#Just like when I'm accused of not liking Marinette

[flightfoot]

You know, thinking about it, Marinette and Alya take really different approaches to figuring out who did something, whether they're guilty, etc. And I'm not just talking about with Lila, this was established with Chloe back in Despair Bear.

Denis Damocles: So, some smart aleck had the bright idea of calling the fire department. (the students gasp shocked) Somebody amongst us thought it would be funny to waste the fire captain's valuable time. Fireman: Yes, in fact, if you wouldn't mind I... Denis Damocles Hold on! I want the guilty party to apologize to you. Marinette: (whispers to Alya) I'm sure it was Chloé. I saw her on her phone right before the alarm went off! Alya: You seeing her make a phone call isn't solid proof. Marinette: (sighs)

Alya does not like Chloe. She does not think Chloe is a good person. She believes that this is the sort of thing that Chloe would do. But she still isn't going to make the leap that Chloe's definitely guilty, at least when it would involve an actual public confrontation. As Alya pointed out, seeing Chloe on the phone right before ISN'T solid proof. It's evidence, but it's not enough.

And then with Lila, Alya also wants some actual solid evidence before leaping to the conclusion that she's bad or publicly accusing her. While Alya's willing to take positive statements from others at face value or may leap to conclusions if those conclusions aren't too harmful to the person they're about, for anything that would result in an actual accusation, she really wants solid evidence, the kind of thing that you could actually argue in court and not be laughed out for.

Marinette, meanwhile, relies more on prior experience and vibes to determine whether someone is guilty of something. She knows that Chloe's a troublemaker and bully, so if something's gone wrong, she'll immediately conclude that Chloe did it. She knows that Lila's a liar, so she concludes that she's lying about everything (such as her various disabilities and injuries) whether she has evidence of Lila actually lying about that or not. And she knew that Chloe's was a jerk and that her only "friend" Sabrina was an accomplice, so when Chloe spoke positively about her friend and then that friend showed up and appeared to be doing something with gum on her chair, she didn't believe that he was taking the gum off.

It's the two basic methods of determining whodunnit that I see used generally in everyday life. Do you rely on reputation to determine who probably did something, or do you have to wait and try to gather solid evidence that'll hold up better? What's the consequences if you're wrong? And if you're relying on reputation to determine who the culprit is, then you're screwed if someone else has had different experiences with that person than you have, because that's the basis of your argument for them being the culprit.

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2023: 27-Be Positive

CONTINUATION OF 12-BETRAYAL

"Are you sure it's okay to have a watch party here at your place, Alya?" Lila questioned.

"Are you kidding me?" Alya cried out, "It's not every day we get to see your boyfriend, Damian Wayne, on TV!"

"Did you really invite the old class?" Lila asked.

"It's like a mini reunion!" Alya giggled, "We still don't know where Marinette is, so she won't be here, if that's what you are worried about."

Lila remained silent. Marinette hadn't gone to high school with the rest of them. The class had asked her parents, but they just said she transferred elsewhere. There wasn't any reason to bring the baker's daughter into the mix that day. No one had seen her in years and as far as they knew, she never went home.

"I'm so glad we can watch it togther." Lila smiled, "I would have been there, but I have to fly with my mother to Italy tomorrow so I couldn't go."

Soon, everyone arrived. They got snacks and drinks, ready to watch the Wayne Christmas Gala on the TV.

"The Wayne family is finally here!" the announcer declared, "It seems we have the whole family in attendance! Bruce Wayne and his fiancée, Selina Kyle. We have Dick Grayson and it seems his wife and daughter aren't here this time. It seems a miracle is upon us; Jason Todd is in attendance. We also have the Co-CEO of Wayne Enterprise tonight, Tim Drake."

"It seems Damian Wayne decided to join us tonight." the announcer continued.

"I can't wait for you to see him!" Lila cooed, "I wish he had more free time so he could come to Paris and meet you all! He's so handsome!"

Damian appeared on the screen.

"Oh, he is cute."

"Not really my type, but okay."

"He looks like this dad."

"Is it me or does he look pissed off?"

"Oh, it seems he brought his newly announced fiancée, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" the announcer declared.

Lila's jaw dropped.

"Marinette!"

"Woah! She looks completely different."

"She grew her hair out! It's so long!"

"Remember whn she wore pigtails?"

Both Damian and Marinette stopped in front of the cameras for pictures.

"For those of you who don't kno the story behind Gotham's couple, it all started when Marinette Dupain-Cheng joined Wayne Enterprises at the age of eighteen." the announcer spoke, "At the age of twenty, she was running their fashion department and that is when Damian met her. Damian Wayne has stated in several interviews how he was , at first, determined to close down the department. That desire is wheat led him to meet her. We have learned that she did not cater to the Wayne ego and told him to leave her alone. Over time, Damian kept a watchful eye on her and even went as far as accusing her of seducing him. When he confronted her, months later, she punched him and quit. Bruce and Timothy Drake-Wayne begged her to stay, even attempting to raise her commission price to $200,000 for every design her completed."

The room was silent as they listened to the couple's tale.

"In the end, Marinette only desired Damian to apologize." the announcer laughed, "Our local Ice Prince then confessed he had found her attractive and distracting. It has been five years since that fated day when they started going out."

Across the screen showed pictures of the out on dates, walking in the park, eating at resturants; both cute and fancy.

"Just last month, Damian Wayne proposed." the announcer spoke, "Let's see if we can get a word in. Mr. Wayne, Miss Dupain-Cheng, there's a question viewers are dying to know."

"Maybe, we can answer." Marinette replied.

"Aside from her beauty, what drew you to dating Miss Dupain-Cheng?" they questioned.

