#I chose Lukanette every time

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Idk if you already discussed this but how do you feel about Adrinette being canon when there wasn‘t a reveal yet? Because I think the show just took all the exciting aspects of the love square away by making one side canon and the others strictly platonic.

Sure, they‘re cute and whatnot, but I don‘t think they‘re exactly interesting without the identity shenanigans and stuff? Especially because (to me at least) Adrinette always felt like the weakest side. It‘s a school crush romcom type of love, which is great and all, but like…. You have superheroes in your show?? Hello??? Why not combine the two elements more effectively???The others are either badass superhero couple (I loved the Ladynoir dynamic in the movie for example) or one superhero hangs out with the civilian and they bond. That‘s literally all of fanon Marichat, and I personally think it works with Ladrien too. There‘s different aspects of those relationships that can be explored and create problems that they have to overcome (like the power imbalance with the civilian x hero ships, how do you handle that while dating?)

I wish the writers would use the square more effectively

I'm not against pre-reveal dating, but I agree that Adrienette is the worst side to chose from a story telling perspective because - as you so rightly pointed out - it's arguably the side with the least identity shenanigans and the side that has the least ties to the superhero stuff that's supposed to be the show's main focus. Adrienette is the side you chose if you're focusing on civilian drama which, to be fair, was season five's main focus even though Gabriel had stolen the miraculous and we were all expecting that complication to be the focus of the season five plot.

Instead the focus was "will Marinette ever have the courage to say a kind word to Adrien's face instead of just telling others how much she loves him even though she knows that he explicitly returns her feelings, making this plot kind painful on every level" which was... a choice.... Five seasons and we're still doing this shit? Really?

This may mean that the writer's plan in season six is to continue to focus on civilian drama or it could mean that they didn't think further than season five and we're about to get a lot of awkward writing. Who knows? I have no idea how they're going to handle civilian dating plus secret identities for long since the writers chose the only side of the square where running off to fight akumas isn't a given thing that the couple-in-question knows will happen. My best guess is that the writers will probably just avoid putting Adrienette in the type of situations Adrigami and Lukanette were put in, I guess?

No matter how they handle it, I don't expect major identity shenanigans because the show has never done much with identity shenanigans probably because quality identity shenanigans require you to be able to draw out plots over multiple episodes and then resolve those plots. This show cannot have that kind of plot progression given it's formulaic nature and the "there must always be a secret between Adrien and Marinette" rule, thus the identity shenanigans being so limited.

This means that the side best suited to the show's writing is probably Ladynoir. Still room for the minor identity shenanigans that the show limits itself to, baked-in-yet-low-stakes tension from having to keep the relationship a complete secret, and a much more logical result of the writing in the first four seasons. While Adrien is far from perfect and has issues to rival Marinette's, his crush always felt like the stronger one given that he actually spent time with Ladybug and had a true relationship with her.

Marinette, on the other hand, barely talked to Adrien because the show literally has a rule that she can never successfully confess her crush, so they needed to keep her and Adrien from becoming close to make those continued failed confessions somewhat plausible. Given all that, it's hard for me to buy that Adrien's crush flipped to this girl that he barely knows. Meanwhile Ladybug's crush flipping had a pretty strong setup given that Chat Noir has been her loyal support in her darkest hours.

But that's not what they went with! Instead of having the secret be the low-stakes identities secret, the secret between them is, "Your father was a super villain whose minions killed you on multiple occasions and whose death you were arguably involved with. While were on the topic of your messed up family, you're an artificial being whose creation killed you mother. Oh, and we're also hero partners, which feels like a minor thing compared to all of that, but we might as well mention that, too."

...choice were made folks. Choices were made. This is so not how you write a formula show! You never go this serious!

Since you mentioned the Civilian/hero pairings, let's talk about those both to end on a lighter note and because that's where my personal favorite lies as I am here for identity shenanigans. That's right, folks, I am once again here to sell you on my Ladrien supremacy agenda.

While I have nothing against Marichat, it is not a good fit for canon. It's simply too limiting because Marinette is not a celebrity. There's a reason that of Marinette's canon hangouts with Chat Noir (and almost all Marichat fics) start on her balcony. That's really the only place they can meet up without drawing attention, which should be a major concern for them.

I physically cringed when the show had them go to the movies and on an ice cream date because Chat Noir was being so irresponsible! He cannot be shown to have a close relationship with a civilian, which is the excuse he should have given at the end Elation since that the episode included Gabriel discovering their relationship. The excuse Chat Noir actually gave feels pretty dismissive of his canon relationship with Marinette. She has canonically spent more time talking to Chat Noir then she's spent talking to Adrien and the same actually goes for the amount of time Ladynoir spends talking about non-hero things, so this feels off:

Cat Noir: I’m sorry about what happened, Marinette. You’re right, you have the right to love anyone you want. Even a superhero. But it’s easy for a person to mistake idolization of a superhero for love. So, even if I like this person very much, I could be taking advantage of the situation, and I just can’t do that. It would be wrong.

Evil Illustrator, their heartfelt talk in Glaciator, the movie date in Glaciator 2, and a bunch of other little moments add up to somehow make Marichat the deepest side of the square, which is painfully bad writing given how little screen time this side gets, but it's still what canon gave us. Marinette is not just a fan who only knows him from a distance. They are friends and even occasional teammates. The only reason this pairing doesn't work in canon is because there's nowhere for the relationship to go until a partial or total reveal happens.

Prior to that, it's just these two hanging out on her balcony or maybe going on secret dates around the city. Cute, but not suited to a silly superhero romcom aimed at kids where every story needs to be told in about 20 minutes. It's best left to long form fan content that is allowed to be more about drama and romance than the actual show and also a little more spicy than the actual show because - let's be real here - those rooftop dates would not just be talking. I don't know how you'd write this pairing in a way that's both genuine and well suited to the intended audience. It's simply way more suited to a teen drama than a kid's show.

Ladrien, on the other hand, could work if canon wanted to go there. I don't think it would be a good fit for more than a season*, so Ladynoir is still the better pick for canon's format, but Ladrien could be a nice bit of pre-reveal padding to draw out the reveal and add some fun comedy if the show were allowed to have a reveal.

Because Ladybug and Adrien are both celebrities, you can have them interact in diverse settings without anyone thinking twice. This allows for a good amount of hijinks where Ladybug is trying to protect her boyfriend at public events without revealing their relationship while Adrien is trying to get her to let him run off and transform.

You can also do things like the public seeing them together, thinking they're a couple, and having them both deny it because they aren't, leading to Ladynoir comedy where Ladybug cries because she wishes they were and Chat Noir is like, "Wait, what? You what? ...My Lady, as your loyal partner who is here to support you in all things, I will get you your man even if it kills me!" The thinking-they're-a-couple thing could also be solved via Ladynoir by Ladynoir going public while Adrien remains "single". There's just a lot of potential for the show's style of absurdist humor here.

*Ladrien does eventually fall into the same issues as Marichat where it feels like the reveal needs to happen otherwise you're just repeating the same plots or going too spicy for a kids show via bedroom-based meetups, thus me saying that it's only good for about a season. There's also the problem that Akuma fights and supervillains are endless fodder for Ladynoir issues, but the only issue Ladrien could possibly address is Gabriel and Marichat's got nothing save for maybe Lila? So if you don't want to let a reveal happen, Ladynoir really is the best pick by far. Adrienette can work, but it's way less fun since they have to keep all these secrets while Ladynoir really only has one major secret or, at least, Ladynoir should only have one major secret (the identities). Canon has really dropped the ball on this one.

Now that I've written all this out, maybe the spicy issue is why canon went Adrienette? It's a lot easier to limit their alone time than it is to limit the alone time of any other side. I maintain that you could get away with it in pre-reveal Ladynoir by just ignoring the issue and giving them things to fight any time they try to have a date. You could also end episodes on them starting their date, leaving everything to the imagination but also keeping the setting relatively public (rooftops and the like) unlike the civilian/hero sides whose dates are going to be way more private. I fully understand why a show aimed at 5-to-12-year-olds wouldn't want to go there. That is far more suited to the teen drama Miraculous so desperately wants to be based on the ill-suited plots the writers keep going with.

[fragileizywriting]

lukanette but marinette (kitty) has terrible adhd. she'll get up in the middle of cuddle time because she remembered she forgot to turn off the bathroom light. luka ends up finding her in the bathroom 15 min later putting on a face mask asking if he wants to join.

"kitty, weren't we watching a movie together?"

marinette (kitty) blanches. "oh, god. we were."

he sends texts to her all the time, because she forgets her keys. her watch. her phone. (ironic.) sometimes she forgets plagg at home. luka has to go rescue the little kwami from a potted plant he himself chose to nap in while marinette got ready for a date, meowing and yelling about how his holder is neglecting him.

she always shows up extra early to a date and stays right outside the door, sat on a bench, even if it's super sunny and sweaty outside because she doesn't want to miss it or be late. but at the table, she spends the entire time stimming with the knife in her hands, twirling it like a butterfly knife, and at this point luka doesn't have the heart to tell her to stop, because it's either that or she taps incessantly at her glass cup. besides, she's really good at it. the best. she chats and chats and chats and chats away, still spinning the (unused) knife, talking about everything and anything.

she says i love you constantly because she doesn't remember if she's said it. luka wakes up in the middle of the night to her starting a new loaf of bread in the oven because she woke up and was hungry. she's too tired to wash the dishes.

she struggles to clean the kitchen, keeps the bathroom spotless, and has a specific spot to put her phone every night. she cuddles like an octopus, sleeps often like an actual cat, wakes up blind and weary and always reaches for him first. luka loves, loves, loves, loves, loves her.

[animehime94]

SVTFOE: How to Ruin Your Own Show

They had so much potential. So many ideas. But they completely ruined it by doing these mistakes:

Filler episodes: Fillers can be fun if they are done right. But making too many at random moments made the series so confusing. It felt like they didn't know what to do with their ideas, and they were trying to buy time by adding filler episodes.

Inconsistent Characters and Arcs: There were arcs that went nowhere. Such as Marco being Star's right hand man and Star's coronation. Marco didn't need a title whatsoever and they chose to undo Star's royal lineage anyway. So why bother setting her up as a queen when they can just revive the true heir and push Star aside? Or I don't know... Make her destroy the magic she loved so much with her own hands? And Moon... all I can say is that she was done very dirty. She didn't deserve her character being destroyed like that.

Forced Shipping Drama: I actually enjoy shipping. I even ship stomco. But unfortunately it got too messy. In the beginning, Star and Marco were friends and they had crushes on different characters. I mean they are teenagers and feelings CAN change but... especially Starco felt out of place. Why bother with all the other relationships if Starco was meant to happen at the latest moment? It would be much better if they didn't "bait" us the audience with those side pairings and actually showed Starco's feelings earlier on.

I feel really sorry for SVTFOE. It could have been much better, like Amphibia or The Owl House. But they ruined it and I can't even stand rewatching all episodes anymore.

Last but not least, another show is making the exact same mistakes. So I'll have to mention them as well.

Miraculous Ladybug

Filler Episodes: ML is doing this too. They are adding a lot of filler episodes. Each season has 3 or 4 plot relevant episodes at most. The rest of them are mostly to create shipping drama or set Marinette as a failure protagonist.

Inconsistent Characters, Arcs and Plotlines: There is so much to tell I don't even know where to begin. Chloe had a good arc in Season 2, then all of her development got thrown out of the window. And they brought a sister out of nowhere, just to highlight how evil she is compared to her. Alya getting BFF pass to Marinette's secret was another huge mistake. It was done too late, and it messed everything up. Another example can be Gabriel. He was about to give up on his ambition multiple times, but he got more and more corrupted every single time. He stopped caring about Adrien completely.

Forced Shipping Drama: We all know Adrienette will be the endgame. This fact has been confirmed and shoved down our throats so many times. But they added other pairings like Lukanette and Adrigami, then broke them up for awful reasons and they are still baiting us with the "Will they / won't they" BS FOR 4 SEASONS.

Status Quo: As long as this BS exists, none of the characters can truly grow. Because no matter what they go through, there is a "reset" button and they go back to how they were at the end of every episode. There is barely any continuity or character development. They have to let go of this and make some changes if they want to remain as a "worldwide popular series".

I really hope ML can improve and stop making these mistakes. Otherwise they will fail just like SVTFOE 😩

[starlit-dreaming]

[ch1] élémentaire

Fandom: MLB Ship: Eventual Felinette, MarcNath & Chlogami, Past Lukanette TL;DR: HBIC Marinette + Rich Marinette + ML Salt Fic + Canon Divergence

Main Fic: élémentaire 0 | [1] | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Side Fics: J'adore — 1/2 | 2/2

Note: never expected to be continuing this fic but here it is after more than a year after i posted it!

this will be crossposted on ao3 under the same name

there is salt in this fic. idk how much yet, but please take care of your blood pressure–

NOTICE: Due to realizing that there are 2 sets of primary colours (additive: blue, red, green. subtractive: cyan, magenta, yellow), I will be accordingly switching to using the subtractive primary colours. Magenta for Marinette, Cyan for Felix, and Chloé will stay the same with Yellow. While that doesn’t change too much because Marinette’s faction still wears reds and pinks etc, I plan on going back to the prologue to edit this.

————————————————————

1. roses de lavande

————————————————————

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had never lost in all of her wagers against Chloé Bourgeois, and they first met at the young age of five.

It was a natural back and forth, one that Félix found amusing or annoying at times, but it overall explained their dynamic.

Chloé always challenged, Félix always observed, and Marinette always won.

Until now, of course.

She has always been a prideful person, adamantly choosing to follow the path she laid before her very own eyes. Every plan meticulously crafted from nimble fingers like fabric that was hand sewn together, every itty bitty detail crafted into her work of art like embroidery. Every setback was merely a ripped seam — a detour for the end result she desires. Félix waits for things to unfold to plan accordingly and Chloé acts on her plans as soon as possible, but she does both and more. Marinette plans, she executes contingency plans upon contingency plans, ensuring that she will never be trapped like a scurrying rat. She draws outlines only to rip them anew to gain better results, higher achievements born from ripping her own beloved crafts with the mercy of a tactician who immediately knows failure upon sight.

It wasn’t obvious — her pride, that is.

Her prideful nature wasn’t obvious, and it was never in the face of Chloé and Félix, when compared to the others raised on wealth and parental neglect, she was always seen as merciful and gentle yet scarily sweet. Knowing when to back down, knowing when it would be the best to join the fray when it came to conflicting interests, had contributed to her image. Being humble was a skill she learned to utilize, as she had witnessed her parents’ killing with kindness and smiles plastered on their faces in the face of rude customers, and had seen how it works in their favour in gaining support from others to how friendly or uncomfortable people can become.

She had been raised with love and care and the hope that she would never fall like a ruined soufflé — a piece of the heart that remained warm and kind and could be delicately sweet, but will never again stand tall after being deflated. Her parents raised her to have self-love, to be proud and just, to be filled with love and so much more.

And so, when Félix would move away to the UK after their final year of élémentaire, she stood tall indeed. She chose to step away from leadership, she chose to view the world through a rose-tinted lens because she wanted to find true love.

Happiness, she firmly believed, laid in that fairytale love her parents still have for one another.

It was not with Félix, who was a King that couldn’t stay for her and will never become her Prince Charming. A boy who cared for her dearly, but would not go against his parent’s decisions.

It was not with Chloé, a Queen who did not believe in a happy ending. A girl who wanted her around, but would never bother to ask her sweetly.

And, at the time, she believed that happiness was not in her reach as the Mirthful Majesty, Marinette, who believed in a love that will always mend, who so desperately thinks that she must have a soulmate to find happiness. She was surrounded by friends and people who favoured her, adults who trusted her, children who adored her, but none would fit her image of Prince Charming.

When Marinette decided to throw it all away, when Félix had stared at her as though she were a fool for ending things, Chloé issued one last challenge:

She will give up her futile endeavour and return to her throne before lycée.

And naturally, Marinette answered.

The idea of letting Chloé win, to give the heiress of Le Grande Paris exactly what she wants when she’s had years of having things go her way? It infuriated her at times, feeling that Chloé didn’t care about what Marinette had wanted for her own life and was just being a spoiled brat after all they’d been through together. It fuelled the eventual animosity they shot at one another in their time at Dupont, the glares and scathing words. They knew each other better than anyone — perhaps that was why it was so easy to turn Chloé into an enemy. Within the last few years, Marinette was on the verge of resenting her former friend, the accumulation of getting picked on for years since their new start at Dupont had been steadily building up within her. She knew the reasoning behind the girl’s actions, she knew that it was a shoddy attempt at trying to get her to change back to the girl she was before.

