” Luka confessed.

“What do you-?”

Luka turned to their friends. “I was Viperion. I helped Ladybug in dire circumstances when no others could. A hero called on when absolutely needed. And, much like Alya, proved my loyalties to Ladybug and Cat Noir in ways even they don’t know. It was a heavy burden, one I carried alone.”

Juleka winced and ran up to Luka. She grabbed his jacket, and he looked back at her with a smile.

“It hurt to give Sass away each and every time, but because of my respect and duty, I gave him up without question. I can’t count the nights I suffered in silence, knowing what I had seen I had to keep a terrible secret. All I wanted was someone, anyone to talk too, but I couldn’t.”

Juleka hugged Luka. “I’m here.”

Luka returned the hug. “As am I. For you, myself, and all our friends.”

Alya placed a hang on Luka’s shoulder. “We don’t need to be silent anymore.”

Luka and Alya shared a smile when a bright light flashed. Everyone yelled out and shielded their eyes. The light faded to reveal Luka had a platinum bracelet band and Alya had a platinum chain ring bracelet, both with a prismatic sheen.

“You speak true, Mortal,” Velze said.

Everyone turned and saw Velze atop the glass enclosure.

“The jewels are being returned to mortals, but of my choosing. Everything you know about the kwamis will become obsolete. Your Guardians will no longer serve a purpose. The kwamis will be free,” Velze explained.

“You can’t do that! They’re dangerous!” Marinette yelled.

“We are not the danger, but your kind. Too long have they suffered because of mortals, but no more. For the first time in eons, I am back. I will make things right. I will give my children lives worth living. As such, if you all wish to live your lives beside my children, you need only invoke my name and I will judge you. However, you must act fast. You only have until the end of the day. Farewell, until we meet again.”

Velze vanished.

Alya took a breath. “Call Kim, Max, and Sabrina here. It’s time everyone knew.”

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mikauzoran · 2 years

Text

Adrienette Accidental Baby Acquisition: Chapter One

Read it on AO3: Adrienette Accidental Baby Acquisition: Chapter One

Summary:

“Who is he?” Adrien inquired, stepping closer to Marinette to peer curiously at the cute bundle in her arms.

Alix tactfully dropped the first bombshell: “His name is Louis. He’s Future Chat Noir’s son.”

Adrien nearly fell over in shock as his legs threatened to give out on him.

“If he’s Chat Noir’s son,” Marinette reasoned crankily, bitter about having her moment interrupted yet again. “why don’t you bring him to this timeline’s Chat Noir for him to take care of?”

With a sadistic smirk, Alix dropped bombshell number two: “Because you’re Louis’s mother.”

Marinette made a strangled noise as she looked frantically between the baby in her arms and the superhero seemingly wrecking Marinette’s five-year plan.

Marinette’s love confession is interrupted when Alix brings Marinette and Chat Noir’s son from the future for Adrien and Marinette to babysit for a week.

Pairing: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: T

When Adrien got Marinette’s text during his music theory class to meet her outside of their university’s coffeeshop because she needed to talk to him, he’d assumed that it was about plans for the upcoming Toussaint break or plotting to help Nino propose (again).

It wasn’t until he saw her leaning against the horse chestnut tree looking grim that it occurred to him to worry that something was wrong.

“Is everything alright?” he inquired tentatively as he jogged up to meet her.

She inhaled deeply and then slowly blew out the breath. “Not really.”

“What is it? Anything I can do to help?” he pressed, anxious to do anything within his power to assist.

She gave him a fragile smile and a mirthless laugh. “Just listen and let me finish because I’ve been trying to tell you this for a long time.”

He blinked in confusion, his head tipping to the side. “Okay?”

She forced a painful-looking smile as she confessed, “Adrien, you’re one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I know. I’ve always admired your ability to see the best in everyone and give people a second chance, even when they don’t deserve it.”

Adrien’s face heated up at her words, a warm feeling spreading throughout his chest at her praise.

“I’m really honored to be your friend,” Marinette continued resolutely. “I’m grateful that we’ve grown closer over the years because getting to know you and spending time with you has always been a joy—whether we were third-wheeling on Nino and Alya’s dates or watching obscure movies that our other friends aren’t cool enough to appreciate.”

Mindful of his promise to let her finish uninterrupted, Adrien only smiled dopily and enthusiastically nodded, hoping she’d understand that he felt the same about her.

“I respect you, Adrien,” she stressed as a bittersweet smile crawled onto her lips. “That’s why I feel like I need to be honest with you.”

Adrien’s warm, fuzzy feelings immediately vanished as he felt the shift in the conversation’s undercurrent.

“I’ve kept this from you for far too long,” she sighed. “Please believe me when I say I’ve tried probably a hundred times to tell you, but something always went wrong.”

He held his breath as worst-case scenarios whirled like a maelstrom through his mind. Was she breaking off their friendship? Had he unknowingly been doing something rude or annoying or embarrassing his whole life and now she was going to tell him to stop?

“I’m just going to spit it out because this has gone on long enough, and I really just need some closure so I can move on with my life,” she informed tiredly, throwing him for even more of a loop.

“Adrien, I’ve been in love with you for almost seven years now.”

Read the rest on AO3

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lightningmickqueen · 2 years

Note

okay YOU smash or pass the entire grid seeing as you want to answer alix's asks. you little clout thief

hi alix <3 so excited for this opportunity

max: he should not be as hot as he is...yes. there is something about him that is like..anyway yes.

charles: p2 in my heart AND in the sheets. absolutely yes. right now asap immediately.

checo: no thanks he's married and has the aura of a 90 year old man in a 32 year old body

george: no but i'd consider sending him a boob pic for bants. although he has nice hands so if i was drunk and he was paying for the drinks...maybe.

carlos: if i was like 8 drinks deep yeah. he's got so much hair on him tho i couldn't sober?? i KNOW he's like 'objectively attractive' or whatever but to me it'd be like sleeping with bigfoot and i'm really not into monster sex or whatever

lewis: SMASH. he intimidates tf out of me but if given the chance i would smash so fast i'd be a 7 time wsc (world smashing champion)

lando: i still think he makes cat noises so no...but also there's this one gifset after singapore i know alix mentioned it too. and his HANDS. so maybe if i was blindfolded

esteban: pass in favour of a piggyback ride and breaking into a cemetery at night to eat snacks and judge the old graves

fernando: pass i'm so sorry i'm not into geriatric men and i'm unable to hide disgust on my face :(

valtteri: smash tho i don't know Why. but like a drunken smash

seb: smash and then we'd get married so i can get regular smashing. i want to lick him and idc where. mwah. beloved. stole my heart when i was 12 and u know what? i've never looked back <3 also i had a dream once where we did it against a wall and i'd like to do that

daniel: smash so i can text the gc that i did

pierre: i had these DREAMS a few months ago so...smash so many times. also his face is Made to be sat on sorry i dont make the rules just report them

kmag: pass like he is every race ty

lance: i was going to say no but like... he was so bf material before he cheated AND he has a tattoo that's actually really hot AND has nice hands so like...smash

mick: he is so hot to me my hottest man alive i'd smash so fast he is everything mwah fuck me on the regular i love everything about u xx

yuki: i KNOW he fucks and i know he is good at it but like we r the same height

zhou: yes PLEASE smash it would be so fun i feel like it's the best time

alex: smash but only if lily is there too. alex is definitely super awkward and also lily is so hot and awesome. actually alex can just watch

latifi: pass like williams passed on him

nyck: yeah he smiled at me once and it changed the course of my life so SMASH

hulk: smash. hulk smash!

mitch evans: he smells so good i want him on top of me asap rn immediately (smash!)

