So, welcome to a special Story Recommendations blog post this week!
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If you read those posts from last week, you already know that a majority of the stories I came across had very similar premises to mine: sad Adrien plays at his piano, Marinette/Ladybug stumbles upon his performance, he plays for her, they end up snuggling on the piano bench.
There was one story in particular though, that really got to me when I read their version of that premise. For their 'Concert' prompt, LittleLottieWrites added a great opening spark to potential Adrienette. The story is told through Marinette's point of view, but switches slightly in the closing line, and it is beautiful! It enticed me enough that I subscribed to their story, and I'm so glad I did.
The story is put together very much like mine: a series of one-shots that tell an over-arcing story of these two idiots finally figuring out their love for each other as the Love Square collapses into a happy couple. The progression Lottie has is fantastic. Like I said, right from the get-go, there's a hint that maybe Adrien IS seeing Marinette as more than just a simple friend, and the other chapters say the same about Marinette and Chat Noir.
The second story prompt 'Trust' uses an akuma attack as an awesome way of bringing in some glorious Ladrien content. Then Lottie has the 'Flowers' prompt showcase some sweet and playful MariChat along with a little Adrienette. The best part for me though is how it wonderfully shows off how Extra Adrien likes to be, both in and out of his superhero persona. The 'Your Voice' prompt went in the direction of Ladrien again, but with hints of Adrienette. Also, I'm a sucker for the trope "the characters unknowingly say praising things about each other's secret identity to them" so that was a nice added bonus.
As one would expect with the prompt 'Comfort', that chapter/story got a touch angsty. Ladybug is lamenting that it's been a year since getting their Miraculous, and they're no closer to stopping Hawkmoth. It's a really sweet LadyNoir bonding chapter/story. The last line is a bit of a gut-punch for Chat Noir, but that just makes the chapter all the better.
The AU chapter was fantastic! Lottie tried out the Enemies AU concept as a sort of pilot for a potential full-story. There was something about this concept/chapter/story that really spoke to me. The only word I could think to use in my chapter review as 'visceral'. You could just FEEL the excitement and anxiety the characters had. You could see Chat Noir slinking around like a cat on the prowl. My own heart began to race as Chat Noir's crush on Ladybug came into play. It was just so well done, and I'm excited to see where Lottie is going to take this favored AU trope in the fandom.
Getting back on track with their main story, Lottie finishes Fluff Week with a reveal inspired by the anime Sailor Moon. The second I saw the words 'reveal' and 'Sailor Moon' I instantly started bouncing around in my chair squeeing "Elevator scene! Elevator scene!" because I'm THAT dork. If you know Sailor Moon, you more-or-less know exactly where Lottie went with this story/chapter. If you don't, I won't ruin it for you. Go check it out.
My only qualm with this final chapter is I feel like Lottie leaned a touch TOO far into the Sailor Moon inspiration, so the characters seem a bit.... off. Otherwise, it's a very lovely piece, and I greatly enjoyed the full story. It was quite the ride!
The next story I first read while going through the other 'Concert' prompt pieces. I didn't truly start paying attention to it after seeing their take on the prompt 'Trust,' however. That second chapter really grabbed me and wouldn't let go.
I want to clarify that I have nothing against their 'Concert' prompt chapter. It was a lovely bit of MariChat where they go to a Jagged Stone concert together. It is sweet, and I enjoyed it. I was planning on keeping an eye out for Coffee via the Love Square Fluff Week Tumblr event page. However, after reading their 'Trust' prompt chapter, and realizing how easy it was going to be for me to lose track of them on the event page, I knew I needed to just subscribe to the story.
At first, Coffee didn't do anything terribly different compared to a lot of other writers for the 'Trust' prompt: they wrote about a trust fall. However, the energy poured into the chapter caught me, and what made me hit that subscribe button was what happened after the trust fall. Ladybug and Chat Noir were having fun. They were screwing around. They got to be TEENS, instead of just superheroes. Sure, they could do that in their civilian forms as well, but they have more FREEDOM in their superhero personas, and no matter how responsible Marinette is, she's still a 14yo kid, and it's just too tempting to just be FREE for her to not succumb to that feeling every once in a while. So it was fantastic to see them just innocently play.
