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runawaycatwalker · 2 years

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Part 11. The Confounding of Nathalie

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Gabriel ominously pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Behind him, Nathalie sits up in her bed.

Gabriel: I knew this was a bad idea.

Nathalie: It could have been worse. At least Ladybug left me right outside the mansion and I didn't have to walk all the way back.

Gabriel: You still overexerted yourself. Again.

Nathalie: Gabriel, I knew the risks. It was more important that I find Adrien.

A close-up shot of the back of Nathalie’s head.

Nathalie (internally): Or at least that I found him before anyone else did. The other akumas never would have held back when fighting against him. But I could. And with the powers I'd received, I stood a far better chance to retrieve the black cat miraculous from Adrien. How was I supposed to know that Adrien wouldn't be the one wielding it anymore?

Cut to Adrien’s bodyguard looking sad.

Gabriel (voiceover): I'm bringing back Gorizilla. His nose should be more than capable of tracking Adrien down.

Cut to the image of Adrien falling from Tour Montparnasse.

Nathalie (voiceover): Isn't that dangerous? Adrien jumped off a building to escape that akuma last time.

Cut back to Gabriel viewed from behind, hands clasped behind his back.

Gabriel: Gorizilla merely needs to carry Adrien back home. I have no intention of putting my son at risk.

A close-up of Nathalie with a steely gaze, her fist resting on the side of her chin.

Nathalie (internally): You did so on a regular basis—and would still be doing so if Catwalker hadn’t stepped in for him. It was pure serendipity that Ladybug vetoed keeping Chat Noir around. Adrien—judging the note he left—had probably intended to be a hero full-time. But now that Shadowmoth knows he can't be Chat Noir, he could come back home. Adrien isn't the type of person who would leave behind all the friends he's made just because he might get targeted over a miraculous that he doesn’t even have anymore.

Cut to Shadowmoth with the light mask he uses to communicate with akumas illuminating his face. In the background, a tablet on a call with Nathalie sits in a stand on a table.

Shadowmoth: What could be so difficult about tracking down one teenage boy?

Nathalie (over tablet): Sir?

Cut to Gorizilla looking frustrated.

Shadowmoth (voiceover): Gorizilla has tried to follow Adrien’s scent all over Paris and he can’t latch onto anything.

A close-up of Nathalie turning away and rubbing her chin in worry.

Nathalie (internally): Adrien left the city entirely? Surely that's overkill. The danger is gone. Does Adrien really think that Shadowmoth would... no, not Shadowmoth. Mayura. I saw the look on his face when I almost crushed his... when I unmasked him. He was traumatized. Maybe even enough for him to run away with no intention of ever coming back home.

Cut to a rooftop being traversed by Carapace, Purple Tigress, Viperion, Ryuko, King Monkey, Polymouse, Pegasus, Pigella, and Vesperia. Ladybug is leading the charge in the foreground, swinging on her yo-yo.

Shadowmoth (voiceover): And oh look, Ladybug and her merry band of heroes have arrived to thwart me. Gorizilla, go retrieve the miraculous from Ladybug and—wait, Catwalker isn't there? Maybe Maternal Instinct scared him away? Good riddance! But we still need to find that ring!

A close-up of Nathalie covering her mouth in dismayed realization.

Nathalie (internally): I shouldn't have targeted Catwalker. I let myself get lured in by the prospect of finally getting the cat miraculous. But if Catwalker's identity leaked, what’s stopping Ladybug from bringing Chat Noir back regardless? She still uses heroes she knows we know the identity of if she has no better options. And if Ladybug asks Chat to return, he'll do so without question, despite what's happened. I can't let Adrien endanger himself again.

Cut back to Shadowmoth facing towards the window of his lair. He raises a fist in the air as his butterflies swarm around him.

Shadowmoth: Noooo!!!!!! You may have thrown a monkey wrench into this plan, Ladybug, but you haven’t taken your last whiff of me! I have to go after Adrien myself. It’s time for the Collector to return!

Nathalie (over tablet): Gabriel, let me akumatize you this time. Adrien will be safer if you have someone watching over your shoulder to help.

Shadowmoth screeches while a white butterfly comes to land on his hand. In the background, the tablet on the table shows the concerned face of Nathalie.

