#really should change the name to senti-being

[princess-of-the-corner]

The Lost Fic 😔

Okay, This is me just spewing what I remember of that fic I mentioned earlier, cause it was real good, and I want to share. If anyone finds the guy who wrote it, or a reupload or something, send the link/name, this thing was real good!

So, like, I forget the exact starting point, but in this fic, Emilie and Gabriel swap roles, so Gabe’s the one dying from the Peacock, and Emilie is the one left behind. So, Gabe uses the Peacock to impregnate Emilie, so they can have Adrien. I think there was a plot point of how Colt used it first to impregnate Amelie, and that’s how it got broken? Like Amelie and Emilie are thinking about using the Peacock so they can have kids, and Colt and Amelie use it first to see if it works, because Emilie had, like, a “weaker constitution”. It works, and they have Felix, but Colt ends up breaking the Peacock to do it, don’t remember how exactly (no one is actually aware of this until later). There’s also speculation in universe if the Peacock breaking while forming Felix is the reason he’s “like that”, but 1) the speculation comes FROM COLT, and 2) everyone else is of the opinion that, ya know, being ABUSED might have something to do with it.

So, Gabe uses the broken Peacock to impregnate Emilie, they have Adrien, and it’s all fine and dandy until Gabe starts to get sick. Like, REALLY sick, faster than Emilie does in canon. Emilie and Gabe are scrambling to figure out why, to find a cure (in this continuity, this is where Nathalie shows up, Emilie hires her to help them find a cure) but no luck. As Gabe gets worse and worse, he pleads with Emilie to try and save him, to do whatever she can. And Emilie at first is all for it! She uses the Butterfly to seek out anything and everything that could help them! But … there’s a middle bit here I think I’m forgetting, but  as time goes by with no sign of a cure, Emilie starts to notice a change in Gabe. Like, a bit of sanity slippage going on. Which eventually culminates in Gabe trying to steal Adrien’s amok, thinking he can use it to cure himself, at the cost of Adrien. Emilie is horrified, and manages to save Adrien’s amok, but in the altercation, Gabe swipes the Butterfly, and uses it with the Peacock to do … something, it isn’t clear at the time, because doing whatever this is causes Gabe’s life to give out, and Gabe dies. Just drops dead, and both Miraculous vanish.

Again, I’m missing some big chunks, but the long and the short of it is that, with the Miraculous gone and a better support system, Emilie goes to therapy to try and work out some of this. There’s a whole chapter dedicated to her working out her toxic upbringing, and how her parents insistence on “lineage” and “bloodline” led to using the Peacock in the first place, as opposed to adopting or something. Emilie has to learn exactly how toxic her upbringing was, and come to the realization that, as much as she loved him, she and Gabriel were feeding into each other’s issues, and they should both have seen a mental health professional at some point. She also has a lot of guilt about Gabe’s death, feeling like it’s all her fault, which she has to work through. For the main plot, it culminates in Emilie realizing she’s taken being protective over Adrien too far, and enrolling him at DuPont when “Origins” kicks off. Also, there’s a bit of drama in her beginning to date Nathalie, partially because she feels guilty for moving on, partly because she didn’t realize she was bisexual until her therapist spelled it out for her.

The plot is mostly the same, except now Hawk Moth wants the Ladybug and Black Cat to “restore what should be”, and Emilie feeling even MORE guilt because she was last person to have the Butterfly, she should have done more, etc, etc. Also, Emilie actually seeks out Fu to apologize and figure out if she can help. Then, around the Season 3 mark, we find out that Hawk Moth is Gabriel … ’s Sentimonster that he made in his image before his death. The Senti!Gabe’s goal, initially, was to steal the Ladybug and Black Cat so he could wish Gabriel back to life, but as time has gone on, his goal has changed, and now he wants to wish himself real. Also, because of the state Gabe was in when he made Senti!Gabe, Hawk Moth has a burning hatred of Adrien, seeing him as “stealing” Emilie from him.

Again, most of this is half remembered, I’m probably not doing it Justice.

Some other bits:

Adrien is about nine when Gabe dies

the reason we don’t have Hawk Moth earlier is that he was apparently “incubating”

Nathalie absolutely fell for Emilie first, and stuck around because she genuinely wanted to help her friend through a tough time

Nathalie and Emilie don’t start OFFICIALLY dating until sometime after Adrien starts school, but everyone agrees they were “more or less” dating already

Emilie’s coming out was her coming home after therapy, accepting a cup of tea from the Gorilla, and asking him “Did you know you can like both men AND women!?”

The Gorilla’s name is Henri, he’s actually Emilie and Amelie’s cousin and Adrien’s godfather

Because Nathalie came in earlier, Adrien has grown up with her. He calls her Auntie Nat, and was convinced from the ages of 5-8 that she was actually the Black Widow (Marvel)

The Agreste Fashion Company mostly belongs to Adrien at this point. Gabe left him most of the stock. It’s all being held in trust until he’s of age, and Adrien plans to either sell it or (much later) hand it over to Marinette

Amelie divorced Colt when she came home early to find him hitting Felix. She had to wrestle Felix’s amok off him - Felix claims it’s the most badass his mother has ever been. Colt is currently in prison at the start of the series, but I think it was hinted he’d become involved later?

Only Felix and Adrien are Sentimonsters.

Kagami’s dad is actually mentioned. He is currently serving time in prison for murder, which he committed in defence of his sister. Tomoe and Kagami visit him regularly, and he’s due out for parole sometime soon.

Chloé has a redemption arc, fairly well written, and becomes a permanent team member along with Alya and Nino. About halfway through, she goes to live with Adrien, (I think after Style Queen?) because her mom yelled at her on national television, and her dad’s response was “you shouldn’t have fucked up, then”. 

Felix and Amelie live in France with Emilie and Adrien, they moved after Colt got arrested. Felix goes to a different school than Adrien, something specific, because Felix was some kind of acting savant. I think it was mentioned he’d been in some stage plays?

Fu was married to his lady love, she used the Tiger to help him out

Marinette and Adrien are endgame

Chloé ends up dating Kagami

Sabrina and Felix end up dating. Chloé gives Felix a shovel speech that makes him terrified of her

Luka is mentioned to have a non-binary date-mate (I think an OC?) that we only meet briefly

After the Bourgeois Screaming Match, Jagged Stone and several other celebs refuse to stay at the Grand Paris

Alya’s mom is Akumatized into “Sue Chef” (it was both a pig pun, and related to legal terms), gets fired from the Grand Paris, and opens her own restaurant 

Lila turns out to be a Sentimonster created by Senti!Gabe, to drum up chaos and fuck with people. They have a father-daughter relationship, and were actually really sweet

The Order comes in as a secondary antagonist at some point after Hawk Moth is defeated, but I can’t exactly remember what their goal was

Hawk Moth’s defeat was basically proving that Hawk Moth didn’t need to use the wish to become real because he was already, and that all our Senti!Characters had been around long enough to become real. Senti!Gabe gets his own name (Can’t remember it) and identity, and officially adopts Lila as his daughter.

Lila has a crush on Alix

At some point, Senti!Gabe jokingly runs for mayor - he wins, because at this point everyone is sick of Andre. Senti!Gabe tries to argue privately that he’s technically only three or four years old, so he’s pretty sure he’s not old enough

That,s all I remember, If anyone finds this fic, send it my way!

-

Okay that’s all fucking GREAT and I hope someone finds this I’d love to read it!

#submission

[zoe-oneesama]

AAAAA WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE NEW EP (i screamed many times)

I really liked it! Alya really carried the whole thing, genius level planning in this one on her part! I have minor pet peeves, as per usual, but overall I had a fun time.

-I like that Marinette is getting more sleep on the weekends, lol, and that she can just show up at Alya's place and no one bats an eye. I even like the confirmation that Chat Blanc is a feature in her nightmares and something that she does still think about.

-I like that Nino's afraid of spiders, maybe it was established that he was already afraid of them in Anansi (I haven't watched it yet tbh) but if not it's a nice little continuity that he was effected by it in that way.

-I was cackling immediately when Shadowmoth started belaying his plan, which all hinged on Ladybug delivering to Alya a miraculous that she already had. Plus, I hate to get meta on ya Hawky, but if you explain your entire plan before the plan happens, that's media short hand for "this plan is going to go wrong".

-I liked that Adrien called out Nino's name first when he saw the news, and I liked that he also called out Marinette's. Just cute when they remember that he has friends and cares about them.

-Can't believe...but also totally believe that SM fell for the whole "I need to use the bathroom" ploy. Absolute child's play.

-Also I love all the comics that have come as a result of SM showing up to a fight with coffee. Please keep them coming, forever.

-Alya was a total boss in convincing SM that she's not getting her miraculous anymore. And I've always thought that the Fox is best when the enemy doesn't know they're there, so if Rena Rouge has to fight only in the shadows from now on, I support it.

-The Marichat (though not romantic) was peak. Him listening to Marinette after being so annoyed with being bossed around by Rena, him assuring her that they'll rescue her soon, her supporting his idea to head off Sentibubbler before he can expose Illusion-bug and out Rena's whole illusion. her trying to warn him about SM's attack, him lowkey trying to show off when he escaped the bubble the first time. I like Marichat best when it's friends having each other's back, so this watered my crops and cleared my skin. I am a simple woman of simple tastes and offer my Ladrien friends a hopeful prayer that you are next.

-I liked that Pegabug was only like 45 seconds, thank the Lord.

-I liked that Chat Noir saved Nino first and foremost (and uh left literally everyone else to Ladybug, thanks?) Still, bromance is bromance and I'll take my crumbs.

-I think (?) Chat Noir is over the Rena thing now? At least he's over Rena being on equal partnership as him with Ladybug, especially with how the Rocketear teaser is portraying their friendship as growing. That's not to say there's no possible angst to be had down the line if he finds out she's permanent or that She Knows.

Now the nitpicks:

-I don't love Alya's "Alya vision" but it's way better than how the "Adrien vision" looked.

-Also don't love Alya's fanny pack. Maybe if it was in a contrasting color? Or just solid? Why'd they make it the same pattern as her shirt but just...zoomed in?

