#I think that's every mlb fan though

[smolmakerel]

"Dos oruguitas... enamoradas... pasan sus noches y madrugadas..."

Sam (ladybug miraculous holder Mariquita [Ladybug], to be specific) stepped out of the portal created by the holder of the rabbit miraculous. Her eyes were wide as she took in the ruined Paris.

Buildings were tipped over and somewhat shattered. A thick fog surrounded the edges of the city, or at least as far as Sam could see, and threatened to come forward and smother her. Glancing down towards the streets, Sam could see they were flooded with water which was steadily rising.

What the hell happened here?

When Sam first came to Paris for a job opportunity (a clever cover for whenever she saw her mother), she never expected to be gifted a pair of earrings for protecting the city from a magical terrorist. She never expected to have a partner, Gatita [Kitten] who acted like she was years younger than her (which, she probably was considering how much she talked about having to get home before her mother came back) who wielded the power of the black cat's destruction with ease.

What she never expected was to see her sister again - so close where she could touch her and not observe from afar.

She didn't want it to be under these conditions, either.

And if Christina hadn't mentioned Tara to her boss before dad... he left, she probably would've left Tara alone in Woodsboro.

"Llenas de hambre..."

Sam looked around in confusion. She knew she heard somebody singing when she first stepped out of the portal, but she figured she had imagined it.

Swallowing, Sam spun her yo-yo around and walked forward with caution. She could see the singing person sitting on the edge of what used to be the news and media tower. They were clad in all white leather, rocking back and forth without a thought.

It was sad to look at. Like a child zoning out to help deal with the pain.

Sam knew what that was like. She knew she deserved to feel that way, though, for what she did.

Leave.

Wait.

"Gatita?" Sam called out.

The singing stopped.

The person tilted their head to the side, the leather ears on their head flicking back before shooting up. They stand up and - oh.

Sam felt sick to her stomach.

"Mariquita!"

That was her partner. But... it wasn't her at the same time.

Gatita was staring at her with a wide grin that suited the Cheshire Cat more than her, and she was thin as a twig. It was as if she hadn't eaten in days.

Maybe months if what Tikki said about how the miraculous could help survive your body for a long while was true.

"You're back! I thought I lost you forever!" Gatita's voice wobbled with tears pent up over time. She took a step closer to Sam who, in turn, took a wary step back. "Oh... You're scared of me."

Sam shook her head. "I'm not scared of you, Gatita. But you... you are akumatized."

She stopped spinning her yo-yo and inched closer to her partner. She was staring at her feet, so Sam gently lifted her head by cupping her face. Gatita's breathing shuddered as she took in the warmth. It hurt Sam's heart more than she would admit.

"Save me..." Gatita whimpered.

Sam nodded. "I will! Where - Where's your akuma?"

Gatita closed her eyes and took Sam's hands in her own. She brought one of them to her chest - over her heart.

"It's right here. I... This kitty got into a bit of trouble and couldn't get out of it."

Sam nodded. "Ok. I got you." She hugged her partner and held back her tears. She had grown to love the troublemaking cat like another sister. "I'll help you."

"You're already helping me."

Before Sam could question the change in tone, she was grabbed by her wrists and thrown above Gatita. Her back hit the roof, and the air exited her lungs harshly.

"F-fuck..." Sam gasped.

"Cataclysm!" Gatita grinned down at Sam. "Once I get your miraculous, none of this'll even matter anymore!"

Sam rolled out of the way and spun her yo-yo in a hurry. Part of the roof turned to ash beneath Gatita's hand and crumbled away.

"Gatita!" Sam dodged another attack.

Gatita screamed. "That's not my fucking name anymore!"

Sam backed away. Her foot hit the ledge. She looked down at the water.

"It's Cheshire now," she growled out. "And she doesn't want to take your miraculous from your corpse."

"You aren't getting my miraculous ever!"

With that, Sam flung herself backwards.

Cheshire dove after her. "You can't run from destiny, Sam!"

... What?

Sam gaped at the cat as she fell. "What?"

Cheshire's grin grew wider. Sam felt nauseous.

"Sam Carpenter! Samantha..." Cheshire raised her hand. "Cataclysm!"

Sam hit the top of a bus and flipped backwards away from the cataclysm. A burst of negative energy shot out in a ring around them, and the water rippled below.

"How..." Sam began with wide eyes, "How do you know my name? We aren't -"

"Supposed to know who each other are?" Cheshire finished for her. She stood up and shook her hand off. "I found out who you were. And look what I did because of it! What we did because of it."

Sam looked at the sunken Paris and took notice of the moon shattered in halves.

They did this? Then where was the future Mariquita?

Cheshire cocked her head and smiled at the unasked question. "Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to."

Her face dropped into a scowl, and she raises her arm. A ball of white cataclysm was between her fingers, ready to snap and shoot at Sam.

"Now give me your miraculous!"

●○●○●○●○

Tara blinked as she watched Mariquita exit her room using the window.

"Mariquita?" Tara mumbled, a half smile on her face.

Today was tough for her. It was the anniversary of Sam officially leaving her when she was so young. She had her suspicions that Sam planned on leaving on her 18th birthday, but had to wait until she had more money to do so.

She told Mariquita about how this week would be tough for her, and it looked like she was trying to cheer her up.

Tara smiled.

Mariquita... She was like another sister to her. Deep down, Tara knew she could never replace Sam, but all Sam's been doing since they've met in Paris was piss her off. Mariquita, on the other hand, was Sam before Papi left.

Helpful, nice, loving.

Now? She was kind of annoying. Always stalking Tara in some way.

Tara wanted nothing to do with her. She left for years and decided to reconnect when Tara was grown up and resentful?

Shaking away her thoughts, Tara approached the note left on her bed. She picked it up and frowned.

"What's the hold-up, Bangs?" Plagg flew out from the inner pocket of her jacket. He snickered at her bewildered expression. "What? Cat got you tongue?"

"Sam?" Tara muttered, running her fingers over the signature. "Why would Mariquita give me a letter from Sam?"

Unless...

Tara gasped and nearly dropped the letter. Frantically, she tore the paper open and read it, feeling tears spill down her cheeks.

Plagg, fortunately, stayed quiet while she took the letter in.

She smiled. Then she frowned. "But... if Sam and Mariquita are one and the same, then I..."

Plagg began to panic, showing her a wheel of stinky camembert cheese. "Who cares about Mariquita? We should totally cat out on this delicious cheese!"

"I've got to talk to her! I have to apologize!"

Sam being Mariquita made a hell of a lot of sense!

Mariquita. She was always there for Gatita whenever she did something stupid. Always eager to try and shield her even though Gatita was there to shield Mariquita. Paris couldn't be saved unless Mariquita stopped trying to sacrifice herself and casted her Lucky Charm.

Sam... She was always near where Tara was. Always trying to talk to her. But Tara shoved her away, venom stinging her words, until Sam backed off.

You can't be hurt if you hurt them first.

How could Tara do this to Sam?

"Plagg, I need to go see Sam!" Tara dropped the letter with a firm nod. "I need to -"

"What?! Kid, you can't reveal your identity to her! You aren't even supposed to know who she is!"

Tara smirked. "Who said I had to tell her who I am? She'd probably make me give up being Gatita, and that can't happen."

"Wait! Let me at least finish my cheese!" Plagg cried.

"No time to lose! Plagg, claws out!"

○●○●○●○●

Sam hopped around the fallen Eiffel Tower with Cheshire hot on her trail. The cat was still flinging bursts of cataclysms at her.

"Cheshire, you have to stop!" Sam yelled.

Cheshire's ears flattened. "Stop? So we won't know who each other is?! Why would I do that when I can take your miraculous?!"

Sam flinched away as a cataclysm stings near her arm.

"Lucky Charm!" Sam tossed her yo-yo up and caught... a mechanical pencil?

Cheshire scoffed. "I wish I could rewrite what happened in the past, but there's only one way to do that now."

Sam ran away from the multiple cataclysms sent at her.

"You can't hide from me forever, Sam!"

Sam hid on top of the fallen tower. She spun her yo-yo as she waited for Cheshire to come up.

"Samantha..!" Cheshire sang with glee. "I know you're up here... Did you know that if a person has both the ladybug and cat miraculous, they can grant one wish? I have a perfect wish, Sam... Don't you want to be together forever? Two peas in a pod, thick as thieves! Dos oruguitas."

Had Sam not been in such a panic, she would've noticed that phrase. She would've noticed that only one person called them that.

She would've noticed that Tara was Gatita. Was Cheshire.

But she didn't.

Sam revealed herself and threw her yo-yo at Cheshire. It wrapped around the baton attached to her back and yanked it back into her hand. Cheshire growled in surprise.

"Your time's up, akuma!" Sam broke the baton and - "What?"

Nothing.

Cheshire called her cataclysm again. "Stop trying to leave me! You can't leave me!"

She slammed her palm on the tower, and spider webs crept towards Sam. She didn't have any time to swing her yo-yo before she was falling a hundred feet into the water below.

Cheshire breathed heavily. She shook her head. "No no no no! SAMANTHA!"

She pulled at her hair and laughed.

●○●○●○●○

Sam sat down beside Danny with a sigh. She met him in New York sometime after leaving California. They became... close... and now he's trying to help her reconnect with Tara.

Trying being the keyword there.

Once Sam heard Christina was moving and taking Tara with her to Paris, she used almost all of her money to buy a plane ticket. Danny, the stupidly handsome man, decided to tag along and pay rent for a shared apartment. From there, he helped establish their cover story for why they moved to Paris.

She appreciated the help, but it was really unnecessary.

Danny only gave her a look of disbelief, and Sam relented.

"Did you give it to her?" Danny asked.

Sam sighed. "Yeah."

"Then why are you so sad still?"

She shrugged.

She wanted to be in Tara's life again, but she didn't think Tara would want to let her in again. She was more of a big sister to Gatita than to Tara.

And she deserved it. She left. She left Tara all alone with that woman. It was all her fault.

"Sam." Danny nudged her.

Sam didn't bother looking up. He probably was going to say something so attractively stupid in an attempt to make out under the Eiffel Tower.

"Sam?"

Now that's new.

