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#good thing my face gets red when i work out bc otherwise he’s just. k n o w
thetomorrowshow · 3 years
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i will make the sky collapse ch. 3
First - Previous - Read on AO3!
Ok this post is queued bc y’all will not believe how busy I am, so it’ll be on ao3 a little late
CW: referenced violence, food, brief allusion to suicide, spiraling thoughts (from mr. jack kelly himself)
~
Jack had been here all day. When he ran from the rooftop after the disastrous strike, he’d snuck in through the backdoor of the theater and curled up in a corner, shaking and gasping and barely holding back tears. He’d been so close to just throwing himself off the rooftop, close enough that he knew he couldn’t stay there.
Now he hid behind the various set pieces, trying to not disturb anyone who still might be working around here this late. Not that there should be anyone, now. He’d even completely avoided Miss Medda. The woman liked to believe that she knew everything that went on around the theater, and Jack was content enough to let her. He couldn’t be found right now, though. Not when his nose burned and eyes smarted and knees wouldn’t stop shaking.
He would talk to Medda in the morning. It was late now, and all the lights were out, so it wasn’t like he had much of an option otherwise. Talk to her, maybe paint a background or two . . . maybe she would pay him like she offered . . . then he would be out of here, as soon as he could get Crutchie.
Crutchie. His heart practically split in half, and a tear finally slipped down his nose. They got Crutchie. They took him to the one place Jack had tried to save him from his entire life.
He had plans to head there near dawn tomorrow--after he’d spent another day planning things out. It shouldn’t be too hard to get him--or it wouldn’t, had it been anyone other than Crutchie. Any other boy would figure out how to climb down the wall, but it would be impossible without all working limbs. Crutchie’s bad leg wouldn’t be able to support him at all, especially not after the beating he’d taken in the Square (and definitely not after whatever Snyder and his goons had done so far during his stay, but Jack didn’t like to think about that). Jack could go in the front, the only door . . . but there was no way someone wouldn’t see him. There was always a guard or three hanging around, if not the Spider himself. And how would he get Crutchie down the stairs all by his lonesome?
A tiny voice spoke up in the back of his head, one that he’d been pushing down all evening. You coulds just go, it said. Forget about him, forget about all of them. Just go.
I can’t do that, Jack wanted to cry. He’s my brother, I can’ts just abandon him to Snyder!
People don’t stay in our lives forever, Jack, it reminded him. He’d never make it to Santa Fe, anyhow.
Jack couldn’t deny that. Maybe on a better day, in a better month. Maybe when Crutchie was grown, and his leg had calmed down a bit. Not now though, certainly not tomorrow. If Jack was going to leave soon, he was going to do it on his own. He didn’t want none of the others to come with him, anyhow. Only Crutchie.
Jack drew a hand across his tear-stained face, wincing as he brushed one of his bruises. Maybe in the morning he’d have a clearer head, a better understanding of what on earth he was meant to do. It wasn’t like the strike could continue, after all. They’d all end up in the Refuge for sure, or even worse. He’d seen Romeo get socked by that cop, had no idea how he was doing. If they kept on striking, more police would come, better armed and with no qualms about a bunch of stupid street rats.
None of them, save maybe Les, had escaped with zero injuries. Everyone was bleeding and bruised and crying and Crutchie was in the Refuge, and it was all Jack’s fault for getting the riled up about this in the first place. They were just kids! None of them knew what a union was supposed to be, even if Davey knew a bit about them! They were just children playacting at being adults, thinking that the trolley workers were probably having a good old time with no work while they got arrangements for better conditions, not even caring that there were full grown men dying in that strike. People died in strikes, and Jack couldn’t let it happen to any one of his boys, not before they properly got to be a person yet.
So he would leave--no, sleep on it, but he was fairly certain of his choice. Leaving, having to trust that the others would quit the strike and just deal with the raise in prices. That Crutchie would be out in a few months and be good enough to get right back to business, and maybe smiling that face-splitting smile of his eventually. Jack had to believe that he’d--that they’d all--be okay.
He couldn’t stop the sinking feeling in his stomach as he balled his shirt up into a pillow, nor could he stop a few more tears from wetting his cheeks. This was going to be by far the hardest and worst thing he’d ever done. He just had to hold on to Santa Fe. Everything was going to be fine when he got there.
-
Medda had given him one of those disapproving looks of hers, which Jack tried to ignore as his face burned. It had turned to blatant concern when he didn’t refuse her offer of payment. She had let it go, thankfully, and now he was waiting for the base white layer of paint to dry so he could start with the reds and oranges of a sunset. He’d already been waiting for what felt like way too long, so he stuck his thumb to the corner of it. It left a print and came back white, so Jack sighed and wiped it on his shirt--his undershirt, he’d taken his blue button-up off as soon as he’d gotten the paint out.
He couldn’t just not do anything--he could feel his feet itching to go, his head clamoring for his conscious attention. He absently flapped a brush back and forth against his palm, wondering if he could start on another while he waited, get the base coat of that one done and drying while he started on the actual painting of the first one. First he ought to sign this one, though, before he forgot.
Jack always signed his work, usually just on the back of the piece. A quickly scrawled ‘Jack K--’ in black paint, something to set it aside from all the other set pieces. He also knew that the boards would get reused countless times, painted over and cut up and redesigned. It was nice to know that under all that change, his name was there.
He spun it around and cracked open the can of black paint, dipping his brush in lightly and placing it on the blank back of the slab of wood. He could do his name big, more noticeable but with a better chance of getting scraped off. Or tiny, in the corner, somewhere it’d probably stay forever. Then he realized that while he’d been considering, he’d begun painting.
A boy, small, but very clearly a newsie, by his bag. An anguished face. A crutch.
Jack nearly dropped the brush. Was his guilt getting that bad, that he was painting Crutchie out of nowhere? Well, he couldn’t leave him there all alone on the canvas, with such a terrible look on his face. So Jack dipped his brush back in the paint and began another boy, not himself--not now that he was leaving--but Davey, as he liked to think that as Crutchie and Davey would become good friends in time. But Davey needed Les, and Les needed other boys, but of course they couldn’t be painted into this. They were too busy being suffocated by Pulitzer--and with that thought, Jack knew what he was painting.
-
The landscape had started out as any random place, just like all of them did. Mountains, a valley maybe, warm colors and some purple thrown in to capture the magic of a stained-glass sunset, and suddenly it was Santa Fe, exactly as Jack pictured it in his head. This happened with every single backdrop, from meadows to beaches to forests. All of them were Santa Fe, even if they weren’t.
“You ever gonna paint somewhere else, Jack?” a voice asked behind him, as he surveyed his work so far. He chuckled, not turning around, holding his thumb out in front of him the way he’d seen real painters do. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he thought it looked professional-like.
“How could you tell, Miss Medda?”
“Boy, I can tell everything.”
Jack dropped his arm and set his brush down on the floor, wiping his hands on his shirt as he turned around. Medda frowned.
“You are wearing an apron, use it!”
Oh yeah, he was. He moved his hands to it belatedly, smiling a little when Medda laughed at him. She was dressed to leave, not in a costume like Jack had assumed she would be. Were the shows over already?
“I’m heading out for a quick supper,” Medda said, and Jack nodded. One of the shows was over then, the other would be starting soon. He hadn’t lost track of as much time as he thought. “Do you want me to get you somethin’?”
“Aw, don’t worry ya’self over me,” Jack waved off. Sure, he hadn’t had anything to eat all day, but he could grab himself something later. By the look on Medda’s face, she was going to worry herself over him.
“I’ll bring you a sandwich, free of charge,” she said, reaching forward to pat his shoulder. He winced; he hadn’t realized he had a bruise there. Medda gave him another look, then turned to leave. Over her shoulder, she called, “By the way, Jack, there’s someone here to see you. I told him to wait in box five.”
Jack froze. They’d found him. It had to be Davey, didn’t it? The other boys knew that he stopped by the theater every so often, but didn’t know about his paintings. They just thought he knew one of the actors, or was getting food from the back or something. Only Davey and Les knew he worked here on occasion.
Jack put off visiting the box until after Miss Medda returned and told him to get up there before she sent the kid off herself. It was time to confess, he supposed. Let them know he wanted the strike to stop, and was leaving anyhow. At least someone would be able to tell Crutchie where he’d gone. And Katherine, if she cared.
This time he remembered to wipe his hands on his apron, then bundled it up and threw it into a corner. The painting wasn’t done, but he wanted to let it all dry before adding his finishing details. Every time he’d painted before, he hadn’t waited at all and it always came out looking more smudged than he wanted, so he’d decided to experiment a bit. Maybe it would look okay.
He couldn’t put it off any longer, it was time to face the music--or, Davey, rather. Jack knew his way around the theater, so it wasn’t hard to avoid the milling patrons in the lobby completely and skip straight up to box five, ready to talk to--
Specs?
“Specs?”
Specs.
“Specs.”
Specs leaped up from where he’d been perching on the edge of one of the fancy theater chairs, looking guilty as anything. When he saw Jack, though, his face brightened. “You’re all right!”
“Yeah, better than ever,” Jack griped, his eyes caught on the nasty hand-shaped bruise wrapped around Specs’s forearm. “Whaddya need?”
“We’s thought you mighta gotten grabbed by Snyder,” Specs said, looking him up and down, no doubt taking in his relatively few injuries. “The Delanceys been sayin’ you ran. I think some o’ the fellas mighta believed it, but Race thought ya’d be here so I cames by as soon as I could!”
Jack hadn’t counted on telling anyone other than Davey where he was going, but maybe this was for the best. Davey was so new to this, there was no way he could be in charge. Race was the first to come to mind for his replacement, but Race was so stupidly impulsive that Jack wasn’t sure he would be able to keep the boys in line. Specs would do well, though, at least until a better choice came forward. Used to the life, but always a little separate from the others, focusing more on the job than the social aspect. Still, he could have fun, and he was quietly loyal. Yeah, Specs would make a pretty good replacement. Jack opened his mouth to say something along those lines when a dirty scrap of paper was shoved in his face.
“What’s this?” he said instead.
Specs looked nervous and abashed at the same time. “Letter from Crutchie,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I went ta visit last night and he askeds me to give it to ya.”
Jack stared at the paper, taking in none of its details, then shifted his gaze to Specs. His eyes looked honest, if a bit anxious, mouth curved hopefully at the corner. The scrape on his cheek was ugly, but didn’t look infected. Davey must’ve made them all clean up with soap. That was another thing he’d have to tell Specs to remember. If he was going to be in charge, he had to know that Elmer hated the texture of the soap so bad he wouldn’t use it and had to be threatened, that Race sometimes liked to impulsively smear dirt on his wounds to try and get sympathy when it got infected.
Crutchie had written to him.
Jack grabbed the letter so quickly it almost tore, sending Specs stumbling back. Now that he was focused on it, that was definitely Crutchie’s handwriting, starting out relatively neat and just devolving into larger loops and tinier scribbles as it carried on. The paper was dirty, the pencil smudged here and there, and a rusty stain in the middle of the paper that made Jack’s stomach turn as he imagined how it had gotten there.
“I’ll just be headin’ back,” he heard Specs say distantly, but Jack couldn’t look away from the letter. Crutchie had held this, just last night, and he had been alive. Well enough to write a whole letter. Well enough to still have his sense of humor (Jack snorted at his joke about the food, then remembered the sentence preceding it and immediately sobered). Maybe even well enough to escape?
His letter read that he was already coming up with escape plans of his own, which was a good sign for his morale. It also said, though, that he was exhausted and his leg was doing bad.
Well, there was no way Jack couldn’t visit him now. Early in the morning was best--probably when the moon was about halfway done setting--and from there he would see whether or not Crutchie would be coming with him. Then back to the theater to lay low for a bit and finish the backdrop (there was no way Jack would be able to even think about finishing it tonight), then catch a train to Santa Fe and be out of here forever. If Crutchie did come, though, he’d have to do at least two more sets, get enough money for the both of them to make the trip. And of course, he still had to speak to Specs about taking over. Davey would come for him eventually, so he had to come up with something to placate him.
Why did nobody tell him that running away would take so much effort and planning?
The show was starting soon, and that sandwich was still waiting for him in the back room, so Jack ducked out of the box, tucking the letter into his pocket. He had to get ready for a break-in tonight, there was no time to waste.
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toglidethroughlife · 4 years
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Brighter Than Any Star:
An intimate look at everyone’s new favorite bass player
(or the blades band au that nobody asked for)
*inspired by @iaraiumi‘s STUNNING guitarist tyril art (here)
tyril-centric and tyril x mc bc this would be 7k+ words if i didn’t focus on just one of them but i tried to give everyone a moment in the spotlight. credits to a fic i read from the 100 fandom years ago for the format
used my f!elf mc ryllea graywater for this (though i guess this is kind of a modern au idk asjdla); also i don’t play any musical instruments i’m sorry in advance for butchering any of the technical parts 😬
Tyril Starfury — with his red silk shirts and slicked back hair — looks every bit the part of a rock god on stage with the rest of BLADES; but here, in the confines of their tour bus, he is a quiet presence, calmly sipping tea in the corner with a notepad and pen in his hands, his mind far away in the early hours of the morning.
If you had told me eighteen months ago that I would be shadowing Broadway darling Tyril Starfury as he traveled cross-country with his new rock band, I would have laughed and called you preposterous.
And yet, here I am, witness to the madness.
Nia Ellarious, the band’s youngest member and resident pianist, offers me a cup of the same tea as Starfury’s, telling me to enjoy the quiet with an almost apologetic smile.
I understand what she means not long after.
(There’s no such thing as a quiet morning in the world of Mal Volari.)
Every bit as charming and flamboyant as his on-stage persona, Volari greets the entire bus a good morning with flourish, throwing both me and Ellarious a magnetic smile before slipping towards the coffee machine with exceptionally light feet. (More on that later.) He taps on every available surface while he waits for his coffee to brew, humming softly as if figuring out a melody right there on the spot.
If Starfury is bothered by Volari’s banging and humming, he makes no show of it, paying him no mind as he continues to scribble in his notepad.
Ellarious beams as the scene plays out in front of her. “It’s not every day that they don’t get on each other’s nerves,” she explains. “Especially in the morning.”
It’s around this time — almost noon now — that Ryllea Graywater, lead guitarist and vocalist, wakes and joins the group, heading straight towards Volari and the cup of coffee in his hand.
“Thanks,” she winks as she takes the cup from him, shooting Volari a shit-eating grin that he returns easily, already procuring another cup for himself.
It should be noted that Graywater doesn’t seem to talk to anyone until she’s had at least one cup of coffee, choosing instead to slide in beside Starfury in the dining booth, eyes darting towards the notepad he’s writing on. They kind of just... sit there, minding their own business amidst the chaos that is the rest of the bus.
(Volari’s launched into an animated story about the inspiration behind last year’s summer hit, “Contessa, Contessa”, but I can’t help being drawn to the more quiet story unfolding behind him in the dining booth.)
Slinging one arm against the backrest of Starfury’s seat, Graywater casually invites herself into his space, a thoughtful smile on her lips as she looks over the notepad in his hand. There’s an openness between them that tells me that this isn’t a new occurrence, a comfortable ease in the way they seem to be engaging in a wordless conversation.
“He’s kind of really private,” I recall the younger Starfury sibling, Adrina, telling me about his creative process years ago, at the release party for his collab album with then rumored girlfriend and writing partner Kaya Duskraven. “He’s always been a perfectionist. Doesn’t really let anyone other than Kaya hear anything until it’s finished.”
But there’s no trace of that here, in this quiet moment with Graywater, bright, almost triumphant smiles on their faces as she picks up a pen and scribbles something on the pad too, immediately tapping out a melody against the table as if to test-run it by Starfury.
The smile he gives her is glowing.
I look away — suddenly feeling like an intruder in their private moment — catching the tail-end of Volari’s Contessa story, right before Imtura (no publicly released surname) accidentally slams me against the wall when the bus makes a rocky turn.
“Oof, sorry there little guy.” She raises both hands in apology before heading straight for the coffee machine, haphazardly dumping its contents into a generous-sized mug before immediately proceeding to consume said coffee as she plunks onto the other end of the dining booth.
And that’s how the first morning of me shadowing BLADES goes.
Ellarious tells me I’m lucky it was a good one.
-
With over 16 years of experience under his belt, Tyril Starfury has been in the music and entertainment industry far longer than the rest of the BLADES members combined. At the tender age of nine, he won his first piano competition, regarded highly for his precision at such a young age. He would continue to play competitively until he discovers a new love — musical theater.