Chapter 3 and the prompt 'Flowers' is when the romance truly kicked off. Chat Noir had started up a tradition to help destress and cheer up Ladybug, but Ladybug nearly catches Adrien prepping for the tradition. He recovers, and there's glorious mutual-blushing Ladrien content, before he gifts something to Ladybug. There's also underlying hints towards Adrienette that are lovely. This chapter starts the Love Square slowly caving in on itself.
For 'Your Voice', Coffee does a sort of reverse of what a lot of people did for 'Concert'. Adrien is the one who stumbles upon Marinette creating music: she's singing. He's entranced by the sound of her voice and you can tell that this chapter is when Adrien finally realizes his feelings for Marinette. It's so sweet, and watching ADRIEN be the one flustered around MARINETTE is fantastic.
Of course there's confusion and miscommunication between these two idiots, so the 'Comfort' chapter get's a touch angsty. Adrien freaks out about potentially loving Marinette, and what that could mean for his "love" for Ladybug. Meanwhile, Marinette cries on Chat Noir's shoulder about how she'll never get to be with the boy she loves.
For 'AU Day', an akuma attacks and transforms Paris into various Disney fairy tale stories and characters. It's basically Kingdom Hearts in akuma form. Adrien is Disney's version of Rapunzel, and Marinette/Ladybug is Mulan. There's some Ladrien, some Jealous-Ladybug LadyNoir action, and official Adrienette.
The story concludes with Adrien and Marinette being the PERFECT dorks as they prank their classmates, but this leads to one of the most randomly great reveals I've read. It's so stupid that it's pretty much perfect!
It's a fun ride.
As much as I enjoyed those other two stories, I have to admit my absolute favorite Fluff Week story had to be the Aged Up story told by a pair of fantastic writers.
This story actually has 8 chapters because the duo included a prologue that sets up the whole premise: Plagg convincing Tikki to help him set their holders up so the Love Square shenanigans can end already! Each chapter also ends with Plagg and Tikki recapping the chapter with some new perspective of the events, as well as hints to what they're plotting next for our love birds.Plagg is so done. He has been watching his and Tikki’s chosens drift apart ever since they graduated from that lycée place last summer. Maybe all they need is a nudge in the right direction. Purr-haps he might even convince his Sugarcube to help him.
Marinette is eagerly anticipating the start of Jagged Stone’s concert. She isn’t expecting to run into an old friend who she hasn’t seen for two hundred seventeen days (not that she’s been counting).
Adrien is enjoying his freedom now that he is nineteen and living on his own, but it is a little lonely. He unexpectedly runs into an old friend… and keeps running into her. Why can’t he stop thinking about her?
I have to give these two ladies mad props because I think this is indeed the fluffiest Fluff story I've read, while still having plenty of drama to drive the story forward. I spent so much time just squeeing throughout their chapters that I ended up - unintentionally - writing running commentaries for each of my chapter reviews.
But, we're now Tumblr mutuals, so it all worked out. Given how many of MY readers have become friends after going back and forth talking about my stories and theirs, I, of all people, should have known that gushing uncontrollably about someone's work is the easiest way to their heart.
Anyway, as the summary suggests, they started off the official story with the prompt 'Concert' seeing Adrien and Marinette "coincidentally" going alone to the same Jagged Stone concert. That's where they first rekindle their friendship, but there's also WONDERFUL Adrienette moments that felt natural and casual, but were just SOOOOO deliciously fluffy!
Then, for 'Trust', the gang all gathers for a Mylene and Ivan wedding! My original side-ship! I love DJWifi and all, but MyVan was my original jam! That alone hooked me, but the sweet - and slightly jealous - Adrienette moments continued, and suckered me in further.
'Flowers' brought in some OCs that zenmisery created for another of her ML stories, and I have to say this OC crew is fantastic! I loved them all, and they were hilarious in the best way. Also, Adrien's obliviousness knows no bounds, and it's amazing! It's also the true start of Adrien's Chat Noir starting to show up more and more around Marinette, which adds such a great flavor to the mix.