After all, she was Chloé’s only target for years, and clearly she didn’t take it well when Marinette began to retaliate. She would’ve ended up hating Chloé, willing to throw away the memories.

It didn’t help that everyone had played the role of bystanders in her life.

Then again, she couldn’t fault her friends from the days of before, when they had valiantly stood at her side at Notre Dame as if they were her knights, only to now choose to remain silent and idle. She asked them to never interfere in any matter between her and Chloé, after all. It was only natural for them to avert their eyes and clench their fists, to bite their tongues and feign ignorance with all but the stare in their eyes.

  (As for Lila, that was a different matter entirely.)

  And life went on, because as she expected, Marinette never conceded until this very day.

It wasn’t the same now, and it’s clear that Chloé had taken a page out of Marinette’s old planner and Felix’s demeanour. The Cruel Queen chose to plan and lay in wait. Chloé wasn’t a patient queen bee, but she knew when it was better to wait for the best moment to have all the drama unfold for the sake of making her vengeance all the more sweet, as Marinette had always expected of her when Chloé wasn’t consumed by her emotions. It was one of her charms, something that endeared the ruthless queen to the vindicated students of Notre Dame when they felt wronged; she sought cruel vengeance and succeeded each and every time, a trophy built up on bitter resentment, a bully meant for the bullies and horridly unfair teachers. Marinette often disliked her for her brazen demeanour even now, but she was, admittedly, intrigued at the more detailed revenge plans that Chloé had set in motion, the intricacies of every trap that would ensnare her enemies in the most harsh, humiliating, and ruthless manner, the sheer determination that the heiress had to ensure her victory through whatever means necessary. Chloé’s swift yet adamant behaviour was… admirable, at times.

Nearly four years — nearly four years of refusing to return for her metaphorical crown. Nearly four years of ignoring or arguing against Chloé Bourgeois. Nearly two years since Alya became her best friend. Nearly a year has passed since Lila appeared and swindled almost all of her new friends at Dupont. It was only several months since Lila steadily suffocated her friendships after her declaration of war, and Marinette was… tired, to say the least. The liar can do as she pleases, because now Marinette was learning how to stop caring for the people who never shared the same courtesy. It was their final year of collège before they moved on to lycée, and she knew better than anyone that enough was enough, even if it meant defeat.

This was her high road, Marinette had decided days after being told of Adrien’s advice — ignoring Lila Rossi, and no longer caring for the people who claim to be her friends when they would readily abandon her for a chance to bask in the spotlight. It was petty, she knew that without a doubt even before Tikki had voiced her initial disagreement upon making that decision. She was running on pure spite at this point, and her skin crawled in anger as irritation pumps in her veins because she has a feeling that Papillon is only adding fuel to the fire when it comes to Lying Rossi.

She suspects that he was working together with the girl.

Then again, Lila has nothing against Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was an unwitting accomplice to Chloé’s plans, because Lila made her realize the very fact that Marinette was adamantly denying for the past several years:

Chloé Bourgeois was right.

She was right about their Dupont classmates all along — they never cared about Dupain-Cheng, but they cared about what the Goody Two-Shoes could do for them. Trust was a partnership, trust was something that had to be earned. Trust was a treasure that could never be easily found with a map and key. Trust would only hurt people in the end if it were freely given by the naïve.

It was very obvious how much trust they had in Marinette when they chose to trust Lila’s word over hers.

So nevertheless, it was easy to plan for what happened next. Unless Marinette revokes her ownership of the Miraculous Box, found someone fitting for the Guardian role, and a new Ladybug is chosen, she cannot afford to be akumatized. Tikki herself agreed that it would be for the best in the end, that she didn’t want to lose another bug, that Marinette was the best Guardian she’s had in centuries.

One failure, and everything Marinette had built for herself would be torn down before her very eyes. So she will allow Chloé this victory, and she will simply rebuild what was rightfully lost to time — her record might be broken, but she is still true to herself.

One defeat, amidst hundreds upon hundreds of attempts — she cannot allow Papillon to prevail. She almost did, multiple times, when she allowed herself to be naïve. She can’t, she won’t.

One loss, that’s all it would take. There will be no second chances.

(It’s a loss that Ladybug could never commit, but it’ll be fine. After all, Ladybug will never make the same mistake as Marinette Dupain-Cheng.)

  ——————————

  As lunchtime finally arrives, Alix silently packs up her belongings. She doesn’t join Kim and Max for lunch, which is to be expected, and a glance to Kim who gave her a simple nod was enough to tell her that he will be the one to provide a proper explanation for Max when they’re nowhere near their classmates. It was only natural; Max would be new to their rules — he’s categorized as a Dupont student, he wasn’t a part of their Notre Dame group, he had nothing to worry about, but Kim and Alix knew better than anyone that knowledge was power based on their time back at Notre Dame.

It was in his best interests to know sooner rather than later.

But instead of tagging along with any of her other classmates for lunch, Alix waits for Nathaniel to gather his things, making it clear that she intends on leaving the classroom with him. She shoots Nino a glance, watching the DJ slide back into his seat, his shoulders slumping over as he tugs his red hat down over his face as if he were ashamed — or anxious; perhaps both, justifiably both. She would’ve been surprised if he wasn’t worried, especially because he was Marinette’s childhood friend, her neighbour from their days of before, even if he never attended Notre Dame.

And he actually thought she was jealous of Lying Rossi.

It must’ve been humiliating, Alix thinks, to be so blinded by misinformation thanks to infatuation.

Her gaze is drawn over to Rose standing there in her pretty pink clothes, who blinks at them with a knowing gaze before blinking in innocent confusion and smiling. Within the moment following after, her attention is immediately ensnared by Lying Rossi. As if nothing had ever happened within the last several hours.

And… Alix can feel the budding disbelief and annoyance bubbling up within her. A dull sting of betrayal, perhaps? A betrayal from a time that will, undoubtedly, never come back, probably. Rose and her decision was especially all the more startling, though, and to see it blatantly happen before her?

It was almost insulting.

She wonders if choosing Lila Rossi over Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the girl’s final choice.

But then again, Rose looked at them knowingly — was she putting on this façade of being on Lila’s side? Or did she really not know?

(It’s like a train wreck waiting to happen — they know it will happen, they know the reason why it will, and they won’t be able to avert their eyes when the train approaches. The vindication that she’ll no doubt feel at the end makes Alix wonder if she actually belonged to Charmante or Fondamentaux instead of Méticuleuse.)

Alix purses her lips and proceeds to shake her head in mild disappointment before turning to look at Nathaniel. Her mouth opens, as if she were about to say something, only for it to fall away as she closes her mouth and jerks her head, gesturing towards the door. And she can tell that as Nathaniel solemnly nods in agreement. He was just as surprised to see Nino and Rose’s choice.

There was no need for words when it came to what happened earlier that morning.

So they leave the classroom behind, silence between the two of them as the Dupont students gradually fill the vicinity. Part of her feels paranoid, that she’s being stared at, that maybe everyone already knows.

But she knows that nobody is staring at her or Nathaniel as they leave.

It’s just the calm before the storm.

  ———————��——

  They arrive at Tom & Sabine’s without incident. Tom greets them with a cheerful and kind smile, welcoming them with warmth in his eyes, and Sabine tells them that Marinette had texted her about their arrival, just as calm and kind. She tells them that they’re free to wait for Marinette in her room, that they’ve been expecting their arrival because their daughter had texted them, which… sounds ominous, truth be told.

Alix isn’t quite sure whether that’s a good thing or not. Judging from the deer-in-the-headlights look that Nathaniel wore when Sabine singled them out among their crowd of customers, he’s less concerned about whether or not it’s a good thing and was much more startled over the fact that Marinette was expecting them despite saying nothing.

Still, it was clear to see how much of Marinette’s personality came from her parents, based on Sabine’s determined gaze and Tom’s bright smile.

(Then again, they called Marinette the Miracle Princess of Les Trois Primaires. While Félix had been the scheming actor and Chloé being the bossy coordinator, Marinette was always the social planner with a sickeningly sweet smile.)

Nevertheless, they oblige and walk into the familiar home.

The house connected to the bakery was warm and appeared to be lived in, as it always is — a homey vibe that she and Nathaniel had always envied when they were growing up. While Marinette’s parents were busy with their bakery, they always made it a point to place Marinette first and foremost before their career. It was rare to find a genuine familial love like that in any of the families belonging to the former Notre Dame students.

  (Fact: it was another contributing factor that easily soured Marinette and Chloé’s friendship.)

  Alix had grown to view it as somewhat of a blessing, to have a busy older brother trying to follow their father’s footsteps, and to have busy parents who seemed to never care much for the events going on in Alix’s life. When she dyed her hair pink, and she stated that she thought it would look good, they simply brushed it off and moved on. A family of scholars, her family was — as long as she maintained her good grades and to avoid outward fights, as long as she didn’t get into any major trouble, they would allow her to do as she pleased. Her grandparents, on the other hand, hadn’t been pleased when she started dying her hair, but then again, her grandmother always asked why she wanted to be called Alix when Alixandria was a perfectly good name, or how she wanted to dress her up in dresses and skirts, wanted her to grow out her hair and act dainty instead of what she considered to be a delinquent.

When Marinette met them, they surprisingly changed their tune and seemed to adore Alix’s “rebellious” appearance and her passion for roller skating.

Nathaniel was a different story. His mother and her side of the family consisted of lawyers and politicians, and his father and his side of the family were primarily doctors and medical professionals, so it was always expected of him to follow in one or the others’ footsteps. When he dyed his hair red, his parents were blatantly against it, demanding that he dyed it back to brown. When he admitted to wanting to pursue art as a career, they thought it was a phase. It wasn’t, of course. His parents met Marinette, and she bewitched them on Nathaniel’s behalf, and everything was fine after that. They even made a deal that if he can prove that he’ll have a promising future in art before université, then he would have their full support.

And with Marinette supporting him? It was only natural that he would become more established in the art community.

  (It was obvious why he used to have a crush on their faction leader — a planner who knows exactly what she wants and knows exactly how to achieve her end goal, as well as how to utilize her connections to best persuade her target. If Alix was ever interested in romance, then she would’ve undoubtedly been attracted to Marinette just for her sheer confidence alone.)

  They enter Marinette’s room — a hurricane of a creative mess on her desk, it seemed, but with a semblance of organization and overall cleanliness everywhere else — a distraction for outsiders. The walls were covered in pinned sketches and drawings — a magazine article on her bowler hat, a couple of printed online articles of her work for Jagged Stone, and printed photos she took of her own dresses and designs.

Adrien’s face was nowhere to be found, not even Alya’s picture was on the wall. She still kept the huge calendar, and Adrien’s name took up the majority of it, with his photoshoots and work-related plans, but she can see the more relevant events. There was Kim and the swim team’s competition happening on Saturday, with Max having a science fair falling on the Sunday after. There was a submission date written there for Alya’s journalism contest — Alix felt somewhat vindicated at that. It was proof that Alya and Lila’s recent claims of Marinette being jealous because of Adrien were a load of horse shit.

  (In fact, the lack of Adrien was a good indication that their Mirthful Majesty would finally come back to them.)

  “I think she was in charge of Lila’s birthday party,” Alix scoffed, wrinkling her nose at the notes she was reading on the calendar. “Seems pretty stupid of her to shit on Marinette when she’s in charge of the birthday party plans.”

Nathaniel’s eyes glanced over to the large calendar. “I wonder if that’s going to get cancelled after what happened this morning.”

“It won’t be.”

They looked back over to the attic door, seeing Marinette walk up the stairs and into her room. She was smiling, kind and sugary sweet like their time at Notre Dame, and Alix wasn’t surprised when she heard another pair of footsteps following behind their leader. Alix had her guesses on who’d be brought in — they needed to spread information throughout the school, but Aurore was a member of… well, Félix’s faction, now. Alix wasn’t sure if Aurore intended on remaining with the Charmante Faction after Chloé’s reign of terror at Dupont, she still had her yellow umbrella, but now she often wore blue sundresses.

There was Mireille, but it didn’t make sense to pick a girl who knew nothing about their time back in Notre Dame. Kagami would be a good choice, but the same issue with Mireille remained — Kagami was vaguely aware of Notre Dame, but that’s because of the unlikely friendship between her and Chloé.

The new arrivals didn’t include Aurore.

This was an issue for the Méticuleuse Faction, after all.

“Marc?” Nathaniel questioned, causing Alix to finally snap her gaze over to the guests at Marinette’s side.

She didn’t know Marc Anciel all too well, but she’s seen him and Nathaniel together every once in a while in the art room, working on their comic together. He transferred to Dupont several months ago, but he attended Notre Dame and was on friendly terms with their faction leader — Alix could never remember everyone, yet somehow Marinette recognized every notable person in her faction with relative ease.

“Hey Nath,” Marc greeted with a shy smile, pink on his cheeks, before glancing over to Alix to give her a nod in acknowledgement. “Hi Alix.”

Now that she thought about it, Marc probably had a crush on Nathaniel in their Notre Dame days.

Still, she wasn’t sure if he would be a good choice to help… then again, Marinette knew exactly what to do to get things done, and if Marc was a part of the equation, then Alix would have to accept it regardless of her thoughts.

Alix greeted him with a nod in response, her eyes glancing over to Ondine who stood tall at Marinette’s side. She kindly smiled.

When it comes to Ondine, well, Alix isn’t sure if there’s much for her to really know. She’s Kim’s girlfriend, and he’s always talking about how amazing she is, and how he thinks he’s in love every time he ends up talking about her in great length, and in the competitions she’s had with him over the past few years, there were only a few instances where Ondine was able to show up without any schedule conflicts. Frankly, Kim would like any girl who could beat his ass, whether it be sharp words or a physical demonstration of literally picking him up, so Alix pretty much assumed that they’ve been in that awkward are-they-aren’t-they relationship until after Chloé humiliated him on Valentine's Day.

Eventually, her gaze returns to Marinette, the girl in question simply humming as her eyes surveyed everyone in the room. Her blue eyes calculating as she took note of the fact that it was only Alix and Nathaniel, asides for the two standing at her side.

She wonders if it’d be better if Nino and Rose had shown up as well.

Then again, Nino was too busy feeling ashamed next to Alya and Adrien while Rose was with Juleka and Lila’s hesitant supporters—

“It’s as I expected,” Marinette interrupts Alix’s train of thought, her tone of voice cheerful and polite, giving nothing away. “Well, take a seat somewhere. I’ll be back with the quiche Maman made for us to enjoy along with some drinks. We have a lot of work to do, but today I’ll go over my expectations, and the baseline of my plans,” she stated before leaving the room.

Alix takes a seat on the stepladder leading to the loft, making herself comfortable. Marc and Nathaniel sit down beside one another on the chaise, and Ondine ends up sitting on the trunk against the wall. And as they all get settled down, an awkward moment of silence washes over them.

Fortunately, Ondine is the one who pipes up.

“Does this mean Marc and I are now a part of Le Jardin?” the swimmer hesitantly asked, making eye contact with Alix.

Alix grimaces at the name, finding it to be disgustingly cheesy now. Then again, they were only primary school kids when they chose the name, and Rose was a part of their group.

Le Jardin de Lavande — The Lavender Garden.

While the three factions of Notre Dame’s Elite Primary School had their respective groups, there was still a hierarchy of social status despite the majority of the students consisting of rich and/or famous kids. Like the knights to royalty, the friends of the faction leaders were unofficially considered to be the “inner circle”, the “advisors” chosen by their faction leader. They were the vice leaders of the faction.

Félix had the Quantic Kids, a name that was chosen by the current class president of Mme Mendeleiev’s class and Félix’s former right-hand man, Claude Sainté-Pierre. Claude was a sociable fellow, far more than Félix ever was, with his talents lying in information gathering through a social network, and he was the one to declare their friend group as the “Quantic Kids” even if Félix disagreed to it. It was a well-known fact that Félix had loathed the name for the first two years, claiming that it was ill-fitting for the upper class like themselves. Regardless, Claude successfully managed to sway everyone into agreeing on their group name, and that was the end of it.

(It was a rather strange thing to witness back then, the way Claude acted more like the leader than Félix ever did. But she had to admit, it was a pretty interesting dynamic, and it did allow Félix to sit back and analyse everything while Claude was inciting chaos or something.)

Chloé, again, was much more of an enabler than Félix and Marinette combined when it came to their fame as faction leaders, as she actively encouraged people to refer to her… acquaintances as the Queen’s Subordinates. Kim was always her knight, the bodyguard, and Sabrina was always her assistant, her secretary, her informant.

