#''don't you want to start a family?''

[uovoc]

This panel is so funny in retrospect. Imagine the girl next door casually announces that she's going to become a god

#lanxi zhen #legend of hei #''don't you want to start a family?'' #''girl she's not even a mortal anymore...''

[redysetdare]

All this aroace character shipcourse has proven to me that a majority of people that interact in fandom cannot actually interact with characters and media outside of shipping and genuinely I believe you need to learn how to interact with media outside of shipping.

#text #fandom #aro #ace #aroace #aromantic #asexual #this became extremely obvious with Encanto - where the main message of the movie was ignored #and people were so desperate for shipping they started shipping background characters or even the family members....eugh #like at some point you must understand your inability to interact with media outside of a narrow romantic scope is an actual problem #at some point you need to accept you don't ACTUALLY like the media you're interacting with #like genuinely can you say anything else that you like about a piece of media besides the fact you want two characters to kiss? #genuinely i do believe the way some of you interact with things needs to change because it's made fandom spaces literally unbearable #also it has severely limited some of your guy's critical thinking skills #if you want content based around shipping then look at the romance genre it's literally right there for this very reason #shipping just needs to stop dominating fandom discussions and interactions. shipping should not be the main focus of every genre ever ffs #that or y'all need to literally start tagging your shit so that people can actually block it out and find the posts that they want to see

[bixels]

So i have a small nicpic i wanted to share with you about your interpretation of spike in the au and i want to make two things clear before i talk

1) i havent watch the series for a little while as of now so i might be misnterpreting a aspect of this chatacter that might have never been there and only apeared in fan content and personal interpretation (since that whats been keeping me on the fandom)

2) this is not a big problem about the au i matured enough to not get angry at a interpretation of a fictional charater

Now here i go

I feel spike being the same race as the rest of his familie makes him lose a part of his character that might have not been central but was still something interesting about him and is the idea of not mayhering how diferent he looked from his adoptive family (and his cominty as a whole) he was he was still seen as part of it

Again this isnt a big problem with the au as a whole its just a small nicpic that i have about the au and its not going to make me hate the au

This was just my opinion that i wanted to share and im interested to know your opinion about what i said

I understand this criticism and agree that having Simon/Spike be a different race than Thea could speak to their relationship in the original show.

My reasoning for designing them both to be African American is this. I believe Simon's adoption is enough to explore the feelings of separation and exclusion he may have with Thea and her family. The original show doesn't bring up Twilight and Spike's racial differences much because they originally didn't consider Spike to be a part of Twilight's family. As far as I know, there's no moment where someone says, "Wow! You're telling me you're related to Twilight Sparkle? But you look nothing alike!" because Spike was more so Twilights... familiar than anything.

Later episodes that explore their familial dynamic poses the conflict through Spike's adoption. There's one episode where Spike's "biological father" returns, and Spike accuses Twilight of not being his real family, which breaks her heart. There's another that delves deep into Spike's feelings of exclusion from Twilight and Shining Armor's siblinghood. Basically, in discussions of family dynamics, the show places more emphasis on Spike's identity as an adopted sibling rather than a dragon.

I really do believe a multiracial family would be good representation, but the racial dynamics would not be something I'd be interested in getting into. That's not to say I find real multiracial families problematic or uninteresting or unappealing or unimportant. I just wouldn't be interested in having to explain in-text that Simon (non-black) and Thea (black) are related over and over; it would grow tedious. It adds an extra level of writing complication and opens up racial discourse (discourse that I feel is unrelated to their relationship in the original show) that I don't want to concern myself with, especially because I have no experience in navigating such discourse.

#ask me #anon #i hope this makes sense #tldr i think having human twilight + spike be different races is a good idea #but the decision to do that would complicate their relationship in ways the og show didn't regard #and would start in-universe racial discourse that i don't think is necessary to get into #i think the struggle is a valid and real struggle. but i personally don't have much to say about the social politics of multiracial familie #because i know nothing about what it's like to be in one #also you can 100% bring up moments that touched on race/multiracialness between twilight and spike in the show #because i know they're there #there's a lot of casual racism in the show overall #but it's not something i'd want to explore in this particular au #it's not a conflict that i think is necessary between twilight and spike #but you're more than welcome to disagree

[averlym]

litany of the martyrs (click for better resolution!)