It’s no surprise that Starfury ends up on Broadway — he comes from a long line of revered artists, all of them regarded as geniuses of their time. Though some would argue that his family name opened doors that would otherwise be unavailable, no one could deny that it was his clear, soaring baritone and unrelenting work ethic that kept him on stage.
It’s on this stage that he met young Kaya Duskraven, an understudy in one of his shows, prompting a fruitful five-year partnership spanning two EPs and a mini-concert series, Stars in the Dusk.
(The name was a little on the nose, but the critics loved them all the same.)
The two shared such a comfortable rapport, on and off-stage, that they naturally sparked dating rumors — Starfury was always quick to deny them.
No one could have expected the partnership to end on such a bitter note.
To this day, no one knows the real reason behind their fallout — Starfury walked out in the middle of their televised performance without apology or explanation — though there have been no shortage of rumors and theories, a lot of them involving one Eleryn Rosecoven, better known in the industry as Shadow Court bassist dXenia.
I tried to bring it up once, after several bottles of beer have been consumed and the band is swapping stories over s’mores made over the tour bus stove.
I’ve never been shut out so fast in my life.
There’s an audible crack from the s’more now crushed in Imtura’s hand, her piercing amber eyes seemingly driving a death sentence into mine. Volari sighs disapprovingly (and dramatically) at me, and even Ellarious — friendly, cheery Nia — looks at me with a pointed glare, turning off the stove, signaling the end of s’mores night.
“I would prefer not to comment,” Starfury nods at me, years of practiced courtesy showing in his tone and all I want in that moment is for the earth to swallow me whole.
Graywater follows when he excuses himself from the group. Everyone else avoids me like the plague.
It’s hours later when Starfury and Graywater return to the bus — I pretend to have fallen asleep in the dining booth in hopes that I can avoid their fury until the morning — but Graywater approaches me with two cups of tea in hand, an unreadable expression on her face.
She slides over one cup to me — if the scalding temperature of the tea is intentional, she makes no obvious show of it.
“Look,” she begins with an exasperated sigh. “I know you’re only doing your job here. And we did agree to this article, so I’m sorry if things got a little tense back there.” She pauses, as if considering her next words carefully. “We’ve all lived moments in our lives that we’re not proud of. Tyril’s had to live his in front of the public eye. He’ll talk about it when he feels ready to... but his past doesn’t define him, none of ours do.”
I nod, understanding that this is the last we’ll speak of the subject. She smiles as if in truce, telling me that I don’t have to banish myself to the dining booth and that no one will pull any pranks on me if I sleep in the shared bedroom.
I barely catch any sleep anyway.
There’s a ferocity in the way they protect each other that I didn’t notice at first — it could be subtle sometimes, like in the way Volari always checks in with each of the band members every night before going to bed (even though Starfury usually brushes him off); or in the way Imtura always makes sure every one stays hydrated (feel free to interpret that however you wish, whichever way is true); or in the way Ellarious always has some form of baked good running in the oven, more often someone else’s favorite rather than her own.
(I learn the hard way that no one is allowed to get in between Imtura and her cupcakes. No one.)
It’s also plain as day whenever they’re on stage together, their set list a carefully curated show that highlights each member’s strengths without anyone getting overworked. Everyone’s always quick to catch each other whenever they hit snags along the road — there’s a moment in one of the shows when Volari’s mic suddenly gets cut off and Starfury swoops in without missing a beat, a small nod of the former’s head seemingly the only cue he needs, the trust between them implicit.
When I had asked earlier why he’d joined BLADES, Starfury simply shrugged, as if it was no big deal.
“It was by accident. I happened to be at one of their shows and they needed a bass player. We kind of just… worked and we’ve played together ever since.”
But this kind of chemistry doesn’t just happen by accident. No, this is the product of months and months of hard work, of opinions clashing and arguments spanning days before sitting down and realizing it’s not impossible to see eye to eye; it’s battles won and battles lost together, respect earned and trust merited.
To call them just another band seems too small a word almost. Insufficient.
They’re kind of like a family.
(If your typical family involved regular knife and axe-throwing contests, that is.
... it’s best not to ask.)
-
Tensions are high backstage at Deadwood Festival Grounds.
Volari has been pacing around non-stop. Ellarious looks like she’s using every bit of her willpower not to bite her fingernails. Imtura keeps violently tapping her drumsticks together. Starfury’s got his arms crossed in a corner, brows furrowed.
Graywater is doing a handstand for no apparent reason.
The anxiety is understandable — tonight’s a crucial moment for the band.
With only one more show before the grand finale at Whitetower Stadium, all the bands are doing their best to retain the crowd’s favor, each playing well-established fan favorites, saving the riskier song choices for the finale.
That is, everyone except BLADES.
They’re planning to debut two new songs tonight, both of which written solely by Starfury.
It’s a ballsy move on its own — no one’s exactly itching to drop the ball on their fans this close to the end — but add in the fact that Starfury hasn’t released any solo-written music since the Duskraven fallout and you’ve got the makings of a battle that could either go incredibly right or disastrously wrong.
Let’s back up a bit.
After the Duskraven breakup, Starfury had gone into something of a hiatus (if that’s what you call disappearing off the face of the entertainment industry) before dropping the 13-track self-written album, “Honor,” without prior notice or promotion. Fans were ecstatic to hear from him after his sudden break, but critics were less enthused, calling the album ‘a brash, arrogant attempt at flipping the metaphorical finger at Duskraven that ultimately falls short’, noting the clear absence of Duskraven’s touch in his music — all technicality, no soul.
Starfury’s penned a couple of songs with BLADES since, spanning genres as colorful and diverse as its writers, but there hasn’t been a solo venture since Honor, leaving long-time Starfury fans anxious to hear him take lead again.
Graywater calls everyone into a circle, locking eyes with Starfury as she gives his hand a squeeze.
She makes a speech that I‘m not privy to — but everyone is visibly more resolute after she speaks, each raising their fists to meet in the middle of the circle.
“I’m honored to be on this journey with you all,” I hear Starfury share, a glittering smile spreading on Volari’s lips at the statement.
“I knew you liked us!” he says, crossing the circle to throw an arm around Starfury’s shoulders, pulling him close.
“Group hug!” Ellarious laughs and Imtura closes the circle into a solid embrace.
Starfury appears to be in shock — as if this is the first time this has happened — but he recovers quickly, a quietly contented smile on his face.
The last streaks of daylight have disappeared by the time they’re called to stage, the crowd restless from a long afternoon under the blistering heat.
Darkness has fallen.
But then the opening chords to fan-favorite “Murderous Masquerade” cut through the evening air, a flurry of flashing lights bursting through the sky, and the Deadwood comes alive.
Volari takes center stage in his flashy black and gold ensemble, working the crowd with such ease that it’s no question why he’s been dubbed the band’s de facto showman — he’s frankly just mesmerizing to watch.
Next up is “The Priestess and the Warrior,” an epic tale crammed into four and a half minutes of heart-racing drum beats — provided by the insanely talented Imtura — with a tender piano-driven bridge near the close, Ellarious’ heartbreaking vocals driving the whole thing home.
Graywater takes lead in the third number, “Flirting with Monsters,” a delicate neo R&B number that sounds nothing like the title suggests, her earnest, airy vocals lulling you into a comfortable, almost dream-like state as she entices her lover to stay.
The one thing common between the seemingly weird mishmash of genres is Starfury’s steady bassline, providing a much needed thread of cohesion to the set list. Where Volari, Imtura, Graywater, and even Ellarious tackle their music with the raw aggression of fresh blood on stage, Starfury attacks with quiet, seasoned finesse, his expertise evident in tracks like “Watch your back (or I’ll watch it for you)” and “Drakna Queen” — two unconventionally energetic numbers that would be difficult to listen to live if not for Starfury’s sure hand bringing them harmony.
“Alright, we’re gonna slow things down for a bit,” Graywater announces, eyes sparkling with excitement as she looks at Starfury. “Tyril’s got a new song and we want you guys to be the first to hear it.”
By now, I’ve seen enough of Starfury’s performances to say that he’s not a nervous performer. Even in the earlier stages of his career, there was always a quiet assuredness about him — which could have also been easily called arrogance — and while that’s still present now, there’s something different about the way he interacts with the crowd, a sense of humility present in the way he put his hands together and gives them a brief bow before he sits himself in front of the piano.
“I would like to dedicate this to a person very special to me,” he begins, his fingers gentle on the keys, a soft, lilting melody dancing in the air.
(He’s not even the least bit subtle about the way he looks at Graywater.)
“She has reminded me, time and again, that hope and love, when we allow it, can shine the brightest light in the dark.” Graywater shakes her head as if to shrug in nonchalance, but she meets his eyes dead on, her smile beaming with pride.
Turning to the crowd, Starfury adds, “I hope this gives you as much joy as you’ve given me. This one’s called ‘Kilvali.’”
For the next minute, it’s just Starfury and the piano, the world quiet as his voice fills the air. If there was ever any doubt that Starfury had lost his vocal prowess, there wouldn’t be any now. His voice is clear and strong — reaching even the farthest row of people on the music grounds — albeit with a softness now that I’ve never heard from him before, his attachment to his music feeling infinitely more personal.
“All my moments with you are worth whatever pain that came before,” he sings, his voice soaring as the rest of the band join him in the second verse. The performance is even more powerful with the added instrumentation.
Tiny cellphone flashlights illuminate the crowd as they sway their hands in time to the song, the emotion in Starfury’s voice rolling out in waves.
Twitter user @notmxwllbmnt13 sums it up nicely:
SJSKJSJSK TYRIL STARFURY KILLED ME TONIGHT!! ALL!! THE!! FEELS!!
(It really was beautiful.)
The crowd cheers as the song draws to a close, but the battle’s not over yet (as Starfury would tell me himself later) — the true test lying in whether or not his second song proves a testament to his newfound voice in songwriting… or if it’s just a one-time stroke of luck.
“If it’s alright with you, we’d like to play you another new one,” he says and the applause is deafening when he turns over the mic to Volari, the latter pulling him into a one-armed hug before taking to the crowd.
If Duskraven’s interviews post-breakup are to be believed, Starfury has never — not once — written a song that wasn’t intended for himself. (She claimed to have co-written plenty of solos for Starfury, but he allegedly never returned the favor.) A quick glance at his repertoire would make this allegation appear true.
“It is true,” he tells me simply when I bring it up later in the tour bus. (Despite the coolness of his voice, I notice him shift a little in his seat.) “I was... unconfident, extending my words to other artists like that. I was also prideful and arrogant — afraid to face the judgment and criticism of my peers, and for that, I truly am sorry to Kaya. She deserved better from me as a partner.”
It seems Starfury has taken that incident to heart. Listening to “Purple Dreams” with Volari’s teasing falsetto on the forefront, it becomes clear that Starfury wrote this with the former’s vocals in mind, the flirtatious mix of his sassy vocal riffs and playful onstage antics giving the song a delicious, intoxicating energy.
It’s probably the most experimental I’ve heard from Starfury as a writer, both in terms of lyricism and melody.
“I’ve learned a lot this last year, creating music with BLADES,” he explains. “Not only did I find a new perspective on songwriting thanks to them, but my bandmates also gave me the courage to try things outside of my comfort zone and to allow myself to make mistakes. They inspire me.”
Years ago, he was dubbed as stiff and awkward outside of the theater stage, with Duskraven providing all the charm in their partnership, but now, on stage with BLADES — as Volari points his sultry gaze at him, singing his own lyrics to him — Starfury smirks, leaning ever so slightly against the showman as his hands tease along the guitar strings, driving the crowd wild.
It’s clear by the end of the song that Starfury has won over the crowd, and for once, he actually seems to revel in it, his smile beaming as he takes in the applause.
The rest of the band are even more thrilled for him, each leaving their posts to engulf him in another hug.
He doesn’t hesitate this time, allowing the fond gesture in front of their adoring crowd, each of them savoring the quiet moment, and I think, out of all the times I’ve seen Starfury on stage, this has to be my favorite version of him.
In the company of his friends, lifting and supporting each other, Tyril Starfury shines brighter than any star.
“We haven’t talked about what we’re doing after yet,” Starfury admits when I ask him about the future of BLADES after Morella Fest. (Each of the members are also solo artists in their own right, after all.) “But whatever happens at the end of the tour, we’ll always have each other, regardless of whether the band continues or not. I can’t imagine my life without these people now and I hope I never have to.”
He’s smiling as he says this, watching his bandmates fight over the last levenfruit before he excuses himself to join them, Graywater and Ellarious easily making space for him in the dining booth, Volari and Imtura rounding out the little world that now seems completely their own.
-
This article also appears in BLADES: The Most Ambitious Crossover Event in Morella Music History. You can find the full feature on www - kadethebard - com.
-
tagging: @sophie-summer ✨
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calocera · 4 years
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SPOILERS FOR CATS 2019, here’s my hot takes and opinions
be warned, THIS IS LOOOONG
First off my overall opinion, i LITERALLY cannot say whether it was good or bad, like lots of critics say it just...is beyond that. It’s VERY fun and that’s all I can bring myself to say, I have LOTS of problems with it but I can’t even say that they make the movie bad. It is definitely worth watching
OPINIONS ON CHARACTERS:
Victoria: she’s good! I appreciate that they kinda left her personality blank other than her innocence since that’s pretty much how she always was, still not super thrilled with her as a main character but franchesca did the best she could
Munkustrap: I loved him! he was more of a main character than I would have expected, but they STILL cut all the charm from his lines... why do I love him then? Robbie fairchild did AMAZING background acting, whenever he was in frame he was always doing something SUPER munkustrap-y and making cute dad faces. he was dealt bad lines but he worked around it best he could. Also his legs were normal so...epic fail
Mistoffelees: 😒😒😒😒😒🤢🤢🤮 disappointed but not at all surprised...he was just a Woobie, a softboy uwu nice guy. I felt like I was seeing fanon 2013 loki in cat form. THEY MADE HIS SONG A SADBOY PITY PARTY SONG...WHY WOULD YOU MAKE THE 11 O’CLOCK NUMBER SLOW AND SAD???? Where is the smug little shit who’s vague and aloof yet confident and joyous? He was murdered by his evil homophobic shadow clone. I’m not even gunna indulge the fact that him and Victoria were a thing, I’ll go over that later. He also just constantly looked like the crying cat meme his eyes were so red and watery it was horrifying, yet somehow he wasn’t the worst character , that leads us too.....
tugger: what.the.fuck.did.you.do.to.this.boy. HE GOT THE TREATMENT I EXPECTED FOR MUNKUSTRAP! HE WAS DEMOTED TO BACKGROUND CHARACTER! not only did he not sing mr. mistoffelees, he literally did nothing other than his song, he never interacted with ANY characters besides jenny in 1 scene. I know cats has no set main characters but he’s undoubtedly one of the most important characters and he’s like...the least important named character in the movie. ALSO Jason Derulo was not sexy at all. There was NO hip thrusting NO sexy meowing NO glamrock, he was just an asshole and if I hadn’t already seen the original I would have either completely forgotten about his character or though he was the worst character. I’m so fucking angy I cannot express.
Girzzabella: ngl I expected better. Her acting was great but with the horrible effects I couldnt get invested but I’ll touch on the effects later. Her singing was good, but I expected it to carry the movie and it wasn’t at all the best song in the movie, I’d say she’s about as good as I expected she’d be but the movie itself was more enjoyable than I expected so she was less significant
Old d: she was fine, she LOOKED the part definitely, she didn’t have as large a presence as ken page but I wouldnt expect that of her. Her singing wasn’t the greatest though, her voice is fine by it’s just NOT suited to old d’s songs. I would have preferred she play a female gus bc her voice is very sweet and frail, not at all built for belting like her songs required.
Macavity: he’s just...eh. He’s basically a comic relief villain which sucks. He does practically nothing besides kidnap people, say a cheesy line, and act like a caricature of a 90s cartoon villain (and not one of the fun ones) like theres a scene where he poofs away and when he does it he goes, MACAvityyyyyyy and fades away its so unintentionally funny but it just makes him so lame as a villain. not to mention he doesnt even die at the end or get any satisfying conclusion he just gets stuck on top of a statue and his powers suddenly stop working (for some reason??)
Bombalurina: fuck that, I am simultaneously glad she only was in the macavity number bc fuck off Taylor Swift but also disappointed bc she deserved so much better.