Sam snapped her attention up to see Tara. She came.

Tara looked nervous around Sam, shuffling on her feet, but she was determined.

"I uh... I got your letter," awkwardly, Tara said. Her eyebrows come together in distress. "Did you mean it? That you'll never leave me? That you'll always be there?"

Sam stood up slowly. She stepped forward and took her sister's hands in her own. Smiling, Sam nodded.

"I meant every word."

Tears wobble on Tara's eyelid. "¿Prometes? [Do you promise?]"

Sam brought her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. "Nunca romperé este. [I'll never break this one.]"

Tara began to cry.

And Sam was true to her words. Much to their mother's disapproval, Sam and Tara became close again.

Tara kept her identity as Gatita a secret from Sam, and Sam did the same. Tara felt like it didn't really count since she knew Sam's hero identity.

She was guilty. Sam kept next to nothing from her while Tara remained guarded at all times. At least, with part of her life. It was like she wasn't opening up to Sam at all.

And Sam obviously felt that way, too.

She was leaving Paris. She was leaving Tara. She was leaving. Again.

Fucking again.

Tara wanted to lash out when she saw the tears, but Sam had already ran away. Fuck her, then! Tara didn't... she didn't... need her...

She would be lying.

It was suspicious how fast the akuma came. And it was headed straight for Sam.

At first, Tara hated to admit, she thought about letting the akuma get her sister. She was so angry at Sam for breaking her promise. But then how would Tara stomach hurting her akumatized sister?

She revealed herself while cataclysming the akuma.

She didn't expect that information to get back to the villain.

○●○●○●○●

Sam hit the water and shivered. It was freezing.

She looked around underwater as she put her yo-yo to her mouth to breathe. She spotted two figures on the ground, frozen in time.

She swam down towards them and gasped. One of them was the villain. The woman had her arms up and blocking something.

The other one...

Sam's eyes went wide. She reached out and touched the scared face of herself. She crumbled away in the water.

Nauseous, Sam swam to the surface and threw her yo-yo at the nearest building. On her hands and knees, Sam dry heaved and shook all over.

"Do you see now? Why I need you miraculous?"

Sam shook her head. "No, this can't be the only way..!"

"Dios mio..." Cheshire groaned, head tipped back. She stamped her foot on the ground. "You saw what I did. What I became. You can't save me. I was doomed from the start."

Cheshire held out her hand, eyes begging for Sam to cooperate. "Please, Sam. Please give me your miraculous, and we can fix everything together! You won't have to leave me!"

Sam took the opportunity to grab Cheshire's tail-belt and break it, but no butterfly.

Cheshire scowled. "You aren't even listening to me. But I should be used to that by now, right?! No one ever listens to what I want! I'm always left behind!"

Cheshire began to cry. "Why do you keep breaking your promise?! Why can't you stay with me?!"

Sam couldn't dodge the kick to her stomach and laid on the roof in pain, grasping at the spotted armor on her body.

Cheshire shook her head, muttering to herself. "No, you can't hurt her. You need her, she needs you."

Sam backed away, holding her stomach. She knew she was cowering on the ground while Cheshire gathered herself, and that wasn't a smart move on her part. However, she would rather face her partner when she had more clarity than when she talked to herself.

"If I can't have your miraculous, then no one can! Mega Cataclysm!" Cheshire's hands began to shake as she raised them to the sky, a large ball of growing white on her palms. "I'll destroy everything! Not a single fucking atom will be left of the universe when I'm done! ¡Y ese es una promesa que nunca solucionaré! [And that's a promise I'll never break!]"

Sam clenched her jaw. "Wait!"

Cheshire stared at her expectantly.

"I'll give you my miraculous! Just stop! Please!"

The Cataclysm flickered out of existence. Cheshire shook her sore wrists.

"Sorry it had to be like this, Sam." She didn't sound particularly sorry. In fact, she was gleeful.

Sam stood and bit her lip. Cheshire tapped her foot, impatient.

It reminded Sam of Tara, in a way.

"I'm sorry you ended up like this, Gatita," she said.

Cheshire rolled her eyes. "It's Cheshire now."

Sam closed her eyes as Cheshire walked over and rested her head on Sam's chest. Her tense body relaxed against the older woman.

"But I'll forgive you." Her watery voice made Sam slow in her deceit. "I always will, Sam."

Sam snatched the bell from Cheshire's chest and backed away. Her heart burned at the betrayal in those blue eyes.

"Your time's up, akuma!" Sam broke the bell, and the akuma flew out. She quickly caught it and purified it.

Cheshire changed back into her Gatita.

Gatita looked around in confusion, taking in Paris in silence, and her eyes caught Sam.

"Sam?" Gatita questioned, confused. "Are you ok? What happened?"

Sam fought off the urge to hug Gatita tight and never let her go.

Instead...

"I'm sorry," Sam stated in an attempt to remain formal. "We aren't supposed to know each other's identity."

"You aren't my..." Gatita flinched, hurt at the rejection, but she nodded. "I... understand. It's better this way."

Just then, the portal opened and Cottontail poked her head through. Her ombre hair was frizzy as if she was the one running around fighting an akumatized Gatita.

"Uh, hello? We have to get going!" Cottontail said, hopping around. "What are you waiting for?"

Sam looked down at the pencil in her hand. It clicked in her head.

"I know what to do! Gatita, I know how to fix everything!"

Gatita was surprised at the tight hug she was pulled into, but she welcomed it nonetheless. She inhaled Sam's scent and nodded.

"You always do," she chuckled. "I trust you, Sam."

Sam pulled back to run to the portal.

●○●○●○●○

Tara didn't know what to do!

How did things turn out like this? Her sister was Mariquita and her mother -

Christina fucking Carpenter was Monarch. She was the villain terrorizing Paris.

All because she wanted to put her fucked up family back together. A family she tore apart with her lies.

But...

Everyone always left because of Tara, right? That's always what Christina told her, and it's been true so far.

No! Fuck!

It was all her fault!

How could Tara do this?!

"Tara! Mi vida [my life], don't listen to her! She's trying to get in your head!"

Sam.

Tara shook her head. She couldn't do it! She wasn't as strong as Sam, she couldn't fight off the akuma already infecting her mind.

"Sammy..." Tara sobbed. "I-I can't..!"

Sam shook her head. "No! You have to fight her! I believe in you!"

Monarch - No. Christina didn't bother saying anything. She simply grinned. She knew she had Tara right where she wanted her.

When Tara blinked, her black leather turned white and her eyes bled from green to blue.

She didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't listen to them! She couldn't... take it!

"Sammy..."

Sam closed her eyes. "It's ok. Te amo, Tara. [I love you, Tara]"

Tara screamed, and the world exploded in a bright light.

○●○●○●○●

Tara blinked as she watched Mariquita exit her room using the window.

"Mariquita?" Tara mumbled, a half smile on her face.

Today was tough for her. It was the anniversary of Sam officially leaving her when she was so young. She had her suspicions that Sam planned on leaving on her 18th birthday, but had to wait until she had more money to do so.

She told Mariquita about how this week would be tough for her, and it looked like she was trying to cheer her up.

Tara smiled.

She walked over and picked up the note. She opened it and read the contents.

'Tara,

Life may seem difficult right now, but I know you'll get through it just fine. I've had my eyes on everyone in this city, and I've seen the amazing things you've done for it. You are special, and you are worth it.

If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always available. I'll always listen.

I know we've only worked together a couple of times because of you being targeted by an akuma, but I care about you. You'll always be important to me, even if we never become close outside of my hero identity.

You matter to people.

-Mariquita'

"Bangs? Kid?" Plagg held up a piece of camembert and looked away, embarrassed. "Don't cry. It'll ruin my cheese mood."

Tara chuckled tearfully. "Sorry, just... Mariquita cares about me."

And, maybe, that's good enough for Tara for now.

~*~

"Dos oruguitas... enamoradas..."

Mariquita sat down next to Gatita as she sang softly into the Paris night.

"Where'd you hear that song from?" Mariquita asked.

Gatita turned her bright gaze onto Mariquita, and the woman smiled. It really felt like she was talking to Tara again.

"It's from a movie that came out a couple years ago, but... when I was younger, a friend and I used to call ourselves oruguitas. It means -"

"Caterpillars."

Gatita blinked in surprise before laughing. "Yeah, I should've figured you knew 'cause of your name and all."

Mariquita smiled. Gatita snuggled close and rested her head on her shoulder.

Mariquita and Gatita watch the full moon behind the lit up Eiffel Tower in silence.

#scream #scream 2022 #scream vi #scream au #my writing #sam carpenter #tara carpenter #fuck christina carpenter #miraculous au #I had an idea and ran with it #Yes I watch mlb. Yes I absolutely despise it. Yes I love it. We exist. #I think that's every mlb fan though #When your abandonment issues are so strong you destroy the world #Tara being the black cat makes so much sense to me #Sam being ladybug is less understandable #BUT Tikki helps Sam realize that it's ok to ask for help and receive help in return #Plagg just likes how relaxed and chaotic his holder is #Plus more cheese for him #If you haven't watched the show at least watch Chat Blanc in season 3 it's one of the only good episodes in that season #And has a lot of angst #Which explains the fuck christina carpenter tag too just so you know #Christina forcing Sam to break her promise and leave Tara 😬 #I'm so tired. I wrote this for 3 hours last night then fell asleep then woke up and finished editing it #Oh well #Sleep is for the weak

[ulquichaan]

Miraculous Ladybug - my thoughts.

Hello!

It's been a while, I know. But I come back to rant yet again! I'm sorry for any mistakes in advance - its 2am and the thoughts won't let me sleep so I have to get them out there somewhere. If you don't want to waste your time - skip it. If you actually want to read it, I'll have a cookie waiting for you at the end of this. :3

My journey with MLB.

Miraculous was that one show that I got to know about through a parody of it on polish yt channel called Surreactor. I didn't know what it was about but it looked interesting and that was a point in time when season 3 was just starting to come out. Sooo, as the curious child I was - I gave it a go. And it captured me very easily.

At first all I wanted is for Adrien and Mari to finally get together. I never had big thoughts about it. Then I got bored between new episodes and just... forgot about it.