#at some point i wanted to make an illustration for each character but in retrospect maybe each is multiple song-coded.. #drew the sketch for a quincy thing after a chat with a mutual reminded me this song existed dfsghjkl and then spent weeks rendering this #quincy cynthius martin #adamandi #i'm finally done with this! the saints especially were joys to paint and the halo a menace.... this has been the most ambitious one so far. #but it also took quite long because i only worked on it <engages with quincy> when mentally okay to deal with the themes. i'm not religious #but i do identify with the irrational(?ish) guilt + family legacy + academic achievement + disregard for self. also more complex thoughts #about love [but depsite quincent being a large part of quincy's character this piece deals with mostly the Rest of it. so another time..] #anyways! in the original sketch- the saints had heads bent towards quincy so the halo spikes pointed at him. but this worked better! halos #of the saints implying/creating one for quincy was a concept from the start though. in the show they don't touch him directly here but #differences in mediums i think- i don't have time in an image to craft a narrative so everything has to be happening. also artistic liberty #misc inspiration for this includes stained glass windows. i might have maybe misinterpreted the saint costume but i think i logic-ed it out #as the cloth part following a nun's habit w the hood. and then halo above. the material is also more transparent originally but i had. um. #too much fun painting fabric folds.. if you look closely you can see the basis of faces though behind the cloth; but only the vague shapes #because smth obscurity + inhumanness// cassian is the only one i gave a mouth though. that stems from melliot's post about the saints and #st cassian as spokesperson (<- did research teehee!) that's also how i found out which costume = which saint. speaking of which. #left to right: 'st lucy take my hand' // 'st lawrence give me strength' (presses quincy forward; but hand on shoulder connotates guidance) #/'st cassian help me smile' (quincy's mouth is btwn a grimace and a smile; tilts up at side. also no direct touch bc added insidiousness.) #//'st jude [...] i hope your causes burn' (jude's hand is in two places to show movement- nearing the flame and then snatching back; burnt) #other notes: at the midst of the flame the core is shaped like a human heart /the saints and their wax are all melting like the candle for #fun visual effect and also this way they are even less tangible <real>. perks of painting as a medium i guess. // also insp from icarus? #wax and burning imagery; looking at the halo and rays as parallel to sun that burns. too close to the sun; melting; hurting; hurtling // #candles at bottom are a nod to the frankly gorgeous set// also the entire composition kind of stems from the lyric <what use is a candle if #both ends aren't burning>; the two sides between the concepts of catholic guilt and academic perfection that spur quincy #the halo above (saints and guilt; litanyofthemartyrs) and the 'halo' below (academic papers; insp from choreo for perfect at school) #the papers were originally supposed to be more glowy. but i like the idea of it now being a reflection of how quincy's priorities shift #also of note is that <candle> in centre = quincy; w burning candle + aforementioned heart in flame -> most human; idea of love + passion #last thoughts: kneeling + hands close tgt = prayer //wax dripping onto the red As make an effect that looks like blood. because i like #hiding that within the adamandi pieces :OO continuity!! // i've run out of tags but yeah! had fun with this one! every so often i go a #little insane in making art and the final result astounds even me. ngl i'm quite proud of this one. pretty colours <3333

[muninnhuginn]

The Anya-Twilight interaction in the middle of this chapter is pretty interesting.

The Anya side of this interaction seems clear enough in that she's trying to obfuscate when asked about her exposure to classical language. The fact we don't see her face as she claims she doesn't remember makes me think she very possibly *does*, but doesn't want to talk about it. And, of course, as I've seen pointed out already, her face when she's first asked is very reminiscent of how she looks in the recent 'Ania' short chapter. She has thoughts/feelings about her past and they've clearly affected her, but they're not for the audience to see yet.

However, the Twilight side of this? I'm a bit stunned at how obviously he does not want to be asking this question of Anya. We know he's considered there's some reason in her past for her knowledge of classical language. We know he's a chronic overthinker. Even last chapter, he was thinking of this, but didn't ask. Anya getting second place though basically removes any plausible deniability. If he doesn't ask now, he's neglecting his duty. But still, he has to work up to it, almost leaves the room before he decides to broach the topic, and when he does, he *mumbles* it. Twilight doesn't really *act* with Anya when it's just them. His mumbling is not an act; it's reluctance.