Marinette covered her mouth, but the audio picked up a slight snort.

Damian blushed, "I was raised by my mother who taught me women were meant to be valued by thir strength, not their appearance. Marinette showed me how strong she was; that day I asked her out after she punched me in the face. Marinette is kind, smart, strong, a leader, and confident. I couldn't imagine anyone else by my side."

"Thank you for you answer, Mr. Wayne." the announced replied, shcoked, letting them walk off, "Well, there you have it folks. Out Ice Prince was dethawed by some heated words and a heated punch by Gotham's very own Sunshine!"

The TV cut to commercial and all hell broke loose.

"Lila, what the hell was that?"

"Didn't you say you were dating Damian Wayne?"

"Yeah!"

"Why is he with Marinette?"

"Why is he engaged to Marinette?"

"Are you 100% positive that you're dating Damian Wayne?"

"You think she's lying?"

"I just want to make sure before we blast Damian Wayne online as a cheater!"

"He cheated on Lila and deceived Marinette! The media is saying he's been with Mari for five years! Lila said they've been together for two years!"

"Do you have any pictures? We can use that as proof!"

"Knowing Marinette, she may just say that you're 'lying again'. She wouldn't believe you!"

Lila gulped, "I-I was lied to."

"Huh?" questioned Nino.

"The person I was dating said he was Damian Wayne, but he doesn't look like the guy on TV. I was too speechless when he came out on the screen to say anything. I'm sorry for the confusion." Lila admitted.

"Well, you better call him and tell him you just saw the Wayne Gala and know he isn't the real Damian Wayne!" shouted Alix.

"Wow! I can't believe that Marinette has been in Gotham!" spoke Nathaniel.

"Are your kidding? She's engaged to one of the world's billionares and is and is a fashion director for their company!" Kim exclaimed, "I wonder when she is coming back."

"Why would she come back here?" Adrien questioned, "Paris may be the fashion capital, but why would you lose a really good job like that?"

"Marinette's about to become Mrs. Wayne!" Rose cried out, excited.

Lila stood up, suddenly.

"Hey, are you okay?" Alya asked.

Lila had tears in her eyes, "I-I need to make a call."

"Do you need one of us to go with you?" Mylene asked out of concern.

Lila just shook her head.

Lila left the room, sobbing. After all she had done, Marinette had still won. Marinette had moved on. The baker's daughter had left the losers behind and rose the ranks to glory. She was on the verge of being fired from Gabriel. Adrien wasn't dating her, still, and was dating some other model from Shanghai. She was positive that Marinette hadn't thought of her in years. She had ruined her own life by turning Marinette against her. She had turned the person who would be the richest into her enemy and she knew she would never get a chance to have the life she desired.

TAGLIST: @maribat-calendar-events @animeweebgirl@a-star-with-a-human-name@meme991001@vixen-uchiha@abrx2002@alysrose-starchild@fandom-trapped-03@dood-space@moonlightstar64@saltymiraculer@marveldcedits20@09shell-sea09@icerosecrystal@animegirlweeb@insane-fangirl-of-everything@blueblossombliss@nickristus-dreamer@megawhitleycalderonpaganus@missmadwoman@meira-3919@princessdaisysolosyourfaves@blep-23@fangirlingfanatic@darkhinauniverse@ravenr22@im-a-satanic-ritual@ravennm84@bianca-hooks123@a-slytherinish-gryffindor@starling218

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Why do you think they don't show Marinette comforting other characters? It's always been a weird writing decision to me, and I sometimes wondered if I was legit just erasing all the times it happened out of my memory or smth. Like the first character trait established for her is she struggles to say no to people, she is a people-pleaser. And there isn't a better way to make ur mc lovable than showing how they effect the people around them. AND it would make her breakdowns genuinely heartbreaking, because she keeps giving and giving and it's a genuine flaw. Like, she rushed off to comfort Ivan in Origins, right? We should have had more of that. I'm reminded of that one Lady Wifi (i think?) scene where Ladybug is smiling at her adoring fans and the camera while Chat Noir is in the background actually comforting a child lmao. It just feels so weird, because I think Marinette IS actually supposed to be someone who does that, who provides that comfort to her loved ones all the time (even at the cost of her own mental health, boom, an actual thing she can work towards). But we just keep getting the reverse instead. She just kinda feels like a shit friend? Showing that emotional labor would also make her exhaustion work because like, what does the guardian even DO? Tell not show, but they ain't telling shit.

One of the things that drew me to Miraculous is the fact that the show tends to write the characters in non-standard gender roles, so I actually like the fact that Marinette tends to be more of a fixer than a comforter. She drives people to action and wants to solve problems and is very good at taking the weight of the world on her shoulders, but she kind of sucks at emotional vulnerability and comforting people. It's genuinely a good flaw for her character and a lovely thing to see in a show aimed at girls. No, we don't all need to be stereotypically maternal figures. Women can be just as bad as men stereotypically are when it comes to emotions!

The problem is that the show is obsessed with Marinette holding every important role in the story, meaning that we don't get a more emotionally aware character or characters to balance her out. Nor do we get to see her learn that this is a flaw of hers and either improve or just own that she's bad at this and learn to trust someone else with these types of issues. (This is one of the many things I think Adrien should have been allowed to do, btw. Ladybug is the brains, Chat Noir should be the heart.) We also don't get a true sense of Marinette's struggles because the show's formulaic nature rarely allows for those types of problems.

