Status Online: Chapter 2: Red Valkyrie

Status Online: Chapter 2: Red Valkyrie

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Namimori, Japan

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“Thanks again Kyoya-san. Though, you didn’t have to do this much in the first place. We can find an apartment ourselves you know.” The young black-haired woman tells her older cousin.

  She visited Kagami who is now a Dojo Master. They hang out a lot in the country visiting place to place and teaching Marinette how to speak Japanese. When she talks about her trip to her parent her mother suggested her to visit a bit for her Maman’s Godson.

 Kyoya Hibari is the one who assisted her and Kagami from the train station. Well, if you can look past his gang of older men who are delinquents. But turns out, they are all just sweethearts that carried the women’s luggage. Kagami insisted she carries her weapon Which will be cleared by the Disciplinary Committee while Marinette for her handbag and her Precious Gaming Set.

  “Hn, This is one of the safest living spaces in Namimori,”  Kyoya replied. They arrive at the apartment nearby the Hibari compound. After all, his omnivore of a cousin is not as insane as the people in this place. Kyoya expects her to fight or at least protect herself but her aura is purely orange and energetic, she is presenting her flames like that squeaking omnivore years ago.

   She will attract unnecessary attraction for being a sky. But Seeing that her Storm is one of the best fighters in Japan, Kyoya wishes to test her Storm Dragon’s skills. He glances at the Dragon silently, catching her eyes.  

   “Thank you for your hospitality, Hibari-san” Kagami replied. Her eyes spoke between their eye contact. Filled with protectiveness and controlled fire in her thoughtful eyes. That will unleash her storm flames in her sky’s need.

   Good. Let the dragon protect her sky from the wolves and sheeple in this town. There is a reason for Namimori to be called the ‘Hitman’s Retirement town’ anyway.

   Weeks later the young women are all settled in the town with little to no hassle. Marinette loves the Sakura trees in Namimori that became her inspiration to sketch more designs.  She also bought some reading materials and a computer set up she ordered online for the Game, good thing it Kyoya’s friends help her set up while they gushing and chatting about the new gaming set-up. They help her translate most in the manual and research for her. Especially Gokudera-Kun apparently speaks a lot of European languages French included, he helped her a lot.

   Kagami rather practices her katas, well until Kyoya challenges her sword against his pair of tonfas. Let's just say that Kyoya would have won if Kagami hadn’t disarmed his weapons and pinned him to the ground. Which is shocking for those who have met Kyoya in combat. Kagami then proceeded to check out the boxing gym where another of Kyoya’s friends teach boxing named Ryohei Sasagawa.

   They spent the rest of their days meeting new friends, although most of them are in Italy. So, they settled in sightseeing and hanging out outside. The town might be small but the people are interesting, especially their stories. She told her parents all about the trip, sending pictures, Also Papa Tom and Maman Sabine had the chance to talk to Kyoya themselves.

   When the gaming setup is fully upgraded and complete, Marinette installs SWORD ART ONLINE on her PC. Kyoya insisted on both Kagami and Marinette moving in the Hibari compound for safety measurements when someone apparently has the gall to stalk the girls to their apartment. Thankfully the man was apprehended by the disciplinary committee. Now that everything is settled, namely her excited nerves. She still can't believe that she got it. 

   With her luck, anything could have happened. Hopefully, the other shoe is gonna drop sooner. Kagami is happy for her even if she didn't understand as much as Marinette's enthusiasm as a gamer. So does Kyoya, he is very accommodating for the two of them and Marinette can see that the two are going to be just fine. Well, with fewer injuries during their own sparring.

   Marinette Dupain-Cheng is now registered as a Player in Sword Art Online. Once she settled her Nerve gear in her head and rested her arms to her sides. She shouted the words to activate the system. 

   ** “Link Start!” **

   The young woman starts her game. Flashes of colors passed by her. As she felt her body relaxed and being lulled to rest. But her mind is drifting afar with her consciousness.

 **WELCOME TO **

SWORD ART ONLINE

  The Trailer of the game has begun.

 It started with darkness and she feels to be sitting. The sound of the wind rushed to her ears and skin. In the Parisian’s cold night, gliding the streets in France is something she experienced in her days being Ladybug. But now with her eyes opened, she is a spectator far above the ground. Higher than the clouds, she felt breathless.