We have a pseudo-official Adrienette in the chapter 'Your Voice' and seeing those two stumble around each other - as well as Alya jumping to wild conclusions - is fantastic. We also FINALLY get to see the LadyNoir dynamic for this aged-up story, and it's really sweet and caring.
The 'Comfort' chapter made me think so much of my husband and how amazing just quiet nights at home could be. Adrien is a prince and the world doesn't deserve him. Marinette is strong and self-reliant, but it was lovely to see her drop her walls enough to allow someone else to care for her. The whole thing was sweet and healed my soul a little.
The take on 'AU Day' for this story was FANTASTIC. I mentioned this in Sunday's post, but mlg and Zen masterfully thought out of the box for their use of that prompt without it disrupting the story they were telling. As a way to avoid unwanted advancements on both Adrien and Marinette, the pair spend the day claiming to be a couple, escalating from long-term dating to engaged to secretly married, depending on the extreme the situation called for. We get a couple more OCs in this chapter. One is supposed to be a sleaze, and was written so well that I actually shuddered whenever he was in the story. The other OC was magnificent and basically the voice of the Fandom. I loved her so much! Also, seeing how easily Adrien and Marinette could convince everyone around them that they were madly in love newlyweds was perfection.
After their rouse, life got a touch more complicated for the duo, especially when the daily prompt of 'Reveal' took effect. Seeing them sort through that, sort through their own feelings, and grow closer was gloriously satisfying. Having them battle with themselves as to what the reveal would - and should - mean for their relationship was JUUUUUUUUST the right sprinkle of angst. Tikki even added an extra level of complication into the mix that was borderline hilarious as Marinette slowly put two-and-two together. Zen even used inspiration from her own love life for the conclusion of the story, and it just works so well. My only qualm is that the actual reveal was a touch handwaved since their relationship was the priority of the story, and the chapter was already running long.
I don't want to spoil anything, but there's also a lot of sexual undertones throughout the story, especially the last two chapters of it. Seeing how much Adrien respects Marinette, and how much she trusts him was beautiful. The decision making on whether or not they were ready for anything, and how that translated to their other physical interactions was just so THEM, and it showcased a side of attraction that is rarely explored anymore.
All-in-all, I just ADORED this story. I'm glad to see that it's starting to pick up steam and recommendations, because it was far too undervalued when I first started reading it. I'm also amazed at the fact that it's two writers tag-teaming chapters, and yet it feels like a cohesive, solitary story, without many writing-voice changes that might throw readers off. If I didn't know better, I could be convinced the whole thing was written by just one author, which is a feat in and of itself. They were so in sync with each other. A great duo. Just, super well done. This was also the only story out of the three that actually included Valentine's Day within the story, having Plagg and Tikki race to try to get Adrienette as an official couple before Valentine's Day ended.
Also-also... Seeing Plagg soft and protective of Adrien makes my heart soar. He's my favorite character for a reason, and both mlg and Zen treated him right.
I still have to go back through the Fluff Week event page to find other stories to consume, and I have to go through the other Lovebugs and Snake Charmers event stories as well. For now, though? Those are the three that really stuck with me for Fluff Week.
How about OUTSIDE of Valentine's Day stories, though?
Well, I have two more treats for you fine folks! I haven't had time to comment about them here yet this month, but earlier both Immortal Bonds and Discordant Sonata updated.
In Pixie's newer version of Immortal Bonds, the second chapter she recently posted sets up the truly eerie feeling of the overall story. The new prologue had Marinette trapped in some sort of ethereal plain; a limbo somewhere; a waiting room for spirits, or something to that affect. Already creepy, right? Well, the new first chapter doesn't just start with Marinette at a slumber party messing with a Ouiji board. Now we get to see a bit of her normal day-to-day before things really hit the fan with that whole "selling her soul to the demon prince" thing.Accidentally selling her soul to the demon prince Chat Noir wasn't the smartest thing Marinette could have done. But it's not long before Marinette begins to realize there's more to Chat Noir, and the demonic world she's now found herself in, than meets the eye.
