#I just like anything that has to be with secret identities and double lives you can draw a line throughout all my fandoms genuinely

[listentothelittlebird]

HELLO TELL ME YOU'RE NOT AN ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN FAN?????? you have so much taste omg <3

Ultimate Spider-Man (particularly the earlier seasons) definitely left an impression yes!!! I was very pleasantly surprised to see the memes and the screencaps from the show pop up on my dash <3

#I just like anything that has to be with secret identities and double lives you can draw a line throughout all my fandoms genuinely #Like when his entire team transferred into his school? When even the Principal was from shield??? That was top tier to me I gobbled that up #Poor Harry getting left behind for the “sandwich club” only for the team to make fun of peter’s stupid shenanigans being caught on tape #I remember so many random tidbits from that show

[ewingstan]

I certainly didn’t appreciate it on the first read-through, but one of the biggest background characterizations of Alec is among first things we learned about him: that he painted the Undersider’s symbols onto the doors of their hideout.

The loft reads as almost ridiculous when you first read about it. Whatever you’re expecting the hideout of a bunch of hardened criminals to look like, your not expecting “the rich kid’s house with all the best video games.” It almost took me out of it; it felt like such a teen wish fulfillment of a supervillain base that I thought Wildbow must be pretty young—and didn’t really take in what it was telling the reader about the Undersider’s mindset. Because it is a teen wish fulfillment, filtered through the practicality of what cost, secrecy, and Brian would allow for. Its the derelict old building you dare your friends to go into to find some rumored amazing or horrible secret—but this building does have a secret, and its a pizza party with a sweet flatscreen setup.

For the most part, it is an especially cool hangout spot that would appeal to your average teen—and not necessarily your average villain. Taylor gets told to use the other’s civilian names while hanging out here. They wear street clothes instead of their costumes. Its built to be appealing to the non-cape side of your life, a welcome reprieve from that world. For the Undersiders who don’t have much of a real life outside of capedom, its something like a place to play make-believe. That’s part of why its so effective as an initial pitch to Taylor when she’s looking for friends and doesn’t want to be a villain, why its important for ingratiating her to the rest of them and making her backstabbing plan that much harder to follow through on. Its part of why getting her own lair, built for the specifications of Skitter the Warlord instead of Taylor the kid, represents such a big change in how Taylor sees herself and her goals. Its why there’s presumably dozens of Undersider fics of them just casually hanging out in the loft, away from any major cape shenanigans. Its why Rachel's first full appearance is her coming up into the room and breaking the bubble—ruining Brian’s pitch of sweet teen digs by bringing the violence inherent to cape life into the supposedly separate space. Because the loft is supposed to be for the Undersiders to be themselves as civilians, instead of capes.

But at the same time, everyone’s personal room has their symbol painted on their door. And the first real thing we learn about Regent is that he’s the one who painted them.

Regent did not get to have a double life. His cape stuff and his family stuff were inherently intertwined, and it was all bad. He’s arguably the only undersider to have a secret identity in a traditional, important sense: not just “you have a civilian life, and everyone’s gonna respect that its separate and not go after anything related to it,” like @artbyblastweave​ outlined here, but “your specific other identity is important, in a sense outside of just being something to target” way. People finding out who Skitter is means they know there’s an identity there to exploit—her enemies can trace her to her school, she can’t continue to go back to her old house, etc. You’d be able to get the same advantage by finding out the civilian identity of pretty much any cape. But not with Alec. People finding out who Alec is means they go “oh fuck, its Heartbreaker’s kid—” the effect is much more like finding out Taylor is Skitter, rather than vice versa.

And that’s important, because the persona of Regent is, to a large extent, his chance to live out the life he wants. Brian and Lisa both have circumstances that don’t allow them a typical childhood, and so they construct spaces to go through the motions of one. To roughhouse and play video games with friends, to plan shopping trips and visits to Fugly Bobs. They’re looking for a respite from their normal state, and that respite to them looks like civilian life. Alec is looking for a respite from his awful childhood, and that respite has a lot of the same things, but it also has the symbols and aspects of his cape persona. He draws his crown on his door, he uses his powers casually on Brian—he’s using the space to let him be Regent, in the same way Brian is pitching it to Skitter as a place where she can just be Taylor, where Tattletale can just be Lisa. This is pretty huge for understanding Regent early-on: Taylor obviously has a pretty expansive double life, as does Brian, and Lisa clearly wants to get into some non-cape-related shenanigans. We’re introduced with a clear divide between cape and civilian identities being the norm. Rachel is presented as bucking a trend, her lack of second identity making her an outlier. But if you read into Regent’s decorating choices, you realize pretty early that you can’t separate his cape identity and his current civilian idenitiy, because their both effectively the same thing: a persona where he can be something other than a Vasil.

Sheesh, now that I’m thinking about it there’s a lot to be drawn from each of the undersider’s lairs. I already talked a bit about how Skitter having her new base be a proper “villain lair” instead of “hang spot” represented a shift in perspective, and how Rachel being unable to behave the way your “supposed” to in the loft shows that she both can’t live a double life and has no interest in doing so (unlike Alec, who is very clearly interested in making a “new” life for himself with the Undersiders as Regent). But how about how Brian won’t take a room in the loft and insists on sleeping in a separate apartment he’s planning on shairing with Aisha? He obviously wants to be able to draw an especially clear line between his cape and civilian life, and doesn’t want Aisha to get involved at all. How about how Lisa’s eventual separate Coil-provided villain lair is a disguised community center she was pretending to work in, showing both that she has some interest in a life outside of capedom and that she’s inherently drawn to working with/having control over civilian culture? She doesn’t just want to hold territory, she wants to be an institution—not just someone the other capes have to play ball with, but who the mayor and civilian agencies have to go through. She separates capedom and civilianhood to an extent, but not to the same extent as Brian, and her goals are much more “civilian-oriented” than most.

I forget the specifics of Alec’s eventual Coil-base, but I know that it was a group of buildings (a campus, maybe?) with few people in the surrounding area outside of puppets—presumably not so different from the compound he grew up. But I do remember that one of the last times we see it is near when Taylor says something about his connection to Heartbreaker, and him getting upset by it. I wonder if it changes in the intervening two years, especially with Imp’s influence. I’m kinda sad we never get a chance to see it.

#worm #wildbow #parahumans #alec vasil #regent #leo says #leo reads worm

[ggomos-maribat]

Secrets, Masks, and Family Gatherings

Cross posted from AO3

It had been nearly a year since she moved to Gotham City, but the skyline seemed new each time she went out for night patrol. Ladybug zipped to another building with Red Hood to gain a higher vantage point. Her wings fluttered slightly with the breeze behind her.

"All clear here." Red Hood pressed on his comms.

"Okay. We'll wait for an update from Robin and Spoiler then we're finished for tonight if there aren't any problems," Batman replied.

"Yeah, it's a miracle we get to finish up early." The vigilante rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms. "So LB . . ."

"This small talk again?" Ladybug groaned.

Red Hood put his arms up. "Hey, I'm just curious."

"What is it now?"

"I was just wondering what made you transfer to Gotham." He perched on the ledge right beside her. "You defeated your city's villain, right? You had nothing to do anymore."

He's not wrong. She often thought about it herself. Her past and responsibilities clung to her like unshakeable nightmares. Ladybug knew the moment she gained guardianship that her life had no chance of reverting back to 'normal'.

"I think you know how it feels," she said.

"How what feels?"

Ladybug sighed, slumping. "When we defeated Hawkmoth, I thought we could finally rest easy. But I couldn't. I was restless, and between that and taking care of the aftermath, I realized I was missing the superhero life." She shrugged. "That's why I'm here now---it's inescapable. As the guardian, I decided it was better for the Miraculi to be used for good instead of sitting unused."

"Ah, classic PTSD like all the Bats." Red Hood nodded.

She snorted. "But that doesn't mean I still live a restless life. In fact, I've gotten used to life in Gotham."

"But why Gotham of all places?"

"The Miracle Box told me something. I can't divulge anything more."

"Just like you don't divulge anything about your civvy life."

She rolled her eyes, elbowing him on the side, which caused him to flinch dramatically. Bats and their nosiness. "Hey, we're not that close yet for me to reveal my identity. And it's a fair game. I don't know any of you either."

"I'm surprised B hasn't dug up anything on you. And he has contingency plans for all the JL members."

"I told you, the glamor protects us."

At first, she'd been hesitant to work with the vigilantes and at the same time, Batman had been wary around her especially when she was entering their territory. But she had gotten to know them well over time, despite not knowing who were behind the masks. She could also tell they'd grown to trust her like one of theirs.

"All clear near Crime Alley," Spoiler reported over the line.

"Good. Thank you for your help tonight, Ladybug. Everyone else, back to the cave."

Ladybug stood up abruptly. "Thank you too. I'll join the Signal during the weekend. He mentioned he might need some help."

"Oooh, you seem in a hurry to get back home." Red Hood tilted his head.

"No, I'm not spilling anything about my plans for the night," she huffed. "And I need to go because I'm hungry and my timer's running because you forced me to use my Lucky Charm to win that bet with Red Robin."

"The look on his face was priceless."

Ladybug threw her yoyo. "Good night, Hood."

After double checking that none of the others had followed or tracked her, Ladybug detransformed and walked back to her apartment building. She could practically hear the coffee calling to her; she'd drown in it endlessly whenever patrol nights ran late and she needed commissions to finish afterwards.

In the empty elevator, Tikki hovered up to her shoulder. "It's a good thing patrol ended early, Marinette."

"It's not a good sign, Tikki." She smiled grimly. "I think something big's going to happen. A massive breakout or a big plan by the Rogues."

The kwami hummed. "You can try to get plenty of rest before that happens."

"No promises. I have twelve designs I have to submit to Audrey by next week."

Just as she headed to her apartment door, her phone rang a familiar customized ringtone. Tikki also gasped in excitement upon seeing the caller's name.

Marinette tucked her phone between her ear and shoulder while jamming her keys through the doorknob. "Hey, Adrien. What's up?"

"Hey Nette. Done with patrol?"

"We finished early tonight. The Rogues are suspiciously silent. How are you? How's Plagg?" Marinette stepped into the room and Tikki turned on the lights.

"Currently pigging out on cheese. As always." She could almost see her best friend's eye-roll. "Anyway, I called to tell you that I'll be visiting Gotham on Friday. Wayne Tech is partnering up with our brand and Chloe and Kagami are coming with me."

"That's great news, Adrien! I'll bake something special---or should I take you out to a restaurant? I know some good ones near my place."

Adrien chuckled. "Pick anything you want. I'll tell Chloe to send you our schedule so we can reserve lunch or dinner with you and----no, Plagg! I'm not telling her to buy extra cheese!" He heaved out a breath. "At night we can have a short . . . run. You can introduce me to your new partners."

"They're not my partners. It's just you, kitty cat," Marinette said pointedly. "We're just allies."

"You gush about winning prank wars against them."

"It's fun being around them but that's it!"

He laughed. "It's okay. I'm glad you're enjoying your time over there. Send my regards to Damian."

A knock suddenly sounded on the door.

"Speaking of Damian, I think he's here. Gotta go, and say hi to Plagg and the others for me!"

"Pfft, you keep stroking his ego."

With one last goodbye, Marinette threw her phone on the couch and ran to the door. She hadn't expected her boyfriend to drop by, but she was glad he could make time for her. She knew Damian was as busy as her and she was worried he'd end up not taking care of himself like she always did.

"Dames, I thought you had work at the company for the whole night." She gave him a tight hug and a light kiss as soon as she opened the door.

Damian pecked her cheek, winding his arms around her waist. "They let us go early and I thought I should surprise you."

"Good, because I'm surprised," she beamed. "Are you staying the night?"

"Of course, habibti."

Damian Wayne had been an unexpected addition to her Gotham life. They had met in the park while they were working on their sketches---him, a portrait drawing and her, an inspired dress design. Before she knew it, she was with someone who she believed she could spend the rest of her life with. Damian was her support, her confidant in all aspects except her secret identity (though the thought of finally telling him had crossed her mind too many times).

"Are you hungry? I haven't had dinner yet and I was just thinking of cooking instant ramen . . ."

"We can have dinner together, but . . . there is something I need to talk to you about." Damian rubbed her arms, gazing at her intently.

Marinette's heart quickened as she subconsciously thought about all types of bad news. Did he get hurt? Did I do something? Is he going to break up with me?

"Habibti, love, I can already read your thoughts." He kissed the tip of her nose. "It's not anything terrible."

"What is it?"

Damian took a deep breath. "I think it's time for you to meet my family."

Marinette felt her jaw drop. "Your . . . your family? Are you sure about this?"

For the longest time, Damian had expressed his distaste at the thought of her meeting the Waynes. At first, she'd thought that it was the status difference, but he seemed more worried about his father and brothers doing something crazy.

On the other hand, they had both flown to Paris four months ago for Damian to officially meet her parents and friends. It had gone smoothly, and Damian was convinced that the opposite would happen if she met his family.

"Yes. I've thought about it." He sat down with her as she ran her thumb over the back of his hand. "They're already asking about you and if I stall for any longer, I know they will start prying into your life."

"Oh . . ."

Damian had talked about his brothers before, and Marinette saw them sometimes in news and tabloids. In her impression, they didn't seem too bad.

"But don't worry," he assured her, "I will be with you the whole time. We'll have lunch at the manor tomorrow---"

"Wait, tomorrow?"

"Is it too sudden? I worked with your free schedule and---"

"No, no, I'm definitely free tomorrow." Her eyes widened. "Let's meet them tomorrow. It just caught me off guard. I have to prepare my outfit and buy a gift and----oh no, what would your brothers like? What about your father and Alfred?"

Damian smiled gently. "You don't have to concern yourself with that. You’ll make a wonderful first impression."

"But---"

"I have to warn you about my brothers instead." His lip curled. "They will be a handful."

She laughed a little. "You already warned me a million times."

"Because I can't overstate how troublesome they'll be."

Instead of her reply, Marinette's growling stomach echoed in the room. She blushed as Damian pulled her from her seat, kissing her cheek. "It seems that we have an emergency to take care of first. I'll help you cook."

---

Marinette smoothed down the remnant wrinkles on her skirt. She'd chosen a simple pleated dress to wear to her first family lunch with the Waynes. At the same time, the car pulled up in front of the Wayne Manor. It was just as intimidating as she remembered---she'd only ever been to the manor once, to wait for Damian.

"Nervous?" Damian touched her hand.

"Should I be?"

"Never," he replied firmly. "If anything, I should apologize ahead of time. Also, there is no reason to be nervous. If they aren't busy acting insufferable, they'll be impressed by you."

Though the words were warm, they did little to calm her heart. These were the Waynes, royalty of Gotham. She even found it hard to believe that she was with Damian in the first place.

"Come on." Damian helped her out of the car and guided her to the front steps. He pushed through the large wooden doors and they were both met with a broad-shouldered man rushing down the main hallway.

"Todd," Damian called out. "Where on earth are you going?"

The man---Jason, she assumed---stopped, glanced at them, and gave her a quick once-over. Marinette noticed the motorcycle helmet he held on one hand.

"Demon brat." Jason tilted his head. "I have work to do."

"But lunch---"

"I promised to drop by. I didn't say I'll stay." He gave Marinette a single nod and went off.

"I bet he had another fight with Father," Damian muttered under his breath. Marinette squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Don't apologize. Let's go," she told him softly.

Damian led her to the dining hall where the others were already sat around the table. Curious stares burned through Marinette, making her duck her head away. Damian himself was unfazed, wearing a half-scowl as he helped her to her seat.

"Master Damian, Miss Marinette, welcome." Just in time, Alfred strolled in with the food. She gave the butler a meek smile.

Then, she took a look at the Waynes one by one. The poised Bruce Wayne was at the head of the table, his presence the most prominent  in the room. Across from her was Dick Grayson, who looked like he was studying her. Positioned beside him were Tim and Stephanie, both whispering to each other. Finally, Barbara was at her other side, offering her a small smile of comfort.

"I'm glad to finally meet you, Marinette," Bruce greeted. "Damian talks a lot about you."

Marinette momentarily eyed the array of silverware near her plate which she did not know how to use. "The pleasure is all mine . . . sir."

"Please call me Bruce." He gestured to the food at the center. "Go ahead and help yourself. Alfred cooked a feast for us."

She cleared her throat. "Thank you, Bruce."

"How did you both meet?" Tim questioned.

"In the park, Drake. We were both drawing. I already told you," Damian butted in.

Tim waved him off. "I want to hear it from her, not you."

"I---"

"It's okay, Damian." Marinette nudged him a little. "I was sketching in the park when Titus came to me. Damian was drawing a picture of me while I was absorbed in my designs and accidentally let go of his leash. Titus led me to him and it all started there."

"You design?" Barbara asked.

Warmth crept to her cheeks. "It's my dream to become a fashion designer. I just do a few commission pieces here and there. I'm trying to take small steps to reach my goal."

A quick glimpse at her boyfriend told her that he was radiating all the pride in the world.

