#but it's so much fun to add in Smiler now too

[victorluvsalice]

A Gush About Valicer

So this is probably a bit of a weird post for me to make, given that it’s literally just me gushing about the weird OT3 I’ve had for less than a year, but -- it’s Thanksgiving, and I feel like it’s weirdly appropriate to start talking about a ship that I’ve grown to be very fond of over the past few months. I’m thankful that it’s in my life. So, yeah -- I’m taking this opportunity to say it --

I fuckin’ love Valicer.

I mean that. I’m the first person to say that I don’t understand how or why I got so into The Smiler coaster at Alton Towers, and I especially don’t get why I went from trying to use the roller coaster for some Valice AU funtimes straight into shipping a human/humanoid (depending on the AU) version of said coaster with Victor and Alice, but even with that. . .I just love it so much! Smiler’s been a fun coaster OC to develop through Sims and the Not-Incorrect Quotes posts and generally all the weird situations I’ve come up with for them in my head. They’re so different to Victor and Alice by being extroverted and loud and generally cheerful, and yet they love their boyfriend and his girlfriend so much and want to see them happy. . . Granted, they want to see everybody happy, but still. And Victor and Alice love them, despite their differences, and they have such a great dynamic! I really feel like Smiler brings out Victor and Alice’s more fun-loving, jokingly-feral sides (as seen in the Not-Incorrect Quotes), and it’s great. :D I love all the little variations I’ve made up for them:

-->The Sims trio, living in their haunted farmhouse: Smiler working on robots in the barn and sending out bursts of vampiric happiness, Victor tending to his plants in the greenhouse and practicing his magic, Alice painting on the porch and coming to grips with being a werewolf

-->The Modern AU with all of them in college, with them starting out just as friends and becoming more after that one awkward hypnosis session with Victor, and transitioning into a very happy polycule with a nice support network of Smiler’s friends and family and Victoria and Emily (excellent for dealing with Victor’s shitty parents)

-->The Londerland Bloodlines AU where Smiler initially looks like an antagonist, but as it turns out they’re being manipulated by their “friends” and they do have some ethics under their “I can manipulate emotions to help people be happier, so why shouldn’t I?” exterior. Smiler wanting to atone after Victor gets kidnapped just for knowing them and they see some of the horrors the Setites were visiting on the people they wanted to help, and slowly being integrated into the vampire/ghoul/zombie polycule in the process

-->The Fallout of Darkness AU where I actually lean the closest to the ride’s actual theming (with The Smiler itself being a mind control device run by an eldritch being), but even then Mar-Mal has enough ethical sense to understand that you don’t kill the people you’re trying to make happy, and enough sense of humanity to enjoy Victor and Alice’s company and want to stay in their robot form with them, and Victor and Alice go from being kind of scared of the robot run by an eldritch being to seeing it as a friend they want to stick around -- and possibly, if Mar-Mal gets a handy Gen-3 synth body at any point, friendship might become something more. . .

-->The multi-fairy-tale AU with Victoria and Emily, featuring Smiler at their Fae best, just wanting to do nice things and make fun deals with these mortals to spread some joy, and slowly being sucked into genuinely caring for them, to the point where Victor’s “death” by poisoned apple nearly breaks them; Alice going from just surviving her awful tenure in Bumby and the Tweedles’ hell-house to having actual friends and loved ones; Victor and Victoria both escaping their toxic parents and finding that a simpler life, if harder, agrees with them SO much more, and finding so much love in that life; Emily reclaiming the happiness that she used to have on land, and finding real love after Barkis tricked her with his poisonous version

-->The upcoming Holistic!AU, where Victor and Alice are practically soulmates thanks to the universe bringing them together; and then Victor falls in with Smiler and their friends thanks to being kidnapped by Kelman and finds that his social circle doesn’t have to be just Alice, that the universe will let him have more friends and more loved ones, and Smiler’s happiness sense keeps giving them mixed signals about how okay it is to kiss Victor -- until Alice finally shows up for the rescue and lets them know it’s all right, she’s willing to share (as are Victoria and Emily, who are actually starting to appreciate this mad ride)

-->The Blades In The Dark-inspired thing I’ve been poking at -- this’ll get a proper write-up at some point, but the gist of it is that, after some incidents involving Victor getting kidnapped by a ghost bride on the eve of his wedding, Alice finding out Dr. Bumby’s horrible plans for the Houndsditch orphans, and Smiler just trying to help them both out, they end up as a criminal gang focusing on stealing from the rich so they can do things like create a community greenhouse (which I appreciate isn’t QUITE how you play BitD but this is fanfic not me actually playing XD) and go from friendly acquaintances to polycule in the process

-->All the various half-formed AUs that float through my head at night -- Victorian AUs where Victor and Smiler meet thanks to Dr. Kelman dragging their “son” to a Van Dort party and end up secret lovers for a time, before either Smiler gets banished to rural Lithuania and Victor has to go through some Forgotten Vows-style shenanigans before they can get back, and Alice has to deal with the fact that this is Victor’s ex who still clearly loves him, but does that mean she has to give Victor up? (Nope, as it turns out, she doesn’t), or the two run away together to avoid Victor’s arranged marriage and end up meeting Alice in the process, and Smiler has to deal with the fact that Victor clearly thinks Alice is attractive, and she’s nice, and are they ready to share Victor with someone else? (Yup, they totally are.) Or modern AUs where Alice and Smiler were friends first, and they both meet Victor, and discover they’re both falling for him, and initially they try to be noble and push him toward each other, until finally Victor reveals he’s in love with BOTH of them and they realize that they don’t HAVE to give him up. All the different ways they can meet, and become friends, and fall in love that I can think up.

And this is getting REALLY long, and I’m not sure how coherent it is anymore. XD Just -- the point of it is, having all this strange and wonderful Valicer (and Four Victorians On A Roller Coaster) stuff has really made me happier over the past year, and I’m really glad it’s part of my life now. I love my silly little Smiler OC, and I love my ship with them and my original OTP. So I hope you guys like it too, because it’s gonna be sticking around. XD

#valicer #four victorians on a roller coaster #smiler alton #smiler always #the smiler #I just #it's hard for me to articulate how happy the trio makes me? #Valice has always made me happy and continues to make me happy #but it's so much fun to add in Smiler now too #I love them as a trio #how Smiler and Alice are such good friends #and how much they both love Victor #and Victor loves them both in return #and they're just silly and fun together and #*heart heart heart* #the Sims versions give me the serotonin #once I have more mental energy I will be talking more about Valicer stuff #so yeah brace yourselves XD #queued

[eujazmine]

all gifs from christianscody !