 As the sun rises from the horizon, she blinks to adjust her eyes from the light. She was amazed at the heat she felt, nothing like the soft bed where she lied down minutes ago. Her braided jet-black hair is flagged by the bird’s speed.

 At that time, she realizes that the fact she is riding a bird. The bird is 10 feet long from beak to its tail, not counting the long red and blue tail feathers that might be 2 feet long. Its wingspan is gigantic, each feather shines like copper. Other birds pass by her as she is surprised to feel the wind grazed her skin. She holds on to the golden bird she is on and feels the strong silky feathers in her hands. The bird slides down and guides its way to the deep forest. A yelp escapes from her lips as she felt the change of her momentum.

 A mighty screech came out from its break as it picks up more speed.

 Tall trees surrounded the area that has small and large animals living in them. Rivers flow between the land that is filled with fishes, frogs, and resting animals like quails, deer, and rabbits.

 Pitcher plants that have elongated vines and sharp teeth, Small green creatures with red eyes are dressed in clothes carrying weapons, packs of wolves and bears roaming around the fields, horses and cattle are grazing in the wild.

  At the end of the river, she hears a loud noise that comes from the end of the river, and they are heading towards the waterfall. She became nervous as her transport that she has no control tipped down to the waterfall. The Golden bird flies downward with the water and wind strikes up against them, she tightens her grip. Only to fly steadily with the lake below them.

 “Yeah!”

 In delight and amazement, Marinette sits up and cheers up with laughter and awe. Her shouts of happiness make the bird celebrate with her.

  The scenes look real to her that she felt a bit overwhelmed by her senses and made initial dizziness slip away. The light of the sun shines on the lake in a majestic way she can see the fishes leaping on the surface of the water, the corals, and the deep blue depths holds secrets.

 Rough terrains that stretched out in the open. They all contain monsters, abandoned mining shafts, and run over merchant stalls. She tries to remember all the locations from the very beginning to the end. Just in case.

 After the lake, the bird picks up speed and momentum to launch back higher in the air. Passing by the maze of trees with sharp turns and avoiding crawlies like that giant spider or those giant bees that surprised her. They continue to fly off while shadows of shy beings piqued her interest as they swiftly disappeared. When they exit the forest, the end of a pasture lies a town.

 At the break of dawn, the citizens woke up to a new day, the town that sets in the medieval age is next to be shown to her. Houses made of wood and stone are shown with stone walkways and fountains and well in given places. The stone buildings are made to be strong, towering structures like the glowing blue ones are noted into this game that she recognizes as a teleporter in the beta gameplay videos.

 The NPCs in the marketplace who are roled to be bakers, shopkeepers, blacksmiths, lumber workers, guards, ordinary townspeople, and many others have roaming around the town square. Some of them look up to her and yells her greeting.

 “Good Morning!”

“Fly well, adventurer!”

“Hi”

 She can’t help but greet back” Bonjour!” with a wide smile on her face waving her one hand. They pass by the town and slowed its pace once the clear fields are filled with wildflowers and sparse trees. From there she can see the cold mountains from afar and the scorching heat of the desert.

 And at last.

 She saw it.

 The Grand tower of the game, Aincrad.

 The Floating Castle of Sword Art Online

 The bird landed in the clearing. Marinette mounts off the golden bird. “Thank you so much!” She said to the preening bird. “I hope we can fly again soon” The bird cooed its appreciation and strays away from her and launches itself off back to the sky.

The Golden Bird soars freely out to the sky. Its beating wings are felt from the ground. Marinette picks up the stray feathers that are left and looks around wondering how to proceed.

  Wildflowers spread across the field fades away as she appears in a digital blue room that is filled with symbols and weird shapes.

This is the room where she started.

   Flashes of colors flying upon her and the General Booting systems are prepared and online.

  <Touch> … (OK)

 <Sight>… (OK)

 <Hearing>… (OK)

 Loading … 100%

 **Loading… **

** **

 COMPLETE

 [Enter your Account and Password]

   [Congratulations!]

[You have completed the Sensory Configuration Task.]

[You are Ready to proceed to the next part of the Tutorial]

 A floating screen appeared in front of her. Showing her a video clip that samples the body customization process.  The body portions, eyes shape and color, skin tone adjustments, hair length and color, and facial marks. There is also a setting to change your own voice by adjusting the pitch of your tone.