"Little D mentioned you came from Paris?" Dick sipped on his drink. "Why did you decide to leave?"

"Oh, please don't get it all wrong. I know Paris earned a bad rep after the Hawkmoth fiasco but that was years ago. I just decided to move here to find more opportunities for myself," Marinette answered smoothly.

"Why Gotham of all places, if I may ask?" Bruce chimed in. "Admittedly, this isn't the friendliest city in the country."

"Father, stop with the interrogation," said Damian.

"It's okay, Dames, I don't mind. Promise." She squeezed his hand under the table.

"Fine. But do not answer anything if you're not comfortable."

Marinette looked at Bruce. "One of my friend's parents who works in fashion suggested Gotham. There's a low competition among the designers here so it might be easier for me to make a name for myself."

"That's not a bad move actually," Tim remarked.

"So back in Paris, did you get to meet any of the heroes?" Dick leaned in.

"Grayson," Damian warned.

"That's---"

A sharp ring blasted out, cutting off her statement. Bruce fished out his phone, a muscle on his face twitched, and he abruptly stood up. "There's an emergency at WE."

"Emergency?" Tim peered at his phone as well.

"Yes, Tim. You're needed. Also Stephanie." The eldest Wayne looked around the table and uttered monotonously. "I apologize for cutting this short. We have an urgent matter at the company---"

"Father."

Bruce shook his head. "This absolutely cannot wait, Damian."

The three filed out of the room in a flash. Marinette, stunned at the sudden interruption, saw Dick also checking the emergency.

"Sorry, Babs and I need to go." He stood up and picked up his coat, going around the table to help Barbara. "It's nice to meet you, Marinette."

"Let's go out for drinks sometime, okay?" Barbara reached over and patted her shoulder before they left.

The disappearance of the Waynes left her fidgeting with her fingers and wondering what the big emergency could be. She peeked at Damian hesitantly. "Do you need to go too?"

His jaw clenched. "I think so."

"You can go." She cupped his cheek, pecking the other.

"I can't tell you---"

"I know. I won't ask, I promise," she assured softly. He didn't have to explain anything to her; she'd gladly wait for him to open up. "Go."

"I'm sorry."

"Damian."

He pressed a firm kiss on her forehead. "Alfred will drive you to your apartment. I'll come to you later, alright?"

"Okay."

She could hear Alfred offering her food to take home and guiding her to the car, but it was all a blur. Marinette knew she had nothing to do with what happened yet she was afraid that it would sour Damian's relationship with his family. Her fists clenched around her skirt as she looked down, feeling Alfred's keen eyes checking on her through the rearview mirror.

"Please do not take it personally, Miss," Alfred said softly.

"Yes. Thank you," she whispered.

Finding nothing better to do than to check her phone, Marinette noticed the numerous alerts plastered all over her screen. Arkham breakout. Fuck. No wonder it was so quiet last night. There were a number of messages from Red Hood (which was directed from her burner phone), asking her if she could help.

Marinette looked out the window. Sure enough, there seemed to be a racket coming from the other streets.

"Umm, excuse me Alfred?" She searched for a safe alley to transform. "Can---can you drop me off at the cafe over there?"

"Are you certain? There are Rogues running around the city at this time."

"I'll stay inside. Don't worry."

Fortunately, the butler did what she asked and she made a beeline to the cafe as soon as she stepped foot out the car. Transform. Connect comms. Head to the upper east side. The same words ran through her head.

Her phone rang suddenly right before she could say her transformation words.

"Adrien! Can't talk right now. Arkham breakout. Big emergency," she said hurriedly into the phone.

"Oops. Need backup?" He asked.

"Maybe not. I don't know." She massaged her temple. "Can I ask you guys to standby? You can take your power-ups just in case."

"That's fine. Stay safe," Adrien said, "How did lunch go by the way?"

"Gah! Not now, kitty!"

"Right, right, right. Emergency in Gotham. I'll hang up now."

Marinette sighed. "It was a disaster, by the way. I'll text the details later."

"Aaaand Chloe's yelling at me to spill right now. You should go."

---

Ladybug swiftly landed beside Nightwing when she arrived and the Bats had just finished capturing Penguin and his men. On the next rooftop over, she could see Robin with Batman---they were loud enough for her to deduce that they were having an argument but she couldn't make out the exact words.

"What's up with them?" Ladybug frowned. She had always known Robin as the cold, closed-off one in the group but it was her first time encountering a complete outburst.

"Personal stuff. Happened earlier," Nightwing replied briefly. "I'm surprised you came. I thought you had an appointment today."

She bit her tongue. "Uhh, it got cancelled."

Batman told Robin something which had him storming off, grappling away to another direction. Their comms buzzed to life.

"Ladybug, team up with Robin. The Riddler's in the next avenue," Batman ordered curtly.

Ladybug turned to Nightwing with wide eyes. The stress was obvious in the sag of his shoulders and tight grip on his escrima sticks.

"He's mad at all of us," he explained. "It's better if it's you who joins him."

Ladybug only nodded, throwing her yoyo to follow Robin. Her curiosity was growing by the minute, but she focused on thinking of ways to calm down her fellow vigilante. If he became too riled up, he could lose focus and get injured.

She followed him close enough for him to hear her. "Robin, you have to slow down."

"No, I have to get back as soon as possible."

"Get back to where?"

She only received silence.

Frustrated Robin equals not a good Robin. Ladybug leapt to match his pace and blocked his way. He glared at her. "Move."

"Look, this is the Riddler we're facing. He's still dangerous and if we're not careful, we'll get caught in his traps."

"I don't care. I just need to get this over with. Stay out of my way."

When he pushed past her, she had half the mind to wrap him in her yoyo and deliver him back to Batman for a time-out. She huffed as she followed him. You're not the only one having a bad day, grumpy boy. Robin anchored his grappling gun to a faraway building and at the second he jumped off, he careened to the side, swept away by an elaborate trap by the Riddler.

Before she knew it, Ladybug was after him. Her teeth gritted and her legs ran a mile as she groaned out loud. "This is exactly what I was just talking about!"

They were trapped in an empty little box with a puzzle lock on its door.

Ladybug released a shaky breath.

The worst argument I've had with one of the Gotham vigilantes was when I interfered with Red Hood's mission and he got overprotective. She stared at Robin, who was relentlessly kicking the metal walls. But that might change today.

"Robin," she called out. "I understand that you're mad at the others but it doesn't mean you can act reckless while you're in that suit."

"No. You don't understand." He raked a hand through his hair. "I told them. I already told them and they still . . .Do you know what they did?"

She opened her mouth to reason with him again but he beat her to it. "I only wanted at least an hour. No interruptions." Robin clicked his tongue. "For them, there is nothing more important than capturing these criminals even if there are other heroes who will help. And Father had to be the first to run out."

Ladybug gaped. She knew the Bats were somewhat of a family but it was Robin's first time referring to Batman as a father. "Are you sure you should be telling me---"

"Yes, so you know how unfair they acted earlier." He twirled his katanas, looking for a simple way out. "I only wanted them to meet my girlfriend. I brought her home. And they all left for this. Father didn't give a sincere apology and my brothers either don't care or are suspicious of her."

Wait . . .

She thought she'd stumble back, but her feet were surprisingly still planted on the ground. Lunch. Earlier. Girlfriend. Shit. Her breath was knocked out of her lungs as she processed Robin's words.

Damian's words.

She wanted to laugh. All this time, she'd been anxious about telling him the truth when he was already living the same life as her. The Waynes, the sudden emergencies, staying out late. Merde, it all makes sense now. It was ridiculous how she didn't recognize her own boyfriend.

"It was a mistake after all. I shouldn't have invited her to come," Robin sighed. "They're wary because she's a civilian---she'll be my weakness if anyone finds out about our connection. They know that, which is why they don't approve."

Her first instinct was to tell him that it wasn't true, but an identity reveal would be too much given their current situation. Ladybug pieced her words with care. "I'm sure they'll listen if you tell them how you feel. Your girlfriend will understand too."

"We don't communicate healthily, in case you haven't figured that out."

Her heart was still drumming against her ribcage. Damn it. Marinette would work better in consoling him. Ladybug's just a colleague. "I know. But a few words can go a long way. Tell them you'll be careful. Ask them to help protect your girlfriend if anything ever goes wrong."

As Robin lowered his gaze, an urge to come up to him and hold his hands washed over her. She counted the seconds of silence that passed. It looked like he was thinking deeply about it.

"I apologize for getting you involved," he said. "And for mindlessly telling you about my personal life."

She laughed nervously. "Ah . . . it's okay to vent out sometimes."

Yeah, and your story definitely did not reveal your whole identity.

Robin turned towards the puzzle lock. "Should we attempt to crack the code in his puzzle?"

It wasn't a simple coded lock---it was a six-wheeled puzzle that was embedded onto the door. "By the looks of it, it will take us hours if we go through that route. I think I have a better idea. Are there any cameras here?"

He surveyed the small enclosure. "I see two by the corners."

"Good. Break them and cover the lens." Ladybug touched her earrings while he did what she said. I have spare cookies in my purse. That should do. "We can't unlock the door by ourselves, but Tikki can phase through and let us out."

"The tiny god-being in your Miraculous."

"Yeah, that's Tikki." She smiled. I'll have to introduce them sometime. "Close your eyes?"

After making sure that the cameras weren't functioning and he couldn't see her, she detransformed, motioned to the puzzle lock and sent Tikki out.

"Before we were trapped, I saw other civilians captured in similar boxes," said Robin. "Riddler should be camped east."

Marinette crossed the gap between them and tapped on the back of his hand. GOOD. RIDDLER FIRST THEN FREE OTHERS.

"Morse?" Robin scrunched his nose. "Are you also cautious about revealing your voice?"

YES.

"Tt. That is too much. Most of us don't even use a modulator." He shifted. "I doubt that I will be able to recognize your voice."

She pursed her lips. We'll see about that.

---

Ladybug was lounging on the top of Wayne Tower as the vigilantes finished up catching the remaining inmates. She used the time to fully wrap her head around her discovery. Damian. Robin. One by one, she also pieced together the identities of the others. It was so stupidly obvious all this time.

She heard a familiar zip of the grappling gun. It wasn't Red Hood who she expected to check on her but it was Robin.

"The Rogues are secured. There are rumors that the Joker orchestrated the entire thing but he wasn't around during the attacks," Robin reported. "The injured civilians are being rushed to the hospitals. No deaths."

Ladybug didn't break her gaze at the horizon. "That's good."

". . . Ladybug?"

"Yeah?"

He sat next to her. "The people in Paris . . . did they get used to these kinds of incidents as well? When Hawkmoth was active?"

"With an akuma attack nearly every week, yes you can say we had no choice but to get used to it."

"Was there a lot of animosity towards Parisians after the truth got out?"

"Only a little." She looked down at her hands. "Mostly we receive pity. The press made it clear how the akumas affected everyone's lives."

"My girlfriend . . . came from Paris too. I always wonder what it was like but I never wanted to pry."

Damian . . . She bit her lip. She had been dodgy about the topic, but she should know better than to withhold her feelings about it. Damn it, this will be so awkward when he finally finds out.

"You're worried about her safety," she said.

Robin nodded. "I wonder if she feels afraid during Rogue attacks. Or just living in Gotham. I never want to find out that she was in a dangerous situation and I wasn't there to . . ."

"You don't have to worry. If she's from Paris, then she's strong. Everyone in my city had been on the edge of death one way or another. Our instincts were sharpened. We can block out our fears and emotions." Ladybug looked up at him. "I'm sure she can handle danger."

"But it's different here. There's no magic to bring things back to normal. It's permanent." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I won't know what to do if something happens to her because of me."

"I think . . . you should ask her first---"

"I should break it off with her."

"What?!"

Ladybug nearly slapped a hand over her mouth. I said that too quickly. Thankfully, Robin didn't seem to notice anything.

"I've been thinking a lot," he continued. "I can't bring myself to tell her about this. About me. The mere fact of her knowing puts a target on her back."

Dear kwamis, please keep me from pushing my boyfriend off this rooftop before gets the chance to find out about me.

"Wait." She began slowly. "Don't you think she deserves to know before you try to make that decision for her?"

"What am I supposed to do?" His eyebrows furrowed. "I . . . I expect her to react badly. I've learned from today that I should keep her from getting involved any further. It's either I drag her into this dangerous life or I keep hurting her with my lies."

"You shouldn't start assuming things without trying first. I'm sure she trusts you and she'll come to understand everything in time. There's always a compromise." Her lips spoke the words before she could think. "You're not doing any good by cutting yourself off all of a sudden."

"If I end it now, she can eventually move on and stay safe. Nevermind how I feel," he argued, "I can let her go and she'll be safe."

"When I told you about how Parisians are strong, that's not what I meant." Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she raised her voice. "She can stay in a relationship with you and keep herself safe because she's strong. Can't you trust her as much as she trusts you?"

"I can't risk it. She's important to me."

"If she is, then talk to her. If you don't give her a chance to decide, you're not any better than your father or brothers."

"How would you even know how she feels?"

Ladybug's face contorted into a sharp glare. "I just know. I know better than anyone, Damian."

Anger morphed into shock as he stared at her. ". . . What did you just call me?"

She made a quick sweep of the area to make sure that they were in a blind spot. Then, she wasted no time standing up on the ledge, shuffling until the balls of her foot touched the edge. Then,  "I'm not defenseless, merde. And I really wanted to wait until the end of the day but . . . Tikki, détransformation."

Marinette watched Robin's face go through a storm of emotions. His jaw hung slack and his fists uncurled while he stood up to look at her.

". . . Marinette?" he breathed out.

She gently touched his cheeks with both hands, peeling off his mask to reveal his glistening eyes. "I can't believe you wanted to break up with me."

"Marinette . . ." He pulled them both away from the ledge and held her, mumbling 'I'm sorry' over and over again. His head was buried on her neck, with his hands pressed against her back.

"You. It's you," said Damian. "Of course it's you."

"It's me." She rubbed down his back. "For record, I only found out because---"

"Because I told you what happened."

She chuckled. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, habibti." He pulled away a little to touch her cheek. "I was going to make a stupid decision."

"Are you upset that I kept this from you?"

He shook his head, kissing her head. "I can't and I don't have the right to be. I was keeping my secret from you as well."

"Come on, let's go home first. Then we can talk about . . . everything."

---

Ladybug swung into the night with a weight lifted off her chest. She and Damian had a long talk about their identities and relationship. They'd both agreed not to tell the other heroes until they were ready to. For her, it was better that they kept their secrets between themselves first and slowly ease into revealing the truth to her friends and his family.

She breathed in the breeze. Robin wasn't anywhere to be seen, but a group of vigilantes were. Nightwing. Hood. RR. What are they doing there?

The three immediately fell into a hush when she landed next to them.

"Hey, LB," Red Robin greeted.

She put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing?"

The brothers shared a look before Red Hood spoke. "Robin told you about his girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah . . ." she trailed off, dragging the syllable.

"We think something's up with her," said Nightwing.

"I'm sorry?"

"Sketchy stuff," Red Robin explained, shifting on his feet. "Well, we can't tell you who she is---secret identities and all---but she's from Paris. She's friends with Hawkmoth's kid."

Ladybug scoffed. "Adrien? He's not like Hawkmoth. I know him personally and he had nothing to do with that man's crimes. Trust me."

"Hmm, yeah but she's also close with the mayor's daughter. That one who also sided with Hawkmoth."

"You mean Chloe Bourgeois? She's proven that she's changed." And unbeknownst to the public, she was a hero again, this time under another alias.

"But she's so secretive. There's definitely something going on with her." Nightwing rubbed his chin. Ladybug wanted to bang her head in the nearest wall or groan to the heavens.

"What's wrong with being secretive? Aren't you guys the same?" she narrowed her eyes.

"That's not the main cause of our suspicion," said Red Hood.

"We weren't convinced about her reason for moving to Gotham, so we dug around," Red Robin continued, "She said something about more career opportunities but that's just a cover. We found classified files on superheroes in her apartment, including info on Justice League members. I bet she already knows about Robin's identity."

"You snooped in her apartment?!"

"It was an investigation," Nightwing snorted.

Her eye twitched. A secret had never felt so difficult to conceal. "I can't believe you'd break the privacy of a civilian just because you had baseless assumptions."

Red Robin winced. "Uhh . . . if you put it that way . . ."

She crossed her arms. "No, I know what this is really about. You're being overprotective of Robin; you can't accept that he now has a significant other and you think he's being naive about his choices. You think he's going to get hurt badly." She paused for effect. "Because you don't want him to repeat the same mistakes as you all did."

The look on their masked faces told her that she had hit the target better than any therapist they might have encountered.

Red Hood was first to deny. "We're not protective of the brat. We're trying to eliminate a potential danger."

"His harmless civilian girlfriend?"

"Think about it, LB. Why would she have sensitive files on the heroes?" Red Robin asked. "You can't deny that that's suspicious."

I don't know, maybe because she's a hero herself?!

Ladybug sighed heavily. Damian is really going to kill them when he finds out. "Does Batman know about this?"

