#A:SteelBlaidd

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How Sweet It is (To be Loved by You)

How Sweet It Is (to be loved by you) by SteelBlaidd

Marinette loves her boyfriend Adrien. But she still doesn't get to spend a much time with him as she would like.

She's lucky that she has such a sweet friend in Chat Noir.

Words: 1566, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Alya Césaire, André Glacier

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Pre-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Best Friends

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45418249

[steelblaidd]

Short Takes: Sentibubbler

@geekgirles​ Did a fantastic break down of Marinette’s night mare and the have been some great points made by other ML analysts about the implications for LadyNoir (so very very bad. Get the popcorn). 

So, especially in light of the trailer for Rocketear, I’m going to do a quick run down of  what this episode tells us about DJWiFi.

Marinette’s nightmare depends on her not noticing  that things are wired until  things go of the rails so it’s safe to assume that anything  she doesn't remark on is normal for the Cesaire household.

And normal is Nino hanging at his girlfriend’s house with her family. Note that Marinette’s dream seats him between Ella and Etta and almost opposite Alya at the table. This means Nino is an integrated part of the family, whose presence is accepted in his own right not just as Alya’s boyfriend. 

The way they respond to Marinette showing up, in her pajama’s reinforces the consistency of this warm, welcoming approach to their daughter’s friends. Another sign of Nino’s acceptance by the family, as a whole, is Anansi’s total lack of giving him grief about being creeped out by the tarantula (and she has her arm across his shoulders as they watch Otis putting it back in it’s terrarium at the end of the episode). 

By the family’s reactions this is not the first time Otis has brought his work home with him. But while the Cesaires are cool with it, they recognize it’s a little wired for other people.

That Nino automatically follows when Marinette pulls Alya to her room means he expects to be included. There are not a lot of secrets between him and Alya and I doubt he has realized she is hiding Trixx from him yet, tough I would bet it’s been at least a week since Alya became a permanent holder.  Though not much more ( estimate based on time to ask for the belt pouch, get it  made, and the novelty to have worn off some, but not to much). 

Nino is not used to being kept out of Alya’s room (trusted and comfortable) but not too upset as he’s quickly distracted by Mdm Fuzzylegs. (Otis’ reaction to his reaction seems fond. Nino is putting in effort to try to not over react to animal weirdness at the “in-laws’”.  That Alya thinks he might have been akumatized shows Nino might be just a little clingy normally.)

All in all we see Nino settled as a solid and constant presence in Aly’s life and her in his. This makes the Drama that’s coming from his reaction to what we see him seeing Roketear very believable..  

@miraculousfanworks

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Without them what would little girls do?

Without them what would little girls do? by SteelBlaidd

Sabine Cheng loves her little girl and wants her to be happy. Marinette is young and in love, with all the us and downs that come with figuring out what that means.

Sabine's musings on her daughters romantic career as Marinette's first year of yearning draws to a close.

Words: 1842, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 6 of Scenes from a Miraculous Life

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Sabine Cheng

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: post new york special, Determined Marinette

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507445

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Ring Side Seats

Ring Side Seats by SteelBlaidd

Adrien was making an idiot of himself over some new intern.

Adrien never made an idiot of himself over anybody.

Gabriel was tired of the third hand office gossip an so it was Nathalie's job to fix the problem.

This was going to be a real circus.

Words: 1756, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Juleka Couffaine, Nathalie Sancoeur

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Pre-Relationship, Intern Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Model Adrien Agreste, Model Juleka Couffaine, Juleka Couffaine Ships It

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41416044

[miraculousfanworks]

Ring Side Seats

Ring Side Seats by SteelBlaidd

Adrien was making an idiot of himself over some new intern.

Adrien never made an idiot of himself over anybody.

Gabriel was tired of the third hand office gossip an so it was Nathalie's job to fix the problem.

This was going to be a real circus.

Words: 1756, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Juleka Couffaine, Nathalie Sancoeur

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Pre, Intern Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Model Adrien Agreste, Model Juleka Couffaine, Juleka Couffaine Ships It

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41416044

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I hear the secrets that you keep.

I hear the secrets that you keep. by SteelBlaidd

Marinette had suspected for a while. But now~, now she had proof. PROOF! Someone she knew. Someone she trusted. Someone. Was. A. Traitor.

Words: 1886, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Emma Agreste

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Married Life, Bedtime Stories

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39362118

[steelblaidd]

Short Takes: Oblivio

originally written for the @miraculousfanworks December Newsletter

AO3 link

Oblivio is one of the most referenced, most discussed and most angsted over episodes in the third season of Miraculous, second only to the gut punch that is Chat Blanc.

On the surface the episode seems like a shipping treat with a Big No chaser due to the Miraculous reset button that ensures status quo is god, but there is a lot to dig out.

Oblivio is our first fusion akuma, something that will occur again in Heart Hunter. Contrast this with Felix, another instance where several people are akumatized by a single butterfly. In all three cases the principles are touching the same object and feeling congruent emotions:, embarrassment at being caught, frustration with their spouse, anger at Felix.