And while Chloé was tyrannical and straightforward with who she was seen with (the famous rich kids, Kim and Sabrina aside) and Félix had a more in-depth group, having a variety of friends that held different skill sets that come in different social circles — musicians, dancers, actors, and people who preferred to work behind the scenes — Marinette’s group of friends were simply that: friends.

Everyone in their faction liked to refer to them as The Lavender Garden. Nobody knew who started the term, but Rose liked it and asked Marinette if they could officially use it.

Alix was known as her unofficial lookout, the speediest and most often overlooked, the vines with thorns. Rose was her sweet charmer, with a kind smile and sweet demeanour that would be used for distracting people directly, the pretty flower. Nino was more of a wallflower, the type of guy that simply observes and informs. Nathaniel was more of an artist rather than a flower, he crafted forgeries and feigned innocent ignorance when he was brought into question. And yet, they were referred to as The Lavender Garden, despite the fact that none of them were associated with lavenders in question.

Nobody knows how the name actually started, but there were a lot of speculations and rumours. Some say that pink lavenders were Marinette’s favourite flower because they were often gifted to her by her followers, and a few claimed that it was a sign of caution to Félix, the faction most known for wearing blue while lavender flowers were, often, a purple-blue.

There was some truth to all the speculations, and yet none were accurate.

Marinette adores pink lavenders, but she only adores lavenders because of the many things it could be used for — she adored the floral smell of lavender tea, she loved how calming it could be, and she was a fan of bath salts with lavender scents. Félix gifted her a bouquet of lavenders once upon a time, an array of pink, light purple, and purple-blue lavender flowers blending together.

It was actually why they all encouraged Marinette to go after Adrien, despite whatever thing Marinette had with Félix. A boy that was nice, a boy that cared about everyone; they thought of him as a better match for their Sweets Princess, that he was worthy of being her Prince Charming. They wanted her to move on from her crush on Félix, to look at other guys that they thought would be a better fit.

Alix figured it would be a step forward to moving on, since Félix was no longer in France, and Rose thought it would be romantic if Marinette had a charming romance in general.

What a mistake that turned out to be. Her crush on Adrien had developed to a typical fangirl level stalker cliché, and Alya was enthusiastically fanning the flames as if it were a special news report. Alix was never interested in all those Adrienette meetings, where each plan became overly uncomfortable and unnecessarily complicated, even if she wanted Marinette to be happy. Rose loved it all, the romance, the planning, looking at the world through rose-covered lenses, but Alix loathed it. It wasn’t Marinette, she was nothing like the girl from before, she was so obsessed with being this normal girl, with having this romantic story, that Alix made herself be their voice of reason whenever possible.

For a while, Alix thought that the girl she used to know was gone. She could see the creative planner still there, but replaced with uncoordinated steps.

Life was much easier when Marinette had her crush on Félix, where she remained oblivious and simply found him to be intriguing. She used to watch Félix from a distance, often confiding to Alix saying “something about him is captivating” or “I wonder why I find him to be so interesting”. There was no obsession, just mere interest and observation, and Marinette often smiled whenever Félix noticed her. Alix always wondered if she was too critical about Félix.

If Félix stayed, maybe Marinette would have remained the same. Maybe her arguments with Chloé wouldn’t have escalated.

Maybe Alix was jealous that he had Marinette’s attention even when he was gone.

But it was too late for what-ifs.

“Probably,” Nathaniel quietly admits, anxiously glancing at Alix before looking at Marc and Ondine.

“Yes and no,” Marinette had answered with a smile as she re-enters her room, causing all of them to snap up into attention. “We will no longer be going by that name.”

Alix raised a brow at that as Marinette placed the quiche down, followed by a small stack of plates with silverware on top.

“We don’t have too much time until classes resume,” Marinette stated. “So we’ll have to make the most of it.”

“Um… if not Le Jardin, then what will we be calling ourselves?” Marc squeaked, nervous.

If they were still in Notre Dame, Marinette wouldn’t want a name. But because she was essentially reviving her faction…

“The Magentas,” Alix said, looking Marinette directly in the eyes.

It made sense to Alix — everyone in her faction wore a shade from reds to pinks, but magenta had been the agreed upon colour. Everyone in Marinette’s inner circle wore something with a sewn symbol of a magenta lavender.

Things would be different now, though, because Nino and Rose both weren’t here at all.

“Magenta, with a symbol of Azaleas and Lavenders,” Marinette concluded, opening her sketchbook showing off the floral design. “Marc, you’ll be handling the website with Nathaniel. Aurore will be helping you two handle the basic setup and launch. Alix, I want you to ask Max to help them with the coding and details. Ondine, I need you to gather general intel from people outside of my class. While I do have direct contact with the other class presidents, I have a feeling that I will soon need to step down. Be sure to keep an eye on your phone. I’ll be texting you with more details later — in the meantime, try to keep it as discreet as possible for the time being.”

Multiple agreements were heard from all four of them.

Marinette smiled at that.

[mc-lukanette]

do you have any lukanette ideas with chat/adrien salt? the newest episode reignited my annoyance towards him and his stans acting like he didn’t do anything wrong is not helping. i mean, flirting with ladybug while he’s dating kagami? getting excited over a possible akumatization?? and since i know that behavior won’t be addressed bc adrien is “perfect” and “the love square is endgame” therefore he gets a pass for any bad behavior, i was hoping for some fanmade salt (and lukanette is always a great addition to any story)

I can appreciate how starved you guys are to hear me salt on this blog.

But yeah, I came up with something considering that quite a bit of Chat’s behavior happens before Truth appears in “Lies.”

So hear me out--

Truth is a threat, considering that Luka is the only hero outside of Ladybug intended to be a planner. All others take orders directly from Ladybug herself, but Viperion could plan on his own.

This means that Truth realizes quickly that his strategy of asking for the heroes’ identities isn’t going to work because they’ll shout over him every time. He has to get creative and comes up with the idea to divide the heroes.

He comments on their teamwork, perhaps saying vaguely about how their teamwork can’t outmatch his and Pharo’s. Chat obviously takes the bait, talking on and on about how he and Ladybug are the best team and that they’re made for each other.

“Really?” Truth asks casually. “You’ve never done anything against her?”

Chat Noir responds, his white lips moving to say, “Of course I have!”

Ladybug gapes, and Chat looks calm for a second before his eyes immediately widen in panic.

He tries to say that it’s not what he means, but Truth’s power is active, so he just blurts out, “That’s exactly what I mean!”

He tries to cover his mouth with his non-Cataclysm hand, but gets shot by Pharo.

“I told Theo Barbot that we were dating and it got him akumatized!”

“You did what?!” Ladybug asks, having never heard this before.

Chat doesn’t stop - he can’t - and his mouth keeps moving. He admits that he sacrifices himself because he knows it won’t matter since Ladybug will fix it, and it means he’ll always leave an impression on her. He admits that he didn’t care when Nadja or Alya were egging on the LadyNoir ship because he feels like Ladybug will come around eventually. He admits that he doesn’t take her seriously when she goes off on him because “she’s cute when she’s angry.” He admits that he wanted an akuma to happen even though he knew Ladybug was busy, just because he wanted to spend time with her. He admits to telling his kwami he’d quit while Paris was underwater if he didn’t spill what Ladybug was hiding.

Honestly, even Truth at this point is like, “man I wanted to divide your teamwork, not your entire relationship.”

Ladybug eventually manages to snap out of her trance and deal with the whole situation (mostly by herself), but the damage is done. Even after the akuma has been purified and Truth turns back into Luka, Chat’s words linger and Ladybug ignores him.

“Are you okay, Luka?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah, thanks...”

Chat is awkwardly standing nearby, his tail in both hands as he fiddles with it. “So--ah... Bugaboo--”

“Don’t,” Ladybug cuts in, not even looking at him. “Is that why you use that nickname when I’m mad? To butter me up? Try to earn points? Do you think it’s funny?”

“No, no!” He waves his hands frantically. “It’s not--”

“See, the thing is that now I won’t know whether you’re lying or not,” she points out, the situation feeling all to familiar to when Tikki lied to her, only this was worse. She honestly wanted to trust Chat Noir; he was her partner, irreplaceable in the sense that he was there from the start.

But maybe not irreplaceable elsewhere.

“I wouldn’t lie to you!” he swears.

“But you’ll keep things from me,” she counters. She sighs, gently taking Luka’s hand and helping him stand, then addressing him as she says, “I’ll take you home, alright?”

Luka’s gaze briefly flickers between the two of them, but he asks no questions and nods. “Thank you.”

She guides him up the staircase to take him up to the balcony, Chat Noir rushing over to stand at the bottom of the steps.

“M’lady--!”

Ladybug turns to him with a silencing glare. “I really don’t want to be around you right now. We’ll talk later when I’m ready.”

(He’s going to be in for a long talk when they finally meet back up again, and suddenly, he isn’t so eager for an akuma to come rushing by to force them to come back together as a team.)

And with that, Ladybug goes up to the balcony, takes Luka in her arms, and leaves. Things are quiet at first, her taking in a few breaths of the night air as she tries to relax.

The past few days had been a mess, and that was putting it lightly. The kwami, dating, the akuma (that Chat Noir had apparently been soooo excited about), and now this big revelation. The stress must show on her face too, as she can occasionally feel Luka’s concerned gaze on her.

In a way, it’s nice, just having her boyfriend care like this, even when she’s in a mask. He’d put up with way more for her than she felt like he should’ve, and she knew that he’d disagree if she even dared to voice that thought.

Without really thinking, she starts talking to him. She talks about Ladybug, about everything; being thrown into this life that she didn’t ask for, and being happy to save Paris but sad at the emotional toll it takes. She tells him about all the friends who tease her for her lateness, and while it might’ve been funny at first - she was genuinely absent-minded at times - it doesn’t become as funny when knowing that it was something that couldn’t be helped.

“...I’m sorry you’re going through that,” Luka says in an offer of comfort. He sighs, not recoiling from her but it feels like he’s distant anyway. “I know it didn’t help that I was akumatized. I hope I didn’t do anything to Marinette.”

Her gaze softens; of course he’s thinking of her again. It’s Luka, she has no right to be surprised.

Chat Noir, meanwhile, was just thinking of himself.

“Actually,” she corrects, something occurring to her, “I think you might’ve helped in your own way.”

Luka tilts his head at her, puzzled.

She changes course just slightly, specifically to a spot not too far from the Liberty; one that is very familiar to both of them, and she can tell by the way his brows raise that he’s surprised by where she’s about to land.

Underneath the bridge, in the spot where he’d initially asked her - when she was Marinette - where she’d always been going, just before he got akumatized.

She sets him down, then paces around to try and clear her head.

“...Like I said, I didn’t get a lot of choice in this,” she begins. “I tried to give my miraculous up once in the beginning, but there was so much pressure and everything was going wrong. Then, things would just--happen around me, things that I couldn’t really think of--and this is coming from me!” She turns to him dramatically, gesturing to herself. “I imagine things going wrong all the time and I still can’t predict when they actually do!”

Luka chuckles lightly at that, but otherwise stays quiet, unsure of where she’s going with this but giving her his full attention.

“Me becoming the new guardian of the miraculouses so out of nowhere... it was a lot, and suddenly I had a bunch of kwami around my room who all wanted to get into my stuff or mess around. I didn’t choose to let them out; it just happened when I was trying to see how the box with all the miraculouses worked.” She groans a bit, rubbing her forehead as she paces around again. “Then in came Shadow Moth and all the akuma showing up, and now I’m even busier. I can’t even make time for my boyfriend.”

There’s a flicker of emotion in Luka’s eyes at that, but he doesn’t say anything, though his fingers twitch slightly at his sides.

“Then--” She looks down. “--there’s Chat Noir. I didn’t choose him either; the old guardian chose him for me, and he wasn’t even fully trained. I was Chat’s partner and that was it; I didn’t get a choice to give up, it just... was, and I have to deal with whatever the relationship--” She makes a face at the word. “--we have is, because if something goes wrong then everything can go wrong, and then Paris is in danger.”

She shakes her head, realizing that she’s rambling. She continues staring quietly at the ground, then releases the tenseness in her shoulders.

“But...” She looks up to meet Luka’s gaze. “I did choose you, Luka. I finally got to choose something for me, and the only thing I regret about it is everything that I can’t choose. You chose me and I chose you and...” She almost laughs. “It’s weird that it’s that simple for once.”

He’s clearly pieced the puzzle together by now but hasn’t quite processed the result. She can see the whisper of her name on his lips and she smiles at him, taking a step back and spreading her arms wide.

“You’re my real partner, Luka. You get me, you care about me, and we’re similar but different and it’s great.” She swallows, feeling her nerves building a little but pushing forward enthusiastically nonetheless. “So I want to make a choice for us, because we trust each other and I want to give you something no one else has.”

Then, she closes her eyes, taking a breath and briefly tightening her hands into fists.

“Tikki, spots off.”

[miraculouscontent]

A genuine question, but do you have any theories as to why when Marinette is crushing on Adrien she's awkward, stuttering, and almost always anxious (I mean as soon as she started crushing on Adrien that's what happened), while with Luka she's pretty much her regular self?

Because she isn’t actually in love with Adrien; she has a celebrity crush on him.

Love isn’t about stammering or getting weak in the knees at the sight of the person. Love is about being able to be oneself around someone and feeling comfortable around them. That’s why Marinette is “normal” around Luka but “weird” around Adrien.

Many of Adrien's other fangirls act similarly around him to Marinette, with the only difference being that they pursue Adrien directly whereas Marinette is too nervous to approach out of fear.

And to touch on that specifically; with Adrien, Marinette is afraid of being rejected because she’s not good enough. She’ll go on and on about how much of a “disaster” she is, which tends to be associated with her crush on Adrien or her screwing up around him. Her “crush” on Adrien is damaging to her self-esteem.

Marinette in “Gamer”: Um, no no no, I... No, you're so good. I mean, I'm the one who's not good. I mean... I'm lucky, that's all.

Her crush should be making her feel good about herself; it should make her feel loved and respected, which is how Luka makes her feel.

Luka in “Frozer”: Personally, I think a girl like you deserves to feel more like this. (plays a happy tune) And whoever made you feel this way is nothing but a--(plays a bad tune)

Marinette: (giggles) Thanks, Luka.

He made her feel so confident in herself that she almost immediately felt okay asking him to come with her to the ice rink. Heck, in that same episode, Marinette says this about her crush on Adrien:

Marinette: Whenever I talk to him as a friend, I hardly stammer at all. That's a sign right there. Right?

Notice how the show never tries to add a “but...” to that or explain it away; the girls’ argument doesn’t even try to refute it outside of Alya claiming Sunk Cost Fallacy as if that’s a legitimate reason to not give up (it’s not).

For more proof, look at how Marinette talks to/about Adrien:

Marinette in “Copycat” at Adrien’s answering machine: Hey, hot stuff--

-

Marinette in “Animan”: Oh, [Adrien]'s such a—

Alya: Smartie, hottie, suavísimo, yummy-tastic spellbinder?

Marinette: All of the above.

-

Mylène in “Reflekdoll”: Are you okay, Marinette?

Marinette: Yeah, he's too hot— I mean! I'm overheating in here, aren't you?

Look how so many of those are about appearance. It’s about Adrien being attractive. The moment Marinette falls for Adrien in “Origins” is in the atmospheric moment of the umbrella scene where he’s saying nothing and just staring into her eyes while the lighting makes him look all “pretty” (because I’m sorry, her falling for him based on what he says/does makes next to no sense). The reason she has so many pictures of him isn’t even about obsession: it’s about thinking he’s the hottest thing since the sun.

“Captain Hardrock” didn’t do that with Luka. Yes, Marinette initially stammered at Luka because oh no, he’s cute! but then had calmed down after Luka opened up to her and showed her a piece of himself.

Marinette in “Captain Hardrock”: What? Luka? No way! You're being ridiculous! Pff! Sure he's cool and nice and everything... but there's only one statue that drives this compass crazy!

Cool and nice. See that? It’s not, “he’s cute,” or anything shallow like that. Cool and nice are direct compliments that reflect Luka’s personality.

And what about the webisodes; the things that should be able to contain as much detail as possible so there’s no room for error or slip-ups?

Marinette in “Marinette and Adrien”: [Adrien]'s so amazing that I completely freak out every time I talk to him! I mean, seriously…he's super smart, he plays the piano, he's a great fencer, he speaks Chinese, and he's so cute too!

“Smart” is the closest thing to anything personality-based (but is also something forced onto him by Gabriel because he has to get good grades); anything else is just something he does or - again - how attractive he is.

Marinette: Adrien is a model for his father, Gabriel Agreste, the best fashion designer in Paris, and probably the world. But he never brags about it, because he's perfect!