Bustopher: 😟 never in my darkest nightmares did I think I’d see bustopher Jones deepthroat multiple crayfish but here we are. Somehow THIS was the most sexual song, I cannot begin to name the fetishes checked off by this performance bc itd hit word limit. Let me just say that I said multiple times out loud, “damn bustopher kinda a freak with it 😏😏” like I CANNOT stress how weirdly sexual it gets. And ofc its all otherwise just haha funney fat guy eat food and burp and fall down. He also breaks the fourth wall a few times which like, fuck you
Jenny: exactly what was shown in the trailer. Unfunny fat jokes and slapstick humor. Also they focused WAY too many shots on her cat pussy and I wish I was making that up. Also of note is that the cgi on the rats and cockroaches are drastically worse than the rest of the movie, like not just bad designs the effects are BAD. also they translated they whole gumbie cat fur-shedding as her wearing fake skin over her outfit which would be fine but UHH the fake fur is skin tight??? so it literally looks like shes ripping off her skin and she does it multiple times its fucking terrifying
Mungojerrie and rumpelteazer: meh, they are fine as characters, not quite as energetic as I would have liked but they didn’t massively fuck anything up? The song was horrible, they went against the beat for...some reason? Like it’s a song with a very distinct rhythm and they split up the lyrics so weirdly. I liked that they followed through with the lore of them working for macavity
Skimbleshanks: YES YESSSSSSSSSS HOLY FUCKING SHIT 💗💕💖💞💜😳😳😳😳😳😳😳💜💛🧡💚💖❤️💗 i absolutely CANNOT express how good skimbleshanks made me feel. He looks like a leather daddy with his chains and suspenders and hat and stache, I hate that I’m saying this but uh...mr skimbleshanks sir😳 we were actually screaming it was so fucking good. Watching this movie was worth it just for skimble. Unironically. I’m listening to the song as we speak. It was kinda weird that they moved the tap dancing to this song but that’s more of a detractor from Jennie’s and a plus side to skimbles since it’s good tap
Gus: good! Ian did a good job of course, no one doubted that he would.
Growltiger and griddlebone: not racist but still absolutely horrifying. One of the worst parts of the movie, I actually got squeamish looking at griddlebone a few times that’s how bad she looks
Everyone else: not that good. I couldn’t tell who was who, all their personalities were annoying, I’m on imdb as we speak trying to figure out who even was supposed to be who. Demeter is completely butchered and jemima just isn’t there, doesn’t sing her part, it all sucked man.
Tech talk:
CGI: okay so here’s the thing, the effects are good. GREAT even, the issue is how fucking horrible the designs are. The lack of cat nose, mouth, and hairy cheeks makes them all look disgusting. Also the feet. Holy fuck why do they have feet. THERES A FUCKING SCENE WHERE TUGGER GRABS VICTORIAS FOOT AND SNIFFS IT. IT LASTS LIKE 5 SECONDS. Old Deuteronomy, Gus, and Cassandra (bc she was already bald) are the only characters I’d say look anywhere close to decent, grizabella looks okay in profile but head on it’s all horrible again. its really such a shame bc the sets are gorgeous! i really hope this movie gets some form of recognition for its sets.
the editing and directing was DOGSHITTTTTTT there are SO many scenes where characters just teleport or parts where people are singing and no ones mouths are moving its really distracting
Other things:
it’s OBVIOUS that the critics calling this movie horny have never seen the original. I’d definitely say the movie is LESS HORNY than the play. It IS however waaaaaaay more uncomfortable with its hornieness, so I’d say in that regard YES, the horny stuff is much more gratuitous and off putting despite there being an overall smaller amount than the play. ie everything bustopher jones does
They changed a BUNCH of lyrics for some reason?? Like they cut verses which I understand but there are like a handful of lyrics in almost every song they just...change. like...okay? All changing lyrics is gunna do is make people who knew the songs frustrated when they can’t sing along
the dancing was incredible! shame the cg just fucking invalidates all of it bc your mind doesnt register it as real people doing real moves
OKAY THE FUCKING CATNIP SCENE so when taylor swift showers everyone in catnip they all just fucking start moaning and go FULL HORNY its TOO MUCH like misto full on does an o face like eyes rolled back mouth open  and munkustrap is like ass up panting i still havent processed it im fucking terrified to encounter it again. they cut the orgy? yet added THIS??? k
WHY did they take 2 of the most iconic characters who FREQUENTLY interact and just
a. Never even have them make eye contact
b. Make 1 a background character
c. Completely change the personality of the other one
On the topic of Victoria/misto: I am just still at a loss as to why they thought it’d be a good idea? They completely removed Plato and for what? This? Pathetic. It’s worth noting the weirdly munkustrap has WAYYY more chemistry with both Victoria AND mistoffelees then they did with each other (there’s a part where it looks like misto and munk are about to kiss for some reason?? munk ALSO gets all touchy feely with skimbleshanks???) anyways munkustrap king moments
tldr; its worth watching, the best parts were the sets, the dancing, skimbleshanks, and munkustrp fucking CARRIES the weight of the world with his face acting. the worst things were a big fat tie between bustopher, tugger,misto,jenny,growltiger and griddlebone, and the godawful design choices
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ask-emilz-de-philz · 4 years
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FANFICTION BY: ''You know who you are ; ))'' AU: #actorAU PAIRING: MIKHAIL x ARCHER (aka HS!AU Adult Emilio's actor and HS!AU Adukt Abel's actor) RATED SPG HAHAHAH (( no really so those under 17 y/o look at sommin else hahah))
((A/N: The moment I saw Mikhail and Archer my brain immediately made this story up. Sorry if they’re OOC or something, it’s only been a few times that Mikhail appeared and Archer only appeared once so far. It might be a lil steamy for some, but I really tried to tone it down I promise 😂))
((Milo’s here too, sorry again if he’s OOC 😅))
—-
On a shooting for a special limited edition blu-ray release, a very intense kiss scene between the couple, Emilio and Abel.
Archer softly moaned in between the kisses, “M-Mi….” he gets interrupted everytime by a very excited Mikhail, who noticed that Archer is already calling out his name, and not his character’s name. Mikhail shut his mouth by deepening the kiss and caressing his back, hands slowly inching its way lower and lower. Archer tightened his embrace. Mikhail lifted him up and put him on the table. Archer squeaked in surprise, but did not move his lips away. Archer subconsciously raised his legs and crossed them together, making Mikhail even closer than before.
Mikhail, caught up in the passion, breathily spoke while his lips were on the other man. “I love you, A–”
The director yelled, “Cut!”
The lively crew applauded and began to talk about how hot the scene was, and all that crap that Mikhail could care less about. They were too caught up in their conversation that it would take some time for them to remember the two actors who were still glued together.
The instant Mikhail heard the cue, he backed away reluctantly, grudgingly. Anyway, it was not the right situation to confess, better do it when they’re off camera, in private, as Archer and Mikhail, not as Abel and Emilio. He smirked when he noticed that Archer moved a little bit forward, as if to chase after him, but stops and blushes all the way to his ears when he realized what he’s doing. “G-good work,”
Mikhail looks down at Archer, whose gaze remained on the floor. They were still a bit out of breath, and Mikhail relished the heat. He took in Archer’s scent, the red flush on his soft cheeks, his teary eyes still glazed with desire. Mikhail shivered in arousal, licking his slightly swollen lips that were still wet.
Mikhail couldn’t resist. He carried Archer up again, with the excuse of helping him get down, and subtly kisses his neck that even Archer doubted whether it was intentional or accidental.
“Good work.” Mikhail spoke lowly beside Archer’s ear, and he enjoyed watching Archer’s cute little ears tremble from his voice.
‘So cute, so sexy. He’s like this because of me. I want to see him like this everyday.’ No one, not even Archer who was the closest in proximity to him, noticed Mikhail’s warm gaze on Archer. The people who knew Mikhail personally would hardly describe him as a good person. Just like the dragon on his body, he was known to be cold and ruthless, especially to 'pests’. However, they couldn’t deny that Mikhail was fiercely loyal, and that once he considers you one of his people, he will surely protect you.
Even so, if they saw how Mikhail looked at Archer, as if he were a man lovingly watching his cherished lover, they would probably wonder if they needed a prescription from an optometrist. Mikhail did have a few friends, people he would always protect, but none that he treated so preciously. Because Mikhail was cold. Mikhail was ruthless. Just like the dragon on his body.
Alas, the dragon found his one and only Treasure.
It would be a mistake to consider the Treasure his weakness; rather, if there was anyone thoughtless or brazen enough to harm or steal his Treasure, they would be touching upon his reverse scale.
His Treasure seemed to be a bit afraid of him, but that’s okay - everyone was. Mikhail will just have to slowly but surely creep into his heart, and by the time Archer notices that he’s in love with him, he’ll be ready with a ring.
Noticing his gaze, Archer, who had been reading the script, turned to Mikhail and asked, “What is it, Mikhail?” he said with a polite [read: nervous] smile. After that intense kiss scene from back then, Archer seemed to be more nervous around Mikhail, yet at the same time more defenseless.
Mikhail chuckled, thinking to himself, 'Ah, I’ve got a long way to go.’ but he replied without missing a beat, “Just admiring the view. It’s beautiful.”
Archer blushed and buried his face in the script. “Thanks.” He said it in such a quiet voice that if Mikhail didn’t have better hearing than the average man, he would have failed to hear the next words: “You too.”
Mikhail’s eyes wided before he laughed, which made Archer even more flustered. 'Maybe not so long after all.’
While Mikhail was busy planning how to make Archer his wife, Archer was lost in his thoughts. 'Geez, I got swept up by Mikhail’s pace again! Archer, you have got to be strong, don’t be swayed by his sweet words, his thoughtful gestures, his warm eyes, his k-kisses….. AAAAHHHHH STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM!’ Archer scolded himself for being too easily swayed.
Despite the chaos in his head, he still managed to maintain an unperturbed, gentle expression. 'Well, it’s not that I’m easy,’ Archer thought. 'It’s just that it’s hard not to love Mikhail.’ All of a sudden, he sighed as the excitement rapidly drain from him. 'Whatever, Archer. Don’t feel down, it’s just a crush. He wouldn’t like me in that way.’
——
A point in time after their marriage.
“What do you want.” Mikhail grumbled. It’s late. There were hardly any cars on the road, but Mikhail was still careful as he drove. He figured the phone call would help keep his focus, otherwise his thoughts would just go back to the man waiting for him at home.
The voice on the phone chuckled. “Why, can’t I just be a nice senior checking up on my junior? How’s the married life, Mr. Grumpy?”
Mikhail had no patience for nonsense. “If you’re calling for such a stupid reason, I really should have cut off your tongue and fed it to the pigs.”
“Oh my, how cruel! You still can’t let that incident go? Even your wife didn’t mind, how petty of you.”
That man was getting on his nerves. How could it be possible to hear his smirk through a call?
But….. hearing people refer to Archer as his wife……
“What, were you that happy I called him 'your wife’? Haha, how adorable!” Milo teased.
“Shut your trap, pretty boy. What do you really want?” Oh how he wished he could sew Milo’s mouth shut.
“Well, I’m just letting you know about that one time I visited your shooting….”
… … …
'There was such a thing?’ Mikhail didn’t even remember. He grinned, thinking of a good idea. 'Well, I should make up for that…. right?’
When he opened the door, the lights were still on. Archer was snuggled up in blankets on the sofa while reading his script. An empty cup and a pen were on the table.
Mikhail embraced his wife from behind the sofa, “Hey babe, I’m home.”
Archer jolted in surprise, taking off his headphones as he looked behind. “Mikhail! Welcome home, dear. Would you like me to heat up dinner? Or would you rather take a bath first?”
“I prefer the third choice.” Mikhail gave his wife a kiss. It was the beginning of his 'compensation’.
Archer was a bit flustered, but he was used to it. Mikhail was unexpectedly clingy, and even after getting married, he was still the same devoted and loving husband.
“You know that you’re the only one for me right?” Mikhail used his ultimate weapon: whispering lowly right beside the ears.
“Ah, hm, yes, um, you want dinner? I’ll prepare dinner!” Archer hurriedly escaped to the kitchen, wondering what got his husband riled up.
Had Archer looked back, he would have realized from the look on Mikhail’s face that the 'dinner’ would be thoroughly eaten up tonight.
The couple woke up at noon the next day. Thankfully, they both had the next few days off. It was Mikhail’s turn to cook because Archer was still in bed. It was rather difficult for him to get up due to their 'dinner’.
Archer got a call from a person he didn’t expect, but wanted to talk to.
“Good afternoon Mr. Grumpy’s little wifey~”
“Milo! Why did you say that to him?” Archer rebuked, though it could hardly be considered an angry tone.
“What? That you were jealous when a young and bold crew member was blushing and hovering around Mikhail like a high school student in love?” Milo made an effort to sound innocent, as if the culprit wasn’t him.
“I-I wasn’t even–” Archer’s cheeks flushed. He really wasn’t jealous! He even told Milo how cute that girl was around her idol, Mikhail!
“I can tell from your hoarse voice that you had a good time. Hope you liked my ve~ry special gift for you two!” from the other side of the line, someone was calling for Milo. “Well, that’s the last of my 10 minutes. Enjoy the rest of your holiday,”
Archer turned to lay on his stomach, burying his face on the pillow.
The door opened soundlessly, but Archer knew that Mikhail was there, just staring at him. Or probably his butt.
“Is food ready?” Archer asked.
“Mhm.”
“Can we eat here?”
“Mhm.” Mikhail laid on his side beside his wife.
Archer faced Mikhail with a look of curiosity, “Well, where is it?”
Mikhail opened his arms. The deadpan look on his face was obviously saying, 'Food is served. Eat well.’
Archer was stumped. This was the man he used to be afraid of? All he could do was laugh and indulge his sticky husband, moving closer to cuddle with him.
——-
(A/N: This is what I would have asked had I gotten the chance to XD I thought hard about what to ask Archer, but I ended up running out of time lol, but that’s okay bc it’s become a fuel for my fantasy) (this isn’t in a proper story format like the ones above, just saying 😂)
'NEVER HAVE I EVER treated my co-actor like I would treat their character on screen
Question for: Archer’
Archer: Hmmm, so far, never. While I and most of the people I’ve worked with get so immersed and emotionally invested in our role, I believe I do a good job of separating my emotions from my character’s. Similarly, I can separate my co-actors’ characters from their off-screen selves.
*Mikhail walks in on the set, speaking out of the camera’s view* Mikhail: Hey babe, I bought some sandwiches. You like the one with mayo or nah?
A: You don’t like mayo, right? I’ll have it. And next time, please don’t disturb the set when there’s an ongoing interview, alright dear?
*walking away already* M: Mmkay. I’ll take you home, I’ll wait for you to finish.
*turning back to the interviewer as if nothing happened* A: So yes, where was I?
Interviewer: Um, didn’t you just … .