After some time however I came back to it. It was somewhere around 4th season airing. I returned to it, watched it all over again and it captured me yet again. I completely fell in love with Adrien as character and started to read loads of fanfiction about the two main heroes. I got invested, started to draw the characters in different settings and what not. I started even posting here on tumblr the rants that blew out about Adrien and about Black Cat holders as a whole just because I was frustrated on how little love he got or that I couldn't find any theories that would make sense.

I made new friend, started to plan stories more than I did before, returned to RP with my old friend through messenger and more.

It was a blow of creativity of mine at that time. You maybe you know of "Sky Is The Limit"? That was the point for me where I had so many ideas that I had to do something with at least one of them. Talking about an overload, right?

Season 4 finale - the best finale in this show in my honest opinion. Though I am based so who cares.

The point is - I deeply fell in love with this fandom for the most part.

And then... season 5 happened.

At first I was hooked. Really. I felt that it was going in the right direction and I even wanted to watch it later so I could see it in order.

Oh boy, did I get disappointed. Very disappointed.

I was never a Senti-Adrien fan, let's be real. But the execution? Even worse.

The finale? The fight yea, fun. But why cut out Adrien out of it???

Chloe as mayor? ARE YOU FOR FUCKING REAL? It's losing braincells more and more.

And I know the plot armor was always evident in this show and all.... but i feel like it was knocked up 10 times or more in season 5 to the point it could beat Game of Thrones seasons 7 and 8. (Yeah, I know what should compare two shows where one is fenomenal and the other has always been trash, but you can't argue with me that seasons 7 and 8 weren't rushed and had very poor execution)

To say that I was angry is an understatement. I HATED season 5 with every fiber of my existence. I still do, but I'm far more calm about it than I was originally. Believe it or not.

I saw all the drama in the fandom. When people complained about the show and other people came in to defend it. And I have to say - I can see where both sides are coming from.

To the people who enjoy it, all of it - I'm glad you do! I really am!

However.

I can clearly see where the hate is coming from and anytime I saw a valid critique I couldn't help but agree with it. There were some awesome responses to that critique even from people who do enjoy the show still, but there were always people who I'll call "white knights".

Aka people who will ride-or-die for the show and always say there is nothing wrong with it!

Oh how I hate this way of thinking....

Little message to those white knights - yes there are pure haters that hate just to hate, but in the spectrum of people who are critiquing the show are also people who loved it and got disappointed. When people are angry/dissapointed they usually feel the need to express themselves and forums like Reddit, Tumblr, Twitter, are just perfect for ranting. I have spent fair share in the horse gaming community to know that every flop will have a retaliation and shutting up people will make them only more angry. :|

I stopped liking the show. Why am I coming back to it?

That's a question that started to bother me just as I was going to sleep.

I have watched Hazbin Hotel (Lucifer my beloved) and fell deeply in love with it. I always liked Vivzie's Hellaverse being it Helluva Boss and now Hazbin, but there is something that just came back to me.

I started yet again imagining Adrien and Marinette but in the helllaverse. Or what if I merged hellaverse and Miraculous together in some way. Or other crazy ideas that will never see the light of day.

It's always those two characters for the most part. But the moment those two show up, the rest of Miraculous cast does too.

I fell put of the show. I don't like it. Why do I keep coming back?

My thought is - the fandom and the work it did for the characters.

I have always loved to read fanfiction even it came to miraculous. And it's always SO MANY! With many different variants of the world or entirely different settings. Ofc there are some bad fics, but the good ones are those that captured my heart and made me love the characters even more.

Let's put in some examples (and recommendations if you want to check them out):

Happiness by Somewhere_Out_Here

Once a Thief, always a Thief by @saijspellhart

Bakery Enemies by @buggachat

Heaven in hiding by @livinglittlelie

I'll guess your heart, if you guess mine by PurpleHeartsOne

Chat Blanc's Moon Waltz by @rileyclaw

The comic dubs by PhantomSavage

The little comics like "Passionate Kiss" by @edendaphne

All of these are just very few examples from multitude of content I devoured when I was in the love stage for MLB. And those things are STILL SO GOOD. (You have to check it out if you haven't already)

The point is - the fandom fell in love with the concept and if not that, then the characters. Yes, they aren't perfect. Some would say they are very much Mary Sue-ish. Some would say they are badly written. While the fact is - the characters themselves aren't badly written, the plot is just badly handled.

I can see why people love Marinette, she is quirky, funny and her ideas, while absurd most of the time, they work. And that's fine! She is supposed to be creative and what not. A great friend to have in corner, that for sure :3

Adrien on the other hand is supposed to be a bundle of issues that come with living a sheltered life and the want to be free.

(The movie handled Marinette much better than the show, let's be real here)

Sad fact - the writers of the show couldn't handle all of the potential they set up. But the fandom could and that's what's beautiful in my opinion.

The show may not be a masterpiece but they made some aspects of it so enjoyable and investing (love-square) that other people decided to execute those good things in their own stories and create something else.

The characters are just so easy to put into other stories too. Because they are written in the way they are (even if poorly handled at times) the aspects of them are very flexible, which in turn makes them easy to incorporate into other AUs.

For me it proves that you don't need a very complicated and deep character to make your story memorable. Even tho that certainly helps depending on your story. Miraculous was really lucky it got that creative fandom in the first place.

And this is what is beautiful.

Ending, some plans of mine that who knows if they will see the light of day. :]

This is only for those who are interested what I have been up to and what do i plan with this blog:

I am not quitting tumblr, oh no. I'll be probably reposting some stuff that I like from time to time.

I am returning to write "Sky Is The Limit", however I am completely rewriting it for the.... 7th time? Something like that. I doubt I'll finish it anytime soon at this rate and if I get the need to draw I might draw few characters from there or designs I have planned.

I have a very big project in mind that I might probably make a new blog for. It's still just an idea but I getting closer to actually being made so stay tuned.

I will start posting stuff from Hazbin Hotel. I fell deeply in love with Lucifer's character and you can't unglue me from that duck man!!

Other than that I went to university and I'm enjoying my time here so yeah.

And here is your cookie for reading all that! You're a legend!

(I'm open for any discussions as long as they stay respectful. Feel free to DM me :>)

#miraculous ladybug #chat noir #tales of ladybug and cat noir #mlb adrien #mlb #mlb rant #my thoughts #i cant sleep #its 3am #i need to wake up in 3h #goodnight to yall! #honorable mentions #buggachat #saijspellhart #livinglittlelie #rileyclaw #edendaphne #phantomsavage #somewhere_out_here #PurpleHeartsOne

[theasterous09]

Alright, so I've been off the internet for a few days because I was reading a fanfic (unsurprisingly), and it's a popular Boboiboy x Boku No Hero Academia fanfic (Elemental Hero), and it's so good but I'm so sad that it's still a WIP and it's been a year since it had a new chapter.

Anyway, I'm not that sad about it (kidding, I'm depressed), but I can't help but think of other crossovers for Boboiboy after reading it.

Obviously, I've thought about a crossover between BBB and RC9GN. It's an interesting concept actually, and it works well in my head. But recently, I've been thinking of a different series other than RC9GN that would be a cool x-over for BBB.

Miraculous Ladybug

Listen, I already said before that I don't really like MLB (I used to be a fan, but ehh-), but that's because of how it is written. It is so poorly executed that I just gave up on it, I like to look at the fandom's works more than the canon series at this point. I like the concept and potential the story that Miraculous has, and I think it's being wasted on.

That is one of the reasons why I love imagining a crossover between BBB and MLB. Like, seriously, I know that BBB is a pretty obscure show, and isn't as well-known as MLB, but I really thought there'd be more crossovers of them??? Wouldn't it be an awesome idea for Marinette, Adrien, and co. to enter the BBB universe? Or even the Kokotiam gang to enter the MLB universe? With plenty of villains on both universes, there'd be plenty of writing potential for these two shows together.

Personally, since I'm in the BBB fandom atm, I've been daydreaming thinking of a story where it's the Koko gang that somehow ends up in the MLB universe (thanks to the many amounts of crossover fics and that Elemental Hero fic I've read, I've thought of a way how they got there + it's easier to think of how they got there than how MLB characters would in the BBB universe). They have to find out how to get back to their world, while trying to fit in in Paris so they don't attract too much attention. The latter obviously fails when villains appear and, like the heroes they are, tries to save the day, but they bump into the local heroes of this world: Ladybug and Chat Noir (with additional other heroes depending on the timeline of MLB). Weird shenanigans ensues and the gang escapes from being questioned by the two heroes.

Now, Ladybug and Chat Noir are on the hunt to find the 5 weird people who had powers (just like them, but somehow more different), the gang tries to find someone who can help them find a way back home, and ofc, Hawkmoth (or Shadowmoth or Monarch, idk when this takes place in MLB honestly) takes a liking to these weird, new comers and tries to take advantage of them. And a new (or old?) threat appears from Boboiboy's world (somehow, idk) and tries to form an alliance with Gabriel so that they can both get what they want.

How will the Kokotiam Gang get home? What will Marinette and Adrien do to find those weird people with powers? Once they find them, what then? Will Gabriel be able to get the Miraculouses now that he has a bigger threat? Who would the mysterious villain from BBB's universe be? And will Marinette still be pining over Adrien like in the original series?

That last question, if I were to write this, then I wouldn't do that. I seriously hate writing romance, and Marinette pining over Adrien in almost every episode is boring. So, romance wouldn't be the main focus of the story.

But for the rest of those questions? Honestly, idk. I don't have the motivation to make this into an actual story. I still plan on writing RC9GN: Ninja Watchception once I get the motivation to write again.

Though, it is nice to dream.

#boboiboy #miraculous ladybug #bbb #bbbg #mlb #crossover #x over #WHY ISNT THIS KIND OF CROSSOVER MORE POPULAR?? #LIKE IT IS SO INTERESTING TO ME #I wan a writr abt it #but my motivation jar only has one cent in it #oh well #back to daydreaming

[randomimagesofspongebobgames]

1,442 followers!!

First off, i'm glad that this account is continuing to thrive! Even though I have been a bit too busy to update the queue I have worked to check each and every tag if I can!