One would think we’d be getting somewhere with “he’s humble,” but then Marinette slaps on “perfect;” you know, that line that “Lies” seemed to reject from Kagami as if it’s like how dare you think that the boy we constantly portray as perfect isn’t actually perfect?

Marinette then goes on to say that Adrien’s “major flaw” is that he gets along with Chloe, but where did that lead in the show? Adrien scolding her and making her feel bad about herself for being happy that her bully is gone, because Marinette can’t feel like she’s more right than him because he’s “perfect.” He just makes her feel inadequate.

And the “perfect” line isn’t restricted to webisodes:

Marinette in “Reflekdoll”: Huh? Uh, sure! You're perfect— I mean, it's perfect!

-

Aspik in “Desperada”: I hope I don't disappoint you, Ladybug.

Ladybug: I know you won't. You're perfect--uh, perfectly capable of defeating Desperada!

And she’s fawned before over how amazing Adrien’s life is, even without the webisodes. Literally the episode that last aired (”Lies”) had Marinette sighing over Adrien and talking nothing more about him than how amazing his life is; nothing about his personality.

It’s not about Adrien; it’s about her being starstruck by his attractiveness and how much of a celebrity he is with all these things he was forced to be taught (meaning they’re not a part of his character that he wanted; he was forced to do them in one way or anything) and how incredible being him/his girlfriend must be. Even when she calls him “nice,” one has to recognize that Adrien has to put up a polite image. Look at the difference between Adrien and Chat Noir, the latter of whom has a mask of anonymity to work with? Adrien the nice guy suddenly becomes Chat Noir the “Nice Guy.”

Now, for comparison, let’s go back to the webisodes and see what Marinette has to say about Luka:

Marinette in “Luka as seen by Marinette”: You know, Luka is my friend Juleka's brother and one of the most talented people I know.

We start off with the “talent” thing again, but Luka’s talent for music is something he chose; it’s a part of him that he’s passionate about. That’s a huge difference.

Let’s continue.

Marinette: He also proved himself a great hero when Ladybug gave him the Snake Miraculous.

Marinette: But the thing I find most impressive about him is the way he can always tell how people are feeling.

Marinette: I may not be as intuitive as he is--

Heroic. Empathetic. Intuitive.

Those are character traits. They are integral pieces to Luka’s personality, and they bring Marinette comfort. She’s normal around Luka because their romance is normal: two people who love each other and just make each other happy.

In an age where media makes romance all about characters turning to mush or losing themselves around the person they love, Lukanette ends up feeling real specifically because it doesn’t do that.

Lukanette is as it should be: Marinette and Luka are friends first, crushes second. Their first priority is the relationship aspect that’s devoid of romance, which is why Marinette honestly considers her feelings for Luka in “Frozer” instead of blindly jumping in whereas Luka respects Marinette’s agency and simply assures her that he’ll be there for her no matter what.

[iloveitwhen]

What Team?

OK! SO I thought I knew where this was going then it started becoming a Lila redemption arc but that was about to be like probably 5 long chapters then i changed it and started writing in Lila’s view but for some reason I couldn’t write it in anyone else’s so this is in Lila’s POV and Imma do a part 2 with other pov’s and extend the story a bit

this is for @miracleofadisaster ​ cause they asked for it and based off of this post by @unmaskedagain ​ 

there’s a cuss word in here somewhere if ya’ll care. also i hope i did it justice!❤️❤️💜

Part 2

Things were… not going as planned. Which was basically impossible since everything goes Lila’s way but this class, oh boy this class was stubborn. Instead of choosing between Marinette or Lila the class collectively agreed to ignore and not believe Lila when she spoke of Marinette nor Marinette when she spoke of Lila. It was a little awkward at first but as time went on it got easier and easier for the class to ignore the two girls when they spoke of the other. And Lila was NOT happy about it. She had promised that brat that she would take every single one of her friends away until she was alone and ostracized. And she was not one to go back on promises. Marinette had dropped the situation but Lila was determined, she would not lose so she was forced to come up with alternate ways to take the other girl’s friends away. Lila originally planned to take Alya away first but the girl was too bullheaded and refused to believe that her “bestie” would ever hurt another soul, she had told Lila “I know you don’t trust Marinette but you tripped and I know Marinette well enough to know she wouldn’t do that! And besides, we all know Chloe framed Marinette and put your necklace in her locker. Simple!” 

Lila groaned in annoyance. Just what would she have to resort to to get these fools on her side? Sure Lila was a little heartless, ok very heartless, but she didn’t want to physically beat up Marinette, well it didn’t really have anything to do with having a heart or not, Lila was just too lazy to exert physical energy like that. She was staring out of the window of her mother’s car when a familiar flash of black hair and pale skin passed her peripherals and she whipped her head to find Marinette blushing profusely while talking to some boy in the park by school. She watched them become smaller as she got further away for a moment before a smile crept onto Lila’s face and she relaxed back into her seat. The Destruction of Marinette was finally coming. 

---

Lila sauntered in the classroom the next day, it was before class started so of course Marinette was not there but Alya was speaking animatedly with Rose and Juleka in the back of the classroom. 

“Hey guys! Guess what I saw yesterday?” she spoke in an excited tone that always got those oafs enraptured in her stories. 

“Oooo, girl tell me,” Alya held a glint in her eye and while Rose practically vibrated through her chair, Juleka just sat there not being one to show emotion. 

“So you know how Marinette has a crush on Adrien?” Immediately Alya and the other two girls looked between each other growing uncomfortable. Ok, fair enough, not the best course of action. “No no no! I’m sorry, not like that! I just saw her yesterday at the park with some tall, dark haired boy and it looked like she was like, into him, you know? She was blushing pretty hard. He was pretty cute and I just thought that they looked so cute together! I just think she might be over Adrien now!” Maybe if these girls believed that Marinette wasn’t into Adrien they'd help her get with him, Alya has told plenty of stories of them joining forces to get Marinette to ask out Adrien, all she had to do was convince the lot to switch out Marinette for her. Simple enough. Except now Alya was laughing, why was she laughing?

“I’m sorry it’s just-” Alya burst out into laughter again before straightening up and grabbing Lila’s shoulders and looking into her eyes, “trust me, Marinette does not have another crush, besides whoever that guy was there's no way he’s better than Adrien.” Ok. Rude. 

“But he actually seemed pretty nice….” 

Juleka spoke up which startled Lila so much she flinched back, “What did he look like?” 

“Well he was pretty tall and he had black hair with blue tips, he was handsome too.” Lila prayed Marinette had good taste in men because if she just called some random, ugly dude “handsome” she’d be mortified. Lila’s thoughts were washed away when Rose gasped and Juleka gave Lila a rare smile. 

“Aww,” Rose squeaked, turning to her friend, “Juleka that is so cu-”

“Wait, she was blushing because of LUKA? Seriously? That knockoff Jagged Stone? Please, Marinette actually has class. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an air headed buffoon. I mean c'mon.” Lila’s jaw dropped, she couldn’t help it! That was just so, so rude! Even Lila didn’t insult people straight up like that, not only did she insult that boy, who honestly Lila didn’t really care about, but she insulted her! Lila was many things and being insulted and basically called stupid was not something she liked to be. 

Juleka slammed her hands on the table making everyone in the classroom jump and look over at the four and stood up glaring at Alya. 

“ExcUSE ME?” Lila’s brows shot up at the quiet girl’s outburst, so many things were happening today. 

“Sorry, girl, I didn’t mean it like tha-”

“My brother is amAZing. He and Marinette would be perfect together. He’s respectful, kind, and actually cares for Marinette!” Juleka was fuming which shocked everyone speechless, but headstrong Alya got over it quickly and retorted, 

“No way, Adrien is way better for her, he’s also respectful and kind AND his father is Gabrial Agrest.” 

“Please, the brat doesn’t even like Marinette,” Rose gasped at ‘brat’ but Juleka ignored her and attempted to mimic Adrien’s voice saying, “she’s just a friend!” Alya gasped in offense. 

“You take that back!”

“Why? There’s literally no reason to because it’s true.” The two were completely oblivious to the stares they were getting from everyone who had trickled into the classroom. The only ones not present were the ones being talked about and Ms. Bustier. No one dared to interrupt or make a sound, not even Lila since they were all so shocked that Juleka was actually arguing with someone, and so passionately. None of them had ever even heard her speak so loudly before. 

Alya was about to retort when Alix hissed, “they’re coming!” and in walked Marinette with a slight blush talking with Adrien who was rubbing the back of his neck with a shy smile. Alya shot Juleka a smug smile before turning and jogging to her spot. 

Nobody paid any mind to Lila who stayed rooted in her spot with blood slowly draining from her face. 

What just happened?

Not only did they defend Marinette but they argued about who was better for her. And Alya just so blatantly insulted her. Like she was nothing. Alya will suffer for that. 

Lila turned and slowly walked to her seat and plopped onto it, ignoring Nathaniel's side glance. After a moment she smiled to herself, all she had to do was convince everyone else that this "Luka" was better for Marinette so she could have Adrien all to herself. 

Lila really didn't know what she was getting into. 

---

For the rest of the day Lila joined forces with Juleka and Rose to spread the news of the newly coined "Lukanette" pairing. Alya was not having an easy time hiding how offended she was that people so easily turned their backs on Adrien, the girl really needed to learn to let go. Lila was going to tear “Adrienette” away from her if it was the last thing she did. 

Meanwhile, Juleka and Rose worked overtime, with a few smartly placed words and here and there the two were determined to turn the rest of the class on their side. They, plus Lila, had become the forefront runners for the Lukanette campaign, and as shameful as she felt campaigning for Maribrat she convinced herself that it was for the better. One step back two steps forward, once the class was "Lukanette" believers she'd have Adrien to herself and it would be one more step to take the throne and continue The Destruction of Marinette. She’d feel the disgust churning in her stomach but she'd still do it. It was for the greater good. 

Nathaniel refused to partake, Ivan was firmly Team Luka while Mylene chose Team Adrien since she didn’t know Luka that well and Adrien was always nice to her, Alix laughed at everyone and didn’t pick a side but was slightly stingy when Kim and Max pledged Team Adrien, and of course Nino decked himself out in Team Adrien gear, seriously the boy came into school with something new everyday. However, Adrien became Team Luka to support the nice dark haired boy even though he had no idea why his classmates were creating “Teams” between himself and Luka, but he “just wanted it to be fair!” The surprise came from Sabrina when she herself pledged Team Luka while Chloe was Team Adrien. It was a week after the Teams began and at first it was all fun and games but that moment when Sabrina switched sides it became war and there was an immediate shift in the air. During school Team Luka did not speak with Team Adrien at all and vice versa, after school the teams were forgotten, except of course when Alix, who was always one to sow discord, would mention it during a class hangout and chaos would ensue. Then shirts were made, inspired by one of Nino’s bracelets that he determined marked him officially as “Team Adrien,” and the civil war within the classroom became official. Marinette of course was completely oblivious and refused to ask why everyone was wearing shirts and refused to get dragged in, not realizing she was the center of this little war. 

At first it was only Juleka and Rose who wore the teal tie dyed Team Luka shirts but when Alya and Chloe walked in wearing their own Team Adrien gear Lila’s fury raged. That day after class Lila snatched a Team Luka shirt that Juleka and Rose made with Marinette to wear the next day. When she walked in the next morning she felt Alya and Chloe’s eyes burn into her soul but she refused to back down, she felt shame rise in her but held her head up high but not missing Marinette’s dropped jaw at the sight of her. 

Two steps forward one step back, she kept telling herself. No one insults her and gets away with it. Alya will go down with Marinette and Lila’s dignity.

It became an even bigger deal when Alix tweeted the situation of her class and Chloe retweeted it with evidence that Adrien was better which in turn dragged Jagged Stone in and people were warring over who was better looking, nicer, more talented, etc. It definitely could have ruined some careers in the process but Juleka happily relayed to Lila that Luka was just happy that 3 million people were “Team Luka” with 2.8 million “Team Adrien” and many of them were begging to hear his music. 

Unfortunately this news reached the Waynes. How the ever loving shit did Marinette even KNOW the Waynes was completely beyond Lila. The girl was a freaking nobody, if Lila didn’t break her quickly she might surpass Lila and that just wouldn’t do. The reason Lila knew the Waynes had found out was because Alix, that hotheaded brat who refused to pick a side, showed up in a black shirt with bold green letters that spelled out ‘TEAM DAMIAN’ and on the back it said ‘FIND YOUR OWN GIRL’. Lila asked who Damian was and the whole class heard her when she said, “Damian Wayne, obviously.” Lila screamed into her pillow until she couldn’t breath when she got home that day. There HAD to be a solution to all of this, she wanted to desperately stop faking that she cared who Marinette ended up with, just as long as it wasn’t Adrien. Or Damian freaking Wayne.

Team Luka:

Lila, Juleka, Rose, Ivan, Sabrina, Adrien

Team Adrien:

Alya, Chloe, Nino, Kim, Max, Mylene

Team Damian:

Alix 

More shall arrive for Team Damian 

Part 2 Teaser heehee

“Hey Marinette?" The girl called looked up from her sketchbook to see Juleka nervously tapping on her desk with her nails and Rose standing behind her with a look that could only be described as sparkly. Marinette raised an eyebrow but smiled kindly at them. 

"Yes?" 

"So umm *ahem* can you help me and Rose make shirts that say "Team Luka" on them?" 

"Team lu- uhmm sure?" 

Juleka have her a rare smile and a soft "thanks" before returning to her seat with Rosa who squeaked "you're the best Marinette!" Marinette gave the girl a weak smile and a small nod of appreciation and just stared in confusion at the spot where the two girls stood previously. 

What?

Part 2

[sugarcubetikki]

Regarding the Spoilers Being Released By Gloob.

The initial spoilers that Gloob released were alright. The teasers don’t necessarily reveal that much info and at the start of the month, they were doing fine.

But now, there are too many spoilers being released by Gloob. Yes. I know. Other channels are releasing a lot of spoilers too but Gloob is just taking it a notch up...pretty much releasing new content everyday. 

It is understandable seeing how they get a lot of attention when their posts revolve around Miraculous, it’s quite the marketing move but personally, I feel like it has gone way too far.

Gloob has release two trailers last month. One was about the girls getting akumatized and the other revolved around Su-Han. 

Gloob released two other trailers in the first two weeks of the month. The Queen Bee tease and the Lukanette teaser.

All of these teasers are fine. They don’t reveal too much. But when Furious Fu comes into the equation, it gets crazy...

We’ve already had DC Germany release a teaser and a clip on Furious Fu. And I’m not amused. 

And then we have Gloob, they release new S4 images every Monday, Wednesday and Friday now. And they’ve spoiled parts of Furious Fu in them.

Not to mention, they released a teaser for Furious Fu on Tuesday, and chose to release a new plot summary and another teaser today.

At this point the spoilers are getting way too crazy  I feel like I know the entire plot for Furious Fu now.

It’s different with the spoilers for Shanghai. Even though, I’m annoyed, that’s a special episode and it’s an hour long. I thought they’d ruined the NY special because of all the spoilers, but surprisingly, I found it quite enjoyable and didn’t predict most of it even from the spoilers. Shanghai has still left some ambiguity though!

However, Furious Fu is a regular episode, only twenty minutes long, and we have dozens of spoilers revolving around it, and if we piece all of them together, it’s easy to determine the basis of the plot. 

And no...

This is not how I want to watch Miraculous. 

Gloob is releasing so much content and getting a lot of views for it and I don’t think it would stop.

Imagine this happening to every S4 episode. Sure. We’ve gotten spoilers in the past. But it was never this bad. As the show keeps on getting popular, channels want to compete and they release spoilers for attention, especially Gloob. 

It’s been said by the brand ambassadors and creators, that S4 is a really important season, and that it’s important that we get the best experience as possible.

I don’t think I’d enjoy knowing most of the plot before watching the episode all the time. It’d ruin the hype so much and it would be severely disappointing.

There is the option to avoid spoilers. But it’s a very difficult option. I know, a lot of people struggle with it, I struggle with it. ML spoilers are all over the internet. It’s very hard to avoid them.

That’s why...

Thank you @pandajjmusic for the idea!

She sent a dm to Gloob regarding the spoilers and how they should tone them down a bit.

I’m not sure if Gloob is going to notice it. That’s why we I decided to send a dm too and encourage as many people as possible to alert Gloob about their concerns on the spoilers.

If you have Instagram, please alert Gloob on why the spoilers are going too far.

And even if you don’t, but fully agree with my stance, please reblog so other people can see it. 

It’s important that we get as many people as possible to dm Gloob about the spoilers. Otherwise, we could being spoiled for the next half of the season. And I assure you, it’s going to get really tiresome soon. 