*Archer realizes what just happened, internally screaming because oMG I WAS SO RUDE TO MIKHAIL WHAT IF HE GETS MAD AAAHHHH BUT NO WAIT WE’RE HANGING OUT ON OUR FREE TIME, AND WE’VE GOTTEN QUITE CLOSER ALREADY RIGHT?? HE WOULDN’T MIND RIGHT??? I WOULDN’T JUST WAKE UP SINKING IN THE OCEAN RIGHT?!?! TTATT* Archer: Hm, well, we’re on good terms, it just became natural. *gives his best sparkly smile to stun the interviewer and quickly escapes after some greetings*
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dolphin-enthusiast · 4 years
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my beloved morgy, good evening!! it's been a little bit, no? schoolwork has been running rampant and health issues are racking up, so i have unfortunately been away for a bit, not to mention i'll have to look for work soon due to financial issues,, life is quite hectic now! no matter what though, i always look forward to coming back here, talking to you has become one of my favorite things in the world!! 💕💌💫 (1/9)
"and so much has happened now, hm? with that in mind, please know that what i'm about to say isn't just mere kindness, and that i actually believe it wholeheartedly,, i think you are absolutely stunning!!! of course i got the notification during algebra of all classes,, but oh my goodness darling!!!! i'm so happy you somehow gained enough confidence to do that!! (2/9)
i was paranoid after my initial face reveal, but after getting so many nice responses before, i knew it would go just as smoothly for you 💓 ahhhh i just can't get over it at all, you're so pretty!!! i smiled a lot, and then my professor must've noticed, because he said "abby... abby... ABBY! are you ok?? you're face is so red, do you have a fever???" (3/9)
of course i dismissed it, but then to make matters worse, quinn called me during class about it as you saw already,, i swear, she just loves to torture me hm? 😖😖 but really, you are gorgeous, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, ok?? 💘 oh, and i must thank everyone for being so patient and kind during my absence!! your well wishes mean a lot to me! most people tend to get very frustrated with me, so i'm beyond glad that i can get a break from that type of treatment!! (4/9̶ 10)
it's been very difficult so far trying to balance school and my own health, so i've been extremely occupied as of late,, but when things settle down and i figure things out, i should be more active again! (it's what i hope for! writing you and seeing everyone is one of the things i actually enjoy anyway!!! 🌠) and all of those picrews and that drawing?? lovely as always!! (5/10)
aside from stressful school days and other events, today, quinn and our friend chloe surprised me by showing up to my house after school and whisking me off to this lovely asian market in the city! it was unusually cold, so quinn being the overly protective person they are, forced me to take their coat,, ahhh i felt so bad, the breeze was so chilly!! but sadly, the north really does get cold when the fall starts to hit hehe (6/10)
we took the metro over and messed around in our seats a bit,, it was nice and quiet for once! we ended up having a great time, getting dinner, buying lots of strange snacks, and eating different cakes at this quaint café, it was such a nice break from everything not-so-good that has been happening lately!! ✨ (7/10)
and luckily, i get to actually have a good time this weekend!!! my older brother is coming home to visit! despite college being so busy for him, he told me that he still checks in here at the end of every week haha, i'm surprised he even manages to do that with his workload 😖 he told me we're gonna go and get lunch together, so i'm really excited for that,, i miss him lots! ❤ (8/10)
so much has happened that i can't even keep track of it,, there's so much to talk about, it's crazy! i wish school could lighten up a bit so i could be here more, after all, i do truly enjoy my time here!! but i'm overjoyed that i get to return tonight despite my heavy workload,, it's always a rare pleasure to be able to talk to you dolcezza!!! hopefully i can be back soon by friday or so,, i'll be aiming for it 💗 (9/10
thank you guys for all of the support throughout these chaotic months, i never expected to meet such an amazing person and become so loved by a bunch of people i never met- you've all gone beyond my wildest expectations with how unbelievably kind you are to me! as always thank you, i love you all beyond words 💕 with love from the moon & back, your waifu xoxo 💖💖💖 ps: morgy you really do know how to pull at my heartstrings!! i better see no more of you doubting yourself ever again 😘 (10/10)"
THE LEGEND HAS R E T U R N E T H ONCE MORE 😳🤚✨ honestly darling ur reaction was quite literally priceless and Quinn only made this entire thing better ngl jdhdhwhd i almost cant believe me doing some dumb face reveal caused it either but....i aint complaining at all quite the contrary acc👁️👁️
I'd still insist ur bein way too kind but i'll thank u anyway for za compliments (i can only say the same regarding u dear👁️✨) dbqhshxkaha also a trip to za asian market sounds lit ngl me and the squad always go to this k mart thats on the way to our school and they have banging foods 😩✊
Now i can 100% relate to everything u said esp the school part....im exhausted outta my mind (in fact i deadass fell asleep while on zoom today during class djsbs) bc i still lowkey cant fall asleep in time at night and i have to get up early everyday so its like💀💀💀💀 i mostly catch up on schleep in the afternoon but its still a wack schedule and i barely have time to do other stuff let alone write which bothers me alot ngl....as for urself im glad u got to have some quality time w ur mates and also that ur legend of a bro is finally visiting (za clown army e a a g er l y awaiting his return)
I agree also that things have been movin fast like h e l l its already almost october tf🗿🗿 and i also hope ur fine health wise too bc ik all too well how school and an erratic schedule can throw ur entire body off and worsen ur immune system n all of dat shiz💀
Either way im glad u popped in again (as always my inbox been bombarded with questions regarding ur whereabouts djshdjdk) and may we speak of shows and anime again bc a bitch had finished bsd yesterday and im l i v i n😳😳😳
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danyka-fendyr · 5 years
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As the Raven Flies: Part 2
Taglist: @dreamwritesimagines​ @rhabakoli​
Are there only two people on my taglist? Yes. Am I making it anyway? Also yes. It makes me feel more official. Anyway, here’s the next chapter of my disaster fic. The good news is that I took the time to edit this time and actually like...paced myself somewhat while writing.
Wordcount: 3246 bc apparently I have no self-control???
“My entire family is dead.”
“What?”
“You gonna make me say it again, Castle?”
Frank looked speechless. “How did it happen? If you don’t mind..”
“I mind.” Vivien crossed her arms over her chest, trying to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear even though it was all bunched up in a ponytail. Nervous tick.
Thus ensued the longest, most regret filled pause of Vivien’s life. She didn’t know what to say any more now that no one was asking her about her dead family, and Matt seemed to think he either wasn’t a part of this particular conversation or just didn’t have anything relevant to add on. Vivien waited as the silence stretched out, just about ready to kick Matt Murdock for not opening that big fat mouth of his the one time in his life she actually wanted him to.
Finally, Frank spoke. “Are you hungry miss?”
Vivien blinked. “What? 
“You hungry? I only ask because Red here doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to remember what food is, let alone that he needs to feed someone else.”
Vivien laughed slightly. “Yeah. He’s pretty bad about that. So am I though.”
“I’ll take that to mean you’re hungry. C’mon. I know a pretty good diner about 3 blocks down from here. You can keep the mask on if you don’t wanna show me your face.”
Matt went to speak up, but Frank interrupted him. “The invitation was for you too, Red. Though you should probably lose the costume.”
“We can swing by my place first. That way I can change into something a little less...conspicuous,” Matt said.
“I don’t mind showing my face, so if nobody objects I’ll be wearing something not made out of Kevlar to this late night snack party.”
“Fine by me,” Frank said. “But we ain’t doing that running across rooftop stuff you two do. I’m getting my car.”
Vivien turned to Matt, hands on her hips. “Why don’t we have a car?”
“I’m still blind, Vivien.”
“Excellent point.”
Eventually, they got everything sorted, and thankfully they ended up somewhere that didn’t smell like blood and urine. Said place also happened to have a killer burger, which was currently making Vivien very happy. Whoever invented eggs on cheeseburgers was a genius.
Frank didn’t speak much, just letting them eat and doing the same. Matt, on the other hand, suddenly couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Maybe that was why he was so bad about eating. He would have to stop listening to the sound of his own voice to do that.
Currently, he was giving Frank a lecture on morality that Vivien gathered was a standard precursor to every conversation they had. She couldn’t be sure though, since she had stopped listening shortly after, “This city needs heroes, not your twisted version of justice Frank.” Blah blah blah, blah blah, blah blah. She made a face, copying Matt behind his back as he leaned across the sticky green tabletop, intense. She exaggerated his movements, hamming it up because frankly, she was bored.
Frank’s laughter was slow. It started as a quiet snicker, but it quickly turned to a loud bark that devolved into what could only be called giggles, spurred on by Matt’s sheer indignance at not being taken seriously. When Vivien started laughing too, he turned on her.
“You too? Is there some kind of joke I’m missing?”
“Oh, this is...this is too good,” Frank gasped, wiping his eyes.
“Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week. The impressions are free, but if you want me to tell you exactly what Matt Murdock would say to you in any given situation, that’s going to cost you $5 an hour. If you don’t think that’s a practical business model, then I don’t know what to tell you. Clearly you’ve never been lectured by Matt. I’m surprised he doesn’t charge by the hour.”
Frank was dying. Absolutely dead. What could she say? Vivien was quick to feel out her audience. Or something like that.
“Were you mimicking me again? Vivien, we talked about that!”
“You said not in front of clients,” Vivien reminded him, waving a fry pointedly.
“Frank used to be a client.”
“Keywords being, ‘used to be’. I don’t deal in the past anymore Murdock. Makes me uncomfortable. Plus I’m cranky that I have a traumatic backstory because that’s just cliche.”
Matt pouted. Matthew Murdock, the devil of Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil, attorney at law, was sitting in some grungy diner smack dab in the middle of New York, pouting over a turkey sandwich.
“You know what I think? I think we owe Frank our lives for introducing us to this place. This is a truly awesome burger.”
Frank smiled. “I’m glad you like it miss.”
Vivien nodded, eating another fry, her burger officially gone now. “Like I said, we owe you our lives. In lieu of those though, since we are currently making great use of them -or at the very least, mediocre, in Matt’s case- how about we feed you next time? Karen’s been dying to have you over for dinner.”
Frank paused, shoulders stiffening.
“Yeah? She say that?” He asked carefully.
“Didn’t have to. She’s been talking about how much she misses you for weeks. It’s getting irritating. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love Karen, I do. But if I have to hear her wonder what you’re doing one more time…”
Frank smiled. “I could maybe come around and visit sometime. But only if you promise to do more impressions of Red over here.”
“No more impressions! I am being targeted here,” Matt objected.
“Only because you make it so fun, Matty,” Vivien said. “You know really I love you, you self-righteous jerkface.”
She leaned over, hugging him from the side in a silent plea for forgiveness.
“Those words did not sound like love.”
“I can hear you pouting Murdock.”
“I don’t pout!”
“What’s that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of you pouting. I think it’s getting louder.”
Frank was laughing again. “Oh, you’ve got a deal. I can’t possibly miss a dinner with all of this happening.”
“Good. Let’s say...Tuesday?”
“That works for me.” Frank nodded. “Thank you for the invitation, miss.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
Matt glanced down at his watch. “You’ll have to excuse us Frank. This little munchkin is up past her bedtime.”
He patted her head patronizingly, causing Vivien to glare at him.
“I have to tuck her in and read her Green Eggs and Ham five times so she can drift off into dreamland.”
“Don’t get confused. I’m the funny one in this partnership,” Vivien said.
“Sure you are,” Matt looked quite pleased with himself.
“I have to let him win sometimes. Otherwise, he gets cranky and refuses to feed and house me and then I have to become a little old bag lady like Vanellope from Wreck it Wralph,” she said solemnly.
“Wait, you live with Red?”
“Yes. He was kind enough to take me in after everything that happened. But that’s a story for another time.” Or never.
“Tuesday,” he said. “You’re telling me that story on Tuesday, miss.”
“Okay, fine. But you better come!” 
“I’ll be there. Promise.”
“Cross your heart?” she asked.
“Cross my heart.”
“Good. See you!” Vivien sat up, waiting for Matt to grab his cane and join her.
“You told Frank what to get him to come to this dinner?” Karen whirled around, hands swallowed up by oven mitts and carrying a pot roast fresh out of the oven.
Karen’s kitchen was small, but cozy and warm. Everything had a sort of yellow accent to it that seemed to brighten the place up, even at the worst of times. And right now was not the worst of times, not even a little bit. For once.
“I told him you’re in love with him and you want to have his children,” Vivien said nonchalantly, sitting on the counter and letting her legs dangle, swaying in the nonexistent breeze.
Karen leveled her with a scolding look Vivien was very, very familiar with.
“Okay, okay. I told him that you really wanted him to come over and that you missed him.”
Karen turned bright red, setting the pot roast down on the table before burying her face in her hands. “You told him that?”
“Yep. Left out the lovey-dovey bits though. Figured you can’t force true love.”
“It’s not-it isn’t-just….just toss the salad, please!”
“Whatever you say, K.” Vivien hopped off of the counter, grabbing everything she needed to toss up a mean old salad.
Karen peered over her shoulder. “That’s too much dressing.”
“No such thing. Besides, your lover probably likes dressing.”
“Vivien, so help me!”
Vivien was giggling like mad, pausing in her enthusiastic efforts at pouring dressing. Karen took this opportunity to snatch the dressing from her, and as she put it in the fridge the girl’s smile slowly faded.
“You know what this reminds me of?”
“What?” Karen asked, voice soft.
Vivien leaned against the counter, staring at a crack in the wall shaped a little bit like Ohio. “My mom. Whenever we had people over she would fuss over everything like this too. And she hated having too much dressing on the salad. My dad liked a ton, but my mom was always trying to get us all to be healthier or whatever.”
“That sounds nice,” Karen said.
“Yeah. Yeah, it was.”
Vivien blinked sharply, wiping at tears that refused to fall out of her eyes, just hanging there off the ends of her lashes and stinging. She turned to the table, busying herself with making sure all the plates and forks and such were set up right. Karen let her, watching for a moment before grabbing the bread basket and setting it out.
“How is that story you’re working on going?”
“Pretty good. It’s just a boring fluff piece though.”
“Still in trouble for that last one you wrote?” Vivien grinned.
“Uh, yeah.” Karen laughed a little bit. “Yeah, definitely still in trouble for that.”
“Well, you know, Matt would say-”
There was a knocking on the door, and Vivien went to go answer it. Speak of the devil. Or the Daredevil, as fate might have it.
“Am I early?” Matt rested his cane on the wall.
“No. For once in your life you’re on time, actually. It’s everyone else that’s late.”
“Don’t give him any credit.” Foggy appeared behind him. “He’s only here on time because I dragged him.”
“You don’t get enough credit for all the good work you do, Foggy.”
“I know.”
Vivien moved out of the doorway so they could come inside, squeezing into Karen’s modest dining room. The tablecloth had more than a few wine stains, but fortunately it was wine colored, a wise decision on Karen’s part. Everything was set out and ready to go, the pot roast buried in a nest of carrots and potatoes, the rolls sitting pretty in their basket, and a glass of wine ready to be filled for everyone except Vivien. She had tried to argue in favor of her drinking wine because she already broke the law anyway, but Karen vetoed that. In truth Vivien thought that wine was absolutely horribly nasty, but she definitely didn’t want to be the lame kid drinking orange soda in front of The Punisher. No matter how much she loved orange soda.
“Is that...orange soda in a wine glass?”
“Don’t call me out like that Foggy. I’m doing my best.”
“That’s absolutely adorable,” Matt said, trying not to laugh.
“I’m going to punch you.”
The doorbell rang before Vivien could make good on her threats, and Karen’s head snapped up, swiveling over to the door.
“You going to get that?” Matt was still visibly amused.
“Yes. Yeah. Definitely. I’m going to go…” Karen wandered in the direction of the doorway.
“It’s true looooovvveee,” Vivien whispered.
Karen shot her a look.
“I bet you $5 he has flowers,” she said, ignoring the look.
“That’s ridiculous. You’re about to owe me $5.”
Karen opened the door to Frank holding a bouquet of flowers.
“Hi Karen,” he said.
Was The Punisher...blushing? Yes. Yes he was.
“Oh. You brought flowers,” Karen said, looking pretty red herself.
“Um, yeah. Thought I would thank you for dinner,” he said.
“That’s really nice of you Frank.” She smiled at him.
They were totally making eyes at each other. Vivien communicated as much to Matt through barely audible whispers, making Matt laugh very audibly. Karen glared suspiciously at her, and Vivien shot her an innocent grin as she let Frank inside, letting him pull her chair out for her.
Frank sat down across from Vivien, giving her a concerned look. “So, do you have a name miss?”
“Oh, we never actually formally told you that, huh?”
“It’s Valerie or something, right?”
“Vivien.” She smiled at him.
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you in a setting where you probably won’t die, Vivien.” Frank glared pointedly at Matt.
“I just want you to know that I can’t see you glaring at me.”
“What you just said contradicts that, Red.”
“I made an educated guess.”
“It was still my idea to be a vigilante, Mr. Castle. Matt objects every time. It’s very annoying,” Vivien said.
“Have you ever considered… I don’t know, not recklessly putting yourself in danger?” 
Karen poured wine into Frank’s glass as he spoke, going around the table.
“Sometimes I think about that at night when I can’t sleep, and then I start laughing because can you imagine how boring leading that kind of life would be?”
Frank looked like he was about to say something, but Karen interrupted. “Alright, who wants to cut the roast? Matt?”
“Karen, I really think that’s a bad idea.”
Karen looked down at the table, biting her lip. “Right. Sorry.”
“I’ll do it.”
Frank stood, starting to slice the roast into thin pieces. It was obvious this wasn’t his first roast slicing rodeo. The man knew what he was doing. He wasn’t as good as Foggy, admittedly, but Foggy was raised by butchers, so that was sort of a given.
“I’ll say grace,” Matt said.
“You still say grace, altar boy?” Frank scoffed.
“Yes, yes I do. And you could probably benefit from it.”
Frank rolled his eyes, but bowed his head to pray with the rest of them as Matt blessed the food and prayed for the safety of the city. He kept it short and sweet, no doubt trying to avoid complaints from Frank, who Vivien was starting to get the sense was very jaded. She figured that was more than fair.
They ate in silence for the first few minutes, before Matt started trying to lecture. Karen intercepted though, not about to have any arguments break out at her dinner table.
“So, Frank, how have you been lately?”
“Oh, the usual, I guess.” It was a non-committal answer if Vivien had ever heard one. “And you? How is the reporter thing working out for you?”
“Good. I like it a lot, although I...tend to get in trouble.”