 [Customize your avatar]

[Gender: ___]

 She is now free to edit her appearance. The first option is the gender of her character. She is taking the female route.

 [Gender: Female]

[Body: ___]

 A female default character appeared in front of her but quickly changes to, Wait…

 Wait.

WHAT!

That’s her!

 A Marinette appeared in front of her, or her own body just became her default body! How did they do this? They got her height and other body proportions right! Her chest, her hips, her face differs a bit from the green-eyed brunette in front of her. Wait maybe she is just thinking too much. Maybe she is just that much of a … standard female avatar. Yeah, it’s just a coincidence.

 They just… Wow. really?

 This technology is amazing! B-but she thought the headgear only drifts her subconsciousness to the game. Scanning her full body HA! Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Great now she sounds ridiculous like Chloe.

 Well, it did make sense if she is doing around the map like in a new world, she has to adapt her new body to herself

 Same as her current height of 5’7, she chooses her body proportions the same as her original body. She can edit her avatar later, she doesn’t want to be clumsy there cause of the big height difference. Although the adjustments of the coloring can experiment.

 [Body type: 3]

[Proceed (O) (X)]

[Voice: ___]

 She tested out her voice with a quick recording, experimenting with the pitch.

 _“Ara~ Ara~” _

  She giggled at her choice of recording. That joke makes her laugh sometimes, well the reaction does, especially Adrien when she impersonated Lady Noir. She plays with the available options until she just settles her voice modifier to a pitch. Strong and firm soprano voice. Basically, like a pitch lower than her own.

 [Voice: -1]

[Voice: OK]

[Proceed (O) (X)]

[Eyes]

 She changes her eye color multiple times. Green, Black, Gray, Purple looks cute. But she just settled with something special. They were like those specialized contact lenses where the small pupil is black while the iris is mainly a heterochromatic mix of gold, blue, and purple. It looks pretty.

 [Eyes: OK]

[Proceed (O) (X)]

[Hair]

 She keeps a short hairstyle with a crown braid and colors it jet-black with pink highlights. She loves the look on her avatar. Even if the beginner’s clothes looked boring and plain.

 [Hair: OK]

[Proceed (O) (X)]

[Body/Face]

 The more she modifies her avatar she did notice that she didn’t change much about herself. She tried changes on her body yet the structure is the same. She didn’t think much about it and she continues to the next.

 [Body/Face: OK]

[Proceed (O) (X)]

 [This avatar will be saved and used as your body within the Aincrad, you can change the customization later in the game located in the settings.]

 [Proceed (O) (X)]

[Yes: OK]

 [The Avatar is now set as your current [Avatar Skin] ]

 [Username: ____]

 This makes Marinette nag her head for a long time. Most of her connected games have her own usernames based on animals. Mini Mouse, Lady Red, Good Girl, and a lot more to count. She wants to be different. She didn’t have that much of a fanbase in Japan, just a couple of them came along to her twitch streams.

Simple but recognizable. She can connect her name to her current gaming collection.

 [Username: …]

 A Flower? Definitely a Gladiolus.

 [Username: Gladiolus]

[Enter]

[Unavailable: Username is taken]

 Damn. Oh well, this is much like DnD anyways so…

[Username: Scarlett Warrior]

[Unavailable: Username is taken]

 What?! Come on third time the charm. Please...

[Username: Kuro Kitty]

[Unavailable: Username is taken]

 She jinxed herself, didn’t she?

[Username: SlitherIn Serpent]

[Unavailable: Username is taken]

 OMG thank kwami! That would be so embarrassing.

[Username: Butter Free]

[Unavailable: Username is taken]

 Pokémon… Cute but No.

[Username: Miracle Bug]

[Loading…]

[…]

[…]

[Unavailable: Username is taken]

  “Ugh! Why!” Marinette frustratingly tries again. Eyes narrowing on the floating screen with her nose scrunched a little.

And Finally, was able to get a name that is good for the game.

 [Username: Red Valkyrie]

[Username: Accepted]

 "YES!!!"

 "Finally, she got in!"

She is very excited ever since she research the logs of the beta-testers. What to expect, What to do, What's in there, How to do stuff, and other whatnots. Every monster, animal, Special NCP's, Hidden shops, Skills, weapons, and many more.

