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jelzorz · 5 months

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167.

It's an argument Callum never thought he would have. He and Soren get along better these days, which isn't a high bar to set considering what their relationship was like when they were younger, and while they're certainly part of each other's family, so to speak, they're not what they'd call best friends. Soren is too much like an older brother, but not like the way Callum is an older brother—Callum cares about safety and plans, and Soren likes being fun (reckless) and ridiculous (stupid).

It's unsurprising, then, that Callum has never really needed advice from Soren, nor has he ever heeded it when it's given. And most times it's fine. When Rayla was away, it was always about going out or getting drinks or meeting other girls (or guys), none of which Callum really cared for at the time, and Soren took no offence when Callum turned him down or went home early. They're just different people like that, with different interests and different coping mechanisms—and then there's this.

They're in his office, gathered around Aaravos' prison. It's the second time they've had this meeting, only this time Callum has the Nova Blade on his desk next to the pearl, and now that they've got it, now that it's tangible, now that the concept of victory is real, the discussion is that much more serious.

There is no secret knock this time, no grumpy blindfolded Opeli, no pretense about what to do. It's break the prison and kill Aaravos, or wait around and risk Aaravos killing them. To Callum, the answer is pretty simple, but Ez and Soren and Opeli stare him down from the other side of his desk like he's just broken a law. Rayla, alone, stands with him on his side of the desk looking just as defiant as he.

"I don't understand what's not to get," bristles Callum. "We have the Nova Blade We can kill him and end this once and for all. Why are you all hesitating?"

"Because we don't know if it'll work?" says Ez dourly. "Because we have no idea how powerful Aaravos might be? Because you and Rayla went off to get the stupid Nova Blade without telling us?"

"So this isn't even about killing him, it's because we didn't get permission."

"It's about how we're supposed to be a team!" snaps Ez. "It's about how we're a council, how we're supposed to talk about this and decide things together, and you guys thought you'd just do what you want even though we decided together that we weren't going to do anything stupid!"

"This isn't stupid!" says Callum, scowling. "This is our chance to beat him! You're telling me that we have an opportunity to kill the most dangerous elf the world has ever seen and you just want to wait and see?"

"We're saying that we have no idea whether or not this will work, and that it's not worth doing anything reckless!"

"Your Highness," Opeli cuts in, massaging the bridge of her nose. "This wasn't the plan. None of us agreed to this, and barreling in without evidence is foolish at best."

"It will work though!" insists Callum. "The Celestial elves said so!"

"That's not evidence, that's hearsay."

"Look, Callum." That's Soren, and Callum almost blinks because it's rare that he's the one breaking up arguments. "I get it. You really think that this'll work. Just—what happens if it doesn't? What happens if you start a fight you can't finish? What if you're wrong?"

Callum scoffs. "I'm not wrong," he says loftily. "I did the research. I know this will work."

"Yeah, but what if?" says Soren, patient but somehow condescending, which was only ever something Callum had seen in swordfighting lessons when they were younger and Soren was a bully. "No offense, but going in like this is stupid."

Callum makes a face. "Really?" he drawls. "You're lecturing me about being stupid."

"You fucking bet I am," says Soren coolly. "Take it from someone who's been there. Starting this fight when you don't need to is the dumbest thing you could possibly do right now."

"I didn't start anything!" snaps Callum. "This fight was already going! I'm here to end it! What the hell are you three doing about it?"

"We're on the same side, Callum," says Ezran, hands raised like he's trying to placate his brother. "We just want to be careful!"

"Careful?" Callum barks out a laugh. "Doing nothing isn't careful! The elf in there is the most powerful being in the world! He'll destroy us all if we don't do something about it now!"

Soren scowls at him then, his arms crossed judgementally across his chest. "You sound like my dad," he mutters.

There's a pause. The silence in Callum's study beats, because they all know what Viren was like, they all know the things that Viren did, and Soren has the nerve—

"I'm nothing like him," snarls Callum.

"Really?" challenges Soren. "You're one step out from destroying an egg because it's a threat—"

"This isn't an egg, it's an elf who could conquer the world—"

"Who's imprisoned in a magical prison designed to keep him in," snaps Soren, "and you want to let him out on the idea that you might be able to kill him?" He snorts. "You're just like him. You're so convinced you can save the world that you don't care who you put in harm's way to do it."

Another pause. Callum's lungs fill with protests and counterarguments and words that definitely can't be said in polite conversation, but the only thing that leaves him in the end is, "Get out."

They do. Opeli leads the way. Soren takes the the pearl. Ezran shoots him a dirty glare. The door shuts behind them and then there is silence again except for Callum's breathing, heavy and furious that they would accuse him of being anything like Viren.

"You haven't said anything," he mutters to Rayla.

Rayla takes a breath. "I don't know what there is to say," she says quietly. "They might be right."

"Are you seriously siding with them right now?"