I’m not sure how they’ll react to the dms but it’s very likely that they won’t ignore a high number of dms alerting them about how they think the spoilers are going too far. 

This is better than saying nothing about it. At least, it gives us a chance for the spoilers to be toned down, because Gloob is releasing too many and they should know that we’re not thrilled about being spoiled too much. 

That’s why. Please. If you have Insta, dm Gloob about the spoilers. 

If not, reblog.

[thepigeonsopinion]

Guess who's the bish that just watched "Wishmaker"!...

I'm the bish that just watched "Wishmaker" if you didn't figure it out.

Anywho! Let's get on with it. Now, usually I would do a little (extremely detailed) summary of the episode, but I can guess that a lot, if not most of the fandom has seen the episode so I'm just going to skip that and dive straight into it!

Warning: Spoilers for "Wishmaker"

Anyway! Onto business, let's talk about my thoughts on the episode.

So, the beginning of the episode. I legit don't know why this triggered me (I absolutely know why this triggered me, but I don't want to admit it) but Marinette melting when she gave Adrien the flyer got me freaking laughing, probably because every time and I mean EVERY time the love square interacts (mainly adrinette) is so over used that I find it hilarious at this point (this is probably just me, but what the heck :p)((also this was kinda me salting on the LS, but remember this is just my opinion so please don't come at me :)). Continuing on to Alya's comment about if "being a superhero counts as a job" it sure as heck does, well mainly if your Marinette (also the reason why I'm talking about small details that happened in the episode is mainly because I'm re-watching the episode as I type this). Again I had a cackling moment when we had the Sadrien moment, which made me realize how mean and bad I am, but oh, well (i felt horrible when i cackled at this, but i felt really guilty afterwards) ((i might delete this part later, but idk)) Also, when Plagg presents the idea of them running a cheese shop together it made my heart melt because it shows how much Plagg cares about Adrien and how much he wants to stay with Adrien. Now, unto the part where Marinette explains to the kwamis what a career is and when I say I was laughing through this whole scene, I WAS laughing through this whole scene. Mainly because of all the comments that the kwamis gave to Marinette. Like, seriously many of the comments are very accurate and the one that broke me was when Xuppu said, "It's making presents for Adrien!", I was like "damn he legit just called you out Mari". Not to mention, when Ziggy drawled out AdRIen's name to showcase the amount of meaning Adrien has on her life. Also, Sass is legit the PERFECT kwami for Luka, and I am not exaggerating this. Sass literally was the only kwami that stood up and voiced out that they should listen to Marinette and that her opinion in this situation is the most important one, and I know for a fact that Luka would do the same if he was put into the same situation Sass was in. That small detail in the episode made my heart melt knowing how compatible Luka and Sass are.

Anyway! Moving on, Andre legit unintentionally (maybe?) roasted Alec on his show, I was like "damn he got you there" and he also roasted him with the sweet, delicious treat known as ice cream, damn that's got a hurt. Speaking of Andre, the story of how Andre found his career was really touching to me. The main reason of why he really pursued his ice cream business was because ice cream was what made him happy and he wanted to share that with the world. In summary, I find Andre's career story really touching and meaningful.

Continuing on, after Andre explained the ice cream flavors to Marinette, Luka "coincidentally" appeared right behind her right after Andre said "Pistachio and pecan for the clear-sighted young man". And, if you tell me that the pistachio is to represent Adrien, I would like to explain to you how that it is not accurate. I mean, legit this whole episode is to represent how both Adrien and Marinette are indecisive when it comes to their career choices, mainly because of all the things happening in their lives. Now, "clear-sighted" doesn't really suit Adrien in the context of the episode. In this episode, Adrien doesn't even have a clue on what he wants to do for the rest of his life, but Luka on the other hand is a representative at the fair for his school and is running a booth showing his career choice, that sounds like he fits the definition more accurately. Now, I know that the main reason of why people recognize that the pistachio is to represent Adrien is because it's the color green and Luka's color is not green, it's blue. But let me introduce Viperion. I mean, Viperion is literally just Luka, even if he has a mask on it's still Luka.

Anyway! Moving foward through the episode, when Luka said "buddies", I felt that. It legit broke my lukanette stan heart to hear him say that they were just "buddies", but I digress.

Ok, I know that the main reason why Alec is roasting everyone's career choice is for his show (and to hide his inner turmoil), but damn, tone it done a bit will ya. In the end, Luka showed him, even if his way of showing him was to hold up a violin to the sky and let the wind play the instrument was kinda weird, I support whatever this kind and understanding boy does.

I know it is justified that lukanette is strictly platonic because the LS is going to be endgame, but I can't help but fan girl when I see my ship holding hands. Not to mention, the look that Marinette gives Luka is a look of adoration and love(even if it's just platonic).

We would like to welcome Bipierion to the running again. Like, come on, you can't tell me that the scene with the three talking doesn't look just a tad romantic. This whole scene, made my Luka stan heart just palpitate wildly. I mean, this whole scene; no, this whole episode is a bunch of examples of how Luka is such a mature and understanding character. This scene alone made me love Luka's character even more! Also, we FINALLY get to see Luka play the violin (and not just with the wind this time hehehe ;)) and can I just say, I totally love this scene, not only because it's with Luka playing the violin (though that may be the main reason) it's because I also play the violin so I kinda relate to this scene.

Continuing on with the episode, when Alec went into his inner turmoil and main backstory of why he is the way that he is, I was like, now I feel bad about him being trashed on, but he kinda deserved it soooo...Moving along! So, Wishmakers design. I don't know why, but Wishmakers design reminds me of Venom, or more specifically a drag queen version of Venom. And I fully support that, I mean you go get it, slay girl! Even if you are a villian.

So, Jagged’s childhood dream was to be a crocodile. I mean, I get a lot of people's childhood dreams were a bit far-fetched, but okay, you do you. Also, Mr. Banana's childhood dream was to be a cucumber? Umm ok...Anyway! Luka prioritizing others above himself, is just the icing of the cake as a Luka stan. (Not to mention, Luka already fully excepting Jagged as a dad is sooo, I can't express it into words how much I love that.)((Also, Jagged can't swim. Noted.)) Also, Luka and Jagged having a conversation about how Jagged wanted to be a crocodile as a kid, but he can't swim is so funny to me. And it also portrays more of Luka and Jagged's relationship a bit more, so I appreciate that.

It's time for a small detail mention! Luka's head tilt when he saw the dino huggie just made my Luka stan heart melt! Moving along, we get Luka or Viperion saving everyone, which just gave me a sense of joy! Also, Marinette as the knitting-fairy was so adorable!

Anywho, continuing on with the episode, with Luka finding out Marinette is Ladybug, you can see the realization in Luka's face when he realizes that the secret that she kept from him was that she was Ladybug, and you can hear the shakiness in his voice when he uses Second Chance after that, which shows even more how shocked he is. But, he still keeps his focus on the battle because now he has to protect Marinette's identity, which is just another of the many reason of why I love Luka's character. Ok, I have a small nitpick at this scene, and even though it's just a small detail in the scene I can't help, but comment on it. I know that Chat Noir is not in the right state of mind during that moment, but did he seriously not hear Viperion when he warned him to duck? But then again, I digress.

Moving on, I felt that, when Adrien found out that his childhood dream was to be what his parents wanted to be, because I also want to do that to, or mainly to just make them proud. Anyway, enough about me, let's continue on with the episode! Luka's face when he saw that Adrien was Chat Noir, really made me sympathize him. Because in Luka's eyes he finds out that are truly good partners (and I refuse to say "meant to be" because just no) and it is pretty obvious that he still has feelings for Marinette and that finding out that both Ladybug and Chat Noir are Marinette and Adrien must've broke his heart. I mean, you would react the same way if you found out that your crushes crush is their partner in crime (as some people might say).

Moving on! Umm, Barney is that you? I'm sorry I just really wanted to comment on that, also Lukadrien moment? Not to mention, how the heck can that dino huggie jump so high but hit the ground with a rumble? Then again, I'm not good with physics.

Okay, so let's quickly talk about Luka lying to Ladybug about knowing both the superheros identities. So, we know for a fact that Luka hates or at least dislikes lying, but in this moment he chose to lie, because he knows that it was the best option in this situation. The reason behind this is because he wants to protect Marinette, and I know that might sound confusing, but let me explain. Luka knows Marinette fairly well, and he knows that she has a tendency to overthink and freak out, so if Luka did tell her that he found out Marinette would freak out and start to think it's all her fault and that she should've been more careful and so on and so forth. This would make her a perfect victim for a akuma and Luka knows better than to let that happen, so he does one thing he knows will protect her, he lies to her.

Contiuing on, when Marinette said, "I will be Luka's best friend and I will love Adrien", I literally face palmed. I mean, I get it that the LS is bound to be endgame, but come on! Do we really need another reminder that it will happen eventually? Also, drag queen Alec? YASS QUEEN! SLAY QUEEN, SLAY!

And with that, we come to the end of the episode! So, I enjoyed the episode fairly well, with the exception of all the moments I salted it. But there are still so many questions that I have that are yet to be answered. Like, now that Luka knows both Ladybug and Chat Noir's secret identities, how will that revelation affect Luka's character in the show? Will their be others who find out their identities, and if so, how? (aka Alix) Will Luka's revelation affect how much screen time he gets on the show? And if so, will it increase or decrease? Will Alya find out that Luka knows? And, so much more. Not to mention, my opinion on Luka's revelation.

So, as I scroll through my social media, mainly instagram, I see posts where people read Luka's revelation as a way for him to also realize that the LS or Marinette and Adrien are "meant to be together", and though I respect those people's opinion, I don't really agree with it. I believe that Luka's revelation is just that. It's him finding out the truth that Marinette kept from him, and whether he decides to act more or be there more because of this is up to the writers and creators of the show. But I don't truly believe that that was a way to show that he ships them. I think he mainly supports Marinette's decisions and will always be there for her. And the reason of why I say this is because it is clear that Luka still has feelings for Marinette. I mean, come on, as I said in one of my comments during the episode, the realization on his face when he found out Chat's identity was full of sadness, contemplation, and maybe a bit of hurt. Which tells me that Luka still has at least some romantic feelings for Marinette. Not only that, he did the thing that he hates or dislikes most, lying, to protect her. But all in all I still enjoyed the episode and I can't wait to see where this revelation takes us.

I hope everyone has a great rest of their day and as always remember...

But that's just my opinion (・ε・)

(This took me FOREVER to finish, but at least it states my opinion and my little thoughts throughout the episode, even if it is a bit jumbled up :))

[bmx3-lukanette-blog]

“The Text Message”

Note: This is my first time in a long while attempting to write a fic, so I apologize for any mistakes I may have in this. I just couldn’t get the idea out of my head once I wrote my “Tikki, the Lukanette Shipper” dialogue. It just felt too short, so I wanted to expand it a little. (Do keep in mind I’m probably not going to write much. I prefer drawing, personally.)

Anyways, on to the fic~ ;P

______

Today was just one of those days. Those of which Marinette was exhausted from everything going on in her life. 

Chat Noir's advances. Lila's lies. Alya and the rest of her friends with their whole "Getting Adrienette Together" project. Normally, Tikki wouldn't have minded the latter, since it was to Marinette's benefit. However, it was beginning to feel hopeless. Or rather may as well have been hopeless since it first began. 

Adrien never noticed any of her holder's advances, no matter how obvious she may have been. Tikki felt it was about time Marinette gave up on him. She knew how much it tormented Marinette knowing that her feelings would never be reciprocated. 

It pained Tikki to see Marinette so upset. She knew exactly how the girl was. Friendly, clumsy, selfless, always there to help whenever possible... Whereas Ladybug was composed, confident, always thinking on her feet as to how to defeat whatever Akuma came her way. She was creative and used whatever she had at her disposal, it was what made Marinette special. 

Therefore the kwami put it upon herself to help ease the girl's pain. And who better to go to than Luka? The sweetest boy who was always there for her partner, no matter what problems arose in the girl’s life.

She glanced over from her spot at the bedside table, to the dark haired girl curled up on her bed, trying to find a sign that she was alright. Upon further inspection, the kwami could make out the outline of dry tears on Marinette's cheeks. She could hear her holder's breathing becoming a bit more even, but not quite. Tikki thought she deserved rest after the day she's had, but not like this. Marinette deserved better than to cry herself to sleep most nights. 

All of this was enough for Tikki. She couldn't stand for Mari to be this miserable any longer. And so she decided to make her way towards the girl's phone and text the only person who could assuage her feelings. Luka. He's always managed to be there for her when it mattered most, so Tikki had the utmost faith in him to do as he always did. 

'I know in time she'll be thankful I did this.' Tikki thought to herself as she sent out a text to the guitarist. 

For now though, she knew she and Marinette needed some rest. She'd done what she had to, and would deal with whatever consequences came her way in the morning. 

_______

"Eeek!" Marinette shrieked, completely flustered at the contents on her phone. She couldn't remember how or when the message could have been sent out. 

“Hey Luka. I haven’t exactly been feeling my best lately and was hoping maybe you’d like to join me at the bakery tomorrow morning? As friends! I mean it doesn’t have to be a date, unless you want it to be?”

She blinked repeatedly as she reread the text. She couldn’t believe she actually did that. Wasn’t she asleep at the time? Or perhaps Marinette was never fully asleep and just sent it out while she was half conscious? No… That didn’t sound like her at all. 

The only other being in her room at that time was… Tikki. 

“T-Tikki, what’s the meaning of this?” The flustered girl questioned her, all the while pointing to her cellphone. 

“What? You needed a slight push in the right direction.” The ladybug kwami casually commented. “At least this one returns your feelings wholeheartedly.”

"Th-That's not the point!" She exclaimed towards her kwami. "You know fully well that I'm pursuing a different boy." 

"Yeah… The wrong boy." Tikki responded. "I mean just because he lent you his umbrella that one day after school, because you forgot your own, doesn't warrant your crush on him. He would have done that for anyone." 

"B-But he-" Marinette started, but couldn't continue due to Tikki's interruption. 

"Was desperate for friends!" The kwami went on. "Still is by the way he acts. That's why he doesn't help you stand up to Lila. Why he lets her get away with all that she does… He doesn't even defend you to Chloe when she hurts your feelings! Is he really the type of guy that you want? Because the way I see it the blonde's not worth your time." 

Marinette sighed. Trying to come up with something… anything to prove Tikki wrong. But how? She was right… the boy hadn't shown any romantic interest in her, no matter what she did. 

"Tikki, look… I understand what you're trying to do, but… My heart chose him." Marinette started. "He doesn't see it yet… B-But Adrien…" 

The ladybug kwami tuned out of whatever Marinette tried to argue. Honestly… She loved her holder, but was she serious about this? Marinette's so-called "love" for him was extremely unhealthy… And Tikki could see that every single minute of every day. 

"Over Luka, the only guy who actually gives you the time of day? Who's always there when it matters? Who returns your feelings?" Tikki argued back, so done with Marinette droning on and on about Adrien, with her usual reasons. "You'll give him up for this dense blonde who doesn't even realize you like him? Who constantly friendzones you every chance he gets?"

"I… I…" Marinette started, unsure of what to say anymore. She'd said it all, hadn't she? Or at least attempted to. However deep down she knew Tikki was right. There wasn't any way for her to make Adrien see she liked him, could there? 

Adrien had constantly friendzoned her during everything… Times when they were alone, whether planned or otherwise. And it was draining… Hopeless, even. Yet she still put herself through the pain willingly. 

It was as if she was holding on to something that was all the more unattainable the more she tried. Especially with the heart eyes she'd seen him give Kagami lately. She knew she should give up. The heartbreak wasn't worth it. 

But then why would she continue to insist on the idea of Adrien being her perfect match anyway? She really believed they were soulmates deep down in her heart… And yet when Chat displayed these same motives towards Ladybug, she was completely against it. 

“I’m just as bad as Chat on this matter, aren’t I?” Marinette said, as the realization came to her. “I’ve been desperately waiting for something to happen between us… Something that could never be, no matter how much I want it to.” 

“You and Chat may share some of the same morals, such as putting your crushes on some pedestal, but you two have different ways to deal with them.” Tikki stated calmly. “You’re not constantly flirting or throwing yourself at Adrien. Nor do you throw tantrums or leave him when you can’t get what you want. Both of your situations are different.”

“None of that matters when I still try to pursue Adrien anyway.” She insisted.

“Mari, stop this.” Tikki said, firmly. “You’re not like him. I mean you clearly talk your feelings out with me. Then there are also Alya, Juleka, Rose… The usual girl group at school you’re a part of. Sometimes even Luka. And neither of them judge you for that. You’re allowed to feel as you do and I hope you come to understand that sometime.” 