I'm getting there with Lights Camera Pants at the moment though working through putting up some flash games as well to hopefully not drown everything in TOO much Lights Camera Pants haha.

I'm thinking about direct links to videos I'm getting materials from now. I have a current queue of 217 images which at my current rate will take a while to reach 0. I still have some stuff in the queue that was from all the way I started. I'm wondering if to wait for the queue to deplete or if I should start linking now. It might be confusing based on how I do my postings since I love to click that shuffle queue button after getting a bunch of images. I will still obviously be updating my FAQ but I'm wondering if I should go a little step further. I haven't fully decided yet but if I end up just going with links now you might see a lot of stuff in the queue that isn't fully linked mixed with stuff that is.

Things i'm considering for the blog also: Fan games, Mods, and Games that Include Spongebob. For each of these - unlike the main games - I will try to include a note that categorizes them based on these descriptors. Aka I'll note if they are not official Spongebob games or are games that use Spongebob's likeness

For explanations click the Read Below!

FAN GAMES:

This one is going to be the most vague admittedly and hard to define as what I apply as applicable to this blog. I understand that most Spongebob fan games lately are horror material or may contain mature topics. Even games that I was considering (If you've seen my FAQ you know i'm familiar with Around The Clock At Bikini Bottom.) may contain swearing, death, horror material, etc. So it's sorta matter of would these sorts of subject matters are befitting to this blog or not.

Though there are some games - at least right now - I'm gonna sorta avoid putting on just because they're a little too out of the realm of Spongebob. Stuff like Mr. Krabs Overdoses on Ketamine, SpongeGlock SquarePants, and Sinister Squidward. Also, some of them are just a little TOO MUCH for me lol (especially Sinister Squidward.)

Also, let's be honest, there are a lot of SpongeBob games out there that's made by younger audiences (Which I don't want to bully) or by greedy scammers trying to get money by putting Spongebob on a bike game or creepy dentist game (Which I don't want to give attention to.)

MODS

For Mods I will not be doing just simple reskins (unless the reskin is large in scale such as BFBB Winter Wonderland and Battle for Boo-kini Bottom.) Aka I won't pick mods where it's just Spongebob in Sonic Adventure 2 or Sonic in BFBB. I'll probably pick ones that are specifically mods for Spongebob games.

When approaching this particular subject i'm thinking of stuff such as BFBBMix but I understand there are probably not a lot of Spongebob mods under those sorts of criteria.

SPONGEBOB-INVOLVED

This is just a coined term for things that include Spongebob in some way such as Nicktoons Unite! / Spongebob Squarepants and Friends Unite!. I'd probably skip on material that doesn't have much to actually offer in content (Nicktoons Racing, Nicktoons Party Blast, Nicktoons MLB.). I want to use games where Spongebob characters have an actual impact on the game through dialogue or story (so things such as All-Star Brawl 2 Campaign could count since each of the characters has active dialogue!) However, i'll try to keep the focus on Spongebob and Spongebob characters!

#ooc #ask

[yourmissnobody]

Why Shohei Ohtani?

So this year I just got into baseball sports, though I have already tried it, but God didn't bless me to be a pitcher or hitter. I think it started last May when I just followed Shohei on Instagram like nothing else. Then here comes August, where it all starts with admiring him more. To tell you honestly, I never found any athletes because they are kind of out of my league. I have never been into sports, though I kind of appreciate some athletes like LeBron, Kobe, and some iconic athletes. I was never a big fan of them. Then Shohei came out of nowhere (LOL) and kind of appreciated his face, body, and height. So I kinda eyeing on him. The. I started to watch clips of his games. Damn girl, the way he hits those baseball balls is so amazing, as is the way he pitches and throws. I cannot say more. He is a very talented person, and he is so good at baseball. So there I started to be fan, and heres my thing call me weirdo or what but whenever I am a fan of a certain artist I kinda leave them message in Instagram and Message them to encourage or appreciate them. I know they don't have time to read fan mail or messages, but what if God gave me a chance that they might open and read my message? Like, who knows, maybe one day—not today, but one day—they might be able to read my message for them. So I've been leaving him messages and congratulating him whenever he wins and all. Never in my life have I had standards for a man, but when Shohei came, booooom! He is now my standard for men. I don't know why, but I always like men who are out of my league, like impossible to reach or meet. I always prayed that one day I would meet Shohei live, watch every game he had, and clap and give standing ovations even if others were not. I will remain his fan, even if others hate him or do not like him. I always promise myself that my dream of meeting Shohei won't just be a dream; it will become real in life. I don't know Shohei personally that much, but seriously, I think he's a great guy, not only as a player but also as a person. You see, I am really a fan of him because of every detail he had, like his soft hair (though I don't know if it's soft just by looking at the videos; they're kind of soft), down to his face and cute nose and cute little smile, down to his broad shoulder (ooh, the shoulders are always my thing, hihih), to the big biceps and veins in his hands, down to his strong legs and all. His art is a beautiful art—perfectly flawed but very beautiful art. Then I watched his games and subscribed to MLB (I'm just going to watch the internet because LA and PH are so far away).

Aside from his physical appearance and being a great player, one thing I really admire about him is how motivated he is in baseball, how organized he is in his life, and how he plans everything to reach his goal. (Watch his documentary at Disney; you will understand him more.) Wow, this person knows himself so well, and here I am, your little Miss. Nobody is lost in the woods! As a person who is demotivated in life lately, as a person who has been lost in life, as a person who doesn't know what to do, as a person who has been tired of life and who has been wishing to become a leaf (yes, that's me, as a person is me), I am really amazed by Shohei. I wish I had the qualities like him, I wish I had the guts like him, I wish I was strong enough to face challenges instead of running away, and I wish I was confident like him. I really wish I was like Shohei; maybe today I'm not a sad person. Maybe today I am not suffering a lot; maybe today I was on the greater version. But yeah, all are I wish, and I was. I cannot even act on it (lol, silly me). Seeing Shohei kind of gives me motivation to try harder in life; he's kind of my role model right now. That's why I'm a fan of him. If only this letter could reach him (haha, I will be honored), these are the reasons why I admire him a lot. His physical appearance and being a good player are additional points to him. What I admire most about him is how he is handling his life.

If I am given a chance or this thing could reach you, this is what I can say.

Dear Mr. Shohei

I know you don't read fan messages, but just in case this thing reaches you, I would just like you to know that I admire you so much, not just as a player but also as a person. I'm going to be the No. 1 cheerleader for you, will clap my hands, will shout your name, and will stand for you even if no one else does. I will always believe in you, even if others do not, and I will always get you back. I will always pray for your good health and safety. May God take away the pain that you feel today. No matter what you have gone through, you have won. I am proud of you.

AYRA

#major league baseball #mlb #shohei ohtani #japanese #athlete #letter #handsome

[blubushie]

So this an analysis of a song as it pertains to Jesse and Mundy and their relationship as of Chapter 13. Warning I get... massively in-depth about this. Blessing of braintrot. I did this instead of writing. 😅

The song is Oklahoma Smokeshow by Zach Bryan.

Go on and put on that dress that all the bad boys like I know your daddy ain't home so ride with me tonight You always wind up here in a puddle of tears

Just them tbh. Jess is staunchly against dresses (and skirts!) but for this one day she says fuck it and wears a skirt (to impress Mundy of all things). Meanwhile, Charles is recovering from his whole incident, so it's not like he's able to stop her. These verses can be seen as Mundy acknowledging that despite his plans for the night and how much he's going to devote himself to protecting Jess, they're still in Vegas, Jess is still probably gonna get pissed, and she's gonna be even more Jess. This can be seen as him saying "Ok, go ahead and doll up, there's nothing in our way tonight, we can have some fun and you can act a little crazy and I'll be there to pick up there inevitable pieces when shit hits the fan."

Them boys are out and they're angry and they're looking for blood In the back of a blue old pickup truck You got nowhere to go although you're all gussied up

Not really applicable unless you consider the Valley Vultures, but that's not that big of a deal and Jess also wasn't dressed up them.

There's so much whisky in his coke it'll make her nose bend

The first hint that Jesse gets that Mundy hasn't quite kicked his alcoholism is when he lets her have a sip of his Hemingway champagne and she tastes how strong it is. Mundy doesn't drink soft spirits--he doesn't do wine or spritzers or light cocktails, though he does like beer. Mundy drinks hard liquor--whisky, bourbon, brandy, absinthe. This man drinks bushshine. He drinks to get drunk and forget. Small vices kill your big dreams.

But she swears that his love is a damn Godsend She's known God since she was a child

Jess is Catholic, was raised Catholic, and is very much of the "everything happens as god's intention" variety. She's also of the "but sometimes shit just happens" variety. She's not sure what category Mundy falls in, but she's happy enough with him that she thinks it's the former.

She used to play in the yard and she would dream of one day Till the world came around and took her dreaming away Told her how to dress and act and smile

100% Jesse. The world that came and took her dreams--her aspirations of a baseball career--were largely things she couldn't control (such as MLB not allowing female players). This, coupled with her mother insisting that Jess be a proper lady, is what led to her rebelling and joining the boy's baseball team and going stealth. Even when she was discovered it was mostly alright, but Donovan persisted and that's where things fell apart.

She's an Oklahoma smokeshow

Ok neither of them are from Oklahoma but let's be honest, they're both smokeshows. For Jess: Mundy especially thinks this when he finally sees Jess gussied up. For Mundy: Jess is just always thinking this all the time.

He's an asshole from back home

For Mundy: "Back home" as in rural Outback NSW. And let's be honest, he is a little bit of an arsehole. For Jess: This lyric actually fits better for her than him. For Mundy, when he says he's from Tilpa, he has to explain where exactly Tilpa is each and every time. Curse of coming from the outskirts of a town with a population of 15 on the banks of the Darling. But for Jess, "back home" is simply saying "New York." She doesn't even need to say the name of the city itself because there's no confusion between the city and the state. Also Jess is an arsehole at times. Most the time, even.