"No," says Rayla coolly. "I'm always on your side. But it's something to consider. If we're wrong..." She swallows. "I really don't want you to be wrong."

She touches his hand gently, and Callum flinches away like her fingers burn against his skin. The accusation stings because it was Viren who imprisoned her family, Viren who stole Zym's egg, Viren who started all this in the first place and the idea that he could be like him in any capacity is—

He breathes in. "Do you think I'm like him?"

Rayla shrugs. "Maybe you are," she says. "But ultimately, it doesn't really matter. Not to me. To me, you're Callum. I trust you, no matter what." She offers him a smile, a promise, and Callum hopes, with all his heart, that she isn't wrong to place that trust in him.

#in anticipation #pre s5 #rayllum #its literally so easy to make callum an asshole and i love that for him #callum my guy i get u but calm your fucking farm #anyway the viren-callum parallels are my favourite thing in the world rn in case you couldn't tell

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aalissy · 2 months

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Dating Sim

Eeeeekk!! It's Adrienette April time! I'm sooo excited to write for this month <3. I hope you're also excited to read my prompts for this month. Please let me know what you think :D

AO3

Adrien yawned softly, stretching his arms above his head as he approached his classroom.

It was early. Too early.

His dad had forced him up at the crack of dawn for a morning photo shoot and right now, he would kill to be back in bed. One of these days, Adrien swore, he was going to convince his father to let him give up modeling.

Hah, right. Like that would ever happen.

Adrien snickered quietly to himself as he strode down the abandoned hallway and the practically silent building as he entered his classroom.

Upon turning the doorknob, he blinked in surprise at the sight of someone already in class.

It wasn’t just anyone either. It was Marinette. The girl who had most likely been late to her birth.

She was hunched over her desk, her attention glued to her phone In fact, Adrien was certain that she hadn’t even noticed his arrival with how focused she was. Her nose was scrunched adorably and her pretty pink lips were pursed in a pout as she glared down at her phone.

Marinette huffed loudly, her brow furrowing even further as her cheeks puffed out in annoyance. Her fingers tapped loudly on her phone screen and Adrien simply could not resist leaning closer to her.

His shoulder brushed faintly against hers as a small chuckle left his lips. “What are you doing here so early, Marinette?”

“D’AH!” she screamed, jumping about ten feet in the air. Her phone jumped with her and she flailed for it, fumbling it between her fingers before finally catching it safely.

She let out a relieved sigh after doing so before whipping to face him, her blue eyes practically blazing with a flaming fury. “Hey! What on earth were you thinki-,” Marinette trailed off, her cheeks burning into a deep, rosy red as their noses almost bumped together. She squeaked, scrambling back away from him, only barely managing not to fall off her seat. Adrien bit back the quiet sigh that would have left his lips as he instantly missed the warmth of her shoulder against his.

“A-Adrien! H-hello. What doing are here? I-I mean what are you doing here?”

“I asked you first.” His eyes twinkled at her with amusement.

“O-Oh, right,” Marinette chuckled sheepishly, tucking a stray strand of hair that had fallen out of her pigtails back behind her ear. She closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath before giving him a small smile. “I actually woke up early today because I wanted to spend more time with this new game I got absolutely addicted to.”

“Ooh, what game?” Adrien moved to sit next to her, scooting closer. He intentionally bumped his shoulder against hers as he leaned in to look down at her phone screen. “Is it Ultimate Mecha Strike? I didn’t know that was on mobile now.”

Marinette’s eyes widened, her lips parting as she seemed to forget how to breathe. He caught a brief flash of her screen before she seemed to snap back into reality, quickly turning it off before Adrien could see much more than a glimpse.

He didn’t believe it possible but her cheeks had turned an even darker shade of red as he glanced up at her.

“N-Nothing!” she stuttered.

Well, that reaction certainly told Adrien that it was, undoubtedly, something. And something big if Marinette was hiding it from him.

Adrien couldn't help but be intrigued by Marinette's reaction. Her sudden flustered demeanor only added fuel to his curiosity. "Come on, Marinette," he teased, nudging her playfully with his elbow. "You can't hide it from me forever. What kind of game is it? What if I want to play it?"

Marinette squirmed in her seat, a nervous giggle escaping her lips. "It's just... a silly little game, nothing special. Trust me, it isn’t something you’d play," she insisted, but her attempt at nonchalance only made Adrien more determined to find out.

"Ah, come on, don't leave me hanging like this," he urged, flashing her a charming smile. "How do you know I won’t like it unless I know what it is first?"

Marinette seemed to freeze for a moment, blinking at him in surprise before throwing her head back in a loud laugh. Adrien’s heart thumped louder as he listened to her guffaw. A smile tugged at his lips as he leaned back to watch her slap her hand against her desk as she practically rolled with laughter.

Suddenly, he was positively delighted with the fact that his father had woke him up early to go to a photo shoot. Anything would be worth it to hear Marinette giggle like this.