"Nope, but we'll tell him when we gather enough evidence," Nightwing answered. "We're just trying to get Oracle to crack into her laptop. The security on it  is so heavy, it's insane."

Why is it a curse that I asked Max to protect my laptop? There are files on the Miraculi in there!

She discreetly took her yoyo and put it on the recording function. "Let me get this straight. So you're all investigating and prying into the life of Robin's girlfriend without the knowledge of Batman even at the cost of your identities and everyone's safety?"

"We're not risking anyone's safety---"

"It's more of research but---"

She pursed her lips. "And you broke into her apartment, went through her things and currently you're trying to hack into her personal computer?"

"Regular vigilante work---"

"Good, we're on the same page then." She smiled widely. Sinisterly. "Tikki, détransformation."

Pale. Pale faces were all she could see as the three vigilantes were engulfed in utter shock. Marinette held her smile, clasping her hands together behind her back. I can't wait to see how they try to make it up to me. Mon dieu! I'm going to mess with them. 

And as a cherry on top, Robin arrived at the scene, immediately putting her behind him when he saw that she was in civilian form. He directed an accusatory glare at his brothers. "What is going on here?!"

#maribat fanfic #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #maribat #maribat fic #daminette #established daminette #damian x marinette

[atlaserine]

Villain stared at the hero trapped and tied in a chair in his lair.

"This is 1 A.M" Villain said, half awake and half annoyed that one of his henchman had awoken him from slumber just to report that someone has infiltrated his lair. That someone who's now sitting right in front if him with her mask taken off.

Hero looked down with a bit of embarrassment. She wasn't one to back out from a fight, nor was she one to ask for help, especially from the biggest threat in her profession. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Speak" Villain's voice snapping hero out from her mind as she looked up to him. His voice that has gotten down an octave made it clear that he wanted to finish this quickly, or maybe finish her quickly and get back to bed.

"I need your help" It came out of the Hero's mouth too fast. And before she could regret it while hoping Villain hadn't heard her, Villains eyebrow was already raised, studying Hero with a glint of curiosity and interest in his eyes, debating whether he should listen to her or just finish this off once and for all.

The hero? The city's greatest hero asking for her enemy's help? The one who's been a thorn on his side for years asking for his help? One of her enemy must've hit her in the head too hard, The Villain thinks.

Looking at Villains face made her bit her lower lip nervously, all the regret of coming here coming right at her like a train.

"Look, I know what you're thinking. B-but you're the only one who's ever seen me without my mask. Not Sidekick, not Superhero, not even the Agency-"

And it was true. Hero chose to kept her identity a secret, strictly, wanting to protect the people closest to her and also living a double life. One as a hero and one as a normal citizen...untill she met Villain. The only one who's able to locate everything about her, the only villain who's ever gotten her so close to death. But that's a story for another time.

Hero took a deep breath before she fixed her posture a bit in what little space she had between the ropes and the chair. She tilted her head up and stared back at Villain.

"...Someones following me, I mean the citizen me. And I don't know who they are, I don't know what their intention is, I tried to just ignore them but it has gotten to a point where I saw them standing beside my apartment building when I wanted to get back after my shift- a-and im afraid they'll connect the dots and find out that I'm Hero. S-so I...ran.."

Hero shrugged her shoulder as she heard herself speak, she felt truly pathetic for this. She was a hero, she shouldn't have..run. But the possibility of another person knowing her secret was too high. So, the hero continued,

"I... came here because I didn't know...where else to go. I- i'll do anything, I promise. Just help me get whoever this is out of my tail...without killing them and I know you have some sort of- high tech machine to do that. Surely, a...an evil genius like you could come up with something!"

Villains eyes widened as Hero said all that. Never in his life has he seen the all mighty, all righteous, all stubborn Hero so...so stupid. Yet it did humoured him a bit. And after what felt like hours of staring at each other, Villain smiled, chuckled even. Leaned down untill he was face to face with Hero, a smirk forming in his face

"God, you are desperate are you?"

#hero x villain community #heroes and villains #hero x villain #hero and villain #hero x villain prompts #heroxvillain #hero #villain #snippets #writing snippets #lol this is so messy #but im not editing it #turns out writing is exhausting 💀 #This is my first writing so please correct me if theres any spelling or grammar mistake :) #also youve probably already guessed that english isnt my mother language hahaha! #writlbr #writing

[stealingyourbones]

When Danny Phantom makes a portal to another dimension, We Weston, who had been following Danny, goes into the portal. Now, he's stuck in another world filled with Superheroes, and in the most crime-filled city. But most of all, he's lucky he got adopted. He's very lucky to be adopted into the Dowd family with an older brother who understands him so well.

Together, with his brother's caffeine addicted boyfriend, they try to uncover Captain Marvel's secret identity: Danny Fenton's uncle from another universe, or Jack Fenton of the Justice League Universe?

Bernard: So, you think Captain Marvel is Phantom's (who is Danny Fenton) dad? In this universe?

Tim: ....wait ...I can see it. Those two are so close with each other, as if they're related! (They're so familiar with each other during Justice League meetings. This is just another addition to the speculation going around the league)

Wes: Maybe this is why Danny keeps visiting this world. Because his dad in this world actually pays attention to him! I won't be surprised if he brings his sister here, too.

===

Meanwhile...

Billy: DANNY! CHECK OUT HOW MANY MARSHMALLOWS I CAN FIT IN MY MOUTH!

Danny: BILLY. NO! YOU'RE GONNA CHOKE! JAZZ, SEE? YOU NEED TO HELP ME!

Jazz: *sighing lovingly at something a certain crime lord had texted her*

Jazz: Hm? What was that Danny?

=======

Mean meanwhile...

Green Lantern: I've called this meeting to inform you that Red Robin has updated us with some information that may support our "Captain Marvel is Phantom's Dad" theory.

Flash: Are... We just going to ignore that this Wes kid is... Stuck? In this dimension? And not his home dimension?

The League: *focused more on Captain Marvel being a negligent dad in another universe but a better dad in this one*

Someone in the League: It makes sense because Batman allowed him to have more offdays, the same amount as Superman and Flash! No. Not offdays!More like being more of a 'call during emergencies' kinda hero! The Bat even made a bank account for the dude, finally after months of Bats pestering him to have an income for being a hero, because gods know the man needs it to raise a kid! He's a dad, you guys!

Flash: ... *to himself* I should probably call Batman.

==========

Mean mean meanwhile...

Batman: Flash.

Flash: Hey, B-man! I just wanted to--

Batman: Wes Weston is safer with the Dowds than in his own world.... We should work to convince Phantom to stay with us as well. (I want to meet my future daughter-in-law.)

Flash: ...

Flash: Okay.

===================

Mean mean mean meanwhile...

Impulse: Hey, gramps!

Flash: Please don't call me that--

Impulse: If this is about Wes, then, yeah, he's in the future, too gottagobyeeeeee

Flash: ...

===============

Does Batman know about Captain Marvel's true identity? Yes. Does he know about Phantom's? Yes! Did he try to adopt both? Absolutely. He's failed though because Billy actually got into a good foster family (the bank account is actually a trust fund), and Danny and Jazz are content with their lives (Their parents have gotten a bit better with how they view ghosts, but if Danny and Jazz wants to move into their world, he's got the fake identities ready for them. All they gotta do is ask.)

Do the Batkids know? Surprisingly, this is a secret he kept from his family because even his kids are in on the speculating on Captain Marvel and Danny being related. He's keeping it a secret for shits and giggles. He also involved Superman to be his double-agent to update him on how close or farther away everyone is getting.

The interactions you’ve written anon give me life.

I haven’t read anything about Bernard so I don’t know his character but having his family adopt Wes? That was something I’ve never thought of before and is such a fun idea to fuck around with. Just the concept Bernard maybe not even being relatives with Wes but being good pals with him in general is such a good idea.

Billy and Danny just fuel each other’s stupidity and having the two in the same room is always a recipe for disaster. it’s always amusing to see how the disaster will unfold so instead of stopping them the adults now just make bets to see what the fuck those two will do next.

Batman respectfully not telling his family about Billy or Danny to keep their trust but still having the time of his life trying to see which kid will find it out first with Clark running interference? Brilliant.

#danny phantom #dp x dc #dc comics #dpxdc #dp x dc prompt #writing prompts #bones replies #anon

[ptergwen]

OK OK IK IM GETTING BACK TO YOU LIKE AN HOUR LATER, AND THIS IS GONNA SOUND SO CLIQUE- but a songfic based on all i wanted by paramore. i’m talking reader and peter being really close friends until he starts straying from reader and hanging out with mj more. maybe they get into a fight one day where reader goes to the tower for a mission briefing and sees that mj is there (superheros aren’t allowed to reveal identities at all, and peter never let reader in on anything, reader found out he’s spiderman on her own) AND THEN THEY ARGUE RIGHT? both say really hurtful stuff THEN THEN READER TAKES MATTERS INTO HER OWN HANDS. GOES ON THE MISSION ALONE. THE WORST HAPPENS AND THEY BARLEY FIND HER. you can choose whether she makes it out or not 🤷🏻‍♀️ BUT YEAH THATS WHAT I GOT

like her, love you

gif by random-fandom-whump

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w/c: 1,005

warnings: angst, mentions of injuries

a/n: bestie you have done it again! i can always count on you for some good old angst mwahaha it has kind of a happy ending but i think the people will appreciate that <3 also i just posted a sleepover so make sure to check that out y’all! happy reading

“talk to me, y/n. say something, anything.”

when you open your mouth to speak, you start to cough. you cough up dirt and dust, choke on it. you lie in the grass, where you’d landed. peter is kneeling on the grass in front of you. he has an arm behind your head for support, his free hand finding yours. he holds your intertwined hands against your chest.

the jet you had taken for your mission ran out of fuel mid-air. you never even made it there. you crashed, and it was only because of the tracker in your suit that peter was able to find you. he was supposed to go with you, but you two had gotten into a fight before you left. you decided to do the mission alone. you were heated and distracted coming off your argument, so you’d forgotten to refill the jet tank.

“peter? i… i…”

you try to sit up, resulting in another coughing fit, clutching at peter’s hand with both of yours. peter squeezes your hand in his back even tighter.

“just breathe, okay? just breathe. you can do it, y/n/n. deep breaths.”

peter inhales a breath and nods repeatedly, encouraging you to follow his lead. you wheeze at first, struggling to get air into your lungs. with peter’s help, your breathing eventually begins to even out.

“there you go. just like that.”

you let your head fall back on peter’s arm as you catch your breath. peter strokes your cheek with his gloved fingers, eyes staying fixed on you.

he’ll never let you out of his sight again.

he touches his index finger to his ear piece that he uses to communicate with the rest of the avengers.

“mr. stark? i found her. yeah, she’s alright. do you have the coordinates? okay. how long until you get here? okay, thank you.”

“tony’s coming?”

you lift your head up, but peter eases you back down.

“the whole team. they were really worried when they didn’t hear from you. we all care about you, so much.”

“do you?”

“how could you even ask that? you’re my best friend.”

“what about mj?”

“can i not have other friends?”

“i never said that.”

“no, but you implied it.”

you scoff and prop yourself up on your elbows.

“look, peter. i don’t care that you’re friends with mj. she’s cool. i care that you broke the rules, and you broke them for her.”

“i don’t know what you think you saw-“

“not think. i saw it.”

this is the same argument you’d had earlier.

when you arrived to avengers tower for your mission, mj was there. she was talking to peter, but not peter peter. spider-man peter. he was suited up, mask off, identity revealed.

tony has a strict policy about peter keeping his identity a secret. he’s experienced firsthand how much damage it does when your double lives overlap into one, and he doesn’t want his protege have to go through what he did. hence, the reason why peter wears the mask in the first place.

what’s the point if he’s exposing himself to mj? how could he even trust her?

you’re both friendly with mj in school, and she seems chill, but you don’t know much about her. her and peter are just getting close. he recently began hanging out with her outside of school, and apparently in the tower. you’ve been friends with peter and spider-man for years, and you had to figure out they were the same person on your own. he never told you.

but he told mj.

“please just give me a chance to explain.”

“i’m not interested in hearing it.”

you push yourself up to your feet, stumbling as you trek through the grass. you’re still a bit disoriented from your crash landing.

“where are you going?”

“back to the jet. don’t follow me.”

“it’s not gonna fly, you know. it’s out of fuel.”

you ignore peter and your dizziness and keep walking. peter’s fingers catch your wrist, forcing you to turn back and face him.

“the others will be here soon. just stay with me until they come. hear me out.”

your pride tells you no, but your love for him tells you yes. no matter how angry at him you are, he’s still your best friend.

you look down at your wrist in peter’s grasp, then up into his pleading eyes. you give in with a sigh. he lets go of you. you take a seat in the grass, sitting cross-legged. peter mirrors your actions.

“mj wasn’t supposed to find out. it was an accident.”

“what do you mean?”

“i was showing her around the tower, because you know my cover story, how i ‘intern’ there. thought it would be cool. mj sorta just put two and two together. she’s, like, really smart.”

“you never showed me around the tower.”

“why would i? you’re an avenger.”

“yeah, but i didn’t know you were… until i did.”

tears prick your eyes.

“how come you never told me? i’ve been friends with you way longer than mj, and she found out before i did. did you not think i could handle it?”

the tears escape. peter frowns and shifts closer to you.

“i knew you could.”

he dabs at the corners of your eyes with his thumbs, palms pressed to your cheeks.

“but that’s not the point.”

“then what is?”

“i didn’t tell you because i thought i was keeping you safe. i wanted to protect you. knowing my identity puts you in danger.”

you sniffle, more tears wetting your cheeks. your watery eyes meet peter’s.

“we’re best friends, y/n. nothing and no one could change that. i like mj, but i love you.”

you throw your arms around peter’s neck, hiding your face in his curls. a sob passes through your lips. peter hugs you back, making sure to be gentle because you’re still recovering from the crash. he kisses the side of your head and holds you in his arms, never once letting go.

tags: @mystic-writings @just-lost-inbetween-worlds @lnmp89 @jenoslov @crvshnburnn@starlight-starks @belovasheart @liltimmyst @eviewriites @hollandsangel @parkerctrl @eichenhouseproperty @inthegetawaycarwithtaylah @varshhyy @ellebutnotwoods@magicalxdaydream @tayyx @parkerdadda @valluvsu @ronweasleysslut @peterficrecs​ @Winchestersgirl222

#peter parker #peter parker angst #peter parker fluff #peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #peter parker writing #peter parker imagine #peter parker fic #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker x avenger!reader #mcu #marvel #tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland angst #tom holland writing

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

RANT : ML Season 5's Ending

I don't post about Miraculous much, but I need to get this off my chest.

WARNING :

Salt. Just...all the salt.

Chloe:

I don't like Chloe, she's a horrible person and hogged a lot of screen time throughout the show that could have been given to other characters, such as Nino. However, I find it disturbing that they decided to send a teenage girl to live with her abuser, with absolutely no friends; meanwhile her father, who only deciding to put his foot down last minute, gets to quit the job he's always hated anyway (even though he's abused his power before, and not just for Chloe's sake) without being called out for how he spoiled his daughter AND the adult magical terrorist gets a statue.

Not to mention Felix, a teenage boy who also has done terrible things, basically gets away scot-free. Remember when he basically tried to kill EVERYONE except for four people including himself, remember when he tried to force himself onto Ladybug, remember when he gave all the miraculous to a terrorist, remember when all it took to "redeem" himself was to emotionally manipulate someone in a vulnerable state into watching a play to convince her to solve the problem he caused for him (btw I can't believe Kagami came up with that plan and revealed Ladybug's identity behind her back, what the heck?) I get that he was abused, at the end of the day he's an abuse victim doing literally anything he can to gain the freedom he never had, but if he gets sympathy after all of that, what about Chloe? She was abused, she was neglected. Felix not only is seemingly forgiven and "redeemed", but still gets to be a permanent miraculous holder. When you combine that with how the narrative treats Gabriel and Andre, it looks like a sexist double standard...probably because it is.

Chloe sucks but that isn't entirely her fault. Andre spoiled her rotten, Audrey was a horrible influence when she wasn't straight up neglecting or verbally abusing her, Miss Bustier coddled her and Damocles let her get away with pretty much anything (although in their case I guess the mayor would've prevented them from letting Chloe face substantial consequences), Gabriel (and Lila) manipulated her multiple times. I'm not absolving Chloe of all blame, but she's 14. Leaving her with her abuser is horrible. That isn't cathartic, it's cruel. I'm not even asking for a redemption, I just think this "punishment" is too much.

Gabriel (and Tomoe too I guess):

Let's talk more about Gabriel. Gabriel, the abusive father, the magical terrorist, the guy that spent some of his final moments manipulating a teen, not only gets to make his wish, but also gets to be remembered as a hero. Statue included. Never mind that pretty much all of Adrien's classmates knew he was a terrible father at this point, they all clap and cheer when it's revealed he's getting a statue. The whole world is lied to and told the Alliance rings were hijacked by Monarch and that Gabriel sacrificed himself whilst trying to help stop him (I don't blame Ladybug for that though, I'm solely blaming the writers here). And we're supposed to be fine with this because he misses his wife and "tried to be a good father"? No.