#asks

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violetequus8 · 2 years

Text

Angels, Demons, and Everything In-Between Bibliography

Beatrix of Nazareth (1200-1268). On Seven Ways of Holy Love. Taurus Press, 2016, https://www.sofiatopia.org/equiaeon/7ways.htm.

Bovey, Alixe. Monsters and Grotesques in Medieval Manuscripts. University of Toronto Press, 2002.

In the prologue, Abbot Mayhew mentions Hob reminds him “of a beast.” This is an allusion to the concept of the Beast Man, which is an illustrated figure appearing in some manuscripts, which is a non-canonical story about a grotesque man who wandered the earth (hairy visage included). Not to be confused with the Beast (the devil).

I also used this book hoping to find human-like illustrations, but unfortunately, the monstrous bodies (see Oswald) meant that all of them appear directly ghastly. I imagine that Hob, looking at the illustrations such as the ones I saw in this book, would immediately discount them against the Stranger.

Bovey also mentions an interesting fact: by the 12th century (that is, the 1100s) both laymen and women were beginning to read in greater numbers. While illuminated manuscripts remained expensive and valuable, it would not be unheard of for a layman to know how to read.

Cameron, Euan. Enchanted Europe: Superstition, Reason, and Religion, 1250-1750. Oxford University Press, 2010.

References in-text:

James’ mention of exorcism of the woman (chapter 1): “certain women were believed to be capable of experiencing an out-of-the-body flight in which they traveled great distances in the company of other women and a pagan goddess.” (47)

Text of the ritual exorcism (chapter 1): lifted verbatim from page 60. The exorcism text is from the Dominican Prierias.

There were two schools of thought about angels and demons, which Hob mentions in chapter 2. The first of these, Augustine, believed that “demons gave vision and prophecies, but these failed to have edifying moral content” (81). However, he also argued demons had souls and that God had created them for divine purpose, and should be treated as expressions of divine power (Bovey, 10). He was, as Hob notes, unsure about whether demons had physical bodies.

Thomas Aquinas, who came much later, had different opinions. He said that angels were the following

incorporeal

can not and do not know the future

could not know the inner thoughts of man

faster, stronger, and wiser than humanity

had the power to cause “certain marvelous things” including the presentation of images

cannot express lust or anger

Aquinas believed that fallen angels (demons) could do all of these things as well (91-97). Of course, the incorporeal nature of them means Hob couldn’t much use Aquinas’ opinions.

Coulton, G. G. Medieval Village, Manor, and Monastery. 2nd ed., Harper, 1925.

Used for a quick look into serfdom. Learned more than I’d like, and also realized I can’t make Hob a serf, because by definition he’d belong to some lord and I couldn’t have that.

Coulton had an obvious vendetta in this book, and it became particularly clear when he spoke about the monks. Of them, he says “the monk was […] a slightly better landlord than the layman”

Holy Bible. New International Version, International Bible Society, 2007.

Chapter 3 references:

A demon, by that name, only appears in the New Testament, not the old. The New Testament references are as follows:

Mark 1:21-28 (Jesus drives out an evil spirit. The spirit shakes the man violently and comes out when Jesus commands)

Mark 9:14-32 (Healing of a boy with an evil spirit. Whenever the spirit seizes the boy, he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. Jesus commands the spirit to leave and it does.)

Acts 16:16-18 (Apostle Paul is followed by a slave girl who has a spirit inside her which predicts the future. He gets annoyed with her and commands it to leave. It does.)

Ephesians 6:10-18 (These are the verses detailing the armor of God. The metaphor of being armed with Christ protects against evil [spirits])

Chapter 4 References:

Matthew 1:20 (the angel of the lord appears to Mary and tells her she will give birth to Christ.)

Ezekiel 1:5-14 (description of angels non-human)

Genesis 19:1-4 (this is the beginning of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, which starts with two angels who appear like men)

Hobs first dream:

the pale white horse: Revelation 6:8 (“I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him”)

Elijah - 2 Kings 2:11 - Elijah was a prophet and miracle worker, and a chariot of fire and horses of fire took him to heaven, ergo, he did not die but was in fact taken directly to heaven.

Hob’s second dream - wrestling: Genesis 22:22-32

Karras, Ruth. Sexuality in Medieval Europe: Doing Unto Others. 3rd ed., Taylor & Francis, 2017.

“In Medieval times, distinction among the three [sex, gender, and sexuality] was not just blurred, it did not exist.” (7) Thank you, Ms. Karras, for that absolutely enlightening line. I knew that I had made for myself a harder challenge by using the time period between the 1389 and 1489 meetings, but I really struggled to write this because I couldn’t just say “Hob’s bisexual” or “Dream is genderfluid.” Medieval sex was drawn on different lines than we use: there is a difference between penetrator and penetrated, and reproductive and non-reproductive sex. Obviously, the burden on women was much greater, and combined with the “passivity” (29) that was supposedly natural to women, drew further lines. Sexuality, when it was spoken about, was within the realm of the church, particularly in the area of virginity. There is indeed a hierarchy of virginity: women were believed to become a different kind of virgin (43). Of course, neither Hob nor Dream are virgins. The canon is very clear about that. But Hob is a sort of virgin; he hasn’t had anal sex, which would be sodomy, and although it was hard to find information about anal sex in the early 1400s, I interpolated the above thoughts about penetration. If sex was something “done to someone else” (4), then if Hob had anal sex with Dream (Dream recieving), it would be arguably better than if it was the other way around. This is why Hob’s reaction is so severe. Dream is having sex with him in the second arc, and this is a more flagrant violation of Medieval sex standards than the first arc, which would be Hob having sex with Dream. (It should be noted that the first arc of sex is more permissible in Hob’s mind because he is having sex. Technically, Dream isn’t.)

Additionally, there is a clear distinction between celibacy and chastity in the Medieval times that is blurred in modern understanding (leaving kink aside). Celibacy meant the unmarried state (38), and chastity was a state of purity. A married couple having sex were both chaste, but not celibate. A husband who cheated on his wife was neither celibate nor chaste. A monk who abstained was celibate. A monk who had sex with his buddy was celibate but not chaste.

I’d also like to leave this quote here: “To Medieval people a vulva might have looked like a wound, rather than a wound like a vulva.” (70) I thought this was particularly metal of Ms. Karras to write, and also highlights how our modern brains have shifted.

Lawrence, Clifford. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. 2nd ed., Longmang Group UK Limited, 1989.

This book provided the names and times of the prayer-hours for service (113-114).

In chapter 1, James references a charter or loan for books. Books were still valuable enough at this time (though becoming more available, see Bovey) that if one monastery wanted to borrow a book, they might have to send a runner with an amount of money or a letter from the king, and only then would a book be lent (116).

“Map of a Medieval Monastery.” Britain Express, https://www.britainexpress.com/History/medieval-monastery-map.htm.

Mittleman, Josh, and Brian Scott. A List of 15th Century English Men’s Names. 2002, https://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/agincourt/.

Many thanks to this page for providing me with period appropriate names for the original male characters.

Oswald, Dana. Monsters, Gender, and Sexuality in Medieval English Literature. D. S. Brewer, 2010.

“To make monstrosity visible is to assure people will know a monster when they see one--which assures them they are not monstrous” (114). In my half-hazard research, I spent a lot of time thinking about monsters, because demonization (ha!) occurs through the Othering of people, and this is what is occurring in Hob’s mind when he sees Dream. The Middle Ages were dealing with multiple identity crises: war, conquest, the Black death, and the increasing literature reflected an unstable identity. The literature used “the bodies of monsters to demonstrate the way in which boundaries of identity or culture might be breached” (125), and this fear was reflected in manuscripts. People had always had a fear of the unknown, but in combination with both folk beliefs (the mara, chapter 5) and the Biblical ones, there was ripe ground for genuine fear. If they could die and change so easily, why couldn’t monsters/demons?