The Lila thing is a good example. Lila says that she's going to destroy Marinette's friendships, but she literally can't do that because that would mean changing the way the characters relate on a massive scale and formula shows can't do that. So instead of seeing Marinette struggle as Lila lies and manipulates everyone into hating Marinette, we get extremely annoying episodes where Lila lies and everyone believes her, but no one gets all that upset at Marinette's constant accusations. They just treat it as a minor quibble which is actually more aggravating than Lila changing the status quo in my opinion.

There's also the issue that you brought up: we don't see Marinette truly struggling to be the guardian, so her new role doesn't feel like a big deal. Not much changes for her save for the kwamis being around now. We don't even know what her relationship with Master Fu was really like because he was barely ever on screen so we really don't feel her loss.

All of this is just another problem to lay at the feat of our ever-present issue: Miraculous does not have the right conflicts and characters for a formula show. Formula shows thrive off of things being lighthearted and the heroes lacking major flaws. Miraculous chose to make things somewhat serious and give everyone flaws that are just begging to be address, but that can't be because this is the wrong format for that type of thing.

In a team show where character arcs were a thing or even just one where character dynamics were a thing and Marinette was allowed to share the screen in a more balanced manner, then everything about her would work fine. She's set up perfectly for that kind of show. She is not set up for a formula show where she's basically the only character that matters outside of the villains. If that's what they wanted to write, then Marinette needed to be limited to minor flaws that never last more than an episode or at least limited to flaws that are purely situational such as being stubborn or the classic sudo-flaw of being clumsy that the show already embraces.

[fernsnouveau]

I actually disliked the direction where I'd recently seen a bunch of the more reasonable S5-critical ML fandom people going. Those discussions and analyses were spiraling increasingly towards demonising Marinette over time, as we were left hanging with the s5 ending for a long time, and the fandom had nothing new to talk about.

I actually liked her flaws.

But then the canon does... this...

And I do admit, it's an in-character way to push Marinette towards a villain arc. Like, if I had to construct a darkfic scenario where Marinette goes evil and try to keep it as close to her canon personality as possible, it would look something like this. Which, I guess, means that it's theoretically easier for me to accept than, for example, S5's occasional incidents of Edgy Murderboy Chat Noir (how is that the same character who had TWO guilt-based mental breakdowns about accidentally cataclysming someone completely out of his control, including the main villain??!). I'm sure there are in-character ways to turn Adrien (or anyone else) into a villain, but Murder-Noir was Not It.

Of course another reason why the writing of Murder-Noir gives me extra heebie jeebies, was how it felt like an abuse apologia excuse, validating Gabriel's accusations for Adrien to not "deserve" autonomy, nor to experience or express any negative, inconvenient emotions. Murder-Noir feels like it's a writing choice directed at child abuse victims in the audience, who related to Adrien. "See, your abuser was right, you're horrible and overly emotional and out of control, so you NEED to be rigidly controlled for your own and everyone else's good!

Anyway.

While I admit that Marinette taking up Gabriel's mantle this way is technically in character, I cannot claim to enjoy the writing choice at all. I liked Marinette's flaws. I wanted to explore them. I did not want her demonised to this extent. She could have been meaningfully flawed without becoming better at being Gabriel, than Gabriel himself was!

After this, the only justification for the lovesquare to stay together, would be as a wish-fulfillment or "reward" for Marinette, and that's not enough for me. When I think about, if there was a real-life abuse victim in Adrien's position (minus the supernatural elements), and then they were friends with, and/orstarted dating someone who repeatedly treated them the way Maribug has been doing (and "repeatedly" is important here, it demonstrates unwillingness to learn from mistakes and be sincere about apologies – S4 was brushed under a rug as soon as Chat Noir superficially forgave!), ESPECIALLY but not only siding with the abusive parent and lying to the victim that the abuse they experienced was "not really abuse" and For Their Own Good, and demonstrated this complete infantilisation and lack of respect for the abuse victim, wanting to see them only as a palatable, innocent fairytale being who's not allowed to be inconvenient, express negative emotions, make informed choices mor generally be a complete person...

Obviously the right thing to do, for the abuse victim, would be to get the hell away from that person.

It does NOT mean that the person is irredeemable. They're just... not owed the abuse victim's forgiveness and continued presence in their life.

And I can't ignore that anymore.

We failed to get an arc about Adrien surviving and escaping Gabriel and healing. He has now been put into a position where, in order to ever be okay, he would have to survive and escape Marinette in order to heal.

I don't like this. It feels very hopeless and bleak and unenjoyable. I don't even think the story is gonna go there and free/heal Adrien (Astruc made it clear that Adrien isn't supposed to be his own character or have agency, he's supposed to be Marinette's accessory and that's never gonna change).

But as far as I'm concerned, any excuse for the lovesquare relationship to get back together after this, would have the unpalatable aftertaste of propaganda to make victims return to their abusers.

I don't like this trajectory!!!

[broadwaycutie16]

Hey, I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is this whole Karma of Lies thing about? I often have some of your posts showing up on my dashboard about how people are not listening to you clarifying things about your story, but I avoided looking into the whole situation myself because I don't want to expose myself to so much (Adrien) salt which I know is at the initial root of all this (or at least, thats how it came across to me)

Would you explain for me what this situation is about? I'm always intrigued by this whole thing whenever I see another post from you, because of how wild reading about it all out for context is, but now curiosity finally got the best of me x3

So basically, KoL starts as your basic salt plot. Marinette’s being bullied by Lila, her friends are extorting her and accusing her of being unfair to Lila, Adrien’s just like “everything’s fine, Marinette” and telling her to just take all the crap from everyone.