Finally, after gasping in a few deep breaths and wiping a tear from her eye, she turned to him.

And wow. Had Marinette ever looked at him like that before?

Her smile was positively wicked as she reached to turn her phone back on, this time showing it to him directly.

“It’s the newest otome game from one of my favorite developers,” Marinette snickered. “Alya reminded me that it came out yesterday so I’ve been devouring it today. Still think you’re interested?”

Adrien blinked down at the handsome blonde on her screen in surprise. His cheeks reddened even as his chest seemed to tighten uncomfortably ever so slightly.

Clearing his throat, he rubbed at his stomach, wondering aloud, “O-otome game?”

“Yeah, you know like, um...” she trailed off, nibbling at her lip before snapping her fingers. “A dating sim!’

“So you’re dating this guy then?” He frowned, the uncomfortable feeling in his chest worsening.

“Not for real, silly!” Marinette giggled, shaking her head before blushing. “I-I mean i-it’s just a game. I-It’s not real, of course. I-I only play for the story anyway.”

“Oh,” Adrien said, blinking back down at her phone screen as he shook away the last vestiges of the peculiar feeling. “So what’s the story like then?”

Her eyes brightened as she tapped back into the game. “So you play as the main heroine who suddenly realizes that she has powers that you can’t understand or control, right? And, as you slowly learn more about them you um, meet the male leads.” Marinette shot a quick glance over at him before darting it straight back to her phone screen. “A-anyway they help her understand that she isn’t the only one with powers and are taking her to this school where she can learn even more.”

All of a sudden, Marinette huffed, drumming her fingers angrily at her desk. “Or, at least they would if my cards were strong enough to beat this stupid level.”

“Cards?” Adrien asked, tilting his head.

“Oh, yeah I almost forgot to mention! The cards are the main part of the game!” She tapped on the screen, taking them to an entirely different menu as she pushed the phone closer to him. “You pull here for cards with the gems you have. You want the cards with the highest stars because those do the most damage.”

“Like a gacha game!” He grinned, feeling his stomach flutter happily at the beam Marinette gave him.

“Exactly!” She snapped her fingers excitedly. “So every event that comes around makes you want to spend more money than you should ever be spending on a game.”

Adrien chuckled, brushing his fingers through his hair. “I know the feeling.”

“So,” Marinette started, her devilish smile coming back as she leaned closer to him. A mischievous twinkle sparkled in her bright blue eyes. “Still think you’re interested in playing?”

“Mmm, maybe.” He leaned in closer to her, his thigh brushing against hers. “I’ve always wanted to fulfill my dreams of being a magical girl.”

Marinette laughed, sending a shiver of satisfaction down his spine. “Alright, Sailor Moon, the game is called Fantasy Hearts: Academy of Legends. Feel free to play to your heart’s content.”

“Oh, I intend to. Might even get farther in the story than you.”

Her eyes narrowed playfully. “I’d love to see you try. I’ve already got three five stars.”

The sound of a backpack falling to the floor had the two springing away from each other, staring up in surprise as Alya smirked down at the two of them. “Am I interrupting something?”

“N-no! W-we were just talking about the new game you showed me last night.” Marinette shook her head, waving her arms in front of her. “R-right, Adrien?”

“Y-yeah,” his voice cracked and he winced internally. Clearing his throat, he moved to stand up from Marinette’s seat, ready to head back over to his own seat. “We were just um discussing Fantasy Hearts.”

Alya’s smirk grew impossibly wider. “Oh, yes, I’m certain that’s exactly what you were interested in talking to Marinette about, sunshine. I’m sure Fantasy Hearts: Academy of Legends is the perfect game for you.”

“Right, well.” Adrien gave a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. “I should probably head back to my desk now since Mlle. Bustier should be here shortly.”

Alya snickered as he practically scurried back to his desk where a beaming Nino greeted him. He wiggled his eyebrows at him but Adrien simply ignored it, pulling out his notebook as he tried to ignore his flaming cheeks.

As much as he wished to be back up still talking with Marinette about literally anything, it was time to pay attention to class. Maybe they’d be able to talk after class?

Sneaking a quick look behind him, he caught Marinette’s eye and gave her a crooked smile which she responded to with a deep blush and a small wave.