Reeves, Compton. “Gardens.” Pleasures and Pastime in Medieval England, Oxford University Press, 1998, http://www.godecookery.com/mtales/mtales16.htm.

“Researching the History of Monasteries.” Researching Historic Buildings in the British Isles, https://www.buildinghistory.org/buildings/monasteries.shtml.

“The Rule of St. Augustine ca. A.D. 400.” Fish Eaters, https://www.fisheaters.com/ruleofstaugustine.html.

Trueman, C. N. “Positions of Responsibility in a Monastery.” History Learning Site, 5 Mar. 2015, https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval-england/positions-of-responsibility-in-a-monastery/.

#my fanfic #equus talks

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san-fics · 1 year

Text

Blanch And Blush

OR 4 times Felix made Marinette blush and one time Marinette made Felix turn pale

PV Felinette

(Ao3 / Wattpad)

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Felinette November Prompt Week, Day 4, Thur. (Nov 24): Blanch & Blush

Hey guys! Felix's journey from lying to himself to realizition of his feelings - for @felinettenovember week and for you!

______________________

“There’s a blush for won’t, and a blush for shan’t, And a blush for having done it; There’s a blush for thought, and a blush for naught, And a blush for just begun it.” John Keats ________________________________

1. “There’s a blush for won’t, and a blush for shan’t…”

It wasn’t that Marinette Dupan-Cheng was particularly secretive about her affection for him. Rather the opposite. She didn’t hide it at all and the whole class knew about her crush.

Including him, of course.

Perhaps in some ways Felix was even flattered by her attention – although he would never confirm that he admitted this to you, so you don’t even have to try to betray his secret.

But the thing was, there was something about this girl… he couldn’t say what exactly. There was too much of everything in her, really. Joy in her worldview and vital delight in her eyes, freedom of creative flight and care for everyone, as if they all were precious and important to her.

Basically, everything that Felix was deprived of in the midst of the icy shards of what was once his family.

Perhaps this was also the reason why he tried to stay away from her and her huge cheerful soul.

Felix had long forgotten how to feel affection for people and couldn’t give her what she was waiting for.

And this was probably why, when she once again approached him with tickets in her hands, which Felix noticed even before that, and by which he knew that another invitation to the cinema awaited him, – he didn’t wait until she said the right words and spoke ahead of her.

“Not gonna happen.” He said, and Marinette froze with her mouth open.

She was staring at him, not reacting in any other way, and for a moment it even seemed to Felix that he was mistaken and she approached him for some other reason, but then the girl lowered her eyes and her cheeks flushed with a thick blush.

Then she nodded silently and ran away.

Felix forced himself to turn away and not look after her. As much as he wanted to – it didn’t make any sense, – he reminded himself.

But a sigh of disappointment for something that couldn’t be in his life, unnoticed by anyone, still escaped from his lips.

2. “And a blush for having done it…”

It was a free period, and his classmates decided that the most intelligent way to spend this time was playing ‘Never have I ever.’

Of course Felix wasn’t going to take part in this stupid event! He took out the book he was currently reading from his bag and sat down at the teacher’s desk, – away from the noise.

And don’t ask him why he didn’t go to the library to read! Maybe he would have left, but Marinette was going to participate in the game... And it had nothing to do with anything, of course, but...

Anyway, get away from him already and read the story! He just stayed, that’s it!

Besides, the noise wasn’t that loud…

His classmates’ lines began with minor “Never have I ever been sick on public transport” from Alix and “Never have I ever lied to someone in this room” from Rose, but quickly took on a more serious turn when Kim spoke with his “Never have I ever sent a dirty text to the wrong person.”

Marinette probably never sent dirty texts, – Felix thought. Then he caught himself on this thought and immediately discarded it, – everyone in his class was already eighteen, but this didn’t mean that what they wrote in their texts made any difference for him...

“Never have I ever touched myself thinking about someone I like.” Chloe said, and was immediately bombarded with incredulous comments with doubts about the veracity of her statement from her classmates. “What is so surprising about it?!” The blonde exclaimed indignantly. “I just don’t like anyone!”

Felix didn’t understand at what point he lost his intention to ignore what was happening in the classroom, but his gaze slid upward from the book on its own, instantly rushing to Marinette. Her face was turned towards the window, but the fact that her cheeks burned with a bright blush was obvious.

He didn’t know if she’d bent her finger, but her blush suggested she had.

And some unusual sensation stirred somewhere deep inside him at the thought of what that meant, considering the “thinking about someone I like” part…

3. “There’s a blush for thought, and a blush for naught…”

They were sitting in a small school hall with subdued lights and chairs arranged in a semicircle.

It was a sex education lesson, and the teacher decided that they urgently needed to watch a film about how the fertilization process took place.

To be honest, the film was almost devoid of anatomical details and the emphasis was more on starting relationships and building a family, so in Felix’s opinion it could be more classified as propaganda than educational. But at least his father won’t sue for inappropriate content in the learning process...

Looking at the smiling couple on the screen, where the man held his hand on the woman’s stomach and the voice-over said something unobtrusive, Felix found himself wondering if Marinette wanted to have children, and how many, and when, and how would she like to name them...

For some time he was lost in thought and only came to his senses when his eyes met hers.

Marinette’s eyes widened in slight fright, as if she was caught doing something unsightly and she immediately turned away – her cheeks colored with embarrassed blush, noticeable even in the subdued light of the hall. Although the only thing he could catch her for was watching a movie, and, perhaps for her own thoughts…

Felix swallowed and that strange sensation deep inside of him stirred again, growing warmer and becoming more insistent.

But maybe he just ate something wrong at lunch today?..

4 + 1. “And a blush for just begun it.”

Of course he wasn’t going to help.

But Marinette clapped her hands loudly and said that this is their common home class, so everyone should participate in decorating it before Christmas. He didn’t understand why this was necessary – after all, everyone would be at home for the holidays – with their loving families and decorated houses, and he – in his silent house, strict and gray, like on any other day…

Maybe that was what made him stick paper snowflakes on clothespins, that Marinette handed him, to a string. It could also be that she herself was very close to him, climbing onto a stepladder to fix the decorations at the top, and he could steal a glance at her – for no particular reason – just… observing...

Then something went wrong, because when Felix glanced at Marinette again, she was reaching to the side, trying to connect the two upper garlands – but he could see that the point of their connection was clearly too far away for her to safely reach it.

The stepladder staggered, and Felix’s eyes widened as all the blood drained from his face and he rushed off, anticipating where the girl was going to fall, – because it was too late to hold onto the ladder to prevent it.

Marinette squealed, and in the next moment, he already held her in his arms, squeezing her so tightly as if she could fall further than his embrace.

That unusual sensation deep inside him exploded and Felix stared at the girl with a dazed look, – his heart beating so fast as if he had never forgotten how to feel affection for people. And the person who could give him this feeling again was the one he held tightly in his arms right now.

Their classmates, who had been decorating the walls all over the classroom before, came running towards them at the sound of a collapsing stepladder and surrounded the couple from all sides. But Felix didn’t seem to notice them, – still terrified at what could happen to the girl who was the only one that mattered to him, and to whom he wanted to give what she wanted.

He couldn’t say exactly when it had become so, but without it he could no longer see himself.

Felix woke up only when Chloe cleared her throat and he realized that he was staring at Marinette, as if she could disappear without a trace at any moment.

“So, guys, have you finished your hugs yet?” She asked, clearly trying to sound calm and detached, although in her voice there was also a hint of fear for her friend.