Shadowmoth: Absolutely not. Your body cannot handle more miraculous magic today—perhaps ever. Your health is important.

Nathalie (over tablet): Your son is important.

Shadowmoth: I can handle my son. The butterfly miraculous is mine and I will do whatever I see fit with it.

A close-up of Nathalie grabbing the sides of her head in a panic.

Nathalie (internally): This has spun completely out of my control. Adrien, Gabriel, Catwalker... I can't sway any of them from the paths they've chosen. And they never would have taken those paths if it weren't for the foolhardy things I did—as Mayura, as Nathalie, as Maternal Instinct. I must find a way to stop all of this, but what can I actually do? How do I know that whatever I try won't just make everything worse yet again?

Nathalie stares blankly into space. She holds a tablet in her hands as a video from the local news loads.

Nadja Chamack (from video): Don't be bemused, it's just the news! I'm Nadja Chamack. Just minutes after Gorizilla was defeated, we again are faced...

The tablet in Nathalie’s hands shows Nadia Chamack reporting live while the Collector poses menacingly in the background.

Nadja Chamack (from video): ...the Collector, also known as Gabriel Agreste, whose son Adrien Agreste is currently...

The video cuts to Catwalker and Ladybug descending from the sky to fight the akuma.

Nadja Chamack (from video): ...seems to be a new black cat superhero joining the fight. We don't know who he is or...

A close-up of Nathalie leaning back in reprieve, her hand on her chest.

Nathalie (internally): Catwalker going missing was temporary. Okay. Good. I don't have to worry about Adrien getting his miraculous back, at least. But what could have been important enough for Catwalker to miss an akuma? Maybe he was helping Adrien? If he was, that would make Catwalker perhaps the only one who knows where Adrien is hiding. If not, he's probably doing something on Ladybug's orders. Either way, I need more information. And this time, I must tread more carefully in how I go about getting it.

Below is the same image as above, only without text:

#runaway catwalker #nathalie sancouer #gabriel agreste #adrien's bodyguard #gorizilla #adrien agreste #ladybug #catwalker #miraculous ladybug #akuma #spanner in the works nathalie #about a month ago i realized that i wasn't being clear enough on nathalie's internal motivations #they felt obvious to me at the time so i'd glossed over them in the interest of conserving page space #jokes on me though #getting nathalie's inner monologues straight was an absolute nightmare since she's got so many competing interests #i think i've finally managed to get her perspective coherent now #still figuring out how to write in a comic medium #so if things still are muddy for you #drop a comment and i'll do my best to clear things up

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the-words-we-sung · 2 months

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First impressions after watching season 3

So after being super patient all day yesterday, I finally managed to get back home and binge watch season 3 last night \o/ I'm just gonna put a few of my first thoughts here for now, I'm gonna need to rewatch everything to have more detailed and coherent thoughts 😁 But first of all, I wanna thanks Amber 💜 (@amailboxlemur) for being the best spectator and companion to my live reactions 😂 It was super duper nice to be able to share these with you while I was watching and going through all the emotions 😱 So I liked the season!! It was a lot a lot but I really enjoyed it!! It made me cry, it made me laugh, it made me blush... All the rainbow emotions 💜

Here is my reaction at the end of episode 5, and I think it sums up pretty well my feeling at that moment :p

So a few randoms comments (I will write more about each episode after rewatching them, which I intend to start doing tonight because I neeeeeed to watch it all again):

[It's not spoiler-free so don't read if you haven't watched the season yet!!]

⁂ Simon was incredibly sad this season and it broke my heart. Seeing him cry just made me cry. He was so lost and broken, I really can't wait for the last episode to see him get better (yes I'm an eternally optimist person so I believe he will be happier!!)

⁂ I wasn't expecting the Micke/Sara storyline but I think I liked it! It gave us a new perspective into the Eriksson family dynamic and I felt so so bad for Sara at the end

⁂ I loved to see Simon being truly angry at his sister!! Baby boy is so used to being nice and forgiving, so it was really refreshing to see him actually be mad and stand his ground about it!!