His reluctance to ask the question of Anya is, in some ways, more egregious than how easily he drops the topic once Anya claims she doesn't remember. Not pushing her further and bringing the topic up later is a valid tactic (and likely one we may see), but we can see that he knows there's more to it. Unlike the audience, he can see her face, after all. And for now, he's indicated he won't push further despite that knowledge. By choosing to back off and patting Anya instead, he's (in a very low-key way admittedly) prioritising Anya over the mission.

It's just so neat how this one interaction showcases so much about the both of them. It hammers in Anya's trauma about her past, without spelling it out in words, but at the same time, it shows how Twilight's approach to fatherhood vs his mission are coming increasingly into conflict. We've had something similar on a larger scale with the recent Yuri-mole arc, with his role as Yor's spouse vs the mission, but it's still playing out on a smaller scale in scenes like this. And it's fascinating how the mission isn't always the clear-cut winner anymore. Sure, early on, we had Twilight sabotaging the Eden entry interview, but that was a moment of passion inspired by his whole "not wanting children to cry" deal. In other words, fuelled by some of his own trauma. In the recent chapters though, he's had time to think and justify before he acts. But the pendulum is still swinging towards his family when given the chance.

#spy x family #sxf manga spoilers #admittedly whilst I like that he's starting to choose his family more I think sxf has a more nuanced approach to the whole deal #if you spend your time saving the world but not your family then you're still neglecting them. And on the other side #if you say you want to be there for your family bc you don't want to see children cry? Well if there's war then your family will suffer #sxf seems to push for the idea that these two wings should work in tandem. it's not being there for your family OR working for world peace #one doesn't work without the other. and yeah they're on two entirely different scales of magnitude if you take a step back but #they feed into each other? the mission IS important (war would tear apart families) but so is being there WITH them.

[bruhstation]

you deserved better from me than an oversized uniform and a world full of troubles

#this is tugs #tugs zorran #tugs zip #fortezza bigg city #senjart #quick doodle before bed (1 am) #when you're only 18 and got force-fed a world full of crime and shady hard-to-trust folks #and the middle aged man that you adore and treat as a paragon of salvation is distant and cannot love you ''normally'' #while the person that berates you is the one that genuinely loves you but your brain automatically registers any ''insult'' as ''bad'' #and you don't know that he cares for you #family'd so hard they started to develop genuine traditional family problems #we're not beating the complicated doomed familyhood allegations with this one 😂😂😂 #the faint ''have to'' in the background is like. #''do I care for you because my boss handed you to me as part of my duty'' #vs #''do I care for you because I don't want you to end up like me even though I am NOT warm or nice'' #also them without their hats. the one thing all z-stacks have in common that indicates them being from the same group #theres lots of details and themes and whatnot in this doodle but my brain is a mush..... erm..... have fun staring #(fixes my glasses and grins like an ape)

[unforth]

@esper-aroon has enabled me, so here let me scream at y'all about The Imperial Uncle.

Okay, so I recently read The Imperial Uncle (Huang Shu) by Da Feng Gua Guo from Peach Flower House and I really loved it??? It's first person pov, mlm, about the Emperor's uncle Jing Chengjun, who is mistrusted by everyone simply because of who his parents were and his position, and so he's basically given up on trying to convince people that he's actually a nice, decent person without ulterior motives. He's super trapped by his position, and there's so much he can't say and do, and he's also a hopeless romantic, like, from his own mouth all he really wants is to sleep beside and wake up next to someone who actually gives a shit about him, and even that is basically out of reach in his life. Like, the book starts with his wife (who he has never once had sex with) storming into a meeting he's having and announcing he's a cuckold and she's pregnant.

But also, this poor bastard really thinks he knows what's going on and his very smart. Very unreliable narrator. He's actually kinda a hilarious, impulsive himbo. But the TL:DR is that his loneliness and isolation and the extent to which he's politically trapped routinely lead him to make absolutely terrible decisions.

E. Danglar's translation is absolutely gorgeous, too, and... idk, if you love political plots, melodramatic idiot main characters, a dose of pining, and a slow burn that eventually pays off, come take a look??? (some people think it's a love triangle??? idk, I never really got that vibe, I never felt it was really in doubt which of the two potential dudes he'd end up with, but maybe I only feel that way because I got it right, lmao).