Frank chuckled. “Yeah, I figured as much. Your last article seemed like it might ruffle more than a few feathers.”
“You could say that.”
“It was good though. Great, actually.”
“Thank you.” Karen looked down at the tablecloth, smiling to herself.
They returned to silence before, surprisingly, Frank started the conversation.
“So, miss, how did you end up living with Red over here?”
“Well, that’s a somewhat complicated story,” Vivien dodged.
“Try me.” Frank speared a carrot, stuffing it in his mouth.
“Long story short? My family died and Matt found me living on the street through a fortunate series of adventures that involved some unpaid legal representation, which is what most of Matt’s adventures involve. Anyway, he found me, decided that I should probably not be homeless at such a young, vulnerable age, and took me in. And here I am today, thriving.”
Frank look at her appraisingly. “You don’t seem awfully torn up about your family.”
The change in Vivien was immediate. Her eyes darkened, hands balling into fists under the table. This son of a-
Karen placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. Easy there. It’s okay.”
Viven stabbed her fork violently into her pot roast.
“Some of us murder dozens of people, others deflect with humor. Just because I don’t feel the need to shoot anyone in the face doesn’t mean I don’t grieve, Castle.”
There was silence at the dinner table, but not the comfortable kind like before. This was cold and stunned.
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t right of me to assume.”
“No. No it wasn’t.” Vivien chewed viciously.
Frank watched her carefully, but Vivien refused to meet his gaze.“You have a lot of anger in you, huh kid?”
“You have a problem with that too?”
“No. Seems pretty natural to me. I guess you take that out on criminals, huh?”
“It seemed more constructive then becoming a cheerleader and being horrible to every teenage girl that might threaten my supreme reign over all things high school related.”
Karen laughed softly, and Frank smiled at the sound.
“Yeah, I guess you’ve got me there. And I’m not in a place to judge how you take out your anger, as you so passionately pointed out.”
“Sorry about that.” Vivien glanced tentatively up at him now, doing her best to look genuinely remorseful.
“It’s okay. You were right.”
“Being right doesn’t mean you should say something.”
He chuckled. “You’ve got me there. So, Red trained you?”
“I trained myself.” She set her elbows on the table with complete disregard to all traditional manners. “And then Matt helped because apparently I was clumsy.”
“You still are.”
“Matt, please.” Vivien gave him a rather pathetic look.
“It’s just the truth.” He held up his hands in surrender.
“You’re mean.”
“You know, I get that a lot for a guy who does as much pro bono as I do.”
“Probably because you’re an a-”
“Ah!” Foggy reached over to his right to cover Vivien’s ears. “No swearing around the baby!”
“I’m not a baby! ...But he’s right, you shouldn’t swear. There are much more creative ways to express yourself,” Vivien said.
Frank looked at her like she had grown another head. “You don’t swear?”
“No. And if you have a problem with that then I hope a flaming squid falls on your face and squirts ink in your eyes.”
“Okay. Point taken.”
The rest of dinner was fun. They ate, they laughed, and nobody further mocked Vivien’s orange juice in a wine glass. Eventually, though, it had to come to an end, as all good things do.
“I should be heading back,” Frank said.
“Yeah, us too.” Foggy nodded, slightly tipsy.
“Did you want to stay the night?” Karen asked her softly.
Vivien may or may not have half-fallen asleep on the kitchen table. She reasoned that it wasn’t her fault that they had talked till 1 in the morning. She nodded sleepily, turning her head to look at Karen with sleep-blurred eyes.
“I’ll come by and get her in the morning,” Matt said, grabbing his cane.
“Okay.” Karen began trying to pick Vivien up in order to move her to the bed in her room.
“I’ve got her.” Frank scooped her up like nothing, carrying her into Karen’s room and setting her down gently on the bed. For a moment, Vivien almost could have confused him for her Dad.
She could hear them speaking in soft voices, trying not to wake her up.
“Thanks Frank.”
“No problem.”
Vivien may have only been half-conscious, but she could feel the way they were staring at each other.
“Red, I need to talk to you,” Frank said, breaking away from Karen.
“Yeah?”
Vivien tried to listen in on their conversation, but they went outside to talk, much to her chagrin. Slowly, what little she could hear of their voices faded away. And then she was fast asleep, gone until the next morning.
17 notes · View notes
aharris00britney · 6 years
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ASKS 06
Ummmm stuff I’ve ignored and let build up ;-; MM hairlines, a pic of me, default replacement hairs, donation stuff, using my hair conversion meshes, a male hair wip, recolor requests, and other stuff UwU
Anonymous said: face reveal?        
lmao this is from October but I never take pics of myself besides snapchat so UwU
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@wildfire607​ said: I love your content for the game! I have my notifications on for you. Much love from Texas. ♥️
omggg thank you!!!! literally I don’t feel like people would have notifications on for me ;n; again, thank you so much <3
@standardheld said: Hey there! I know you don’t take requests so take it as an idea. Maybe you’ll like it. Otherwise, please don’t feel forced to do anything! So here’s the idea: I haven’t fount an adult’s version of you YeoJin hairs with big pigtails. Remember Cassandra Goth from The Sims 2? It think it would look beautiful and I know you’ve got the necessary talent. If you like the idea, please let me know :)        
Hello!!! Lmao I am kinda swamped rn to start ‘new’ things BUTBUTBUT I don’t mind if somebody uses my conversion meshes like YeoJin Hair since all it is is a conversion. So if u wanna do it or wanna ask some other people, feel free!! <3   
@pxelsquid​ said: The WIP hair in your play list post is so beautiful! I can’t wait for it!
Thanks! Planning to get it out in the next week or so
Anonymous said: What do you use donations for?
(answer in bold) lmao I actually don’t get many, at least not enough for them to go towards anything. But I do get a few dollars every couple of months (and that still makes me super happy to see ty to anyone who has donated ever UwU) lmao so I don’t really know what the donations go towards though I guess packs?? which rn I prob wouldn’t buy a pack w/donation money bc irl stufffff but I would think donations on a sims account should go to more sims stuff if you don’t need to money for personal life situations :)
Anonymous said: Hello! Would you ever consider some of your hairs for male sims?
You should be able to disable to masculine filter and see them?? If not go in S4S and edit the tags to let it be seen
Anonymous said: about your last hair: NOPE. 
all night all night all niiiiiiiight ✨
Anonymous said: I’m so happy you made the Jennie Hair without headband! I really like it so far. Good job!
Yay!! I’m glad you like it. Thank you so much <3
Anonymous said: When will you be releasing the braids on your post /post/168877609911/ ?
Yeah!! They’ve been done a while, hopefully they should get posted soon. Here is a link if u want early accessssssssssssss UwU
Anonymous said: why did u and yoshi break up?
Richard ( @cas-fulleditmode ) shares the same fetish as me (M*** P**f) lmao im kiddingggggg UwU me and @ayoshi​ are married in Korea still
Anonymous said: BOOOOOI! HAVE YOU HEARD “BLACK DRESS” BY CLC? IT. IS. LIT
i dont think u get…. my k-pop obsession ;-; lmao I literally keep up with like every girl group and watch the album teasers/everything UwU I still prefer Where Are You? to Black Dress though.
Anonymous said: Are you friends with grimcookies?
to an extend I think so, yes. We have only messaged a few times in the past week or so bc of memessssss
Anonymous said: Can you please post some eyes or tell me where I can download cc eyes? I hate the eyelashes that sims has.
My resource page has the eyes I use and the no EA eyelashes mod link :)
@saurussims​ said: Pass the happy! 💛 When you get this, reply with 5 things that make you happy and send this to the last 10 people in your notifications!
My birthday is this month so I’m happy about that lmao
Loona
my pug UwU
my friendssss
getting new clothing
Anonymous said: aghhhh your sim style is so nice! Have a nice day!
Thank you so much!!
Anonymous said: Hello! ^_^ I just dropped by to tell you how much I appreciate your hard work in making hairs. I don’t know how much time it takes you to make such wonderful creations, but they definitely made my sims better-looking for your CCs are amazing and they are of matching lengths and styles that really made planning my sims’ hairstyles easier <3 Sorry I’m too broke to donate, and all I can do is THANK YOU :( But please know that you deserve all the praises you get. More power to you and your blog! <3
omggg this is so sweet ;-; thank you!!! I really really really appreciate stuff like this. <3
Anonymous said: Would you consider making more hairs (preferably a long, casual style and maybe a ponytail?) with the Candie/Maja bangs? They’re soooo cute!
I have made another hair with those bangs. Hopefully it gets posted soon :)
Anonymous said: Can you please make the laundry day hairstyles base game compatible?
I actually didn’t buy laundry stuff lmao college/senior payments are taking all my money rn so I prob won’t get any packs anytime soon :P
Anonymous said: all i want in life is curly maxis match boy hairs ahhh :((((((((
aweeee I am really bad at male hairs or I would try :( this is a male hair I did the other day and it is super super basic but like I’m surprised it wasn’t super fucked up ;-;
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@jacazul​ said: ✨💛 This is the Amazing Person Award! Once you are given this award you are supposed to paste it in the ask of eight different people, who, in your opinion, deserve it. If you break the chain nothing will happen, but it is sweet to know someone thinks you’re amazing inside and out 💛✨ <3333
Thank you!!! <3
Anonymous said: how do you get all your sims to look so cute??? every time i think i’ve made a super cute sim i see one of your sims on my dash and i’m like WHOA NEVERMIND THEN. seriously tho what are your secrets
ummmm I use all my sims and then just do ‘make twin/sibling’ and then I get a clone to mold like clay wedgfhv
Anonymous said: which recolor palettes do you recommend for hairs? I like the EA colors but I would like to try some others.. especially after seeing the hair color you put on your sim with the jennie hair in your latest post
Obvi I like the anathema palette bc I put my hairs in that, but the saccharine (?) is really really good and there are tons of hairs in that. and the WMS palette is so so so good there are just too many swatches for me to do that palette tbh
Anonymous said: Are you going to make more hairs that are ombre accessory compatible?
Maybe! I am not sure tbh, it depends on the mesh I use and abunch of other factors :)
Anonymous said: Question, I love your Jisoo hair, it’s well done, but the ombre part, what’s the file name and how do you download it? I’m a noob when it comes to this. Sorry to bother you.
file name -> JisooHairOmbreNaturals[AH00B].package
just put it in your mods folder like you would normal CC. It is in accessories :)
Anonymous said: I’m legit falling in love with you and all these cc’s ❤❤❤
<3333 Thanksssssss UwU
Anonymous said: not to rush you but are any male sims coming out soon :0
My male sim has been in my drafts with all the CC links and everything the past MONTH but I haven’t had the motivation to export his download file omggg. He is on my gallery @ spotharris if u really really want him right now
@bob10112006
​ said:
I love you and thank you for your cc and can you make not so berry cc?thanks!
People have made recolors of my cc in not so berry colors :) check my sideblog @aharris00britneyrecolors​
Anonymous said: Hi! Are you planning to make the Go Won hairs into a bob? the same hair and all but shorter. I just think it will look really nice as a bob.
Maybe?? no plans as of right now though
Anonymous said: please upload your red-ish haired sim! :) x
Already did, check my sim download page
Anonymous said: damn, those new hair really sucks. sorry… but. yeah.
well maybe if you stanned LOONA then you would like them UwU
Anonymous said: I checked out your sim page, they’re so gorgeous! I remember at some point last year you mentioned maybe sharing Briella after you stopped using her, and I haven’t seen her in a while in your posts. Have you considered sharing her or is she just officially retired? She was a very cute sim and is iconic!
Briella wasn’t actually my sim! Her original download post is here
@ayoshi​ said: Are you gonna tell your followers why you didn’t give me a valentine gift or…???
Me and @cas-fulleditmode​ were too busy to take a stop in korea sorry UwU
Anonymous said: heey :) could you maybe put the hairlines your were talking about in the latest post for download? i use hairlines myself and i really like your hairs in tge palette you are using and i can’t find any hairlines in it soo? could you do that? :)            
the hairlines I made are actually in the saccharine palette bc so many clayified hairs come in that palette lmao. They are kinda messy rn but if I eve use them on a sim download ill link them there :)
Anonymous said: Could you please recolour some of wild-pixel’s hairs in the palette?
Anonymous said: can we give you recolor requests?
Idk if I will do recolors that often but when I do I kinda just do what hairs I find myself using at that time :P
Anonymous said: Will u ever upload girl from “tell me why, why i’m so lonely” post?? Please consider it, she is soooo cute 😍😍😍
I didnt save her :(
@investedwheat40 said: Would you ever consider uploading your joy hair as a default replacement for that one hair Zoe Patel wears?
Prob not since it uses different textures/shadows and stuff, it would be the same size and stuff as the normal Joy hair
Anonymous said: Is there any way to download you models? Because I live how they looks and really want to use them.
I got this before I made my sim download page, but lmao here is a link to my sim download page :P
162 notes · View notes
hartigays · 3 years
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my kickboxing instructor after i’ve had a good session: you killed it today! i’m so fuckin proud of you! (fist bump)
me and my praise kink:
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Quite honestly the bullet-point draft version of Too Aro Ace For This is better than the actual version, just because it’s so ridiculous, I mean I wrote most of it at 3 in the morning one night while crying so I feel like I should share it:
(if you are on mobile apologies, this was under a cut but yeah. Scroll through the nonsense at leisure.) (tumblr mobile glitches 90% of the time anyway)
TOO ARO ACE FOR THIS
(^idk if I'm gonna call it that or not that's just a working title)
(Anyway there was no way I was gonna be able to go without at least making a start on this thing which is essentially just three weird dreams I've had smushed together into a mess)
(I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELS ABOUT MY ARO ACE DAUGHTER OKAY AND I'M SO SORRY FOR MAKING HER SUFFER)
So anyway here is the meme format version of this story which first tricks you into thinking it's about Alix's watch but then tricks you into thinking it's rarepair hell but then tricks you into thinking it's about heartrate but then tricks you into thinking it's rarepair hell again and then tricks you into thinking it's about the love square but really, it's about this poor child figuring out she's hella aromantic asexual and finding her platonic soulmate
First it's a normal school Friday but Alix is in a really bad mood bc in the evening she will have to go to the opening event for her dad's new exhibit at the museum and it's gonna be posh and boring and also he basically guilt-tripped her into wearing a dress for it bc he commissioned Marinette to make the dress specially for her so now she has to wear it and she's LIVID
Kim is an idiot and challenges her to an arm wrestle and she says yes but then she's sure she's gonna lose bc she's not actually that strong, but then again she's filled with rage so maybe
Anyway she does win and everyone's like "whoa" *highkey terrified of her* and Kim's red in the face and demanding a rematch and she's like "don't be a sore loser you jerk"
Then in the evening when her family's getting ready to go to the Louvre her dad's like "k you're not allowed to take your phone bc otherwise you'll just be using it all the time, you're 15 now so you can't just mess around, also don't go gorging yourself at the snack table with Jalil the whole time in fact Jalil since you wanna be a museum curator person too you should stay by my side and see how it's done"
Jalil's like "I HAVE SO MUCH UNI HOMEWORK SAVE ME" but he agrees to come along anyway
Alix is like "well would you look at that, this dress is too long for me :) I would just trip over :) what a shame :) looks like I'll have to just wear a suit instead :) in fact I don't even have a suit so I'll have to wear like a hoodie and jeans :) isn't it just too bad :)"
The dad's like "actually I got Marinette to get you matching heels so if you wear them then you will be tall enough" and Alix is like "WHAT NO I'M NOT WEARING THOSE" *throws a temper tantrum*
Her dad's like "bleh you 15 year olds and your teenage hormonal mood swings" *checkmate* and Alix is seething but wears the heels (though she refuses POINT BLANK to wear makeup and anyway no one in the house knows how to do it lol) (also she's literally me lol)
But then she's like "I'll only come along if you let me bring my watch" and he's like "fine but don't spend the whole evening fiddling with it or I'll confiscate it"
Anyway Marinette was a Good Child who sewed pockets into the dress bc all dresses have a dire need of pockets so Alix puts the watch in there and then tries not to fall over in the heels (like she can balance easily on skates but just not heels... pal trust me I used to ice skate fine but I could never wear heels and still can't so it's a thing okay)
Who needs HEELS when ya got HEELYS amirite
(Listen Alix totally wears Heelys all the time okay it's canon)
So they're at the thing at the Louvre and it's boring as hell (like remember that one scene in RWBY where Weiss Schnee is at that thing with her family and she hates it with every fibre of her being, in fact I'm guessing that episode probably inspired the dream that I lowkey based this part of the thing on lol)
Then at one point Alix feels that the watch in her pocket is getting really warm for some reason and she's like "????" bc it doesn't even run on electricity or anything
I mean I'm guessing it doesn't, idk how it works, looks like magic to me mate
So she's like "pssst Jalil come over here I need to show you something" so they sneak off to a room on the side and she opens the watch
It's really hot and the blue light from the hologram is pulsing like a beacon thing and it's really bright
She's like "do you have any idea what's going on with this thing" and he's like "idk sis it's your watch not mine" and she's like "but you're the history nerd" and he takes a closer look at it and says "nah I still have no idea why it's doing that, anyway I should get back now bc if dad notices I'm missing he'll be mad"
So they go back but it turns out their dad already noticed they were gone and he's like "frick's sake Alix I told you not to go goofing off and especially not to distract your brother, now go make yourself useful while I tell off Jalil, go say hello to Henri Duparc over there"
She's like "oh god no please I hate him" and her dad's like "just do it and don't make a scene okay"
(Henri Duparc is totally Jean Duparc's snobby nasty older cousin and I already hate his guts, I feel sorry for Jean for having to deal with him)
(But he's really rich and influential so everyone tries to stay on his good side bc he can literally make or break a person with his influence)
So she wobbles over on those heels (poor thing, how did she survive the Reflekta episode honestly) and is like "Good evening" *trying not to sound bored out of her mind/in a very bad mood*
Henri's like *snooty rich person voice* "Oh hello there Miss Kubdel, I didn't even realize you were here today because you're so ridiculously tiny even in your heels, which btw I am glad to see you wearing bc you finally look respectable for once"
She's like *clenches fist* "what's that supposed to mean" and he's like "well usually you're a complete mess and it's so unprofessional and lower class, but I'm glad to see you've finally outgrown your stupid childish tomboy phase and are actually behaving yourself for once, I hope you've put your rollerskating and aggressiveness behind you for good"
She's like "excuse me? What the hell is wrong with rollerskating or being a tomboy like how is that childish???" and he's like "well you're a girl so you should act like one" and Alix is like *trying so hard not to just punch him bc she's already had a bad day and her patience is ending* "so you think it's better for me to force myself to be whatever your idea of a girl is, rather than just being myself?"