AU. *New Version*
We also meet Master Fu, who is just as mysterious as he was in the show, but this time he has an added level of creepy. Is he potentially scouting out for Chat Noir? Is he planning on sacrificing Marinette to the Demon Prince? Is he a demon in disguise? Will he be her savoir with taming Chat Noir once Marinette is tied to him? Whatever is going on, it's clear that Fu is certainly more than a frail old man Marinette simply saved one day. He'll be part of her life again, for sure.
The chapter is a lovely mix of Classic Miraculous Ladybug but with hints of something darker laying underneath in this AU.
The story is fairly short still as of right now, so it's the perfect time to jump on board. Just be warned, Pixie's year has NOT gone smoothly thus far, so please be patient with her updating schedule. She has a LOT going on. You can keep up with her and her updating via her blog: Taurus Pixie: Pixie's Chronicle.
The other story I follow is also an AU where Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't necessarily on the same side; at least, not at first.
This Enemies AU is unique because it's clear from the onset that Chat Noir doesn't want to fight Ladybug. He'd gladly fight as her partner if he had the freedom to do so. It has it's fluffy moments, sure, but it's mostly a heartbreaking, angsty story with underlying hope that pushes both the characters and the reader forward.“Ladybug… I… What choice do I have? Hawkmoth, he’s ruthless and determined. And he’s… he’s not just my boss. He’s family. If I defied him, what would I do? Where would I go? He’d take my miraculous away if I even tried. I don’t have a choice.”
Enemies AU where Chat has always worked with Hawkmoth from the very beginning.
I won't really talk much about the chapters updated this past month, because it will spoil it for anyone new to the story. However, I will comment on the fact that Eden did update earlier this month, left us hanging on quite the cliffhanger, and then mercifully concluded that tension in another chapter a week later. It was an exciting akuma battle, and Eden included a Chat Noir power that was thought of during the concept phases, but never translated into the show. I hope eventually Chat Noir powers up enough to use it, though, because it's an awesome power, especially the way Eden described its use. The power was dubbed "Black Hole" in the concept art.
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| ML PV Concept Art of Chat Noir's power Black Hole |
Eden is still relatively new to the fanfiction writing game, and yet this story is just so fantastically crafted to just YANK at those heartstrings. Also, the characters are aged up, so there's a bit more at stake. Chat Noir has been an enemy of Paris for YEARS in this Enemy AU. Ladybug has been battling solo for YEARS in an epic 1-v-2 battle... 1-v-3 if you count Hawkmoth and the akumatized supervillain as separate. Trying to turn Chat Noir against Hawkmoth in order to fight alongside Ladybug is MUCH more complicated than in a lot of Enemy AU fics. Plus, with the characters being older, there's always that hint of more sexual tension than there would be if they were still only 14. They're still innocent little beans though, so nothing ever really goes farther than that hot-hot tension.
I know that Discordant Sonata is a bit of a read by now, but I promise you it is worth it.
Also, added bonus for a lot of the stories I shared today: Immortal Bonds and Discordant Sonata are AU stories, and Two Hundred Seventeen Days is an aged up story. In all three cases, you only really need to know the vaguest information about the show to understand the story. Things that you probably learned just from me rambling about the show here. So, if you aren't in the fandom, you're in luck! You can still check out these glorious bits of work! I'm sure the authors would get a kick out of someone outside the fandom leaving them a like/kudos and comment.
Speaking of not being in the fandom but still enjoying something, there is also a non-ML story I've been reading.
A lot of people seem to be avoiding or otherwise ignoring this story because the main characters are all OCs created by Cy, which is totally unfair! As unfair as Peeping Tomcat being avoided because it's written in first person. I get that 90% of fic writers get OCs and 1st person horribly wrong, but what about those of us that actually do it quite well?Vesper Scienta wanted nothing more out of life than to make sure her charge and best friend, Prince Aster Amicitia, was happy. She would follow him, always, and keep him safe, as her appointment as Shield dictates she must. She was happy. They were happy.
Then they found the Messengers.
Now she's flitting through time itself, racing against the weakening pulse of the Crystal. It's been almost nineteen years since the Dawn Returned, and the world needs saving again. Vesper just doesn't understand why it has to be her, or why the Messengers separated her and Aster, or why they paired her with the daughter of the Marshal and the son of the King of Light - both from different times.