JAZMINE HARPER - TV TROPES

manipulative bastard

The Manipulative Bastard is the master manipulator of people, in essence, a character who manipulates others through their emotions, perspectives, psychologies and any other way they can get them dancing to their tune. This is the guy or gal who gets off on playing head/mind games—clever and dangerous and lacking comedic overtones (usually). She always has a plan ready, but rather than do any work, the Manipulative Bastard prefers to play on other characters' emotions and mental states and then watch the victims destroy themselves as they waste their energy on fighting against fake dangers or their friends.

are we surprised? with a lack of loyalty to others, including her own family, jazmine will gladly step on others and use their weaknesses to her advantage to get what she wants. she’s been a manipulative bastard since she was a child, ever since she first discovered how much her mist control could control the perceptions of others. observant and resourceful, jazmine has no qualms using her talents to gain unauthorized information about others and using it for her personal gain. she views people as her pawns, and her selfish way of thinking gives her little guilt about physically or mentally forcing others into submission. this is a trait she’s picked up from her own father, which we will delve into in the next trope.

daddy’s little villain

mention of emotional abuse tw

She's the daughter of an Evil Overlord, who shares her parent's ambition, cunning, and cruelty. She could be anything from a simple Spoiled Brat to an Overlord in waiting. She's also likely to be a Princess (since even villainy is improved with that), although she will still prefer wearing black or dark colors over pink. 

jazmine’s mortal father can largely be thanked for the way she is now. from as young as she can remember, he was training jazmine to be a powerful force in both the demigod and mortal world. while he raised her to think she could accomplish anything she worked toward, she was mostly a pawn to satisfy his thirst for power. he didn’t care much for her as a daughter; mostly for what she could do for him. she started to recognize this during her formative middle school years, consequently turning her childhood role model into her worst enemy. when she started rebelling against him and acting out, he sent her away full-time to a camp on the other side of the globe. since then, the issues only progressed, eventually leading to a falling out in which she hasn’t seen or spoken to her mortal family in many years. 

this upbringing has fueled her desire to constantly be the best in her fields of expertise, which is partly why she quested for years in hopes of some type of recognition. with the heavily hidden hope that she could one day rub in his face that she had succeeded without him, all her life she has fought to try to ‘prove her worth’ to others despite being the daughter of a minor goddess (or titan). because her father only loved what she could do for him, she places everyone in two categories: the puppets, and the puppeteers. 

and she will never be the puppet again.

broken ace

He's tall, charming, strikingly good-looking, well-spoken in five languages, and classically trained in even more instruments. But inside, he's an ugly, writhing mass of self-hatred and Parental Issues. Expect him to have at least one bizarre trait or ability that should not be overlooked, as well as an unhealthy attitude about love, life, and humanity in general. He most likely doesn't have anyone that loves or respects him for what he really is. This may be justified. This character is usually male, but not always. Also, he may just be a perfectionist crumbling under his own standards. The chief difference between the Broken Ace and the usually female Stepford Smiler is that the Stepford Smiler wants to appear normal at all costs, often to the point of hurting herself emotionally (or because she's sociopathic). This guy has the same setup, but is more talented and wants to be the best, loved by all, and accepted.

although the timeline wasn’t as accelerated as she had hoped when she was a child, jazmine was making waves in the world of deities before her last quest against zeus had occurred. now, as a semi-retired quester, she is captain of the football team and starting to make a name for herself in the mortal fields of business and sports. despite the air of nonchalant superiority that she constantly tries to present, she is in a constant state of despair. right when she starts to undergo some development in her relationships with others, they leave, and she is constantly failing her own impossibly high standards. she’s crumbling, and at any point she is ready to run away again.

ice queen

Much like a Tomboy, the Ice Queen is a major character archetype which is somewhat hard to define. Her signature characteristic is that she is cold; the ambiguity comes from what "cold" means. She has a cold heart, a frosty demeanor and very often a resting bitch face; she attracts but will never be wooed. The Ice Queen is considered dangerous to love because she will not (or cannot) love back. She's not much for friendship either, preferring to be alone. Situations where an Ice Queen "thaws" and learns to enjoy the company of others are so common that they have their own trope.

she’s cold and takes no shit. she holds people at a distance, even those that could potentially be considered friends. she doesn’t believe in unconditional love, and she believes that most affection direct toward her is generally a ruse to get her guard down. she’s unnecessarily rude to others, almost relishing in the negative reactions at times, but to her, she’s just keeping it real.

the trickster

A trickster is a character who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. The Trickster openly questions and mocks authority, encourages impulse and enthusiasm, seeks out new ideas and experiences, destroys convention and complacency, and promotes chaos and unrest. At the same time, the trickster brings new knowledge, wisdom and many An Aesop. Even when punished horribly for his effrontery, his indomitable spirit (or plain sheer foolishness) keeps him coming back for more. Tricksters can be anything from gods of chaos, bedeviling heroes for a few laughs, to master manipulators who use cruel ploys and sadistic choices. They can also be heroes (or more likely Anti-Heroes) who make up for a lack of strength or bravery with manipulation, planning, or just plain cheating. The trickster is often a Master of Disguise and may have magical or super-powers. They're often found Walking the Earth.

although this description was much more relevant when she was younger, jazmine has a penchant for drama and chaos. she genuinely has fun engaging in pranks and tricks, and she gladly lifts a symbolic middle finger to authority in any chance that she gets. in middle school, she was nearly expelled from a mortal school because of all her tricks, and she spent a sizable portion of her adult years before eonia traveling and engaging in casual mayhem. when she isn’t getting revenge or fulfilling a paid request, she generally has fun toying with others.