He's like "ugh you may be wearing a dress but it sounds like you haven't changed at all, you shouldn't be talking back to me with that tone of voice young lady, you have a lot to learn about the world"
She's at the end of her tether but remembers her dad told her not to make a scene so she's like "scuse me gotta go" and hecks off to some empty corridor somewhere
She's had such a bad day and hates that everyone's always trying to get her to be someone she's not for no relevant reason at all and she's feeling restricted etc (and okay also she's 15 so her mood may not quite be on balance) so she starts crying angry tears a lil bit
She storms into one of the side rooms and suddenly runs head first into Chat Noir of all people
He's all like "omg Alix is that you??? Whoa you look-" and she's all like "I KNOW I LOOK GREAT I DON'T CARE JUST BE QUIET" and he's like "k k sorry... um... what's wrong? Are you crying?"
She's like "who cares, you won't understand" and he's like "lemme guess, events like this are stifling and boring as heck? And you gotta try so hard to fit in and be the Perfect Child and make your family proud and it's stressful and you can't be yourself? Is it something like that? Cause I know how it feels..."
She nods and starts crying into his chest (height difference amirite) in a semi-hug and he's internally like "frick she's cute" and externally like "well it's okay, you can talk to me about it if you want..."
She's about to say something but suddenly remembers that one time she killed him and feels really guilty so she just wipes her eyes and says "nah it's okay I'm fine now, anyway I should probably get back soon, maybe I'll get told off less that way... anyway what are you even doing here?"
He's like "well I was messing around with my baton and I seem to have accidentally unlocked a new setting thing and it's some kind of tracker? Idk it was leading me to this location so I decided to see what it was"
He pulls out his baton and presses some buttons and then he frowns like "huh that's weird... the thing the baton is tracking is in this very room but like... this is just an office, what could possibly be in here that's connected to my miraculous"
Alix takes the watch out of her pocket and opens it and it's glowing super brightly now so she's like "omg do you think it was tracking my watch? Bc this thing is behaving very weirdly this evening and idk why"
Chat's like "omg yeah it's the watch, that's really weird, I wonder why that's happening? Maybe I'll ask Plagg about it..." and Alix is like "who's Plagg?" and Chat's like "...nvm it's a long story"
Alix is like "well I should probably go back now but let me know if you find out anything important about my watch k" and she puts it back in her pocket and leaves quickly
When she gets back to the main room her dad's about to tell her off again for ditching again but he sees her red eyes so he's like "k fine just go to the snack table and eat lots of chocolate if you want, tho don't blame me if you get loads of spots" so she spends the rest of the evening binge-eating chocolate and feeling rather confused about the watch and also rather sorry for herself while also feeling guilty about feeling sorry for herself
(Hoo boy that's just gonna get worse...)
I mean we're not even up to the aro bits)
(And holy heck don't even get me started on the ace bits)
(my poor daughter has a very long way to go... earn your happy ending indeed... poor kid...)
When they get home that night her dad's like "are you okay" and she's like *already feeling guilty about literally everything she has ever done in her life ever even though she's perfect and has never done anything wrong* "I'm fine dw, I'm rly tired now goodnight" and goes straight to bed
The next day the family gets an invite to the Agreste mansion next weekend for a posh event thing bc of some new clothing line and they're like "huh how did that happen... probs bc Adrien is in your class???"
And the dad's like "Alix you don't have to go to this one if you don't want to" and she's like "thank you thank you thank you!!!" and then goes off rollerskating or something idk
On Monday at school Marinette's screeching like a fricking pterodactyl waving her phone around like "OMG ALIX YOU LOOKED SO STUNNING IN THAT DRESS OF MINE YOU WORE OMG AAAAAAAAA WHO KNEW YOU WERE THAT PRETTY YOU'RE MAKING ME FEEL SO GAY I'M GONNA CRY EVERYONE LOOK AT THESE PICTURES"
Poor Alix is sinking into her seat like "kill me" while everyone's looking at the pictures like "ahhhh I never knew you were so gorgeous??? Why don't you put more effort into your appearance usually???"
Marinette's all like "Kim what do you think" and he's like "pffffft I totally definitely don't think she's cute or anything bc she's definitely not cute" and Marinette's like *shove* "oh come on admit she looked amazing" and Kim's like *blushing* "fine, if you say so!"
And then Marinette's like *stuttering* "h-hey Adrien, w-what do you think of the d-dress I made, did she l-look pretty in it?"
Adrien, being Chat Noir, already knows Alix was totally uncomfortable in that dress so he's like "well the dress is beautiful Marinette and you're really talented but like... she doesn't need a dress to look great? She looks fine how she is? Idk I like her normal aesthetic I think it suits her and she can dress how she wants"
Alix is internally like "oh thank god one person gets it at least, bless Adrien Agreste he's the only kid in this class I don't hate right now"
So later on she goes and finds him in the library like "thank you for appreciating my normal self" and he's like "oh no problem! I mean I totally get it... my father's always making me model his clothing line for him and people are always praising it but I don't feel like it's the real me"
She's like "omg that's exactly it! I literally only went to that thing bc I was forced to and I didn't even know Marinette was making that dress for me until it was already done so I had to wear it and I just hated every second of it, so to have people telling me I should be like that more often just feels awful"
 Adrien's like "ikr #richpeopleproblems... and this Sunday is the gala at my house and it's gonna suck bc the only person there I know is Chloé and you know what she's like... and I'll just have to be my dad's puppet the whole time... I mean I persuaded him to invite your family too and he did bc you're rich but like... I know you hate stuff like that so you probably won't go..."
Alix can tell he's trying to get her to feel sorry enough for him that she'll agree to come along but she just says "well yeah sorry I'm busy on Sunday, anyway I gotta go" and leaves
When she gets home she sees that there are like 5 new dresses in her room and apparently they're gifts from the Gabriel fashion line so that she can promote them whenever she goes to any museum events in the future or whatever and she realizes that's why Adrien's father agreed to inviting her family to the thing, it was all for business
And she's super annoyed bc DRESSES ARE SO IMPRACTICAL WHEN YOU WANNA SIT LIKE A COWBOY OR GO ROLLERSKATING OR CLIMBING TREES OR DOING ANYTHING EVER
That night she's supposed to be asleep but is probably playing 3DS Smash Bros or something when there's a tap on her window
She looks outside to see Chat Noir there and she opens it like "it's like 11PM wth are you doing here" and he's like "I really need to talk to you about your watch and I can't let anyone see or hear, can we go up to the roof of your house and you bring your watch"
She's like "I'm in my pyjamas" and he's like "that's literally an oversized tshirt and shorts" and she's like "well it's comfortable okay! But fine k tell me whatever it is" so she takes the watch and he uses his baton to take her to the roof
Then he's like "k well as you know I'm a magical superhero and I get my powers from this ring, well my kwami is the one who gives my ring the power to turn me into Chat Noir - basically a tiny little god that looks like a lil flying cat, his name is Plagg and he eats too much cheese. Well he thinks he has some details on your watch and why it's connected to my baton but he has to have a look at it to be sure. And to do that I'm gonna have to detransform and show you my civilian self. But you have to promise to keep it a secret bc I'm not really supposed to tell anyone (but I trust you...)"
She's like "uh okay sure"
Chat's like "Plagg, detransform me" and then he turns back into Adrien
 Alix is like "omg ADRIEN???????????" and he's like "haha yup it's me..." and she's like "but you're... you're in my class how could you possibly be Chat Noir??????" and he's like "well I've never been akumatized and I'm never around during akuma attacks and I'm always turning up late to class and..."
She's like "ok... whoa.... well um... that was very unexpected... wait a second, is that why you were being so nice to me at school today? Bc you saw me at the Louvre on Friday and you knew how upset I was??" and he's like "kinda... I mean I probably would have guessed you were upset about it anyway bc I do know how it feels..."
Then Plagg darts out of Adrien's shirt-jacket thing like "can I either get a look at that watch now or gimme cheese either is fine" and Alix is like "omg is this the kwami thing you were talking about? Omg this is hella rad actually"
She opens the watch and Plagg has a close look at it, then he's like "yup that's what I thought, this is Rania's watch" and Alix is like "Rania? Who's Rania? Omg is she one of my ancestors?"
Plagg's like "yeah probably. Basically Rania was a previous owner of the cat miraculous - a Chat Noire in the late 19th and early 20th century. She was the youngest kid in a huge watchmaking family and wasn't set to inherit anything at all so she raised a storm about it and then when she turned 15 her father gave her this watch he made specially for her. Since she had a pretty active lifestyle for a young lady back then she did a bit of tinkering and linked this watch up to the baton so that she always had a way of tracking it down in case she lost it."
Alix is like "aaaahhh omg that's so cool??? My ancestor was an actual Chat Noire??? And my own classmate is the current Chat Noir??? Okay I was having a bad week but I think you just changed that bc this is so fricking awesome holy moly thank you"
Plagg's like "k can I have cheese now" and Adrien's like "fine" *gives him Camembert* (I love Camembert too btw it tastes so flipping good)
Then Alix is like "wait but Adrien doesn't your schedule keep you hella busy all the time? How do you have time for saving Paris too??" and he's like "idk honestly, it's a nightmare sometimes... at least being Chat Noir is fun and I get to hang out with Ladybug a lot so that makes it worth it"
Alix is like "you know what... I'll go to your gala thing on Sunday" and Adrien's like "srsly you don't have to if you don't want to!" and she's like "I'm not just leaving you to the mercy of Chloé on what should be your day off when you're always having to deal with akumas she causes all the time, I'm gonna go and that's final" and he's like "thank"
Then she's like *looking at watch* "I guess the youngest child rule makes sense now, if Rania was the first to get the watch and she was salty about being the youngest and not inheriting anything..."
Plagg's like *stops suddenly in the middle of eating cheese* "what youngest child rule?" and Alix is like "the rule that the watch passes to the youngest child on their 15th birthday"
Plagg's like "huh I don't remember that being a rule... I mean it was a long time ago but I THINK Rania gave the watch to Leila... her OLDEST child..." and Alix is like "that can't be right bc my dad told me that..." *suddenly remembers her dad seems to think Jalil's an idiot* "wait... are you SURE she gave the watch to her oldest child"
Plagg's like "nah I'm not sure and I was put in stasis not long after that but I think she did, anyway there'll be some record of it somewhere bc she used to keep a diary, and if your family is as historical as Adrien says it is then maybe they'll still have her diaries somewhere"
Alix is like "well Jalil's the person I'll have to ask about that... thank you anyway... I should probably actually get to sleep now but uh good luck with the superhero stuff and I'll see you at school tomorrow"
 Adrien transforms back into Chat Noir and puts her back in her room and then leaves
The next morning before school she's like "Jalil can you pls help me out with something?" and he's like "I would love to but I have a project due at the end of this week and I'm already behind, I haven't slept all night and I'm on my 6th cup of coffee so uh can this wait til next week" and she's like "sure omg get some sleep you nerd"
She also tells her dad she'll go to the gala on Sunday and he's like "what brought about this sudden change of heart?" and she's like "well my friend Adrien's gonna be there so..." and he's like "ohhhh I see, well, if you like him then..." and she's like "NO NOT LIKE THAT" *the aro ace-ness begins*
Anyway at school that week she's usually never really had friends and mostly kept herself to herself but she finds herself hanging out with Adrien a lot bc obviously she knows his secret now so they just kinda end up friends automatically (BROTP AMIRITE)
And Adrien is glad for someone he can confide in about superhero stuff (bc as much as Nino is A PURE AND AMAZING CINNAMON ROLL WHO IS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD, he doesn't know his pal is Chat Noir) but he's also remembering her standing on the roof barefoot in her "pyjamas" with her messy hair and arms crossed and that smirk on her face and he can't stop thinking about it bc he's a sap
 And he tries to just convince himself he's just intrigued to find out more about her family drama about the watch and whether the youngest child rule is true or not... yeah it's totally that, definitely not anything else, and the fact that he really really likes hanging out with her now has absolutely nothing to do with it
He's even tempted to go visit her again as Chat Noir in the night but he doesn't do that bc he knows it would be weird (this ain't no Marichat fic okay) (well alright Adrienette does happen later but like... on the side)
On Friday Chloé practically drapes herself over his desk like "Adri-chouuuuuu, I can't wait for Sunday it's gonna be so fun, just the two of us amirite" and he's like "well actually the Kubdels are invited too so Alix will be there" and Chloé's like "........" *undrapes herself and then whispers in his ear* "Adrien, remember it's not too long now until your 16th birthday... only a few months... you have a decision to make... and yes I know about it..."
And he's like suddenly drenched in cold sweat and nervous for the rest of the day and no one knows why except Chloé, and he's just thinking "HOW DOES SHE KNOW ABOUT THE THING WHICH I HAVE TO DECIDE BY MY 16TH BIRTHDAY OMG"
 And meanwhile Chloé's internally like "well if everything goes according to plan then no one will ever find out I'm a lesbian, perfect"
(She's my problematic lesbian daughter and I love her)
Sunday arrives and the dad's like "Jalil you can stay at home bc you've had like 5 total hours of sleep this week, and Alix you should wear one of the dresses that was specifically sent for you, and if you don't want to then of course you could just not go"
And she's very seriously contemplating not going but she promised Adrien she would so she just puts on the least flashy dress and the smallest possible heels and then they go to the Agreste mansion
Chloé was already there and like clinging onto Adrien's arm but as soon as he sees Alix he pushes Chloé off and goes to say hi
He's immediately like "omg Alix do you want me to show you round my house bc you've only ever seen the dining room (that one time at Christmas)" and she's like k and her dad's like "that's a good idea but don't take too long"
Gabriel's like "Adrien you can just stay here we have people to show the guests round if they really want to see anything" and Adrien's like "that would be weird bc Alix is my classmate, it's fine I'll do it myself" so he takes her upstairs to show her his room
Also Chloé's like *raises eyebrow* *goes and stands outside the door of his room with a glass of juice waiting*
Anyway Alix is immediately like "dude wth you have a skate ramp in your room omg I would kill a person for one of those and omg a rock climbing wall I would kill 2 maybe 3 people for one of those and if I wasn't wearing a dress I would have already climbed it"
Adrien's like "haha yeah those are pretty fun... anyway if you really wanna see the house I'll show you but honestly that was just an excuse for us to get away from Chloé and all the boringness so we can hang out without anyone bothering us or having to pretend to be stuck up rich people"
Alix is like "ahh omg that was a good plan thank you... though I probably shouldn't stay here too long bc my dad gets annoyed when I goof off too much bc I do it all the time and I'm apparently supposed to start trying to behave like a responsible adult now"
And they talk for a while more about #richkidproblems but then they hear Nathalie knocking on the door like "Adrien??? Are you there???"