Time's running out. The star will burn. Raise the dawn, become the night, restore the Crystal.
Vesper just wants to be with Aster again.
Cy is one of those people that does OCs well. I'm invested in them. They are each unique in their personalities, and they're all flawed. They're diverse enough that I can usually tell who is speaking even before I get to the tag or action. I'm rooting for Vesper, and I'm greatly enjoying Eleos. Voti I'm still warming up to, but he has potential. Aster we didn't know for too long, but I liked him - and his relationship with Vesper - enough that I'm hoping the two are reunited.
The use of OCs allows Cy to really tell HER story within the world of Final Fantasy XV. A parallel story that takes place alongside the game, and silently influences it; much like the Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars episode. That kind of leeway also means she can slowly bring people into that world who never played the games. Each of the characters are from different times and from different realities. As Cy introduces the world that each character came from and how they differ from each other, she's simultaneously introducing the reader to the world and to canon character dynamics in a way that doesn't require prior knowledge. I mean, sure, prior knowledge would help, and would allow you to catch Easter Eggs within her story, just as it would for all fanfiction, but that knowledge isn't REQUIRED.
My only caveat is that the story, since it's dealing with a knotted up time stream and visions from and of divine beings, does get a little confusing to keep track of. That's done intentionally so that you can become as disoriented as Vesper, and so you can try to sort things out alongside her. The mystery of what is going on and how to fix it, as well as the concern of what parts of history should the characters mess with, and which ones will only make things worse in the future, really pulls you in.
I am not remotely in the Final Fantasy fandom. I've only ever played the first two on my Nintendo DS, and I gave up about half-way through the second one. I own FF VII: Advent Children and more-or-less know the story of Cloud and Crew from the 7th game, but that maxes out my knowledge of the franchise.
I'm still adoring this story, and it's truly getting criminally small amounts of attention, so please give Cy some love as well.
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| Hacker Boy and Hacker Girl Facebook sticker by Birdman, Inc |
After a solid week of working on blog posts trying to recap my weeks, talking about the research I put into my Lukanette story, and how I was inspired for my various Fluff Week stories, I FINALLY stopped using this blog as a means to procrastinate.
I started working on my 'AU Day' prompt story yesterday. I got myself a bit worn out throughout the day - still not feeling 100%, I'm actually feeling a bit sleepy right now - so I didn't get as far as I would have liked in the story. It IS getting written though. I don't know if I'll be able to complete it and my other two prompt stories before the end of the month, though.
I have my normal "day off; time to run errands" day today, and I have writing group, so I'm not sure how much more free time I have to work on my writing tonight. Tomorrow I work, then zumba, then the lone night I actually watch TV. I watch The Masked Singer, followed by Lego Masters; just the second half of LM if I didn't get a chance to shower before TMS. I then close out the evening with The Magicians.
Thursday would normally be D&D night, so I wouldn't really have any outside-of-work writing time regardless, but we're actually cancelling D&D AGAIN so that a group of us can go see the My Hero Academia movie. That will probably be a late night.
I DO have Friday off, so maybe I'll crank out the last of my stories then. My apartment DOES need a freshening up as well though, so trying to split my time will be tricky, especially if Hubby wants to hang out too. We'll see how I end up prioritizing.
As of right now, though, I'm about 1600 words into my 'AU Day' prompt story, and I pretty much JUST got to the inciting incident after setting up the world of the story/chapter. I'm not sure I want to know how massive this project is going to be.
I should probably get back to it though, huh?
Well, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday within the Christian community, which means today is Donut Day! Or 'Fat Tuesday' or 'Paczki Day' or 'Fasnacht Day'... depending on where on the East Coast you are, I guess. It's also Marti Gras! So break out that vibrant purple, gold, and green!
Me? I'm sticking with Donut Day. Take the day to indulge. With the way the winter and 2020 has been shaping up, you've probably earned a "cheat day".
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I have never heard it called donut day. Shrove Tuesday has always been pancake day for me! (Crepe style pancakes with lemon and sugar)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like I have some reading to do!
OOOooooo. That sounds delightful! I'll have to see if I can find something like that (or at least a recipe).
DeleteAlso, yes, glorious readings! :D