She'll never make it out alive From that small town bar scene Where small vices kill your big dreams

Whatever dreams either of them had--Mundy of being someone his parents could be proud to say was their son, Jess and her baseball career--are squashed the moment these two stepped foot on the paths that eventually led them to Teufort. And they're both trapped in this small town, where small vices--corruption, greed, lust, cruelty, callousness, arrogance, cowardice--have killed their big dreams. And it's Teufort--there's a fair chance that neither of them are ever leaving TF Industries alive. This job's for life.

He'd take you home but he's too drunk to drive

This has two meanings. One, you can look at it from the perspective of chapter 13, where Mundy is quite literally too drunk to make a return drive to New Mexico and so the pair stay in Las Vegas for the night and fuckstart a relationship. Or two, you can look at it from a perspective of Mundy wanting Jess to be happy and how his vices get in the way of that. You can bet that if Jess ever expressed her secret desire to just go home to her mum and leave Teufort behind that Mundy would make the drive to bring her home in a heartbeat--if he could keep the muzzle on his alcoholism for that long.

I've been here, I've been up all night Thinking 'bout a life with you and I One you'll never know cuz you're a small town smokeshow

This applies to both of them. Both Jesse and Mundy are of the belief that things would never work out between them because of their differences. Jesse loves where she grew up, and Mundy can't handle cities. Mundy loves the bush, and it's fair to say that Jesse wouldn't survive out there without constant supervision.

Both of them stay up at night imagining what their lives would be like if they could just find some middle ground that both find acceptable, but Mundy doesn't do well outside of Australia for too long, and Jess seems to have similar luck outside of the States (looking at the Italy incident) in addition to seeing Australia as some mystical land full of dangerous things (she's not far off, but Mundy doesn't appreciate it).

These two both know that they're likely incompatible, and they've both resigned themselves to their affections only being one-sided, but they still stay up at night thinking about a life with each other despite knowing full well that even if they did get what they wanted, in the end they're likely doomed to be star-crossed lovers.

Go on and put on that dress that all the bad boys like I know your daddy ain't home so ride with me tonight You always wind up here in a puddle of tears

These verses are repeated but there's a hint of resignation in the singer's voice that I think fits Mundy's mood well in the first two scenes of chapter 13. He knows full well what tonight is going to consist of, knows that Jess will be gussied up, knows that he's going to have to suffer through people staring at her and that he'll be angry at that because they don't know her like he does.

He's worried about something happening to her, about her getting too drunk, about the car, about people flirting with her, worst he's worried about the idea of her leaving with someone who isn't him. There's a level of possessiveness here. But he's resigned, and he's deciding that whatever happens, it's alright. He'll be there to pick up the pieces if she needs it. If she needs him.

Those boys are out and they're angry and they're looking for blood In the back of a blue old pickup truck You got nowhere to go although you're all gussied up

This whole song fits well with events of Jesse's birthday, but I think these verses, the last in the song, fit better with the aftermath. This is Mundy acknowledging that once BLU learns of what happened in Vegas they'll be out for his blood--Charles and Liem in particular, with Liem owning that blue ute--but it's also Mundy acknowledging that he'll do Vegas a million and one times until it inevitably catches up with him. You're all gussied up, so let's go somewhere. Even if it kills me.

#learnin the blus #i'm not popping the tf2 tag on this it's too long

[jagged--dust-jacket-analysis]

MLB MOVIE SPOILERS

So I finally ended up watching the movie, and I have so many thoughts! So this is just gonna be one huge giant overview of the good, the bad, and the ugly. and later I will do smaller more in depth posting about it.

So I actually thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Not just in the way a lot of fans of the main series did because it was the first half-way decent content in a while. I genuinely thought this was an amazing movie.

So to talk about it I'm gonna split it up into two topics: Story and "Production" (things like animation, tone, etc.).

Story:

My favorite thing about it is the way the dealt with the Agreste's. From the well written father-son dynamic, to the way each character handled grief. overall their story line was so well done.

I enjoyed the love plot. I think they could've shown the potential of Adrienette a bit more. But they gave Ladynoir the princess treatment. They showcased just why this is the most popular miraculous ship. And it actually worked here, unlike in the series.

The ending also was great (Mostly, more later). The message about the power of love, albeit cheesy, makes sense for all of the overarching story's. Between: Marinette coping with her feelings for Adrien, Adrien coping with his feelings for ladybug, and Gabriel grieving the loss of his soulmate: the power of love is actually a reasonable last message.

Production

I just need to say, this was a Beautiful movie. The animation was spectacular, building off of character designs that didn't work in that particular style and making all of the characters look great! They gave Gabriel the absolute prettiest princess treatment, and made the kids actually look like kids!

The voice acting is wonderful. They were directed so well which really let these talented actors shine. The emotion that's missing from the normal series was excellent. They really went ham.

Probably my favorite aspect from this category, was the "lighting?" It lended itself to keeping the tone of the movie spectacularly. It never felt off from scene to scene. It always fit what was occurring in the movie and felt so accurate to real life. Just it wass overall perfect.

Now, just because the movie was good doesn't mean it is flawless. We probably get a flawless movie once every millennia (exaggeration, but it is rare).

There were things that really worked against this movie. And while I, as I stated above, loved this movoe; it's not without it's issues.

In terms of "production" it was actually flawless. The animation, lighting, voice acting, etc. was super good! Everyone involved in these aspects of this movie.

It's that story telling element that falls flat.

Now while I said the Agreste's were handled well, Marinette was not. Her story arc on confidence was very "streaky." She goes from freaking out about being ladybug, to suddenly being cocky and confident upon meeting Chat Noir. It's inconsistent from the get go and only worsens throughout the series. With her ending being very half-baked in comparison to the Agreste's story line.

There's also the weird build up with her father that really didn't go anywhere. She's rude to her dad throughout the whole movie, and they never really do anything with that. Again, falling flat.

Now, I know above I mentioned I liked the Agreste story line, but Gabriel's character individually had one flawed moment.

When he made the switch from grieving husband to terrorist villain. They really rushed that bit. He goes from being really hesitant of doing the evil thing, to eager like a kid on Christmas to terrorizing the citizens of Paris. It, like Marinette's confidence, occurred too quickly and unnaturally.

Other than these few gripes though, it was a great movie! I enjoyed every bit of watching. I cried several times and laughed just as much. The ending leaves Natalie open to take over the villain role (which I love for her) and foreshadows another movie. Overall it's a fun watch.

I do have more thoughts on specifics about this, but as I said before those things can be their own post.

#miraculous ladybug #mlb #ladybug and chat noir #miraculous awakening #miraculous movie #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ladynoir #ladrien #adrienette #marichat #JDJ-MLB

[mariproducer]

Miraculous Ladybug popularity is mind boggling. For as popular as it and for as many moments people gush about, I don't see anyone praising the show for its characters, story, bold decisions, none of that! Mainly because ask those things are awful

I really do think it's fanon content that makes people stay with the show and keeps it popular, because the canon content is a mess. After all, there isn't much to praise involving the canon content.

Identity shenanigan romance has been done post-MLB release in a smoother, cuter way (points at mmo junkie).

The magical system is interesting at first glance but the show doesn't do a lot with it and it gets stale over time (dust is a really ambiguous idea in rwby, but the show makes up for it with creative and flashy fight scenes using characters' powers).

There's no lasting occurrences or decisions. No "shit hits the fan" moment or a situation where nothing can EVER be the same after it happens, shredding the status quo to pieces and allowing the characters to change and flourish. Even though mlb sets itself up to HAVE these moments in every finale, by the following season, we are back to the same old story of LB and CN vs HM, with nothing really earned or learned at the end of it all. (In comparison, mp100 has an arc that leads to the protagonist changing his mindset and how he makes decisions, Haikyuu has one specific match, hell it's one specific rally, that forces Karasuno to walk back on everything they've learned and start at square one. The Sinnoh PokeSpe arc has a truth exposed to the trio of protags that makes them question their relationship, and eventually they all come out stronger. I think I've made my point pretty clear)

The characters in mlb are cool on paper, but are awful in execution. I've probably talked enough abt how poorly written every member of the cast is in a variety of ways so no elaboration.

Again, I want to say that liking mlb despite all its flaws is okay; there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But I also don't want people to lie to themselves. MLB isn't a well-written show; I'd be pressed to even call it a decent one at all. You can still rework it's ideas and characters into something good. But know that canon is not the one doing that; you are.

#ask #pedanticat #long post #sorry i started rambling abt my other interests i like them a lot #though i do want to note that personally a lot of fanon content retreads issues in the show too #no hate or disdain to fan creators thats their hard work i respect it but sometimes its just not for me

[cadeynmccrory]

Pirates rising star pitcher Anthony Solometo makes history, being the youngest player ever in Double AA, is this a sign of a new trend?

By Cadeyn McCrory on April 24, 2024

Altoona, PA — 21-year-old starting pitcher Anthony Solometo came into the 2023 season just looking to make strides in his game. A year later he made history becoming the youngest player to make a Double AA opening day lineup. 

Solometo made the jump to Double AA Altoona last season on June 17, 2023, after dominating High-A Greensboro. Many organizations take their time with young rising stars, especially pitchers, but the Pirates felt Solometo was ready. The then 20-year-old came in and threw 51.2 innings across 12 games for the Curve, almost leading them to a playoff berth. He returned to Altoona for the 2024 season, which was not a surprise to him, but the news of his new record was.

BSB Writes writer and Altoona Curve season ticket holder Jay Staph has watched Solometo’s progress on and off the field since his June promotion and has been pleased with the results. 

“He's ahead of the competition in almost every way. I've often seen him dominate hitters who are way older than him already," Staph stated. 

The biggest question for teams when they have to decide to promote their young prospects is how this will affect the player in the long term and if the success and health of the player stay intact. One team in a similar boat is the Baltimore Orioles.

High-A Aberdeen IronBirds broadcaster Michael Marcantonini experienced then-19-year-old former first overall pick Jackson Holliday for the first half of the 2023 season. Holliday is the son of former Major League Baseball outfielder Matt Holliday and just recently made his MLB debut on April 10, 2024. At only twenty years old, many eyes started to wonder if this was the new norm. 

