A Parallel with an Earlier Fandom of Mine

It feels like spring outside!

It's NOT spring outside, and it's still a touch too cold for me to sit on my front porch to write this post, but it's warm enough for me to PRETEND I could be. So that's a start....

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Hello to everyone who might have returned to this week's blog post after discovering my writing blog last week! As the previous post suggested, I don't normally have suggested reading posts, but I DO praise any reading I've enjoyed that week. Sadly, I haven't had the time to read anything THIS week, so no story recommendations, if that's what you're here for.

However, if you are still here simply because you enjoyed my blog's style and/or you are interested in MY writing, then have a seat. I don't have much to say today, but I do have some progress I want to chat about.

Before that, though, I wanted to comment on something I meant to last week. And the week before that. Namely, I wanted to go over how much my Tumblr has grown the past month! I don't know if it's because of my writing - the entries in Love Square Fluff Week working in promoting me after all - or because of my promotion of other authors, a happy combo of the two, or just random circumstances. Still, check out these stats!

I had 556 notes in the month of February!? And 25 new followers!? Roughly 9% of my overall current followers started in February! I mean, I know it's not much compared to a lot of blogs on Tumblr, but for me, that's huge!

Now, something to note is probably that Top Post. Yup. That is my promotion for last week's blog post. The one where I reviewed and recommended six stories. I of course tagged the authors, and since one story had two authors, that was seven people I had tagged in the promotional post. Most - if not all - of those authors reblogged my promotional post to their blogs, spreading my promotion for this blog.

So, again, if you're now here because of that, welcome.

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Let's see what the stats are since that blog post promotion went up....

Everything kind of died off since I hadn't shared a new story, and I wasn't really reblogging anything either. You see that spike on the 29th, though? Well, EdenDaphne saw my tag and reblogged my story rec promotional post.

Clearly she has a few more followers than my 276, and my post kind of blew up a touch from that. As of this writing, my story rec post - which does highlight why I recommended each story, in case people didn't want to read my long blog post here - has 102 notes on it. Over half of those notes were after Eden reblogged my post. Now, I'm not saying all 69 post-eden-share likes are from her blog. Some of them could have been people stumbling upon my blog normally, or my own followers - I'm sorry, I didn't bother going through all of my followers to see if that's the case - or people following the other authors who also reblogged. However, there were six reblogs that were neither the others I tagged nor me responding to their reblogs. All six of those were people reblogging Eden's reblog. So... yeah.... most of that love was because I showed Eden love, and it kind of spread from there.

So, uh, thanks, Eden!

Actually, speaking of, you see the second person in my "Biggest Fans" section in that second image? Rikareena? That's actually one of my buddies from the "Hey, Arnold!" fandom that I've lost touch with when I moved onto X-Future and Miraculous. She found me on Tumblr, and we were able to reconnect, thanks to her seeing Eden's reblog of my post. She had kind of a "wait, I know that handle" moment, reached out to me, and now we can re-bond over Miraculous and a couple other shared fandoms I didn't know we had!

So thanks again, Eden.

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Now, my stats didn't exactly bottom-out after that Eden-Surge on the 29th. In part, that could be because I am still getting likes and reblogs on that promotional post. But also, I did post another story late Saturday night.

"Making the Complicated Simple"

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As I mentioned last week, I'm not giving up on those Fluff Week prompts, even though the event ended about three weeks ago at this point. Honestly, I'm more determined to finish this challenge than I care about whether or not I'm getting the extra promotions through the event page. Considering the event page didn't reblog my story, the admins probably aren't even checking in on the blog anymore at this point....

Still, I said I was going to write seven stories using the prompts, and that the prompts are all going to thread together into an over-all fluffy - or, as fluffy as I can get - story resulting in a reveal. I AM going to follow through on that unofficial promise to my readers. It's just taking me far longer than I had hoped.

Regardless, I DO have the latest prompt done, and I have two more to go.

Making the Complicated Simple

Summary: The Love Square is as complicated as it's always been, with Marinette only in love with Adrien, and Adrien only in love with Ladybug. Tikki confesses that she might have a solution to the whole problem, but it ended up making things even MORE complicated. Marinette just wants a simple solution to everything.