Then Hawkmoth’s identity gets out, and Lila decides to cut her losses and get the hell out of there, but not without getting something out of the deal. She gets Adrien to send her money to her, and because Adrien is so trusting, he puts in the info for his family’s emergency bank account right where she can see it, not even thinking that Lila would try to screw him over. Spoiler alert: She does. She drains Adrien’s whole account of fifty million, leaving him without a cent in this catastrophic time in his life, and skips town by telling her mom a sob story. She also tricks the class into giving up their most expensive possessions, and then sells them to other people after she leaves.

So now Lila’s committed a grand felony, and she’s clear to continue her reign of terror anywhere she wants, with her newfound wealth goving her limitless potential on destroying lives. And you know what Marinette does to stop her?

NOTHING.

Marinette refuses to lift a finger to get Lila arrested. The narrative would have you believe that it’s because she’s setting boundaries and taking care of her mental health for a change, but it’s easy to figure out the REAL reason. She gives all these excuses over why she’s unable to do anything about it, using lots of loopholes, completely ignoring the fact that she’s supposed to be a superhero and thus has a moral obligation to stop Lila, if nothing else just to save all the innocent people she’ll destroy in the future.

Meanwhile, Adrien becomes penniless, his father goes on the run, and his aunt refuses to personally take him in because she’s more concerned about the scandal than about her orphaned nephew, basically resigning him to live in Marinette’s old apartment with hardly anything to call his own while Marinette moves into his old room at the mansion after getting a job with Audrey Bourgeois, who has now taken control of Gabriel’s company. And all through this, Marinette and the narrative are basically saying, “you didn’t help me when I needed you to stick for me, so now I’m not gonna help you when you need it”, basically ignoring the fact that what’s happening to Adrien is a hundred times worse than what happened to her.

Even worse, Marinette trashes all her friends’ reputations on live TV, calling them out for mistreating her without stating the reason why they mistreated her, so the public doesn’t know the full story. And Adrien, desperate to get his life back, makes a stupid and arrogant mistake and tries to take down Mayura by himself, but is easily fooled by her to give her opportunity to steak his ring. The villains are defeated, but now everyone in Paris thinks Adrien gave Nathalie the ring on purpose, and accuse him of being a willing accomplice to his father, effectively crushing any little particles of hope he had left for his future.

But what truly makes this fic a dumpster fire of a story, is how the author directs the whole narrative to try and make you believe that everything that happened to Adrien was 100% justfied, that not supporting Marinette and letting some girl bully her and turn her friends against her, a problem that was temporary at worst and that basically was nothing more than some schoolgirl drama, means that he, a fourteen year old boy from an abusive household, deserves to be virtually homeless, bankrupt, disowned by his entire family, and falsely accused if terrorism, and doomed to living the rest of his life out on the streets, without even the slightest conception that maybe it was a little too much.

Oh, and the only punishment Lila gets is some vague warning from Marinette about her future, and apparently, that’s supposed to be enough to stop the girl who knowingly teamed up with a terrorist and was willing to doom the city just to get back at one person for one embarrassing incident in front of one person.

Basically, The Karma of Lies is the worst salt fic of all the salt fics, punishing Adrien for childish stupidity with permanent life damage beyond anything written in salts before, and trying to send the message that it’s okay for Marinette to let it all happen just to get back at him for not being a better friend.

Trust me, do not read it. It is a garbage fire. I regret reading it every day. It’s really messed with my head. Even now, I’d wholly welcome an infinite number of sequel fics punishing Marinette and her “friends” (read: evil minions) for what they did, because if the story says that Adrien deserves his fate for doing nothing, they deserve even worse. This fic is the epitome of everything wrong with the Miraculous Ladybug fandom.

[nobodyfamousposts]

why is everyone always hyping up Ms. Mendeleev as this amazing teacher who takes no bull when she really isn’t? in evil illustrator, Mendeleev sees Chloe picking on Nathaniel and even physically rips his sketch book out of his hands and embarrasses him in front of everyone. but not only is Mendeleev more focused on him drawing in class, she only scolds Chloe but doesn’t punish her for being disruptive. in Marinette’s flashback, when Marinette arrives to class late looking downtrodden, she yells at her in front of everyone instead of waiting until the end of class to talk to Marinette privately. she doesn’t ask her what’s wrong, she doesn’t shut down Chloe’s offensive comments about “looking more depressed than usual” and “she wants to design clothes but can’t keep hers clean”, and she yells at Marinette for accusing Chloe of putting paint on her seat by stating that she had no basis to do so. this woman sure does yell a lot doesn’t she? Mendeleev has zero empathy for her students and has no business being a teacher. if we’re going to call out Damocles and Bustier, she deserves a call out as well.

No no, you have a point. I find I want to argue with you because I'm one of those who likes Mendeleiev substantially more compared to the other teachers, but that's just it: when compared to the other teachers.

Other than Damocles as the Principal, Mendeleiv is one of only three teachers we've been introduced to in the whole of the series. Well, until the Art teacher in season three, but even he has the same issues as Bustier and Damocles of admonishing the other students while saying nothing against Chloe.

Chloe issues aside, Bustier's teaching methods are "nice", but notably useless and not age appropriate. She was shown teaching the class about a fairy tale, and not even a specific one. Just about how a Prince saves a Princess with a kiss, with "true love" being the lesson rather than the literary implications or analysis in what I can only assume is a literature class.

Then there's D'Argencourt, and do I really need to get into this guy?

So I think part of the reason here is that of the very few teachers we've gotten any focus on, Mendeleiev is the only one who has actually ACTED like a teacher. Not the nicest teacher, no, but at least A teacher.

She was admittedly harsh in how she went about things with her students, but she had valid points and reasoning behind what she did.

Nathaniel in Evilustrator was drawing in science class, a subject he is struggling in.