She feels. No

"I am so READY! Bring it on SAO, the Red Valkyrie has arrived!"

** **

AN: WELL. What do you think? Any suggestions?

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@bunathebunny

So glad you guys like my suggestions. And @4kfloridian . Its really a mood when things happen like that. I play Genshin Impact for... Uhhh. Research Purposes. *Sweat drop* So hope that your story turn up Okay! Add me in taglist?

😊

Hi! So about the MaribatxMonsters Inc. AU might I suggest a few things?

1. Bruce be a gargoyle, or a werebat, a vampire looks to much like a human to be scared of if the no killing rule is installed, well if monster world is another dimension like hazbin hotel.

2. Any Ideas about Alfred? I can think of him being a docile Big Owl butler. He doesn't have to be frightening, just predatory enough for Bruce to get some sleep.

Hope this helps... Have a great day! 😁

I was a month or so late but @4kfloridian​ , you might want to take a look at this.

Micky’s Masterlist

One More Chance (Ben 10 & HP crossover)  (AO3) 

*Maribat Idea #1

*Maribat Idea #2

Sword Art Online: Akuma and Valkyrie series (AO3)

Sword Art Online <Status: Offline> (AO3) (1)

Sword Art Online <Status: Online> (AO3 )(1)(2)

Others:

Help in the SAO: A&V series

Everyone should know the international sign for Help Me. Let’s make this famous!!

Well... okay

 *Definitely taking note*

Miraculous Ladybug- Fixing the Powers

I’ve been very much bothered by the way that the writing team for Miraculous Ladybug has been handling powers for a long time now. It might not be as frustrating or offensive as how they sometimes treat the characters and their relationships, but it BOTHERS me. Because it doesn’t make sense that Adults are more powerful than kids just by the grace of being an adult if the magic comes from a kwami and the jewelry and as such the age of the wearer shouldn’t matter as much. And objectively speaking, there as several ‘minor’ miraculouses that seem WAY more powerful than the two that are supposed to be the most coveted, the Ladybug and Chat Noir miraculouses. Also both the addition of the potions AND the distinctions given to some of the miraculouses/kwamis (Such as Pollen being the ‘Kwami of Subjugation’) are just… ODD. So a while back I sat down and charted out a way to ‘fix’ the powers in Miraculous Ladybug, much like I’ve seen others fix plots and characters.

More Clearly based on Yin/Yang, Wu Xing, and the Zodiacs

I can’t tell you how much it annoys me that Astruc clearly chose these Chinese motifs for the aesthetic, and didn’t bother researching or properly applying any of the theology attached to them to his show. Ladybug and Chat Noir SHOULD be equal, and balance one another out, but they’re not. Instead, Ladybug gets way more power and importance than Chat Noir does. And the Wu Xing Cycle is an important one too, because that’s nature holding itself in check. 

The Wu Xing has four different cycles attached to it; the Creation Cycle, the Destruction Cycle, the Insult Cycle, and the Controlling Cycle. It could have been interesting to lean into this, so that pairing two miraculous heroes together can lead to new powers being unlocked, depending on the two in question, and that if a  Hawkmoth happens, there are two heroes other than Ladybug and Chat who’d be able to step up and confront him.

New Stations/Distinctions for the Kwamis

It bothers me that the distinctions chosen for the Kwami feel extremely random, and don’t fit together at all. Nooroo is “Generosity”, Trixx is “Deception”, Pollen is “Subjugation”, Wayzz is “Protection”, and Duusuu is “Emotion.” Like, on their own these are fine. But none of them really relate to one another in a way that makes sense, which the Wu Xing SHOULD. As much as it annoys me, I can sorta understand why it would be a bad idea to attach the specific elements themselves to each Miraculous, because then people will expect the powers of that miraculous to relate to that element, which is very limiting. The Wu Xing is about much more than just nature and the elements. It’s also used to reference the passing of time, physical parts of the body, emotions, cardinal directions and so much more. 