"How Tikki? I'm a mess of emotions every single day!" She replied. "How could that be alright? Or healthy in the least?" 

"Because you don't keep them in." Tikki said. "And if you think that would turn everyone away from you, you have another thing coming. Luka clearly loves you!"

"I… I don’t deserve it though.” Marinette said, tears glistening in her eyes. “I don’t deserve him.” “That’s something for him to decide, Mari, not you.” Tikki said, offering her holder a soft smile. “Yet he still undeniably loves you, faults and all. It’s what makes Luka, well, Luka.”

“I know… But I still can’t help but think that he deserves someone better. Someone who can give him the life he deserves. Someone who can love him unconditionally and put his well being first, as he does for me.” She began, just as a lone tear slid down her face. “How can I be that for him when the first boy that comes to mind is one I can never have?”

“How can you be so sure, you can’t be that person for him?” Tikki asked her holder. “Isn’t he all you wished Adrien to be for you? Kind, caring, attentive, affectionate, encouraging… All the while just there for you when you need a friend. He’s perfect for you, and if you’d only get your mind out of the gutter, you’d see that’s true.”

“How would that be fair to him, Tikki?” She asked, all the while wiping away some fresh tears with the back of her hand. “I wouldn’t want to use him to just get over Adrien, nor would I want him to feel like second best.”

“Do you have any romantic feelings for Luka at all?” The kwami asked her holder in a more serious tone. 

“Well, yeah, b-bu-” The girl attempted to respond, but was interrupted. 

“Then there you have your answer.” Tikki said. “Luka won’t be second best, unless you treat him as such. And since that’s something you’re not too keen on, then there’s no real issue. All he wants is for you to be at your happiest, be it as a friendship or romance. Though if you ask me, I think you owe it to yourself to be happy, Mari. Giving him a chance wouldn’t hurt. In fact, I think it would help you become happier.”

Perhaps the tiny kwami had a point. Luka was all the things she was looking for in a guy. So what if he wasn’t the boy she chased after for so long? So what if he wasn’t the blonde boy who’d offered her his umbrella the one day she’d forgotten hers? Or the first boy to awaken such feelings inside of her?

Luka was different. He was there for her when nobody else was. He was the most comforting presence in her life. Never pushing her to return his feelings, but instead encouraging her to chase after the boy she really liked. The guitarist was content just being her friend. He didn’t demand anything from her. If anything all he wished was for her happiness, however it is that she would find it. 

“O-Okay…” Marinette concluded, coming to a decision. “You went through a lot of trouble trying to set us up, so I’ll let it slide this time.”

“That’s the spirit!” Tikki exclaimed, giddy with excitement. “Now come on, let’s get you ready. Your new boyfriend could be coming in any minute now~”

“T-Tikki!” The girl cried out, flustered at the ‘boyfriend’ comment. “Don’t get so ahead of yourself!”

“What? We both know you’ll both become an item soon enough.” The kwami declared, very sure of herself.

“T-That’s not the point!” Marinette responded, just as flustered, if not more so than before.

Ding. 

Marinette's phone chimed, alerting her a new message had arrived. 

"Just arrived. Hope to see you soon." 

She smiled fondly at the message before typing in her own response. 

"I'll be right over with you in a few." 

Without another word, the girl put her phone down and entered the bathroom to fix herself up in order to finally face Luka. 

Marinette was filled with new purpose and hope to start a relationship. A real one that she was sure they both wanted. 

Perhaps Tikki's meddling was a blessing. After all, it had helped Marinette see more clearly that there was a different boy she could pursue with more than successful results.

[nerdypanda3126]

A Game of Snake and Mouse – Ch. 2

So... uh... I’m not entirely sure how, but this became a Thing™ 👀 hope you guys are up for four chapters of lukanette make outs, ‘cause... that’s pretty much all this is lol 

Read on Ao3

First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

He didn’t hear from or see Marinette again until a week later, when she showed up to help with Kitty Section practice, still wearing her disguised Multimouse pendant. He waved as casually as he could with his heart thudding in his throat and his lips buzzing, the taste of peppermint already on his tongue. She blushed and tripped over her feet, avoiding his eyes. 

When he walked up, he let his arm fall lightly across her shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze as he did, and she jumped and made that adorable squeak again as a crimson blush painted her cheeks. 

She had a different chapstick on today that gave her lips a perfect red tint. He couldn’t help but lick his lips. Strawberries today. The scent was wafting off her and making his mouth water. When did she start wearing flavored chapstick? 

He blinked as he realized he had been staring at her lips. He gave her shoulder another squeeze and cleared his throat before he sat down. Juleka was glancing between them with a clear question in her eyes, but Luka steadfastly ignored her as Rose went over the new lyrics and Ivan tapped out the rhythm on his shoe with his drumsticks. 

Marinette stayed the entire time, sketching new costume designs in her notebook. Luka missed several chords when she nibbled on her lip in thought. His head was buzzing with thoughts of those lips on his, of strawberry and peppermint, of gorgeous blue eyes that made him forget his own name, of that adorable squeak she’d made, of pale pink blushes and—

It wasn’t until a balled up piece of paper hit him in the side of the head from Juleka’s direction that he snapped out of it and realized the whole band had stopped to wait for him. Marinette hid a giggle behind her hand before her eyes disappeared behind her bangs and she pretended she was absorbed in her work.

Juleka flicked her eyes from Marinette and back to him before she jerked her head at Marinette, implying that he should go talk to her. He shook his head in answer. They did need to talk about what this was, what they were, if it meant anything had changed. But he didn’t particularly want the audience of the band. 

So instead he just shrugged to apologize and the band picked back up where they’d left off. He kept his eyes on his fingerings and not on the incredibly distracting girl that had his entire heart and attention. 

After practice, he lingered on deck, waiting to see if she would want to stay and talk to him or if she would run away. He hadn’t entirely decided on whether or not he’d follow after her if she chose the latter. But he also didn’t want to push her if talking to him about it would make her nervous without the mask. 

As it turned out, he needn’t have worried. She walked right up to him. 

“You sounded great today,” she started. He could hear the nervous tremor in her voice. 

Juleka cleared her throat and grumbled that she was heading below deck and Luka nodded, thankful that his sister had at least a sliver of discretion. Although when Rose started to lead the way, he couldn’t help but smirk. Juleka rolled her eyes and flipped him off before disappearing downstairs. 

“Thanks,” he answered Marinette when they were alone. 

“Although you seemed a little… distracted?” Her eyes were alight with mischief and she giggled when he swallowed visibly. 

“Yeah, we have this mouse problem,” he said, although how he was forming words around his cardboard tongue he had no idea. “I thought I saw one on deck earlier, but I wasn’t sure.” He reached out to adjust her pendant before he met her eyes. “Funny thing is I could’ve sworn I’d caught it before.” 

A squeak escaped her before she seemed to be able to help it and that pale pink blush started to dust the tops of her cheeks. He gave her a warm smile and pulled away, afraid he’d pushed too hard. But she stepped forward, grabbed the lapels of his jacket, and pulled him down for a fierce kiss. 

And he melted into strawberry bliss. 

Without the fangs, he didn’t have to worry about being too excited, so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her like he’d never known what strawberry tasted like before it was on her lips. His tongue traced across her bottom lip, simultaneously licking off her chapstick and hoping to deepen the kiss. 

Her face scrunched as she giggled and pulled away to wipe her mouth. His knees were wobbling underneath him and he sat on an amp to avoid falling straight down. He kept a hold on her hand though and tugged her along with him, slotting her in between his knees to hold her close. 

“So I guess maybe we should talk?” he asked breathlessly. She nodded and squeezed his hand, from nerves or excitement he couldn’t tell. He tried to take a calming breath, but it just filled his senses with strawberries and he wanted to pull her into his lap and keep kissing her. 

“I really like kissing you,” he finally managed to admit. “And I’ll take every chance I can get. I just want to make sure we're on the same page before...” His eyes darted to those lips and a lovesick grin spread across his face. "Before I get too carried away." 

Another shy blush sprang up on her cheeks and he felt an urge to kiss her again just to watch it turn crimson. 

“I haven’t told Juleka," he continued, "or anyone, actually, because we hadn’t… I mean we didn’t really…” He gestured between them and she nodded as she caught his meaning. 

“I really like kissing you, too,” she said, which made his heart leap into his throat. “And I…” She bit her lip again as she met his eyes. “I don't care who knows it. If that’s okay with you, too.” 

His head was swimming and his heart was soaring and somewhere in the middle of all that his mouth managed to say “Yes,” so emphatically that she squeaked again before tumbling down into his lap to pull his face back to hers.

As he pressed kiss after kiss into those lips he’d only dreamt about for so long, his dopey grin came back before he could stop it. He tangled his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss, only vaguely registering that her hands were smoothing along his chest and shoulders before she slid them up to clasp around his neck, holding him to her. 

He didn’t care if he passed out from lack of oxygen, he wasn’t going to relinquish her lips first. 

Finally though, she pulled away to press her forehead against his fondly, brushing her nose against his as they paused. Her strawberry chapstick was long gone, but her lips were an even brighter red than before, flushed from kissing him. He pressed one more chaste kiss to them, chasing after her still, and she giggled as he peppered her cheeks with kisses, too.

“I really, really like kissing you,” he said with a chuckle into her ear. “I’m not actually sure if I can stop.” 

She surprised him by pressing her lips to the side of his neck and sucking lightly. A groan escaped him before he could help it. After a moment, she pulled back to admire her handiwork, tracing the new mark on his skin with the tip of her finger. 

"You did say I could have as many chances as I wanted," she murmured. 

He blinked at her. A foggy memory that they were superheroes swam through his thoughts. He was the Guardian now. She had trusted him with the responsibility. He should probably try to think about their next move on that front, but he found it increasingly difficult to think about anything but Marinette's fingers raking through his hair. He closed his eyes and hummed in pleasure. 

A small squeal made Marinette freeze and he turned his head to follow the noise. Rose had come up for something and she was practically vibrating with repressed romance, her hands pressed to her mouth as she tried to contain herself. Luka chuckled. 

"Let it out, Rose, it's okay." 

Rose's squeal grew in pitch and volume until it made him wince. At the end of it, she sighed dreamily and clasped her hands together. Marinette hid in his shoulder and he rubbed her back before he cleared his throat.

"Uh, did you or Jules need something?" 

"We were going to put a movie on, and Juleka wanted to see if you wanted to join us, but… I'll just… I'll tell her you're fine up here." She waved, grinning, and turned around to go back downstairs. 

"Good thing you didn't care who knew," he said to Marinette, still chuckling as he squeezed her to him. "What do you think, you want to go watch the movie with them?" 

She shook her head against his shoulder and sighed before she pulled away and stood up. "I should be getting home." 

"I'll walk you there."

He stood and laced his fingers through hers. She looked down at their joined hands before she took a deep breath. "I guess I should introduce you to my parents." Her eyes flicked up to meet his from behind her bangs. "As my… boyfriend?" 

It was just a word. But it was a word that made him feel like a plucked guitar string, vibrating with sound and harmony and pure happiness. He brought their joined hands up to his lips to kiss the back of her hand before he managed to nod. 

"Definitely." 

[renee561]

I posted 19,146 times in 2021

44 posts created (0%)

19102 posts reblogged (100%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 434.1 posts.

I added 573 tags in 2021

#pro lukamari - 85 posts

#lukanette - 85 posts

#miraculous ladybug - 79 posts

#gabenath - 74 posts

#babies - 61 posts

#marinette dupain cheng - 46 posts

#nathalie sancoeur - 44 posts

#luka couffaine - 38 posts

#luka x marinette - 32 posts

#it me - 29 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#also gabe reads these fanfictions because thats how he gets his ideas from except he's captaviated half the time for the development of them

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

The Rhetoric Doesn't Exist with Us, and I Prefer it that Way

Hello lovelies so this is basically both day 9 and 10 prompts of Rebellion and Not Soulmates rolled into one fic for @lukanettejune.

Inspired by this beautiful quote done very beautifully I might add.

Enjoy! Also very slight salt on Chat Noir's constant "We're meant to be" statements. I'm very tired and very done with hearing it.

Also swearing in this just a bit.

--

She's heard the rhetoric, time and time again each time varying enough that it seemed different but the meaning was clear. 

They were soulmates. 

Chat the most outspoken, "We're made for each other, milady," or "we belong together, why can't you see that?" And her favorite, "The black cat and ladybug belong together just like us!" 

It honestly made her faintly ill thinking of Chat as her boyfriend. Not to mention the thought of Chat Blac still plays in her nightmares.  

She herself had used the same type of rhetoric when thinking of Adrien, when she thought herself in love with him. 

We're perfect for each other and with her girlfriends echoing her thoughts with each passing talk of them as a couple, she started to believe it, internalizing it, built it into something bigger and better than the actual truth. 

She wanted love, a love like her parents. Two individuals coming together and making a life together, their own business flourishing as long as their love lasted to make it so. Sure she knew her parents weren't happy all the time, but they were just so in love with one another. She wanted that, she idolized her parents' love that she thought of them as soulmates. 

Two people finding each other and falling head over heels in love and being together despite it all. Made for each other, just like her papa and maman. 

Three years, she thought as she gritted her teeth against Chat's declaration of the day. 

She left him dry of their typical pound and went home. Well she made a stop first. 

In an alleyway close to the Seine and the Couffaine's Boathouse, she called her boyfriend to meet her outside. 

"Tikki, spots off," she whispered and she reverted to regular Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

She leaned against the stone and breathed in and out to calm her rage. 

"Marinette?" A familiar and concerned voice asked and she opened her eyes to see Luka, her boyfriend, the boy who made everything better suddenly appear. 

She didn't think, she tossed herself into his arms, his quick reflexes caught her. He was steady, he was safe. He was home. When he became that she didn't know, but he was. She pressed her face into his neck and simply breathed in his scent. He rubbed her back and kissed her head.

"We're not soulmates," she whispered harshly. 

Luka stopped stroking her spine, and she buried herself into his neck more, tightening her grasp, refusing to let him go as if the universe wanted to take him too. It already took so much from her, molding her into what felt like their poster child for sainthood while she slowly lost her grip on her own sanity. 

"We're not soulmates because that means that I don't get a choice. I don't get to choose you. Whoever the heavens chose for me, aller se faire foutre. I want to be with you, I want to be with Luka and not whoever the universe chose for me," she cursed. She was tired, so tired of being told who to choose. And she was tired of being told that one specific person was perfect for her and she was done!

It was her turn to choose, and if people didn't like it, then it was on them not her. She was choosing Luka. And she hopes he'll choose her too. 

His arms stayed loose around her but he didn't push her away. 

He sighed, "While I don't much believe in soulmates, I disagree with the predestined aspect on principle. I believe we find our own songs. But I'd gladly choose you, Marinette. After all, your melody is the clearest and most beautiful I've ever heard. Though you're clearly upset about something. Do you want to talk about it?"

Shs sniffed and shook her head. 

"No," she croaked, tears spilling down her face and onto his skin, he held her tighter. 

"Just want you to hold me and don't let go, yeah?" 

He kissed the top of her ear and squeezed her slightly, "Yeah, I can do that, melody." 

She let him hold her and she fisted her hands into his hoodie.  

Maybe there were soulmates out there, like her maman and papa, Rose and Juleka, but she was just happy to have found someone who could love her. Mess and all. Maybe they weren't predestined to last, but she'll enjoy the love he gave freely and without strings. She was tired of her own strings being yanked back and forth so much. In Luka's arms she was free. 

--

32 notes • Posted 2021-06-11 02:59:31 GMT

#4

I Want to Marry My Best Friend

Thank you for liking and reblogging my other prompts which can be found here and here. Hope you've enjoyed them!

Inspired by Tim McGraw's song My Best Friend

Day 3 of @lukanettejune 's prompts. This time it's Best Friend. Hope yall like it! Enjoy!

---

When my world was crazy you're right there to save me. You make me see how much I have

She thrived in chaos. Some days,  it felt like if the world hadn't gone crazy at least three times, it was a slow and uneventful day. She had the nickname amongst her fellow artisans as Marinette "La Tornade" Dupain-Cheng as she was usually busy going from one project to another juggling everything and anything the fashion world threw at her. Sometimes great and other days not so great, but she usually left a path in her wake. If others chose not to follow she no longer concerned herself with trying to slow herself to fit their perception of what she should be. Not since she was fifteen and the boy she liked for two years turned her down flat. He was kind, but it just allowed her to break whatever mold she had placed herself in trying to gain his attention. 