An abused teenage girl is supposedly terrible beyond redemption, but an adult abuser is essentially outright vindicated by the narrative (the person he abused is tricked into thinking he was a hero, and Paris is basically a utopia post-wish). What a horrible message.

Remember, this may not be the end of the show, but this is the end of Gabriel's Agreste's story, and what an unfitting end it is.

Oh, and Tomoe gets away scot-free by the looks of it, because of course. Maybe she'll get comeuppance in a later season, but I'm not gonna defend the finale because of what a future episode might do, especially when this would've been the perfect time (and this goes for the possibility of Gabriel's secret identity being revealed to the public too).

Adrien:

I think Adrien is easily the most overrated character in the show. He's constantly coddled by the narrative, tends to "inspire" Marinette to be more passive and forgiving than she should be, and is incredibly bland (or at least he was until they started pushing just how angry he could get and how entitled to Ladybug's love he could feel, which I guess is something, but that something sure isn't pleasant); but you're telling me he doesn't get to have a legit passion beyond knowing he loves Marinette, to be involved in the final battle, to find out his dad is Monarch OR even that he's a sentimonster? He needs to know his life is tied to that ring and that he should be careful with it. This isn't "protecting him" (he's not a baby, if Felix eventually came to terms with being a sentimonster so can Adrien), if anything it's the opposite. Not letting him know that is dangerous! If not Marinette, Felix? Kagami? Nathalie? No one's going to tell him?! I hate to say it, but by robbing him of his agency and deciding they know what's best for him, they're being controlling over Adrien too; and no, I don't think that's "interesting", not after five seasons of Adrien already being controlled by someone else.

What is the show even trying to say? That Adrien needs to be controlled because he can't handle his emotions? Forget about giving him time or a good support system, he just wouldn't be able to handle it? If it was just his nightmare that'd be one thing, but Chat Blanc seems to indicate this is legitimately what they're saying. Why is this show trying to portray an abuse victim as someone who's dangerous and needs to be kept under control? Not just dangerous, but ultimately more dangerous than his abuser, since Gabriel made his wish and everything turned out fine (and at worst maybe one innocent person would have died/fallen into a coma had his wish not changed), but in "Chat Blanc" EVERYONE other than Chat died.

It does not matter if he finds out in a later season; it doesn't change the fact that his family is willingly lying to him and potentially endangering him by doing so, all for the sake of his abuser. Sure, you could argue Gabriel emotionally manipulated Marinette, but what's everyone else's excuse? I don't care if it leads to "interesting conflict", a) it's a conflict they've done before (Ladybug keeping secrets from Chat Noir), I'm not gonna praise the show for repeating itself, b) don't tell me telling Adrien the truth would've been "too sad" for the show to do but Marinette having to keep her mouth shut about Gabriel for the rest of her life (or even temporarily) is "interesting angst" (at least try to hide your favouritism, besides it's never even implied she feels guilty over this), and c) it's not like it will have a satisfying payoff, after all, it didn't last time. Even if Adrien does find out, Gabriel's not around anymore, so chances are Marinette will have to suffer the consequences of that, not Gabriel. That's not satisfying.

Like...Gabriel may as well have been related to Marinette instead (not her father but her uncle or something). Why not? Remember when he was her favourite fashion designer? (Don't worry if you don't, the show doesn't either.) Maybe have him become her mentor, imagine how much more of a personal impact Ladybug and Monarch finding out each other's identities could've had on both of them.

Why even have the main villain be related to the deuteragonist (giving him a closer connection to the main villain of the show than the actual main character) if you were just gonna side-line him in the final battle and rob him of any sense of closure? Whatever drama they can squeeze out of him finding out who Monarch is (IF he does) won't be nearly as interesting as it would've been to see Chat Noir confront Monarch, face to face, knowing that he's his father. Adrien might not even remember Gabriel being abusive at all, it's not made clear. But if he doesn't, all that time spent on Adrien's relationship with his father, building up a big confrontation between them? Wasted.

Remember how season 4 ended? How it built up Ladybug and Chat Noir working together to retrieve all the Miraculous back, after a season of them being more distant?

What a joke.

Is he the deuteragonist, or a trophy? The show can't seem to decide.

Marinette:

And then there's Marinette who, in a show that supposedly wants to empower young girls, doesn't even get to defeat the main male bad guy. After multiple seasons with her as the main lead, after multiple episodes where she's apologised or made to feel bad for either completely justifiable reactions or things that straight up weren't her fault (remember when she was made to say she was "out of line" at the end of an episode that was supposed to be about racism and police aggression?) meanwhile other characters rarely apologise to her in return, we don't even get the satisfaction of seeing her truly defeat the person that's caused her so much grief.

Seriously, she went through so much in this show; between the class consistently siding with Lila over her (btw turns out Lila basically had nothing to lose the whole time because she had multiple identities, yet another unsatisfying conclusion to a conflict), being forced to become a guardian, losing all the Miraculous, etc, and for what?

She failed. That's not me being too harsh. She may have influenced Gabriel to change his wish (emphasis on "may have", I'm pretty sure that woman was originally Emilie but in that case Nathalie being healed doesn't make sense), but her goal was to prevent the wish in the first place.

And why did they have to make her look like a fool? Felix's play spelled it out for her that Gabriel is Monarch, she even realises that he referred to the day she lost the Miraculous, but from the way it's presented she only figures out Gabe's Monarch after seeing him de-transform? Why did she think giving him a another chance would turn out well? She tried that all the way back in season 2, and it didn't work. Marinette is kind-hearted but she has her limits. You're telling me Lila crossed a line but Monarch could maybe be reasoned with? Why? Because he has a sob story?

Marinette is strategic and quick-witted. She's not an idiot.

Gabriel gets to make his wish and everyone else (who am I kidding, just Ladybug) has to clean up after him. Not only that, Ladybug does him a favour and ensures everyone is tricked into believing he was a hero. If anything, Chat Noir, the main male superhero, landed the killing blow.

Great. Just great. How empowering.

Bonus nit-picks:

--Did everyone on the planet seriously forget that the Adrien and Kagami in the Alliance rings aren't real, they're virtual simulations? That wasn't a secret. How did they fall for Gabriel's fake plea?

--If they were gonna put the girls from the specials and Future!Alix on the poster, they could've have them do more at least.

--Okay, Luka training with Su-Han was random but I guess since he was a temporary Miraculous holder it kinda makes sense...Penny and ESPECIALLY Jagged though? Nah.

--Ivan was the first person to EVER be akumatized then saved by Ladybug and Chat Noir. So with that in mind, surely he more than anyone would trust that they'd never kidnap two virtual innocent people, and would join Alya in reminding everyone else how they were always there for them, in a touching moment that brings the "first arc" full circle...oh.

--Look, Marinette is very talented, and I realise she had the book to help her but...I'm sorry literally HOW did she fix the Miraculous? Gabriel needed high-tech, presumably very expensive, machinery to re-shape them.

Final thoughts:

What makes this all sting so much more is that, wasn't season 5 supposed to be the original ending, just in case future seasons didn't happen? All seasons after this one are basically bonus seasons. So originally the show ended HERE. The last we would've seen of Chloe was her crying, trapped with her abusive mother. For all we knew Adrien would've been living a lie the rest of his life, looking up to his abuser. Gabriel is never fully revealed as the monster he truly was and is honoured as a "hero". Marinette literally gets stabbed in the back (well, it was her stomach, but you get the idea). There wasn't even a reveal, Ladybug and Chat Noir would've just never found out who the other truly is I guess.

Oh, but don't worry. Marinette and Adrien kissed.

That's all that really matters, right? (Never mind the fact that they spent five seasons building up to the start of a romantic relationship, and it will undoubtedly take even more for it to become a healthy one.)

Maybe the ending was originally different. Maybe they modified the ending of the season finale after finding out season 5 wouldn't be the last season. Maybe this will all somehow be fixed later (no matter how long they may will drag it out for).

Or maybe Marinette's blatantly out of character action (she hates liars, and only lied about her identity because she had to, even considering Gabriel's attempts to emotionally manipulate her previous episodes have made it clear she would not lie to Adrien, let alone the WHOLE WORLD, about Gabriel) will come back to bite her for the sake of having something to blame her for next season.

I don't know.

I don't care.

The writing for this show has been poor for a LONG time. I only stuck around because I still found myself having fun watching it from time to time, even as the problems got worse. That, and I was hopeful it would at least stick the landing. But after this, I don't think I can stomach continuing to watch a show that will probably continue to push such awful messages, and with such awful pacing.

Word of advice, all shows have flaws, so feel free to complain when a show does something you think is stupid (I've never found the argument that kids shows shouldn't be criticised because they're kid shows to make sense), but if you're not enjoying yourself because you can't overlook a show's problems, if you don't find pleasure in watching a show...just stop watching it. It's a waste of your time. Don't "wait for it to get good", don't wait for future seasons to clean up a current season's mess, don't continue watching it just because the fandom makes better content. I promise you there are better shows out there that deserve (and need) your attention.

So with that in mind...I don't think I'll be watching what comes next.

#miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #ml salt #ml writing salt #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #gabriel agreste #chloe bourgeois #marinette deserves better #a lot of characters deserve better tbh #you can argue “b-but season 6 will probably-” all you want season 6 won't change stuff like CN being left out or Chloe's “punishment”

[candlecoo]

wait so are Inko and Hisashi still together in the genie au? It would be really funny if after Izuku was born and Hisashi was wished free, he stayed with Inko. Like Hisashi just going about his daily life but holding a huge grudge against All Might for trapping him inside his lamp all that time. Double so if Izuku is his son.

Hisashi: NEVER trust All Might son, you hear me?

Izuku: Okay dad I know that he impri-

Hisashi: IMPRISIONED me just for the sin of TRYING to find a way to become free, ALL because my human form HAPPENED to go missing. ME, who has singlehandedly been granting the wishes AND helping their countries advancement for CENTURIES with barely a THANK YOU and he decides to LOCK up an innocent genie without so much as PROOF? DON'T tell him you're a genie either. I'll tell you, that big oaf better stay away from you OR ELSE-

Needless to say, if it's a possibility, Izuku is lucky he's allowed to go to the capital at all.

This probably wouldn't be feasible as canon for the au, so I'm just gonna call the the Genie husband headcanon.

Hisashi might see it as a form of "betrayal" from the people of the capital. You mentioned before he took on many identities so as a genie gathering information for hundreds of years he probably ended up as a lot of really smart historical figures over time with his human forms. So that along with the wish granting thing means he's been helping humanity/the one city move along scientifically for generations. But once All Might does the lamp thing? Boom. Gone. You get no more scientific advancement capital :) suffer.

The capital isn't exactly suffering, but it's more than clear they're going through a bit of an advancement stint.

I can imagine a small memorial was put up over Midoriya Hisashi's "death" thanking him for all his inventions and discoveries. Hisashi finds it once and just stares at it for 20 minutes, not sure if he should be flattered or enraged. (It leans more towards enraged after he finds out All Might was one of the people who helped put it together).

If Izuku and Inko live more towards the countryside, Hisashi would most likely take the form of a farmer. Mostly since (if he's like the genie from Aladdin who got freed) Hisashi still has his powers and can make the crops flourish easily. Despite his newfound hatred towards the heroes of the city, he still secretly makes sure the city doesn't fall. If it's dry season and the city hasn't had any water in a while, he'll send some rain over just for a bit.

When he was newly freed, Hisashi ABSOLUTELY wanted to go and get revenge on All Might, but Inko stopped him by pointing out that Izuku might also be found out, and neither of them know what people of the capital really think about knowing genies personally so they keep it secret.

In fact, Izuku might not even know his half heritage until he's about 10 to 12. By then he's already figured out his dad is magic, and mightve even realized how powerful he is. After they sit him down and tell him, he pesters Hisashi about it a lot, but stops when he realizes his dad is growing a bit uncomfortable because of how much it reminded him of when people used to find his lamp and request things.

Izuku realizes that Hisashi truly wants to move on from his genie days. He doesn't mind having the power to make it rain during droughts or make the fire burn long after everyone is asleep, but he needs a good long break from being all powerful. And just being Inko's husband will do that for him.

Hisashi doesn't necessarily agree with Izuku's decision to go to the capital. But he eventually relents under two conditions. One that he better not listen to anything all Might says ("ALWAYS make sure you know both sides of the story" "okay dad...") and Two that he not reveal his half genie origin. Because in this scenario Genies are one of the most powerful things in existence having the ability to make anything happen at someone's request.

Above all I just really like the idea of Hisashi settling down and hiding as a farmer while secretly loathing All Might and being a good father to Izuku. (Because so help him he swears if his son gets hurt they will see the wrath of ancient cosmic powers barreling towards the capital at full speed).

Hah sorry to clog your inbox. I'm gonna call this little spin off the "Genie Husband" one.

They are still together in a sense. I'm thinking of making Hisashi/Afo binds to his lamp a bit different than how most genies work. He was forcefully sealed or cursed to reside in the lamp with little chance to escape, making the requirements for freedom more than a simple wish.

However since Inko did wish for the genie to do as he pleases he can spend short periods of time outside of the lamp before being pulled back in. So he can't spend very long with his family for any extended periods of time, which is why he holds a lot of resentment for All Might. It also takes a while for Afo to confess to Inko that he is her husband, mostly because of shame and guilt for leaving her all alone for so long.

Inko is just happy he is alive and saddened that someone would trap such a kind and loving person.

Izuku rarely sees Hisashi growing up because of the limited time he can spend with them. Thinking that his father is still an explorer when he's away and a simple farmer/caretaker when he is home a few days a month. It isn't until he's older that he is told the truth and uses it as a lesson of not to trust too easily with telling others his heritage. Because others are quick to judge and may entrap him too if they find out.

But that still doesn't stop him from wanting to be a hero and adventurer. However he is more cautious.

#the half genie warrior! au #candle answers #ask the candle #bnha au #bnha #bnha headcannons

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Spitfire Cat

A JSE Fanfic

SepticHeroes AU: Part 21

First Part | Previous Part

Whoo! I've been waiting for this for forever! :D Jackie goes to confront Spitfire about the information he found, bringing the others along with him. And Spitfire finally opens up about his past and why he hates the League of Heroes so much. I'm so excited, guys. Gonna stop writing this author's note so we can get right to it :)

===============

“That’s... insane.”

“I know, right?!” Jackie paced back and forth in the apartment living room, right in front of the TV. Chase was sitting on the sofa with Frosty at his feet, eyes wide at everything Jackie had just rushed in to tell him. “If—if I was forced to guess at his secret identity, I would never guess that!”

“Yeah. It’s insane.” Chase whistled. “So, let me see if I’m getting this. This guy is the guy who ran into us in JJ’s shop the other day, right? You said you guys did Hero stuff together. And that whole time, you meant that he was a super villain you were working with.”

“Temporarily,” Jackie stressed. “It was a temporary alliance to deal with the Puppeteer stuff. I’ve never worked with villains before.”

Chase raised his hands defensively. “I wasn’t saying you did. Just getting things in order. Anyway, this villain really hates the League of Heroes, but this whole time, he was a Hero.”

“No, he’s not—not, like, being a double-agent or anything,” Jackie said. “He went rogue and then faked his death, and then became Spitfire Cat.”

“Right.” Chase nodded. “How long ago was this Phoenix guy’s fake death?”

“That was three years ago. Spitfire Cat showed up about two years ago.” Jackie rubbed his eyes. “It matches up. Timeline matches up.” A breeze fluttered through the room, flicking clothes and hair. “It all matches up!”

“Jeez, bro, take a deep breath or something,” Chase said. “Look. Does it really change that much? You already knew he—what was his name again? His real one?”

“Marvin Nedra.”

“You already knew Marvin was a criminal, is being a rogue Hero really that different?”

“I guess... not... functionally, but—but it really confuses me!” Jackie sputtered. “Spitfire Cat has always hated the League, and I mean really fucking loathed them. But if he used to be a Hero, then—what happened?”

“Hmm. Dunno. I guess he’ll be the only one to know.” Chase shrugged.

“I guess.” Jackie sighed and stopped pacing. “I gotta tell JJ and Schneep about this.”

“Why? You just said it’s not ‘functionally’ different.”

“Well, I should have told them about that guy being a villain in the first place! I should have let you all know the risks! Besides, I just told you, so it’s only fair I tell them too.” Jackie took his phone out of his pocket and started typing out a message.

“You’re gonna let them know through text?” Chase asked. “Isn’t that a bit like breaking up with someone through the phone?”

“No, I know this is big news, and I’m going to tell them in person. I just need to know when they’re both available. I’m putting this in the new group chat.”

“Oh hell yeah.” Chase grinned. He’d made the group chat the day before yesterday and titled it Windstorm Fan Club. Hilarious.

Jackie sent the text, and got an immediate answer from Schneep. I am at work for the rest of the day. Hospital until evening and then on call for emergencies all night. Tomorrow is the earliest I could meet for this “important news.”