deadpan snarker

A character prone to gnomic, sarcastic, sometimes bitter, occasionally whimsical asides. The Deadpan Snarker exists to deflate pomposity, point out the unlikelihood of certain plans, and deliver funny lines. Typically the most cynical supporting character. In most cases, it is implied that the snarker would make a good leader, strategist, or consultant given their ability to instantly see the flaws in a constructed plan. More often than not, their innate snarkiness is the only thing preventing the other characters from comprehending this for themselves. In other cases, the Deadpan Snarker resorts to sarcasm because they're the Only Sane Man. Tends to be shot a Death Glare when they go too far (and probably isn't without one of their own, either). Note that due to the definition evolving, the "Deadpan" part of the title has gradually become The Artifact and a deadpan delivery is no longer a necessary part of the trope.

jazmine is no stranger to delivering biting remarks coupled with foul language. she’s quick to point out flaws, opting for the brutally honest approach more times than not. she’s aware that her language can hurt others, but she finds it easier to escape the frivolities and get to the point. depending on the person, she exaggerates this trope by trying to draw out a bad response from them, mostly for her own entertainment. people already view her as heinous, so why not embrace the reputation, right?

survivor guilt

death mention tw

You might be the Last Of Your Kind or someone else made a Heroic Sacrifice for you or you lived through a Restricted Rescue Operation, but whatever the reason, you're going to feel a massive sense of guilt. 

although the quest with adelphie and celeste was technically a success, with the trident successfully being returned back to poseidon, the team had faced major losses. adelphie had lost her life, and celeste had suffered debilitating injuries. physically, jazmine suffered the least, and it’s a guilt that she continues to carry.

aloof big sister

to the majority of the hecate family, especially @rostameu

He's smarter, stronger, faster, more talented, and more refined than the hero, and — just to add insult to injury — he's probably sexier, too. His only problem seems to be moving his face out of that expression of bored, dignified disdain. And he just happens to be the elder brother of one of the main cast, which often gives them a raging inferiority complex. Will most likely double as the Ineffectual Loner and Noble Demon, thereby running the risk of becoming an Ensemble Darkhorse. May or may not be evil, strictly speaking, but is almost guaranteed to fight against the protagonists at one point, and spout off Cryptic Conversation to prove how much better informed he is. May or may not be a Stealth Mentor and/or consider his younger siblings annoying. Often an integral part of a mysterious organisation, and may be the Enigmatic Minion or even a Hero Antagonist in that case.

OKAY, so the running joke with jazmine is that she dislikes her siblings, which is very true tbh. i’m not going to speak for rostam and say most of that stuff actually applies, but jazmine is very cold toward her younger brother and views herself as much better in every way. with loner tendencies, disdain toward her brother, and shady side hustles, she matches this trope very well, and it was only fitting to add a trope about disliking siblings to jazmine’s task. and yes, she’s technically one of the youngest right now but hush.

#eutropes #( tasks. ) #emotional abuse tw #death mention tw #whewww i didnt bother proofreading this but lmk if anything is just ... impossible to read LMAO

[softestvirgil]

Let The Flames Begin

Chapter 8

Summary: Virgil talks to his friends

Genre: Alternate Universe

Rating: PG

Pairing(s): Prinxiety, mentions of Logicality

Word count: 1447

Warnings: Injury mentions, Death mentions, Flashbacks, Blood mentions, 

Let me know if there’s any more I should add!

Virgil slept again and was woken up by Denise shaking him awake.

"Hey, Roman's awake if you want to come to see him, dear," She whispered. Virgil sprung out of his chair, suddenly feeling full of energy. Denise smiled sadly and added. "Be calm and gentle, he's still a bit out of it," 

"Where are you guys going?" Virgil queried, wondering why they weren't still with Roman.

"Just to the cafeteria for a while," Denise replied, looking over at Richard who was waiting for her.

He looked over at the doors to where the rooms were and sighed softly. "Okay," Was all he said before he went on his way to see Roman. 

The nurses let him into where the intense care was and when he got to Roman's door his heart dropped in his chest.

Can I handle seeing him like this? He thought.

Virgil opened the door slowly, fighting thoughts that told him to flee, and saw Roman laying in the bed. He had one of those cotton hospital gowns on and a bandage on his head but he looked, like Roman. Paler and sleepier, but still Roman.

"Stormcloud?" Roman wondered excitedly as Virgil came into his line of vision.

Virgil smirked at the nickname. "Yeah… it's okay if I come in?" 

"Of course! I've been uh, waiting for you," Roman told him and Virgil's cheeks flushed on command. 

Virgil then went up to Roman and sat in the armchair beside the boy.

He then just stared at Roman for a bit before breaking the silence. "How are you feel- That's a dumb question I'm sorry," 

"No no, not at all. I'm uh, I'm feeling okay," 

Roman was surprisingly not out of it like his Mom said he would be, and Virgil assumed seeing him had sobered the boy up. 

"You sure?" Virgil asked, his voice full of uncertainty and guilt brewing in his stomach.

It was at this point that Roman finally noticed Virgil's tense shoulders and pained expression. "Are you alright, Virge?"

"I- yeah. I just feel bad is all," Virgil replied, now looking away toward the door. 

Roman raised a brow. "Why? It wasn't your fault," He insisted, but Virgil still wouldn't make eye contact. "Hey!" Roman yelled, to try and get Virgil to meet his gaze.

Roman smiled when Virgil's eyes focused on him again and he repeated what he had said prior, but with more conviction. "It wasn't your fault," 

Virgil's eyes filled with tears but he blinked them away. "Let's not talk about that. This is about you," He avoided the topic because he was scared but Roman wasn't going to give up yet.

"I am fine, Virge," Roman reassured. "I promise," 

"You got impaled and it was my fault!" Virgil yelled. "I couldn't control my powers and it distracted you… and you could have died! You just got major surgery so don't lie and say you're fine to spare my feelings," 

Roman's eyes widened at Virgil's tone. "I was worried about you, yes, but that doesn't make the crash your fault," 

Virgil exhaled sharply, getting flashbacks of the accident. The blood. The fire. He was so entranced by his thoughts that he didn't realize he was crying until he wiped his face with his hands, and that brought him back to earth. "If I wasn't in the car it wouldn't have happened!" 