Felix forced himself to loosen his grip and finally reluctantly released Marinette from his grasp, feeling his body ache almost painfully from the loss.

But Marinette didn’t seem to plan on going too far.

In fact, she didn’t even look away from him. She moved closer to him and leaned into his arms, into which Felix readily accepted her – it seemed that no amount of self-deception could stop him from hugging this girl anymore.

“No, Chloe,” Marinette said quietly, continuing to look into Felix’s eyes as a soft blush filled her cheeks. “We’ve only just begun.”

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princess-of-the-corner · 1 year

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ML Rewrite- Shadow Moth creates a Sentimonster copy of Stormy Weather for Safari to control and bait Ladybug and Chat Noir into a trap. I picked that character because I needed a past Akuma who could not be immediately verified to not have actually been Reakumatized (although when she sees the news report, Aurore quickly texts everyone at the news station to say it isn't her, so Nadja announces this right before Safari strikes), and bringing a fake Timetagger in would have Ladybug recruit Alix as Bunnyx, and a giant "Akuma" also wouldn't work. When Safari makes her debut, Sentiweather assists her in fighting the heroes.

When the heroes defeat both villains and Deakumatize Safari, Ladybug gives the Amok to Sentiweather. Chat Noir is bitter about Shadow Moth doing all this and muses about how he wishes that they could take the fight to him. Sentiweather offers to lead them to the villain. Shadow Moth is surprised, but he lets the Sentimonster lead them, hoping to take advantage. But when Sentiweather sides with Ladybug and Chat Noir in fighting him, he erases her. Then he fights the duo and both parties learn the other's identities.

NICE

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pervypeachdraws · 2 years

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just minding your own business and making a comic when suddenly

#miraculous ladybug #nathaniel kurtzberg #marc anciel #doodle #he abruptly excuses himself then immediately texts Alix #'ALIX HELP WE WERE MAKING THE COMIC THEN MARC SMILED AT ME AND I THINK I LIKE HIM???'#'BOYS???'#I think I'm channeling more of Marc's nervous energy into Nathaniel #they're both a mess

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criffyzou · 1 year

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Chronicled my parisian save in my drafts, because I had a blast. Might aswell post it now that I’ve shelved it for the update.

It started because I wanted to see the new childhood events in the Friends & Foes DLC, so I made a random baby in 867 France. I also wanted a trait I had never played before, it fell on barren.

Eglantine, chaste lazy compassionate countess of Amiens & Clermont, was a-go. (VERY LONG post with images below, best viewed in dashboard)

In her childhood, she befriended a dutch nobliau from nearby Ypres via the meet peers event; his dad refused the proposal because Eglantine was barren, and he eventually got engaged to someone else, but they became lovers in their 20s, then later, soulmates.

She married someone for the council job, but after organizing a threesome to “help Eglantine explore her bisexuality”, her husband then tried to hide that the other woman, who was both their lover, was now bearing his child. She divorced him and married him immediately to their lover.

She finally bore the child of her childhood friend and soulmate, at 44, right when I began accepting I would lose the game.

Miracle child, compassionate ambitious honest Adelinde, had a wonderful childhood, but when her mother died and she became a ruler of her own, I realized I was playing the same game twice, countess all alone with zero family member, no ally, barren. Adelinde even had the added bonus of being a lesbian, so couldn’t keep male lovers, only have sex once during a seducing scheme.

Surprisingly, having an heir was the easy part, with the many fertility artifacts Eglantine had collected in her life. A saxon boy who had showed up parentless at Eglantine’s court, whom she recruited and raised alongside Adelinde, was picked as co-parent. She was pregnant on the second try. He was also gay, married to our best friend the spymaster and lived peacefully at our court.

By that point, France had imploded and no longer existed, and Amiens and Clermont were but two independant counties, in a sea of independant counties other kingdoms were more than happy to swallow whole. I needed a duchy.

Enter Yngvar.

Remember Adelinde’s secret dad, count of Ypres ? After France’s implosion, when I looked for her secret siblings, who should have inherited at that point, I found Yngvar, duke of Flanders. The only surviving son of a minor danish chief, he went on a varangian adventure, and decided north of France was his, actually. There he was, living his best life, merry and boisterous. He took a liking to his young neighbor Adelinde, befriending her, and regularly sending her poems (everytime it was off cooldown it feels like).

Yngvar had a 12k army left over from his adventure, and suddenly the nearby kingdoms of Brittany and Lotharingia, who had swallowed the counties I needed for the duchy of Valois, didn’t seem so scary with this prospective ally.

The only flaw in my plan was, he refused to marry my newborn daughter to his infant son matrilineally, but the babies were engaged anyway, and I could declare all the wars I wanted, throwing my puny 1k army at kingdoms, with Yngvar desperately running after my troups to save my ass, time and time again.

I got my duchy but the stress took its toll on Adelinde, who abdicated, leaving me to sort out heir situation for compassionate diligent arrogant Alix.

I am aware I could have broken off the engagement between the children but you have to understand 1) I was really, extremely grateful to Yngvar and 2) Alix’s husband, like his dad before him, was the only son surviving to adulthood. Like this dynasty was cursed to only have one child a generation, reminding me of my own situation.

Besides, having been engaged since birth, they were both really fond of each other. They had six kids together, that Alix could raise despite belonging to a court in another country, and when viking husband died of pox in their early 40s, the parting text was surprisingly romantic for a lesbian. Oh yeah, Alix was also a lesbian.

His death was honestly the best case scenario. I was hoping he would die young enough for Alix to have a kid belonging to her own dynasty, but I didn’t expect it working out so well.

Alix remarried, using the find spouse option which I never do (too boring !), but as we had been so busy raising six children, and also, I need to stress this, she was a lesbian, finding someone as narratively important as her first husband, and fast enough to conceive while she was still fertile, didn’t seem likely.

We picked this german guy, who already had a daughter, a fact I only became aware of when he asked me to sponsor said daughter. I actually really liked her, invited her to my court, arranged her marriage, raised her kids. She later became the right hand to her half sister, my heir.

Speaking of the heir, Alice, here are traits she could have inherited: -barren, Alix didn’t have it but I assume it was still in her DNA -dwarf, like her dad, the one I was hoping for -slow, quick, or intelligent, her mom having intelligent and her dad slow

Here is the trait she actually got out of nowhere: beautiful. A trait I would soon came to hate because it would not go away for generations and it makes for very bland characters. No freckles, no moles, no interesting features, just basic white bitches from that point onward.

Alice did one thing right by me though: she fell in love with her childhood friend, yet another parentless kid showing up at my court I felt obligated to raise because I’m not a monster.

Said kid was actually the son of a Karling woman, his great uncle had been the last king of France before the implosion. If they didn’t get together on their own, I would have married them later.

Now, let’s take a moment to check on her siblings. Remember, the six kids Alix had with her viking husband ?

When their dad died, the three eldest became rulers. That’s the eldest daughter and the bearded twins. One twin immediately attacked his sister and asked his mom to join the war, which she did so it would end quicker with less bloodshed. Since the twins were now ruling the duchy of Flanders on their own, Alix gave counties from Valois to the rest of them, found them spouses, then left them to their own devices once they were set and happy.

One day, I looked around and realized that while Alix was busy marrying her doppelganger (long story), Lotharingia, my old nemesis, had swallowed Flanders, yet I never got called to a defensive war.

Alix died soon after, and compassionate calm arrogant Alice, heralding the basic white bitch era, immediately got attacked by her brothers the viking twins. (Ignore my foray into cosmetic mods, it was short lived)

Alice’s entire reign was marked by defensive wars, and our dwindling fortune going to mercenaries’ pockets. Everyone had it out for her. Her perfect husband, the love of her life, died in one of those wars, leaving her with two young children. She remarried to some guy I honestly have no memory of, and had two more kids. I don’t remember any more about this era or her death than I do her second husband.