“Hmm. Right. Makes sense.” Jackie nodded.

“It might be a while before JJ answers,” Chase said. “Why don’t you sit down? Stop hovering.”

“I’m not hovering.”

“Yeah, you are.” Chase pointed at Jackie’s feet. There was about an inch of air between Jackie’s shoes and the floor.

“Oh.” Jackie dropped to the floor. “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. God, were you doing shit like that often and I just didn’t notice?”

“Definitely not. I was being very careful. And you’re very smart, you would have seen if I’d been doing it. I guess I’m just not looking out as much now that you know.” It was nice, actually, to not have to constantly monitor himself.

Another text, this time from JJ. Tomorrow could work. Ned might drop by in the afternoon. He wanted to do something together.

Jackie stared at the message. The breeze in the room kicked up a notch. “Oh.”

Chase checked the group chat on his own phone. His brows furrowed. “Ned’s the guy who’s actually Marvin, right?”

“Yeah.” Jackie paused. “You know what? More than telling Schneep and JJ what I found, I want to tell Spitfire what I found. I need to know what happened and what the fuck’s going on with him.”

“Ah.” Chase raised an eyebrow. “So... the difference is to you.”

“What?”

“You found out some new shit and now you’re seeing him differently. I get it. I mean, I went through that just a few days ago with you and Schneep.” Chase gestured between Jackie and himself. “I get it.”

“...yeah, I guess you would.” Jackie gave a little laugh. Then he turned his attention back to the group chat and typed out another message. Actually, JJ. Ned should be involved in this. Can you tell him when he gets to your shop? Then the rest of us can come over and I can say everything all at once.

A few seconds passed. Sure, I suppose, JJ said. Should I tell him everyone is coming?

I dunno. He might leave if he knows so Ill leave that up to you.

Alright.

Jackie looked back at Chase. “So, ready to go over to JJ’s at any moment tomorrow?”

“I have work, but I can call in sick,” Chase said.

“Great. It takes a while to get to JJ’s place so we’ll have to go right away.” Jackie nodded. He started pacing again.

“Bro, I meant it when I said to sit down,” Chase said. “You’re making me nervous.”

“Sorry.” He stopped again. “Don’t worry. There’s nothing to be nervous about.” Probably. They would be confronting a supervillain with his past tomorrow. There might be cause for nerves then.

===============

They got the text at one thirty the next day. Ned just showed up. We’ll be in my apartment upstairs, walk right in and meet us up there, JJ said.

Jackie and Chase wasted no time, heading down to the train station as soon as possible. They quickly made it to Zeit Way. Possibly a bit too quickly. Chase was panting heavily when they reached Jackson Legacy Crafts and needed to rest for a moment outside the door. Jackie hadn’t realized just how athletic he was until that moment; maybe there was something super about his stamina.

Schneep showed up a minute later. “Chase, are you alright?” he asked, immediately concerned.

“Fine.” Chase was still breathing heavily. “Fine, just... ran. Don’t... run much.” He pressed two fingers to his neck. “Everything’s... fine.”

“Alright,” Schneep said slowly. “Be careful.” Then he turned to Jackie. “So. What is this about? Why is it important?”

“We’ll all talk about it inside.” Jackie pushed on the door, only to realize it was locked. “Wait. Damn it.”

“I got it.” Schneep stepped around him and took a key out of his pocket, opening the door. “After you two.”

They headed in and straight for the staircase at the back, which they took slowly because Chase was being even more careful about stairs than usual. But soon they reached the trapdoor. Schneep was at the front, so he was the one to push it open. Chase and then Jackie followed him up into the apartment.

JJ and Spitfire were sitting on the sofa together, with JJ holding the television remote, switching through movies on Netflix, and Spitfire lounging next to him. It was strange to see the two of them being so casual. But it didn’t last long. JJ noticed the three of them as they entered and put down the remote. I didn’t realize you all would be here so fast, he said. Are you alright, Chase?

“Mm-hmm. Just... we went a bit hard getting over here.” Chase reached down and patted Frosty’s head.

Alright. JJ nodded. So what’s all this about?

“We’re getting to that,” Jackie said, blatantly staring at Spitfire.

There must have been something in his expression, because Spitfire froze the moment he saw it. “Well, uh, I’ll head out now,” he said, hurriedly standing up. “I-I didn’t know you guys had something planned—”

“Oh, we have something planned,” Jackie said. “But you don’t need to leave for this.”

“Holy shit, Jackie, you make it sound like we’re going to murder him,” Chase whispered.

Apparently Spitfire took it the same way, because his eyes were darting all around the apartment. They lingered briefly on the window. As if he was seriously considering jumping out of it. JJ, picking up on the sudden shift in mood, stood up. Jackie mentioned some important news earlier, he said. And he thought you should know too. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.

“Uh, well, Jackie can email me later,” Spitfire said hurriedly. He walked quickly around the sofa, going in a wide circle around Jackie, Chase, and Schneep, and headed for the open staircase trapdoor.

Jackie flicked his hand. A gust of wind slammed the trapdoor shut. All the color drained from Spitfire’s face as he stared at the blocked escape route. “This isn’t email-worthy!” Jackie snapped. “This is something I need to hear from your mouth. I need to know what’s going on, Marvin!”

Spitfire—Marvin’s head snapped around. “What?!”

“Yeah, I know about it!” Jackie strode up to Marvin, who took one step back but no farther. “I found out about Light Phoenix, the rogue Hero. I made the connections—they’re not too hard to see if someone knows enough about you! Spitfire Cat, the villain who hates the League of Heroes, is Marvin Nedra. You are Marvin Nedra, aren’t you?! You’re Light Phoenix!” He paused. “Or, you were, at least.”

Marvin stared down at Jackie. His expression was hard to read, but Jackie could see the emotions in his eyes. Anger was there, as he expected. But it was not the main emotion. Instead... Marvin looked afraid.

“Jackie,” Schneep said quietly.

Jackie glanced back at him. He, Chase, and JJ were all standing in a cluster, looking shocked. And a bit wary. Not of Marvin, though.

“Um... bro, can you... calm down?” Chase asked. “You’re...kind of intense... right now.”

Jackie hadn’t realized how close he was to Marvin until Chase said that. He hadn’t noticed the tight knot in his chest, or the wind rattling around the room. Taking a deep breath, he deliberately relaxed his muscles and took a step back. “I’m not... angry,” he said, turning back to Marvin. “I’m just... very confused. I know you hate the League. You’ve monologued about it enough. But... you used to work with them. Until... something happened. And I’m just... confused.” He didn’t know how else to put it.

The fear in Marvin’s eyes died down, leaving only the anger. “Where did you learn all this about Light Phoenix?” he asked in a deliberately calm voice.

“Hero database profile. I got curious—”

“Why?”

“W-well, uh, a couple people mentioned him, said I was... like him.” Jackie paused. “So I got curious.” He cleared his throat. “And don’t you dare try to say that it wasn’t you or something, the profile had a picture and the guy was clearly you!”

“That’s not saying much. Look around.” Marvin gestured at the room. “We’re all doppelgangers here.”

“Okay, yeah, but I’m not an idiot,” Jackie said. “There was more information there! It all fucking lined up! Powers, nationality, age, height—the fucking burns on your arms like you escaped a fire. Like the fire where Light Phoenix supposedly died.” The wind was back, blowing his hair into his face. He took another deep breath. “Just... tell me why. I-I need to know why.”

Marvin stared at him. His eyes flicked back to the other three in the room, who remained silent. Then he looked back at Jackie. “You know what? Fine. Fine. Maybe this will change some things. Maybe you’ll open your eyes a little.” He turned and quickly walked towards the kitchen area. “Jameson, do you have anything I can drink? And I mean drink.”

JJ didn’t hide his surprise. There should be something in the back of the fridge?

“Great.” Marvin yanked open the fridge door.

“You’re getting drunk for this?” Jackie asked in disbelief.

“Not drunk. But if I’m going to tell a room full of basically-strangers my whole backstory I need some encouragement.” Marvin reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of something red. “What is this, a wine cooler? Good enough. Oh, and it twists, very nice.”

“Jamie, are you sure about that?” Schneep asked.

JJ nodded. It’s fine. I wasn’t going to drink those anyway.

Marvin twisted the cap off the bottle and took a small sip. Then a bigger swig. He glanced at everyone else. “Why are you all standing? This is going to take a while. Sit. Jackie, you especially. Don’t you dare leave in the middle of this. You asked for it, you don’t get to walk away.”

Everyone sat down. Chase, Schneep, and JJ took the sofa, while Jackie slowly took a seat in one of the armchairs, and Marvin flopped into the other. “Maybe we, uh... shouldn’t be here for this after all,” Chase said slowly. “It seems kind of... personal?”

“Ohhhh it is,” Marvin said, a bit bitterly, and took another drink. “But you’re staying. Jackie wanted to be here, so here you’ll be until I’m fucking finished. Okay?”

“Uh... alright, I guess,” Chase said. He glanced at Jackie, his eyes wide.

Jackie nodded slowly. He was already regretting his decision to confront Spitfire Cat with everyone here. But surely Marvin wouldn’t hurt people who had nothing to do with this.

“Alright. Where to start?” Marvin swirled the bottle for a moment. “I think... I think we start with my grandmam.”

“Uh...” Jackie coughed. “I-I don’t need to know everything about you—”

“No, this is vital information. I need you to know this so you can understand.” Marvin took another drink. “My parents kicked me out of their house when I was fifteen. They didn’t say that I was leaving and never coming back. They said ‘your grandmother is getting on in years and she needs some help living in the city, and it’s easier for you to transfer schools than it is for us to quit our jobs.’ But everyone knew.”

“Were they... anti-super?” Jackie asked tentatively.

“They were anti a lot of things, but it wasn’t the super part that got me thrown out.” Marvin shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. I didn’t see them again after that, so it’s not important. Fuck ‘em. What is important is how Grandmam reacted. I never understood why my dad was the way he was when she had been his mom. She also knew what it meant when I came to live with her, and she was furious. This sort of righteous, protective anger that I’d never seen—at least not centered around me. She never talked to my parents again, either. And she made it clear I didn’t have to. And I never really felt the need to, after living with her. She made me feel... like I actually mattered. Like I could do anything. And it was because I knew she would be there. Even if I crashed and burned and made some terrible choices, I could always go to her, and she would... she would give me a hug, and... tell me that it was okay... and that I was still her family.” Marvin blinked rapidly. He took a shaky breath and looked away from the group.

“She sounds like a good woman,” Schneep said softly.

“She was.” Marvin swallowed a lump in his throat. “She helped me go to uni. I-I chose somewhere close by. Great place. Learned some stuff. Probably could’ve gotten a decent job with my degree, but I didn’t want a decent job. I wanted to be one of the League’s Heroes.” He glanced at Jackie. “And that’s what surprised you?”

Jackie nodded slowly.

“Well, it really shouldn’t. Everyone loves superheroes. They keep us safe. They protect the innocent and look cool doing it. If you somehow get superpowers, everything tells you that you need to become a Hero. What are you even doing if you’re not using your powers to fucking... fight people? Are you using them for crime? Because clearly that’s the only other option. You don’t want to do crime, right? Then you’ll go to jail. Better become a Hero.”

Schneep raised his hand. “I have powers, and I became a doctor, not a Hero.”

Marvin blinked. “Well congratulations for breaking the mold.”

To be fair, you HAVE done criminal things, JJ said.

“That happened after, it was never my intention,” Schneep waved away that detail.

“In any case,” Marvin continued. “I wanted to be a Hero. I wanted to help people and look cool while doing it. So I started going out on my own. Same way you did, Jackie. Starting with petty stuff and working your way up until you finally feel confident enough to put in the application. Let me tell you, it fucking wrecked my sleep schedule to do classes and hero work at the same time.” He paused. “Grandmam found out. She was always sharp as a tack, even in her 70s. I-I thought she would be mad... but she wasn’t. She just wanted me to be happy. And careful, of course.” He laughed darkly and took another drink.

“So you worked for the League,” Jackie prompted.

“I did. And it was great. Sure, it was demanding, physically and mentally, but the smile on people’s faces when you came to the rescue, the knowing that you were making a difference... it made it worth it, in my eyes.”

Jackie swallowed a lump in his throat. That sentiment wasn’t too far off from his own feelings.

“And it was enough to overlook a lot of little problems with the League that I noticed,” Marvin continued. He looked at Schneep. “You’re a doctor, right? So you know about the fees.”

Schneep nodded. His fists clenched. “They are terrible. I have a fund set aside to help cover it for patients.”

“That has to be a lot.”

“It is. What do you think those ‘criminal things’ Jameson mentioned were for?”

Marvin laughed. “Hell yeah.” His expression quickly became serious again. “And that’s only one of the many things nobody talks about with the League. For example, have you heard of neutrinalin?” He glanced at Jackie. “I know you have by now.” Then at Schneep again. “And maybe you. But you other two don’t have powers, so maybe it’s not common knowledge. When you inject a super with neutrinalin, it temporarily blocks their powers. But the League originally planned for it to permanently disable any and all powers, no matter how strong.”

“What?!” Jackie gasped. “That—No. People would know about that.”

“They did. About four years ago, when word of the League’s plans got leaked, there was a huge backlash against the idea of it. People compared it to chopping off a thief’s hand for stealing. So... the League quietly dropped it.” Marvin rolled his eyes. “But I hear that’s because they couldn’t actually figure out how to make the effects stick forever like they wanted.”

“Okay, okay, that’s a bit sketchy,” Jackie admitted. “You can’t just go around taking away someone’s powers. I mean, unless they’re fine with it, I guess? But who would be fine with that? Ugh, it’s not important!” He shook his head. “What does any of this have to do with you killing a man and faking your death?!”

JJ gasped. Schneep looked shocked. Chase glanced at the two of them and nodded. He’d reacted the same way when Jackie told him everything yesterday.

“So you really did find out everything,” Marvin stated, not a hint of emotion in his voice.

“Yeah! And I’m wondering what the hell that’sall about! Though I don’t know why I’m surprised, you did try to assassinate Pink Sunlight back in July.”

“And if I’d succeeded, she would have been the second person I’d ever killed.” Marvin sighed. “To be honest, I regret trying that now. It probably wouldn’t have done much. But Andras Brand? I’ll never regret that.”

“The profile said that the guy was in custody at the time, there was no reason to fucking murder him! You didn’t have to do that.”

“I think I did, actually.” Marvin locked eyes with Jackie. “And I’d do it again. In a heartbeat.”

Jackie stared back, not backing down. “Why?”

A few seconds passed. Marvin was the first to break eye contact, turning to the side and taking another drink. “Andras Brand was a villain called Hellferno,” he said. “And he was an absolute psychopath. He terrorized the country for years. One time he took a whole city hostage and said he would burn a building full of people every three hours the government didn’t give him some ridiculous amount of money. And then when they caved, he used the money as tinder for the next year. The only reason he wasn’t a national-level threat was because he was smart enough to know what line not to cross.”

“He sounds awful, but—” Jackie started.

“Yeah, I know, he was arrested, I’m getting there, okay?!” Marvin snapped. “Look, Hellferno hated my guts. He said I was a disgrace to fire-based supers, and my powers weren’t even real fire. Which they aren’t, but I never claimed they were. Everyone else described them like that. Anyway. We fought a lot. It started with him attacking me for being a fake fire-super, and then over time I just knew him so well that other Heroes started calling me in to deal with him. And he hated that even more.” A small smirk curled around Marvin’s mouth. “Hated that he kept losing, too. Had to retreat almost every time. I was some upstart who was ten years younger than him, and yet I was better.”

“So you killed your nemesis,” Jackie prompted.

Marvin’s smirk faded. He looked down, picking at the label on the bottle. “He found out who I was,” he said quietly. “We were fighting, and my mask got knocked off, and he saw. I-I was freaked out, but everyone said it was fine, that he didn’t know anything else about me besides my face... but that was enough. I-I later found out that he paid a minor villain to track me down online. I... I didn’t know that at the time, though. I thought it would be fine. It... wasn’t.”

The silence in the room was heavy. Marvin took a deep breath and continued. “I was out on patrol one day. It was quite busy, a lot of small-time villains running around and disappearing before I could put the cuffs on them. And then I heard on the police scanner that... there was a fire. A house fire. At... at my address. At the house where... where I lived with my grandmam.”

Jackie opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He didn’t know what he would have said anyway.

“I ran there right away, but it was too late. Everything was already up in flames. I-I’m not immune to fire but I wanted to run in. She only left the house a couple times a week. I knew she would be in there. I had to go in and get her. But Tasha—have you heard of her, Jackie? Her super name is Downpour. She makes it rain. Before she made it rain on the blazing fire, she stopped me. She held me back, insisting I couldn’t get myself hurt, and I-I was screaming that I was a Hero, I was supposed to charge into danger, and my grandmam was inside, she couldn’t possibly get out on her own, and she—she fucking punched me so hard she knocked me out.” Marvin’s grip on the bottle tightened. “It took five minutes for her to hold me back. Five minutes when she could have started the rain.”