Anyway, I can't stop thinking about how these two idiots end up finally finding each other and getting together, and I have an entire AU in my head (a modern corporate one) and part of another (canon divergent from like a decade before the book starts), and I just want people to love this book as much as I did and scream with me about it.

#unforth rambles #da feng gua guo #the imperial uncle #huang shu #the first au is jing chengjun and li ransi meet and have a fling during a vacation #and then find out that they work for the same company #hijinks ensue #the other is an au that starts with what if jing chengjun's father had actually been accused and convicted of treason #whether he was guilty or not #and his family was sentenced to death #but because jing chengjun is a youth he is instead made into a eunuch and forced into servitude to the imperial family #i know it's a stretch that someone of his stature would be treated that way instead of killed or sold off as a slave #i just don't care #anyway he's given awful jobs at first and they leave him weak and sickly but eventually it because clear he really isn't a threat #and he's allowed to help raise the princes in the next generation including the crown prince #and he also gets to know the other young people around the palace but as a subservient slightly older person #instead of as their elder of higher rank #and then liu tongyi is like okay so everyone thinks you're useless do you want to be a spy for me and help me uncover treason #and he's like FUCK YEAH #and love unfolds from there ofc

[musicalchaos07]

No you don't understand Jonathan has to break the cycle or else what the fuck was the point

#like you don't get it Will wasn't parentfied that's not part of his story #that's why Jonathan has to go to college #or they've just fucking wasted an amazing character for no reason #he had to start living for himself that's his happy ending #and OF COURSE it includes his family but he deserves to be his own person #and want his own wants without feeling guilty #like he can't just d word that's so unsatisfying #ALSO HE HAS TO GROW UP SO THAT WILL CAN #like it's a dominoes #.... ok now I'm done #if i wake up haters i will be blocking #jonathan byers #stranger things

[joyflameball]

What in the goddamn did they put in Don't Starve to weave so much grief throughout it. I know I've posted about this before but I can't shut up about it. There's so much grief permeating so much of it, so many characters. Grief in the loss of a loved one. Grief in the loss of home. Grief in the loss of yourself. I'm gonna throw up

#cassie rambles #dst #don't starve #i'm serious when i say the grief is everywhere #you could run into it out of nowhere. but you'll run into it. it's unavoidable. #there's grief with charlie. in the loss of who she was #in how winona came to the constant to find a dead woman. one who's just a flicker of who she was. who can never become her past self again. #in how wx destroyed their past self lost their friendship with wagstaff and hated feeling about it so much they tried to destroy that too #and they couldn't. they clearly couldn't. #there's grief in wendy with how she lost her beloved sister and fell into horrifyingly and heartbreakingly deep depths of depression #grief with webber losing his family because he wanted their attention #grief with wigfrid losing herself because nobody wanted her until she was the valkyrie #grief in how warly just wanted his mother to remember him. and now he'll most likely never see her again. she won't even remember his name #grief in maxwell. in how he destroyed his past self because of his desire for power. in how that power started to destroy him too. #and in how that power imprisoned and tormented both him and his love. changing them both forever. #I'M GONNA EAT GLASS #THIS IS THE SAME GAME WHERE THE MAIN CHARACTER SAYS LINES LIKE ''LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE GONE FROM DAPPER TO SLAPPER'' WHY IS IT MAKING ME SO SAD

[beeholyshit]

FREE DAY!!!

So young and happy ❤️

#(🍰) *⁠.⁠✧ — Maroon #(☆) ｡⁠.ﾟ—⁠ Silver #pokespe parents #I came back home late so I made the first thing that came to my mind #I don't even know If I would be able to make the other for tomorrow bc #looks at commissions and unfinished gifts #yes #BUT ANYWAYS #small Silbebe. Maroon is so proud of her little wiwi #me thinking how when he was just a baby Giovanni just let her babysit (before they were. you know) #she was so happy to take care of that little kid #because you know how she really WANTED with her life to have kids and just a happy family and leave in peace #and knowing she isn't able to have kids Silver was like a miracle to her when Givanni started coming to the restaurant with the bebe #and even if Silver doesn't remember any of these I think that sometimes smell Maroon's food makes him feel nostalgic #because she needed to keep an eye on the baby but still work at the restaurant so #wiwiwi.... #SpeSilverWeek #pokespe #🖍️ —⁠ Silly doodles

[asktheremnantsaskblog]

It's not a matter of how you look mike, it's a matter of how you act. Or at least people's understanding of how you act. You're so brave, facing your own father again and again knowing full well what he's capable of. You're smart, having enlisted/been enlisted by the right help to trap him. You're strong, continuing to fight even after being beaten down.