New ruler, first born daughter, had a name but I only remember her as Barbie. She’s probably the one who ruled the longest, but outside of the game deciding rakish was the best coping mechanism for my chaste asexual ruler, nothing noteworthy happened. First asexual ruler of the dynasty, she never married and never had kids, knowing she had enough siblings to get away with it.

But really, it’s because a perfect candidate for her husband showed up during Alice’s rule, but I didn’t save as I was losing a war. I never recovered.

Compassionate lazy chaste Barbie did two very important things in her life, first rebuilt the family fortune to twice what it ever was, and second, she swore fealty to Lotharingia, who had gotten bigger and bigger, once I realized a descendant of Alix was the ruler. All of Alix’s viking children had had children of their own, who intermarried, and somehow the dynasty were now ruling the biggest kingdom around. I suspect that’s why the twins or their kids swore fealty to Lotharingia in the first place, to take it from the inside.

The very last thing she did as a ruler, damning her immortal soul in the process, was assasinate her old crummy bishop when it was revealed he took her only niece as his lover. As she was generally awful in intrigue, she asked her niece and nephews to assist, which they all did, including the niece whose very lover they were trying to kill. This was me making amends, as I had never once paid attention to Barbie’s family during her life; I was on that money grind, too used to my one character generations.

It was now time to play the first male ruler of our dynasty, hopefully the last. Snorri was never supposed to rule; you see, Barbie’s brother had two sons, and fickle paranoid gregarious Snorri was the youngest. However, the oldest son, much more interesting, was serving as a religious figure for most of his adult life and could not inherit according to the game, something I didn’t notice until it was too late to do something about. The two brothers were best friends and always hanging out together so I didn’t mind that much..

Snorri is a surprising name for a frenchman, that’s because he was named after his grandfather: one of Alix’s kids, whose daughter somehow ended up married to Barbie’s brother, merging the two bloodlines together. I would soon see that yellow coat of arms with a Þ everywhere.

After the death of its king, Lotharingia became three separate kingdoms ruled by three siblings, France, Lotharingia, and Germania, and here is their family tree. That’s three (3) of Alix’s kids on the first line. From that point onward, I realized I didn’t have one, but two dynasties to look after, although the second one seemed to be doing very well without me.

The kingdom of France was back from the dead, with its capital somewhere in the duchy of Flanders because at that point, I had been ruling over Paris for more than a hundred years and I was not giving it up.

Snorri married his cousin Alice, also known as avenged niece, because I didn’t trust her to not get involved with another weird old man. They were really happy together, soulmates with 4 kids, or at least as happy as possible with a paranoid ruler doubting the child was his, every single pregnancy. Alice’s brothers also had kids, and the cousins growing up together was the first time it felt like an actual dynasty. We were 7 generations in at that point.

When he died, Snorri was remembered for huh, being a deviant with autoerotic asphyxiation tendencies, according to the game, but to me his biggest feat was joining every war the stupid king of France got into, and winning them all; he is the sole reason France didn’t become Lotharingia again.

Just ambitious diligent Bellesa (actually called Belleassez) was the first ruler with a smart-type trait since Alix, quick, despite both her parents only having variations of beautiful. For that alone, she was already pretty high on my list of favorites.

I didn’t have the luxury of waiting to organically meet a potential spouse, the way I usually like to play my characters: I needed prestige and I needed it fast to reform my new parisian culture, so I just picked whoever gave me the most of it, an indian princeling.

Her era was mostly me panicking that my dynasty got too big to keep track of. and trying to find a good coat of arms. Here is her losing one of the 5 kids I do not even remember us having, something that became an unwanted tradition as the next three generations would also lose one kid young.

It was also my first time in this game actually caring about my siblings AND my cousins and making sure they were thriving.

She abdicated of stress to her first born, honest trusting ambitious Samanta, named after what is technically the title of one of her paternal ancestors but nevermind that.

Samanta’s era was mostly trying to micromanage the two dynasties, making sure branches that would go extinct without my intervention were brought back into the fold, giving titles to those I could.

She also pulled a cask of amontillado on two pregnant women. One was in the way of marrying her childhood friend (from meet peers) whom I had decided would father our children while Samanta was busy having many female lovers including the queen of France; the other walled in woman was because she wanted to marry a prince of France to a distant relative. Neither woman was pregnant when the murder schemes were started, and it’s kind of weird that it happened the same way twice.

Marrying that childhood friend proved a bad idea, because he was a count in another french duchy, but his mother was one of our vassal, and weirdly her son didn’t inherit when she died; instead the county went to my 6yo daughter and heir, now living as a grown-up outside my court.

Fortunately, it only lasted about six years as Samanta died in her early 40s leaving me to play her 12yo kid. Her birth name was Héloïse but when I saw how much she resembled a young Claire Danes in Romeo + Juliet, she was renamed Juliette.

Despite having played part of her childhood, forgiving ambitious stubborn Juliette did not form close ties with anyone, and no Romeo ever came her way, as she was asexual. She married a french princeling who immediately cheated on her with her cousin, and they divorced less than a year into the marriage.

Juliette’s era was also dynasty management and giving titles to as many relatives as I could, because the king kept giving me duchies I did not want. Maybe over gratitude for the family tradition Snorri established, of winning wars for the foolhardy King of France, that we never stopped doing. I didn’t want any more duchy because I was playing tall and focusing on my two counties, and I keep tabs on almost all my relatives all the time anyway, might aswell make them landed.

It was also the era of going back to the french culture we diverged from, because I was finally powerful enough to become culture head. (The french royals were now welsh for some reason)

She eventually (10 years later) married some intelligent and club-footed guy to spice things up now that we were finally free of the beautiful trait, but he turned out to be a cannibal. At that point we already had had (and lost) kids so whatever, keeping him. Outside of the flesh eating thing, he was very nice !

Our heir, ambitious calm vengeful Rosaline, proving to me once and for all that marrying your heir before they’re playable is a mistake, decided to cheat on her very sweet andalusian husband, father of her newborn baby, with a crummy old man, and out of desperation of not being able to break them up, I kept her under house arrest until he died.

It took 12 years, her entire young adulthood, and she hated me for it, but she resumed her life afterwards, having another kid with her husband, even forgiving her mother shortly before her death. No I don’t know either why I didn’t just kill him.

Fate came at her with her vengeance, when the teen daughter she didn’t see grow up for 12 years was roped in a relation with her own crummy old man, got pregnant, then died protecting him of her mother’s assassin.

A lot of things happened very fast in less than 2 years after that event: Juliette had her second son by her husband at 45, got seduced by the heir to the Kingdom of France, somehow got pregnant despite her age, had a legitimized bastard daughter, his first born child, so second in line for the throne, and her husband got murdered. It’s like she took all the years she missed out on living under house arrest, and decided to cram them in two.

Bastard princess and last baby was called Adelinde, a throwback to the first baby of this dynasty who also arrived very late. Unfortunately, she got a beautiful trait from her father, just when I thought I was free of it for good.

That’s where I stopped playing, because I didn’t vibe with being the kingdom of France. I had changed succession laws to female preference at some point, and Rosaline only had two surviving sons from her marriage.

I might pick it up again someday, but my norse-gael game, started when Northern Lords released, is still trying to recover from patches, and I have a feeling Tours and Tournaments will not be kind to existing saves.

I learned a lot though, about playing tall, about warfare, about the kind of gameplay I enjoy. A blast.

#nabu plays #ck3

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pickledpascal · 1 year

Text

Secret Weapon

Chapter Two: Old Dog, New Tricks

Warnings: paranoia if you squint, psychological tests.