As Mlle. Bustier strode through the open door, Adrien refocused his attention on the lesson, his mind occasionally drifting back to the conversation with Marinette. A smile drifted across his lips as he began taking down notes. Yep, today was already shaping up to be a great day.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #mlb #ml #fic #fanfic #ml fic #adrinette #adrinetteapril2024 #adrienetteapril2024 #adrienette #pre s5 #pre-relationship #can't believe i get to tag that now :')#flirting #teasing

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bylertruther · 1 year

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#strangerwriters #<- they get their own tag now #pre s5

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emblazons · 9 months

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someone stop them omg (x)

#I love seeing the solidarity but LMFAOOOO WHAT IS THIS HONEY #BHT ALSO?!? PRE VIS S5!??!???#stranger writers #stranger things #the me tag #st5

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tategaminu · 4 months

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Happy valentines to these two losers (the remake)

Let's hope we get some more snuggles! Comparative under the cut⬇️

#actually im the loser #again #god I used to be so proud of the original ew. I guess it is because my first rayllum fanart and all #a lot of improvement but also redeemed myself and made Callum bulkier like he is and deserves!#also it was pre s5 haha we didnt know the ride we had ahead #this kinda scene seems closer and closer aiorawoproapwrj #rayllum #rayla #callum #valentines #the dragon prince #tdp #romance #cuz they invented it

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oatmilk-vampire · 23 days

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Thinking about how Eddie survives his nearly fatal wounds, makes it to the hospital, and gets proven innocent.

Thinking about how Steve vows to stay by his side while he recovers; after all Steve knows what it's like to not have anyone by your side when you need a support system the most. Sure, Eddie has Wayne and that's already one more parent than Steve has ever had in times of need, but Steve can’t help but want to be there.

Thinking about how those "He just needs a friend" feelings aren't that friendly, and how Robin points that out to him.

Thinking about how Steve doesn't even have a problem with her assessment except for the fact that he’s very clearly into women so there's no way he could be having gay thoughts... Until Robin calls him dingus and explains that some people can be attracted to both women and men, even if it's just one person of that gender you're attracted to.

Thinking about how Steve realizes holy shit.

He's in love with Eddie.

#love how this is gonna be s5 obviously #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #pre steddie #robin buckley

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fazedlight · 2 months

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Why am I obsessed with the rift?

From my first fic to the many many many many season 5 fics I've written, to the fic where the whole thing could've been averted in season 2, to my no-villain-era-for-Lena in season 3 (twice) and season 4 fics......... I seem to have developed a bit of a rift pattern.

A reasonable person might ask: Why?

There's something that itches in my mind: I think either woman would've been fully justified in walking away from their friendship, and yet they ultimately didn't.

It starts with Kara, who is ultimately a fractured person. She deeply values the truth, and yet she's forced to live with various lies, unable to be her full self.

Her identity is in the in-betweens. She feels adrift between two cultures, she knows her alien state while reaping the privilege of passing, she hides core aspects of herself on a daily basis. I'm sucked into the rift, in part, because of who she is and how she struggles to put it all together. I think her frustration will resonate with anyone who's stuck in the in-betweens.

Kara's struggle for identity plants the seed for the rift. The bigotry of society meant she had to have a secret identity in the first place, and keeping the secret from Lena was certainly reasonable for a time.

We can debate endlessly about when Kara should've told Lena - I think it's really hard to find the line between "too soon" and "too late" - but it ultimately doesn't matter. Because it's Kara's kneejerk reaction to Lena's kryptonite that forms the first sort of betrayal, not the secret itself.

Kara screws up - she says something she regrets, she doubles down when threatened and scared. These are common mistakes... but we have super-level circumstances, so we get super-level consequences. And the engine she has inside her that fears loss (which she's suffered to a level that is unimaginable to anyone on Earth) kicks in. She can't lose another person she loves.

But who is she holding onto?

In the series, and in flashbacks, we watch Lena's progression from idealistic techie to cynical recluse. While she's experienced loss and isolation, that's not the cause of her shift.

It's in experiencing her idol and protector become the madman who kidnaps her. It's in realizing her best friend has betrayed her by taking the one thing that could've saved her brother. It's in moving to a new city to start over, and meeting a mentor who uses her to start a global invasion. It's in her partner in scientific discovery being a pawn to her brother, colluding behind her back.

And then there's the final downfall. Her new best friend - her trusted confidant, her hero, the one who made her feel not so alone anymore - is the super who denigrated her, maligned her, spied on her. Lena had two important people in her life at that point, and she sacrificed one for the other... only to find out the other was a lie.

With betrayal after betrayal - Lex and Andrea and Rhea and Eve and Kara - she loses faith that anyone is above their worst impulses.

So she falls to her own.

How can good people do bad things?

There's a saying I heard around MIT sometimes: there are no technical solutions to social problems. It's easy to forget - when you're surrounded by people seeking to improve the world via science and engineering - that you can't solve humanity via technology or logic or rules. Lena forgot this.

Myriad marks a shift in the rift. Kara lied to Lena, antagonized her, spied on her - but her wrongs were directed towards Lena. Lena's initial response - the petty manipulation and the plan to out Kara - were directed back at Kara.

But then the rift fundamentally shifts.

At this point, Lena's wrongs are no longer just about Kara - she's trying to brainwash the world. She mindcontrolled Malefic and enslaved Eve. This went beyond the fallout between two friends.

It's clear that her intentions are still good here. She's not a megalomaniac like her brother, she's not forming an us-vs-them mentality like her stepmother. She's an anti-villain at this point in the story - desperate to find what's true, in a world full of lies.