Adrien's like *whispering* "frick if she finds out I've just been slacking in here the whole time I'm gonna be in so much trouble, quick hide before she comes in" and he pulls her into The Ladrien Bathroom (yeah I call it that... for obvious reasons...) and shuts the door just as Nathalie opens the bedroom door to look inside
Those two hide behind the shower section (lol I'm laughing bc... remember the Shower Scene in Jackady... jeez Ladybug control ur thirst) in the corner against the wall completely silent
Nathalie opens the bathroom door to look but doesn't see anyone so she closes it and goes away again
Anyway bc they're super close to each other and there is a pretty adorable height difference Adrien's internally like "FRICK FRICK FRICK FRICK FRICK FRICK FRICK" and probably blushing too and his brain is screaming at him to move closer to her while also telling him not to and basically Adrien.exe has stopped working
And then she's like "uh... dude... are you gonna like... move or what..." *being obliviously aro ace like the darling she is* and Adrien.exe is still not responding so she just kinda awkwardly shoves him off her like "are you okay?"
He's like ".............uh-huh" and she's like "well you look like you've just eaten a chili or something" and he's like "nah it's just... is it me or is it hot in here?... hehe..."
She's like *still aro ace as heck like always* "it's just you. Anyway did you want anything else or should we head back now? I mean I've already been here long enough that I'm probably in trouble so..." and he's like "okay yeah let's head back..."
And internally he's realizing he's fallen for her and is highkey freaking out
They open the bathroom door to see Chloé standing there in the bedroom with an empty glass of juice and smirking evilly
She's like "well well well what do we have here..." and Adrien's like "I was totally just showing her round the house" and Chloé's like "that's funny bc I've been waiting outside your bedroom door since the second you went in, and you never left... must be really taking your time..."
Adrien's like "fine we were just bored okay? So we were hanging out in here instead... it's not a big deal... don't tell my dad..."
Chloé's like "oh don't worry I won't tell your dad you came in here bc you were bored... I think it'll be much more interesting if I tell both your parents - and everyone else while I'm at it - that you two are a couple, since I'm sure it's true anyway, ohohohohoho" *evil rich lady laugh* (I think it's called the noblewoman's laugh or something) and she runs off quickly
Adrien's like "welp I'm dead... are you dead???" and Alix is like "I think I'm partially dead... like I'm gonna be in so much trouble for messing around but then again my dad already thinks I was here just to hit on you... which I wasn't, btw, so don't worry" and Adrien's heart sinks just a tad
He's like "well my father was highkey hoping I would end up with Chloé, and I don't think he'd approve of me goofing off, and I just... yeah I'm definitely dead... idk how I'm gonna convince him Chloé's lying... well let's just get this over with..."
They go back to the atrium place or wherever and Gabriel's immediately like "Adrien can I talk to you" so he's like @himself "RIP Adrien" and goes off to talk to his father
And then Alix goes to her dad like "whatever Chloé told you was a lie okay you know what she's like" and her dad's like "hey it's okay if you're with Adrien, I was thinking it's about time you had a boyfriend I mean you'll be 16 soon right? But this is not the time nor the place to-" and she's like "Adrien is not my boyfriend omg!! He's just my friend! Chloé made that up bc she's a liar who likes messing with people's lives!"
Her dad's like "Fine I'll believe you but honestly if there's someone you like you can tell me, I'm not gonna be annoyed, but also stop going and hiding at the social events okay I know you hate it but if you want to hang out with your friend then just do it some other time" and she's like "k I'm sorry"
Meanwhile Adrien's talking to his dad and thinking "I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die..."
He first quickly says "Father I don't know exactly what Chloé told you but she might have been mistaken about..." and Gabriel's like "It doesn't matter what Chloé told me. Next time during one of these events you are staying by my side and are not allowed away without either Nathalie or your bodyguard accompanying you."
Adrien's like *le sigh* "yes father"
Then Gabriel's like "However... your 16th birthday is only a few months away. If you have not made a decision by the summer holidays then you know that Chloé Bourgeois will become the default choice. But... if you are wishing to explore other options before then, I will not be opposed to it. You know the guidelines."
Adrien's like *breaks out in a cold sweat again bc he was reminded of the thing* "yes, I see, thank you father..."
Gabriel's like "now let's get back to the gala, and this time you stay by my side. If you wish to talk to your friend... or girlfriend, if that's how it is... then you will do it in my presence until the event is over."
Adrien's like "well she's not my girlfriend but okay..." and they go back to the main room thing
Anyway Alix doesn't bother talking to him again for the rest of the thing except waving at him when she leaves later
When she gets home and into comfortable clothes she checks her phone and it's blown up with messages bc frickin Chloé really did tell everyone and they're all like "OMG IS THIS TRUE???" and Alix has to reply to a million people like "NO IT'S NOT TRUE CHLOÉ WAS JUST BEING A LYING JERK AS ALWAYS OKAY" and she doesn't even know if anyone believes her and she is NOT looking forward to school tomorrow
And sure enough the next day at school everyone keeps asking her about it and she's like "CHLOÉ'S A LIAR EVERYONE KNOWS THIS I MEAN OKAY SHE DOESN'T LIE AS MUCH AS LILA BUT STILL" and eventually most people believe her bc she's kinda scary lol
Adrien keeps sorta avoiding her bc he's trying super hard to not be crushing on her and she's like "????" about it and wondering why her friend won't talk to her today
She also starts feeling bad bc she knows she's bad at making friends so she wonders if she's done something wrong
At the end of the day he leaves the locker room super fast (even Nino's like "wut") and Alix gathers her stuff and quickly runs after him like "Adrien wait where are you going???" but when she gets to the street outside his limo is already leaving
She turns around and walks straight into Kim who's like "so tell me again how you and Adrien aren't a couple"
She's like "we're not, he's just my friend okay" and Kim's like "oh come on don't think I haven't noticed you two hanging out with each other all the time lately and always talking to each other, and you even went to his thing on the weekend with him even though you hate stuff like that, and now he's not talking to you for some reason"
Alix is like "yh idk why he's not talking to me but seriously he's just my friend okay!" and Kim's like "do you seriously actually promise he's just your friend and that you're not into him" and Alix is like *grabs the front of his hoodie and pulls him down to her level to yell at him and not noticing he's blushing* "yes for frick's sake that's what I told you, and anyway whether or not it's true, what does it mean to you? It's nothing to do with you so why do you even care so much??"
Kim is an idiot and just kisses her and then says "cause I like you" and runs off, meanwhile Alix is in shock and wondering whether or not she is justified in murdering him
Then on her way home she starts thinking about it like (yes finally here is where it starts getting obvious she's aro ace) she's thinking it's actually kinda flattering that Kim likes her? And she thinks that maybe if she dates him then she might end up liking him since that's what happens right? And he's considered conventionally hot right?
When she's at home she gets a phone call from him and he's like "aack I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that I'm an idiot and can we just pretend that never happened" and she's like "whatever it's no big deal just ask me next time k"
He's like "...next time?" and she's like "well since you said you like me I'm assuming that means you probably wanna kiss me again right?" (Internally "that's a normal people thing right?") and he's like "omg well... I mean... I don't really mind but like... I guess if you're okay with it then like... idk you could be my girlfriend or something idk just saying..."
She's like "sure why not" and he's like "omg really? I didn't actually expect you to say yes omg well okay should I like take you out to dinner or something?" and she's like "k sure"
When she gets back from dinner her father's back from work like "where were you" and she tells him and he immediately becomes #1 heartrate stan
Also she checks her phone and sees that Chloé has already told everyone that Alix and Kim are a couple bc she saw them kiss (bc it was like... out in the road it wasn't exactly easy to miss...) and this time she's like @everyone "yes Chloé's actually telling the truth this time lol"
And she tells Jalil about needing to find Rania's diaries and he says that all their old family items are in storage in the museum and he has the next two weeks off so he'll look for them once he gets back to work and Alix is like fine but she's impatient bc she cares more about finding out about that watch than anything else
The next day Chat Noir and Ladybug are patrolling at night and she's like "kitty you seem kinda off today, what's up"
Chat's like "oh it's nothing much, it's just this girl I like got with someone else, dw I'll get over it" and Ladybug's like *flirtily* "I thought you liked me" and he's like "yeah of course lol" and he remembers how much he does love Ladybug
He feels conflicted bc he knows he can never be with her bc of the Decision but he wishes he could at least have a chance
Since he isn't doing that great Ladybug tells him to go home early and she'll carry on by herself tonight
So he leaves and he detransforms into Adrien and he's walking back home when Ladybug drops down in front of him upside-down and is like *blushing* "h-hi Adrien what's up"
He (being oblivious and not realizing this is literally how Marinette talks to him) is like "lol nothing much haha..." and wonders why she treats him differently to how she treats Chat Noir
She asks if he needs her to accompany him home or something bc it's quite late and dark and he shouldn't be out alone and he's like "nah it's okay but thanks, I love you" and then he CAN'T BELIEVE HE JUST SAID THAT IT JUST SLIPPED OUT BC HE WAS TIRED
AND LADYBUG IS TAKEN ABACK
AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER WITH THEIR FACES SUPER CLOSE
AND THEN LADRIEN SPIDERMAN KISS HELL YEAH
AND THEN LADYBUG'S LIKE "I LOVE YOU TOO" AND LEAVES
Meanwhile the next few weeks Alix is still wondering why Adrien won't talk to her that much but she tries to just forget about it
And she's always confused about why Kim wants to spend so much time with her??? Like yes they're dating but like doesn't he have a life of his own??? And no one else seems to think it's weird???
And she has a habit of zoning out when he's talking about mushy stuff and he eventually catches on (he was like "since you're so ridiculously smol you'd have to like stand on a chair to make out it'd be hilarious...") and says "you're not listening are you?" and she's like "yh of course I was!... okay fine I was thinking about my watch sorry"
And now you finally see her proper (very aro ace) internal thoughts about stuff - she's still confused bc she's just never been interested in people like everyone else? And she used to think maybe she was a lesbian but she had never been interested in girls either? And since she's 15 her hormones should be all over the place and they are but only in a mood swing way and not in a horny way? So she's thinking... why can't she fall in love like everyone else does?? Is she missing out on something?? Bc Kim seems to be happy...
Also at some point mention that she tells Kim her first kiss wasn't actually him (it was Juleka but she doesn't say bc she doesn't want to out her) and Kim is annoyed bc he was sure it would have been him lol
After some weeks Jalil gets back to work experience at the museum and he finds Rania's diaries but there's a heck ton to sort through so he says it might still take some time (basically I just need a buffer period... there needs to be time...)
And then on Friday afternoon he tells Alix to come to the museum after school bc he's found the relevant part of the diaries so she comes along (and so does Kim bc he's just kinda there lol)
Meanwhile their dad's in a meeting so they can look at it without him knowing
Basically it says that yes Rania gave the watch to Leila who was her oldest child, but that's because she wanted to make something special by herself for her younger daughter Anna so she made a cool engraved pen thing and decided she would give that to Anna on her 15th birthday instead
Also there's an old timey photograph of the pen and it looks really familiar for some reason
Anyway now Alix knows the youngest child rule is fake so she feels like she should confront her dad about it or at least ask him or whatever
Jalil's staying late at the museum today bc he has to catch up on the work he missed while he was looking for Rania's diaries so Alix takes Kim back to her house and she has like 2 hours to kill before her dad gets back
And she wants to do something cool like rollerskating but Kim suggests making out and she's like fine even though she finds it pretty boring (I told you she's aro ace)
Anyway when her dad gets back Kim leaves like "btw you can come over to mine later today if you want ;)"
Then Alix is like @her dad "can I ask you about something" and he's like "sure but why are you standing on a chair" and she's like "NO REASON" and quickly steps down
Then she's like "why did you give the watch to me instead of Jalil?" and he's like "bc it's passed down to the youngest child" and she's like "...but that's not true, is it..."
He's like "k fine but like... Jalil will probably inherit stuff anyway right? So why not give you something too?" and she's like "but he loves historical stuff, he would have loved the watch just as much as I do and would have had more to research with it"
He's like "well... I just thought... since the watch has to be passed down through the family, that... well... you would be more likely to actually have kids to pass it onto... because..."
She's just like "is this because Jalil is gay?" and her dad's like "wth how do you know???" and she's like "he told me when I was like 9... So you're saying you didn't give him the watch bc he's gay so he won't have kids... and what makes you so sure I'm not gay too??"
He's like "well I just took a chance that you wouldn't be and I was right bc you have a boyfriend! So yeah I'm relieved, the bloodline is unbroken and the watch can still be passed down for generations"
She's like "dad... are you disappointed in Jalil" and the dad's like *FRICKIN HESITATES FOR A SECOND* "no of course not"
Alix is like "........ I'm going to Kim's house" and her dad's like "k well don't get back too late, call Jalil to pick you up if you need a lift back bc I have to go for another meeting tonight also be responsible and have fun etc"
As she's on the way to Kim's house she's starting to feel ever so slightly broken bc she knows she's not straight and she doesn't love Kim but she doesn't know what she is or why she can't feel anything
And now that there's more pressure than ever on her to be straight so she can have kids to pass the watch onto since that was enough of a reason for her dad to not give the watch to Jalil... she hadn't even realized it was such a big deal and she feels guilty even though it's not her fault
She also knows her dad's probably somewhat disappointed in her already bc she's so temperamental and reckless etc and not really what you'd expect from a daughter and yet he still trusted her with the watch and she feels like she should at least manage to do something to make him proud since she feels like she's just an ungrateful burden who has never really done anything
So she decides she's gonna try her hardest to be straight now even though like the idea of doing stuff like getting married and having kids actually suffocates her
She gets to Kim's house and tells him what happened with the watch drama and then says she'd rather forget about it for now so why don't they like put on a movie or something (bc that way she doesn't have to put any effort into pretending to be romantic)
So Kim's like "k yeah I've got netflix so like... we could put on netflix ... and... yknow... chill..."
(this is why I wanted like 5 weeks inbetween bc he's not gonna just ask something like that after only 2 weeks no matter how much of a reckless idiot he is)
And Alix catches the euphemism and her first thought is "THAT'S GROSS EW" but then she remembers her earlier promise to herself and figures that if other people want to do it and think it's fun then surely there must be some appeal? And maybe it'll flip a switch and make her normal? So she's like "yeah sure"
But then afterwards she goes to the bathroom and throws up so like ... uh... yeah, poor aro ace child who is also sex-repulsed
She vows never to do that again in her life
And then Kim's like "you okay?" and she's like "yup gotta go" and he's like "but it's a hailstorm outside you could always wait til like after dinner or something" and she's like "NOPE I'M LEAVING" and gets outta there asap
Walking through the hail she knows she should probably call Jalil to pick her up but she doesn't feel like talking to anyone so she just trudges along feeling VERY broken and VERY sorry for herself
She knows it didn't fix her and if anything it just made her more averse to the idea of ever being with anyone and she can't figure out why she's so heartless and prudish and she just highkey wants to die bc she feels like she'll never live up to anything she's supposed to be
Ladybug suddenly sees her like "omg Alix what are you doing in this hailstorm?? You should get to shelter!" and Alix is like "idc..."
Ladybug uses her yoyo to make a shield to block the hail like an umbrella and asks "yo what's wrong" and Alix is like "I did something really stupid and I regret it and I really hate myself right now" and Ladybug's like "aw it's okay, here, I'll take you home" and she picks her up and yoyos her back to her house
Alix goes in and Jalil sees her there drenched and shivering and he's like "omg Alix you could have asked me to pick you up??" and she just starts crying so he wraps her in a warm towel and makes soup for her
He's like "what happened?" and she's like "I don't wanna talk about it"
He's like "did Kim break up with you or something?" and she's like "no nothing like that he did nothing wrong it's something else but seriously I don't wanna talk about it, just let it go" and instead she tells him about the real reason their dad didn't give the watch to him
Jalil's like "k that makes sense thanks for telling me..."