Word Count: 2.6k

Secret Weapon Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Three months.

That’s how long it’s been since James was stranded on Ezra’s backdoor. Since his shoulder started to heal. He had his moments, a strain here and there but he was healing fine. It was hard to let go of his past life, he was trying his best. James wasn’t good at letting go anyway. Even if his job called for it. Memories of lives he could have had never quite left his mind.

It was early morning when James heard the news. Ezra was taking a sip of coffee and had turned on the TV. James had his own… adventure the night prior so he was slowly waking up with a groan from his place on the couch as the screen flickered to life. His hazy eyes slowly glanced up at the screen. “... emergency crews are still attempting to access the damage as investigators hunt for leads in what now appears to be a major terrorist attack in the heart of London…” Ezra’s mug slowly slipped from his lips. The TV was filled with camera shots of the MI6 building in flames. Someone planted a bomb in MI6… What a ballsy move. Paying closer attention, the pair watched more intently. “... No one has yet claimed responsibility for what sources are calling a possible “cyber-terrorist assault” on the British Secret Service… Early reports from the scene indicate at least six dead, many more injured, with victims being evacuated to local hospitals within minutes of the explosion…”

James’ jaw clenches slightly. Being ‘dead’ for a while was nice but it seemed his job was never really finished. His eyes hardened as he stared at the red, hazy screen filled with images of smoke and fire.

“So…” Ezra turns to look at James, a similar look in his eyes. He needed to know if his child was alive. Alix could have been in that building at the time of the explosion. “When do we leave?”

—-----

It was past midnight by the time Bond entered Ezra’s flat. One he kept just in case he wanted to visit home every once in a while. The flat was draped in darkness, only a light haze filtering through the blinds from the street lights outside making all the furniture look like shadows. And there was the masculine silhouette. The figure leaned over to turn on a lamp next to him. The room illuminated almost immediately, showing Ezra in a simple t-shirt and pajama pants. He was waiting for Bond to come back.

The man crossed his arms as he looked up at James, eyebrows furrowed. “You took a while. Work out what you needed to?” He asked.

“Worked it out well enough.” James shrugged, a tired look in his eyes. It wasn’t as bad as it was when he was with Ezra. “Look… I need a place to stay. With someone I trust. M sold my apartment because, well, protocol when an agent dies and has no next of kin or anything.” Ezra was one of the only people he’d started to trust that wasn’t exactly in the secret service. Not anymore, at least.

Ezra hummed softly as he stood, glancing down at the wooden floors for a moment. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, 007.” He teased softly, “Can’t have you in a hotel, that would give you away. Hm?”

Three months was enough for the two of them to grow attached. Being attached wasn’t something Bond experienced much but he did live with the man for quite a while. Seeing an agent like Ezra do such mundane things like cook breakfast or come home from shopping was jarring. Bond could barely be at home for a second before he was pulled into another mission, experiencing a simple thing like boredom was refreshing.

“Hm, and… M knows you’re here.” Bond said softly, his ice blue eyes melting. Just a little. His guard was never truly down. Even when Ezra was the only one around for miles.

Ezra chuckled softly, shaking his head. M always knew when he was in London. Or even just in the country, It was like clockwork. Everytime he so much as touched the border, a text message would weasel itself into his phone. On a plane, a boat, or in a car, it didn’t matter where. Ezra was one of M’s favorites.

Bond then quickly added, “She wants you to come in with me. Perhaps get your status back?” He suggested softly. Even if Ezra seemed content with his life, James could tell there was something off. There was always that far away look in his eyes. He yearned for something. To be important again, make a difference in someone’s life. Perhaps take up the mantle of being a weapon used for the greater good.

“Of course she does.” Ezra hummed, forest eyes meeting arctic blue. He pursed his lips, darting his eyes back to a random fixed spot. “When do we start?”

The next morning, the pair were up impeccably early. Something Ezra hadn’t had to do in years but duty calls… They were picked up by a black SUV. Discreet? Not necessarily, but also not out of the ordinary for the streets of London. Would fit in a bit better if it was a cab. Something less official looking. The car turned, heading down a ramp that led underground through a series of different tunnels. Felt more like a kidnapping rather than a welcome home to Ezra. Though, a lot of things in their line of work felt like a kidnapping. Bond and Wayne were somewhat used to it.

Tanner, in the passenger seat of the car, explained their situation. “The assailant hacked into the environmental control system, locked out the safety protocols and turned on the gas. All of which should have been impossible. On top of that, they hacked into her files. They knew her appointments. They knew she’d be out of the building.”

Ezra looked out the window, eyes taking in the brick walls they were driving past. “They weren’t targeting her. They wanted her to see it.” He hummed as he turned his attention back to Tanner.

The car slowed and stopped with a halt. The three men made their way out of the car only to be met with more and more brick. A vault-like enclosure. It looked old but not horribly as to assume it would fall down on top of them at any given moment.

“Where are we, Tanner?” Bond asked, looking around at the walls. They weren’t particularly decorated in any way. Nothing to indicate what they were there for.

Tanner shrugged, a clipboard-like thing in his hand as he led them to a metal door. “New digs. The old building was declared ‘strategically vulnerable.’” He explained as he opened the door.

“That’s putting it mildly.” Bond chuckled softly.

Tanner shook his head with an exasperated sigh. “He was able to breach the most secure computer system in Britain. So we’re on a war footing now.” They stepped through the door only to see a hallway. A corridor, really. It was long and seemed to break off a little down the way. “...This was part of Churchill’s bunker. We’re still discovering tunnels dating back to the 18th century. Quite fascinating, if it wasn’t for the rats.”

“When do we see M?” Ezra asked. He and Bond followed Tanner through the tunnels. Certainly seemed to be from the 18th century.

“You can see M today. Bond, you’ll see M tomorrow. And Mallory too, if you’re lucky.” Tanner hummed, turning slightly so he could see the pair behind him.

Of course Ezra was the only one able to see M as soon as possible. He was her favorite after all. Not that Bond was jealous or anything like that. He wasn’t vying for mom’s attention. He knew his worth to her anyway.

Bond cocked his eyebrow at Tanner. “Who’s Mallory?” It’s been a while since he cared about London news or whoever was elected into office.

“The new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. Charming man. I think you and he are really going to hit it off…” Tanner teased softly, glancing back at the men yet again. “...Welcome to the new MI6.” He said as he turned a corner. It revealed a swarm of people typing away at desks as well as a floor that dropped to reveal networks of old tunnels, catacombs, and chambers. A world underneath London.

Moments later, Ezra and James broke away from each other. Tanner guided Ezra to M’s office… which just happened to be where his desk was as well.

“I see you’ve been well.” M hummed as she looked the man up and down from behind her desk, hands clasped in front of her. Her white hair looked the same as it’s always been, slightly messy but in a purposeful way.

Ezra chuckled, “And you look the same as always.” While Ezra was out of business for quite a few years, he wasn’t the most out of practice… compared to James. Ezra didn’t have a swift end to his career, he didn’t get shot and was suddenly and royally fucked over.

“I hope you know I want you involved in this mission. You and Bond are the only agents I can trust with a job of this caliber. The only ones I know who will see it through. Are you ready for your eval, 009?” M asked with a cock of her eyebrow. She always had the look of a disappointed mother even when complimenting someone.

Ezra clasped his hands behind his back. “Always, ma’am.” He hummed. Going back to his killing machine roots wasn’t on his bucket list but to save lives… he’d do just about anything.

Hearing a pair of footsteps, Ezra looked to the door. His eyes trailed up to the person’s face until he realized. Alix looked different from the last time he saw them. Blonder, shorter hair that framed their face a bit differently than before. Meant to make them look a bit unrecognizable. But Ezra would always recognize his child’s face. He missed them so terribly.