Rose was spraying perfume in class without consideration to the hazards it could cause. Someone could have a health issue. Plus...y'know...the canon problem of the perfume being VERY FLAMMABLE.

And she's the only teacher who has at any point at least scolded Chloe for her behavior. Which given how everyone seems to bend over backwards to appease her or admonish her victims, that's saying something.

Plus out of all the school staff who have been akumatized, Mendeleiev had the most sympathetic reason. Then there's her aborted storyline in the New York Special. So she comes off as a teacher who wants to be liked and do right by her students, even if her way of going about her interactions seems harsh, and I think that's the aspect that the fans have taken notice of.

It stands to reason we've all had a teacher like her in our lives. Strict. No nonsense. Didn't let us get away with anything. And it also stands to reason that having that teacher in real life made us dread that class.

So yes, Mendeleiev is no saint. But she at least IS a teacher who ACTS like a teacher. A strict teacher who takes no excuses and seems more impartial (at least when compared with Damocles and Bustier who make it quite obvious they're under Chloe's thumb even if it's in different ways and for different reasons). She could do with some education on empathy and communicating with her students. But she's still at least doing her job as an educator to teach them.

At least until the writers ruin her just like they ruin everything else because they saw what the fandom came up with and decided we can't have nice things.

[ilikekidsshows]

When did Astruc say Adrien was lame for being feminine? I thought he welcomed the gender nonconforming headcanon? Or writing a lame character that Marinette being exceptional would like? I thought he was canonically popular with girls (and boys haha). Are there tweets I missed?

Oh, no, this isn't based on tweets. This is based on things in the show.

If you pay attention, a lot of characters criticize Adrien for being passive, not standing up for himself and being too emotional. I'm a media analyst, so I'm pretty good at spotting patterns in shows, and Adrien being criticized for his feminine attributes is a pattern, alright.

First we get these comments from Gabriel, but, we assume we're meant to disagree because Gabriel is abusive and the main villain, but then other characters get in on it.

Félix, during his arc from villain to hero, repeatedly criticizes Adrien for all of these things, and isn't exactly refuted by anyone. Félix is morally gray at this point, though, so a lot of people take whatever he says with a grain of salt. However, it should also be noted that Félix, after his debut, is the writers' pet who always succeeds in whatever he does, so we can't be too sure that the writers disagree with whatever he says.

Then come the actual characters no one can refute we're supposed to agree with. Kagami criticizes Adrien for not standing up to Gabriel and Félix more. A heroic character, who has repeatedly given valuable advice to our leads, is saying this, so we're inclined to agree. When Adrien agrees with her, the show is telling us that this (Kagami accusing Adrien of being too passive) was good advice.

What really solidifies this is Adrien himself being made to say it. That stuff in Kuro Neko about how he's too emotional and too sensitive. That's Adrien saying the parts of him that are girl-coded are wrong because they cause Ladybug trouble. And Ladybug treats this as fact. She doesn't say she agrees, but she does instantly soften towards him and accept him back into the team after he says it, implying her agreement with the statements.

Astruc doesn't need to say anything. He's the most unsubtle creator I've seen and the show speaks for him.

But, if it's direct quotes you want, the writers' commentary tells us that the reason Adrien isn't in the finale is because he's the 'princess' in their fairytale, they call him the "princess sleeping in her tower". So they're replicating sexist story tropes about "sleeping princesses" with no agency in their stories but just reversing the genders. Sounds like adrien's girl-coding specifically being the excuse the writers use to diminish his role to me!

[uptoolateart]

Hey, hey, hey - time for a Gabriel analysis!

So. After we learned that Gabriel Agreste wasn't his original name, my mind jumped to Andre Bourgeois, who also once had a different name. In keeping with the themes of the show, we are seeing that secret identities don't always come with masks and comic book names.

We had a hint of Gabriel's secret past in Psycomedian, when Harry visited and alluded to his Gabi days. How, oh how could the Gabriel Agreste we all know have ever been friends with someone like Harry Clown? This is only possible if he was once a different sort of person.

We had further clues in Gabriel's vision of the past, in the time burrow in Evolution - and in Emilie's video messages left for Nathalie, and the photographs of Gabriel, Emilie and Nathalie on some expedition, seen in Passion - and in Amelie's accusation that Gabriel has changed, in Emotion.

Adrien is also aware his father has changed with time, demonstrated when he tells Gabriel that Emilie once said they came from different backgrounds.

The photos shown in Revelation finally gave concrete evidence that Gabriel used to have an adventurous spirit and he used to smile. He was fun...but something changed...and I don't think it was just Emilie's death that caused the personality shift. Based on casual comments Adrien has made throughout the series, his father has been strange for years.

Gabriel tells Adrien that he and Kagami are 'of the same design' - and we know he means this literally. But taking it as a metaphor...for two seasons I've wondered what Emilie's parents were like. We can infer that she comes from a wealthy, 'important' family. Maybe Gabriel struggled to fit in and win the approval of his in-laws. Maybe he never felt good enough. When he tells Adrien things like, 'You're clinging to Marinette because her mediocrity lets you shine more,' perhaps someone once talked like that about him. With that kind of background, it would be unsurprising that he decided to try to forge a new identity.

And let's remember that Gabriel is a designer. His whole empire is founded on inventing personae. Even beyond the sentimonster aspect, he tells Marinette that he designed the image the world holds of his son. Everything is his invention. That speech in Pretension proved just how deep his God complex runs - he fully believes he has made the world in his image. Even the episode title - Pretension - smacks of the image he is presenting to the world in lieu of truth.