⁂ Wilhelm Wilhelm Wilhelm. My poor boy is a mess! He was so hopeful at the beginning, thinking he could finally have it all, but yeah it was obviously not gonna be smooth sailing. He's such a messy, broken, angry teenager this season and my heart cries for him. He ends up hurting Simon quite a lot but I cannot be truly mad at him. He's a broken boy trying his best :(

⁂ Which leads me to his family: arghhhhhh. So I was hoping that we would get some more info to understand Kristina at least a little bit, but she's just truly awful this season. And the Duke is not better. I hate them for how they behave with Wilhelm. And on a more personal note: I always saw my own mother in Kristina, but this season it's even more flagrant, and gosh does it make me mad for Wilhelm. His lashing out at them at the end of episode 5 was as painful as it was good to see. I've been in his situation. I've yelled like him too many times to count. So I hurt for him. He deserves so much better. Nobody should have these kind of people as parents :(

⁂ The Erik stuff made me so sad!!

⁂ The whole school situation was a bit frustrating at time but it was interesting to see the characters reacting to it all. Felice is a queen and deserves so much better than her "friends". And Vincent can rot in hell 😠

⁂ They're all incredible actors!! And the show is beautiful as usual. I am slightly disappointed with the music (no song captured me as well as the ones in season 1 and 2, but maybe I just need to watch the episodes a few times for that to happen ^^)

⁂ All the cute scenes between Wilhelm and Simon were just the best. Seeing them be silly boyfriends was the best. And yeah, the chemistry is still chemistrying hard between Edvin and Omar :p

I'm gonna stop my list of first reactions there, but I'll continue in more details episode by episode! Overall I think I like this season, though the ending killed me and the week to come is gonna be the longest week ever ^^' I am not really worried about the last episode. I trust the show. I do believe Wilmon will be endgame. And I think not everything will be wrapped up neatly but I do think the ending will be satisfying. So can't wait \o/

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commanderjuni · 5 months

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❗CHARACTER TALK: MESMER LAFF (PERSONAL STORY)

SO.. finally finished personal story (still gotta do the long lvl 80 part but i'm essentially done) and am now ready to talk about mesmer laff!

do note that for these character talks i'll be talking about the character PER STORY as a more coherent way of describing what happens to them, their development, blah blah blah.. this has taken me about FOUR redos to write SO i hope whoever reads this enjoys! :]

❗SPOILERS FOR GW2 PERSONAL STORY (LVLS 10-80) BELOW THE CUT

During the events of Personal Story, Mesmer Laff is a 13.5 (She's really just 13, but she insists on the point 5) year-old asura beginning to find her footing in the world.

A basic prelude to her character however is as follows!

sort of headlining it here, but laff is hard of hearing AND non-speaking! i was inspired to make this choice after hearing about glade from soto. i myself am NOT hard of hearing/non-speaking, so PLEASE let me know if i got anything incorrect or accidentally wrote something that may be offensive! (while i've done my fair share of research, that can only go so far)

laff's hearing loss is moderate: she cannot hear anything below regular talking, and struggles even then at that volume level, and she struggles even more with background noise interference. she DOES have hearing aids, which remedies these factors a bit

while laff CAN actually speak, she ultimately doesn't like to, nor does she really... feel compelled to for lack of better words? she has no interest in talking-talking, and prefers to use sign language, writing, or gestures to communicate.

ok.. onto actual character stuff now!! /lh

Mesmer Laff (She/Her)

13.5 years old (She insists upon the 0.5 for the purpose of "specific numbers") during the events of Personal Story— do note however that because of this, Laff isn't an "active" participant in the war on Zhaitan.

By legalities, Laff is a ward of the Progeny Protective Service. Her parents perished in the infamous Thaumanova Reactor meltdown when she was about 4 years old. She misses them terribly.

Her legally appointed guardian is Hronk (yes!! personal story hronk). Hronk actually was brother to Laff's mom, and the closest relative the service felt comfortable leaving her with. Better than a complete stranger!

Hronk and Laff's relationship is.. alright? It's not bad, but they aren't close or anything. Laff sees him less of an uncle and more as just somebody who makes sure she's okay. Hronk sees Laff less of a niece and more as this progeny that's sorta just in his house and has conversations with. They're sort of like two animals in an enclosure that don't really LIKE each other but they aren't hostile. It's better than being alone, from both partie's perspectives.