William always comes back, but you've always been there.

Williams fans like him for his looks and the persona he projects, not who he is or what he's done. Your fans love and adoration runs deeper then anything any fan of William feels. You're better then him, even if he's convinced you You're the same.

Also, stop acting like having him as a father defines you, you dumbass! Having him as a foe defines who you are far more then anything he's done as a parent! The only things that define you are your own actions, your own intentions and your own responses. You're amazing, despite your one major mistake, or perhaps because of what that mistake did to you.

(He's really bad at receiving any sort of compliment. This is him trying his best. Mike does appreciate it a lot tho.)

#Michael afton #william afton #fnaf #five nights at freddys #ask the remnants #fnaf ask blog #ask #ask blog #atr #fnaf comic #afton family #to the william fans: I don't share the opinions of the first anon #they've got a right to believe what they want #just know I'm not trying to put you down #i don't want to start drama between anyone

[taegularities]

some men are textbook villains fr

#tw religion? #kinda need to rant.. kinda wanna explain what's going on #some ppl are part of humanity but don't know how to be humane... like the guy i started talking to almost 2 weeks ago #liked him a lot bc he was funny sickeningly sweet mature and understanding.. until he was not #tl dr version is that we somehow drifted to the topic religion and i told him im not too religious and don't believe in superstition much #i was extremely respectful and even when he said that he does believe a lot i was like 'thats cool!! different people believe in different #things!!' and at first it was a normal convo until man went all psycho on me (after one damn week!!!) and started talking about how #id have to be religious in a relationship with him.. my dude i barely know your fav food can we not talk about relationships yet #but he says he doesn't even need a woman who cooks/cleans just someone who believes.. n im like i get it but i can't change myself like that #and then guy moves to marriage and is all 'well my entire family is religious' n my mom and sister (who's 16) would be putting pressure on #you n force you to pray etc.. and I'm like???? who can force anyone to a thing like that are u kidding #things escalate and my absolute STUPID ass tells him about my deepest fkn trauma to explain what made me abandon religion bc #life just never got better and this trauma remained for yrs... and he gets so angry that he says he wants to stop talking to me just to spam #me all day next day.. he'd keep messaging me switching between 'i still want you we shouldn't throw this away i have feelings for you' #AFTER A WEEEEEEKKKK!!! and then goes back to 'i wasted my time with you you were so unnecessary im in a bad mood bc of you' #even said 'you'll never find a guy with a trauma and mindset like this. i will find a religious girl but no one will love you like that' #and the worst thing is that he told his friends and mom about the trauma i had just to spite me.. note that he promised to never tell anyone #(and then still asked for forgiveness and for me to rethink whether we want to end this after telling me 473626x he wanted to end it) #(nothing even ever started you bitchass) #also note that his mom knows my mom n basically most of my relatives.. so i was here trembling for days fearing they'd get to know about it #mom somehow convinced her to not tell anyone bc it's important to me and very very fucking personal.. #but he harassed me all day - i wouldn't answer and he'd send 55 messages.. multiple missed calls like dude i got so fkn scared #my heart jumped whenever he texted he was so fkn aggressive and SO MEAN #'you just needed to adjust and we would've been okay' 'tell me are u gonna fkn be religious or not????' 'you ruined everything' kinda mean #i just :') it was the worst time and i don't think i've ever seen someone degrade me so much or make me feel this defective #but.. it's finally over. his mom called my mom and mine was like pls teach him some manners.. n since i couldn't and wouldn't text him back #and literally avoided whatsapp bc of him she ended it all for me and now it's hopefully done forever #anyway i saw jks gcf performance yday n him singing still with you put a genuine smile on my face.. ill stick to THAT boyfriend honestly lol #def gonna delete later #but ty for reading if u did <3

[transvampireboyfriend]

while I do appreciate survivors owning their stories when exposing the abuse that takes place in cults, I really wish the mainstream media around it spent more time focusing on how they got out and how they found light and love in the outside world and how it was hard as fuck too. I wish they spent less time rehashing the abuse and more time in the repercussions of that abuse and how they live with trauma.