At this point, what we're seeing is a 'new money' stereotype - a self-made man who now spurns those who remind him of where he came from. It's one of the most shameful things about him. No matter how much fame and money you get...you can't forget your roots, people. Maybe that's easy for me to say because I'm not rich or famous. But I just can't imagine turning my back on my own origin story. It's what makes you who you are. Gabriel clearly didn't want to be that person anymore...and that's sad.

What's also fascinating is that, if we zoom in on those pictures Nathalie took in Revelation, we see that once upon a time, Gabriel - Gabi Grassette - was a punk. Let's take a moment to appreciate the spiked hair, makeup, leather jacket, ripped jeans, and dog collar - not to mention that smirk. And far from being ashamed of his work with Harry Clown as a human frites (who, by the way, reminds me so much of Mr Banana), he was smiling about it. Man, he loved it. Contrast that with Gabriel in Party Crasher - 'JOY.... What's going on in my HOUSE!?'

If it were at all possible for the old Gabi to meet Cat Noir, I can imagine him loving Cat's costume. On that note, I can't help but compare that dog collar with Cat's bell. I've said before that I see the bell as a symbol of Cat being domesticated and under control. Gabi probably saw his dog collar more as a rebellion, but maybe it too is a symbol of how he once felt controlled by someone.

The thing is...the punk movement was all about anti-establishment anti-authoritarianism. Today, Gabriel is the establishment he once rebelled against. It makes me think of John Lydon of the Sex Pistols turning Conservative and advertising butter. Musicians like Donovan - not a punk, but in a similar category, as a 1960s hippie - are rare for maintaining that same spirit all through their lives.

Gabriel is a 'sell-out'. He gave up that spirit and became someone unrecognisable. Those photos demonstrate that Emilie isn't the only body buried in a 'basement' in the Agreste mansion. There is a different person buried under the cold veneer that is Gabriel - a person Nathalie probably misses. I expect that's why she's stuck with him all this time, despite her better instincts. Something tells me Gabi would've made a better father.

The irony is that Adrien's moments of rebellion are probably one of the few things he has in common with his father, if we look far enough back in Gabriel's past. That, and their temper - and randomly breaking into eccentric dance and song. Gabi might have appreciated Adrien more for standing true to his principles. Maybe Adrien sometimes reminds Gabriel of himself and he can't stand it - can't stand thinking of what he's lost along the way.

I believe Gabriel exists in a perpetual state of regret. Part of him probably misses Gabi, too. After all, Gabi got Emilie. What has Gabriel got? Wealth, sure, but Emilie's dead, Adrien all but hates him, Nathalie's wasting away, and Gabriel himself has only weeks to live.

If you think about it, Gabriel's whole quest has been about getting a do-over. He wants a second chance with Emilie - a second chance for Nathalie - a second chance at his own life. He then tells Adrien that his greatest wish is to try to reconnect with him...because he knows he doesn't have much time left with his son. Even then, though, his selfishness prevails. (Psst, Gabi...you can't make up for years of terrible parenting with banana pancakes.)

Thinking of the snake miraculous, the second chance lets you know what's going to happen, enabling you to make better decisions the next time around. In other words: it's about learning from your mistakes. Gabriel never learns, and it is his refusal to accept destiny and his own human fallibility that is causing his disintegration.

The more Gabriel necrotises, the more we can see this as his 'sins' catching up with him. He doesn't seem to grasp that all the blackness devouring him is, in a way, the blackness of his own heart. Even if he erases the whole world, he can't erase his deeds. If he managed to get his Wish and bring Emilie back, she would be horrified. She'd wonder where her Gabi went.

Gabriel is proof that 'evolution' isn't always positive. He reinvented himself once, and now, because it didn't go the way he wanted, he's trying to reinvent things again. Tomoe also hints at a belief that the solution to her problems is to make the world anew - to get a second chance. Felix tries this, too, when he creates the red moon to wipe out all people except his select group.

But Felix does learn - Ladybug helps him see that even if you erase all the people causing you so much grief...you still have to deal with that pain. What Gabriel fails to see is that - like Cat Blanc on the roof, all alone without his lady - destroying your witnesses won't remove the witness in your own heart.

Even if Gabriel wiped everyone else's memory of his crimes, he would still know what he'd done. And when you cross those kinds of lines, you can never go back to who you once were.

Please no post-Revelation spoilers in the comments :)

[princess-of-the-corner]

God I forgot about Qilin. Cool asfk akuma, arguably one of Gabes best designs, dragged down by the fucking ticket inspection and bringing in the goddamn army. (As well as how the episode felt like it was written avid ACAB Enthusiasts)

my problem with the episode is that it's a bit all over the place in a few spots like.

Firstly take this with a grain of salt because I'm white af

Okay. This is supposed to be an episode about racism and the cops being harder on minorities. But it doesn't.... come across that?

The ticket inspector was initially doing his job. Sabine didn't have a bus ticket. Yes it's because Mari got off the previous stop with the tickets, but if he handwaved everyone who said 'oh I totally bought a ticket but I lost it'.......

Now he does get unreasonable after that, accusing her of being hostile, having her arrested instead of just printing a ticket, etc. But this is also a show where the 'you seem to have broken a law so you immediately get arrested' is not out of place. (I mean sometimes it is BUT it's a 'what works for the story' thing). Doubly so as the target audience is children who sometimes do think 'oh god oh god I sneaked one extra candy they're gonna send a full swat team and arrest me and I'm gonna go to jail!!'.