"Virgil… I-" Roman started but cut himself off. "C' mere," 

Virgil came closer as told.

"I just wanted to tell you that I-" Before Roman could get a word in Virgil pressed a soft kiss to Roman's lips. Roman kissed back after a few moments and smiled against the kiss. 

Virgil was the first to break contact. 

"I thought you didn't feel the same way," Roman faltered, laying himself back down in bed.

Virgil sighed. "I do… this stuff is just hard for me. I uh, I don't like being touched without warning. I know I just did that to you and I understand if you are mad," 

Roman scoffed. "Mad? I have been waiting for that all week. I mean!-"

Virgil snickered at him. "You were hiding it terribly," 

Roman laughed at himself. "Oh good," 

Then Virgil sobered up for a moment and he sat beside Roman again. "The truth is. I have felt the same way for a while but, I just am scared to get close to anyone again. When my parents died, it was the worst day of my life and if you… I just can't lose anyone again. So I thought if I stayed friends with you, you would be safe, but as long as you are around me you're in danger," 

"Virgil… I don't care," Roman replied honestly. "I… really like you. My life has been so much more colorful since you came into it and, I am very glad to have met you,"

Virgil was blinking back tears again. "I just can't have you go dying on me without knowing that I like you too… then you almost did die and I had to take this opportunity," Then Virgil remembered Roman's Mom's words.

"Your Mom said you would be really out of it," Virgil told him. 

"Oh… I was but then… I saw your cute face?" This was supposed to be smooth but it was hard to be smooth in a hospital gown. 

“Nice try, dumbass,” Virgil commented with a laugh. 

Roman laughed at himself awkwardly in response. "Okay, yeah. I deserve that," 

Then Roman’s parents came in. “We just went to see Patton and he asked for you, Virgil,” Denise announced.

“Me? Really?” Virgil wondered.

Denise sighed. “Well, he asked for Logan first but we had to tell him Logan went home. Then he asked if you were still here,”

“Oh, okay,” Virgil replied, feeling sympathy for Patton who was looking for his boyfriend, and he wasn’t even here when he needed him. “Where is his room?” Virgil asked Denise.

“Just down the hall. Room 304,” She told him with a smile.

“Okay, thanks… bye Roman,” Virgil lent a small smile at the older boy and Roman smiled back at him fondly. “Bye,” He waved to the Prince’s and they smiled at him.

Virgil walked down the hall to find a room that said 304 and underneath there was a piece of paper that said “Patton Baker” on it. When he went in he saw Patton, and he was crying. 

Patton’s eyes were covered by his messy hair and his hands which were catching his tears, and he had stitches in his cheek as well as on his forehead. 

“Pat?” Virgil was concerned but had no idea how to comfort people, so he just sat in the chair beside his friend and smiled softly.

“Oh, Virgil,” Patton muttered, rubbing his eyes to hide his tears but they were already red and puffy.

“You alright?” Virgil asked and then felt stupid again.

Patton dodged the question. “Did Logan say anything before he left?” Patton wondered. 

Virgil quirked a brow. “No, he didn’t… why?”

Patton’s face clenched as if he was about to cry again. “Oh… okay,” Was all he said before he looked away toward the window.

“What’s wrong?” Virgil pried.

Patton exhaled sharply. “I uh, I just hoped he would be here when I woke up, you know?”

Virgil was against most physical affection, but he wanted to make the boy feel better, so he placed a comforting hand on Patton’s hand, and Patton laced their fingers together in acceptance of said affection.

Patton was quiet for a few moments, and Virgil was always quiet, so silence fell between the two for a few moments until Patton spoke. “Thank you, for staying. You’re a good friend,”

“Of course, Pat,” Virgil said, lending his friend a smile. He wasn’t the best smiler either but he was trying his best and that was what mattered. 

The two just hung out most of the day after that until visiting hours were over, and had fun while the fun lasted. Patton was thankful for Virgil being there, he needed a friend to distract him from his pain, both physically and mentally, and Virgil did an excellent job, despite his fears.

Virgil couldn’t wait until his friends were out of this place, because hospitals always seemed to be the start of bad things for him, and they brought back a lot of trauma, but he was thankful for them because this one was the reason his friends were okay right now, and if he ever lost them he wouldn’t know what to do.

He hoped he would never have to face that, but he didn’t really know for sure. No one really does.

#virgil writes #thomas sanders #sanders sides #virgil sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #ts sides #ts fandom #thomas sanders fandom #thomas sanders community #sanders sides fandom #sanders sides community #thomas sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #let the flames begin #ltfb

[artisticflutter]

Enemy is my Friend - Part One

Hey hey, looks like it’s time to post Secret Santa gifts... and hey there @red-rose-draws, I’m your Secret Santa via @mlsecretsanta. You wanted a very square Enemies!AU and I hope you enjoy~

Also if you have an AO3, I’d love to get that so I can post over there too.

Rating: G Genre: Fluff, Angst, Romance, AU, Friendship Pairing(s): Love Square Summary: According to Tikki, Chat Noir was supposed to be Ladybug’s partner, but it’s just Marinette’s luck when that turned out to be wrong, wasn’t it? Warning: Enemies!AU. Also, there’s a second part to be posted from another POV.

According to Tikki, Chat Noir was supposed to be Ladybug’s partner, but it’s just Marinette’s luck when that turned out to be wrong, wasn’t it?

Her first outing as a superheroine all those months ago definitely could’ve been better, but Chat Noir’s declaration of being her enemy was just the cherry on top. She asked Tikki over and over just how this could have happened, but the kwami couldn’t go into details. Rules and all, she had said, much like the rule that required Marinette keep her identity secret from her friends and loved ones. Any one of them could be Chat Noir, too.

It didn’t take long for the reality of this fact to change how she handled situations with extra caution.

Still, looking down at him now, him pinned to the ground, her hand twisting his right wrist to pull his ring off, she didn’t expect their confrontation to come to an end like this.

Akumatized victims by themselves were only nuisance, but add Chat Noir to the mix, and they became competition. While he never had any new powers in battle, he was the destruction to her creation - the counterforce meant to be equal in strength with small differences that covered her battle disadvantages. But although he matched her in nimbleness and just barely surpassed her in sturdiness, her cleverness won out in many of their encounters and she came out on top, leaving the feline villain to slip away to fight another day.