-I get they're trying to ramp up the DJWifi drama for Rocketear (and possibly beyond) but I'm sorry Nino "Let's throw a city wide party for Boys Only and purposefully exclude and lie to the Girls about it because Guy Time is Guy Time" Lahiffe, were you bothered that Alya and Marinette wanted a little alone time to talk about something without you? Because I find it hard to feel to bad about that.

-Rena rushing through trying to give Chat Noir the right information making her be careless with her words while a bit frustrating is totally understandable. Also understandable is Chat Noir being angry about it because of how she worded it or because of the situation itself. But him destroying a piece of property in his anger is kinda frightening to me, especially when it's paired with him telling himself that the Miraculous Cure will fix it (implying that means it doesn't matter), which is just...eerily parroting things that I've had Scarlet Lady say, who if you recall, I'm portraying as The Worst(tm). So, that was less than fun.

-Pegabug has two hands, I do not understand how she didn't go for both the amok item and the butterfly broach (outside of the meta reason that the show might be over then). For sure she'll be kicking herself for that (and so will her detractors). And given how the Magic Charms and Senti[x]s have made akumas obsolete, I don't get why she couldn't have grabbed the Butterfly, but SM could get away with the Peacock and continue his terror that way. Them giving her a throw away Lucky Charm that didn't even assist in the fight at all combined with her only going for the coffee just doubles up on how contrived it feels.

-While I appreciate Chat Noir's turn around at the end of the episode, it does come out of no where. Maybe in order for this change to make a little more sense, Rena Rouge should've called him back when Illusion-bug left to be like "Okay, kit-kat, you're on now! We need you to make sure my illusion isn't found out, time for the two-person plan to become a three-person one!" At the same time, it is to Chat Noir's own credit that he realized what he needed to do on his own, so it's a bit of a mixed bag.

But uh I think that's it for now! One thing I've noticed in this season is that I feel the need to hold back on full salting because this is the first season that I feel like I need to wait until the next episode before I can complain about the current one because things are for once being continuous. I'm actually, like, pumped? For new episodes? Because they build off one another? Maybe they don't do it in the order I'd particularly like (why is Optigami and Sentibubbler so IN THE MIDDLE of the season when they should come almost right off the Season 3 finale, we seriously could've pushed Zoe and Su-han back to fit them in sooner) BUT they are building, and, I'm kinda excited for it!

#my opinion #sentibubbler

[wallflowerfangirl]

So Felix has been on my mind a lot bc he's a very interesting character whose motivations aren't quite clear. So I was thinking back to the episode Felix (where he was first introduced), and obviously we know he pretended to be Adrien in order to ruin his friendships with the rest of the cast for some reason. We know in the past though that Adrien and Felix used to be close, as they had once pulled a prank on their parents by switching places for a week. So fast foward to when Felix gets caught. Chat Noir, aka the real Adrien, decides to call him out (as he should), and this line really stood out to me:

Though Adrien may not understand all of Felix, including his true motivation behind everything he does, he still knows him better than most of the cast. Now let's see Felix's reaction to that comment.

That looks like someone who just got hit in a sore spot if I've ever seen one. At this point, he is already caught red handed and thus has no reason to act like he's still Adrien. That was a real moment for him, and I'm starting to think the writers put that specific line in on purpose.

The likelihood of him being a senti and knowing that is very high (not gonna say it's official till it's confirmed on the show). I'm thinking that because he knows he's not like a regular human both in personality and in creation, does he want the Peacock Miraculous not only to ensure he has full control over himself, but also to make friends that really understand him? Is him being so rude and cold to most others because of the fact he is secretly jealous of them for being regular humans? Finding out you aren't fully human like everyone else around you is bound to do some psychological damage, and could explain how Felix did a sudden change from someone who was close with Adrien to like a total stranger.

Strike Back also confirms that Felix has had knowledge about the Miraculous jewelry existing since before Hawkmoth became a threat to Paris, as he is seen looking at multiple pictures from what looks like the same book as the one Gabriel has.

Edit: I totally forgot he stole Nathalie's tablet in Risk, but my point still stands that he most likely knew about the Miraculous history pre Hawkmoth because of the fact he knew that the book info would be on Nathalie's tablet. We've never actually seen him look through the book even though he saw it in Risk, therefore logically he would've had to have seen the book beforehand. Mind you, this book had been missing for a long time according to Tikki, so this type of knowledge isn't common knowledge. A lot of the Miraculous knowledge isn't super common knowledge even now in their world bc Master Fu kept the Miraculous hidden and unused for about 170 years. Also Alya can't share all the info she knows on her blog bc it could hint at the fact that she's a superhero (let alone Ladybug's closest helper as of recent).

I say this because of the context between the conversation Adrien and Felix had when they were in his room in that episode and he mentions his Dad's death like it's the first time they ever talked about that. This would explain why Felix was able to deduce that Gabriel was Shadowmoth as quickly as he did.

On the off chance he is not a sentimonster, then I think it would be because he had a similar childhood to Adrien. Though I do think that both him being a senti and having his Dad die could both be the reasons why Felix acts the way he is. Anywho, we know Felix did have a Dad who died around the same time as Emilie, and Amelie does mention the following at the end of the episode:

Based on this line, it sounds like those two had a similar relationship like Gabriel and Adrien do, as Gabriel is often controlling over what Adrien does. I mean, when Adrien talks about Felix's Dad (who is also his Uncle, mind you) he doesn't even mention his name, let alone personality. This is odd considering Adrien is the more sentimental type. Now if he was cold and distant like say Gabriel, that would explain why Adrien hardly mention anything about Felix's Dad as a person.

A theory I have is that based on context clues, Felix was also most likely homeschooled aswell and thus a lonely child. Given his behavior and how implied it is that Gabriel and Felix's Dad were quite similar, it makes sense to me atleast.

While they may have not had the best relationship, Felix still has emotions at the end of the day. I mean we all saw how in Risk he was terrified over seeing Emilie's corpse. He was alone then, so he had no reason to fake that reaction. Also, I don't think it was necessarily because she looks just like his Mom (although that is definately part of the reason). In the episode Gabriel Agreste, he is shown smiling at a painting that is clearly Emilie (as there would be no reason for the Agrestes to have a huge painting of his Aunt). Felix might be a jerk, but it is clear he liked his Aunt and feels bad about her death.

As someone who has had a parent die at a young age, it changes you a lot. Sometimes, it can make you a better person in the long run. Other times, it can turn you into a much colder and darker person. Psychologically speaking, Felix is a complex individual who appears to have gone through quite a bit. We don't know too many truths about him, but I wanted to analyze more of what we do know.

One thing I can say for sure though is that story wise, Adrien and Felix are perfect parallels of one another. For this, I'm gonna ignore the senti theory and just focus on the facts shown in canon. You have one boy who lost his loving Mom, and despite his colder Father, is able to remain positive even if times get rough. Another boy who lost his cold Father, found himself turning colder despite having a loving Mother by his side to support him. It's beautiful yet heartbreaking, and I really hope we truly get to understand Felix more in Season 5. I would definately like to see how he and Duusu get along, and what he does with the Peacock Miraculous.

Once again, this was just a string theories that came into my head so it might be wrong. Ik this post was a bit all over the place, but I hope you atleast understand where I am coming from. Thanks for reading!

#miraculous ladybug #mlb #felix graham de vanily #chat noir #adrien agreste #gabriel agreste #emilie graham de vanily #emilie agreste #amelie graham de vanily #sentifelix #sentimonsters

[ilikekidsshows]

Seen some prosenti say Adrien being a senti is a methapor for disability and the reason why the heroes is ok killing Senti left and right is because the Senti they killed doesn't created as a human, those created as human got erased by their own creator (sentibug, sentibubbler) although ironically they did killed Senti Nino so idk.

Yeah, I've noticed that the SentiAdrien Stans often use highly situational defenses for why the plotline works or is a good idea. It doesn't surprise me at all that the "only human-shaped Sentimonsters are human" argument can be countered. While I don't think the heroes have purified any human-shaped Sentimonsters, since Senti Nino was still around when Shadow Moth dismissed him and Optigami (which is why this is the highly-selective situational condition of choice for the Stans), Marinette did totally mind control Sentibubbler, therefore denying him the free will she granted Sentibug.

Also, even if they haven't purified them, have the heroes really spared any of the human Sentimonsters? Because in all of these occasions they either didn't have access to the Amok to purify it, didn't know the person in front of them was secretly a Sentimonster or they were controlling the Sentimonster themselves when they were erased by Shadow Moth. Just because the heroes didn't actively kill those Sentimonsters doesn't mean they treated them as human. Absence of evidence for one thing is not actually evidence for the opposite of that thing. Like, even if only the human-shaped ones are human, that's still four Sentimonsters who have been shown no consideration by any character, meaning they were dehumanzied in the show proper, versus the one occasion Sentibug was treated with any consideration. The former is the pattern here.

And, like, "something inherently Other from human" being used as a metaphor for anything that has been historically socially othered from society, like physical or mental disability, has a lot of unfortunate implications. It kinda sends the message that these groups of people are inherently Other and Different from Normal People, because they seemingly just can't be presented as humans in media. The Sentimonsters better not be a metaphor for anything, is what I'm saying.

I've also seen an argument that Sentibug was the only actual example of a "human" Sentimonster so far, and even the season four human Sentimonsters don't count, to which I say: way to fuck up your only chance to make Sentimonsters seem human. That was their only shot, and it was lackluster at best.

The sequence where Sentibug gets any consideration at all lasts for one minute (59 seconds to be exact), out of which 22 seconds are dedicated to her death and the heroes mourning her, after which Adrien is already calling Hawk Moth "grandpa" in a joking way. And even during this sequence, Marinette calls Sentibug "Sentimonster" instead of her name "Ladybug". Even the Sentimonster's Lucky Charm is called "Senti Charm" in the episode. Her identity is "Sentimonster". She's not treated as an individual by the narrative.