But I still feel that the Distinctions for each Kwami and their powers should be presented in a what where it makes sense to see them relating to one another. One way I’ve suggested for people to do this is to include Ladybug and Chat in the consideration and base each of the Kwamis off of one of the Seven Chakras. But another way I like much better is to consider the kwamis in relation to what area their abilities will affect. For Example; Fox- Mind (Wood) Bee- Energy (Fire) Turtle- Body (Earth) Peacock- Soul (Metal) Butterfly- Heart (Water)

These are things you can tell at a glance relate to one another, without limiting the kwamis too much to being one trick ponies. And speaking of limits…

Limits are based on internal balance, not age

In an effort to make the sage figure that is supposed to be Fu NOT look like he has sand for brains and decided it’d be a good idea to give his chosen heroes a massive handicap against the villain right out of the gate, we’re going to change up the limiter for the Miraculouses. Rather than being based on age, the thing that determines how well you use a miraculous is your affiliation with the element/distinction that the Miraculous represents. Let’s use Kim as an example here. He’s very energetic and driven, so he’d have a great time with either the Bee or the Turtle, but give him the Peacock, the Butterfly, or the Fox, and things will get a hell of a lot harder for him. On the exact flip side, Juleka would be great with the Peacock, Butterfly, or Fox, but would struggle with the Bee or the Turtle.

Having the powers draw off of being able to synchronize with that power/ability due to personality makes sense, and is more true to the concepts that Miraculous Ladybug is trying to present than claiming that it’s because of age. And the beauty of this is that people can grow and change at any point in their life, which means that they can learn and change and miraculouses that they once struggled with can become easier for them to use while ones they once used easily can slip from their grasp if they begin to neglect that aspect of themselves.

More Clear and Understandable Power Pyramid

This is one of the things that bothers me MOST about how they’ve been handling the powers. We’re supposed to see Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses as the be all/end all, but many of the zodiac miraculouses seem much more powerful than them, and even the Peacock and Butterfly can create opponents that are more than a match for the Lucky Duo. Not to mention the fact that, as I said before, the Lucky Duo itself is imbalanced due to Ladybug getting all the power in their relationship. So the best way to fix that?

Power Pyramid.

By this, I mean that instead of all miraculouses just getting one power and calling it a day, it makes more sense to present the powers as an almost ‘trickle’ effect. To start off, Zodiacs get defined by a single element and whichever side of Yin/Yang they fall on, and get their power based on that. For example, the Dragon. That is a Yang/Earth (Body) Personality, who uses the elements in an aggressive way. Meanwhile, Snake is a Yin/Fire (Energy), so they require someone who comes across as passive, but is actually patient and knows to wait for the precise moment to strike.

Next level up from the Zodiac Miraculouses, we have the Wu Xing/Elemental Miraculouses. Rather than just one power, each Wu Xing Miraculous should get two, one based on it’s “Yin” Abilities, and one for it’s “Yang.” the way I broke it down when I was working this out for examples went like so;

Trixx

Fox Powers/Mind

Yang- Mirage 

Creates an illusion of the user’s choosing.

Yin- Outfox

Gives the user the ability to convince the victim that anything they’re saying is true.

Pollen

Bee Powers/Energy

Yang- Nectar

Ability to heal injuries and cure illnesses (not as strong as Miraculous Cure)

Yin- Sting

Causes temporary paralysis

Wayzz

Turtle Powers/Body

Yang- Shell-ture

Creates an impenetrable shield

Yin- Withdraw

Teleportation ability that allows the user to put people and object of their desire in a pocket dimension of their own making for protection.

Duusu

Peacock Powers/Soul

Yang- Good Spirits

Creates a golem/familiar of sorts that is bonded to a certain person or object and protects them at all costs.

Yin- Soul Search

Allows the user to leave their body and enter another persons to take control of their actions and peer into their memories.

Nooroo

Butterfly Powers/Heart

Yang- Metamorphosis

Creates heroes to fight alongside the user

Yin- Butterfly Effect

Allows a brief glimpse into the future

And then after the Elements, at the top of the Pyramid we have Ladybug and Chat Noir, who get a whopping FIVE power each, but can only access those powers when they are in tune with that aspect of themselves, much like using the lesser miraculouses. For Example, Marinette’s Ladybug Can easily do the Mind, Energy, and Heart powers, but has a much, MUCH harder time with the Soul one, because she tends to read people at face value rather than trying to see beneath the surface. Adrien’s Chat Noir is excellent with the Body and Energy powers, but struggles much more with Mind (linked to one’s creativity) and Heart (Based on people’s abilities to connect with others, something Adrien struggles with after being home schooled his entire life) My idea for the Ladybug and Chat Noir powers look like this;