However, she didn’t only chalk it up to just her wit.

As determined as she was to stop Chat Noir and Hawkmoth, Chat Noir didn’t seem to take their battles seriously either. Dare she say he even seemed to be anticipating every bout? Maybe she was reading too much into it, but he did have the powers of destruction.

“Why doesn’t he just use Cataclysm on me?” she asked aloud one evening, her pencil tapping her lip. Her sketchbook sat open before her, the supervillain’s face almost drawn to completion.

Tikki halted her cookie consumption and raised her wide azure eyes, a smile playing on her face.

“I know it’s odd considering he’s your enemy, but he has a good heart. I can tell – and I know he wouldn’t have received the Cat Miraculous if he might use it for the wrong purpose.”

“I would say fighting against us is the wrong purpose…” Marinette sighed, leaning backwards in her chair. “Maybe he thinks he’s fighting for something righteous. Do you think if I asked him, he'd tell me?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Tikki resumed devouring her cookie and Marinette continued etching mindlessly along the marks she made already: wild hair that gave him an untamed appearance, bright eyes with oval pupils (part of his transformation she assumed), and round cheeks rarely ever down because he always seemed to be grinning or smirking. His features were still sharpening, though, so he had to be around her age.

The more she drew, the more she considered.

Aside from people being affected by the akumatized victim’s power, Chat Noir didn’t seem to like civilians getting hurt. When Stormy Weather appeared, he had had an argument with Aurore because she’d shot lightning directly at park patrons. He also hadn’t approved of her sweeping people away with gusts of wind outside of the TVi studio tower.

And when she had gone on that ‘date’ with Nathaniel while he was Evillustrator, he seemed to have been watching more intently than needed. Yeah, he’d been on the lookout for Ladybug, but when she – just as Marinette – tried to get Nathaniel’s akumatized pen, he’d jumped in before she could get hurt. He even bothered coming to find her a few evenings later to sincerely apologize. And he’d meant it.

“… Weird cat,” she mumbled, staring back at the beaming image of Chat Noir.

Who was the boy beneath that mask?

She found herself coming back to that question with each subsequent encounter.

Though she should be asking him why they were fighting, it just slipped her mind again and again because there were always new questions. Who was this boy fine with people being akumatized, but not letting civilians be hurt during the rampage? Controlled was fine, but injuries were off the table. Rather contradictory; and then, why keep this chase going? She knew he had better combat skills to bring, but he seemed lax using them. Was he going easy on her? Did he find it fun? What was with all the puns and jokes and – dare she say – flirting on his part? Why did she find herself playing into it too? Was that an effect of the Miraculous?

What did Chat Noir want?

When she finally did recall, Simon Says didn’t give her the time to ask. After Tikki had her break into Gabriel Agreste’s safe (why was there a safe behind that painting?) to take some book and a peacock pin, she had formed a temporary alliance with Chat Noir to save Mr. Agreste’s life.

In that instance, things felt right – as if she’d never fought the black cat and it was scary how well they worked. It had been a whirlwind of events ending off with her meeting Master Fu,so she missed the opportunity to ask Chat Noir yet again. Sure, she did ask Master Fu, but his answer was she was better off asking Chat Noir himself.

Maybe she needed to ask herself why she even cared. He was the enemy and she needed to get the Butterfly and Cat Miraculous.

But why did it feel like taking the ring would make her the bad guy?

The holidays came and went, but something was wrong with Chat Noir.

Ever the perpetual smiler in their encounters, his expressions started becoming strained and there was a new, more aggressive approach in his fighting style. If a battle dragged on long enough, his movements would grow sluggish and predictable. That wasn’t all; paling skin, dimming eyes, and he became thinner and thinner. Despite his worsening condition, he was still the most civil villain. Heck, he got her a birthday present after finding out it was her birthday while her Nonna was akumatized.

Was he sick? Would Hawkmoth push him to keep fighting in that condition?

She didn’t want to think about it, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it when he bowed out of a fight or didn’t participate at all, watching with a hand pressed against his stomach from a distance. It was such a distraction that she wasn’t even paying attention to Luka while André served her ice cream. She was so startled she accidentally swatted it, sending the peach and mint green scoops flying. Marinette apologized profusely, but André didn’t seem too perturbed.

“There is conflict in your heart right now.”

“Huh?”

This time, she paid attention as he made the cone.

“Peach pink like his lips and mint green like his eyes! Eat this, my dear, and your love will materialize!”

“My love…”

Accepting the cone, Marinette stared at it unblinking for a few seconds, focused on mint melting onto the peach. Even as the dregs began to run over her fingers, she stood there, feeling her face flare up.

“Is that it? But I shouldn’t…”

“Uh, Marinette?” Luka’s voice cut through her thoughts and she turned her head. Not only was he staring at her, but so were Alya, Nino, Ivan, and Mylène. Normally, that would embarrass her, but she calmly took a few Euros from her pocket to pay André.

“Thank you for the ice cream. Sorry guys, I have to do something.”

She didn’t wait for her change before sprinting off, scarfing down her ice cream and powering through the brain freeze to make it home.

It just had to be a coincidence - she was thinking too much about that stupid cat, the ice cream meant nothing. Her Miraculous wasn’t helping either. Yeah, she was sure. That dumb boy becoming thin as a rail was not her concern – she didn’t have to do anything about it!

It was just the right chance to take his Miraculous and then go after Hawkmoth!

The akuma had been paltry this evening, but it had assisted her immensely by dealing with Chat Noir on their own, though it didn’t have to throw him away like he was rubbish. He was just tired – yeah, that had to be it; that had to be why he hadn’t bothered trying to get up during the fight.

… Had his arm always been this thin?

He struggled beneath her knee – oh god, she could feel his ribs shifting beneath her leg. Before people arrived, she just needed to take his ring – grab it and be done with one nuisance. Pinching his ring and pulling slowly, her leering eyes darted to his sunken face, taking in wide, pleading eyes watering slightly in the corner, the faux ears on his even messier hair folded flat. No longer was he trying to push her off, but he was trembling, gradually appearing much like a kicked cat he embodied. Teeth gritted, his jaws shifted as though to open, but he refused – why did he refuse to speak?