“The guys that move quickly through the minor leagues these days are guys with legitimate star potential that have multiple tools that can help an MLB team win games,” Marcantonini explains.  “I think organizations are willing to bet on their young stars figuring it out in the big leagues and finishing their development at the highest level, instead of keeping them down in the minors for more seasoning.”

Not all players grow up with former MLB all-stars as dads and know what a big league locker room and environment are like, but players like Solometo know what it takes to achieve a lifelong goal.

For lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan Ben Majcher, is just happy to know his favorite team is making strides and history with their young talent. He recognizes the difference between rushing a player and realizing when they are ready.

“I’m glad to see players so young getting a chance at higher levels. The Pirates aren’t rushing their prospects even though they are moving quickly,” Majcher exclaims.

One big reason why these young stars continue to come up quicker and quicker is from a new rule implemented before the 2023 season. The rule, Prospect Promotion Incentives (PPI), states that players eligible for Rookie of the Year votes and wins will earn their team an extra draft pick the following season. 

“The possibility of earning a compensation draft pick incentives organizations to bring prospects up quicker too. It also varies by organization and what the state of a franchise is, whether a team is a contender or in a rebuilding/retooling phase, and what their short-term and long-term positional needs are,” Marcantonini explains. 

Another reason that goes hand in hand with PPI is how fast the development and scouting of these players have changed over the last ten years or so. 

“When it comes to younger players in baseball, the skill level of these players is something we've never seen before.” Staph continued, “10 years ago, someone who could regularly throw 95+ in the majors was unheard of, but in today's game, we can see that in high school. I think this is sustainable, especially since players are being scouted younger than ever before.” 

With the ever-changing game ahead, players must be aware that their time could be coming sooner than they ever expected. Teammates of Solometo just last season have already made their debuts but that does not worry Anthony in the slightest.

Five Fast Facts about Anthony Solometo

He is the youngest player in Double-AA history to ever make an opening night roster at 21 years, 4 months, and 3 days old. 

Anthony was originally committed to the University of North Carolina but had zero intention of actually going to school. It was playing professional baseball or nothing!

His first “big boy” purchase from his 2.8 million dollar signing bonus was a car.

In his senior year of high school, it took 17 ⅓ innings to let up his first hit and run. 

In only his third start of affiliated ball in 2022, he was involved in a no-hitter along with four other teammates.

Behind The Scenes of this story:

Anthony Solometo became the youngest player in Double-AA history to make an opening night roster. We talked to Ben Majcher of the Purbalite and Jay Staph of BSB Writes to see if this may become a new common theme in minor league baseball. Aberdeen IronBirds Reporter Michael Marcantonini also gave his thoughts on other top prospects such as Jackson Holliday and what makes these prospects unique. 

Story 4: 

Facebook Post:

Dive into the journey of Anthony Solometo, the youngest player to make a Double AA opening day lineup. From dominating performances to making history, Solometo's rise in the baseball world is one to follow closely. Will others follow suit/ Read more about his inspiring story below! 

Tweet 1:

Meet Anthony Solometo, the youngest player to crack a Double AA opening-day lineup. His journey from High-A dominance to Double AA success is a testament to his talent and determination. 

Tweet 2:

Anthony Solometo's rapid rise in Double AA has baseball fans buzzing. At just 21, he's making history and turning heads with his dominant performances, is this the new norm?

Tweet 3:

Anthony Solometo's journey from High-A standout to Double AA record-breaker is one for the books. With talent, determination, and a bright future ahead, he's a name to remember in baseball's evolving landscape. Will this change the minor league landscape forever?

[sunnyflakes]

So my phone died, I can't find the post I was replying and the only purpose of this is to not forget what I think of "it should have been Adrien" thing (then I can show my arguments again without typing every single time)

I think that since the show started, they introduced Ladybug and Chat Noir as equals (they're not really treated this way, what a surprise) I thought Adrien deserved more screentime and development and I still think this but not him as the protagonist. I'm not saying because his life is boring like a bunch of people do when they argue against the idea. I know it's very interesting exploring sides of a Character who are the centric/fight against someone related and there's a lot of the characters of that trope to proof (same writing roots, different choices and different personalities...). So I understand why fans go nuts about this and about Adrien, writing down aus which he discovers Gabe's doings and fake his own death or runaway from home (since the ml series barely shows him dealing with this. I'm not complaining, though. I understand why they don't show more)

BUT DID YOU GUYS EVEN THINK ABOUT LB/MARI?

She isn't deeply involved in the story like Adrien, she just have a crush on him and that's all. She's got so much potencial as protagonist. Follow me in this: she's not the centric or even are the tragic hero type. She isn't attached or strict to the rules we already know like in the other hero stories. I see beauty in watch hero struggling with their duties because how deeply involved they are and make improvements just as I see beauty in seeing someone who's not to do with that at all become more and more involved in the story by their own will. She's brave, clever, have a strong will and a great sense of duty just because she's is a hero. This shows why she was chosen. She already was all of this before transform, be LB only show up that traits of her.

"But a hero who already is all of that it's boring" WRONG!

It's an opportunity to show everyway hidden, specially bcz she's the brain of the duo. She may have breakdowns in the way but still priorize the main problem, she'll made a plan A, plan B and the rest of the alphabet.

Adrien, otherwise, won't do all of that. He's the heart of the duo, he follows what his emotions says and unfortunately this not the way to win Hawkmoth.

I wish the MLB series could show them as equals since the beginning and balancing each other. Of course their dynamic remains the same because that works pretty well, just a bit differences. Boss Girl call the shots and leads them to victory and Cat Boy obeying and sometimes silent-eye-talk and fighting against akumatized like in the Miraculous Movie, she trusting his intuition, they actually discuss about temporary holders, master Fu lessons and other important stuff partners talk.

Obs: this not include the stupid decisions and acts they made along the series

[erodasfishtacos]

D12 (cock worship) with mlb!harry since he loves blowjobs 😳

To lighten the mood. Have MLB!Harry being a horny pest to his wife 😒

He really fucking does.

It’s in the hotel room after a amazing game by him as like usual.

His wife had pushed him on the sofa in the living area, kneeled in front of him, and put her hands on his knees.

“Think you deserve a reward for such a good game?” She asks in a teasing tone, of course he was already hard, his wife was on her knee as

“Yeah, darlin’. Come sit on m’face,” He replies, licking his puffy lips - he always offered to help her out first like a true gentleman.

“Mm, I was thinking more like a blowie. But if you don’t want one…”

She trails off when his fingers are already weaving into her hair in encouragement.

It was quite funny how much Harry loved a good blowjob - he swore up and down he only become obsessed with them after he had YN’s mouth on him for the first time (it was true).

He lifts his narrow hips when she slides his athletic shorts off his body, cock coming to rest thickly along his pelvis.

YN had only been with a few people (two) before Harry and quickly came to realize that his cock was just pretty.

It was thick enough to stretch every time, lengthy enough to hit all of her sweet spots, and make her struggle to take him all the way down her throat.

Despite how cocky and self-assured Harry was, it was obvious how much he craved his wife’s attention and compliments.

Didn’t give one fuck when a random fan told him he was hot but when his partner of seven years told him that he had a nice cock he still shuttered in pleasure.

“Look so hot, H,” YN tells him softly, fingers tracing up the heat of his shaft, twitching at the contact of her fingertips.

“S’yours, baby,” Harry tells her seriously as watching her raptly, “Belongs t’you, made for you.”

YN loves to mess with him when he’s like this, eyes wide and hazy, lips become swollen from biting at them, “I don’t know, I’m worried you’re going to get tired of my mouth and find someone else.”

Her husband frowns unhappily at that, leaning forward to tug her into a intense, meaningful kiss, “Please, sweetheart. Don’t even joke about that, been obsessed with you since I was nineteen and s’not changing now or ever.”

As she leans down to trace her tongue against the prevalent vein, he pants out, “If anyone was worried it’d be me. Y’so out of my league, darling.”

YN wants to laugh at that, he truly does think she’s out of his league even though of who he is. He’s that whipped for her.

“Don’t think I could leave you, when you got a cock like this,” His wife hums, wrapping her hand around him and giving him a tight squeeze.

“F-fuck, love it when y’talk like that.”

Harry was the dirty talker out of both of them - that shouldn’t surprise anyway.

When she pumps him and leans down to give wet kisses to his ruddy tip, he absolutely whines at the feeling.

“S’nice, H. Love how it fills me up so good. Been in love with it since I first saw it in that dingy locker room,” She praises, words causing vibrations against the already sensitive skin.

“Ang-Angel, if you don’t stop talkin’ like tha’ - I’m going to come too fast,” Harry groans, willing himself to not buck into her hand.

#mlb!harry masterlist #mlbrry #mlb!harry

[xokiddo]

Baseball Headcanons feat. AOT Men ⚾️

In light of Opening Day being cancelled (fuck Rob Manfred and everything he does), here's my attempt to console myself with some baseball headcanons. These will include YouTube links to funny moments in the MLB that I think each character would end up doing if they were Major League players themselves, so enjoy the laugh. Bonus points if you can guess my fave team from this lol

Characters featured: Zeke, Eren, Armin, Levi, Connie, Jean, Floch, Porco, Reiner.

⚾️ Zeke

Obviously, he's a pitcher. Has a crazy arm.

Grows his facial hair out during the season. Refuses to cut it until the team loses and is kicked out of the playoffs - or until they win.

Oddly superstitious. Not quite Wade Boggs' level of superstitious, but is weird about things like eating certain foods or turning the ball in his hand twice before a pitch.

If he's in the National League, he totally hits when he can.

Pitches in the All-Star Game multiple times.

Claims to have a love-hate relationship with Levi Ackerman, despite having drinks with him a semi-regular basis and tweeting shit posts at each other.

Has been the victim of a mascot stealing from him, and he's never recovered since.

⚾️ Eren

Catcher. 100%. Fight me on this.

He’s signed to the same team as Zeke for his rookie year, and they’re a force when they’re on the field together.

Is able to play in an All-Star Game with his brother once, which was a special year for them.

He grows his hair out during the season but doesn’t do the facial hair during the season. Says it gets too hot in the catcher’s mask with facial hair. Frankly, he debates cutting his hair halfway through the season every time because he forgets how hot it can be with all the gear on, but ultimately he gets chewed out by Zeke over the phone every time he considers it.