She has been a designer intern for The Gabriel Agreste brand since she was sixteen. A creator of vision and she was Paris' superhero saving the city for even longer. Her world consisted of chaos, by the time she stopped, usually meant it was time to rest before she did it all again the next day. 

There were only three people that could boost that they could settle the force of nature Marinette had become. Her parents of course and Luka. 

Luka, her anchor in her path. Always there, always timing it just right to get her to calm down, breathe, smell the roses. Relax. 

Like right now they were on a picnic date instead of her hunched over her crafting desk in their apartment trying to meet another impossible deadline set by Monsieur Agreste. But she knew even the man took breaks, Nathalie made sure of it. The man was at least smart enough to listen to her.

Luka kissed her forehead and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She no longer wore pigtails, but instead had it long and in a single braid down her back, much like when she was once Lady Noire.  Still small hairs escaped from their confines and she leaned into his touch. 

He always made her feel calm and collected, he was there for her when her world spiraled out of control and she leaned on him when she couldn't continue making the chaos she was known for. With Luka, she didn't have to be La Tornade, or Ladybug, or anything other than Marinette, even then she could let the chaos subside and let the sunshine in. 

You stood by me, you believe in me like no one ever has

He always had a strong support system. His Ma after his Da left became the shoulder he leaned into, but also the shoulder he supported whenever he could. Juleka was his sister, his twin, there was this unspoken and often spoken support to her and in her own ways supported him equally. 

When he wanted to pursue music as a career his Ma was supportive, Jules gathered her friends from lycee and they formed Kitty Section. 

Kitty Section, which to this day was still popular with the teens and even their age group. They were working gigs almost every weekend and sometimes three nights a week in different spots in Paris. 

However, curled into his side was the most supportive person he knew. His melody. 

He pushed hair out of her face and behind her ear, his finger stroking the black earrings that lay innocently in her ear at the moment. He's known since she was fifteen, after Adrien rejected her. It wasn't done cruelly, but he was in love with someone else and she respected that. He remembered feeling hopeless to her cries and her tears, yet he was the friend that sat with her and wiped them away when she was too drained to move. He distracted her many nights playing his guitar, soft music for her to sleep peacefully. Finding out she was Ladybug had been surreal. 

How could this perfect girl be any more amazing...and BAM! She's the hero of their city, fighting battles most would run from. Fighting to save people, to keep the good in this long battle, despite most of the time she was alone. Chat has gotten better about not sacrificing himself in the middle of the battle, but back then he would take himself out hazardously if it meant Ladybug could get the object. A miscalculation in Luka's opinion. 

She needed a partner to aid her when her other one baited the villain. He saved her countless times, has seen many things, including her true identity. It only made him love her more and be there for her more when she literally felt the weight of a city on her shoulders. 

He never admitted it, until they were officially dating three months after Adrien rejected her. Three months of worry and helplessness on his part, but nothing he would have traded for this moment. 

He kissed her forehead and held her closer to him. Her melody is the song in his head and the butterflies in his gut. 

She supported him through the late nights and the frustration of notes being a jumbled mess on paper, to missed dates because one or both of them were lost in their creative spaces. Her a whirlwind with silk and thread, him a maniac with pen in hand when the right inspiration strikes. 

She went to every concert, every gig, designed the costumes, but mostly she supports him when things get too much. When he can't handle the noise of the city mixed in with the song he's trying to focus on, when he can't handle his mother's latest spree of Captain Lunacy, his mother hasn't mellowed out at all and he loved her but she drove him mad at times. Times when he just needed to be engulfed in his girlfriend's arms. A safe harbor to sail into.

Jules helps, but there was only so much his twin could handle before she too must escape into the arms of her own pink princess. 

He loved Marinette for all her crazy and all her strength, for being there for him when he needed to get lost in the chaos that she brings. Different than his own family, but still a whirlwind of beautiful catastrophe. 

I fall in love all over. Everytime I look at you

She pushed him back so that their eyes could meet. Her heart beat inside her chest at the look of adortion in his gaze. The soft look of wonder that has never faded in their relationship, in fact it has only grown. 

"I love you, Couffaine," she whispered as if it was a secret like the identity she carried. Not alone, never alone again. 

"As I love you, Ma-Ma-Marinette," he told her and she couldn't help the giggle escape from her lips. 

"Want to do something crazy and chaotic?" She curiously asked, a wonderful mad yet brilliant idea forming in her head. 

He raised an eyebrow and she grinned teasingly at him, "Let's each marry our best friend!" 

His brow furrowed and confusion set into his face, he looked almost like Tikki when she didn't understand one of her plans. 

"But your best friend is Alya and mine is–" he paused and the realization hit him. 

She smirked at his wide eyes and the joy emitting from such a look took her breath away, and made her heart race a million kilometers a minute. 

"You see, Alya is my best girlfriend, but Luka Couffaine is the best boyfriend, my lover, and my biggest fan. The person who's been there for me since I was thirteen, never expected me to return your feelings and I know it's not the most romantic of proposals but I thought might as well bring some chaos into the day. And your mother would never let me live it down if I passed the opportunity!"

He tossed his head back and laughed, the sun shining in his dyed teal locks. She felt the laughter bubble out of her mouth as he leaned over and started to tickle her sides, pulling her firmly into his lap. Locking her fingers together behind his neck, their eyes met, even if she bit her bottom lip to hopefully keep her questions inside. 

"I think, Melody, that sounds perfect. Marrying my best friend was always high on my bucket list since I met you," he told her softly pressing his forehead to hers. 

She tugged his face closer so that she could kiss him. Her best friend, her lover, and now her fiancé, soon to be husband.

She promised herself she'd give him the chance, but after two weeks, well she wasn't one for waiting around. 

36 notes • Posted 2021-06-04 03:20:08 GMT

#3

Real life has been taking priority lately so I'll not be on as much in the coming weeks. Starting a new job soon and working on getting things ready for that. So if you see me posting it might be a queue as I might decide to start doing that. Still feel free to tag me in things and I'll play, it just might be a hot minute though ^_^

Much love,

Renee

38 notes • Posted 2021-07-13 16:34:29 GMT

#2

My attempt at @lukanettejune 's prompt for day 1 Dawn.

Hope y'all enjoy!

----

Let the Sun Not Set on Our Love

She finally came home as the dawn was creeping over the horizon of the Paris landscape. She entered through the unlocked window, as quietly as she could. It was the same as it ever was lately. 

Quiet. Still. No akumas at 3 in the morning, thank God, even if her and Chat Noir patrolled from midnight to dawn just to make sure they weren't caught unaware. 

Thankfully she had someone that she came home to. Someone who never made her feel as if she needed to pretend to be alright or a morning person when he would eventually get up to go help Rose with some band things. 

Kitty Section was still together and still writing their own songs. They had a gig later this week and Rose was calling in last minute rehearsals at all hours. She was a slave-driver. The sweetest person and yet she could make Gabriel Agreste be compared to a saint, to how much she made the band practice. It didn't help that Rose's puppy eyes were much better than Marinette's. 

"You're just a sucker for pretty blue eyes, aren't you, Couffaine?" She teased her boyfriend last night, as she drew some last minute designs for Kitty Section's latest gig. She smirked at her sketchbook rather than directly at him.  

He shoved her playfully, wrapping an arm around her waist, "Maybe, Melody, or I'm a sucker for a particular pair of bluebells. No one can say no to Rose for very long." 

She snuggled into him and let his warmth surround her. These small moments before she went on patrol and before he went to bed were precious to her. Between their day jobs and her superhero life, living together made little moments like this precious to her. They felt like stolen gems. 

"True, but I–we all know you're going to rock and you're then going to get signed to a label and go on tour and I'll be cheering from the front row like always!" She told him a grin on her face. 

He chuckled, "Well with my ma-ma-Marrinette in the front row we have all the good luck on our side."  

She shoved him playfully before leaning over to kiss him gently. 

She sighed as she closed the window and finally locked it, closing the curtains to allow him to sleep longer. If he doesn't wake, then she'll tell Rose she kept him in bed longer than usual. Rose and Juleka were adamant about a wedding between them. They've been together ever since lycee, and they were about to graduate from university in three months. She thought Luka was the one for her, but they had time. 

"Tikki, spots off," she whispered into the silent room, except for Luka's soft snores mixed with hums of whatever song he was thinking of. Even asleep music spoke to him. 

A flash of light and she was once more Marinette Dupain-Cheng, fashion student and intern at The Gabriel Agreste brand. She liked Monsieur Agreste, he pushed her to limits she didn't believe she could reach before, and he liked her. Even if the whole Adrien dating thing went sideways and didn't work out like she once thought. Her best plans weren't comparable to the happiness she felt now. And she was happy. 

She gave Tikki a macaroon to snack on, and as she easily and silently walked to her side of the bed, she snuggled under the blanket and into her boyfriend's chest. He pulled her tighter against him and hummed a familiar tune under his breath, her eyes closed and she didn't even fight the exhaustion she felt. 

The dawn may be beginning, but she doubts the sun would set on their love. And if he didn't propose by the end of summer then she would. 

48 notes • Posted 2021-06-02 02:20:43 GMT

#1

Dressing for Our Date Night

For @lukanettejune 's Day 8 prompt: Cosmetics.

Also inspired by this dress for this fic. Enjoy yall!

--

She opened the door to their room and rubbed her hair with the towel, the steam escaping into the cooler room. 

It was date night and Marinette was excited! 

With their lives being hectic, between Saving Paris and her internship as well as his own job and just starting his music career, they had little time for dates.

They already celebrated with Kitty Section the signing of their first deal with RollingStone Music Inc. 

Now it was their turn to do some celebrating. She was very proud of her boyfriend, she's always known he'd go far with his music. 

She could hear the sounds of said boyfriend playing his guitar and the squabbling of the kwamis through the thin walls of their apartment. Tikki was scolding Sass again about something, their dynamic was an odd one. Sass the leader of the Kwamis was always doing something to frustrate Tikki, but Tikki was always giggling so it never came off like she was truly mad. 

Shaking her head, Marinette placed the towel on her head and moved her way to their closet to pick out her outfit for tonight, her fluffy bathrobe tight around her. 

She pressed her lips together as she went through her options. Everything wasn't right! 

Her fingers went slower, running over different fabrics. Cotton, polyester, satin, tulle, lace with colors ranging with every color of pink, black, blue, green, red. There was also the occasional white and her jeans were folded into her drawers. 

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her mind going through the contents of her cosmetics bag on her side of the dresser, as she went through each item. 

"You could wear that new dress you designed for Rose's birthday next month. She'll never know I got to see it on you first," her boyfriend said quietly. 

She squeaked and jumped cletching her bathrobe tightly at the neck. 

He was too quiet sometimes, and she glared at him as she saw his shoulders shake as he laughed at her. 

She clicked her tongue, but thought about what he said. There was that dress she was inspired to create a while back, it was white with cherries over it. She was hoping to wear it to Rose's twenty-third birthday next month, but...

Maybe? It wouldn't hurt to wear it tonight.

She moved passed her boyfriend, standing on tip toe to kiss his cheek as she went into the other room where she kept any new outfits she made but hadn't added to her wardrobe just yet. 

There still on the mannequin, the new dress Luka had remembered. 

It would go perfectly with the cosmetics she had. Though Marinette barely ever used makeup, except for eyeshadow and lipgloss for work, at least she knew the basics and had no problem looking something up on the internet or asking one of her girlfriends. Luka was also good at makeup, but she never wanted to ask him, because she felt it cheating since she liked surprising him with getting dressed up for him. 

She carefully removed the dress, and brought it draped over her arm, back to their room. Luka laying on the bed in black jeans and a blue shirt, the shirt reminding her of the overnight trip to the sea they took last summer to give her a break from Paris' Hawkmoth problem. They had the Kwamis just in case they needed to get back, though Chat was still in the city plus Reshell and Vulpes were now more permanent members to lighten their load. 

She smiled faintly at the image of her boyfriend sprawled out like a starfish atop their black with pink cherry blossoms duvet. She went through her cosmetics bag and grabbed the necessary items as well as her brush, going back into the bathroom to change. She didn't want Luka to see until she was perfect. 

-

Liquid eyeliner is the worst invention, Marinette thought acidly as she tried for the fifth time to get the wing on her left eye to match her right. 

Her hair was pulled into a bun, with loose tendrils tickling the back of her neck. Her dress with its Queen Anne neckline fit comfortably, as it brushed her just above her knees. Her foundation hid her freckles, and her red lipstick matched the cherries on her dress almost to the exact shade. Her soft brown eyeshadow with a hint of gold made her eyes pop, there was a hint of perfume at her pulse points, and all she wanted to do was get the eyeliner right and they could go!

She slammed down the tool as it still wasn't perfect and it just—

She growled and picked up the tool once more and carefully went through the motions of applying the eyeliner to a point next to the corner of her eye. 

Pulling the tip away, she moved her head back and forth looking at both wings and sighed with a pout. Still not perfect. 

It'll have to do. I don't want to make us late, she thought sadly while adding a bit of eyeliner to her right eye to have the same thickness as her left. 

She capped the tool and nodded to her reflection. 

Gathering her things she peeked into their room and Luka wasn't anywhere in sight. 

She quietly replaced only the eyeliner and set her brush next to her bag. The rest she placed in the tiny clutch she was bringing along. She placed on her scrappy red heels from her closet, and a grabbed her tiny white jacket for her arms. 

"Wow," she twirled on her toes and opened her mouth to scold him, she wanted to be finished before showing herself off to him. 

Except the breath caught in her throat at the look he was giving her. It was one of her favorite looks. 

His eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly agape, and he looked like a little nudge from one of the Kwamis could blow him over. 

Tikki and Sass snickered behind Luka, and Sass did nudge him after a minute of them just staring at one another. 

Luka came close to her, and she tilted her head back as he was still taller than her even with her heels, though it was less so now that when she was barefooted. She wasn't very tall, while he was tall, dark and handsome. 

He pressed himself to her and leaned very close as if wanting to kiss her. 

"You look amazing, Marinette," he told her, the tone achingly familiar. It was lower than his normal voice, one he used in a different circumstance, her eyes even drifted briefly to the bed for a second before looking into his blue eyes. 

"We'll be late," she said, both of them looking forward all week to tonight. 

He looked at her red lips and then back to her eyes, their color darker then they were a second ago.

"I could eat you if you wanted, dinner doesn't have to be food," he told her, his intentions clear. 

She felt her cheeks warm and her breathing stopped, her heart picked up speed and she was tempted. So very tempted. 

She pushed him away, reluctantly. "I want to eat food, and maybe we could come home for our desert instead," she wasn't saying no to what he offered, but she was saying later. 

Patience 

His lopsided grin did funny things to her heart. 

"As my melody commands," he winked at her and she was sure her cheeks were as red as her lipstick. 

Still they didn't move, even though she knew that they needed to go. 

Maybe one kiss couldn't hurt, she thought as she pulled Luka closer by his shirt and he grinned as their lips met. 

They missed their reservation, but to them it was definitely worth it. 

-

Previous Prompts:

Days-

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

58 notes • Posted 2021-06-09 01:33:08 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[lukanettejune]

Hey! I think it's really cool that you're running a Lukanette month! But I did want to give you a heads up that June also has both Ladrien and Lukadrien months running at the same time, Ladrien definitely being a bigger ship in the fandom. It might be easier to run in July next time for multishipper's sakes ^^; good luck with your event! ❤

I'm pretty sure there's a prompt month for just about every ship in every month! July has Felix Month, for example, which is run by the same set of moderators. Meaning we definitely aren't going to be able to move it to then. Plus, we chose June specifically on audience request!

Hopefully this'll inspire some fun Lukadrientte fics :)!

[melslikesushi]

Miracle queen highlights

I'm Ukrainian (still can't believe my country even airs the new ML episodes) and since I don't think English dub still came out I'm gonna talk about some important moments and the ones I liked.