If this was victory, it felt terrible.

He wasn’t anywhere near his peak physical form; and with him, this wasn’t how she wanted to win.

Beneath her leg, she both felt and heard his stomach rumble loudly.

“… You stupid cat.” He wasn’t eating? Was that really the problem? “You owe me one, got it? And don’t you dare try to take my earrings right now.”

“… W-What?”

Once boisterous voice was soft and very shockingly subdued, and picking him up suddenly had him yelping, but she didn’t comment. Yo-yo out, she allowed it to fly, catching a nearby roof and sending them both soaring across Paris.

Was she really doing this? Was she really going out of her way to help her enemy? Well, she supposed she still felt some responsibility because they were supposed to be partners, but watch her luck – she was going to regret this.

Gosh she’d really like him to say something right now. Maybe she wouldn’t be thinking too hard on it, but he hadn’t said a word.

Landing firmly on the patisserie’s rooftop, she placed him in her lawn chair – alright, she might’ve dropped him in a bit more harshly than she meant - hands going to her hips as he gazed upon her in confusion.

“Listen here, Chat Noir. I know you helped the girl who lives here before and she’s pretty grateful. So stay here and maybe – just maybe – I can convince her to give you something to eat. If I’m going to claim your Miraculous, it’s going to be in a fair fight, understand?”

“What? You don’t need to--”

“You say that, but your stomach says otherwise.”

She noticed him flinch when she cut him off, but didn’t have time to ask what that was about. “Bug out, Kitty.”

She didn’t hear him scrambling to follow her as she leapt down and entered the building. Inside the bakery’s kitchen, she transformed back to Marinette, scowling because again, what was she doing? How ever troubled she was, Tikki was glowing.

“I’m proud of what you’re doing, Marinette.”

“Really? I think I might’ve done something wrong,” the girl replied with a groan. “I mean, I brought him back here to feed him. I’m sure if our positions were different…”

“He would likely do the same,” Tikki interrupted, hovering before Marinette’s face. “Even if he’s working with Hawkmoth, you know Chat Noir isn’t underhanded like him.  Maybe he lets the akuma do what they must to get your attention, but he never directly harms civilians.”

That could be debatable, but Tikki was right. It wasn’t like Chat Noir was the one akumatizing people or giving them targets. Nor did he ever purposely make anyone fall under the abilities of some past akuma – and when they did fight, he didn’t try involving anyone to make her give up her Miraculous; Hawkmoth did. In fact, with him being on the side lines for many of their recent skirmishes, he seemed to observe with a mild grimace.

“… Maybe I could get him to open up about why he’s doing this,” she started softly. “Maybe, but if he finds out who I am, I don’t want him to feel like I deceived him.”

“When the time comes, you’ll do the right thing. I’m sure!” Tikki bumped against her cheek and Marinette giggled. In the back of her mind, she could only hope no reveal occurred anytime soon. It was time to get to the bottom of who Chat Noir was really.

“So, what shall we feed a hungry cat?”

#ml secret santa #mlsecretsanta2k18 #mlsecretsanta #miraculous ladybug #scribbling do #miraculous!au #ladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #chat noir #ladynoir #marichat #mentions of other friends #enemies!au #red-rose-draws #gifting #tikki

[conceptofzero]

Nena and Perla friends....

Sixsmiths is always busy during the lunch hour, so anybody who knows what they’re doing cuts out of class ten minutes early to get there in time to get a table. 

Perla usually can’t, in no small part because no matter how much she tells herself she can do it, she finds it pretty much impossible to skip class. It’s easier to wait it out and if Sixsmiths is full, there’s a few other places that are okay. But sometimes, when she’s got english with Mr. Dacus, he’ll go ahead and cut them loose fifteen minutes before lunch. 

Which is how she’s ended up with one of the best tables in the place and she’s busy texting her friends to tell them to get their butts here right away before the place fills up and someone tries to ask her to move. Perla’s pretty good about standing her ground but-

“Move.”

-that doesn’t mean she’s always up against reasonable opponents. 

Perla glances away from her phone and looks up. There’s a bunch of Senior girls standing there. The closest one to Perla is texting. Another looks bored, snapping some gum in her mouth. The third is smiling, but in that mean knifey way that means that she’s only friendly while she’s getting her way. 

“Hi!” The smiley one says. “Looks like your friends ditched you!” 

“They’re not out of class yet.” Perla puts a hand on her purse and she stays put in the corner of the booth. 

“Then it’ll probably take forever for them to get over here. You should let some people who can use the booth have it.” The smiley girl just gets a bigger smile on her face.

The gum-chewer snaps her gum. The texter doesn’t look up. “Move.” 

Perla doesn’t move. “No.” 

“Oh come on, by the time they get here, we’ll be done eating and you can have it back.” Smiley just goes ahead and slides into the booth, the gum-chewer right behind her. They slide around, clearly ready to bump Perla out. 

“Or you can go sit at the counter. It still has spots.” Perla doesn’t move. The counter does have spots, and texter and gum-chewer look over at them. 

They’re not very good spots. Not for a group. 

Smiler starts getting mean, “Look, kid-”

“Perla.” She looks the smiley one dead in the eye and makes sure she hears this, so she knows exactly who it is she’s messing with. “Perla Pucci.” 

(Dropping her name is pretty classless and the kind of thing that people who aren’t Puccis have to do, but okay, sometimes you have to tell people who you are so they maybe understand why they’re being huge dicks and why that’s a bad idea. Not that she’d ever really do anything but like… sometimes just the thought that she could do something is enough to keep the really mean girls at bay. And these ones are really mean girls. You can tell just by looking at them.)

Saying her name gets a reaction from them. Even the texter looks up from her phone. 

“You’re Enrico’s baby sister!” Smiley says and uh-oh, she looks just downright delighted. Somehow that’s worse than when she was just being real mean. “You’re adorable!” 

“You’re adopted.” Texter says and sits right beside Perla, trapping her in.