Laff and Zojja soooorrt of meet during the personal story? Not AS directly as how it actually happens, but with Hronk being in the golemancy community and his krewe earning the Snaff Prize, the two did bump into each other once or twice. Zojja finds Laff full of promise and a good kid. Laff finds Zojja admirable and manages to keep in contact with Zojja.

They aren't best friends really, but have more a distant sister-sister relationship. Zojja is busy dealing with golems and council politics and the Inquest and dragons, and Laff is busy being 13 years old in college. /lh But! They both are in good terms with another.

As the war on Zhaitan grows into a bigger and bigger dilemma, Laff sort of diverts her research into studying Zhaitan and dragonic energies (as, suggested by lore on the thaumanova reactor wiki, chaos and dragon energies sort of function the same? which is VERY interesting to think about).

This leads her to contact Zojja and ask if she has any resources for study. Zojja offers the Priory as a resource, and upon realizing the Priory is all about exploration and research, Laff like. CLAWS all over the Priory's door trying to get in. However, neither Zojja nor Gixx want an asura so young to be exposed to the dangers the Priory gets involved in. Laff HOWEVER is allowed to go to "safe sites" to physically research dragon stuff. She's safe, she's supervised, and there is no possible way she'd ever be in danger.

... Huh. ... Wh. What do you mean magic attracts dragons. WHAT DO YOU MEAN MAGIC ATTRACTS DRAGON MINIONS AND MAKES THEM STRONGER WHEN CONSUMED? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DRAGONS ARE EATING MAGIC??!?!?!?!?!?!??

Laff's first face-to-face encounter with the Risen occurred during an attack on one of the Priory's facilities. I'd have to figure out the location, but Risen HAVE shown up as far as Caledon Forest, so i feel it wouldn't be absurd to say it was in the areas of Brisban Wildlands or Caledon. Hronk of COURSE accompanied her as a parental supervisor, though.

Now. The attack itself was because the Risen minions were drawn to a yummy magical artifact(s) the Priory unwittingly had been carrying around. They attacked in a not fearsome but very worrisome number, and although Laff and Hronk managed away and much of the Priory group did too, there were some casualties.

The fact that Zhaitan's minions were hitting so close to home and not only killed but converted the dead into Zhaitan's ranks mortified Laff, yet Hronk had made it a personal mission to keep her out of harm's way. No more Priory shenanigans. She was to stay home or where she'd be MUCH SAFER than hanging around with the dragon's direct enemy.

This. sorta pissed Laff off though, so she got into contact with Zojja AGAIN, and while the two had some back and forth over the matter, but Zojja eventually relented and worked something out where Laff, FAR OUT OF HARM'S REACH HOWEVER, would be able to actively contribute in a sort of. 'krewe' like thing? Where she'd be collaborating with some others on contributing to the bigger picture.

After this I can't really imagine anything else really bad happening. Laff is busy now researching dragon magic, creating solutions to quell Zhaitan's numbers, and yadda yadda you know the drill.

THIS IS A BIT ANTICLIMATIC SURE but! Zhaitan eventually is defeated by the pact, and although Laff isn't out fighting risen hordes or whatever, she still helps bring Zhaitan down for good! She is VERY pleased and proud with this, annnddd until LWS1 kicks off, Laff resumes her studies with Dynamics.

SO!! yup! that's where the personal story ends with Laff! Trying to work with her young age in a reasonable form was a biiit of a challenge but if there's one thing I learned, it's that the commander can be ANYBODY and their beginnings can be as grand or as minuscule as desired. fate has MUCH bigger plans for laff LATER in her life, and im pretty excited to experiment with how this story goes or how that story goes! :3

im VERY proud of what i've gotten done for laff, and i am even MORE proud that i managed to only make this post. err. LESS LONG than previous renditions >_< /lh

i'll probably draw laff pretty soon actually! ^_^ i find her design very cute (even her. yee yee ass haircut. /aff) and i cant wait to share my design notes

err.... idk how to sign off on posts. BYEEEE i guess >_< giggle

#spoilers: personal story #gw2 #gw2 oc #gw2 personal story spoilers #gw2 mesmer #gw2 asura #rambling #storytalk #this was such a pain to articulate coherently in a precise and concise manner but i think i did it #mesmer laff #writing #oc writing #oc story

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