It's a hard line to walk, acknowledging Lena's trauma and well-intentioned motivations while realizing she's still ultimately culpable for her own actions. But it's important to try to balance, because Lena is still redeemable.

But getting back to the relationship itself - Kara played a large role in pushing Lena to the edge of her trauma, which was entirely motivated by Kara's own trauma.

You hide things so you don’t lose people. I run from people who hide things. I guess we were bound to explode.

Lena says this in my first fic mentioned earlier, and it summarizes the rift as succinctly as I can put it. Their traumas were incompatible, and their relationship should've failed.

And yet.

Delving into how the CW screwed up the rift could be its own essay. They gave us a complex and layered situation, only to gut it with It's a Super Life (beloved/beloathed), the narrative retroactively justifying Kara instead of examining her foils, glossing over Lena instead of delving into her ethical blindspots. The rift was cancelled.

What does that leave us with?

Well, I guess it left me seeking the rift, over and over again. I'm certainly not the first author to do a rift fic, and I doubt I'll be the last. There seem to be a few different approaches:

Some authors delve into the nuance, having the two characters hash out what they've been through in a way that feels balanced and real. In particular, I love the @searidings fic with the birds i'll share this lonely view. I don't think I have the skill to pull off that type of story.

Some writers lean heavily on one "side" or the other, often with lots of grovelling. This never resonates with me, because at some point in a relationship there has to be the realization that it's "us vs. the problem", rather than "you vs. me". In my mind, these fics miss the layers of trauma that led to the rift.

Some authors make the rift not matter. If you put the characters through hell and back, the anger will lose its thrust, and they'll be left wanting to heal.

I fall into the last category.

There's a moment from permanence by @itllsetyoufree that I especially love, where - in the aftermath of season 6 - Eliza asks Lena why she forgave Kara. Lena can't answer.

We like to think we're logically driven. But in my experience, forgiveness - and a host of other emotions - never work that way. Sometimes "sorry" cuts it, sometimes it doesn't. A lot of times, forgiveness comes from the realization that someone genuinely wants to connect, and that the fallout was relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

Of course, when your fallout includes extra levels of gaslighting and a bit of global brainwashing, making it relatively unimportant requires something drastic.

That's where I end up landing. Putting my blorbos in Situations helps them see the other in a new light - see the other's genuineness, the other's fears, the other's love. Often times, this comes with the simultaneous threat to someone's life (though that's not necessary, especially if it's earlier in Lena's breaking point cutoff).

I do assume - and sometimes imply - that they're also having those discussions, working things out in the background. Because of what I put them through in my fics, I don't think those end up being explosive discussions. It's about figuring out the practical aftermath of what the heart already knows at that point.

Whether I deliver on that is ultimately up to the reader, but that's my approach. Because at the end of the day, love is about cherishing and understanding the person in front of you - flaws and and traumas in all. These stories are driven by loving both characters, and trying to see them the way they see each other.

The rift is a story about love and connection - how those things can't happen without embracing someone else's trauma and without understanding one's own imperfection. Because that's what's at the root of all of us.

And that's why I write the rift.

#this felt good to finally put into words #(note: this approach made writing the pre-S5 fics particularly rough but that's a tangent that didn't fit in here)#(I don't delve into every ethical question either but I wish the show had)#supercorp #headcanon #mel stuff

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theartofnieriel · 2 years

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Matching family shirts... sort of.

reblog, don’t repost. thank you

#adrien is taking none of this #and neither is nathalie anymore #gabriel agreste #nathalie sancoeur #adrien agreste #miraculous ladybug #miraculous the tales of ladybug and chat noir #this was made pre s5 #had to make a second panel for s5 #if people didn't realise i love these three #Nieriel #2022

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buttonhouseparty · 9 months

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#bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts s5 #bbc ghosts spoilers #I feel like we knew we were getting another captain flashback?#it was heavily implied in some interview. I think #and yet I am In No Way prepared #edit: ah yes ben mentioned it at the bfi #(it's not like there have been a lot of pre-S5 interviews to choose from lol)

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bugsbenefit · 6 months

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thinking about the potential of the town connecting the whole s1 Will deal with Hellfire. and how Dustin, Lucas, and Mike now being in the alleged kid killing satanist club would make it even weirder that their best friend just fell off the face of the earth two years before kids started dying for real... and the potential of someone thinking they were involved/did something/some satanist demonic business happened to zombie boy with a callback to "he was probably killed by some other queer"...like Troy/James making a comback in s5 and using the hellfire fallout to ask someone like Mike what they did with Will/ "i want to know how you did it". it's there, it coheres, i see the vision, this is nothing

#will they go for this?#idk they have enough they already need to work with #but i would enjoy the hell out of this #hellfire satanist cult and will going missing in s1 pre the murders are so easily linked together via the party #someone coming to Conclusions isn't that unlikely either #but they could do it in a way that kicks the queerstoryTM for Mike off in s5 in a really cruel callback way okay #and i like when the story makes mean and cruel implications