Tikki

Ladybug Powers:

Positive Heart- (Healing) 

Miraculous Ladybug/Miraculous Cure

Heals all wounds, restores everything to its proper state

Positive Mind- (Inspiration) 

Lucky Charm

Grants Ladybug an object to help her win

Positive Energy- (Creating) 

Wish Come True

Allows Ladybug to will into existence something of her own choosing

Positive Body- (Protecting) 

Elytron

Allows Ladybug to recreate both her own suit and the suits of her allies to help them fight (space suits, ice skating form, underwater suits, ect)

Positive Soul- (Life) 

Red Thread

Ladybug has a limited ability to communicate with plants and animals, extending some of her power to them. Also works on humans, if the person trusts Ladybug enough to basically let her see into their very soul.

Plagg

Chat Noir Powers:

Negative Heart- (Toxicity) 

Cat Scratch

Curses the victim with a lingering sickness that can only be healed by Ladybug.

Negative Mind- (Madness) 

Cheshire Cat

Causes temporary insanity, which varies from victim to victim.

Negative Energy- (Destruction) 

Cataclysm

Destroys anything the user touches.

Negative Body- (Weakness) 

Catatonic 

Puts the victim to sleep.

Negative Soul- (Death) 

Catacomb

Allows the user to see, touch and summon spirits/ghosts

And that’s the basic breakdown of how I feel the powers of the ML universe SHOULD be handled instead. Feel free to comment with thoughts and inputs of your own and ask questions if any of this doesn’t make sense! ^^

This is Miraculously BEAUTIFUL!

for yall that like maribat assassin aus

i must intervene in the maribat fandom yet again

dear people who write marinette as growing up in the league of assassins and make her mom someone who was able to escape, yall are missing out on the true potential of angst or hurt/comfort.

so imagine this, marinette (mira) is a child who grows up with no last name. shes part of the league and she understands that if shes not good enough, she will be killed with no remorse. no one cares about her, not even to know her name. so, she improves and practices and gets good enough for her first assignment and thus, her first kill. this is where the story starts.

mira gets it, ok? she understands being unwanted unless shes useful and she understands the finality of death

she is innovative and thats the first thing that makes her different. she doesnt follow the same strict fighting style as everyone else on her level.

she is ruthless and exploits all her opponent’s weaknesses and she fights in the most creative ways

but she doesn’t want to kill

inexplicably, shes still kind (in the sense a child soldier is).

she’ll amputate fingers and slice people up, but she doesnt want them dead

her talent is recognized by her handlers, so they prepare her for a mission

then, her first mission (her first kill)

she gets all the information needed and everything is handled, except her target is still alive and she still hasnt killed anyone.

sure, they might be brain dead or missing some limbs or utterly useless (whatever floats your boat), but thats still technically alive.

when she gets back, she knows she is dead. there is no use for an assassin who doesnt kill.

at some point, damian runs across her.

its night, and technically she shouldnt be out, but shes going on a second mission tomorrow, this time with other people

she knows she will be killed but she wants to see the stars one last time

damian is sneaking out, maybe to pet the stray cats, and he meets her

this is not a sappy love-at-first-sight moment. theyre assassins. they grew up to be cruel. theyre children raised to kill. theyre not going to think each other attractive, they’re going think each other a threat.

damian heard about her from the instructors and he looks down at her and sneers

he would think her weak for being unable to kill and she would not care. tomorrows her last day anyway.

once thats established, damian asks her why. why didnt you save yourself and kill them?

and mira would say “is it weak to not kill, or is it strong to refuse to become a tool?”

damian is LIVID at the thought of him being a tool and insults her (definitely threatens to kill her with his sword, but she’ll be dead in twenty-four hours anyways, so she doesnt care)

if it was marinette who knew love, she’d say “life is a miracle that i cannot end,” but this is mira no-last-name and she says, “we’re means to an end. im not the type to follow orders that i dont agree with.”

damian asks why she doesnt agree with the league, but she doesnt know herself and she cant answer (seeing the fading lights of life in eyes never felt right and red doesnt look good on her skin and… life and death have a balance that the league breaks)