Then you have the whole thing of literally all the cops showing up for one lady and then the Akuma and then the cops ignoring LB and CN in favor of blasting the Akuma with weaponry despite months of the Heroes handling this on their own. Which at first seems out of place until you remember episodes like Rogercop where all the cops weren't mind controlled they just went 'yeah I guess the obviously Akumatized(controlled by supervillain) cop in a mech suit is in charge because the mayor, who he kidnapped, said so. Time to arrest the Heroes!!". So while it hasn't happened in a while, cops just acting Like That™ aren't out of place in this world.

And like. The ticket inspector is a rando who is only seen here going against Sabine, but we have no idea how he'd act with a white guy breaking the same law. And Roger has been shown to be corrupt as hell toward white people(specifically the Couffaines who as far as we know are white). So it doesn't quite get the message across that this is out of the norm.

Then you have Marinette having to apologize to the ticket inspector who, at this point, is now much more reasonable of 'well she did technically break the law by riding the bus without ticket or ID, but given the circumstances we'll let it go' but Mari insists on paying the fine like he was in the right.

Honestly I feel like this episode suffers from not being direct about what the issue is. Yes it's implied that it's a racism thing, yes most of the audience including the kids will probably pick it up. But when you give that much wiggle room on 'what is motivating this character's actions', then combine it both with stuff that's /supposed/ to be extreme but is par for the course in the series and the protagonist apologizing to the guy who instigated all of this.... it gets very mixed and it can get lost and make people who do see the allegories wonder if they're just reading too much into things.

And I don't know exactly where to place the blame on. Did the writers pull back to try and make the situation more 'relatable to everyone' thus making it relate to no one? Was it a bigger thing of the studio or S&P saying 'hey you can't depict real racism in a kids' show'?

I mean either way there's some blame on the writers for the other flaws like Mari apologizing and undercutting anything the ticket inspector did wrong. But still.

[theerurishipper]

So, as a child abuse survivor and someone who has been sexually assaulted by men who think they're entitled to take what they want Adrien is canonically a god damned dick.

He sexually harrasses Ladybug. When told NO he once let 2.161 million people drown because he was busy throwing a tantrum

Being a victim of abuse does not excuse the abuse of others.

He might not mean any harm but you know who else doesn't mean any harm? Gabriel. My goddamned mother.

Not meaning harm- lacking malice- does not mean harm is not caused.

People are going on about him being a rich white guy because anyone else acting like that in public would be considered an antagonist (in fiction), in jail, or have an active warrant for their arrest. And that's assuming they aren't killed for it.

First off, I am truly very sorry for your experience. No one should have to go through that.

But I still do disagree.

Adrien's pushiness when it comes to expressing his affections for Ladybug are in the same boat as Marinette being a stalker or Chloe being pushy with Adrien: it's a joke. You may find it to be a poor one, certainly, but it's a joke nonetheless. Miraculous relies on this kind of humor, it's not meant to be taken seriously. You can have issues with it, but imho acting like it's any kind of legitimate criticism of his character probably makes people like me less inclined to listen to any actual criticisms you may have.

I don't say this to trivialize your experiences, and if the joke is hurtful to you, you are well within your rights to dislike it or talk about how it's in poor taste to make jokes about these things, but that's all it is, a joke. It's absurdist humor. It's not meant to be taken at face value. It would be creepy if Marinette seriously had Adrien's schedule mapped out, tried to break into his house, or stole his personal items, but it's not supposed to be that way because it's a joke.

And as for your complaint about Adrien leaving people to drown, you can go ahead and blame Master Fu for that one. It's stated quite clearly in the show that the heroes couldn't do anything because everything is underwater. And he's staying there because he's waiting for Ladybug. Making up imaginary civilians who are drowning now isn't a good criticism. Ladybug spends a good amount of time underwater, but there's no-one there. There's no civilian begging for Chat Noir's help as they drown while he ignores them, so suffice to say that we're supposed to assume everyone is safe and sound. This is a kids show, so unless we're shown that people are in danger, we aren't supposed to assume they are.

And then let's talk about Adrien almost quitting.

I'll say it straight: he has every right to quit. He's a 14-year-old kid. This isn't his job. He's well within his rights to quit if he feels like this is detrimental to him. And it isn't about Ladybug not returning his feelings like you seem to be implying. This is about Ladybug keeping secrets from him and leaving him in the dark even though he's supposedly her partner. It took a situation like this for Master Fu to pull his head out of his ass and come give Adrien the tools he needed to do the damn job you're accusing him of not doing. How is he supposed to do anything if he isn't given then necessary tools and knowledge to do it? Should he just accept that he's being ignored and left in the dark? Accept his new role as Ladybug's unquestioning lapdog?

This is not Ladybug salt btw, this is Master Fu salt only, in this house we don't like Master Fu.

Anyway.

Literally look at why he tries to quit.

Adrien:(grimly) If you don't tell me what Ladybug is hiding from me, I'm done! Plagg: You can't do that! Adrien:(bitterly) Why not? No one'll know if I quit. No one'll care!

He doesn't think he's needed. He doesn't think anyone would care if he quits.

This isn't because of any entitlement. It's because he's being cast aside and left in the dark. It's because his partner (it's not her fault either, to be clear, it's Master Fu's fault) is keeping secrets from him even in this time, so he assumes he isn't needed and decides to quit because he feels like he's unnecessary and unwanted, and that no one will care if he quits. Adrien already has very low self-worth, and this is just adding onto all that already. If it is detrimental to his mental health, then he definitely has the right to step aside and quit.

So yeah. If this ask was to get me to change my mind, I'm sorry, but it didn't. You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but I think I've made my opinion on the matter clear.