Marvin looked up. “So yeah. Andras Brand murdered the only real family I had left. And I was pissed. But... I was still a Hero. I wasn’t going to lose control. Even when the next time I saw him he laughed about it and asked me how the funeral was. He fucking did it to get to me. Well, maybe he shouldn’t have bragged about it. Because that pissed me off enough to finally get him. We fought. I knocked him out. I used the new neutrinalin stuff. And that was it.”

The silence was deafening. Jackie could have sworn he could hear the clocks ticking in the shop below. He glanced at the others. Chase was stunned, taking it all in. Schneep looked thoughtful. And JJ had tears in his eyes.

“But you know that wasn’t the end of the story,” Marvin continued. “It should have been. But it wasn’t. Brand’s crimes were bad enough to send him to Byrthon Vault, the highest-security super prison in the ‘British Isles.’” He snorted. “British my ass, they’re only one fifth of the countries. But that’s beside the point. The point is, that’s what I expected. That’s what we all expected. But it’s not what happened.”

“It wasn’t?” Schneep asked, looking more curious than surprised.

“Noooo. Because like I said, Brand was smart. If there was one thing he was skilled at, besides sadism, it was getting out of trouble. He made a deal. Hellferno was connected to a bunch of villains, including some major players. So, if he got a nice minimum security prison and less than a life sentence, he would hand them all over. The offer went all the way to the Council of Heroes themselves. And it. Was. Approved.” Marvin’s eyes flashed orange, as bright as the anger in his voice.

“The League doesn’t... doesn’t make deals with villains...” Jackie said slowly.

“Why not? Heroes do it all the time.” Marvin gave Jackie a pointed look.

“That—We’re taking down the Puppeteer!”

“Exactly the sort of logic the League was using.” Marvin took another drink. “But they did it in a different way than you did with me. I... I don’t know how to explain it. I think it’s because there was more than cold logic in your decision. You weren’t like ‘many villains is more than one,’ it was more like... ‘I think we can help people together.’ Does that make sense?”

“I... Just... keep going,” Jackie said haltingly.

“As you wish,” Marvin said drily. “Well, as you can imagine, when I heard about this, I was fucking livid. No one knew Brand better than I did, and I knew he was smiling about it. He’d managed to play the fucking League like a cheap kazoo. I did everything I could to point this out to anyone. I thought, maybe if enough people were talking about it, the League would change their mind and stick to justice. But no one wanted to talk about it. Other Heroes might have disagreed, but they didn’t want to do anything. And forget about the higher-ups. They just said the same sorts of things. Letting Brand get what he wanted was a route to further peace. Which, like, I understand that logic, but—but no! No! This wasn’t the way to go about it!”

“Maybe... you were just upset because of... you know,” Chase said quietly.

Marvin looked at him. The sharpness in his face softened a bit. “Yeah. That... wasn’t helping things. I know.” He paused, and the sharpness returned. “The League said something like that, too. But not in the way you did just now. They said I was ‘compromised.’ Because I was ‘personally involved.’ And I was. Didn’t mean I wasn’t right, but I was. But do you know what they did next? They assigned me grief counseling.”

“You probably shouldn’t sound so angry about that,” Jackie muttered.

“I’m not angry about the decision, I’m angry about how it happened!” Marvin shouted. “Jackie, you probably have heard of the League-appointed therapists by now. Have you actually had one of their sessions?”

“...No,” Jackie said.

“Good. Because they fucking suck. I never had more than three sessions with one of those ‘therapists,’ because they were all saying the same fucking thing. It all boiled down to ‘hey, sucks that your grandmam died, but time to get over it and get back to work. Time to let it go so you can keep doing the sort of thing that got her killed.’” Marvin shook her head, disgusted. The air around him grew hotter. “None of them listened to me when I said I wasn’t ready. None of them acknowledged the situation with her murderer basically going free. They just said to forget about it. And the insult was that when I got a therapist outside of the League, they found out after two sessions and said that if I kept seeing her, they would dock my pay.”

“That can’t be legal,” Chase said.

“Who fucking cares about legal when you’re in the League?! It’s not legal to cut deals with criminals outside of a courtroom! But the League’s never set foot in a courtroom! The League makes its own rules!” Marvin laughed hysterically. “Who gives a shit, right?! What are the world governments going to do? Sue the guys providing free protection for their people?! No, that’d be crazy!” The laughter slowly died down. Marvin stared at the wall. He looked deeply exhausted.

“Did you do it out of anger at the League?” Jackie asked quietly.

Marvin glanced at him, not turning his head. “I did it because it was the only thing I could do. No one was listening. No one wanted to listen. Brand probably had some sort of escape in the works. Maybe he didn’t. But I knew him. He wouldn’t wait for the sentence to pass. He asked for less security so he had a chance of breaking out. And I couldn’t let him go back out there. I couldn’t let anyone else die.” His voice cracked on the last word.

No one dared say anything. Marvin continued. “So I had a plan. I knew that with my Hero status I could access the place they were keeping him. I didn’t tell anyone I was going there. I just showed up, and they let me in. I went straight to the cell. He was... sitting there. Reading a book in a chair. He looked up at me, smiling, and said, ‘Come for a visit? Do you want to reminisce? I have some memories I’d like to share.” Marvin paused. “I didn’t say anything. That smile of his slipped a bit. I always responded to his bait. He stared at me for a moment, and I think he saw my expression even around my mask. ‘Phoenix,’ he said. And then I killed him.” He raised his hand. A small sphere of red energy flickered in his palm. “Straight shot through the heart. It went through the chair, too. He died instantly. I wonder if he was afraid.” The sphere disappeared. “I turned and walked out, and kept walking. Then I started running. I knew what would happen next.”

“Being declared a rogue Hero,” Jackie whispered.

Marvin dropped his hand. “They told you the policy for a rogue, right?”

Jackie nodded. “Rogue Heroes are high priority. All Heroes in the area are to help search for them. If one of them finds the rogue, they’re meant to call it in so everyone can go help with the arrest.”

“Mein Gott, it’s a fucking manhunt,” Schneep whispered.

Jackie jumped a bit. He’d almost forgotten that Chase, Schneep, and JJ were listening as well.

“It’s a fucking manhunt,” Marvin agreed. “It’s really a miracle that I lasted as long as I did. Almost two weeks. Every couple days I’d have a scuffle with a Hero I’d known, some who I thought were friends, and then I’d have to leave the area immediately. I knew I couldn’t keep it up forever.”

“So you faked your death,” Jackie said quietly.

Marvin grinned. There was something grim about it. “Had to commit. Took a few days to prepare.” The grin disappeared. “I did feel like scum for breaking into a morgue and taking some of the cremated remains. But... I knew they could identify human DNA.” He paused. “Nowadays, decoy bodies won’t work. I hear that last year SepTech gave the League tech an upgrade that could identify who remains belonged to by comparing DNA to known samples and relatives. Not sure how many samples they have, but still. Worrying.”

“So that’s how you did it.” Jackie nodded slowly.

“Yep. I made sure they saw me on the edge of Dublin. I started a fire in the warehouse, left the remains in there, and...” Marvin went silent.

“What?” Jackie prompted.

“You know they have all Heroes’ fingerprints, right?”

“Yeah, they use those for the background checks.” Jackie remembered scanning a picture of his inked prints and attaching it to the application.

“Well they don’t get rid of those. If you go rogue, it’s easy to identify you by the fingerprints.” Marvin flexed his fingers. “So I had to make sure they couldn’t use that method.”

Jackie looked at Marvin’s gloved hands. The horrifying realization slowly dawned on him. “You don’t fucking mean—No. No no no no, you can’t mean—Holy shit. H-how the fuck—how do you just do that?!”

“It was... just as... difficult... as you think,” Marvin said haltingly.

“You can’t be fucking telling me you plunged your hands into fire.”

“You WHAT?!” Schneep gasped.

“I’m going to be sick,” Chase whispered. JJ certainly looked like he was going to, as well.

“It didn’t go well, but... i-it got rid of my fingerprints.” Marvin gave a weak smile.

“Yeah, that would do it! Holy shit!” Jackie leaned back in the chair, unable to stay upright at this. “You really hated the League enough to burn your arms.”

“Well the plan was for it to just be my fingertips, but things got... out of control,” Marvin said haltingly. “I’m lucky I can still use my hands, to be honest. I... spent too long thinking about the fire, and... about my grandmam, and the flames got... big. And then... the rest of the building caught quicker than I thought... and I just kept thinking about...” He trailed off, his gaze going distant.

I’m so sorry you had to go through that, JJ said.

“He didn’t have to go through anything!” Jackie shouted. “You didn’t have to burn your hands off!”

“Oh, and how else was I supposed to get rid of my fingerprints?”

“I don’t know! But you wouldn’t have had to do that if you hadn’t gone rogue!”

“I wouldn’t had gone rogue if anyone in the League had bothered to do their fucking job!” Marvin shot to his feet. The bottle fell to the floor, not breaking but spilling its contents in a wide arc. “Wake up, Jackie! They’ll treat you the same way! They may be telling you that you’re some special great Hero now, but that doesn’t mean they actually care enough to help you when you need it! It’s a fucking tough job to protect people! And they’ll push you through it nonstop until you break or go numb and become their little tool!”

Jackie stood up as well. “That doesn’t mean I’ll kill someone!”

“I never thought I would, either,” Marvin said bitterly. “But maybe you’re right. We all break in different ways.”

Jackie didn’t know what to say, but he wanted to say something. He stammered for a moment, then suddenly—

A musical tone filled the air.

Everyone looked towards the source. It was coming from JJ. He looked embarrassed and pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket. Turning away, he checked the number on the screen. Then he stood up. One moment, he signed, and hurried across the room, disappearing into the storage closet for some privacy.

“Huh. Who would call JJ? Don’t they know how one-sided that would be?” Chase wondered.

“Plenty of people do that anyway,” Schneep muttered. “Jameson complains about it often.”

“Well. Anyway.” Chase shrugged. “There’s, uh... a bit of a situation going on here. Marvin, right?”

“Uh... yeah,” Marvin said, suddenly drained of anger.

Chase grabbed Frosty’s leash, letting Frosty pull him into a standing position. “I’m sorry about all that,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry they never let you deal with things the way you needed to. And that they, uh, ignored what you said about the villain you knew a lot about.”

Marvin let out a shaky breath. He nodded, too choked up to say anything.

“And Jackie.” Chase turned to look at him. “You’re right. Murder is bad.” He laughed. “I don’t think anyone here needs to be told that. Even Marvin. But that’s not why he told this whole story. You asked to know why, and he explained. This... isn’t to, uh... justify things. It’s just to explain. To help you understand.” He glanced back at Marvin. “Right?”

Another nod. 

Jackie’s head felt like it was spinning. It was so much. It was all so much. It felt like the ground beneath him was rocking, like he was standing on a ship about to go through a storm. The League helped people. The League cared about people. Didn’t they?

But Marvin couldn’t be lying. If he was, he was a phenomenal actor. That grief, that anger, that frustration was all so real. 

“You two don’t have to get along,” Chase continued. “But just, like... respect each other, you know? Especially after this guy just bared his fucking soul to us.”

“Yeah,” Jackie breathed. “I... I’m sorry, Marvin. Sorry that... all of that... happened.”

Marvin stared at him. “Thanks,” he said, the word a single quiet syllable.

Jameson returned from the closet, clutching his phone in one hand. “Jamie, is everything okay?” Schneep asked. “You look...” He trailed off.

“Oh, wait, yeah,” Chase said. “You look really tired all of a sudden. What, did you do push-ups in the closet?”

Jameson laughed silently and shook his head. No, it’s just been... an exhausting time for a while. He walked over to the sofa and picked up the remote again, turning on the TV and flipping to the news (which was currently reporting traffic).

Chase raised an eyebrow. “You know we’re still here, right?”

Sorry, I thought some background noise might be appreciated, Jameson said, sitting down.

“Okay, sure?” Jackie said, a bit confused. “Uh... well.” He looked at Marvin. “I’m not... going to leave the League or anything. It’s... hard to, like... match up what you said with what’s already in my brain.”

“You couldn’t leave anyway,” Marvin muttered. “Quitting is a nightmare of bureaucracy, it’s basically only available if you’re retiring from hero work altogether.”

“Uh... that’s another thing that’s hard to match up,” Jackie said. “But as I was saying. I’ll... you said this might open my eyes, and... It’ll be hard to forget.”

“Good.” Marvin folded his arms.

“I just don’t know what you expect me to do with all this.”

“I don’t expect you to do anything. I expect you to think about it. I expect you to reconsider every policy the League has. I’m not asking you to go rogue, Windstorm. Jackie. I’m asking you to... I don’t know.” Marvin shook his head. “I don’t know,” he repeated quietly. “I’m only hoping you’re not as much of an idiot as I thought you were.”

Jackie paused. “Well... I’m still a bit of an idiot,” he admitted. “But I’m not a dumb idiot. If that makes sense.” 

“That is arguable,” Schneep muttered.

“Whoa, hey!” Jackie whirled on him. “That’s uncalled for!”

“I saw you for three different injuries, Jackie. I’m sure at least one of those could have been avoided. Not to mention the binding situation.”

“Hey! What happened to confidentiality?!” Jackie put his hands on his hips. “Okay, just out me in front of the super villain, why don’t you?”

“Out? Wait. Oh.” Marvin’s eyes widened. “Oh, you’re—oh.”

“See?!” Jackie gestured at him. “He had no idea!”

“I mean... I-I don’t mind,” Marvin said haltingly. “I don’t really... care. I’m... also... in those circles.”

In the background, JJ silently nodded like Marvin had just confirmed his suspicions.

“Really? Oh, uh... this is awkward,” Jackie said. “I mean, obviously I also don’t mind, it’s just... I never expected to learn that about you.”

“I never expected to tell you. Just wanted to let you know I didn’t mind.”

“Yeah, uh... no one here minds, either.”

Silence descended on the room, thick enough to cut with a butterknife. Everyone glanced at each other, not sure how to break the quiet.

And then—

The TV screeched with static. Jackie jumped and whirled to look at it, as did everyone else. Black and white bars glitched across the screen. And then it all cleared to reveal a familiar face of green eyes and a jagged smile.

“Oh for the love of fuck,” Jackie muttered, covering up the sudden fear he felt with annoyance.

“I know you are watching, Windstorm,” said the Puppeteer, his computerized voice punctuated with static. “I know you figured out what I was planning. But all you’ve done is force me to adjust. Something is happening in the city, Windstorm. Can you figure out what it is? Or where they all are?” He laughed, the sound strange and robotic. And then the screen went to static again, and the normal news segment returned, with the anchor looking confused and worried.

“Shit! Of all the fucking times!” Jackie immediately ran for the window, then stopped. “Shit! I didn’t bring my suit!”

“You don’t carry it with you?!” Marvin asked, surprised.

“I do most of the time, but I wasn’t planning for this to happen!”

“You can never plan for emergencies, you can only prepare,” Schneep said, staring at the TV. “That was this villain. The Puppeteer. What did he mean by that?”

“I don’t know! Something is happening somewhere in the city!” Jackie patted the pockets of his hoodie, even though he knew he hadn’t brought his police scanner or the Red Line. “I have to go figure it out!”

“Wow, um... can we help?” Chase asked.

“Help?”

“Yeah, didn’t you say something about teaming up with this guy to fight the Puppeteer?” Chase pointed at Marvin.

“Your friend’s right, I’m not about to let this fucker get away with whatever he’s trying to do.” Marvin folded his arms.

“And I’m sure I could be of help,” Schneep said.

“I—are you sure, Schneep?” Jackie asked. “It could be dangerous.”

Schneep laughed. “Do you think I’ve never found danger in my exploits?” In fact, there was a fire in his eyes that said he was excited for danger.

“...okay,” Jackie said quietly. “You know the risks. And obviously Spitfire does, too. Um—Marvin does, too. But you two!” He pointed at Chase and JJ. “The best thing you can do is stay home! Where it’s safe! I don’t know what the Puppeteer’s planning, but it’s probably not good to be out and about!”

“Uh... yeah, that makes sense.” Chase nodded. “Do you think it would be safe to take the train back to the apartment?”

“I—Maybe? I can go with you. But JJ, please stay here.”

JJ nodded. He was slumped back against the sofa. I don’t want to go anywhere, trust me, he said. He seemed even more exhausted than before. But... Maybe when you go out for this, you can wear the gift I gave you?

“The—oh. Right.” The bracelets. Jackie chewed his lip in thought. “I think I can do that. I’m not sure how practical it is, but they can fit under the suit.”

I think it will bring luck, JJ said.

“I might forget, so no promises, but I’ll do that.” Jackie whirled around and headed for the trapdoor. “Now everyone! Move out!”

Without even waiting for them to respond, he rushed over, threw open the trapdoor, and ran down the stairs, skipping every other one. His head was still whirling with thoughts after hearing Marvin’s story, but there was no time to waste!