“I’m not!” Perla gets snappish. She doesn’t like to, but nothing hits he buttons harder than someone saying she’s adopted - or that Enrico is. And since she can see that coming next- “And neither is he.” 

Gum-chewer takes her gum out of her mouth and sticks it under the table. “I hear you told Dio to fuck off.” 

“I-I- I did not-” 

“No, she threatened him.” Smiley leans in, all bright and excited. “You told him you’d ruin him.” 

“He’d like that.” Texter says. “Give me your number.” 

Perla opens her mouth and struggled with what to say, before she just digs out her phone and takes a quick snapchat of the girls surrounding her. She sends it to Enrico with a quick caption

[WHO ARE THEY???]

“He does like that.” Gum-snapper says casually and flags down a passing waiter. “Three diet cokes, and whatever the princess usually has.” 

Perla doesn’t want to answer. But she came here to eat so- “Grapefruit Perrier.” 

That makes the girls start laughing as if there’s something hilarious about her choice, which there isn’t because it’s an option they serve here and she likes it and- arg! Perla narrows her eyes and types to Enrico. 

[Why do you keep hanging out with jerks???]

“Because we’re more fun.” Smiley says. She’s bent slightly over into Perla’s space to peep at her messages. “So, Perla, I hear Dio scared the shit out of you when he climbed in your window.” 

“He says you screamed.” Gum-snapper adds.

“I didn’t!” She’s getting flustered. Where are her friends? Why isn’t Enrico typing back? Maybe she should have just given up the booth but- but she got here first, and she’s not afraid of girls like this. Just… just take a breath and calm down. Stay composed. And- “I didn’t scream. I threw my phone at his face, and I hit him.” 

“He didn’t mention that.” Texter has looked bored this whole time, but there’s a little spark in her eye now. “Too embarrassed to.” 

“Well he should be. Who climbs into the first open window they see? Enrico told him which side of the house to climb up on, even though he could have just come in through the front door, like a guest and not a burglar.” That gets another fit of laughter from the girls. 

“He should, but he hates that. Dio always sneaks in through the window.” Smiley says and gets nods from the other two. Oh… are- are they also dating Dio? Oh my God of course they are. Who isn’t dating Dio at school? 

Which- urg, why was Enrico paying attention to him too? What a dumb move… 

The snapchat icon finally pops up on her phone. She quickly checks it, but it just says “Enrico is typing…” which doesn’t actually answer anything for her. 

The girls are moving. Perla puts her foot down. “If you’re staying here, then you should introduce yourselves, like polite people would.” 

“Oh shit, you don’t know who we are?” Smiley puts a hand to her chest. “I’m Midler.” She points to gum-chewer with a dismissive, “That’s Mariah.” before her hand swings around to point at the girl still texting- “And that’s Nena.” 

Texter- Nena looks up from her phone very briefly. “You ever seen a naked man?” 

Perla narrows her eyes. “… yes.” 

Nana lifts her phone up and - oh my God! Perla puts a hand up to block her view. “I don’t want to see Dio naked!!” 

Midler just laughs and kicks her legs under the table. “You’re the only person who doesn’t.” 

Pucci’s finally send a message back.

[I am so sorry. Just escape as soon as you can. I’ll tell them to leave you alone if they keep bothering you.]

She shoots him back a message.

[Wow thanks Enrico. Also Nena just showed me a gross picture of your boyfriend so thanks.]

She’s barely hit send when suddenly Nena’s phone starts ringing. Nena’s face is already in natural RBF mode and it gets worse as she looks at the message. She turns to look at Perla. “You ratted me out.” 

“Don’t show other people’s nudes to me.” Perla says and it’s almost worth having seen a flash of that gross picture just to watch the way Nena’s face twists up. 

She answers the phone with a curt, “It was just his ass.” Perla can’t hear Enrico but she knows him well enough to know that he’s probably chewing Nena out. Nena rolls her eyes. 

The drinks come around and Midler slings a leg over one of Perla’s, getting uncomfortably into her space. “What are you getting? We usually split appetizers. Don’t tell me you’re getting something boring like a salad.” 

“First, salads aren’t boring, you’ve just had bad ones.” Perla pushes the leg off of hers. “Second, no, I’m not getting a salad from Sixsmiths.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m getting the nachos.” 

Mariah gives an approving nod. “Good. Anything you won’t eat?” 

She has no idea at what point she got rolled into eating lunch them with. Perla thinks about kicking up a fuss about it, but-

But she can hear Enrico yelling at Nena, and Mariah gave her a nod of approval and yeah she seems pretty mean but that kind of makes the nod really cool, and Midler is… okay. She seems okay. They all seem okay. Just… mean. And with dumb taste in boys. 

“The spinach dip is mega gross.” Perla finally answers. Mariah looks to Midler as if to say ‘I told you so.’ Midler just scoffs. 

Nena finally hangs out and looks at Perla. In a completely unemotional and deadpan voice, she says, “I’m sorry I showed you a naked photo.” 

Perla knows it’s absolutely not a real apology but- “Thank you.”

“Your brother’s a real bitch.” Nena says, sipping from her coke. 

“Well, you are too.” Perla snipes back. She’s ready and expecting Nena to say something awful and mean.

Instead she just… snorts. “Yeah.” Nena agrees easily. “We all are. I’m getting the calamari.”

“Oh fuck off, that’s the worst choice. It’s so gross! It’s so gross, right? Right?” Midler looks to her for approval and Perla nods, because honestly, you don’t go to Sixsmiths for calamari or for spinach dip. Midler grins. “See? Someone here agrees, even if your taste in dips is shit-tier.” 

They order appetizers and when Perla’s friends show up fifteen minutes later, she’s almost forgotten she invited them at all. They make room for them in the booth and well-

When lunch is over and they’re walking back, Nena ends up beside Perla. She holds an empty hand out, making a grabby-hand gesture. Perla just stares at her hand until Nena rolls her eyes. “Give me your phone.”

“Why?” Perla is more okay with them but… that’s her phone.

“So I can put my number in.” Nena says like Perla’s the dumb one for not reading her mind. 

It’s Perla’s run to roll her eyes. “Or you can give me your number and I can put it in. Duh.”