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raayllum · 9 months

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[...] I tend to err away from this dichotomy of villain-hero and subsequent selfless-selfishness in general. The hero “saving a loved one vs the the world” is an age old conflict and also an inherently fantastical scenario, as it’s a literal trolley problem on a level no real life person will ever experience (there can certainly be similar things in IRL war when a lot of hard, otherwise unfathomable choices have to be made). And, traditionally, most villains cover up their schemes with notions of doing things for the Greater Good (hi Viren!) even if their actions are also things that are conveniently benefitting themselves. And typically, the hero is the Hero precisely because they understand that recognizing the personhood of the individual and that it’s important to always value the individual (of which the many are made of) is a crucial cornerstone of well, valuing life at all. However, because this is TDP, even this dichotomy isn’t Simple or clear cut.

—TDP's Perpetual Trolley Problem, July 09 2023

#does not discuss s5 cause tragically this was written pre s5 but #tdp's perpetual trolley problem #tdp #the dragon prince #tdpedit #there's no one set right response it's all just circumstantial and personal character choice and #what lives you're valuing and how and why or why not #my edits #graphics #pawns #analysis series #rayla being right on the edge bc she's sacrificed her parents more than a few times for 'the good of the world'#but will she sacrifice callum if push comes to shove y'know? will she try

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chirpsythismorning · 2 years

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Still the best lettergate evidence..

#stranger things #byler #lettergate #st5 headcanon #the blue and yellow orbs reflecting on the sun???#the mailmain representing the Duffers???#joyce representing Bylers????#if #‘these acceptance letters tend to come end week.#just to make you sweat.#it’s coming ms. byers.#don’t you worry.’#then does that mean we’ll be seeing a letter from Mike early s5?#aka end of week (just to make you sweat) equals end of spring break but also end of series/last season (just to make you sweat)…#are we getting requited confirmation pre time jump??…#if we are they’re definitely getting separated #and hopefully reuniting at some point…#maybe the upside down…#maybe the theories Mike will end up there first and Will is going to follow are accurate…#or what if we the audience know but Will doesn’t 😭😭😭😭#like this is arguably already happening #but what if it’s general knowledge for everyone watching early s5 that Mike returns Wills feelings #?!?!?

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aalissy · 2 months

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Truth or Dare

I'm back with chapter 2! Hope you enjoy this bit of pre-relationship Adrienette fluff bc they're my favorite babies and I love them soo sooo much! Lemme know what you think <3

AO3

Marinette huffed quietly, blowing a strand of her dark hair out of her eyes. Her expression soured as her eyes narrowed towards where the sound of Alya’s laughter was coming from.

The laughter wouldn’t have bothered her at all. She frequently rejoiced in the sound of her best friend’s giggles (particularly if Marinette was the one causing said laughter.)

No, the issue was what Alya was laughing at.

Liela, whose pointed smirk was aimed directly at Marinette as she placed a hand on Alya’s shoulder.

She was taunting her. Berating her. Practically screaming haha, I was still invited to your best friend’s party even though you know that I’m a liar and have warned Alya about it countless times.

It was only supposed to be her, Adrien, Alya, and Nino. So how did Lila manage to get invited?

Marinette’s blood simmered as she crushed her hand around her glass so tightly she was surprised it hadn’t shattered into a million tiny shards.

“Hey, careful there,” a quiet voice murmured in her ear. “Don’t want to break that glass.”

Her eyes widened and she whipped her head around as the touch of a warm hand slid softly over hers.

Marinette squeaked softly, her grip instantly loosening on the cup as it began to tumble out of her hands. She winced, preparing for the loud crash of the glass exploding all over Alya’s hardwood floor.

But it never came.

Instead, Adrien grinned over at her sheepishly. His emerald eyes peered up at her apologetically as he extended the cup back out for her to take. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have startled you.”

“No, no!” Marinette quickly assured, rushing to take the glass back from him as their fingers bumped against one another. Her cheeks warmed and she quickly snatched her hand back.

Her head already felt dizzy from the mere two times her hand had brushed against Adrien’s. Which, honestly, was probably going to do even worse things for her clumsiness.

With a quiet, relieved sigh, Marinette carefully placed the glass on Alya’s center table, grateful that it was now out of danger of being harmed by her.

“Seriously, Adrien, thank you very much for saving my glass.” Marinette nibbled on her lip shyly. “I’d have hated to make a mess in Alya’s living room.”

All at once his sheepish grin turned more charming as he bowed with a flourish. She couldn’t help but giggle when Adrien leaned back up to wink at her. “Of course, Marinette. After all, what sort of gentleman would I be if I didn’t rescue the lady's glass from falling? Especially if I was the one who almost caused said fall.” He nudged her with an elbow adding that last part in a whisper.