“Bro it’s just hair—“ “We have a 12-game winning streak do not fucking cut it—“

Eren is notoriously friendly with fans. Will never turn down a kid for a signature or photograph if he can help it. Shadis (his team’s manager) has to practically yank him away from the barriers before a game when he’s caught up signing for kids running up with their memorabilia and a marker.

Only time he’s been ejected from the field is during a spat with Jean, of course, during one of Jean’s at-bat appearances when they were exchanging mumbled, angry words.

They made up after and next series of games, they quickly exchanged a brief bro-hug (you know the one) during pre-game warm ups.

⚾️ Armin

Third Baseman.

Gives me Shohei Ohtani vibes in the sense that he’s an underdog. People don’t expect much from him (throwback to the article saying Ohtani isn’t any better than a high school hitter) and then he blows away expectations in games.

He’s a switch-hitter and I will die on that hill.

Not a power-hitter, but he’s fast.

Fan favorite because he’s a big ol’ softie and a cinnamon roll. On the flipside, this cinnamon roll also can crack a bat if he’s swinging hard enough.

Also super friendly with fans and other players alike. Doesn’t get into beef with anyone, though he’s unafraid to call out executives and front offices when they’re being shady and dumb. He brings facts and won’t be outsmarted.

Has tripped over the base after catching a pop-fly. Levi then signalled he was safe on base while straight-faced.

⚾️ Levi

Pitcher.

Has a literal rivalry with Zeke. However, on the down-low they’re actually good friends.

If one of their teams makes it to the post-season or World Series and the other doesn’t, they do show support for the other.

Proof of the above statement is one year, Zeke’s team made it to the World Series, and Levi’s did not. You could see Levi in the stands during the game, though, sporting a jersey with Zeke’s name on the back. (Zeke did the same for Levi the following year when Levi’s team made it.)

He was on the same team as Jean during Jean’s rookie year, and he took Jean under his wing to help him train and develop into the star player he is today.

Even though he’s had a strained relationship with his uncle, Kenny makes a point to show up to games when he can. Whenever Levi’s team makes it to the post-season or even the World Series, Kenny brings a photograph of Kuchel that he tucks in his pocket and holds when Levi’s at bat or pitching. The games that Levi wins, he clutches the photo and shouts, “That’s our boy!”

Levi doesn’t comment on this in interviews. He keeps it close to his chest because it’s not a moment to share with the world.

⚾️ Connie

Shortstop.

Fan favorite. Resident goofball. Think Brett Phillips. Does the airplane on a home run, the whole nine yards. Everyone loves him because he adds a whole other layer of fun to the sport.

Professional Base Stealer™️

No, seriously. He’s notorious for always trying even if he doesn’t manage to pull it off, though he’s quick enough to always get back to where he was.

He once stole home in a game while Zeke was pitching, who was too shocked to be pissed off about it.

Totally the dude to (playfully) fuck around and joke with the other team’s mascot before a game.

I wholeheartedly believe Connie would pull off this insane play where that Javier Baez did when he stole two bases after playing a weird game of chicken with the first baseman?? You just have to watch, but Connie would completely pull this shit off lol

⚾️ Jean

Second baseman.

He has an on-going beef with Eren, but it’s mostly petty back and forth. They’re actually great friends who just get mouthy before games to rile up fans and excitement.

Has played in the All-Star Game a few times.

Also a switch-hitter.

Unfortunately, in the middle of a World Series game, he threw the ball at his own leg as he fell catching a ball mid-play. He’s never been able to live this down. (Fortunately, they won that game, but this play certainly isn’t forgotten!)

He’s in the same club as Eren as far as the hair goes - during the season, he’ll maintain the sides, but otherwise doesn’t cut it.

Notorious for getting drunk and then going on live on Instagram and just chatting with his followers all night.

⚾️ Floch

Center fielder.

He’s a surprise power-hitter, which people didn’t expect initially because he’s not stocky and bulky. However, he has some strength behind that bat.

Very well-spoken in interviews, so he’s often shoved in front of the camera so his teammates don’t have to do so.

He ends up with the Rookie of the Year award for his breakout year. He’s never taken that for granted, and he treasures being welcomed so eagerly in the Major Leagues.

Kind of a riot on twitter. Doesn’t talk shit to other players, but he’s constantly posting memes and taking the piss out of people he knows that he can get away with.

⚾️ Porco

Right fielder. Can fill in the infield if he has to, but ultimately, he prefers the outfield.

Constantly starts shit with team mascots. It’s mostly for show, but he won’t ever admit that it’s a joke. In an interview, with a dead serious expression, says “Oh, next time I see that shit-head, it’s on.”

Great at engaging with fans. He’s happy to sign memorabilia or take a photo, but he usually prefaces it with, “Only if you show me a picture of your dog.” If they don’t have a dog, he just asks to see pet pictures in general.

His dietitian gets pissed with him because he breaks his diet a lot, but he just loves food, okay?

Ends up with a praying mantis on his hat during an inning in the second half of the game, in the vein of the same hilarious moment with Victor Robles. The damn thing stays on his hat for an entire inning and a half.

⚾️ Reiner

First baseman.

He manages crazy defensive plays, like doing a full-on split while catching to get a runner out from first a la Ji Man Choi in these kinds of plays.

Teddy bear energy. He’s intimidating during a game, but in between plays or at the dug-out, he’s grinning and all around having a good time.

Fucking shines in the Home Run Derby.

Notorious for his batting. Strong infield player in general, but he’s a beast at bat.

Biggest softie when a kid comes up shouting for an autograph or photo. If a kid manages to yell loud enough and grab his attention in a game, he can’t help giving a smile and wave just before the pitch is thrown.

#headcanons by kiddo #zeke headcanons #eren headcanons #armin headcanons #floch headcanons #jean headcanons #connie headcanons #porco headcanons #reiner headcanons #levi headcanons #baseball au #words by kiddo #this was fun to do

[miraculouslycool]

Mlb fix recs???

I gotchu ;D

Dug all these in my AO3 bookmarks.And I don’t know everyone’s tumblr handles so sorry I can’t tag them!

With every heartbeat I have left (I’ll defend your every breath) - by lalaunaoscura (Adrienette - Post Reveal, they’re married in this one, super fluffy, pregnancy reveal in the funniest way ever)

The A Brand New Dawn series by whitebear_ofthe_tribe (3 Parts, still ongoing. Future College AU, but not really lol. Canon divergent from Season 1.)

i think it’s time i told you (i’m a fan of your universe) by a_miiraculer, @clairelutra (Aged up Ladynoir, Pre-reveal, marriage proposal but angsty angsty angsty)

The Other You by @chocoluckchipz and maerynn (Aged up, fashion designer Marinette, Teacher/CEO Adrien, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, the angst and fluff is chef’s kiss)

Smoulder by @midnightstarlightwrites (Canon divergent from season 1 but it’s one of the best older fanfics I have ever read!! Identity shenanigans, super fluffy, super angsty, mutual pining on all sides but extra stupid and dumb and sweet in the best way)

Two Hundred Seventeen Days by @mostlovedgirl-writes and @zenmisery (Made for LoveSquareFluffWeek2020, Aged up Characters, Adrienette fluffy goodness, hella underrated fic, they get fake engaged in this lol) 

Puppy Love by @coccinellesroses (Aged up Adrienette, No Miraculous AU, Fashion designer Marinette adopts a dog named Tikki and needs Dog Trainer Adrien’s help in obidience training ;) )

Makings of a Marriage by @thenovelartist (three-shot of married, post reveal love square, lots of domestic fluff) 

The Open Line by @sariahsue (LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS FIC AND HAVE CRIED ALL THE 40000 SOMETHING TIMES I’VE READ IT OK- made for Ladynoir July 2019, post-Oblivio, Ladybug falls HEAD OVER HEELS for Chat Noir and he is SO confused as to why and they just love and care and respect and just would jump off cliffs for each other AND IT’S JUST SO GOOD HAHA kill me pls)

Lucky Us by PrincessKitty1 / @geek-fashionista on Tumblr (Email AU, No Miraculous AU, Aspiring designer Marinette and Model Adrien, Mutual Pining on all sides, best slow burn EVER, and the dialogue is so witty and well-written and the PLOT ugggghhhh its amazing give it a read)

Second Chances by @thenovelartist (Single Dad Adrien employs Marinette as his daughter Emma’s nanny, so sweet and cute and Dadrien makes me weak I cri)

For This, We Are Partners by BreG21 (Made for Ladynoir July 2019, post-dating, pre-reveal Ladynoir, and might I just add i’m so grateful for fics like this one and The Open Line that have pre-reveal Ladynoir who are so gaga for each other even though they don’t know WHO the heck the other person is and just don’t care no matter what comes their way, they’ll face it together) 

A Bride for The Prince by @chocoluckchipz and @thenovelartist (is it that obvious that I love both their works so much? lol. Royalty AU, Middle Ages, Prince-Adrien-who-moonlights-as-Guard-called-Chat-Noir and Maid Marinette who is pretending to be a Lady to court the prince, it’s so fluffy and cute and I’m a sucker for Royalty AUs)

Bound to Be by @crystaljins (Another Royalty AU ft. Arranged Marriage!! The best combo!! Marinette is the long-lost princess and future queen of a kingdom and she agrees to marry some dude named Adrien who is the prince of the neighbouring kingdom so that she can save her dying adoptive father - it’s soooooooo good)

Discordant Sonata by @edendaphne (BOTH THIS FIC AND ITS AUTHOR ARE ICONIC!!! Enemies AU but they both secretly have a Thing for each other and Chat’s father is Evil and he is forced to be Evil too but this Beetle girl who calls herself Ladybug has melted his heart with her kindness - features Marichat as roommates Who Are Totally Not Falling Asleep In The Same Bed hahahahaha. And Eden is not just a great writer, she’s a fantastic artist too!! I’m dying at how beautiful her DS redesigns for Ladybug and Chat are omg)

(Also is it cheating if I do some self-promo here?)