“Shut up.” Still, Nena gives her the number and Perla texts her, and that’s it. They head back to class. Perla gets settled and opens up snapchat once more. There’s a bunch of sorry’s from Enrico and a few check-ins. 

She sends: [Why are you friends with so many weirdos???]

Then she gets a text. It’s from Nena. It’s a picture of Pucci and for a second, she feels herself freeze up, ready to lose her mind if this is somehow some horrible naked photo of her brother.

But it’s just a candid creeper shot of him at some kind of party. Dio’s got an arm around his shoulders and… … and Enrico looks happy. It’s kind of weird… 

… it’s kind of… y’know. Sweet, maybe? It’s nice that he’s happy… 

[Nice creepshot] Perla sends back. She saves the photo though. It’s a nice one, even if Dio is still an asshole, and Enrico’s new friends are weird jerks. She guesses that maybe it’s better that he has friends now, instead of always ditching people to be along or hang out at church. It’s good he’s happy… even if she can’t imagine what anyone would ever see in Dio Brando.

#therosecrown #ficlette #perla #enrico pucci #high school au #nena

[victorluvsalice]

Happy Valicertine's Day! :D Yes, once again we are celebrating my beloved OT3 in honor of the holiday, with another set of lovely Valicertines! :D I had a lot of fun making these this year, pulling on my vast collection of Sims 4 Chill Valicer Save screenshots to get our required three valentines ready. As you might imagine, given everything that's happened in that save file over the last couple of years, I had my fair share of things to pick from. XD All are alt-texted, since that's a thing now, but let's do a little description below too so I can add a bit of commentary:

(Alice gazing at Victor and Smiler going in for the kiss with a smile on her face) "COMPERSION! It's pretty awesome. Happy Valicertine's Day!" -- I've had this in mind pretty much since I took the shot (it's from one of their New Year's Eve celebrations, where they went to that club in Windenburg). It's just the perfect image for an V-shaped OT3 Valentine!

(An image of Victor and Smiler cuddling at one of the picnic tables on Plumbite Pier joined together with an image of Victor dipping Alice at the ThrifTea thrift shop) "Having two partners. . .Means having two Valentines! Happy Valicertine's Day!" -- my ORIGINAL thought for this was to use the images of Victor smooching both Smiler and Alice during the New Year's Eve trio date with the text "Having two partners means twice as many New Year's kisses," but then I figured I ought to actually use images from some of the gang's Love Day dates. Ended up going with the trip to Copperdale where I experimented with having Smiler and Alice tag along on each other's dates with Victor, which had some cute stuff in it.

(Smiler, Alice, and Victor all doing slightly-goofy "fashion" poses in their wedding finery) "Get yourself a polycule that can look THIS FINE~ Happy Valicertine's Day!" -- Okay, I HAD to do something involving the big Valicer Wedding. Especially since that was there I discovered I could use the tripod camera to do proper trio shots. And when I came across this one -- well, the text popped into my head, and I had to use it. XD I mean, they do look FINE. ;)

Enjoy! :)

#valentine's day #valentines #valicetine #valicertine #valicer #valicertine's day #OT3 #yeah I made these this past Saturday #one of the few good things about the day #(insomnia printer trouble for my parents just generally kinda shitty) #like I said the FIRST one I knew immediately what I wanted #while the second and third came to me while I was scrolling through my screenshots #I have so many screenshots XD #but I like these they're fun :) #not gonna stop with the OT3 nonsense anytime soon #queued

[victorluvsalice]

As the Flea Market wound down, Smiler stayed a while at the karaoke bar to listen to some awesome karaoke and perform some, uh, less awesome karaoke of their own. XD (What -- just because they like singing doesn’t mean they’re any good at it yet!) I also had them pick up a quick Odd Job -- one Cameron Fletcher needed a wingperson, and Smiler figured their much improved charisma could be of use. They headed out to the rabbithole as the festival ended, and did such a good job they got a $25 tip over the $126 payment! Nice. :) I like these Odd Jobs -- it’s kinda fun, having a variety of littler tasks you can take on for spare cash.

Then it was time to head back home for a bit, both to drop off their new chair (isn’t it just them?) and change back into their regular form for a bit after being in their dark form for a couple of days. They did the spin back into their (relatively) normal form --

And looked exactly the same.

I was completely baffled and sent them upstairs to plan an outfit so I could see what had happened -- turns out, the dark and regular forms were linked again, and giving Smiler their new coaster outfit in their dark form’s “slot two” had overwritten the outfit I had in the regular form’s “slot 2.” *grumbles* Damn game. . .I unlinked the two forms again, but decided Smiler could keep the hoodie and pants in their regular form too and just made sure they had the right teeth and eyes for that form (I recreated the overwritten outfit in slot 5). Gonna have to watch that the next time I try to add an outfit to their dark form’s slots. . .

ANYWAY, once that was sorted, it was back to Forgotten Hollow for Smiler, to train up some more with Vlad -- and to finally get some plasma fruit from the tree around the back of his house! Been waiting for that thing to fully grow -- having one of those is a must for any vampire, really. Always gotta have plenty of options for plasma. I also found a fishing hole while looking around the neighborhood and decided to send Smiler fishing, since, well, they DO now have a job as a Fisherman! Might as well level that up. They caught a walleye and a minnow, and finally found the SECOND plasma tree that I KNEW was in the neighborhood but couldn’t locate and harvested that as well. (In my defense, it’s hard to spot in that thicket of evergreens. . .) So yes, a very productive day indeed for our Smiler! Next time -- well, actually, I did some building after this particular play session. Who wants to take a quick break and see Victor, Alice, and Smiler’s eventual Henford-on-Bagley house?

#sims 4 #the lazy save #smiler always #the smiler #I mean I really should have them level up Singing at this point XD #they can sing in the shower now should have them do that #and yes those tiger stripes are so them #I was very annoyed at the outfit copying over though #not so much the clothes but #Smiler's regular and dark forms are supposed to be similar but SLIGHTLY different #hence why they only have the spiral eye makeup and fangs in the dark form #dunno if you've noticed but they've actually got prominent front teeth in regular #at least it was a relatively easy fix but #hmph #queued