As such, the episode really does not put much effort into selling the idea that Sentimonsters are just as worthy of consideration as humans. This is a paradigm-shifting concept; it's meant to change how we think about a thing, in this case Sentimonsters. It has to be able to change minds outside of just the most gullible who'll believe anything told to them once. One minute is not enough to convince people, especially when the characters don't give consideration to any human-looking Sentimonster in season four. The concept isn't repeated, so it doesn't stick. Sentibug is an outlier, not a rule of any sort and, since the heroes aren't concerned about it, why should the audience be? Miraculous has never been a mystery show, so the audience shouldn't need to think more than the characters and latch onto every detail in case it's "important to solving a mystery".

And to anyone trying to defend this bullshit with: "Focusing on it too much would make the twist of more human Sentimonsters too obvious," I say this: HIDING A TWIST DOES NOT EXCUSE BAD WRITING. IF YOUR TWIST REQUIRES BAD WRITING IT'S A BAD TWIST.

#ml fandom salt #adrien is not a sentimonster #the current twist obsession is the reason I usually only watch shows that have concluded #I can weed out the ones with bad twists that ruin the story and themes

[pianoperson]

We don’t get enough Jonah content. Gimme more soft Jonah.

I like how you think anon. ;))

Huh, soft Jonah... how to function aaaaaaaa

He don’t look it at first, but he squish squoosh on the cheekies. Poke da face cheeks, wowowow super squishy, you will wanna poke again

He gonn pout at you >:<< for squooshing his face but you be like “waahhhhhh your cheeks are so squiiiiiiiiiiiiiishy” and he can’t resist le smile on your face

Because how can he

Speaking of smiley

You and Jonah be having ‘no u’ conversations occasionally

“Your smile is beautiful.” “No, yours is!” “No yours!” “No, yours!”

“You’re cute.” “Am not cute, you’re the cute one.” “No, you’re cute!” “No you!” “No you!”

But those convos end in one way: kiss 😙

Okok he is sO gentle with you when you kiss him??? He’ll cup your face with his cheek, and his kisses are full of passion but they’re never too rough.

He would tuck your hair behind your ear anytime. When you’re eating, when you see each other in the hallway, when you have passionate sessions in the bedroom. He does that because he wants to see your face. Because he thinks... no, he knows you’re the most beautiful person he’s ever seen and he wants to see your face.

Cuddle 👏 session 👏 these tend to happen when a) it has been stressful b) you haven’t seen each other for the whole day, or c) lol idk you just want to. You don’t make any attempt to move, you just lie down beside each other, in each other’s arms, taking in each other’s scent. You can’t help but feel how perfect you fit in Jonah’s embrace, and same for him.

Your hugs don’t end there. He’ll occasionally chase you down just to have a hug, which you’d gladly give because... it’s Jonah and lowkey, you’ve been craving for a hug from him.

Aside from physical affection, Jonah’s gonna show his love for you through gifts. Look, his wallet’s bloated, and he knows this. He’s gonna get you anything. Just make sure you tell him straight that you no like too much gifts, so you don’t have a shit ton of stuff you might not use. But try to accept them haha

HHHHHHHHHHH OK BUT IMAGINE 👏 RUNNING 👏 AROUND 👏 PLAYING 👏 TAG 👏 NONONO LET ME JUST.... you’re probably in a really mischievous mood, because Jonah wants this object you’re holding but before you realize it, you’re like ‘catch me if you can then’ and start running. You slow down at first, thinking he wouldn’t find it amusing, only to squeal and pick up pace because Jonah is actually chasing you. You two continue running around until a) someone tells you to stop (which almost never happens) or b) you get tired and Jonah catches you in his arms, takes the object from your hands, kisses you, and says in a husky whisper, “I caught you.”

Okok I actually really need to let this out.

When. You’re. Sad.

So Jonah’s world is high-class society that reeks of plastic nobles and metallic scents of wealth. Of course, people will judge you, esp if you’re not from high-class society (which you likely aren’t but idk who would be reading this) and this may bring your self-esteem down.

If their judgements don’t bring you down (which is good because they don’t know you and they’re the ones with a problem pfft), then it’s gonna be the prim and proper lifestyle that could. Look, Jonah is proper, graceful, polite, and well-mannered. And in the noble class, that should be expected. But uh here you are, too casual for that sort of thing. And it makes you feel ashamed because Jonah doesn’t deserve someone who probably eats like a pig or burps way too loudly (I know I do 🤭) or is just not the picture of propriety. You want to stand by his side, but you don’t want to ruin his rep and image too.

So you get a little sulky, but you try. You try to be more well-mannered. It’s not that it’s a bad thing to try and be more proper, especially with other people, but it’s the fact that you look a little gloomier, you feel less like yourself as you force yourself to sit up straight and daintily wipe your mouth with a napkin, as you try to seem more graceful, that makes it a problem. And each mistake you think you made, you beat yourself up by saying no that’s not enough for Jonah.

Do you think Jonah won’t notice? Of course he would, you’re the love of his life. Your smile was what started his own fall through the rabbit hole and ended up with him loving you so much. And he would do anything to bring that radiant smile to your face.

No no, he does not like that smile you give him when you say you’re fine, you’re ok. Because that smile does not reach your eyes and your cheeks looked like they want to drop and form the expressions your heart feels.

He will pester you a bit (“are you ok? Are you sure?”/“what’s wrong? What do you mean it’s nothing, is there something wrong?”), but when it’s clear you didn’t want to say, he will give you privacy.

It was one night, when you were alone, that you just broke. Perhaps it’s your thoughts that continued haunting you, perhaps someone said something to you that hit the nail on the coffin. But you couldn’t hold in your insecurities. You started crying because you didn’t feel enough, you felt that you were burdening Jonah. You even thought about leaving him quietly so he can find someone better.

It was also coincidental that Jonah couldn’t fall asleep right away that night because something felt off. He was wondering what was happening to you and decided to check how you were doing.

He caught you sobbing alone from a distance. He never ran so fast in his life as he hurried to have you in his arms and comfort you as the tears fell.

When you calmed down, you confessed to him all the things that brought you down, even telling him that you thought he deserves someone better than you.

“Why didn’t you tell me these things sooner,” he asks.

He’s going to tell you that you are worth so much to him. He’s going to tell you you are so precious to him. And he will tell you that you shouldn’t hide these kinds of things from him through ‘nothings’ and ‘I’m fine’ because he hates knowing that you’re not alright but he doesn’t know how to help you. He can’t be there for you. And it frustrates him because he can’t stand not seeing that honest beautiful smile on your face.

He’s not gonna stop there, though. Jonah is an ‘actions are stronger than words’ kind of guy. He’s not gonna just show his love through a speech. He’s gonna use his body to imprint his love for you.

Oh yes

You know how Jonah’s all like, “I don’t believe in apologizing.”?

He will remind you to not say sorry during times that it’s not necessary.

“I’m sorry if I’m rambling.” “You don’t have to say sorry for rambling. I’m already listening to you, so just go on.”

He doesn’t want you to apologize over things like that because it’s like you’re saying sorry for liking something, for being the kind of person you are, when he loves you for who you are. And he wants you to see that you’re someone who is loved.

Aaaaaaaaaaa Jonah would take you out to stargazing dates!!! And under those stars, you two would have senti moments as you bring up past memories, probably due to the fact he tends to take you to the Lake of Tears, the place where your feelings towards each other changed into something a little more (the place where Jonah calls you by your name for the first time, the place where you first felt your heart race when he held you by the shoulders as he expressed his worries). You would talk until 2am, and 99% of the time, you’ll come back soaking wet because you tackled Jonah into the lake haha

Uhh I probably have more but I can’t recall in the meantime. Well, I’ll end up feeling soft again tonight before I sleep. Hah Jonah, the things you do to my heart.

#ikerev #ikemen revolution #jonah clemence

[bugaboowritings]

Don’t Call Me Bugaboo -

She’s not your Love-Bug

There this one post about how Marinette won’t let anyone call her ‘Bugaboo’ or any bug/cute nickname unless it was from Chat Noir or Adrien. So that inspired me to write this short mess a while back. As it seems cute since this fic does match my url. heheheh- enjoy. 

I think that I may write something more if the idea stay in my head. Like make Clairvoyance into a ‘real’ episode or fic.

   “Silly Bug! Don’t you know that you could get squashed playin’ like that!?”

   Ladybug ran to a harsh stop, her feet stinging with her rough landing. Feeling the extra momentum throw her off the balance if it wasn’t for the grip on her suit. Her breathes escaped hard and heavy out of her nose, trying to catch her breath. Pumping her lungs with fresh adrenaline and oxygen. Glaring at the Akuma through her midnight blue bangs. 

Gripping her yo-yo a little tighter.

“Speak for yourself, Clairvoyance.” 

“More like Clairvo-Annoyance, if you ask me.” Chat Noir mumbled, reaching the scene in time. His fangs sticking out of his lips, shooting a wink to the red heroine. As dumb the joke was, it was a signal of reassurance to calm his LB. Ignoring the disgusted expression from the villain. 

   With baton ready in hand, Chat Noir itching to play offense or if needed, support for his Lady against the Akuma’s tricks. Racking his brain for ways to make the new villain pay or a quick getaway in case the Akuma pulled another foul trick from their sleeves. With the power to the bent reality and see anything in view or out, Clairvoyance proved to be a ‘little’ tricky to sneak around. Being five steps ahead of them before the Miraculous Duo even took one. Driving Ladybug out of her comfort zone as she analyzed the new threat to Paris. 

Clairvoyance scowled at the leather-cat before swiping their glasses. 

  That’s when it clicked in LB’s head. 

  The corrupted butterfly must be in their glasses!

“I’ll make you eat your words, you dirty rat.” 

“Ouch.” Chat winced, rubbing his chest as if Clairvoyance’s words stung his big heart. Chat’s acid eyes fluttered before landing a bitter smile on his pink lips. 

“First off, I’m clearly a cat. I thought that was clear. Second,” He motioned his collar bell, flicking his claws out, “-You better be a purr-fect cook if you gonna make me eat my words.” 

“Might as well cook me and the Lady dinner if you’re offering.” 

Chat’s remakes fell flat once he saw Clairvoyance’s growl turn into a crafty grin. 

