𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞- 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝟏𝟏- 𝑨 𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘

   It had been a long, hectic week for Marinette between her new job and finishing some last minute commissions for Jagged. Despite her exhaustion, Marinette was excited to attend the annual fashion event in the city, known as the Winter Fashion Show. She had been looking forward to it for weeks and had even designed a special outfit for the occasion. As she made her way through the crowded venue, Marinette couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in her accomplishments and a renewed sense of determination to continue pursuing her dreams.

Adrien and Jagged had pulled some strings to give Marinette a chance to compete. She would be the youngest designer by far, but it only filled her more and gave her a bigger reason to do her best. She had stayed up all night for the past week, sketching away at new designs, hoping for at least one to blow the judges away.

The competition was composed of many parts. The contestants were split up based on experience for most of the competition to make it fair, and Marinette would fall under fairly new only because of her lack of work in actual shows. She never really told anyone she was the founder of the website MDC, which was quickly taking off. She would never know how to bring it up or even explain anything without feeling as though she was gloating or drawing too much attention. As the guardian and Ladybug, the one thing she did not need right now was a spotlight on her.

In the first stage of the contest, the judges would choose two sketches of the designers they had to bring to life and add a special touch, following the winter theme. Each designer was presented with a male and female model, unless asked differently, and would have to dress one feminine and one masculine. Marinette checked the rule book's exact wording to make sure her designs would work. She planned to dress the woman very masculine and the male feminine; she figured going bold and against the social norm was the perfect advantage with her age and being one of the only Gen Z, if not the only. Each of the three rounds had two months to complete the design chosen, starting on the first of the month, so the entire month of December would only be spent working on small details to match the models better and choosing minor details for the show. The best protegees, however, were given the opportunity to help with decorating the venue.

Marianette was thankful, for once in her life she came to a raceful stop, right in front of the room of her judges. She quickly caught her breath, taking no more than 30 seconds before the door opened, ushering her in for her time at selection. The judges were seated in a semicircle as she quickly walked up, placing a copy of 20 or so designs in front of each judge. They sat for no more than a minute before shoving random designs in a pile with a shake of their heads before looking at each other and rehanding her two papers.

They had decided on her outfits and then handed her back the larger stack, and she quickly curtsied and left the room. She had done the action out of nervousness, but the judges found it quite amusing and endearing, earning her a small chuckle. Juge Selina had been particularly interested in the small girl, who looked as though she had come straight from the Wayne family.

Just a look at the girl reminds Selina of her younger days and befriending Ivy. For a minute, she is transported back to that day in her teen years, judging clothes that Barbra had made, and she and Ivy and Modled lived in Gordon's abandoned apartment all those years ago. It seems now is the perfect time to reach out to old friends and make amends.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　 ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Chloe was busy sweeping the floors of the store the way Marinette had taught her when she noticed the distracted Blunette near the counter. She was hunched over the counter in complete focus on the papers in front of her. Chloe recognized them as her designers for the winter fashion show. The girl still had plenty of time for her designs, as she had two months starting on June first to complete them for round one.

The blonde made her way over to her friend with a sigh and wrapped her arms around the other's torso, leaning over her shoulder to stare at the papers as well. " So, Mari, are we waiting for them to do a dance or something?"

There was only a sigh in the responses as Marinette placed her head on the counter, prepared to reflexively slam it until ideas flowed freely through the cracks. Chloe lifted the girl's head and gave it a quick shake. " Come on, Mars, you're not going to get any inspiration just standing here; you need to be doing something to get their creative juices flowing''. She squished the girl's cheeks before stepping back again, this time to lean on the wall beside the counter.
Mari looked up at Chloe with a grateful smile. "You're right, I need to start sketching." She grabbed a pencil and started doodling on a blank sheet of paper. Chloe watched as Mari's hand moved swiftly across the page, her eyes focused and determined. It was always impressive to see her friend in her element. "You know, I was thinking of adding some embroidery to my designs this year," Chloe said, breaking the silence. "I think it could really add some depth and texture to the pieces." Mari nodded, her eyes still fixed on the paper.

"Some gold would spice up your designs." The girls looked up to see Ivy looking at the designs in contemplation. "That actually might work." Mainette smiled at the idea and wrote down the suggestion. Harley walked into the room a moment later, carrying four cups of hot chocolate. "Some gold would spice up your designs." The girls looked up to see Ivy looking at the designs in contemplation. "That actually might work." Mainette smiled at the idea and wrote down the suggestion. Harley walked into the room a moment later, carrying four cups of hot chocolate. "I'mm back with the good stuff, sweets." She kissed Harley, handing off the cup, before ruffling the two girls hair and setting down their cups on the counter. " Watcha working on puddin' ?"
Harley leaned over to take a closer look at the designs and raised an eyebrow. "Gold, huh? That could be interesting." She sipped her hot chocolate, enjoying the warmth that spread through her body. "Whatcha designing, Mainette?" Mainette grinned, flipping through her sketchbook to show Harley the designs. "Just some new pieces for the winter fashion show." We're trying to come up with something unique and eye-catching." Ivy nodded in agreement. "I think gold accents could really elevate the designs and make them stand out, kinda like fire in the cold night." Harley nodded thoughtfully. "I like it.
Have you considered incorporating any sustainable materials into the designs? It's a lot better for the environment and would totally give you an edge and follow your against the norm theme." Mainette raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "That's a great idea. Do you have any specific materials in mind?" Ivy pulled out her phone and began scrolling through articles she had saved. "I've been reading about fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles and even pineapple leaves. It's amazing what's out there." Harley nodded in agreement. "Let's do some research and see what we can come up with."

After some time researching, the four had actually found some cool ideas. They had a good deal of time as the store was not very busy today. " Hey puddin, look what I found." She turned the screen to show an article about some brands creating materials out of cork.

They eventually decided to make the feminine material out of cork and the masculine material out of bamboo linen, as both were very eco-friendly and were created out of already used materials, so they would not have to harm the environment to find their materials. The girls continued their conversation around the table planning, completely unaware of the face in the window.