The whole of the next day Alix spends in her room being emo and ignoring any messages Kim sends her bc she doesn't want to think about anything even though she knows she probably should talk to him at least once
Then on Sunday Max calls her up like "oi why are you ignoring Kim omg just go talk to him!!" and she's like "k fine... I was totally just busy haha... yeah... busy..." and Max is like "he went out for a run to that padlock bridge place so why don't you just go meet him there" so Alix is like k and skates there
Kim sees her and he's like "omg there you are! Are you okay??" and she's like (lying) "yeah I'm fine dw I was just busy and stuff"
He's like "k I'm glad to hear that... anyway uh actually I was gonna say that like... honestly it seems like you're always bored or not interested and stuff so like idk maybe we should just be friends instead if that makes you happier bc seriously you just seem like you're not interested in me so..."
She's like *remembers her dad is #1 heartrate stan* "wait what no! Haha of course I'm totally like head over heels for you... definitely..." and he's like "you're not a very good liar"
She's like "okay fine... fine I don't like you like that, I think you're cool but I'd rather be your friend... it's just..." *deep breath bc she's never told anyone before* "I figured out lately that I'm not exactly... straight... and idk what I am but like... I thought maybe dating you would kinda... idk... fix it? And bc I also found out that thing I told you about the watch, so if I'm not straight then I'll let my family down... and I'm sorry for like... using you I guess? Idk... I'm just really confused right now about myself..."
Kim hugs her and he's like "It's okay dw, I'll support you no matter what and we can still be great friends okay? In fact tbh I'm... I'm actually bisexual but I've only ever told Max... but yeah you're awesome and if you ever need anything then just ask me okay" and she's like "thanks, yeah let's just be friends that's better"
(lol you can tell this is my brotp can't you)
Anyway when Alix tells her dad she broke up with Kim he's like "but heartrate is my otp..." lol
And yeah next week at school everyone finds out idk it doesn't matter that much tbh
Then at some point Adrien is called to talk to his father about something important and he's thinking "ack what have I done now..."
Gabriel's like "son it's not long til your 16th birthday and we have to start making preparations for stuff which means I need you to make your decision soon. As you know it's family tradition that sons must be betrothed to someone by their 16th birthday, and since our family is wealthy you would do well to choose another wealthy suitor which is why the default choice has been Chloé Bourgeois since you were a young child. Now in order to make proper preparations you will need to make your final decision by the end of the school year."
Adrien's internally like "why can't we have cool family traditions like passing down a frickin hologram watch..." and externally like "but I don't want to marry Chloé, please father just let me have more time" and Gabriel's like "sorry son but there is nothing I can do, this is what your mother would have wanted"
Adrien knows he hasn't talked to his friend in a while but he suddenly remembers that she's single now so he's like "wait father... you said it has to be someone wealthy right? Would Alix Kubdel count?" and Gabriel's like "yes but she and her family must agree to it"
So Adrien decides he'll ask her bc he kinda still likes her and it's better than Chloé
Mostly he wishes he knew who Ladybug was and that she was rich and loved him back so he could just marry her
Meanwhile Kim asked out Max and they got together (bc kimax is life and also this story was seeming a little too straight for my liking so far... despite the title...) and Alix is starting to feel lonely again bc now she feels like a third wheel when hanging out with them so she doesn't
And she's back to having no real friends and it kinda hurts bc she thinks maybe she's just doomed to be bad at dealing with people in general
Also she's still feeling like something is very, very wrong with her since she just CAN'T fall in love with anyone even though everyone else seems to and now even when she makes new friends they leave her and she just feels alone and unhappy and doesn't know what to do
Jalil brought Rania's diaries home so she starts reading through them and at least it's some consolation for her to discover that Rania was very similar to her - fiery, impulsive, sporty, etc
But she still feels broken bc she knows that at least Rania got married and had kids so at least she must have been normal...
K so on some weekend or something Adrien calls up Alix like "uh can we meet up? I need to talk to you about something" and she's like "yeah sure" *glad that her old friend is back*
They go for a walk and stop by at Marinette's bakery for snacks (#letadrieneat2k16) (2k17??) and Marinette's all like stuttering and blushing and dropping stuff bc ADRIEN EEP
And then they go hang out in the park or something
Alix is like "it's weird how Marinette's always like that around you but no one else" and Adrien's like "yeah that's been confusing me too, idk why she does that" and Alix is like "maybe Chat Noir should ask her about it, hint hint" and Adrien's like "huh that's a good idea"
Then Adrien's like *deep breath* "okay and also I have to ask you about something... and it's really weird and awkward but um... basically my family has a family tradition too except my one is stupid, it's that the sons have to be betrothed to someone by the time they turn 16, I know it's really old-fashioned and stupid, but my mum wanted me to and I should honour her memory... Anyway my father says it has to be someone from a rich family, and ever since I was little Chloé has been the default choice and I don't really want to get engaged to her for obvious reasons haha... so I need to choose someone else and soon... so I was thinking... um..."
Alix is like "you want me to help you find a cute rich girl before you turn 16? Sure" (god she's so aro ace I'm going to cry)
Adrien's like "well actually... to tell the truth I've kinda liked you for a while... and you're rich... and I asked my father and he's fine with it... so I was wondering... if I could choose you instead?"
And it takes like 10 seconds to sink in and she's like "wait are you basically asking me to marry you?" and he's like "...well yeah I guess"
She suddenly feels incredibly guilty bc she knows if she says no then that'll doom Adrien to a life with Chloé but she CAN'T say yes bc the idea of being with someone like that for the rest of her life makes her feel sick to her stomach and she doesn't know if that makes her selfish but she's also upset bc she thought her friend was properly back but he just wanted to talk to her about this and it's ruined everything
And she knows saying yes would be what she'd do if she was perfect etc bc that would make Adrien and his family happy and her own family would be happy but she JUST CAN'T BECAUSE IT MAKES HER WANT TO KILL HERSELF
Adrien's like "btw you don't have to decide now I've still got like 2 weeks" but she says "I'm sorry Adrien BUT I JUST CAN'T OKAY, I JUST WANTED TO HAVE A FRIEND, I'M SORRY BUT I DON'T LIKE YOU LIKE THAT AND I KNOW I NEVER WILL" and leaves and goes back home and locks herself in her room and has a breakdown
Later Adrien's wishing he wasn't rich and he wishes his mother was still here and he wishes life was easier for him etc
He remembers Alix's suggestion about going to see Marinette as Chat Noir so even though it's late night now he transforms and goes to see her
(bet you weren't expecting a Marichat balcony scene, huh? Surprise!)
He knocks on the roof thing and Marinette opens it like "omg Chat Noir? What are you doing here? Is an akuma after me or something?"
He's like *surprised bc it's true she treats him differently to Adrien* "no I just wanted to talk to you about something, someone asked me to" so she's like k and they go out on the balcony to have a chat
He's like "so you know Adrien Agreste right? I believe he's a classmate of yours... Anyway he talked to me bc he's worried that he's doing something wrong. You still seem to treat him differently from how you treat everyone else, and he's wondering if you're still upset about the gum incident, or..."
Marinette's like "oh no, nothing like that! I forgave him for that a long time ago! It's actually, well, it's kinda stupid haha... I actually have a MASSIVE crush on him and I'm just really bad at talking to him bc I get flustered around him, that's all!"
Chat Noir's like "omg wait... you have a crush on Adrien??? Really???" and she's like "yeah!!" and he's like *suddenly realizing how cute Marinette is when she laughs* "well... I think you should ask him out..." and she's like "haha I'm trying..."
Then he's like "um I gotta go" and quickly leaves
He's hanging around the rooftops just thinking to himself that he never even let himself consider Marinette as someone to fall in love with bc he always thought maybe she didn't really like him so he always considered her out of his league
And now that he knows she likes him he suddenly can't get her out of his head and he just wishes she was rich bc that would be perfect but since she isn't rich he probably shouldn't get his hopes up bc how could he have a chance with her now...
He bumps into Ladybug who's like "hey kitty kat what's up" and he's immediately like "I just found out that there's this girl who has a crush on my civilian self and I think I'm starting to fall for her so yeah, that's what's up"
And he notices the colour draining from Ladybug's face and he's like "omg are you okay?? What happened??"
She grabs his shoulders and looks him in the eye like "is the girl you're talking about Marinette Dupain-Cheng???" and he's like "yeah how did you know?"
She's like "omg ADRIEN??? IT'S YOU??? YOU'RE CHAT NOIR??????????????" and he's like "wait what?? How did you figure that out?? I mean I am but..." *suddenly dawns on him* "omg... wait... don't tell me that YOU'RE MARINETTE??????????????"
They both stand there staring at each other in complete shock for several long seconds
Finally Chat suddenly smiles and he's like "I'm so glad that out of everyone it could be, it's you... Marinette..."
He detransforms and stands there in front of her as Adrien and she's still staring at him in shock
Then she very softly says "Tikki, detransform me" and turns into Marinette and still stands there staring
Then she jumps forward and wraps him in a huge hug
Also Tikki and Plagg are like "yoooooooooooo I haven't see you in years!!!!!!!" and totally hanging out too
That very night even though it's really late Adrien goes to his father and asks him "please I have something really important to ask... for my decision... what about Marinette Dupain-Cheng?? I know she isn't rich, but... PLEASE consider it..."
Gabriel's like "oh yes of course she'll do, she is an EXCELLENT fashion designer you know, she has a lot of talent and I would be glad to have someone like her to be a part of the family and run the company after me"
Adrien can barely believe his ears and he runs into his room and screams into his pillow bc finally he feels like he actually has a chance to have a good life that isn't always restricted all the time
The next day he meets up with her at the bakery and he gets down on one knee like "will you marry me" and she's like "um ily Adrien but I'm 15 and so are you... I don't even think we CAN legally get married yet..."
He explains the betrothal thing and that he doesn't have much time left but he'll understand if she says no bc it's a lot of pressure but she's like "well of course I say yes but I'll have to ask my parents haha"
She asks them and they talk to Gabriel Agreste and everything gets sorted out and the engagement party is planned for Adrien's birthday
At school they tell everyone while handing out the invitations and Adrien was worried Chloé was gonna be upset but she's like "Adrien I'm so happy you're gonna get to marry someone you really care about!" Then she whispers at him "btw I'm a lesbian so don't worry about having broken my heart or anything hehe" and he's like "whoa... okay... I didn't see that coming..."
Also Alix is like "I thought you said you had to marry someone rich" and he's like "my father made an exception for Marinette bc she's a fashion designer like him" and Alix is like "well I'm super happy for you... and SUPER relieved..."
But she knows now she's probably never getting her friend back properly, ever
Months later at the engagement party all the classmates are there and super happy to support Adrienette becoming canon (same omgggg it's my otp couldn't you tell)
The wedding won't be for years yet at least bc they're way too young lol but Gabriel's already started planning it
And Marinette designed outfits for all her classmates to wear today so they're all wearing those
Poor Alix is in a dress again, save her, anyway she's trying to feel happy but she really can't help feeling rotten bc at this point she has no friends and seeing Adrienette happen just reminds her of how she's not normal or whatever and she can't figure it out
Also by this time other class couples are together too like djwifi and Julerose and everyone's using this occasion as a celebration of romance etc kinda like Valentine's Day except on a different day (idk when Adrien's birthday is but I'm guessing some point later in the year) so that pretty much just makes her feel extra broken bc she can't get away from any of it
She goes to the bar like "gimme an entire bottle of the strongest stuff you have" and the person's like "uh how old are you??" and she's like "... 25" and puts a giant wad of banknotes on the table so the person's like "... okaaaay, here" and gives her a big bottle of something idk
He's like "you should probably dilute it with water though" and she's like "don't tell me what to do" and takes it and starts to walk off
Then Nathaniel sees her and he's like "uh I don't think you should drink that..." and she's like "I don't give a crap" and heads outside by herself
It's dark and quiet out here bc atmosphere lol
Anyway she takes a sip but it tastes disgusting like bleach mixed with rotted grape juice and she's so annoyed she just smashes the entire thing on the ground and then just sits there highkey wanting to die
Nathaniel comes along like "whoa what happened here" and she's like "WHAT DO YOU WANT" and he's like "I just wanna know what's wrong..." and sits down beside her
She's like "fine... it's just I think there's something wrong with me - no actually I KNOW there is, I can just never do anything right, I can't be normal like I'm supposed to and I just keep letting everyone down. My dad already hates that his daughter isn't exactly a Rose-type airy fairy princess and I just never fit in and I'm terrible at doing what I'm told and maybe I'm just being selfish and I should try to change? But I have tried and it doesn't work, I just can't be who I'm supposed to... and... even worse... I'm just completely heartless..." *starts crying* "Everyone around me always seems to be in love with someone all the time and they make it sound so nice and happy and I don't know what I'm missing out on bc I've never felt that way about anyone! And I really have tried but I just can't, it just never works and idk why, maybe I'm just broken or something, there's something wrong with me. I mean I can't even make friends properly and I don't want to be lonely but idk what to do... Something is very, very wrong with me, Nath, and I've tried so hard to fix it but I can't, I just can't do anything right, and I'm a 15 year old I should have liked at least someone by now, my hormones are supposed to be all over the place! But I just don't! I'm a failure! And don't try to tell me I'm not!"
Nath's like "... maybe you're just... aromantic" and she's like "aromantic???" and he's like "yeah, it just means you don't get romantically attracted to people. It's uncommon, sure, but there's nothing wrong with it, being aro just means you're different that's all, and it doesn't mean you can't care about people in other ways"
She's like "... there's a word for that??? Aromantic??? It's a real thing???" and he's like "yeah you should look it up, there's a pride flag for it and everything"
She's like "omg... so there's nothing wrong with me, I'm just... aromantic... omg... wait are you aromantic too?"
He's like "nah I get crushes on people... I am asexual though" and she's like "isn't that a biology thing??" and he's like "yeah but also it means I don't get sexually attracted to people... sounds kinda gross if you ask me though I won't judge anyone for wanting to do it..."
She's like "omg there's a word for that too??? I just thought my hormones were way off whack or something..." and he's like "nah there's nothing wrong with being ace too, or aro ace, if that's what you are, I promise you aren't broken for not wanting romance or sex, you're just different that's all, and there ARE other people like you out there"
She's like "but can you still be ace if you've had sex with someone?" and he's like "yeah of course..." and she's like "omg so this whole time, I thought something was wrong with me, but I was just aro ace... and it's a real thing... whoa... omg thank you so so so much Nath" and she suddenly hugs him
He's like "no problem, it took me a while to come to terms with it too hehe. Anyway I brought you some of the engagement cake, do you want it? Cake is apparently the symbolic ace food" and she's like "omg thanks" and starts eating the cake
And he's like "btw... I get the whole not being able to make friends thing. I can't either. I'm just... idk I'm too shy I guess... I've never really had a close friend before... especially not in this class..." and she's like "well you've just made a new friend, and she's wondering why she never tried to make friends with you before" and he's like "omg ahh really? Thanks"
They sit there eating cake for a while and then Nath's like "I feel like drawing... sorry I draw all the time lol..." and he pulls a sketchpad and pen out of his pocket
Alix sees the pen and she's like "wait a second, that looks really familiar... omg it's Anna's pen??? From that picture I saw in Rania's diary???" and he's like "what?"
She's like "do you have a really old ancestor called Anna by any chance" and he's like "oh idk... I think when I was younger I remember going to the funeral of my great-grandma Anna..." and she's like "where did you get that pen from??" and he's like "it was a birthday present from my dad when I turned 15, apparently it's an antique, my grandad used to own it too but it somehow still works"
She's like "omg I found the other descendant of Rania??? This is SO COOL! Omg dude we are really distantly related!!!" and she explains and shows him the watch
He's like "omg what are the odds of that?? That's awesome!!"
And yeah for the first time in a while, she actually feels pretty good
It's an unspecified amount of time later and she's on the roof again with Adrien and Plagg
Adrien's like "so you're aro ace... I'm really happy for you that you know now"
Plagg's like "I didn't know the term existed but I can tell you with complete certainty that Rania was aro ace too, she hated stuff like that"
Alix is like "I know, I've finished reading her diaries now. She got married to her friend bc she was expected to but she refused to let it go anything beyond friendship, and then when there was pressure to have kids she adopted Leila and Anna, saying that there were too many poor orphans in the world who need taking care of to have more kids. Which means that I'm not even biologically descended from Rania, which means that my dad's point about the watch having to stay in the bloodline is completely null and he could totally have given the watch to Jalil. But anyway I don't care what my dad says, in the future I'll give it to some cool kid on their 15th birthday - maybe yours and Marinette's, if you ever have kids lol"
Adrien's like "we probably will... She's so awesome I love her so much... I don't know how I never realized it before, Marinette's just absolute perfection, she's so sweet and wonderful and pretty and just everything I ever wanted..."
He goes on and on being all lovey dovey and Alix just grins and grabs a bit of Camembert and mutters "I'm too aro ace for this"
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