This was a bit of an experimental story, to be frank. I won't say anything more openly, in case some of you wish to go in blind to read the story. So, if you want to know a touch more about the experimental premise of this story

The real reason this story is so experimental was because I was very loosely basing it off of the play A Midsummer Night's Dream AND I was writing it AS a dream sequence without outwardly stating that's what it was. I have certain things seem "off" such as an unlikely message on Marinette's phone, a poster coming to life and then blinking back into its original position, Marinette "teleporting" between locations because dreams rarely show you actually moving from one location to the next, an akuma being stopped even though Ladybug never actually encounters them, and - to go with the Midsummer theme - Chat Noir and Adrien are different people.

For those who didn't click, the long-and-short is that I went with a very unconventional storytelling technique, and I don't know how well I managed to pull it off. I have some nice reviews from return-readers, and it has had some love over on Tumblr, so maybe I did better than I originally feared. It is also definitely fluffier than my Ladybug stories - Music to Heal and I Have Something to Confess - so maybe that helped bring in more love?

The story went up around midnight on Saturday over on Tumblr and DA, and then I had it up on FFN and AO3 around noon on Sunday, so it's not even up for all that long yet.

Now, for FFN and AO3, I don't have stats for individual chapters, but here's a quick recap of what the stats for those two sites were when I last posted them on February 23rd.

FFN: 851 views, 6 faves, 11 followers, and 11 reviews
AO3: 176 views, 19 kudos, 2 bookmarks, and 13 comments

And here are the stats now. Note: I'm just sharing the DA and Tumblr stats for this individual chapter instead of the whole body of work thus far.

FFN Total: 1213 views, 8 faves, 13 followers, and still 11 reviews
    Presumably New FFN: 362 views, 2 faves, 2 followers, and no reviews
AO3: 272 hits, 21 kudos, 2 bookmarks, and 15 comments
    Presumably New AO3: 96 hits, 2 kudos, no new bookmarks, and 2 comments
DA: 23 views, but no faves or comments

Total New Results: 481 views, 4 faves, 2 followers, and 2 reviews

Tumblr Notes: 16 notes; 14 likes and 2 reblogs

New AO3 reviews:
  1. I absolutely loved this! I was upset at Tikki in the beginning, but then [Redacted Due To Spoilers]
  2. Nice! [Redacted Due To Spoilers] tied in well with the connection to "A Midsummer Night's Dream". It was pretty cool to read!

Also, one of the Tumblr reblogs was to discoveringmiraculouswriters since I had tagged them, but still, I WANT that promotion, so.... cool.

I'm still not showing up on the Ladynoir Feed blog, even though it supposedly uses an algorithm to find Love Square fics on FFN, AO3, and Wattpad. I might have to start tagging them too????

Anyway, I don't know how many of those new 362 FFN views and 96 AO3 views are people reading that latest chapter in my story, but I can hope, right? Either way, I did get 2 more faves, 2 more story followers, and 2 more kudos, right? Also, as I mentioned, 2 of my repeat-readers did leave those reviews, so.... Devil's Advocate though: except for the two new reviews, which show up on that chapter, I don't know if those faves, kudos, followers, and views are from before the story even went up. There's nearly a full week between the last time I posted the stats on the 23rd and when I put "Making the Complicated Simple" up late Saturday. So, ya know, grain of salt and all that.

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Now to figure out the next prompt: Your Voice.

I've had this whole idea for YEARS now to semi-recreate the Reveal Scene from the 90s live-action show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. I just LOVE the idea of Lois FINALLY figuring it out due to her truly seeing Clark and some of his quirks and subtle mannerisms that transfer over to his Superman persona. Another bit in the previous episode - the season finale - that stuck with me, though, is how it's not just the mannerisms. I kind of wish Lois mentioned this bit as well, but it's also Clark's VOICE that suddenly seems familiar.

A bit of a quick recap of the season 2 finale to better explain. If you haven't seen this show yet, wish to, and want to avoid spoilers, here's your warning.

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Okay, so in the canon of the show, there is a man named Tempus who lives in a distant future utopia created by Superman. H. G. Wells actually manages to build the time machine he writes about in his novel. He meets Tempus, who volunteers to return to the past with Wells. Tempus has always been bored to tears in his utopian future, and uses Wells as a means to escape and try to destroy Superman in order to instead build a chaotic future. This sets off a long chain of events within the show's canon as both Tempus and Wells are repeat characters.