Time to be a hero.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #septic egos au #jacksepticeye au #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent #chase brody #dr schneeplestein #jameson jackson #brigid writes fanfiction #septicheroesau

[scootersscooter]

One thing I hate about Lab Rats: Elite Force is that putting the Mighty Med characters in a new setting strips them of their individuality and Superhero identities.

They're pushed aside and seen as "others" because they got their powers in a different way and because they can't expose the superhero secret they have to reevaluate how they interact with their environment.

The superhero suits in Mighty Med tell you a lot about each hero before they even have a line of dialogue. Take Titanio for example, he has a large bulky suit because he's a rich billionaire without any powers of his own and you get that vibe from just looking at him.

By destroying Mighty Med off screen and placing it's characters in a new environment they rid Kaz and Oliver of the opportunity to explore their superhero identities in a superhero environment.

They no longer have a controlled environment like Mighty Med to explore all the intricacies of their powers. When Skylar got her powers back in Mighty Med she had to do tests and examinations to get used to then and work out and issues but Kaz and Oliver are thrust into hero work while still learning how to master their powers.

They assimilate to bionic culture in the public and their mission suits is a reflection of that hence why I think Kaz and Oliver were so excited to help design them with Douglas and Chase. They had always dreamed of the day they could get their own superhero suits to be like the heros they loved and looked up to. The suit Douglas and Oliver create especially reminded me of Titanio when I was watching that episode.

There is no individuality within the Elite Force, they are a team and function as one unit. Mission suits don't tell you anything about the wearer like the Superhero suits in Mighty Med did.

Allowing the Mighty Med characters to exist in a new environment by letting themselves pass as bionic is a double edged sword.

It allows the mighty med characters to live and use their powers freely without suspicion and risking the secret of superheros being leaked

BUT

It also strips them of individual characteristics that are essential to superhero identities by lumping them into a team setting where their superhero identities are seen as odd or ridiculed.

Superhero costume and outfit design was important in Mighty Med lore. Every superhero had a signature characteristic in their outfit. And those characteristics were very important in season 2 of Mighty Med. Those characteristics turning white was an immediate tell that they had turned evil.

By doing something as small as removing Skylar's pink streak in Elite Force or putting her in heels when she had said she would never fight in them, they are radically altering her character and core aspects of what makes her a hero/what kind of hero she presents herself as.

Individuality is important to a superhero's identity and removing it's superhero characters from that creates problems within the lore and within it's characters.

#I'm definitely overthinking this #it's actually not that big of a deal but i think about it all the time #super suits are just interesting and tell you so much about the characters wearing them!!!!! #this has been in my drafts forever #mighty med #lab rats elite force #skylar storm #oliver mm #oliver lref #kaz mm #kaz lref

[theabyssgazesalsointoyou]

hello hello hello, i humbly ask you to elaborate about the superhero au???

mmmm okay. extremely self-indulgent au in which i take shameless inspiration from several marvel heroes in varying degrees. it's cringe idc

christine is like. the spider-man type. secret identity, self-made vigilante after gaining superpowers through an accident. your friendly neighborhood hero. she's the first hero to establish the group with the help of retired hero mr. reyes or whatever idk

brooke was born with more magic-ish powers (think mutant) but she doesn't like that so she hid it until she was recruited by the group. head of hq, mostly oversees tech and plans as an office operator. rarely dabbles in field work because she doesn't trust her powers but she's very powerful

jake's motivator is guilt bc his parents were criminals idk and he feels obligated to vigilante work to make up for that or smth. and then he has another moral crisis about whether or not beating villains up is the right thing to do. zero powers or training he is just Some Guy with a well-respected civilian identity. very daredevil-core.

rich gained superpowers after being subject to human experiments in an illegal facility, no the powers do not include pyrokinesis. affiliated with gangs and shit bc of his background and uses it to his advantage in undercover missions.

chloe is a former assassin & was trained to be a child soldier in a red room-esque program. the first thing she wanted to do after escaping was bring down the organization + she couldn't return to society so. joining the group was the obvious answer.

jenna was a private investigator (yes like jessica jones) who didn't have anything to do with superheroes and shit until she accidentally took a case related to them and got roped in. still technically works solo but helps out enough to be considered a member.

michael was this totally normal random civilian living his life until he accidentally got into a situation with the heroes/villains. took the job as an office operator as a witness protection sort of thing. very tech-savvy and resourceful.

jeremy had his memory wiped when he was kidnapped & experimented on by the squip, gained superpowers as a result. he's almost robot-like when he's turned to the group but he slowly regains his memory and recovers.

aaaand madeline is a double agent originally from a villain organization in canada that brainwashed her. has a fake french alias and mostly takes undercover operations, often helps brooke in hq. dustin is the IT guy who's like. in the back of a van with a laptop. that kind of thing. he's a programmer & close friend of christine's and accidentally discovered classified info on her computer and thus was recruited. nicole is another office operator.

you can ask for more details but honestly i haven't made up my mind either lol it's just. a Thing i entertain in my head sometimes as a former marvel fan

#orca answers #bmc #be more chill #squip squad #bmc superhero au

[the-last-dillpickle]

One thing I keep wondering about is an alternate universe where Julian identified Sloan’s suicide device beforehand and disabled it, allowing him to mindprobe the man and leave him alive after. This scenario however leaves us with two big questions:

1) What would they have done with Sloan afterwards?

2) What repercussions would Sloan face from Section 31?

On the first, Sloan will probably require at least a few hours to recover from the immediate effects of the mind probes. In that time, Julian and Miles would have to decide to either keep him hidden from Sisko or reveal his presence. Now, Sisko was generally aware of their plan, so it seems likely they would do the former. Which turns the question into one of what would Sisko do? 

They know Section 31 has friends in high places, and while they can maybe hold Sloan on breaking and entering charges, it seems unlikely those charges would stick or that he wouldn’t just be picked up by a security detail and immediately freed. There’s also Julian and Miles’ own actions to consider and whether their possession and use of the mind probe wouldn’t be brought up if they went that route. 

Either way, they’d probably want to find a way to contain Sloan in the meantime. Sloan came to DS9 for one reason--to destroy the cure. If he can, he’ll probably try to rectify his mistake in any way he can, and that would mean possibly killing Julian, Miles, and even Odo before they can do anything with their information.

Another related consideration is also Sloan himself. It won’t matter what they decide to do with him if he were to get up and immediately find a way to off himself. Maybe he’d escape custody and return to 31 on his own. Or he might escape and go on the run to escape punishment.

Then comes the even bigger question of just how punitary Section 31 is. I doubt Sloan would be let off the hook for making such a big blunder by falling for Bashir’s ploy, getting captured, failing to off himself (even if he was prevented from doing so), and subsequently revealing the cure and potentially many more Section 31 secrets. 

Going to the extreme--I don’t think 31 would straight up kill Sloan. For better or worse, they are still made up by Federationers, and Sloan is one of their own. If they did do so, it would be because they believe that he actively made the choice not to activate his suicide implant, and the method of execution would be something like a staged suicide by bedsheet in a jail cell.

More likely, their kinder replacement method for execution would be to give operatives a ‘quiet retirement’. That is, a complete mindwipe of the subject, insertion of fake memories if possible, new identity, plastic surgery, and drop them off on a backwater world to live out the rest of their life.

Alternatively, Sloan’s duties might be changed. Perhaps he’d have some of his more sensitive duties as a handler removed from him, and he’d be given easier assignments. Perhaps he’d be given less access to classified information. Maybe he’d be sent undercover on a few easy jobs and be forced to work his way back up. Maybe he’d be given desk duty and made to analyze data with all his work double checked. 

But it’s hard to say just how hard the crackdown would be, especially as it’s difficult to tell what his place in the organization actually is. Based on the sorts of missions he goes on, it would seem like he’s somewhere in the mid or lower-upper levels of the organization. But the wide range of very classified information he apparently knows would suggest he’s very high level (which don’t typically put themselves at risk by going out and doing missions--they’re planners.)

One option I *don’t* think 31 would do at all is just drop him and fire Sloan from the organization. He’s not some low level guy, he knows too much, and after a certain point, you may be able to retire (’quietly’ even) if you’re no longer fit to do the job but you can’t really be fired or quit from such an organization. That sort of thing makes it too likely that you’ll start selling secrets.

Anyways, that’s all I have for now. I’d love to hear other’s thoughts on what might happen in this scenario.

[knickynoo]

The double Marty’s an interesting concept. I suppose the McFlys could pass him off as a cousin or something.

How would the rest of the series go? Would Doc drop TP Marty off with his family, head to the future, come back (and which Marty would get in the wreck with the Rolls Royce?)? Would only TP Marty get involved or would both go? Or do none of the events of the trilogy happen? Does this prevent Doc from merging Clara? And now that the McFlys know about time travel and it’s results do they try and keep both Marty’s away from Doc? Do any of the get pulled into time travel escapades? How do Dave and Linda handle another younger brother? And now Jennifer is with LP Marty so it’s just another thing TP Marty has lost. TP Marty might want to stay at Doc’s just because at least there’s more familiarity there and he doesn’t feel as left out. Maybe TP Marty starts going by Calvin just because it’s a convenient alias.

I’m sorry for the million questions but my mind is reeling with the possibilities!

Link to original ask here for anyone who missed it.

Ahahaha, Marty and his identical cousin: Also Marty.

I've honestly been thinking about this whole thing on and off all day, to the point that I think I may have to start jotting notes down in case I end up wanting to turn this into a fic.

I'm thinking that the two Martys thing would likely make Doc toss his own personal time travel plans out the window. He'd definitely feel like he needs to stay and help everyone sort through things. Unfortunately, yeah, that means no Clara.

I don't think the Rolls Royce accident would happen either. Lone Pine Marty would be way too wrapped up in "Oh, hey! There's another me here!" to do anything but stay at home freaking out.

I'm torn on how the McFlys would treat Doc in the aftermath. Not sure if they would want nothing to do with him or if they would actually lean on him for support in navigating their new lives. I think they'd be pretty firmly against any additional time travel, though. The only instance of potential time travel that might happen would be a trip back to the day before the experiment so that Doc can do something to convince LP Marty to go to the parking lot so that things could be "set right " BUT that comes with its own issues (paradoxes aside, because we're ignoring those for this concept), particularly if the McFlys are involved in the decision. I can't see them agreeing to it, knowing that it would "replace" the son they raised with the Marty from Twin Pines. Doesn't matter that Marty is essentially the same person or that the McFlys wouldn't remember the whole predicament--they wouldn't be able to approve such a decision. If anything, Doc would have to do it in secret.

Twin Pines Marty moving in with Doc is an interesting direction to go in. Maybe a little distance would be the best thing for everyone, at least in the beginning? I can't see it being the long term solution, though. Marty would miss his siblings and parents too much, even if they are different from what he remembers.

Finally, yes, I think Marty having an alias would also be necessary to avoid the confusion of having two Martys respond to the name. (And because it'd be like, impossible to write a fic without having a solid way to differentiate between Marty 1 and Marty 2). Calvin would be a good obvious choice.

Overall, I think any fic dealing with this scenario would likely be sort of dark and emotional. Maybe the kind where there isn't really a happy ending.

Ohh, so many ideas. There is a tornado happening in my head. Anon who posed this idea...where are you? I hope you're seeing the rabbit hole I'm now falling down.

Thanks for the ask!

#asks #back to the future #bttf

[sevengraces]

The Heroes Journey (To Find A Home)

ch1, ch2, ch3, ch4, You, ch6, ch7, ch8, ch9, ch10, ch11, Title Card

AO3 Link

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Wilbur and friends discuss, with probably too much interest/detail, exactly what's up with Technoblade. Rip to this child's secrets.

--------------

Alright, despite the last chapter being like an obvious excuse to info dump about my fake lore uh this is the most questionable one lol. Solid chance this shit is out of character or just not how real people would act but we must move the plot along somehow and I'm autistic so this is the best human interaction you'll get outta me lol. CW's- Swearing Dissecting someones behavior Tommy being himself/vaguely insensitive Vague references to fantasy racism (?? possibly) References to canon deaths (past tense) (rip tubbo) Incredibly brief reference to suicidal ideation (wilbur was just like that in canon so y'know) Canon typical references to war/violence That should be everything, but as always let me know what I missed. (:

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Chapter 5 Anti-Plot Armor

    Wilbur had really only stumbled upon Techno’s base by pure luck, and it was awfully convenient to find it while the piglin hybrid was home. He had told Tommy to watch himself, but it wouldn’t hurt to double check just how many strings were tied to this act of forgiveness.

    It had definitely hurt, that much was clear.

    The man stumbled out of the base and walked away as fast as possible, nearly running from what absolutely could not be the Blade crying. He eventually reached a clearing a good distance away, most sounds hidden by the trees.

    “Fuck, okay that was fucking stupid, damnit.” the man collapsed against a nearby tree and muttered to himself.

    “Why the fuck did I bother him that much, do I have a gods damn death wish? Well obviously but not like that. Damn okay, okay, okay. Let’s review, and then I need to talk to the others.” Wilbur closed his eyes and breathed in and out for a few moments. “Alright, there are no strings with Tommy, that’s good! Don’t think I could manage anything else to focus on right now.”

    He leaned his head against the tree trunk, “He was angry that I asked, not in the ‘fuck you for bringing this up’ way but more like ‘why do you think so little of me’, and that is, uh, interesting for sure seeing as he did kill Tubbo like yesterday. And I mean that’s whatever, maybe he was angry that I was checking if he would be honorable or something? But he seemed so anxious.” Wilbur thought back to the beginning of the conversation. “He was on edge the whole time, because I nearly walked in on him without his mask. And y’know that’s fair or whatever but I didn’t even know that was like a secret kinda thing. But uhm, that freaked him out really badly. He was straight up panicking before he got the mask on, like hyperventilating. Which is pretty weird cause why does it matter what he looks like? I guess Dream is weird about his mask but like, that’s an identity thing and a drama thing, gods know he could handle it any other way, but Techno is widely known, he isn’t an Admin or anything like Dream is? So the mask isn't important for that.”

    Wil traced the strings of the conversation, “After he got the mask he was still awkward and he kept slipping into piglin, and he doesn’t usually do that, though he was awkward like he was scared. Why would Technoblade be scared of me? I guess he didn’t think anyone knew where he lived and he had clearly woken up just then, but it feels like something else.” he sighed in agitation, “His voice definitely changed the longer we spoke, and y’know it would make sense if it was lower in the morning right? But it was definitely higher and then he made it lower in like one sentence, has he been putting on a voice this whole time?” The man laughed, “Damn, definitely can’t tell Tommy about that.”

    “He was also embarrassed? When he got at me about lying he was super reluctant to actually explain himself, almost like he hadn’t meant to say it.” Wilbur scratched his neck absentmindedly, “But why would he be? Why would he say it if he didn’t want to explain it? He was almost acting like Tommy, snapping something and then backtracking when it invited more questions than answers on my end. But Tommy only does that cause he’s scared of honesty or whatever, and I mean, even Tubbo does it sometimes. It’s kinda like a kid thing to do? Why would Technoblade be like that though?”

    Wilbur tugged his beanie down his neck and continued, “Okay, so Tech was anxious and off kilter the whole time, weirdly insistent on the mask but didn’t properly explain why, he was snappish and whiny, like he wasn’t even sure that he was allowed to be, plus he was definitely flinching every time I called him Blade, which is just odd.”

    “Maybe he just doesn’t like that moniker? But why wouldn’t he just tell us to stop? I mean we’d probably ask questions so if he didn’t want to answer them I guess that explains why he would just suffer through.” Wil huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “C’mon I’m close to something, what is it?”

    As Wilbur muttered to himself Tommy and Niki approached slowly, “Wil? Whatcha doin’ out here?” Nikachu called out.

    “Yeah, just weirdly talking to yourself in the middle of the woods or..?” Tommy chimed in hesitantly.

    The man laughed quietly and shook his head, “Uh, no not like that, not this time. I’m tryna figure something out.”

    Niki sat down across from him and pulled Tommy down next to her, “Can we help?”

    Wilbur nodded and chewed his lip, “Yeah, uh where’s Tubbo?”

    “Think he’s still sleeping in Pogtopia, why?”

    “Just don’t want to repeat myself later, plus he’d probably be able to help too, y’know?” Wilbur pulled out his communicator and typed out a message to the boy in question before sending coordinates. “He should be here soon then, but ‘till that what have you been up to?”

    Tommy rambled on for a few minutes with the occasional interjection from Niki. Wilbur nodded distractedly and hummed when needed.

    “Having a meeting without me then?” Tubbo called teasingly as he entered the clearing.

    Tommy laughed and shook his head, “Course not big man, just waiting for you to finally get up.”

    Wilbur rolled his eyes and settled into his seat, waiting for the others to calm down.

    Tubbo sat between Niki and Tommy directly across from Wilbur. The boy tilted his head and hummed out a questioning note.

    “Alright, nobody interrupt m’kay? I’ve gotta get to the end of the new information and it is gonna be a tad uh, shocking.” Wilbur straightened against his tree as the others nodded and prepared to listen.

    “I visited Technoblade this morning-” Wilbur began hesitantly.