Marinette snorted loudly as Adrien wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Wow. It was hard to believe not two seconds ago she had been ready to murder Lila. Trust Adrien to be the only one who could make her laugh when she had been two seconds away from a blinding hot rage.

With a delicate curtsey, Marinette grinned up at him. “Well, this lady thanks you for your service.” Upon standing up she gave an exaggerated sigh, draping her hand across her forehead. “Oh, if only you could be around all the time. Do you know how many broken glasses you would be able to save for me?”

“Well, I...,” he started before someone squeezed in between them.

Marinette blinked in surprise, taking a step back from the new arrival. She hadn’t realized how close she had been to Adrien and she felt her cheeks flush at the unexpected proximity. The giddiness soon faded away as she finally noticed who had slid in between them.

It was Lila.

She was smiling up at Adrien, her hand spreading out on his chest even as he grimaced, leaning away from her touch.

“Hey, Adrien. We were just about to begin a game of truth or dare if you wanted to join us?” Lila asked, her sweet voice grating on her ears.

Marinette rolled her eyes, crossing her arms against her chest. Of course Lila couldn’t even be bothered to greet her as her attention remained solely on Adrien.

However, once Marinette saw his panicked gaze dart over to her pleadingly she quickly snapped out of her annoyance. Reaching around Lila, she grabbed Adrien’s hand and tugged him out of her grip.

With a pasted-on sickly sweet grin, she said, “We’d love to join, Lila!”

She watched as Lila’s face darkened into a scowl for but an instant before it had disappeared, replaced with a copy of Marinette’s cheerful grin. “And we’d love to have you both but unfortunately there’s only room for one player. So sorry, Marinette, bu-”

Her lie was cut off as Alya joined them, sipping on her drink. “What are you talking about, Lila? I invited you over here to ask both Marinette and Adrien if they wanted to join.”

Marinette’s lips pursed as Lila’s eyes flashed with anger before she turned to Alya with a saccharine smile. “Oh, I’m sorry! I must have heard wrong. You know my tinnitus has been starting to act up again lately which just makes it so difficult to hear.”

Both Adrien and Marinette gave each other knowing looks as Alya nodded sadly, patting her friend's shoulder. “No worries, Lila. I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope it gets better again.”

Lila simply winced in return, rubbing at her ears as her lips transformed into a small pout.

“So, truth or dare then?” Adrien interjected, clapping his hands before rubbing them together.

Marinette glanced at Adrien, grateful for the distraction from Lila's presence. "Sure, let's play!"

“Great!” Alya grinned at them both before nodding over at the couch. “Let’s head on over so we can get started then.”

As the small group made their way over to the couch, Alya called out, “Hey, Nino! Truth or dare?”

“Dare, of course, babe.”

She snickered as a wicked gleam entered her eyes. “I dare you to do a head spin.”

“Done deal!” Nino jumped up and stretched his arms out. With a slowly released breath, he did a handstand before carefully lowering his head to the ground. He actually managed to spin for a few seconds before crashing onto the floor with a loud bang.

“Nice job, babe.” Alya gave him a quick kiss when he sat back up, rubbing his head. “That looked kind of cool for the first few seconds.”

He laughed softly, stealing her hand in his as he gave it a quick squeeze. “Just trying to impress you.”

“Shut up and pick someone else to go now!” She laughed teasingly, her eyes sparkling at Nino with amusement.

He chuckled before scanning their small group, his eyes landing on Lila. “Lila, truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

Adrien and Marinette both couldn’t hide a snicker and she threw a fierce glare their way.

“Mmm.” Nino hummed, tapping his chin in thought. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. “Ah, I got it! What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you during the school year so far?”

Lila’s teeth dug into her lower lip as she lowered her head, her hair covering her face before she tucked it back behind her ear. Her eyes welled with crocodile tears as she placed a hand across her chest earnestly. “It had to have been when my Mendacii Syndrome acted up and I accidentally said that Marinette pushed me down the stairs and stole my grandmother’s pendant. You know I didn’t mean any of those things, right Marinette? And you must know how sorry I am that I said that.”

Marinette’s nails dug harshly into her skin as she tried to bite back the harsh laugh that nearly left her lips. Lila had almost gotten her expelled and she wanted her to believe she was sorry?!

Pfft, yeah right.

With anger simmering in her blood, she opened her mouth to shout that she’d never believe her lies again when a calming hand was placed on her leg.

Blinking in surprise, Marinette turned to look at Adrien who slowly shook his head at her. His gaze darted to Alya and then back to her until she understood. Her best friend had already put her arms around the liar, consoling her.

“It’s alright, Lila. Marinette forgave you for this a long time ago. Didn’t you, Marinette?”

Forcing out a bitter smile, she gave a stiff nod. “Yeah. Alya’s right. It’s all water under the bridge now, Lila,” she spat out.