Anyway, in one of the episodes, the time traveling crew of Wells, Lois, and Clark all leave Tempus behind in a 1800's "Wild West" prison. Trapped in the past, Tempus writes everything he knows about Clark, Superman, and Lois. This includes the fact that Clark is Superman, and that Lois is his main weakness, along with his parents and then his co-workers. Namely, that he can work around his physical weakness to kryptonite, but not his emotional weakness towards the ones he loves.

In present day 90's, Lois and Clark have been dating, and Clark is ready to propose. However, a millionaire villain, who is NOT Lex Luthar, discovers Tempus' diaries - once thought the ravings of a madman - and uses them to not only make his fortune, but now set up a plot to destroy Superman. He kidnaps Clark's parents, and threatens to kill them if Clark doesn't steal or otherwise work as muscle for him. Eventually, it escalates to the point where the villain wants Clark to kill Lois and bring her body to him as proof. Clark must decide between his parents and the woman he loves.

Lois confronts Clark on the shady way he's been acting, and he confesses his parents' kidnapping and the latest demand for Lois' life. Lois then sets up a meeting with Superman. She tells him to quickly freeze her with his ice breath to kill her similar to cryogenic preserving. She'd be dead, but none of her cells would break down, so they could revive her once Clark and his parents are safe. Superman of course argues with her before caving in and does as she asks.

This is when Lois discovers Superman is Clark, but realizes it too late to say anything. Clark has this tendency to brush back her hair and rub the temple by her right eye with his thumb. It's a tender gesture that Superman also used just before freezing her. He had done so before as Superman, but the fact that she was afraid of staying dead heightened Lois' senses so that she truly noted how identical the interaction was with her earlier one with Clark.

Fast forward to post-climax of the episode/season finale. Superman stops the villain, and burns the diary so the man has no proof of who Superman truly is. With everyone else - and his secret - safe, Superman finds the still-frozen Lois, and revives her. It's, of course, a tense moment where Superman and his parents are wondering if she'll be able to come back. Superman is calling for her to return to him, and to not leave him alone.

Lois finally chokes out her first breath, then calls out "I'm here." She then nearly calls out Clark's name, since that's whose voice she was hearing, but quickly switches over to Superman. It's a bit weird, given the next episode - the season premiere - reveals that she already knew who Superman was at that point, and the only ones around at the time already knew as well, but maybe she felt "just coming back from the dead" wasn't the time to let HIM know she knew???

Either that, or she had temporarily forgot the revelation since there was so much more clearly on her mind at the time, and she was just focused on following her boyfriend's voice, only to be surprised to not see "Clark" standing over her???

That's kind of what I'm going for.
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OKAY! SPOILERS OVER NOW! YOU CAN START READING AGAIN IF YOU SKIPPED THE LAST PART!

So, for those who scrolled past, here's a recap with as few spoilers as possible in order for you to get the gist of what I'm aiming for.

Lois is unconscious, and Superman is there to try to revive her. He's calling her name, nervous that she isn't going to be able to wake up. He's practically begging her to come back to him. When Lois does wake up, she nearly calls Superman by Clark's name, simply because that's whose voice she heard: Clark's. It's a sweet moment where she doesn't want to leave Clark behind and alone. She's struggling to return to him, and is following his voice in order to do so. Only, when she opens her eyes, she's instead greeted by Superman, to her temporary confusion.

One day I WILL write this scene as a Miraculous Ladybug reveal, because it is one of my favorite superhero reveals in TV history.

This prompt was going to be my "in." I mean, it's RIGHT. THERE. The whole draw to the voice!? Yes!

Buuuuuuuuuuut, how do I do this without throwing a bunch of angst at the wall and seeing which sticks? It's FLUFF WEEK, even if it IS about a month later.... The stories are supposed to be fluffy! Light-hearted! Sunshine and rainbows and lollipops and cuddles and warm-fuzzy feelings.

Not "one of them nearly died" stories....

Even if I don't go with the "nearly died." If I just go with "is unconscious" or "got brainwashed by an akuma" or even "was akumatized themselves" as the story.... well... all of those options were already shown canonically, and in no way has Marinette/Ladybug been so distraught that she sat there PLEADING for Chat Noir to come back to her.