“Hey, dad.” Alix smiled, motioning Ezra to exit the office. They shared a quick hug before they explained, “I’m meant to brief you on everything we know about the bombing.”

Ezra cocked his head, following his child around the new MI6 compound. “They’re making a Q-Branch operative explain our situation? Hm, they really must be desperate.” He teased softly.

Alix rolled their eyes as they handed a paper to Ezra. Fathers loved to make jokes in the worst of times. Not that they really minded. It was nice to have a sense of light in a job all about death. “We’ve attempted to trace the computer message but it was sent by an asymmetrical security algorithm which bounced the signal all over the globe through over a thousand different servers. And now that they’ve accessed M’s codes, it’s only a matter of time before they’re able to decrypt the list.” They explained, looking up at their father. “Me and the rest of the Q-Branch have been analyzing the picture, but so far nothing. General feeling it it’s probably someone from her past. Perhaps when she was running things in Hong Kong. She’s no idea what it all means.” Alix shrugged as Ezra’s eyes scanned the paper. It basically said the same things Alix explained to him, perhaps in a bit more detail.

“You believe that?” Ezra hummed softly as his eyes narrowed at the words in front of him. Right, the signal came from M’s computer. It had to be someone smart, a little too smart for their own good. Someone he was sure would have been recruited by the British Secret Service.

Alix let out a sigh, “Not my place to say. Truth is we don’t have a clue who took the list or what they plan to do with it.” They hummed softly as they stopped walking. “Time for your eval, dad. Good luck.” They winked with a light smile. Alix didn’t have a doubt in the world their father would ace all of the tests they threw at him.

And they were right.

Monitoring Ezra’s heart while running on an inclined treadmill wasn’t the best but it wasn’t as bad as even he would have thought from years away. A series of sit-ups and he didn’t struggle so much. The pull-up bar was similar, barely any struggle at all for that. Gun training, it never left him as much as Ezra would have tried. Hand was steady, aim was impeccable. Each shot ended on either the head of the target or the middle of the figure’s chest.

Then the psych evaluation came.

Ezra entered the interrogation-like room. A one-way mirror and he knew he was being watched. M liked knowing her favorite agents were fit for duty. He could imagine she was one of the many people behind that mirror. An older, kinder looking man sat across him with a few folders on the table.

The doctor rearranged some of the papers and adjusted his glasses as he looked up at Ezra. “I’d like to start with some simple word associations. Just tell me the first word that pops into your head. For example, I might say ‘day’ and you might say–” He paused to let Ezra answer.

“Break.” The brunet man hummed.

The doctor looked back down at the file. It wasn’t like he was hiding it so Ezra took a small glance. Pictures and some details about Ezra’s missions were revealed in the file. Small notes from M as well, it seemed.

“Gun.” The doctor said.

“Tool.”

“Agent.”

“Secretive.”

“Woman.”

“Man.”

“Heart.”

“Strong.”

“Bird.”

“Flight.”

“M.”

“Hardened.”

Mallory tilted his head behind the mirror. Bond’s response was far more… unsavory than Ezra’s. He liked him more already.

“Sunlight.” The doctor continued.

“Bright.”

“Moonlight.”

“Ocean.”

“Murder.”

Ezra let out a light laugh at his first thought. “Opportunity.”

“Country.”

“England.”

“Malvolia.”

Ezra paused, eyes glazing over. Malvolia was a codename for a classified mission. Half the information about it was blacked out. The only few people who knew all of it was Ezra, M, and Tanner. Ezra was captured and tortured for days on end and the mission wasn’t even finished yet. He was half dead by the time the deed was done. A great agent and one bad job drove Ezra into thinking of his retirement plan. At least the asshole he was hunting was dead in the end.

“Finished.”

By the time their tests finished, it was night. Not horrible for tests that took hours. Ezra was sitting by Alix’s desk, getting up to date on all things MI6 from the younger operative. Alix confessed they had a crush on the new Quartermaster. They seemed to be the same age. In their mid-twenties.

“Where’s the shrapnel?” James asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere in just a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. In all honesty, he looked horrible after all the tests.

Ezra had a feeling he knew what James was thinking. “Getting them analyzed, Bond?” He asked as he grabbed a bag from his jacket pocket, handing it over without question. He was going to have them analyzed too but it seemed James beat him to it.

“You know me too well.” James’ tone was teasing with a slight smile at the edges of his lips. With the bag in hand, he immediately made his way to Tanner.

Alix glanced between the two men, a knowing smirk made its way onto their lips. Ezra always had a thing for hopeless men. Perhaps that was why he saved James in the first place. And also James seemed far more open with their father than anything they’ve ever seen or heard of him. Alix was hired far before James ‘died’ but there were exactly zero time they would ever interact with James. The stories Alix heard were enough. His womanizing tendencies.

But they didn’t see that person anymore.

#oc #daniel craig character #daniel craig #james bond #bond movies #007jamesbond #secret agents #secret weapon #spies #spies in love #gay oc

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stoneswept · 5 years

Text

orpheus is 1 ) a pacifist and 2 ) the kind of person who would hurt himself trying to throw a punch but he’s also the kind of idiot who wouldn’t run away from a fight so I am so sorry eurydice you’ve gotta deal with this fool

#♪ ჻ OOC / in the back of your mind. )#I mean he's also a lil oblivious so there's a very good chance he wouldn't notice a fight about to break out #but I was texting alix this morning about how if it's true used to in context being #orpheus basically challenging hades himself #immediately after getting the shit beat out of him by the workers and I just #what a FOOL

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mochinek0 · 2 years

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2021:9-Tears

Lila smiled to herself as she walked up the steps of the school. She had come up with the perfect plan after Adrien made it apparent he was on Marinette's side. She didn't need him; there was bigger fish out there. He was just the prettiest.

"How was your weekend, Lila?" questioned Mylene.

"It was amazing. My boyfriend took me out for dinner." she recalled.

"Boyfriend?" asked Kim.

"Yep." she sighed in fondness, "His name is Damian Wayne. He took me out to get a steak dinner and there was so much left over, I just had to take some home with me."

Marinette, Adiren and Chloe looked at each other, but remained silent. They wouldn't tip her off to anything. She would bury herself and it would be beautiful. Individually, they texted Damian and let him know how happy they were to hear about his date the night before.

Lila stood outside the school, center of attention, proud she of what she had accomplished. She regaled her court with stories that they could only dream of. Chloe smiled to herself as she watched Damian park his car. She couldn't wait to see Lila bury herself, but it couldn't hurt to nudge things along, right?

"What resturant did he take you to?" she questioned, "I don't think you mentioned it."

Lila smiled at the thought of gaining Chloe's attention, "He took me to the Eiffel Tower. He said the cost was nothing to him; he wanted me to know how special I was to him."

"What did you eat?" Adrien asked, catching Damian's eye.

"I had a medium rare filet mignon with a cauliflower risotto. My Damiboo had beef tartare with couscous." Lila smiled, faking a memory, "He paid extra for them to bring out glasses of red wine for each of us."

Some people in the back of the crowd looked confused and looked around, noticing the other confused expressions.

'Wasn't the Eiffel Tower known for it's seafood?'

"It sounds so romantic!" Rose squealed.

"It sounds like complete and utter bullshit." A voice spoke, from behind.

Lila's group turned to see a guy around their age with jet black hair, olive skin, and piercing green eyes and he didn't look happy. Immediately, Lila took a step back and her subjects were quick to guard her. She covered her face and smiled and she brought out the fake tears.

'This is just too easy.'