“I have plenty of tricks for you to pick from the menu!”

 With a swipe of their hand, black holes appeared on the ground. Quickly expanding to the whole floor, swallowing the solid ground into a void. 

The duo jumped before they could fall into the nothingness or a tunnel that lead to the unknown. Twirling and flipping out of harm’s way as Clairvoyance made more black holes appear with the swipe of their hand. The corners of their thin lips turned up into a sick grin on their periwinkle face the more Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped around, avoiding the danger than grew under their feet. The heroes pushing themselves off the leftover bits of the green grass, trying to reach the edges of the huge stadium or even better- the high bleachers. 

 Chat Noir hopped from piece to piece, feeling himself getting cocky. Opening his mouth to speak, only for a yelp to escape. His boot missed the step and fell back. Feeling the hum of the black hole on his back as he slipped closer and closer to the nothingness. A shot yelp brought Ladybug’s attention to the black cat. Pulling her arm back as her stomach squeezed in anxiousness, launching her yo-yo out to pull her partner out of the vacuum. 

Feeling his weight hang on the edge of her string, she tugged back. Fishing out a black cat into her arms. His hair ruffled and eyes widen once they both realized what had just happened.

“I guess your bad luck never fails.” Ladybug smirked. Not helping to pull her own joke to reassure her kitty. 

“You never fail to swoon me, Bugaboo.” Chat Noir sighs. Ladybug could have sworn that his thin pupils turned into little hearts as he grinned back at her. Her grip on her partner's waist tightened when she tossed her yo-yo up and over a steel beam. Hopefully strong enough to hold them as she pushed her feet from the ground running. 

 Our heroes swung up to the stadium bleaches, away from the black holes that ate away at the once-solid ground. 

Clairvoyance burst out in giggles as the Miraculous Duo struggled to regain their ground. Ladybug holding her yo-yo tightly as Chat Noir pulled out his baton from his back. 

“Woowwwww.” Clairvoyance rolled out their lips. Winking at the team before raising their hands to their glasses. Ready to spit out another obstacle. 

“You’re so slick, Bugaboo.” They chuckled, quickly swiping their hand out to motion another tear in reality, all in hopes to confuse the bug and cat team. Portals stretched out behind the villain, revealing another monster entering the stage floor. 

  “But that cleverness of yours can only last so long.”

Ladybug ground her teeth. Only to drop her frown when she noticed the red and black spots highlighting the ceiling and Chat Noir’s baton. 

Gaining her own smile that confused Clairvoyance but motivated Chat. 

“Don’t call me Bugaboo or I’ll make YOU eat your words.”

————

“Gross.” Marinette winced as she pulled her arm away. Pressing it against her chest to protect herself. Still feeling the tingle of their touch on her forearm. Causing her to recoil from the man before stepping back. Her heels already tapped the wooden floor, ready to leave and find another seat.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Love-Bug.” The fresh-cut college student cooed. Ready to move a little closer even as Marinette moved back. 

That name just felt wrong as it slipped from his lips and reached her ears. Touching her temples as if she could stop herself from hearing this ‘evil’ or erase it from her memory. 

This guy really wasn’t getting it. 

“Not your Love-Bug, creep,” Marinette said, again. Grabbing her purse before heading out. Deciding that it wasn’t worth getting harrassed to leave her doom room. Just when she thought she had enough of this guy’s behavior, he still dared to grab her by the arm and pull her near. 

Some people don’t know what ‘no’ means until they get a punch, square in the face. 

______

“Don’t call me Bugaboo.” Ladybug snarled. Snapping shut her yo-yo communicator before facing the monkey behind her. Telling him to knock it off and she slowly gets tired of his jokes. It annoyed her even more than usual since she was cold, ready to detransform, and go home. The weather didn’t help her mood, but Ladybug just pulled her hoodie over her head. 

Ignoring it for now. 

“-Not if you want to make it out of this patrol home safely,” she added, slipping her yo-yo back to her side. Lifting herself up after watching the ground for a moment. Sniffing the bits of cement from cheap construction nearby and smoke of something burning elsewhere. The yellow-lights flickered in the Parisian apartments below her and the wind blew around old trash that cluttered alleyways. There amid the calm and crowded city was Rena’s signal to go. 

Mayura was near. 

Meaning Hawk Moth was closer.

“That’s the call.” Ladybug murmured. Motioning her team of a snake, monkey, and turtle to follow the next step of her plan.

Positioning themselves for her go. Itching to get out there. On the edge from being a still statue to swift blur on the roofs of buildings. 

“Let’s go.” Ladybug being the first to run out before the rest followed suit. 

———

“Honestly, I think you are over-reacting-”

“Excuse you because it’s the exact opposite going on! You aren’t taking this project seriously.” Marinette huffed. Pulling her bag over her shoulder, which was filled to the papers and folder about the new upcoming line being launched with GUESS. 

“I-”

“No, Calvin. I don’t want to hear it. We have deadlines and they are not being met. Do something before you force me too.” 

Marching out of the office before getting called out by the marketing team again. Pulling her in their office before Marinette could shake them off. 

“Marinette, hey! Baby-”

Marinette gave her co-worker a dull look, telling them to not push her buttons like they did every other day. Hoping that because she’s still a newbie in the company, she would this pass.  Marinette was growing tired of this and even more with the fact that they seem to see her as a small sister rather than a co-worker. Tugging on the pockets of her bright red coat that had no trouble catching attention. However, today Marinette didn’t want their eyes on her. 

Especially when today was one of those days.

 Where everything’s falling apart and she’s the only one that could manage to put things together. Scolding herself for coming to work early, she should have called in sick or walked the other direction- anything to stop this problem from being hers. Now it was too late to shoulder off this dilemma to someone else. EVEN WHEN THIS ISN’T HER DEPARTMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE!

“Don’t call me Baby, Lorraine. Not until I see those labels up and ready.” Marinette snapped. Leaving the office a quieter place than when she found it. 

———-

“You are so annoying,” LB rolled her eyes as the group of heroes gathered around her. Being the shortest one out of many was a little intimidating, but as leader of the group of superheroes, she got the most respect. Never worry about being interrupted or talked over since whenever she spoke, the crowd hushed itself. Her plans weren’t brushed to the side nor was she. A nice change if you asked her. However, as the leader of this magical squad, she had to be on guard. With more members by her side meant that the danger was something bigger and scarier each time. So this was the first time she had her whole team with her without the stress of an Akuma or giant senti-monster looming over Pairs. It was the first time she could relax around them. 

So for Ladybug smiling like that made some people question what was going on. 

Did the Akuma get her already?

Is this a trap? 

Does she have a big announcement? 

Is she retiring? 

Could today be her birthday?

Chat Noir hopped off the brick wall and gracefully landed on all fours. Bouncing back up as he beams a nice cocky smile to his red ladybug. 

Chat tiles his head to the side, letting his blond locks fall to his face.

 “All in hopes for you to love me more, Bugaboo.” 

 The whole team cringed or pretended to, swooned, or rolled their eyes at that nickname. Others tried to call LB by that, only met with a confused look or a frown. All quickly learning that it was Chat Noir’s thing and Chat Noir was the only person LB would ever allow to call her by that. As tough and determined the Red Miraculous Leader, she had her weak spot -Chat Noir’s clever and sometimes cute nicknames.  

Waiting for an eye-roll from the bug, only to hear her giggle. 

 “Well, you got something right at least.” She smiled. Turning to her team and pretending not to notice the shock on his face before explaining why she called them here today.

-----

“I have a meeting today, check over some of the marketing team’s ideas and then I’ll pick lunch on the way back. Do you need anything, Bugaboo?” The blond asked before adjusting the watch on his wrist. Quickly throwing his scarf around his neck and throwing his brown coat over his broad shoulders. 

“Just drive safe.” Marinette yawned. Tired and cold as the blanket around her chest wasn’t warming her fast enough. Waiting for her coffee machine to beep with her hot cup of caffeine. Envying the man in the doorway for having so much energy in the morning. 

“Always.” Adrien smiled, before kissing her forehead and walking out the door. 

#ml #ml fic #aged up #aged up au #ladybug #chat noir #miraculous duo #miraculous team #my fic #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #ladynoir #scenarios #miraculous ladybug #my writings #ml headcanons #a short drabble #miraculous the tales of ladybug and chat noir #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #lee writes #adrienette #i'm tag the ships or whatever #;)

[kittinoir]

Echoes of You Ch. 17

Read on Ao3

Her heart pounds in her ears, echoing the sound of her footsteps on cobblestone. She forces herself not to run, even as panic and adrenaline urge her to hurry, hurry, but she knows nothing will draw his attention like a mouse scurrying for cover.

That is, if he even knows who she is.

She can’t be sure, but that monster, that thing, cornered her too close to home for her to rest easy. Her ribs still ache from how it surprised her. It’s terrifying, because it shouldn’t hurt, but in the end her bruised ribs are what spurred her to leave her house so late. They are a testament to her nemesis’ strength, an unavoidable truth that he is stronger than her and he will not rest and until he’s ripped her earrings from her ears and a name from her lips.

If it were anyone else, she might have been able to withstand the storm.

But love has made her reckless and desperate to change her fate. It may not be enough. As she passes through shadow after shadow she racks her mind for any other answer, any other hope. She wishes she could ask for advice, but she’s already relinquished her companion, hidden her away. Besides, she knows if she puts those earrings back on she won’t be able to take them off a second time. The plan is in motion; any disruption now could mean disaster. She can not hesitate. She won’t.

She stumbles to a stop as the mansion comes into view.

She hadn’t thought out this part. She pulls her hood closer around her face. Even so, it might be enough - but it has to be, or this is all for nothing.

As she watches, a figure appears outside the stone wall, half in shadow, like her. A glint of blonde hair catches the light off a streetlamp and she can’t believe her luck, though it’s been her domain for more than a year now. It makes sense; he should just be coming off patrol now. It’s careless to detransform on the street like he must have, but she knows how strict his father can be. She’s had three weeks to get used to the idea, but she still can’t quite reconcile it. If anything, though, his appearance out here on the street is proof. How else could he flout his iron-clad schedule?