(balance is important to her.  she just doesnt know why yet)

damian storms off in a huff

the next morning, as mira leaves to her execution, damian glares at her and she stiffly pulls her face into a smile

and then shes gone from his life

(but obviously not forever)

so the group she leaves tries to kill her, assuming that a child younger than ten cant survive falling from a cliff into the rapids

but miras never been normal

she escapes and makes her way to paris. theres a couple who own a bakery and theyre giving out pasteries to the people living on the streets

so sabine and tom see this feral child and they decide, lets give her a home (a last name)

and she doesnt give them a name to call her (she doesnt give them a name that can be tracked down)

so they give her a new name: marinette, meaning one who rises

marinette learns to expand the kindness that she stifled. she learns to be gentle and to be openly caring

her class is understanding and helps her assimilate into life as a normal kid

…she becomes ladybug

she wears a skin tight blood red suit and instead of associating it with cruelty, she associates it with the hope she brings paris

(she associates it with redemption)

cool! thats marinette so far, so lets get back to damian, our second feral child

hes obviously learning to be better despite the, uh, difficulties with that

his story doesnt deviate much from his canon

the only thing thats changed is that he met this girl who never told him her name (who is dead) and whose words sometimes echo in his head when he feels particularly guilty

so back to marinette!

shes learned to trust and shes got friends

lila comes in

i dont really like salt, but if thats what yall want, yall can imagine it. (yall can imagine this tiny assassin who just started to learn to be a kid and you can imagine her slowly regressing back to what shes been trying to fix. you can think of this girl who just figured out how to rely on others only for them to be completely untrustworthy. you can imagine how ladybug starts using tactics that are just a bit more ruthless. you can imagine this child who just discovered their passion for design and you can have her friends crush it. you can imagine how she becomes closed off and becomes a stone wall instead of the sunshine that she was just starting to show. you can imagine yourself crying.)

(but like i said, i dont really like salt, so lets skip past that)

nonetheless, marinette wants to expose her for her lies. shes tired of deceit and ulterior motives, ok?

and marinettes trying, but she doesnt want to force her friend to pick sides

she researches every lie that comes out of lilas mouth (thats canonical! prince alis twitter, anyone?)

anyways, one day, she lies about one (1) damian wayne

so marinette googles him, sees the face of the prince

and she thinks, he got out

and she thinks, hes being a kid

and she thinks, hes not a tool anymore

and she whispers to the stars, good for him

and she smiles, one more natural than the one she left him with

fast forward to field trip opportunities and one is to gotham

she doesnt think about damian (much), she thinks about batman and the justice league

(shes perfectly capable of investigating hawkmoth herself, but outside unbiased opinions dont hurt.)

so she gets to gotham and shes put into a solo room. part of it is because of lila, another part is her discomfort with being vulnerable with other people in the room, a different part is her portalling to paris, and… well, you get the point

you can choose or make your scenario of how mari and robin meet:

mari laying down on the rooftop, staring at stars, and robin lands next to her to tell her to go back inside

mari goes out on an unsanctioned walk, but its less of a walk and more parkour as ladybug, and robin confronts her and she asks to talk with them about hawkmoth or directs them to her “civilian contact.”

mari is targetted by a criminal, but shes badass and robin thinks her fighting style is familiar

ANYWAYS, the point is mari and robin meet, and robin cant help but think that theres something familiar about her (at this point, its been years, so her face is blurred in his memories)

robins curiosity gets the best of him, and he goes to the batcave and pulls up her records

and he knows when he sees her as young as the records go and he knows that the kid in that picture was supposed to be dead

and her voice, for the first time in years, echoes in his head

“is it weak to not kill, or is it strong to refuse to become a tool?”

and he whispers to her face on the screen, knowing his answer now

“it is strong.”

so when the akuma class tours the gotham museum, damian goes at the same time

he sidles up to her and repeats his answer to her face. he says that it is strong. he says that she was always stronger than him. he says that she was right.

and she beams at him and he thinks that it looks much better on her now than before

when he was a kid, he thought himself above her and never knew her name. he knows her name now from his basic research, but he meets her again and

he asks mira no-last-name for her name and she says “marinette dupain-cheng” (and the name mira is erased)

she asks him for his and he says “damian wayne” (not damian al ghul, prince of the league of assassins)

it feels like a new start

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