Right now these are the only three fics I have written that I can actually stand -

Her Light To His Darkness (Canon - Divergent from Season 3, Aged Up Characters. Ladybug is struggling and drowning from the stress that being a guardian offers and as a result hers and Chat’s relationship is strained, but don’t worry, it gets better! Mutual Pining on all sides, I wrote this in 2 months as a coping mechanism, whoopeee)

Laser Pointers (I was inspired by how trigger happy Adrien got in the New York special when it comes to catching Marinette.)

in the dead of night, your eyes so green (mutual pining Ladynoir, aged up, they go on a date as civilians but with their masks still on, very very very long one shot, about 12.6k words and I wrote it in like three days hahaha what was I thinking)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy these!! 

#miraculous ladybug #ml fic recs #ml fanfiction #ml sugar #my fics

[yellowmagicalgirl]

✵ Marigami if you're ok with mlb ships..

Anon, I have watched one (1) episode with Kagami (her debut episode) so just know that this is probably OOC.

who spends hours putting up lights only to get tangled in them and storm off?

Kagami; Marinette has enough experience w/her yo-yo to avoid getting tangled.

who accidentally eats a whole box of christmas chocolates in one sitting?

Kagami since Marinette would have more self-control due to

who insists on watching the cheesey hallmark christmas movies?

My gut instinct is Marinette, but since I saw some gif-set's where Kagami apparently learned how romance works from shojou??? I feel like Kagami would thus be a really big fan of Hallmark rom-coms.

who insists on playing nothing but michael buble in the few days running up to christmas?

...still have never listened to his songs but if there's an obnoxious French pop Christmas song Marinette wants to play it all the time.

who gets their presents wrapped at the mall so the other cant go snooping

Kagami; have you seen how much of a phone thief Marinette is?

who insists on making snow angels?

Kagami; I also feel like she's more comfortable w/the cold since ladybugs hibernate in winter.

who put christmas outfits on all the pets?

Marinette makes special outfits for all pets+kwamis.

Do they go to family’s or have a quiet day in?

They definitely go over to Tom&Sabine's.

who insists on wearing matching ugly christmas jumpers?

Depends. If bought, Kagami. If they're something Marinette made and either she intended them to be ugly or she doesn't realize they're ugly (and Kagami is in a good mood for the latter), Marinette.

Who waits up until midnight to give the other their present?

Marinette out of excitement.

Who insists on hand-made presents only one year?

I mean, Marinette probably does hand-made presents every year so idk what to tell you

Who puts mistletoe on every door frame?

Kagami thinks she's being smooth

Who gets too drunk at the work christmas party and has to be picked up at 9:15pm?

I feel like Marinette's is far more likely, but if she's still Ladybug and her identity isn't publicly known she would be extremely careful about drinking in public, lest she spill her secret.

who gets angry and almost tells kids that santa isnt real?

I mean, didn't Marinette have to fight an akumatized Santa once? I can't remember if he was supposed to be the real Santa or just a man dressed as Santa, though, so that'd affect things.

Send me a ✵ + a ship and i’ll tell you who does what at christmas!

#kaganette #marigami #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #kagami tsurugi #answered ask #anonymous #merry christmas

[emma-d-klutz]

no because where did maribat even come from??

ok so it is SO funny to see this ask coming to ME, because I only watched some of Miraculous so I could get what was going on with the Damian + The Girl content on my dash. That is literally why I know MLB at all. I am not the person to ask the origins!

As far as I can tell, though, what happened is a bunch of people within the Miraculous Ladybug fandom felt stifled in Paris and wanted their favorite girl to exist in a broader superhero universe with other established superheroes to crossover and interact with.

As to why she's paired with Damian... that happened because one person wrote a triliogy of novel length fics by an author who hated every character in Miraculous except for Marinette|Ladybug. In these fics, every other person Marinette knows, including her canon superhero partner/love interest, are awful people who treat her terribly, and she is a pitiful angel who Damian falls in love with at first sight and is feather down soft for. No I have not read these fics, but they were so much the foundation for the whole Maribat thing that all of that is often thrown into other Maribat fan works too.

my personal feelings are that 1. I totally sympathize with people wanting their beloved superhero characters to have a broader canon to play around in 2. I do not think Marinette fits in with Batman stuff at all in her canon characterization and frankly there are other characters from Miraculous who would make more sense, but it can be fun to see it as a transformative thing of like her wanting to be more like a Batman type of character and exploring if that's right or wrong for her and the type of hero she ultimately wants to be. 3. Though I have seen Maribat content ship Marinette with almost any Batfam character, Damian being the most common and pretty much default just reminds me that the MLB fandom skews young, and I am in fact severely old. If I watched multiple seasons of a cartoon over it and often felt disappointed with the children's cartoon, like, that is majorly on me. I am at an age where I could never see Damian as a romantic bad boy and have a hard time remembering that from a 14-year-old's perspective he's probably a beautiful moody ice prince in lot of iterations.

This is more than you asked, but it's your fault for asking.

#maribat #my personal thoughts please no one hurt me #damianette #ask

[whocalledhimannux]

hello my friends it's time for another wildly self-indulgent AU, based on the fact that I spent several hours tonight with two windows open on my laptop, one showing Queen's Thief fic and the other showing the Philadelphia Phillies absolutely crushing the Reds:

Q T B A S E B A L L AU

featuring Eugenides as a hotshot player who is a rediciulous thief of bases (if u click on that link, take moment to pray for Roman Quinn's achilles 😢), incredible speed, no one can touch him, if he gets on base he will be scoring...

...until noted Absolute Asshole Nahuseresh "accidentally" steps on his hand with sharpened cleats (for the grip! he had no idea they would be dangerous! shocked and apalled and apologetic, really!) and causes nerve damage bad enough that Eugenides is more or less forced into an early retirement, reigniting the old Eddisian Griffins-Attolian Lilies rivalry with a vengeance

Helen is the manager (main coach) of the Griffins (she played baseball on teams with her brothers as a kid) and Irene is the owner of the Lilies

a year later, during the off-season, Irene and Eugenides elope, she hires him as the manager for the Lilies, and trades Nahuseresh while making it clear it's not about his playing, which is good, but because he's an absolute asshole. all of this happens in like a week and sports media goes BUCK WILD.

Dite is a very precocious pitcher, Sejanus is a shortstop. Eugenides trades both of them just under the trade deadline because he suspects Erondites is doing some shady Black Sox shit behind the scenes

Sophos is a pretty inconsistent player when he's younger and it's openly speculated he only makes it into professional ball because of nepotism--ironically, once his uncle loses a shit ton of money in a business takeover and has to sell the team to [random rich owner, idk], he really hits his stride and is called up from the minors to play for a major league team under the guidance of the Magus, who is his manager. he's a center fielder. drove his father nuts in his youth because he was always daydreaming instead of paying attention to the ball.

fun side note: like Sophos, I have a scar on my lip that alters my smile. I got mine when a softball glanced off my glove and hit me in the face, and my lip got caught in my braces. so I like to think he gets an injury in this AU in a similar way, lol.

I haven't thought this through for all of them, because it's midnight and I can't be doing this for hours, but major King's Guard/Attendants are Lilies players, cousins/major Eddisians are Griffins, etc. I'm de-aging some of them to make it fit.

MoW (is it weird that's still my default for him?) is a base coach, Ornon is a long-suffering umpire

Teleus is captain of the Lilies and their catcher (for non-baseball fans, the catcher does a lot of directing during the game--helping pitchers choose which pitch to throw, helping to decide if fielders should move back or move in or cover certain gaps)

he does get into a shouting match with Eugenides at one point, on the field, and again, sports media goes BUCK. WILD. the Lilies have so many good unwritten rules/bench-clearing/wtf-just-happened moments during this time.

as a player Eugenides defied a couple of the unwritten rules--he was not shy about bunting or stealing bases whenever tf he wanted to, for example. he dodged a lot of intentional hits from pitchers but he was too damn charming for the fans to be really mad at him

Relius is their general manager at first, the guy in charge of numbers and trades and negotiating. he's kicked out after a scandal but Irene ends up keeping him around. he starts to actually attend games in a private box and watch instead of schmoozing and rediscovers his love for the game.

oooooh I kind of like the idea of most of the attendants being pitchers. pitchers are sort of divas and teams have like 10+ and fans of Certain Teams experience a LOT of exasperation over their pitchers' inconsistent performance (not that I would ever ever point to any specific team and the fact that Lilies rhymes with Phillies means absolutely nothing)

Costis is the first baseman (because TALL) and has a killer batting average, is v close with Aris who plays second base, and kinda sorta accidentally becomes the first out MLB player when he gets caught making out with Kamet after winning the home run derby. oops.

Teleus, who has been successfully avoided winning that title for years, mocks him ruthlessly (although he does have a Glenn Burke kind of deal where his teammates know but keep it private)

Kamet has relatively little interest in sports and there is a lot of online complaining about the fact that he openly grades papers/works on other stuff during games, but hey, this PhD isn't going to earn itself. he does pay attention to Costis's at-bats, though, and gets more invested in the games as he gets to know other players better--he also eventually reveals that he's got a mean head for stats, even if he doesn't feel the need to be watching every second of every game. there are 162 of them for each team and they go on for 4 hours, okay? give him a break.

dear god, I don't even know exactly where Pheris fits in (once he's like. an adult.) but please take a moment to scroll through this page of commonly tracked baseball statistics and appreciate how much Pheris would lose his mind over this game

WAIT no I've got it, Relius becomes the scouting director for the Lilies and Pheris works with him. Moneyball.

the equivalent of the fighting the guards scene at the end of KoA is one day Eugenides is running a practice with the team and lets Laecdomon (one of the pitchers, doomed to be traded soon after) goad him into stepping in the batter's box. Laecdomon goes between strikes and balls that come VERY close to hitting him, including one that almost beans him in the head, but Eugenides manages to hit the ball even with his bad hand, fuckin' zooms around the bases while the team fumbles and commits multiple errors trying to stop him, and leaps over Teleus at home to score.

ok I spent an hour typing this up when I should have been sleeping lmao, but I have written two other baseball AUs for two other fandoms (as a contributing writer/brainstormer for one, tbf) and I am totally down to talk more about this concept if there are other QT baseball fans out there

#queen's thief