This is it. The beginning of the end of everything. She has to stop him now, before he disappears inside the gate and she can convince herself she tried.

‘Adrien!’

She sees him stop, sets him turn as she she hurries across the street, stepping into shadow with him. She should tell him. It’s what every fibre of her being is screaming at her to do. Tell him, and figure out a new plan together. 

But she knows he won’t let her follow through on her plan, and she knows she’ll let him stop her, because she would give anything for a different answer. In that moment, she commits to her course of action. She can do this for Paris. She can do this for him.

‘What - ’

‘I don’t have time,’ she cuts him off. She has to do this, now, before he realizes what she’s doing. ‘I… I wrote everything down in the tablet. Give the earrings to Chloe Bourgeois. I know it doesn’t make sense right now, but trust me on this. There’s good in her, and… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. If love were enough, I’d still be here. But it’s not, and this is the only way I can… I’m sorry. Goodbye…Adrien…”

She stretches up on her toes and kisses his cheek, the barest feathering of her lips on his skin. As she does, she shoves the box and the tablet into his arms, hard enough to make him stumble back. Then she runs. 

She runs until she is sure he isn’t following her, until she is sure he would have gone inside, until she is fairly certain there is no going back. And then she gives it all up.

‘I, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, former Ladybug and guardian of Paris, hereby relinquish the Miracle Box and name Adrien Agreste the new guardian.’

Marinette groaned as her eyes popped open. They felt dry, and she blinked a few times as she reached for her phone to check the time. The display read 2:35 am. She let the phone drop as she twisted into a more comfortable position, but between the moon shining through her skylight and the flickering, fading images of her nightmare, her body had decided she was awake.

“Fine,” she grumbled, flipping the covers back. She climbed down to her room and flicked on the lights, careful to roll her chair silently across her floor as she settled down by her dress. Extra cash for extra fabric was all well and good, but it also meant extra hemming. Given the design, it all had to be done by hand. And that meant hours of extra work.

As Marinette threaded her needle, she couldn’t help but glance at her open window and the plate she’d left there. She knew what she’d see before she looked, but she couldn’t stop hope from springing up anyway. It frayed into frustration and embarrassment as she took in the untouched plate. She’d spent the better part of a year and a half chasing after Adrien, and as soon as she started to even think of someone else, they…

Well, they broke her heart.

It had been like that for over two weeks now. At first she’d thought Chat Noir just hadn’t had the time until four nights ago when she’d seen his silhouette bounding across the Notre Dame on patrol. He hadn’t even paused. Not that he had, to, she’d reminded herself. They barely knew each other, hadn’t made any promises. 

So why did it sting so much?

“It doesn’t matter,” Marinette reminded herself as she took up the hem. “It was just a silly little crush. It wasn’t even real. It just makes things easier, really.”

Besides, it wasn’t his fault if she imagined something that wasn’t there. And anyway, Alya was always swearing up and down that Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug. When she’d shown Marinette the pictures, she’d had to agree with her friend. Even if it wasn’t obvious to the super heroine, it was obvious to her.

“Ughhhh!” Marinette jabbed the needle into the mannequin and leaned back, covering her eyes with the palms of her hands. “Why? Why am I such a disaster?!”

“I don’t think you’re a disaster.”

Marinette sat up so fast she almost fell off her chair. “You! What are you doing here?”

Chat Noir cocked an eyebrow as he slowly bit down on a macaron. “I thought I had a standing invitation? Or did I misread the open window and plate of goodies? Though I feel I should warn you, as far as keeping people out goes, that only officially works on vampires.”

Marinette bit her lip, taking a chocolate chip cookie from the plate when he offered it. “I thought you weren’t coming by anymore,” she admitted. “Not that you have to, or that I want you to; you can do what you want, it doesn’t bother me, it’s fine, I’m fine.”

Those impossibly green eyes darted to the ground, then back up to her face as his smile faltered.

“I was…afraid to come here,” he admitted, setting the plate down.

“Afraid?” She knew the heroes were just people, but she’d never imagined Chat Noir afraid of anything. “Afraid of what?

“Not ‘of what’,” he said, twisting on the sill so his legs were dangling into her room. “For you.”

The words sent a chill skittering down Marinette’s spine. “For me?”

He nodded. “Hawkmoth has been… no.” He ran a hand through his blonde hair in frustration. “You know the senti-monsters that have been popping up the past three weeks?”

Marinette nodded. “One attacked Alya and Nino.”

“One also attacked Chloe Bourgeois,” Chat Noir said. “I think Hawkmoth is trying to hunt down Ladybug.” All members of Paris’ super hero team.

“But why?” Marinette asked with a shiver. “You guys always show up when there’s an akuma, why would he be…”

“Because that’s not Ladybug.”

The precipice yawned in front of Marinette. This time it felt like the ground crumbled under her feet, and she was falling, falling, falling.

“What do you mean?”

Chat Noir dropped into her room, pacing silently on the floor. “It’s…complicated. But Ladybug gave up being Ladybug and gave the earrings to someone else in order to protect someone. I think Hawkmoth knows that, and I think he’s hunting her down by attacking members of our team, trying to find a weak point.”

Marinette flexed her fingers, trying to work some warmth back into them. “And…what does that have to do with me?”

“Don’t you get it, Marinette?” Chat Noir dropped to a knee in front of her, snatching up her hands as though he could convey the urgency of his fear through touch alone. “You’re part of that team. No one but me knows you’re Multimouse. And if I lead one of the monsters to your door… I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me. Not after everything…”

Marinette leaned forward and cupped Chat Noir’s cheek, running a thumb along his cheekbone.  “It’s ok,” she said softly, wanting more than anything to ease the burden he must be feeling. “I’m ok. I understand.”

“I have to ask you something,” he said, “Even though I have no right, I…”

“You’re my friend,” Marinette said with a small smile. “You have every right. Ask me.”

He squeezed her hands once, then let go. “I don’t want you to wear a Miraculous again,” he said softly, unable to meet her eyes as he spoke. “It’s not about your skill. You’re one of the best team mates we have, and I can see why my Lady chose you, but…”

I’m afraid for you.

“Chat Noir.” She waited until he met her eyes again. “If the roles were reversed - if it were me out there everyday, fighting to protect Paris, and I asked you not to help, would you?”

Pain flashed across his face but he answered honestly. “No. Not if I could. But it’s different, Marinette. You don’t even know me.”

“I do,” she promised, pulling him to his feet as she stood. This close she could feel the warmth of his body next to hers. She was acutely aware of the few inches separating them. “I know you’re brave, and selfless, and kind. I know you’re funny, but you also use jokes because you’re afraid. You take on too much and you don’t like to ask for help, and when you love someone, it’s with your whole heart. I would guess the only thing I don’t know about you, Kitty, is your name.” 

“How do you do that?” he whispered, searching her face.

“Do what?” Marinette asked. She tilted her head back, her heart skipping as Chat Noir laced his fingers with hers.

“See through everything,” he murmured, “See me.”

“Almost everything…” she said, reaching up to trace the edge of his mask. “Just lucky I guess.”

His lips crashed into hers, one arm around her waist, the other in her hair as he pulled her in, like he’d thought of nothing else for days. Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tighter. Tingles raced over her skin. She couldn’t get a breath in, but she didn’t care. She tangled her fingers in his hair and heard him moan in response. She liked it. She wanted to hear more.

But he abruptly broke away from her, falling back against the window. Cold rushed in where his body had been pressed against hers moments ago.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, but he ran his tongue over his lips like he could still taste her on them. “I was supposed to be making sure you were safe, not endangering you more. I shouldn’t have… I should go.”

“Don’t.” The sound broke from Marinette before she could stop it. “I…I know things are complicated. I don’t expect anything, but please. Don’t go. Don’t disappear on me.”

“I would never do that,” Chat Noir said. He straightened as though he would reach for her again, but seemed to think better of the idea. “I just…don’t want to be the reason you get hurt.”

“I understand,” Marinette said. She took one step, then another, until she was standing in front of him again. “I’m asking you to trust me. Do you?”

“More than anyone else,” he said softly. “Stay safe?”

“I’ll do my very best,” Marinette promised, “Though you should know I’m the clumsiest person in the whole city, so you’re kind of asking a lot.”

She leaned in, slower this time, giving him time to stop her if he wanted to.

Instead he tilted his face, meeting her half way in a kiss that was much more gentle than their first, a tentative beginning. She broke away after a moment, but instead he just leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed, as though trapped in her gravity.

“Good night, Marinette.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, the faintest brush of his lips against her skin. “Sweet dreams.”

He pulled away again and disappeared through her window into the night. Marinette watched him go as long as she could until his shadow finally disappeared from view. She placed a hand over her heart as she turned back to her room and flicked off the light, suddenly exhausted, but paused to trace a finger over her lips. 

So much, she thought, for things being easier.

#echoes #echoes of you #miraculous ladybug #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #writing #fic #it really do be like this #also the last part #was #an #accident #marichat

[almostarchaeology]

The Moggalithic antiquarian: party political broadcasts from stone circles

By Kenny Brophy (the Urban Prehistorian)

If a poll of Conservative members showed a majority of them were druids, Boris would be straight down to Stonehenge to dance naked for the seasons (Mark Steel, Independent, 28 March 2019)

Stanton Drew’s stone circles may not vibrate as wildly in the English consciousness as their easterly cousins at Stonehenge, however, they remain seriously impressive pieces of Neolithic kit. (Weird Walk, The Face 4.001)

Standing

Jacob Rees-Mogg, standing in the General Election, is standing in front of a standing stone. The parliamentary candidate (and current incumbent) for North East Somerset is asking everyone to vote Conservative in the December 2019 General Election in order to deliver Brexit. He is wearing a double-breasted great coat, almost invisible glasses, and a baby blue rosette the same size as the Nebra Sky Disk.

What was this WTF moment all about?

Was it just an innocent bit of eccentric electioneering fun that just happened to take place with a megalithic backdrop?

Or perhaps the film was an appeal to a certain kind of voter who craves the nostalgic fantasies of the English countryside, windswept standing stones, comical ‘scrumpy and western’ bands like The Wurzels, and Brexit?