• The theme was that sometimes you don't get what you want, but the true beauty lies in life itself. Also that losses are a part of life but beautiful things happen too

• Marinette asked Luka to play his melody for her and he was like "are you sure you want to hear that... you still think of Adrien don't you?" and she looked so sad

• Adrien told Kagami he wasn't ready and that he imagined this moment differently. She asked if he was uncomfortable with her and he was like "n-no it's just..." and she said that his hesitation caused him pain

• the Ladynoir moment was the highlight of the whole episode. Ladybug told Chat about her mistake with Fu and called herself a failure and it went like this: "Ladybug don't focus on the bad stuff. You're the only one who can fix this". Then she hugs him and says "Thank you Chat... you're always there for me" and he says "Always, Ladybug"

• Chloe said some mean stuff about every miraculous holder, e.g. "nerdy Max, failed reporter (Alya), lame DJ (Nino)..." then about Kim "the first one without glasses, I thought it was a requirement for those she chose to wear glasses" and when it came to Luka she was like "this one is cute but dresses like garbage". Side note - no offense to the shippers if such exist but I hope they won't get together because Chloe is so toxic rn, I wouldn't want anyone to be in a relationship with her. I wanted her redemption as much as the next person so idk where the writers are even going with her. Then it came to Kagami and she was just like "ew god not her". Speaking of Luka, she called him useless later anyway when Chat took his miraculous

• Chloe was literally a total brat in this episode and it was so cringy, she kept yelling about how she's the best and the queen and she has to be the one to save the world. The writers seriously did her so wrong

• on a related notes kwamis told her to go screw herself and their exact words were "she doesn't even know our names or transformation phrases" and the goat kwami was like "how hard is it to say please" but Chloe kept throwing a fit

• After she got her miraculous taken away she yelled at Ladybug that she doesn't like her anymore and that she's going to New York because she doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as her but Audrey decided to stay in Paris and Chloe was so pissed and called her parents disgusting and ordered them to start fighting again

• Fu made Marinette a guardian and because of that he lost memories (former guardians do because they're not supposed to know the identities of the holders when they refuse the miracle box)

• When Ladybug was having doubts in the middle of the fight she said she was the worst Ladybug ever and can't do anything right. But Fu said she's the best Ladybug he's ever met ;_; and that even if she made some mistakes everyone does, and the most important thing is fixing them and he has faith in her. It was so important for Marinette who always doubts herself. I'm gonna miss their bond

• When Fu saw his girlfriend he said "It's strange, I see you for the first time but it feels like I've known you for my whole life"

• Oh and Fu wrote Marinette a letter and there was something about growth (which is why I feel like there could be a time skip) and he said that if she's reading it he already lost his memories and is wishing her all the best

• Nathalie stole Fu's tablet and found some info on how to fix the peacock miraculous so apparently they fixed it

• Gabriel and Nathalie's dynamics was basically "I'm sorry it's happening to you, my Nathalie, but I still need to use your powers" "No worries, I'm fine and I'll do anything for you"

• the last scene was pretty self-explanatory, I guess (and I felt empty because I love Lukanette but they aren't going to last anyway ;_;)

• Update: I forgot to include one moment and it was ladynoir saying to hawk moth in the battle when he tried to instill doubt in them "It's us against the world as always" and Chat was like "Ladybug and I don't fight against each other, we fight alongside each other"

[fenheart87]

manikin

Lukanette 2020 Exchange piece For @the-alice-of-hearts, enjoy! 

Marinette was on a mission,step outside of her comfort zone and again echoed by her technical design professor to be more daring and assertive and bold. She needed to round out her styles and portfolio as much as she could to make herself a more attractive candidate for any applications she submitted or even just expanding her online commissions and bulking her portfolio that way if she chose to start out on her own. It was difficult to just be set in one style and make it big when just starting. Mari figured that she would explore as much as she could before committing to one genre or style, it would keep her far from being burnt out like some of her fellow classmates.

“Hey Nathaniel! Have you seen Juleka?” She called out, walking a bit faster to the redhead who waited for her to join him.

“She was around this morning but I haven’t seen her since. Have you tried calling or texting her?”

“Yup, nothing but silence though. I’m out of touch with everyone’s schedules the more time goes by.”

“Is she complaining she can’t be super Mari and be our everyday ladybug again?” Marc teased, sneaking up and poking the shorter girl’s sides resulting in a squeal.

“Marc!” She smacked a red clad shoulder before they disappeared behind their boyfriend. “Stop doing that!”

“Stop making it so easy?” Nathaniel offered, smirking at Mari’s adorable pout.

“I hate you. I really do. Welp, if Juleka is busy and you’re both too shy to play model and dress up and have proof of it, I guess I need to find a model.”

“I’m pretty much free if you need a mannequin, class ends at three for me this week.” Marc offered kindly, green eyes peeping over Nathaniel’s shoulder.

“Oh wonderful! I found another sample fabric I wanted to try for you!” She did her jump and hip shimmy, ignoring the giggles.

“Only exception being Thursday, that’s date night this week.”

“Fine, have your boyfriend Marc on Thursday, I get your girlfriend Michelle the rest of the week. See you later!” Mari dashed away, giggling as the bright red spots on Marc’s cheeks.

After walking around campus and deciding against searching too far as she still had classes, she was no closer to finding her muse model but it did nothing to dampen her good mood. It was a sign that meant she would just have to explore the in and outs further and stay away from her usual haunts. Instead of using her eyes she decided to let her ears guide her, Marinette glanced around a few times and focused on conversations instead of what people were wearing, hearing the emotions in their voices. With the new mindset, carefully the young designer wandered around and sketched some expressions, new emotions to craft into fabric choices and color schemes to make them come alive as clothing to wear the emotion plain as day. There was a ton of laughter and giggles around her until she got closer to the library. The sound of a guitar drew her in like a sirens song.

Marinette needed a break from all the walking and climbing she had done so far and decided to stop by the library for the few books she had on hold. Skirting around the cliques that hugged the stairs more often than naught, the petite designer made her way into the library. Seeing Max working the check out desk, Marinette bee lined for him, smiling wide enough to crinkle eyes just slightly.

“Marinette, how are you today?” Max greeted, shuffling books around to scan them and write the names on the cards for the reserved items.

“I should have a few books on hold, all fashion related of course, there was one that was checked out but if you could see if it’s been returned?”

“Sure thing, book title, author or DEWY code?”

“There’s several, here’s my card.” Marinette held it out for Max to scan, rocking on heels slightly to a rhythm she could hear every time the door opened.

“Ah yes, you have five reserved and it looks like two have not been checked back on yet. Would you like me to check the return bin?” Max asked, finding the appropriate stack of books and setting them on the counter.

“Yes please, even if we can find one more that makes it easier to study and hopefully pass with flying colors.”

“Fashion has always been a huge part of you Marinette, as long as your heart is in it then you’ll pass with flying colors.” Max smiled at the rare blush on the young woman’s face, “I’ll check the returns for you, be right back.

Marinette breathed deeply to calm her sudden nerves, her friend’s unwavering faith in her abilities always managed to take the designer off guard but she wouldn’t change any of them for the world. While waiting, she filled out the cards for the books in the pile to make Max’s job easier but kept getting distracted by the wonderful music that kept sneaking through.

“I managed to find both luckily, if you could fill these out then you free to chase whatever has you so distracted.” The glint from his glasses made Marinette squeak in embarrassment as being caught.

“Thanks Max!” Quickly she stuffed the books in her backpack and marched at a reasonable pace to the door and only let out the breath she was holding once outside.

Students shuffled to and from the library, stopping to chat quietly or bask in the music for a moment before continuing their way. The solo guitarist was the center of attention, playing a mix of old and new songs. The overall genre seemed to be with the intent to soothe stressed students and teachers alike as they passed by, Marinette could feel herself relaxing and her creative block lifting. Deciding to obey her muse, the slim young woman snagged a bench that was being vacated by a couple who had finished their coffees. Unsure how much time had passed, the designer lost herself to the world of inspiration, completing outlines with notes and vague sketches with the knowledgeable experience telling her to be swift and flesh then out later.

The music had become a soft and sweet ballad, just hovering in the background for anyone to notice or ignore if they were passing by. Marinette took a quick glance at her outlines and notes, polishing little things or rewriting fabric choices, her eyes fell to the musician that she could finally see and she froze. This was exactly what she was looking for, his expression spoke of calm but hid the slight anxiety every time he started a new song. When he suddenly changed tunes and a couple stopped fighting because the music took over made his lips quirk in a faint grin. His clothes were made to blend in, ripped jeans and combat boots topped with a plain Jagged tee and lightweight layered Hoodie. That did absolutely nothing to help hide his hair with the blue tips, was that a tongue ring?! Marinette felt the need to sketch and design and she had to see what color his eyes were.

Swiftly but carefully she put away her supplies and made her way to the musician that was quietly packing away his guitar and removing the tips from his case. The designer caught his attention and when the weight of gaze met hers, Marinette just blurted out what came to mind.

“You’re hot, can I undress you?” With a squeak, she smacked her face with her sketchpad and took a few deep lungs full of air. “I’m sorry! I want your clothes- I just, you were playing and sound sexy- GOOD SOUND! I really like you- YOUR  style it’s mysterious but like nice- I really want to undress you- I mean I-!”

“Deep breaths.” His melodic voice cut through her anxiety like a hot knife to butter. “I’m Luka.”

“Ma-ma-Marinette!”

“Nice to meet your Ma-ma-Marinette. You’re an artist too?” He nodded causally to her sketchbook.

“Yes. Fashion designer. Project.” Few more deep breaths. “I need to branch out and try a new style and I usually create women’s clothes. So my professor told me to challenge myself and your music inspired me and when I looked at you, you’re perfect. That is- I mean, if you wouldn’t mind being my model?”

“So do I get to undress myself or is that your job?” Luka teased with a grin, causing Marinette to hide her face again with a squeak. “I have a crazy schedule but I’d love to help.”

“I have time on Tuesdays from two to five, Thursdays from five to seven and Saturdays after the morning rush so more like three or four to eight.” She rattled off, pulling out her planner to his amusement.

“Okay I’ll have to check my schedule, two of my classes are up in the air. How about we exchange phone numbers and then I can text you what’s my schedules going to look like? It changes week to week.”

“Most musicians do it seems, one of my best friends is a DJ and he takes all kinds of gigs so it’s hard to sit down and catch up.” They traded phones and saved their numbers before swapping back. “Some of this we can do via Skype if needed, you have to be comfortable with the design too and just wearing it to help my grade.”

“Seems like you’ve done this before.” Luka stuffed his phone into his pocket and packed away his guitar, shouldering his case.

“Fashion student, too broke for mannequins so I lure in unsuspecting folk with delicious free pastries from the best bakery in town.” She teased with a huge grin.

“Well then, I look forward to those pastries.”

Waving, they went their separate ways and Marinette had a skip in her step that had been missing due to the stress. Texting her other friends that were her usual models but this time with ideas of clothing to compliment the designs she had drafted for Luka. Everyone had a positive response and she had just enough people for a full collection, Marinette was sure to blow this project out of the water.

- - - 

Luka stared down at his phone with a smile. As far as first impressions go, he didn’t think negatively of Marinette. It was easy for the musician to recognize the spark of creativity making her blue bells shine and the dark circles the byproduct of sleepless nights from the muse keeping her awake to do her bidding. Her song was the dead giveaway, it was beautiful but unfinished with the crash of crescendos and decrescendos in spots, showing she was afraid to stay loud and bold.

“That had better not be another cat meme.” Juleka muttered, sliding into the booth across from him.

“Nope, I just got asked to undress for a pretty cute girl.”

“What girl wants to see you naked?”

“Not naked, she wants to dress me up.” Luka corrected, waving the waitress over so they could order. “Caramel cappuccino and one hot fudge vanilla shake.”

“Design student or art student?” Luka had no trouble hearing his sisters mumbles, even over the din of the coffee-shop.

“Design student, I guess she felt a good vibe with the music I was playing and she got bit by the creative bug.”

“Not the only one that got bit.” Juleka smiled innocently as the waitress set down their drink orders. “When’s your first fitting?”

“I don’t know, I told Marinette I would text her my schedule for the week once I figure it out.

"Well them, you had better bring me back an eclair and a chocolatine, try the macaroons.” With that cryptic advice, Juleka took her drink and left her brother confused. A ding from his phone had him opening a picture of a very familiar face forwarded from his sister.

Is this the ‘go get em tiger high-five from you?

You hurt her and you’ll answer to your future sister-in-law.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

[geekgirles]

Desperada's message

This episode was... an emotional rollercoaster, not gonna lie. Every time we got an "awww!" moment, something fucking killed it (the sudden Adrigami at what was, at first glance, a Lukanette episode; Marinette metaphorically choosing Adrien over Luka twice; Ladybug getting killed after every romantic moment with Adrien...); but, I think I understand what they tried to teach us:

Ladybug and Adrien aren't good together and feelings can blind us.

As partners, I mean. I'm not saying Ladrien is a bad pairing because, honestly, is the only one who hasn't been murdered yet (they did give it their best shot, tho).

From what I got from the episode I can tell the reason the Ladybug/Aspik team up failed was because both parts were too focused on their romantic interests to properly work together as they usually do when Adrien is Chat Noir.

In this episode, the hero part was portrayed through Adrien's perspective, so it's not as simple to describe Marinette's mistake, but it is still present.

However, given the emotional baggage came from Adrien for once, let's start with him.

The original plan could have worked if Adrien hadn't used it as a chance to charm Ladybug. Deep down, despite his experience on the super hero field, he prioritised proving her that he as Adrien was worthy of her love that, ironically, that made him unworthy of the responsibility.

You all know I'm a sucker for Adrien's lovesick faces, but we all have to admit this wasn't the right moment, nor the right place. His expression is not the one he'd wear if his mind were on the game; if it were, he would be focused on coming up with a way for Chat to disappear so he could become Aspik without raising suspicions. Instead, his main goal was making Ladybug fall in love with him as Adrien (not like he needed it, but the kid doesn't know that).

In the "Second Chance" montage, when he and Ladybug had screen time, it was easy to appreciate that it was his attempts at flirting with Ladybug what got her to be hit by Desperada: The main example would be the flowers.

But if you think about it, although that was probably just to tease us, when he revealed his true identity to Ladybug that must've been such a mind blown that there was just no way that Ladybug could've kept her head on the game!

Just look at her face!

And on top of it, there's the fact that every single time Aspik went back in time to save Ladybug he, yet again, failed to save her. That is some serious guilt to leave with; and even though he'd been trying for months, ultimately, he barely had a few seconds to recover before going back in time.

And man, that's rough.

That's why he gave the miraculous up, he finally saw he wasn't the best choice after all...

Just you wait, kid. The moment will finally come to prove to you that you two are the right choice for each other. Just you wait.

And as for Marinette...

Her part to play in this episode was foreshadowed at the very beginning. Like Tikki said, she's got a troubled heart, and it's making it harder and harder for her to make the right choice if Adrien's involved. Even for the easiest decisions.

The guitarist issue is the lighthearted way to evidence this:

Jagged clearly stated he needed a guitarist.

Alya, who was a Lukanette supporter before the plot actually started, remembered her of a certain talented musician to suggest; Luka, who had his guitar with him.

And Marinette suggested Adrien, who's a pianist.

Even when Jagged himself pointed out Luka and his guitar, Marinette's solution was hanging the guitar to Adrien.

I sort of have the feeling that this was somehow a way of showing Kagami that she hasn't given up on Adrien yet, given the girl's comment on Luka being Mari's boyfriend while she appeared to be closer to Adrien than ever.

But that's mere speculation, so moving on!

That little scene visually explained that Marinette's feelings still get in the way of her better judgement, which has gone back to bite her several times. This one being no exception.

When she had to pick a chosen, she chose Adrien without hesitation. And that wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea, because her everyday experiences with him show her that he's worthy of wielding a miraculous, she just doesn't know how right she actually is.

And she IS right!

Leaving aside his secret identity and Marinette's feelings, Adrien has actually helped Marinette out at every chance he gets; he handed her his umbrella, acted as a Chinese translator for her, stood up to Chloé twice (Kung Food and Despair Bear), promised to have her back regarding Lila, protected her in Gamer and Catalyst... Adrien is a hero in an out of the suit.

But this time Marinette let her crush show much more dangerously than she's done in previous episodes. In Mime, Riposte or Gorizilla, despite her obvious attachment to the boy and moments of weakness, her head was on the game 100%.

Had she been actually concentrated, while still acting flustered over the rose he gave her, she would've shaken that feeling off instantly and worked on her plan to defeat Desperada.

Not to mention it was that same infatuation what prevented her from choosing Luka earlier. In this case, both as a holder and love interest.

Just look at their chemistry!

Like the girls said, she doesn't make a fool of herself nearly as much when she's around Luka than when she is around Adrien. The first few minutes of the episode showed that exact contrast; Marinette can talk naturally with Luka and doesn't lose her cool even at close proximity! But Adrien appears, with Kagami no less, and she stutters, panicks and makes all the wrong choices.

As a Lukanette shipper, it's a bit painful to say this, but I think the episode demonstrated that, deep down, Luka is Marinette's second choice. For now...

Because Kagami is right, sooner or later, Marinette will have to choose, and considering Mangeamour' s synopsis, the girls' friendship as of Ikari Gozen and Cristina Vee's comment on Instragram; I'll say her decision will finally allow her to move on, grow and develop. Because, after all, we all have a second chance at happiness ;)