#lazwatches #watched that duggar family documentary and there are many flawas with it ofc but mainly i was disappointed in the fact that #i could see in all of them such a spark. a real need to tell their story and to tell it in a way that would say you can beat this. #people inside CAN get out. especially Tia with that quote at the end saying the universe catches you #i wanted to hear so much more about that. #but ep after ep it was just seeing Jill get put in front of a camera again and asked to say something for the producers behind it #so disheartening #from the very start she was like i kinda don't wanna talk about it and then she had to talk about it non-stop. jesus #i could practically hear the prompting when she said ''yeah. i would say we were taken advantage of'' #makes me.furious #i hope she never has to do it again #microblogging #.

[feline-evil]

Dick or no dick confirmation Pickles was always going to be trans to me anyways; if he's swingin' somethin that's phallo babes, if he's not then his t-dick fat. What's not to get.

#metalocalypse #jay talkin #I'm sorry they wrote that awful gross little man far too likeable and relatable to on a trans level #for me not to hoot and holler and cheer for the trans pickles agenda #changes nothing about his character arc or any of the show anyone is capable of being the kind of person he is #don't make the mistake of thinking thats exclusive to cis men #his transness wouldnt change that #only adds on an extra layer to him that i think works fantastically. #Listen that dude was rejected by his family driven to drink and drugs young to escape that ran away to be in a band #is called fucking Pickles of all things and refuses to tell anyone his real last name; #over the span of four seasons and two movies he slowly starts to learn to be for others what he never had #he becomes more caring more supportive #it's not a stretch to say he undoes some of the toxic masculinity he's been keeping himself shielded behind #and learns how to be a kinder man. #all of which have no contradictions with him being trans! #In fact it doesn't take much extra thought to find ways a lot of this can line up with some trans masculine experiences #i mean. Did no one else have a younger phase where they swung as far as they could into crass rude and uncaring ways #to try and assert their masculinity only to grow and realise that you can be a man and be more caring. #Did no one else have father issues. 1 800 come on now i know those are both shared experiences a lot of us have had LOL. #at the end of the day this show aired nearly 20 years ago and is finished. we're not getting more of it #so nothing is altered nor changed if pickles is canonically trans or not ok. its fine #i mean hell i dont even need canon confirmation hes trans to me and thats all i care abt #but i think if yr getting suuuuuper weird abt needing him not to be canonically trans you have some issues #and bio essentialist ideals of gender if you think only a cis man can act like he does #again. anyone can be like that. its not exclusive. him being trans would not change him in any way shape or form lol #AND ALSO GODDDUUUGH for once i love getting to see a guy pushing 50 whos depicted as trans #do you have any idea how dire and barren it is out here. we never get to see a trans guy older than 30 and whos not a pristine model #I WANT MORE OLD SHLUBBY SHITHEAD TRANS GUYS IN MEDIA

[yolomichaelz95]

Drew Reimu and Yuuka 'w' "Sex ed with Yuuka Kazami". An odd topic perhaps, but it's my tumblr and I put whatever I want on it~

#drawing #fanart #touhou #reimu hakurei #yuuka kazami #I don't want to be pidgeonholed into being completely “family friendly” you see #it was starting to take too long #so kinda rushed the bg

[rosie-b]

🦮 fill this empty space (ask game)

(link to the summary)

This turned out to be... longer than a snippet, and like the summary, angstier than I expected. It's been that kind of week ig! But there's a promising ending because I needed one :)

It had been a warm summer day when the old Marinette died.

The new Marinette woke up surrounded by golden light, soft, green grass, and the soft murmurings of a stream in northern France. It was perhaps the best way for her rebirth to happen, in a calm, relaxing environment far from the place she somehow knew was home.

She met her family there. They already knew her, and called her "maman," or "ma femme," or "my lady."

Marinette was no one's lady. She never had been, but according to video evidence and the testimony of her husband and children and best friend, that was one of the many roles her past self had filled.