I COULD go the opposite direction, and have it truly parallel L&C by having Chat Noir trying to revive Ladybug/Marinette, and have her hearing Adrien's voice. But I purposefully held on to this story for the penultimate one specifically as a way for a pseudo-reveal. One of them realizes that the voices match perfectly, so they HAVE to be the same person, right!? It's all but confirmed. I already had Marinette's "could they be the same guy?" in that latest chapter: "Making the Complicated Simple." I don't need another one. Besides, it's more meaningful if she's looking for Chat Noir and it's Adrien who is there calling for her to come back to him.

In L&C, everyone knows Lois' love for Superman, so the fact that she hears his voice as Clark's and wants to return to him means SO MUCH for her relationship with Clark. If it was Clark calling for her, and she heard Superman, it could be interpreted as "she prefers Superman still." But to prefer the Civilian form!? To have the superhero calling for you, but wishing it were the civilian? That's an extra layer.

Even though Adrien IS the civilian, the way Marinette/Ladybug interacts with him vs Chat Noir actually reverses the roles: it's so much more significant for her to want the superhero over the civilian. So, as I said, for it to have the same impact as the L&C scene, Marinette/Ladybug would have to be calling for Chat Noir, and then be a bit disappointed/surprised to find Adrien instead. Why would Adrien be trying to revive Marinette/Ladybug though?

Doesn't matter, really. 1) it's angsty to think about, and I'm trying to go for fluff, and 2) as I mentioned, Marinette already had her "ah-ha moment" and it's now Adrien's turn. So that means it's definitely Adrien mishearing Ladybug's voice as Marinette's. Which brings us back to a perfect parallel to L&C, but with a gender swap.

Adrien (Lois) was instantly smitten by the superhero Ladybug (Superman). It was such an extreme crush that he (she) doesn't even notice the romantic interest from his (her) close friend Marinette (Clark). Adrien (Lois) doesn't even notice the fairly obvious visual similarities between Marinette (Clark) and Ladybug (Superman). Eventually, Adrien (Lois) begins seeing Marinette (Clark) in a more romantic light, slowly giving up his (her) crush on Ladybug (Superman). Then, when in great peril, Adrien (Lois) hears a voice calling his (her) name; calling for him (her) to come back to them. Adrien (Lois) regains consciousness, fully expecting for his (her) new love Marinette (Clark) to be the one calling, but is surprised, and a bit disappointed, to find the superhero Ladybug (Superman) instead. This confuses Adrien (Lois), who could have sworn he (she) had heard Marinette (Clark). This not only solidifies that Adrien (Lois) truly does love Marinette (Clark) over Ladybug (Superman), but also has Adrien (Lois) realize that Marinette (Clark) and Ladybug (Superman) have the same EXACT voice! Could they be the same person!?

HOW DO I DO THIS WITHOUT BEING ANGSTY THOUGH!?

First of all, back to my original question of getting Adrien/Chat Noir in enough peril that he has to follow Ladybug's voice back to her, thinking it was Marinette's voice the whole time. She's so panicked about him that she's PLEADING for him to not leave her, and THAT is what he follows. HOW IS THAT NOT JUST DRIPPING WITH ANGST!?

Regardless, we've seen Chat Noir in trouble before, and Ladybug distressed about it, but she hikes up her boots, defeats the villain, and trusts that her restoration powers will return Chat Noir to her, safe and sound. Even making it Adrien in trouble won't change that. In one episode he's turned into a golden glitter statue. It broke Ladybug for a couple of seconds, but she just became determined to save the day and then use her ultimate power to return Adrien to her.

Besides, I need it to be Chat Noir in trouble anyway, that way I can have him nearly call her "Marinette" before switching to "M'lady?" without causing any suspicion. Adrien doesn't call anyone "m'lady" sooooooooo......

I need to come up with another reason for Chat Noir to follow Ladybug's voice, and for it to be significant that he thought it was Marinette's the whole time. That he was trying desperately to return to his classmate and friend.

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These Fluff Week prompts will be the death of me. Any ideas are welcome! Meanwhile, I'm going to keep trying to figure this out on my own.

Until next week.

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