Lila sniffled, swiping the palm of her hand against the false tear tracks on her cheeks. A tremulous grin lit up her face as she spoke earnestly, “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that, Marinette.”

“Of course.” She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but only just.

“So it’s my turn now, right?” Lila brightened considerably as she turned to Adrien. “Truth or dare?”

“Oh, uh, truth I guess.” He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“Boring!” Alya groaned, throwing her head back. “When are we going to get back to the dares?”

Adrien chuckled. “I promise to pick you next then.”

Alya looked over at Marinette, a devilish gleam lighting up her eyes as though she had just come up with a plan. “Deal!”

“So, who’s your biggest celebrity crush?”

Lila asked, twirling her hair as she smirked over at Marinette who shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the question. She really didn’t want to hear Adrien talk about whichever model he was crushing on at the moment.

“Honestly?” Adrien laughed quietly. “It’s Ladybug.”

“Amen to that sunshine!” Alya cheered, thrusting her glass in the air.

Marinette felt her cheeks instantly burn a bright red.

Ladybug was Adrien’s celebrity crush?

Ladybug?!

Her mouth dried as she instantly conjured up a fantasy of swooping into Adrien’s room one day and stealing his lips in a sweet kiss. Feeling suddenly hazy from the beautifully conjured scenario, Marinette shook her head as she snapped back into focus on their game.

Alya had just come running back into the living room, clutching a black marker to her chest. “Come on, Nino. You heard the man. Give me the funniest mustache you can!”

Pursing his lips in concentration, Nino plucked the marker from her as he began to draw an outrageously large handlebar mustache above Alya’s lips. When he was done, he pulled back and gestured to her face. “My masterpiece is done.”

The group giggled at the sight as Alya scrambled for her phone. After looking at it in her camera, she also burst into laughter. “Good job, babe! I look amazing!”

Wiggling her lips back and forth, Alya deepened her voice. “Now I better not catch you young whippersnappers staying up too late tonight!”

Their group roared with laughter at the sight and Marinette wiped a tear of joy from her eye.

“Alright, it’s my turn now, right?” Alya snickered, turning over to look at her with a giddy smirk. “Marinette, you haven’t gone yet! Truth or dare?”

She gulped in a deep breath, every muscle in her body tensing. She was unable to keep her gaze from darting over to Adrien.

Well, this was nerve-wracking. She either chose truth and had to reveal her crush to him or chose dare and had to do something embarrassing in front of him.

Alright, dare it was then.

“D-dare,” Marinette stuttered, nibbling nervously on her lower lip.

“I’ll give you two options for your dare then, alright?” Alya gave her a small, gentle smile. “I dare you to either text your crush and let us all see what you type...”

Alright. Nope. That was not happening. She was not gonna let everyone watch her type a message to Adrien. Option 2 it was then.

“...Or kiss the hottest person in the room.”

Scratch that! Rewind!

“T-Truth! I-I meant truth!” Marinette choked out.

“Ooh, too late for that I’m afraid.” Alya tsked, shaking her head. “You chose dare and those are your two options.”

Lila’s voice interjected before she could continue to plead for her case. “I don’t know, Alya. Marinette has seemed pretty shy and scared this whole night. Maybe you should let her do a redo.”

Marinette glared over at her. Well, now she was absolutely doing one of Alya’s dares. No way was she going to let Lila call her a coward!

Mustering up all the Ladybug courage that she had, she turned to face Adrien. Drawing in a deep breath, she slowly leaned towards him.

As Marinette leaned in towards him, her heart raced with both nervousness and excitement. Adrien watched her, his emerald eyes wide with curiosity and just a hint of what seemed to be anticipation.

Marinette began closing the distance between them, her lips hovering just inches away from him. Very, very softly, she closed her eyes and brushed a kiss against his cheek. His skin was warm beneath her and she fought the urge to linger.

Before she could do something stupid, like bring her lips closer to his own, Marinette pulled back. Not wanting to look directly at Adrien, she didn’t open her eyes until after she faced the rest of the group. “A-alright then, w-who, um, wants to go next?”

The room was silent for a few beats and she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat before Lila spoke up, “You can do me next, Marinette!”

Bemoaning the fact that it was Lila who saved her from the awkward silence, she cleared her throat. “Okay truth or dare?”

While waiting for her answer, Marinette snuck a glance over to Alya who mouthed call me later over to her.

Feeling slightly confused, she gave Lila an easy truth after she responded. She already knew she wouldn’t get an honest response anyway.

Marinette raised an eyebrow at her best friend, wondering what she was talking about. Alya glanced pointedly at Adrien before her gaze flicked back over to her.

Carefully, she snuck a peek over at the boy sitting next to her. Her own cheeks lit up as she noticed that his entire face had turned red. Her stomach fluttered giddily at the sight. Had she caused that?

Oh, Marinette was definitely calling Alya later tonight. Now she was just dying to know her perspective! She had to know when Adrien started blushing!

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