    “What!”

    “By yourself?”

    “How did you even find his house?”

    Wilbur glared and waited for silence once more. “Anyway, as I was saying, I visited him today just to see if there were any conditions on Tommy’s-" he waved his hand vaguely, "-forgiveness or anything like that. When I got inside his little base he wasn’t in the main room so I called out to see if he was even home.” the man gestured widely, “And y’know he was, so I walked towards where he had yelled from and started to ask if he had a minute, like ya do, when he freaked out about me almost seeing him without his mask. He was kinda reluctant to actually explain why he was basically having a panic attack from the other room but once I got it out of him I just let him grab the mask so we could talk.”

    Niki nodded slightly, “Yeah I don’t think anyone’s seen him without his skull mask thing.”

    Tommy laughed, “He was really that freaked out? Not even Dream is all that worried about it and he has a secret Admin identity thing.”

    “Does he have, like, a reason for hiding it? Did he tell you?” Tubbo asked.

    The man let out a halfhearted glare at the comments but answered nonetheless, “Yeah he didn’t really explain, I asked sort of joking cause I was a little concerned he’d just murder me for almost seeing his face, but he didn’t give a real answer.” Wil sighed again, “So he gets his mask on and he’s still super nervous right? I figure, hey maybe he’s still freaked out about the close call, but it was different than that. Techno kept slipping into piglin to answer before changing it back like he hadn’t noticed, and he was all high pitched and crackly in the voice. Sounded kinda like Tommy to be honest.”

    Tubbo and Niki laughed, but Tommy went bright red. “Hey! I don’t go crackly!”

    Tubbo raised an eyebrow and looked at the boy for a long moment.

    Niki bit back her snorts, “But, uh, why would Technoblade sound like that?”

    Wilbur shrugged and continued, “Yeah, don’t know about that one. He kept being all sketchy the whole time but I eventually asked if he was gonna hold a grudge about the extraordinary Innit over here, and then he got super defensive.” He blew his hair out of his face. “Like all angry and shit, thought he was about to go on a rant about honor and all. Instead he snapped at me about mother henning you, and I just explained I had to keep you alive somehow. He insisted that if he wanted to kill a baby he would’ve, that you’d already been released and what else could we want from him.”

    Tommy interjected, “Not a godsdamn baby. There’s no way he said that.”

    “Probably did, to be honest.” Niki answered.

    He rolled his eyes, “Well what he said verbatim was that: ‘If I was going to kill a runt with no thought then I would’ve done that.’, but I figured I could translate the culture shock and language issues out.”

    Tubbo furrowed his brow; “Why would Tommy be a runt? Like he is smaller than Technoblade but he isn’t tiny?”

    Niki shook her head, “With piglins all children are runts, he was just reaffirming how young Tommy is, not calling him weak.”

    “I’m not a baby or a runt or a child.” Tommy glared, “I’m a big man. And I think all the time!”

    Nikachu scrubbed her face, “Damn guys, Overworld is Techno’s second language, obviously. He must’ve been raised piglin which is why he leans on it when he’s stressed or tired, and they use different grammar and sentence structure. He was basically trying to say that it would’ve been easy to kill a child that didn’t know anything, so he would’ve done it before now if he was going to at all.” she huffed again, “I can’t imagine having to translate into a language with an entirely different style and adjust culture discrepancies.”

    Wilbur cringed, “Yeah, he probably has a hard time with it huh?”

    Tubbo rubbed his horns in sympathy, “Man it would get annoying being a nether-born hybrid, I bet the cold is a bitch.”

    Tommy shook his head insistently, “Nah, he’s a big fucking dude, if anything pissed him off he’d just kill ‘em.”

    Wil bit back a scowl and settled for rolling his eyes instead. “Tommy you know he’s a fucking excellent strategist right? Like he isn’t just strong? Sure he could snap you in two but he could also probably win a debate on the necessity of supplies in war or some shit too. Except when he gets all whiny, he’d probably lose then.”

    “When he gets whiny? What’re you talking about? Piglin is a lot more nasally, s’that what you mean?” Niki asked.

    Wilbur shook his head, “Well when I asked if he was gonna fight with Tommy over this he got all petulant about how he followed the rules and Tommy was the one who broke them. It was honestly kinda weird? Cause it isn’t like I was gonna chastise him like a fucking ten year old.”

    Niki nodded thoughtfully and waved for the man to continue his recount.

    “Well anyways, he insisted that he’d leave Tommy alone and the only thing to happen to the brat was that he’d have to deal with being untrustworthy or whatever. After he had asked what else we could want from him I had insisted that I didn’t want anything from him, to which he called me a liar a few minutes later into the conversation.” Wil sighed and rested his head against his knees, “I didn’t know what he was talking about, or when I had even lied, so I asked him. He got all embarrassed and awkward, like he hadn’t meant for it to come out at all. He did that thing that Tubs and Tommy do when they’re accidentally vulnerable? Where they walk back everything they said and get all defensive and nasty. I eventually got him to tell me what he thought I’d lied about, but it was like pulling teeth and he tried to kick me out a few times.”

    Wilbur looked up at the other three once more, “After I figured out that he meant that we wanted something from him I clarified that I didn’t want anything new from him. It was weird he seemed all hurt and devastated and got all; ‘Of course you want something from me. I’m not stupid.’, it was honestly a little sad.”

    Tommy cocked his head to the side, “What does that even mean, everyone wants something from everyone, he isn’t fucking special.”

    The man shrugged, “Dunno, but it got stranger after that. He asked me if we had reached satisfaction, like this was another brawl or something. I told him there was no grievance, that we weren’t fighting, and he got all angry and embarrassed again, his ears were flicking around so much you guys.”

    Tubbo laughed hesitantly, “His ears flick around when he’s embarrassed? That’s actually kind of cute.”

    Tommy glared again, “It isn’t cute Tubbo, he’s a wrong’un.”

    “Well whether he’s a wrong’un or not, he probably just didn’t know how to ask if you’d finished or not Wil. I don’t usually catch him struggling to translate but that early in the morning and being caught off guard it’d probably be harder than usual.” Niki chimed in.

    Wilbur stared at the others with passive agitation then finished, “Anyways he got all huffy about my prying so I apologized and left him alone pretty quickly after that.”

    Nikachu shook her head dazedly, “That is super wild, I’ll be honest Wilbur.”

    Tommy laughed cruelly, “What? That the big pig gets all shy and anxious sometimes?”

    Tubbo shoved him. “Don’t be an asshole Innit, of course he gets anxious and stuff, he’s just a dude.”

    “A dude who killed you.” Tommy grumbled.

    Niki cringed, but it was Wilbur that interrupted them, “Boys knock it off. I didn’t tell you all of this just so you could bicker some more, something isn’t adding up.”

    “Yeah, there’s something off about this whole thing,” the boy nodded and continued, “I mean, he definitely killed me, but he did apologize beforehand. And afterward he was super polite and managed Tommy’s fuckup way better than he had to, what’s the thing we’re missing?”

    Niki looked between the others, “Just, something about his whole behavior doesn’t read right, y’know? It’s inconsistent but not impulsive, I can’t put my finger on it.”

    “I mean why does it even matter, maybe he’s just nuts, y’know?” Tommy added unhelpfully.

    “I don’t think so.” Wilbur shook his head, “Whatever it is I wanna know though.”

#dsmp #c!technoblade #c!wilbur #c!niki #c!tubbo #c!tommyinnit #technoblades chat #fanfic #fanfiction #kidnoblade #kid!technoblade au #grace is writing

[ashren]

🍰🎂🍩 for Ash (or both if you feel so inclined 😉)

🥰🥰🥰🥰 thank you 💕

(For reference Ash's story takes place after the original trilogy, he defects around the time of A New Hope- he meets Rylin about five years after the fall of the Empire)

🍰: What's something your OC counts as unforgivable?

For Ash, Empire sympathizers are unforgivable, especially after the fall, when more and more secrets were let out about how the Empire really operated. He struggles with this for a long time being ex Empire himself

Rylin- Doing anything that would hurt his family. He's incredibly protective of the ones he loves, and of his Mandalorian culture, fuck with that intentionally and he'll never forget or forgive that one.

����: Has your OC have any contradictory interests or traits to the first preception people have of the? How do they surprise people?

HEHEH SO Ash actually kinda lives a double life 😌

Ash is bartender who happens to be good on a speeder bike and accidentally became a local celebrity by entering and winning races. HE keeps to himself and the bars owner will tell ppl to scram if they bother him about his racing while he's working so most ppl don't really pay him much mind

Pax on the other hand is a smuggler and bootleg bacta maker based out of Kamrri (the planet they live on lol i have a LOT of world building on this one) who's known to be loud mouthed and quick to anger. He never takes off his helmet in public, adding to his mysterious air lol. He's got a small crew, but the rumor has it, he's the one to go to for less than legal ventures.

Ash isn't exactly the opposite of Pax, he just keeps his mouth shut more, but people would absolutely be surprised they're one in the same. He made the decision to separate the two identities early on when he realized he could win a lot of money from speeder racing but only in the legal races. If he showed off his face as a smuggler who can outrun both the empire AND the new republic, he couldn't race, and he couldn't make money to continue making bacta

So yeah Ash kinda lives doubles lives and it is VERY shocking to Rylin, who was enamored with Ash, and found Pax annoying as shit (affectionate, he later realized).

🍩: What's a crime your OC is most likely to commit? What's a crime they're most likely to get arrested for?

Smuggling. LOL. Specifically bootleg bacta. He, Threes and Rell learned how to farm bacta and make different strains and how to do it affordably. Part of Pax's self issued penitence for his time in the Empire is offering free bacta to places he could reach that were ruined by the Empire. Bc he's not making the bacta legally, the New Republic is also cracking down on him, citing unsafe practices. He gets arrested as Pax for smuggling related stuff a few times, but also manages to either bribe, talk, or break his way out of the situation.

#THANK YOUUUU #it got long so i only answered for Ash for the second too haha #i have like three years of world building with these boys #they're star wars ocs only bc of the setting really #all the characters in their story are ocs except a few big names lol #the planet is an original creations of mine #i have the city mapped out in my head #i have some local government stuff figured out LOL #i even made up the speeder races for them cuz it's not just regular speeders #they go from land to water bc kamrri is an island planet #they started as modified speederbikes and were modded #i have a whole history of the sport LMDAO #anywyayyy #thank YOU #ash khaar #ask game

[one-abuse-survivor]

Hi✌🏻

This is dissociation anon once again after a very long time. How've you been? I hope your life has treated you nicely!

So, I've been living alone for more than a year and, well... It's great! I have close friends to spend my days with & meaningful relashionships that make me feel supported and seen and part of the community, do great in school (I had the coolest practicals out of my entire group!! At 19 yo, I was already assisting with surgery, if in the smallest role!! I saw so much stuff and by the end the main nurse trusted me enough she sent me as the only tech in an emergency operating room!!), generally cleaned up most of the main issues to the point they affect me much less than before (the only like,,, big big triggers left are suicide and weapons, but like, as a person who both was suicidal and had a brother who wanted to kill himself by shooting his brains out with the gun we had, I don't think those two will go away, well, ever), and if I do get more trauma, it's because of either general geopolitical stuff and/or other fucked up stuff happening in my life that doesn't involve the abusers.

To sum it up, I'm living that university experience you see in ads and movies that everyone says is impossible, complete with my own apartment and a walkable community with a shitton of public transport.

Also, my family is rotting apart. Everything got so much worse since I left it's not even funny. A part of the family had to emigrate, and I'm pretty sure my 13 yo cousin is now depressed and bullied in school; they seem to only be finding bigger problems and all of them are miserable. Relatives are dying left and right. My father shut himself off completely, preferring to stare into meaningless entertainment all day instead of doing... Literally anything. My brother, while not actively suicidal now (thank god), is 10 seconds away from going on a murderous rampage and killing them all, despite also somehow developing his own dysfunctional second life. My mother is heavily burnt out and depressed, preferring to also shut herself off with meaningless entertainment instead of trying to do anything to make herself feel better.

They are tearing each other apart with horrible fights which are now happening daily, and People's "such a shame you had to move" talk turned into "you shouldn't return" talk.

And it just,,,, it hurts my soul, man. Like, boy, I sure have my empathy and ability to sympathise with them turned down to 0,005%, but like,,,, they're so full of misery that it follows around them like a cloud and seeps to surfaces.

And things are like, bad bad. Like, triple the level of dysfunction you are thinking about from that initial paragraph. Like, my mother is contemplating divorce bad.

And when I look at all of this I just,,, want to help them, because oh fuck this isn't something anybody deserves.

So I'm just sort of stuck with a double life and a shitty secret identity of being a 100% normal & we'll adjusted person and also severely abused victim who's family is rotting apart and like,,, how do I manage both of that? What do I even do? Do I help? Do I don't? Do I say "you deserve this?" And leave them?

They're still the people who tortured me, abused me, despised me, pulled a gun on me, threatened to kill me, starved me, refused to give me proper medical treatment, turned me into what was practically a child slave, and more. And when you spell it out like that, it seems clear cut - no, I shouldn't help them.

But the idea of leaving,,, all that to be in my happy bubble of optimism and positivity and turning a blind eye while they rot makes me, the person I made myself outside of their influence, who has morals now, wholy shit, when did that happen, shrivel up in guilt and shame.

So like.. thoughts? Opinions? Help? Is this some sort of delayed Stockholm syndrome?

(Also, I think they know I did my whole year long manipulation plan to get out of the house intentionally, but by this point, what can they do? I won. I'm out, and I only come back for vacations and weekends, occasionally.)

(Also also, yeah, I still dissociate, either due to flashbacks or exhaustion, but it's better now)

Warm regards, and Thanks for your answer in advance!!

Hi again! I'm very glad to hear from you again!

It's so good to hear that university life is treating you well. Such amazing news!!! And that the trauma recovery isn't taking up all your mental space. That's amazing ❤️

Regarding your struggle of not knowing whether to help them, I'm here to reinforce what you already know when you spell out exactly what they put you through: you are not responsible for helping them overcome their struggles. You were an abuse victim under that roof, and every step you have taken toward your own safety and well-being is a good one, including distancing yourself as much as possible from their lives in every possible way.

It's completely understandable to struggle with guilt when you know exactly the kind of hell someone is going through, especially when those people have made you feel responsible for their pain. You're not alone in these feelings. I personally also felt like this when I left my mother behind, knowing how mentally unstable she was. I'm sure many other abuse victims have felt like this after leaving behind their abusers as well. Manu abusers have a way to make you feel like abusing you is the only thing keeping them from hurting themselves instead, and it can feel so selfish to save yourself when it feels like you're dooming them even more in the process.

But the truth is it was never your responsibility to save your family members from themselves at the expense of your own safety and well-being, and it will never be. Your responsibility is to take care of yourself and put yourself first so you can heal and lead a regular, fulfilling life, outside of survival mode. A life where you don't have to worry that something you say or do (or something you don't say or do) will make others escalate into life-threatening violence. And, let me tell you, I'm really proud of you for everything you've already done to save yourself. (Also, super proud of you too for all your achievements in your practicals! Assisting with surgery is such a huge step!)

And, nonnie, you're not living in a bubble. What you have done is exit their bubble to enter the world. That's a great thing! Your family is the one living in a bubble of emotional anguish that they either created for themselves, or didn't know how (or want) to escape. As far as I'm aware, they are all adults (at least in your former household) and have the ability to make their own decisions, just like you do. And while it can be extremely difficult to escape a situation where you're living in survival mode, warped in a damaging and terrifying worldview where everything is a life or death situation (I would never want to downplay how impossible it can feel to exit a cycle of abuse), it is possible to at least want to fight to lead a different kind of life that is adjusted, and calm, and feels worth living. You did it. Why is it that you can fight for yourself on your own, with no one to support you and your whole family actively against you, but it feels like they can't do it without your help? Why should you have to sacrifice everything you've fought for just because they can't find it in themselves to fight for a better life they way you did?

I think it will be easier to believe they're the ones in a bubble the more time you spend away from them. Up until very recently, their bubble has been your whole life, everything you've ever known. That's why it can feel like you're in a bubble now, because your newer experiences can feel small and more isolated than your whole lifetime up until this point. But as you spend time in the outside world and experience new interactions and relationships, your perception will change, and, hopefully, your guilt and shame will be alleviated and it'll be easier to understand that you never deserved what you went through, you didn't choose to live in that bubble of abuse, and it's not your responsibility to remove anyone else from it.

It can be really painful to feel like you're leading a double life when no one around you knows you come from an abusive household. I still struggle with this sometimes. It's helped me to be open about my past with my friends, at least. I don't know if this is something you want to share with any of the new people you've met, but I just want you to know that whatever you choose is okay. You don't owe anyone this information about your past, but you also don't owe anyone keeping quiet about it to make other people comfortable. Do what feels right for you, and if you're scared of oversharing when it isn't welcome, you can always ask for consent beforehand. There are lots of people out there who will appreciate you being honest and open, and even relate to your struggles.

Good luck with everything! Sending a big virtual hug ❤️

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