Marinette did not know how to fill any of those old roles anymore. But because of the secret, magical way she'd chosen to lose her memories, she couldn't let anyone know this fact. She had to study years worth of business lessons in mere weeks, preparing for her return to Paris and the international company she would soon be in charge of running again.

At least her past self had accounted for this new Marinette's incompetence. But no one else seemed to see that she wasn't the same woman she had been once, back when a kwami lived in her purse and villains of the day (and year) kept plaguing Paris.

Adrien, the man past-Marinette had married, professed to still be in love with her. He saw some of the differences between the new Marinette and the old one, but claimed they weren't nearly as big as Marinette thought they were. And he chose to spend most of his time around her, so maybe he was right. He whispered praises for each small thing she did, both when they were alone and in public; took the time to learn her new habits; made her fresh coffee for when she woke up two hours after he did; stayed out of her bed to help her feel comfortable.

Marinette could see why her past self had loved him. It was something both halves of her were beginning to share, a love for this man who found a way to bring joy to her life even when it had been turned upside down.

But it didn't change the fact that the new Marinette was not the same woman he'd married. That fact was written into the vows Adrien and the past Marinette had exchanged; the way they had split up their chores; the daily schedule that Adrien still remembered while the new Marinette did not.

To Marinette, this new self of hers was nothing more than a facade made to cover the void her past self had left behind. She was thirty years old and as empty inside as a newborn baby, with no memories to guide her through this unfamiliar world.

Marinette was an icon, the magazines said. A paragon of virtue in an age of corruption, one half of both Paris' favorite couples, a woman who managed to be a world-famous CEO and an attentive mother at the same time.

That wasn't the new Marinette's reality. She didn't even know her children's middle names, though she was learning their favorite desserts, sports, and hobbies.

Most days, it was like learning a foreign language, and it felt just as isolating when she got something wrong or tried to remember something she thought she knew but actually didn't. Sometimes, this new life of hers was crushing, a drain on her already empty self, taking the last bit of Marinette out of her.

But not always.

As out of place as Marinette felt in her own life, the people in it still felt right somehow. They'd been there for her when she woke up; they were there to hug and comfort her when she cried in the night, to help teach her about her own life and tell her about theirs, and to listen when she said she felt different. They loved her, that much was clear, and they promised to love her no matter which Marinette she was; the old one with all her memories or the new one just fumbling through life.

And somehow, even though she claimed not to feel anything more for them than for other strangers at first, Marinette still loved them back. Their presence soothed the ache she felt in her chest, the one she felt when she couldn't remember, and she found herself more than missing them when they weren't there. She looked forward to hearing about their day, to learning their middle names; she held on to the facts they told her about themselves like sweet gifts of gold and honey, like they were all she needed to survive, to fill the empty space her memories had left behind.

The new Marinette was not the old one, and she never would be.

But maybe that was okay. The new Marinette had her own space, too; it began here, in this remote, rural town near the seashore, and it would expand back to Paris, to the place where the old Marinette had lived.

Marinette's home had always been her family, the people she loved. That was something she knew without having to remember it, and something she was more sure of every day.

So she studied the journals her past self had written, re-learned how to design, baked bread beside Adrien, sang songs with her children and stayed by their side. If her mind was an empty slate, then she was going to fill it with love, the same love she'd chosen before and was choosing again.

And someday, this new Marinette would feel whole again.

Thanks for the ask! I hope you enjoyed <3

#ask game #anon #sooo some backstory #this au takes place in the future obviously #after adrien and marinette got married and had those three or four kids they want #marinette didn't want to give up her memories #but they finally got all the miraculous back and the celestial guardian said she had to #(i don't usually vibe with that happening but hhhh it's been a week) #so marinette picked a time and place where she'd feel safest giving up her memories and took her family with her on vacation #gave up the guardianship and gave herself the rest of the vacation to figure out what exactly she'd forgotten and who she is #she doesn't have to stay with adrien and the kids. like they accepted she might want to leave #and sometimes she wants to #but ultimately she's choosing them and they're choosing her and she's starting again #as a new Marinette and as the old one who still lives in her even if she can't see it herself #she's always Marinette and she will always have a place in the world and with her family #ps: if you are still reading. let me know if I should put this on ao3 or not ^^ #rosie-b writing #adrinette #ml au #ml fanfic