Or was this short film altogether something more sinister?

I will ponder awhile on these questions during this post, but the reaction to the video was of even more interest to me.

#BrexitPrehistory

This troubling little video has garnered a good deal of attention. It initially dropped on 2nd December 2019 via Rees-Mogg’s own twitter account (with approximately 369,800 followers on the eve of the General Election ten days later). At the time of writing (13th December 2019) it has been viewed almost three quarter of a million times, and this is only on the Twitter platform.

The film is a particularly egregious example of what I have come to call #BrexitPrehistory (for it was not really about the election, it was about ‘getting Brexit done’) and it indicates the increasingly casual ways that prehistory is being used to make arguments for Brexit by leavers. However, the video also became a focal point for a lot of anti-Brexit (‘remainer’) sentiment, something I would also like to unpick here.

My contention is that we should not be using a prehistoric stone circle to make any kind of points about contemporary political and social challenges although it can be tempting to do so.

Stone circles like Stanton Drew, the one chosen by JRM as his backdrop, are neither leave or remain monuments. Yet, problematically, social media reaction to Rees-Mogg’s piece to camera suggests it might be both.

Petrified

First, let’s consider the video itself. It lasts all of 35 seconds, with a further final five seconds taken up with ‘Get Brexit Done’ and ‘Conservative Party’ branding.

JRM stands in front of one of the standing stones of Stanton Drew. The megalith is partially obscured by his torso and head, and he speaks while performing some half-hearted hand and body gestures. His stiff delivery style mimics the standing stones behind him, his petrified voters, a captive audience.

He narrates the following election message in his curious posh robot voice:

Adge Cutler sang the famous song: 'When the Common Market comes to Stanton Drew.' 

I'm here by the standing stones in Stanton Drew, thought to be 4,500 years old, some of the most important stones in this country. 

And I want to get the Common Market out of Stanton Drew.

We must get Brexit done. Only the Conservatives can do that - a majority Conservative Government can get out of the European Union and make Brexit happen by 31st January.

Please vote Conservative and get the Common Market out of Stanton Drew.

This little vignette was based on the title of an Adge Cutler song, performed by his band The Wurzels, on the theme of joining the Common Market and the impact it might have on Stanton Drew, the village (not the adjacent prehistoric monument of the same name). Both just happen to be in Rees-Mogg’s North East Somerset constituency for which he was, at the time, standing for re-election, and has since been re-elected with a decreased share of the vote.

The song, 'When the Common Market comes to Stanton Drew', is, depending on your perspective full of outdated, sexist, and racist, sentiments about foreigners and their stereotypical traits. Not to say geographically challenged as to the composition of Europe.

In the evenin' times I s'pose, we'll sip of our vin rose, Just like they do in the Argentine And we'll watch they foreign blokes, with their girt big 'ats and cloaks, Flamingo-in down on the village green. We'll 'ave to watch our wenches when they dark-eyed lads gets here, And the local boys'll 'ave to form a queue, They'll say "Ooh la la, oui oui," instead of "How's bist thee?"

Or as I have also seen it expressed, the song is a rather quaint musing on the exotic effects of becoming more closely integrated with Europe, and is in fact pro-European in sentiment, a parody of the prejudices of rural Little Englanders (oh the irony).

And the Druids Arms won't close till ver' nigh two, And we'll all drink caviar from a girt big cider jar, When the Common Market comes to Stanton Drew!

Wikipedia more neutrally notes that in ‘…response to opening up of trade with Europe, Adge suggests what might happen to Somerset culture when Europeans come over’.

This slice of ye olde Englande nostalgia fits well with the JRM brand, apparently au fait with what the working class oiks get up to in their pubs and barns, using deliberately anachronistic terminology, and always wearing at least one item of clothing that belongs to clown.

In reality this is all a bit attention seeking, self-promoting an eccentric film in an election campaign where, by all accounts he had been side-lined by the Conservative Party machine for being too ‘off-message’ even for the Tories. He is, as the Daily Mirror describes him, a ‘disgraced Tory toff’.

Rees-Mogg smacks of a man who likes his stone circles rural, just like WG Hoskins. After all, this was indeed a sylvan spot before all those pesky roads, factories, and voters appeared in the surrounding landscape.

‘Views of Stanton Drew AD 1784’ (source: Dymond 1877)

Note that Rees-Mogg stands in such a position that the camera can only see the rural behind him, and no telegraph polls, roads, or other modern clutter. Another angle would have revealed a different temporal dynamic. He wants you to imagine this photo could have been taken in 1819 or 1919 because his persona is all about a timelessness that stems from a fear of change, of his privilege being undermined by progress.

Memes and mocking

Responses to the film have been largely restricted to social media, with almost no mainstream news commentary. On Twitter there has been a mixed bag of bemused, amused, and angry reactions, as well as some fine memes; a lot of this commentary has come from archaeologists, unsurprisingly.

Recumbent Rees-Mogg (Jonathan Last, @johnnythin)

Voting Conservative gets more Stonehenge (me! @urbanprehisto)

Response by @herbieherbie10 on Twitter

Others had some fun with the fact that the policy and belief system of Rees-Mogg is an anachronism, of the past, although it seems a little unfair to tar the people of the Neolithic with the same brush as this upper class twit.

Response by @snegreid on Twitter

We could be here all day having fun with this video and you can do so by looking at the many, many replies to the original tweet of the video.

‘Built by immigrants’

However, responses did not simply consist of cheap laughs at the expense of a feckless Tory MP. Some suggested that this short film was essentially a dog-whistle nod to the alt-right and far-right viewer of the video. In light of recent media coverage of far-right groups using megaliths in the south of England for rites and ceremonies (covered nicely in this blog post by Howard Williams), the choice of a stone circle could be viewed as at best naïve, or absolutely intentional, depending on your level of cynicism.

Archaeologists such as Cathy Frieman pointed out that it was important we acknowledge the tone of the video, and that it is no laughing matter.

Response by @cjfrieman on Twitter

In this respect should we be more careful about giving such tweets and political propaganda the oxygen of publicity? Certainly, it was interesting to see some responses on Twitter that we should not keep retweeting the original post (either to take the piss or offence) because this helps with the stats for the tweet and increases its visibility. When TV presenter and archaeologist Alice Roberts retweeted this, with a critique (of more below), she fired this little film into the timelines of over 200,000 of her followers. I am in a sense guilty of doing the same thing in this blog post, and it is the case that even mocking memes ensure a person, image, and message spreads across the internet like a virus.

Another theme that emerged in responses to the Rees-Mogg film was the apparent irony of using as a pro-Brexit backdrop a prehistoric monument that was ‘built by immigrants’ and which suggested we had close connections with Europe in prehistory.

Alice Roberts for instance tweeted: ‘How extraordinary that Rees-Mogg chooses to stand in front of a megalithic monument – which speaks so strongly of connections across prehistoric Europe – to make an isolationist statement!’

Charlotte Higgins, chief culture writer of The Guardian (38K followers), tweeted: ‘Get the hell out of my favourite stone circle which, by the way, was built by immigrants’.

Response by @chiggi on Twitter

I don’t want to especially pick on these commentators, as the immigrants trope was suggested by lots of respondents, coming from a place with the best of intentions. And it reminds me of Jeremy Deller’s 2019 street artwork in Glasgow, Built by immigrants, which espouses a similar sentiment.

Jeremy Deller, Stonehenge artwork, Glasgow

Prehistory it seems is a blank canvas upon which we can project whatever we want to, fit into our belief systems, and bounce around within our echo chambers. And while I much prefer a narrative that supports partnership, immigration, and communal labour, over separationist and divisive arguments, I can’t help but feel uneasy about any attempts to use the prehistoric past to support or even justify our own belief systems.

The prehistoric story of stone circles should not be used to score political points.

Arguments that stone circles such as Stonehenge and Stanton Drew were ‘built by immigrants’ and had close connections to Europe and therefore we should retain those relationships today and into the future are, to my mind, as problematic as contrary arguments that, for instance, we have a long tradition of turbulent relationships with Europe, and that Brexit-like schisms are not a new thing.

Reactions to the film suggest leave and remain arguments are both claiming a form of legitimacy deep into prehistory, in the shape of Stanton Drew, which to my mind is both illogical and inappropriate.

Such arguments have become increasingly fuelled by ancient DNA (aDNA) and stable isotope studies that suggest mobility in prehistory was commonplace especially when converted into newspaper headlines and stories. Yet our understanding of prehistory is complex and contested, and contrary views also exist. It is possible for instance to argue that at least some elements of Stanton Drew were constructed in the late Neolithic period (30th to 25th centuries BC), a time of ‘late Neolithic isolation’, even a Neolithic Brexit, according to archaeologists such as Richard Madgwick and Mike Parker Pearson. If we follow this line of argument, Rees-Mogg was correct – Stanton Drew is a leave monument. And, suggestions that stone circles are a common monument type across Europe, thus suggesting cultural connections, smacks of culture-historical thinking. No idea exists in isolation and the Brexitisation of prehistory is becoming tortuous.

The Brexit hypothesis

The use of Stanton Drew as a backdrop and theme for a political announcement about Brexit, and critical reactions to this that I have seen in social media are both symptomatic of what I have previously called the Brexit Hypothesis:

The proposition that any archaeological discovery in Europe can – and probably will – be exploited to argue in support of, or against Brexit (Brophy 2018: 1650).

Our discourse has become so entrenched in Brexit-thinking that we struggle to consider this stone circle without it becoming a synecdoche for our moral, ethical, political, beliefs. In fact, responses should have focused entirely on the wilful and inappropriate appropriation of a prehistoric megalithic enclosure for political ends as some contributors, such as Cathy Frieman, did indeed do.

Are we – the progressives, the liberal left, remainers – in danger of wanting to have our cake and eat it? At this politically dispiriting time, this is understandable.

A polarisation

There is always a depth and complexity to such issues, and this is reflected in the invisible, complex archaeology at the Stanton Drew circle JRM chose as his megalithic pulpit. An amazing geophysical survey in 1997 revealed a collection of concentric timber circles within the stone circle, and an external henge ditch. Hundreds of oak posts stood here in the Neolithic period (Davis et al 2004).