In Felix, Alya, Rose and Juleka resume their established akumasonas: Lady Wifi, Princes Fragrance and Reflekta. So either Hawk Moth can exert some control over how the process manifests or there must be something more than common objects and emotions needed for these fusions.

What's needed is a longstanding emotional bond, Positive (DJWifi) or Negative (the Bourgeois).

Bonds and partnerships are fundamental to Oblivio, which features several. This essay will focus on Adrinette. To keep track, the memory-wiped Adrien and Marinette will be AdrienO and MarinetteO.

Because of the reveal, the love square collapses. MarinetteO and AdrienO are relaxed, even playful, bowing and curtsying as they share their names.

MarinetteO is confident, just like Ladybug. She is sharp, shown by how fast she does the mental math when calling Sabine. Poster (we’re superheroes) + mom unaware = don’t reveal. The insulting cartoon she draws to distract Oblivio hints at her saucy playfulness as Lady Noire in Reflekdoll. In combat, she obviously enjoys her abilities and trades quips with AdrienO with no problem.

She makes plans and works through consequences without spiraling. She's a little clumsy, falling into AdrienO coming out of the air vent and tripping over her yo-yo while fighting Oblivio, something we haven't seen since Origins. It’s a visual cue to how integrated MarinetteO is and how badly anxiety affects Marinette outside the suit where she can trip on nothing.

AdrienO is still protective, thoroughly smitten and easy in his declarations of love. But he is not as over the top or reckless as Chat, and is much more confident and centered than Adrien. He is most like the Adrien who interacts with Plagg when they are alone.

Besides the secret, the biggest burden lifted from each of the heroes is fear. AdrienO does not fear being overlooked, making him less performative and more focused. He doesn’t simply follow orders: he plans with Ladybug. He thinks before leaping, his impulsiveness as Chat dialed way down.

AdrienO’s casual confessions and constant compliments don’t aggravate or overwhelm MarinetteO; just surprise her. She is unafraid of their relationship. Confident in her ability to handle it, her only panic is about being superheroes with zero knowledge of their powers.      

While MarinetteO is still the strategist, we see them “trade“ leadership back and forth seamlessly over the course of the episode. AdrienO takes lead when they first run away, suggests the distraction plan MarinetteO implements, then leads them back to hide on the floor they had just escaped. Once disguised, he joins MarinetteO in facing Oblivio. Their partnership is much more balanced and equal than Ladybug and Chat Noir’s.

Their instant bond in Oblivio foreshadows the mature partnership that makes them the awesome leaders the future Bunnyx remembers.

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Jump Around

Jump Around by SteelBlaidd

Alya was not surprised how well Marinette was doing during the gymnastics unit that M. D'Argencourt was teaching in gym. There were many advantages to being a superhero after all.

She was surprised at how well Marinette was doing talking (flirting!?) with Adrien.

A good journalist knows a story when she sees one.

Words: 1833, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Relationships: Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Post, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, is it hot in here or is it just you, miracuclass, Gymnastics

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36111190

[steelblaidd]

Short Takes: Kung Food

This was originally written for the @miraculousfanworks Spring News letter. For many reasons there has been a lot of debate about the significance of Kung Food. Questions of cultural sensitivity and racism most prominently. This essay will not touch on those questions as they are complicated and currently beyond my comfort level.

But there is another topic that this episode is particularly suited to: Marinette's varying ability to talk around Adrien.

We open on Marinette trying to use a translator app to practice greeting her Great Uncle in Chinese. Her Uncle is a stranger so she is trying to think her way into how to deal with him rather than approach their interaction as she does with her family and friends.

She sounds OK practicing by herself but as soon as he arrives she mangles everything due to her over thinking. This is doubly ridiculous for being fed through the tablet and her own half successful attempts at Chinese. It’s less extreme but we watch the same nervous stumbling and word salad that she produces when trying to speak to Adrien romantically.

Marinette's tendency to step on her own tongue is present when Adrien shows up to help, but notably less prominent than usual. Even though they spend lots of time in the episode together after this Marinette has no trouble putting sentences together.  

This gives us a vital clue regarding why Marinette sometimes, but not always, has a lot of difficulty talking to Adrien.

Marinette is shown consistently to be a bit of an overachiever and consequently also a bit of a perfectionist. She worries about getting things exactly right. As she is preparing for Uncle Cheng’s visit, Tikki assures her that her greeting and the gift of flowers she plans to give will be fine, but for Marinette “fine” is not good enough. Things have to be perfect.

When she is worried about using her words to impress someone, like her uncle, she tends to overthink and jumble them up. The less she is focused on how her words appear the less tongue tied she becomes. Alya sees her all garbled in their video chat in Gang of Secrets (S4e3) when Marinette is freaking out over a possible reveal of the kwami and assumes it is Adrien that has her flustered. This similar behavior in other circumstances helps show that it is panic, not passion, that messes her up.