"Why are you being so mean to me?" she sobbed, making herself look like the victim.

The boy held out a sealed envelope for her to take and spoke, "I decided to deliver this is person. This is a lawsuit for defamation, slander, identity theft, thievery, and for the sum of $10,000."

"What?" she shouted, ripping the envelope from his grasp, not even hiding the fact she hadn't been crying a moment ago.

"I called around. It seems you have dropped my name quite often. Once, I stated that I had no idea who you were, they were quite eager to learn where they would be getting their money from." he continued, not letting anyone speak, "Bourgeois, Agreste; you have my thanks."

The class turned to see Chloe and Adrien fist bumping with a smile.

Chloe smiled at their confused faces, but most of all Lila's, "Don't you recognize your own 'boyfriend' when you see him, Rossi? Damian Wayne has been spending time at Daddy's hotel for the last two weeks."

Lila felt her mouth dry out, as she hugged the envelope closer to her chest. She had no idea what to say or how she would get out of this mess.

"I don't like my beliefs being called into question." Damian declared.

"What do you mean?" questioned Alix, being the brave one to ask questions.

Damian Wayne walked past them and brought Marinette into his arms, before kissing her. No one was sure how to respond to that. Marinette would have called out Lila for lying, right? She would have told them she had a boyfriend!

"I missed you, Angel." Damian spoke.

Marinette giggled and remained comfortably in his arms, "You saw me yesterday."

"Wait! What?" spoke up Nathaniel.

Mari smiled at them, resting peacefully against the youngest Wayne, "You see, Lila, Damian is a known animal activist and vegetarian. There is no way he would order beef tartare. Besides, My Demon is Arabic; it's against his religion to consume beef."

"The last time someone tried to order for me, I threw the meal in their face and thanked them for wasting my precious time." Damian declared.

Marinette smiled, "He even saved a cow from a slaughterhouse and kept it as his pet. There's no way anyone would ever catch him eating beef."

"Since, I am here early, how about a movie?" the Wayne heir asked.

"I'd love that." the deisgner smiled.

Chloe and Adrien side-eyed each other, as the newly announced couple drove off, before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, my god!" Chloe laughed, "Their faces!"

"I know!" Adrien laugh, clutching his stomach.

Chloe looked at their shocked faces and smiled, "It, what, only took them three years and a lawsuit to figure out that Rossi was full of shit? Let's go, Adrikins. We must celebrate this victory!"

Adrien wiped his tears away and smiled, "We really should. I'll call Mari and see if she want to celebrate today or tomorrow."

"Perfect. She can invite Wayne." the Bourgeois' heiress commented.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to catch up with him." the Agreste heir spoke.

"Nice?" She scoffed, "Seriously? You're calling the Ice Prince of Gotham, nice?"

"Mari will be there to thaw him out. They don't call her the Sunshine Princess for nothing." he answered, "Besides, he is great at fencing. I'm hoping he can give me some tips to one up Kagami."

"Be a man and fight your girlfriend without cheating." Chloe remarked.

"Her mother is an Olympic champion and so is she! Let me have my win!" he demanded, as they walked away from the school.

Their classmates turned to get an answer from Lila about what they just witnessed, but she was gone. None of them had noticed her sneaking away from behind the scenes. Lila lied to them about dating Damian Wayne; they finally questioned, what else had she lied about?

@maribat-calendar-events

PERMANENT TAG LIST: @animeweebgirl @abrx2002 @animegirlweeb @meme991001 @saltymiraculer @marveldcedits20 @09shell-sea09 @blueblossombliss @vixen-uchiha @alysrose-starchild @nickristus-dreamer @fandom-trapped-03 @dood-space @moonlightstar64 @icerosecrystal @insane-fangirl-of-everything @thepaceperson

#daminettedec21 #daminette #damian x marinette #marinette x damian #damian wayne #marinette dupain cheng #lila rossi #lila lies #truth revealed #adrien agreste #chloe bourgeois #best friends #adrigami #adrienette #adrien x chloe #tears #tears of laughter

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mushroommushy · 2 years

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Prompt Idea: Lila is lying about dating cool older brother of Juleka which is making Alix mad. Nobody knows about Alix and Luka dating yet

Ok I’m gonna go with no one knowing besides Juleka. Because I highly doubt that Luka would keep that from her. Plus there’s no way they don’t cuddle at the boat.

———————————————————————

Alix wasn’t really paying attention to whatever Lila was talking about at the moment. She knew whatever came out of that girls mouth was just lies, thanks to the burrow. She was questioning her friend’s intelligence at this point. They all know how careful Ladybug is with identities and never talks to civilians. Plus, how would Lila have known her on the day she moved to Paris. Ladybug doesn’t welcome people to Paris and she didn’t go to Italy either.

She continued sketching down ideas for the newest kitty section album that Luka had requested her to do, mostly tuning everything out. That is until she heard Luka’s name he mentioned. It was Lila who had mentioned it. “Yeah, I just started dating Luka Couffaine, Kitty Sections lead guitarist. He’s in our school as an upper class men.” Alix narrowed her eyes in disgust. Just last week she had supposedly been with XY, until a sudden “fall out” she didn’t want to talk about. Yeah right, she just wanted attention and pity from the class.

Juleka had narrowed her eyes as well, frowning. “Luka didn’t mention about having a new girlfriend. Plus I highly doubt your actually with him. I won’t say names since they don’t want others to know about their relationship yet, but he’s dating someone and it isn’t you.” A few of her classmates murmured, while Lila had a nervous look on her face. “Oh Juleka, thank you for trying to stay by your promise but me and Luka talked about it, we’re ok with being public now!”

Alix was seething, gripping her pencil so tightly she was close to breaking it. First this bitch had tried lying about being related to her dead mother and just barely managed to get it passed off as a misunderstanding with another person of the same name. Now she’s lying about dating her boyfriend and she was getting very close to breaking her nose. It’s not like she’d get in trouble. All she’d need to do was offer up the security footage of Lila bullying Marinette and sabotaging her and she’d walk away punishment free.

Juleka had sat down and was now texting away at her phone, her eye twitching. Lila took that as a sign to make her situation even worse for herself. “We went on a really romantic date yesterday too! He took me down on a walk by the seine. I even get VIP tickets to concerts and I’m sure I could get you all some too..”

Alix was inches away from leaping out of her seat to break her face with a well placed kick when the door was opened. A calm voice spoke with anger being detectable just underneath. “I don’t appreciate being lied about. Especially when it hurts the relationship I’m currently in.” Luka, as was his nature kept his cool. But you could tell by tone he was not amused. Alix relaxed visibly, a small smile now on her face. She knew Luka would handle much easier then she could.

Lila laughed nervously, “Oh, hi ba-” Luka cut her off immediately. “Enough. I am not your boyfriend, we never will be. I did not take you on a date, I took my actually girlfriend on a date yesterday and it was quite lovely. If one things for certain, you’ll hereby banned from any of my concerts. I’ll speak to my father about banning you from his as well, which I’m sure he’ll be open to as he’s quite fond of my girlfriend and doesn’t take slander very well.”

“I’m not going to say names, because while I’m comfortable with it being public after this kind of incident, I don’t know if she is or not.” Alix gave a playful smile, making her decision right then and there. “I’m fine with it.” She called out, head resting on her hands. Luka looked back at Alix with a smile, light blush on his face before turning to Lila again. “There you have it. I have to go back to class but don’t think I’m done with you’re punishment. I’m sure Alix will have some things to say as well. Good day.” At that, he left the room with Alix in a much better mood.

#Lukalix #Luka Couffaine #Juleka Couffaine #Alix Kubdel #Lila Rossi #Lila Rossi bashing #Lila Rossi exposed #Prompts

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