Stanton Drew geophysics results (source: PAST)

The visible megalithic Stanton Drew must be understood in the context of the organic invisible Stanton Drew. The visible political posturing must be read within the context of the invisible underlying currents given off that can perhaps be picked up on should receptive equipment be suitably attuned. As with actual, so with metaphorical geophysics: these undercurrents can be positive and negative. Rees-Mogg is attracting and repelling at the same time. That is what populist politicians – and magnetometers – do.

His deliberately divisive message is having the desired polarising effect.

The choice of site, the words, the message, of this short video are very much in the antiquarian tradition.

He is the Moggalithic antiquarian.

JRM the antiquarian, words from Dymond 1877

This is played out through his superficial understanding of the archaeological site, and an inability and unwillingness to interpret outwith his own value system. JRM uses the stone circle to valorise his world view and force that view upon others.

Yet stone circles can and should be kept out of our Brexit battles. They are no more an indicator of what Jonathan Last, in another great response to far-right use of prehistoric monuments, has called, ‘a conservative, nostalgic narrative of a lost rural England’, than they are surviving traces of an ancient utopia of free movement and European cultural cohesion.

Stone circles should be testament to the sophistication of Neolithic people. Stone circles should continue to be a source of wonder, mystery, the otherness of the past as demonstrated in Weird Walks zine #2. Their weird walk route around Stanton Drew, documented in the pages of this zine and The Face, is a wonderful counterpoint to the weird stiffness of the Rees-Mogg polemic. The stones should be hugged, and the stone circle is to be enjoyed, as is the visit to the Druids Arms pub afterwards.

Weird Walks Stanton Drew (source: Weird Walk #2 (2019), 30-1)

Prehistoric sites cannot, and should not, be viewed through a Brexit lens, whether leave or remain. 

We need to get back to seeing such ancient monuments through a camera lens and our own eyeballs.

We must take back our wonderful prehistoric monuments from the grasping hands and propaganda machines of opportunistic politicians, and avoid falling into their sinister traps.

***

Works cited:

Brophy, K. 2018. The Brexit hypothesis and prehistory. Antiquity, 92: 1650-58. DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2018.160

David, A 1998 Stanton Drew, PAST 28. (Newsletter of the Prehistoric Society). Available online https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prehistoric/past/past28.html#Stanton

Davis, A. et al 2004 A rival to Stonehenge? Geophysical survey at Stanton Drew, England. Antiquity 78, 341-58. DOI: 10.1017/S0003598X00113006

Dymond, CW The megalithic antiquities at Stanton Drew, Journal of the British Archaeological Association 33: 297-307.

***

Thanks to guest blogger Kenny Brophy. Follow Kenny on Twitter @urbanprehisto. 

Read more by Kenny on his own blog, The Urban Prehistorian, and a previous guest post here.

Follow us on Twitter @AlmostArch, and pitch us your guest blog!

#archaeonews #urban prehistory #Jacob Rees-Mogg #UK general election #brexit

[princess-of-the-corner]

What is Red Velvet Au?? I've picked up things like Tom has the Cat Miraculous, Chloe has Nooro and Mari has Duusu. But really what is happening in this Au????

Reverse on the Tom part!

So! First change to the AU is that the Black Cat was lost with the Butterfly and Peacock. So Gabriel initially had all three. But he decided to use the Cat. In part because 'if I use the Cat then as soon as I get the Ladybug, then I can make the Wish then and there'. Cat!Gabriel uses the name Tuxedo(like a tuxedo cat)

Marinette was supposed to be Ladybug, but her dad comes up to her room with her for whatever reason when she finds the box Fu left. Tom is like 'Hey, I'm sorry, my daughter is a literal child so no she's not going to be the leader in this. I'm doing it instead'. His name is Red Velvet because it's a cake.

Fights between them are somewhat kind of their own thing usually seperate from the Civilian Plots because there are no Akumas. It's Tuxedo showing up to get Red Velvet's attention, they fight for a while until Tuxedo decides to retreat for whatever reason, and RV fixes the damage. Neither really makes much headway.

Now. Back in the Agreste Mansion, Plagg decides to be a little shit. So he hides the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous in the last place Gabriel would look. Which is Adrien's room.

Adrien finds the brooches, but has no idea that they're Magical. He thinks they must be regular jewelry from his father's line. But Adrien isn't big on brooches and decides to just gift them rather than let them sit in the back of his closet.

Adrien gives one to Chloé, as they're childhood friends, and the other to Marinette, as he has a crush on her and gifts are nice!

Marinette does realize the brooch she gets is Magical when Duusu appears. She brings the Kwami and the broke Miraculous to her dad, and then they go to Fu. Fu fixes the Peacock, and asks Duusu about the Black Cat and Butterfly, since they were lost together. But Duusu doesn't really remember much.

Marinette does investigate the Agrestes since she got the brooch from Adrien, but there's nothing conclusive and tbh Gabriel totally uses her as a fake alibi of 'let's use holograms and pre-recorded video calls to make her think I'm here while Tuxedo is out and about'.

Seeing as this is the second time a Miraculous has fallen into her hands, Marinette feels like the Universe is sending her a sign that she should be in this fight. Tom is still initially against it, but one of the Peacock's lesser-used aspects comes into play.

The Peacock user can create a Sentimonster that has no true AI to it, and is just a body that they can basically astral project into and puppet. So the real Marinette would be safe, while the Sentimonster is on the field. Said Sendimonster can also be given powers, and Mari decides to base them off the rest of the Miraculous. So we have a Senti!Fox, a Senti!Bee, so on and so forth. However, the whole time Marinette uses the name Mockingbird as her Hero Name.

Now we hop back over to Chloé, who got the Butterfly!

She doesn't know what's happening. Nooroo can only tell her so much since he's still under previous user's (both Gabriel's and the Order's) instruction not to divulge too much info. This could be broken if she asked the right questions, but she doesn't know the right questions.

Anyway. She now gets Nooroo as a kind of friend. Who is kind and gentle and honestly parent-like which she very much needs.

But also. The Butterfly Miraculous has a passive empathy power. Which kickstarts her redemption arc. Half because she realizes how much she's hurting others since she can literally feel it, and half because she can now feel when someone in class is upset and she'll go 'you being upset is making me feel upset and I cannot handle this so we're going to fix your shit right now!'.

While Chloé will sometimes do some nighttime parkour and, if she runs across something, occasional vigilantism, she doesn't join as a Hero until during what would be the Queen's Battle Trilogy. Where, after the whole incident with realizing her mom doesn't love her, Chloé is having a Bad Time™ and decides she doesn't want to be 'herself' right now so she goes hopping around the rooftops in broad daylight.

Naturally that catches the attention of both Hero and Villain. Everyone shows up and while RV and Tuxedo fight, Mockingbird drags Butterfly!Chloé off to ask her shit. While she's very hesitant to tell the Heroes anything, not her identity, how she got her Miraculous, or even how old she is, she does choose the name 'Monarch' and decides to join RV and Mockingbird's side.

Tom doesn't know what's up with Monarch, but he can see that she's a kid who needs a place to feel safe and get some good parental guidance so as Red Velvet he just. Slowly tries to give her that and practically adopts her as another daughter.

Gabriel has not yet connected Monarch to the Butterfly Miraculous, or realized that the Mockingbird he fights is a Sentimonster being puppeted rather than a girl switching out which Miraculous she uses.

#ml red velvet au

[adothoe-archive]

Helpless (Semester 1.5)

This is (kind of) a sequel to Before the End of the Semester and All’s Fair (Semester 2). It takes place a little bit before the start of Semester 1 and ends right up to the beginning of the library smut from Alex’s POV.

Pairing: Alexander Hamilton x Reader

Warning: pining

Kink Tag: none

AU: modern/college au

Word Count: 2471

Song: “Touch” - Little Mix

A/N: Yes, I haven’t updated in 500 years, and yes this is hella late and the write-a-thon is over BUT this is for day 5 of the @hamwriters Write-A-Thon for reverse pov day. All french translated for me by my platonic soulmate @manuelmirandamn hope you enjoy!!!

A note from Mackie who proofread for me: “i read this as “on my sexual life” bc im taking french rn and I started cackling because i thought it was like “i swear on my life” but it’s alex’s sexual life” - about a line in french @protecting-my-legacy

Alex dropped the last of his bags on his bed, looking around the room to figure out what order he should organize his things in. Move in day was always hectic and stressful but you’d think after two years of college, he’d have it down already.

A loud bang and a strong French accent coming from down the hall notified him that Gilbert had just arrived. Smiling, he walked out of his room and down the hall to Gil’s.

“Nice flight,” he asked, leaning against the door frame. “Alexander! Mon meilleur ami!” He grinned and opened his arms wide for a hug which Alex happily obliged. Gil’s hugs were the best.

“How was France?”

“Incroyable. All the cousins were there and ma grandmére. She makes the best chocolatines. I had some shipped over for you guys. Your life will change forever.”

Alex laughed. He missed Gil and all his friends when they were on break but especially Gil. His life was boring without Gil’s drama in it.

“Did you get your class schedule?”

“‘Did you,’ is the more important question. Will we have to suffer through yet another semester of you pining after Y/N?”

“I don’t pine. And, yes, but I don’t know what her schedule is.”

Gil raised an eyebrow as he folded a shirt. “You mean you didn’t ask your dad?”

“George isn’t my dad-”

“He adopted you when you were fourteen-”

“He’s not my dad.”

“Fine. You didn’t ask Washington to find out for you?”

“No.” Another eyebrow raise. “Fine, yes.”

“Et?”

Alex ran a hand through his hair. “We’re in the same classes again. But I’m over it. It’s been a long summer and I’m only focused on getting valedictorian.”

“Give it five minutes into your first class and you’ll be at each other’s throats.”

He rolled his eyes. “I think I have more self control than that.”

“You two have been hurling insults at each other and debating like it’s a courtroom for two years straight. That’s not going to stop overnight. Or over a summer.”