This can be seen in her impassioned speeches in Origins: Stoneheart and the New York special when she is declaring Adrien must come with the class on the trip. Both times she is articulate not from thinking, but from feeling. Kung Food is the first definitive evidence that her tangled tongue around Adrien is not caused by her crush but by her fear.

Marinette has stated, a number of times, that she prioritizes the head over the heart, particularly in her role as Ladybug. But dealing with her crush is not a matter for the head. What is needed is honest feelings, not cunning plans, and the more she tries to force the “perfect” words that will get Adrien to confess his love for her the worse they come out.

Whenever she treats Adrien as a puzzle to be solved, rather than a friend to connect with, her words get in the way.

When she speaks from the heart the words flow.

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Last Chance

Last Chance by SteelBlaidd

Chance number twenty-five thousand nine hundred and thirteen.

Words: 341, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Plagg, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: project 25913, Episode: s03 Desperada, Snake Adrien Agreste | Aspik, Introspection, Angst, no beta we die like men

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35652799

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Something There That wasn't There Before

Something There That Wasn't There Before by SteelBlaidd

Nino was glad that his best friend Adrien had stopped moping around about his break up with Kagami Tsurugi. It was just as good that his oldest friend Marinette was finally over her breakup with Luka. But what was he supposed to do now that they seemed to have finally gotten together?

Who did he give the shovel talk to?

Words: 1799, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Alya Césaire

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe

Additional Tags: Post-Episode: s04 Le Gang des Secrets | Gang of Secrets, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Nino Lahiffe Ships It, Flirting, Making Out, in class, miracuclass

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30998267

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The Spiriting Away of Marinette Dupain-Cheng

The Spiriting Away of Marinette Dupain-Cheng by SteelBlaidd

It was hard being Ladybug all by herself. Master Fu had told her that he wished he could have given her a partner with the Cat Miraculous to wield but it had been lost with the Butterfly and Peacock that were causing so much trouble.

She wished there was some way to find it.

Maybe this exhibit Alya was dragging her too would have a clue.

Words: 1537, Chapters: 1/3, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi | Spirited Away

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Luka Couffaine, Kagami Tsurugi

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi

Additional Tags: Spirited Away AU, Spirit World, something missing

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33613228

[steelblaidd]

Thoughts on Akuma in Anticipation of Guiltrip

I know a lot of people wish that they would change up the Akuma designs or use different Akuma, so I have been thinking about what storytelling reasons might exist for not doing so. After all Luka and Kagami and Chloé and Sabrina have had different akumatizations each time.

This indicates that the choice to reuse an akuma is for a narative purpose. Remember that the target audience is 7-11, so repetition of important points is going to be more useful than novelty. Therefore it is reasonable to think that repeat of an akuma is a way to signal to the audience that the episodes have a related message, purpose or theme.

(Leaving out most of the repeats from hero's day which is a special case.)

For example, Stormy Weather/Climatica appears as the prime antagonist in two episodes The first one is the first one. The episode that sets up what normal is going to look like for the show the one that tells us what we should expect.

The next time she is the star Akuma is in the third season recap episode. She is almost completely absent except as he civilian self and the bulk of the episode is spent talking about how things and people have, or have not, changed, and what changes may come in the future.

In production order it is episode 317, 2/3rds of the way through the season and right before a whole bunch of episodes that shake up the status quo.

Mr. Pigeon on the other hand is the epitome of the status quo and when he shows up (14 episodes to date, 3 of the first four in season four ) it is as a representation of the daily superhero grind.

Guiltrip will be Juleka's 7th akumatization. Each of her solo akumatizations have delt with the themes of being left out and self image/self worth . First was the school photo curse, then her panic atsck about being in the photo shoot, this episode looks to have something to do with Juleka feeling left out regarding rose. Each involve her running and hiding. And each ask questions about what defines a person's role and what makes them important.

Her two Small group akumatizations, in Felix and Gang of Secrets, are brought on by, from her PoV, Adrien and Marinette not acting like them selves.

Guiltrip is well setup to address the growing imbalance in the relationship between the heros.

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A jug of wine. A loaf of bread.

A jug of wine. A loaf of bread. by SteelBlaidd

As Adrien Agreste's bodyguard he got to see a lot of things happen in the young man's life. Good and Bad.

Today was one of the really good ones.

Tasty too.

Words: 1377, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Le Gorille | Adrien Agreste's Bodyguard, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Kagami Tsurugi, Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire, Tomoe Tsurugi

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Le Gorille | Adrien Agreste's Bodyguard, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste & Chloé Bourgeois & Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Nino Lahiffe

Additional Tags: Friendship, Cooking

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28429194

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Miraculous Short Takes

Miraculous Short Takes by SteelBlaidd

Sub 1K musings on episodes and characters.

Started as essays for the Miraculous Fanworks Discord Newsletter.

Words: 573, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of The Grimoire

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Oblivio

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Analysis, Oblivio, Partnership, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30622064