“Whatever-”

“Non, mon ami. This has been a thing for two years. We’re getting you two together.” 

Alex groaned. “Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t. Seriously.”

“Pourquois pas?” (Why not?)

“Parce que je ne veux pas qu’elle pense que je suis amoureux d’elle ou quelque chose.” (Because I don’t want her to think I’m in love with her or anything.)

“Bien, es-tu?” (Well, are you?)

“C’est sans importance.” (That’s irrelevant.)

“Dieu, tu es!” (Oh my god, you are!)

“Est-ce que ça importe? Elle me deteste.” (Does it matter? She hates me.)

“La haine et la tension sexuelle est un ligne fine, mon ami.” (Hate and sexual tension is a fine line, my friend.)

“Alors?” (So?)

“Nous allons faire un pari.” (We’ll make a bet.)

“Sur ma vie sexuelle. Je ne me suis jamais sentie plus fraîche.” (About my sex life. I’ve never felt cooler.)

“Tu l’aures cependant.” (But you’ll get her.)

Alex found that very hard to believe.

By the first day of classes, Gil’s bet had already spread across campus and several people had come up to him to ask him to seduce Y/N on a specific day. Alex was growing tired of it. There was no need for the bet and he was going to prove it by being nice.

It turned out to be difficult since as soon as he spoke up, you responded with absolute venom.

“Here we are again, Y/L/N,” he said, smiling a little to show he held no animosity. “I’m curious to see how your debating skills have improved over the summer.”

“You have yet to beat me in a debate so maybe I should be saying that to you, Hamilton.” Y/N smirked.

Alex turned around with a frown, intent on ignoring you for the rest of the class when George walked in and announced that they would be working in partners.

For the whole semester.

Alex hated group projects. No one ever pulled their weight or was able to keep up with him and he ended up doing all of the work while his partners got credit. 

And then the worst possible thing happened.

“Y/N Y/L/N and Alexander Hamilton. Find your seats please.”

George expected him to work with you for an entire semester? He was definitely going to talk to him about this after class.

But first, he had the absolute joy of dealing with you. He sent you a smirk, knowing you hated this just as much as he did but not willing to let that show, and moved his bag off the seat next to him. Just to annoy you, he patted the seat in a silent command to sit.

If you weren’t going to try to be nice, neither was he. And he was the best asshole anywhere around when he tried.

As the class shuffled out of the room, you particularly fast without even looking at the country assignment sheet, Alex made his way to George’s desk at the front of the room.

“Yes, Alex?”

“I need a new partner.”

He sighed and looked up from his syllabus on the desk. “Did I or did I not say partners were final and not up to your choosing?”

“Okay, but this is a different situation-”

“You expect me to give you special treatment because you’re my son?”

“I’m not your son.” A pained look flashed across George’s face but it was gone in an instant. What he said was true so Alex wasn’t very concerned and he blazed on. “Y/N and I have a history of blowing up at each other. We can’t work together.”

“You two are the smartest kids in this class. You just have to work together, not socialize.”

“But-”

“No but’s. And, anyway, I thought you’d be happy about this. I only put you together because your friend Gilbert said you’d like it.”

Alex groaned. Of course Gil had something to do with this. “Please, just change it.”

“I can’t do that, son. If I did it for you, everyone else would want a new partner too.” George looked over him quickly as if he wanted to say something else but changed his mind. “I think you’ll work well together. I did give you the best country.” He smiled and picked up his briefcase, leaving the classroom.

Alex put the strap of his bag over his shoulder and walked over to the paper that held your assignment. After finding both of your names and the country across from it, he quickly exited the building to try to catch up with you. He wasn’t going to let his grade suffer because you didn’t know what the project was on.

“So you have her number?”

“Yes, Gil, I have her number.”

“That was faster than I expected,” commented John.

Alex glared and whipped him with the dish towel on the counter. “You act like I have no game. I’ve had more sex than all of you combined.”

“Yes, Alex, we’re surprised you don’t have a multitude of STD’s either.”

“Oh, shut up, Herc.”

“I think what they meant,” Gil paused to taste the sauce he had simmering on the stove, “was that for two years you’ve been stuck arguing with her in the friendzone and now you have her number.”

“I don’t think you can call it the friendzone if they weren’t friends.” John laughed.

“Okay, the only reason I need her number is because George paired us together for a project that lasts the entire semester.”

“I think you would be happy about that, non?”

“George told me you did this, Gil-”

“I simply made a suggestion-”

“Why are you even fighting about this,” asked John. “You want to be with her, don’t you? Or at least fuck her?”

“Yeah-”

“Then being partners with her and Gil’s bet should be things that make you happy. He seems to be doing most of the work for you, by the way.”

“Yeah, why haven’t you entered the pool,” asked Herc.

“Because it’s childish-”

“Come on, mon petite lion, take a bet and surprise us at how fast you can get in her pants.”

“Um, it’s ‘make a bet,’ Gil-” A wooden spoon hit the back of his head and John promptly cut himself off.

Alex rolled his eyes at his friends. “Fine. I’ll make a bet.”

Herc got out his legal pad and flipped a few pages, then looked up, pen poised over the paper. “So?”

“Holy shit, how many people have made bets?”

“Around 500 people-”

“What?”

“What’s your bet, Ham?”

Alex grumbled and crossed his arms. “Before the end of our first project.”

“That’s like a few weeks, Lex-”

“Shut up, John.” John held his hands up and walked to the stove to try to steal some of the pancetta Gil was frying before being shooed away.

And Alex’s thoughts returned to you.

“We’re calling the bet off.” Alex dropped his bag on the ground and slumped in a chair at the kitchen table.

“Poor Alex, can’t get into one girl’s pants.” John laughed as he bit into an apple.

“Just because it’s taking longer than half an hour to get her to fuck you, doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Yet.”

Gil glared at Herc and John. “We’re not stopping the bet, Alex. We’ve already got almost two grand in the pot.”

Alex eyes widened and he sat up to look at his friends. “You’re serious?”

“As the plague.” Herc slid his legal pad with the bets on it across the table to Alex.

“Why the fuck is everyone so interested in this?”

John shrugged. “It’s been a long time coming.”

“Literally everyone sees the sexual tension, Ham.” Herc took his legal pad back and started crossing off dates that already happened.

Gil handed him a plate with a chocolatine on it. “What made you want to shut it down?”

Alex sighed and chewed the pastry. “She wouldn’t stop ragging on me. Literally everything I did she had something to say about it. I really think it’s only hate she feels for me-”

“I don’t think so,” said John. “Her best friend’s sister told me Y/N thinks you’re cute.”

“Cute?”

“Well, not in those exact words-”

“That’s one word, John.”

He rolled his eyes. “Apparently Y/N goes home with Angelica on the weekends and they have a cliche sleepover and talk about boys. I’m friends with Angelica’s sister Peggy so she told me.”

Gil leaned against the kitchen counter and looked at John. “What did she say exactly?”

“Peggy told me Y/N said that she’d find him attractive if he weren’t so infuriating all the time. Him being Alex-”

Herc snorted. “Yeah, we got that.”

“I bet she likes you, Alex.” Gil smirked.

“Can we stop with the bets? One is enough.” Alex rubbed his face. “You can keep the bet going but I’m not trying anymore.”

“Alex-”

“No. I’m done.”

Alex picked up his bag and went upstairs, trying his best to fall asleep and not dream about you.

The last two nights, Alex hadn’t been able to sleep and tonight was going to be no exception. Last night and the night before, he’d been able to distract himself with work until he passed out from exhaustion around six in the morning. But tonight, he had already read through all of his textbooks and he was finished with every single assignment he could possibly complete except for his Model U.N. project with you.

Which made him think of you.

All night.

Alex’s inner monologue was like a Nicholas Sparks movie had a baby with Valentine’s Day with just a dash of hope.

He liked you. He knew that. And he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit it was more than that, but he couldn’t make himself think it or he’d be crushed when you rejected him. Because you hated him.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes before checking the clock on his nightstand.

2:03 AM.

It was going to be a long night and an even longer semester trying to hide his feelings for the girl that hated him.

Alex showed up early to the study room this time, trying to avoid being yelled at again. Yawning, he finished his umpteenth coffee of the day and threw it in the trash can in the corner.

He knew he probably looked like shit. No sleep did that to you. He shouldn’t have cared but he did anyway. Knowing you, you’d probably show up looking gorgeous without even trying.

Alex sighed and pulled up the google doc the both of you had been planning on when you walked in the room.

“You’re late.” He didn’t want to look at you. He’d lose all focus and it’d just be more ammo for future arguments.

“So were you last time.”

Alex finally looked up to try and form an argument but you were wearing his favorite dress of yours and your hair was down, giving him just the smallest peek of your neck and was this what it’s like to be speechless?

You smirked and sat down across from him, saying something he only heard the tail end of.

“…everyone else doing? I assume you know.”

Alex shook his head to get some very embarrassing thoughts out and nervously clicked his pen.

“Well, Russia’s doing Aleppo.”

“You’re kidding me. Do they even know what’s going on in Aleppo?”

He tried to strike up an argument since he utterly failed when you came in. “Do you?”

You glared and began speaking about your plan to help Syria and Alex knew you were going to change the world someday. That you were probably smarter than him, and that he couldn’t deny he was in love with you.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep or that he couldn’t hold it in anymore but what he said next was definitely the most impulsive thing he’d ever done.

“…I could kiss you right now.”

And he definitely did not expect the response he got.

“So what’s stopping you?”

He tried to banter for awhile, but his heart wasn’t in it and he was entirely too distracted by your open invitation to kiss you. And your legs… No one had the right to have legs that enticing.

And then you sat on his lap and his entire mind went blank. The only thing he could do when you asked him for a yes was to nod his head.

He never expected to ever not be fighting with you. He never imagined he’d be this close. Never thought that he’d be able to touch you. And never, ever believed he’d be kissing you.

Which he did. Passionately.

And he’d keep doing that for as long as you’d let him.

#hamilton #alexander hamilton x reader #hamilton x reader #alexander hamilton #alexander hamilton imagine #alexander