[ggomos-maribat]

Soul-Stitching: The Heir and the Guardian

Masterlist

Chapter 2: the innocent and the guilty | AO3

CW: Mentions of trauma, childhood trauma, and bullying

This is in no way an accurate depiction of a real court trial!! My inspiration comes from k-dramas, Ace Attorney, Danganronpa and Legally Blonde!! Similarities to real-life cases a purely coincidental!! Thank you!!

It is often noticed by any visitor of Paris that the city has changed in the few years of war with a magical terrorist. The sullen mood is palpable, even more so as citizens begin to file into the Court of Cassation. The fight with Hawkmoth has concluded since one year ago already, yet the topic is rarely brought up, only made known through hushed whispers. At least, that is what Clark discovers after spending a casual day in the city. 

He adjusts his glasses whilst looking up at the graying pillars of the building. It's an important case to cover, both as a reporter and a member of the Justice League—easily two birds with one stone. Clark is no Bruce Wayne but he can be a detective of his own. That's what a journalist is already, anyways. And judging by the flock of Parisians entering, it seems that this trial is important to them. He sees faces of unspoken trauma, some out for a sort of vengeance, some quietly remembering what it was like during the reign of akumas. When he finally takes his seat inside the grandiose courtroom, there is nothing but an air of somberness. 

The layout is as per usual: the judge high up, front and center; a witness stand beside him; a jury off to the side; and two tables on opposite sides for defense and prosecution. The things most different are the bulky cameras standing at the edge of the room, manned by the local reporters to document the entire thing. The important people have not arrived, however, and in the meantime, Clark decides to scribble on a small notebook. 

The facts of the case are baffling, persuading Clark that he has to see the trial himself. To make a sound judgment, he doesn't need only evidence but the people's opinion as well. 

A sharp hush washes over the courtroom as the double doors at the front open up. The judge, a sharp-nosed old man, heads the parade, followed by the prosecution and the defendant escorted by police and the bailiff. The accused walks with conserved grace although her hands are bound in thick handcuffs. The prison uniform falls loosely around her thin frame as she looks around curiously. 

“Monsieur Blanchard.” The judge pinches the bridge of his nose. “Where is our defendant's lawyer?” 

“It seems that Kingston has backed out of this one, Your Honor,” Blanchard replies, not hiding a snicker in his tone. 

“Then who—” 

“Wait, wait, I'm here!” The doors from the back fly open, turning many heads. In runs not the pot-bellied Kingston, but instead a young man fixing his tie with one hand and carrying a bulky briefcase in the other. 

“I'm here. Sorry I'm late.” The man smiles sheepishly, as if he had just been tardy for a class. But his grin is unfairly charming, shining brightly like the sun. 

“A—Adrien Agreste?” The judge does a double take. “You are the defense attorney?” 

“Yes sir.” Adrien’s grin widens. He proudly shows off the badge clipped to his suit, and a license that Clark is certain is fake. “It's my first ever case but I hope I do well.” 

Murmurs go over the crowd. 

Even the defendant herself looks genuinely surprised at his presence. 

Clark doesn't know if the judge is an idiot, or just doesn't want to prolong the trial any further, but the old man simply accepts Adrien's position as the defense representative. Meanwhile, Adrien is still beaming—not even in the confident manner like in the belief that his win is guaranteed. His expression is quite innocent, like he doesn't quite grasp how heavy the situation is. 

“We will begin now.” The judge swings his gavel. “Respectable citizens of Paris, we are gathered here today to hear the case of Mlle. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who is on trial for terrorizing the city for six long years as the supervillain Hawkmoth. The prosecution may now give its opening statement.” 

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Blanchard clears his throat. “On the eighteenth of June there was a series of calls coming from Rue Lepic, reporting suspicious behavior from an apartment complex. Specifically, bright beams of ‘magical’ light, multiple loud noises, and white butterflies coming out of a window. This suspicious person was found to be Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, an occupant of the unit in the fifth floor, however upon the inquiry of the police she was uncooperative. After multiple complaints, a search warrant was ordered and police found multiple pieces of evidence in Mlle. Dupain-Cheng's apartment.” 

“If you direct your attention to the screen here . . .” Blanchard motioned with his hand. “We found several blueprints depicting ‘an underground butterfly lair’, a list of akumatized civilians, and detailed plans to obtain Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculi. Ladies and gentlemen, I don't think much explanation is needed; the defendant is undoubtedly the villain Hawkmoth!” 

An uproar reverberates in the courtroom which the judge silences again. 

“That does seem conclusive.” The judge nods. “Does the defense have anything to say?” 

“Yes.” Adrien takes the floor, holding up a piece of paper and putting one hand on his hip. “I think we're missing one big point here.” He points at the TV screen, which switches to a masked photo of Hawkmoth. “This is Hawkmoth! He's a grown man and no way a young woman, much less my client. You say that you found evidence in my client's apartment, which could just be circumstantial evidence. The butterflies? My client might be an entomologist.” 

“I must object, Monsieur Agreste, but these are baseless arguments.” Blanchard raises an eyebrow. “We all know that the miraculi grant a ‘glamor’, a magical protection that makes holders unidentifiable with the mask on. This has been explained by Ladybug and Chat Noir a few times, and we have also witnessed its concealing power when their ally holders were revealed by Miracle Queen.” 

The mustached prosecutor huffs. “And as far as I have gathered, the defendant does not dabble in entomology. Rather, she's had a keen interest in fashion designing.” 

“As seen in the revealed holders�� profiles, the glamor does hide their identities but it does not change, in any way, their build, gender, and age,” Adrien argues. 

“Even so, we cannot be certain that the defendant is not behind the terrorist's mask. The magic must work in ways we do not understand; Mlle. Dupain-Cheng must have manipulated her appearance to a greater degree. The other documents—the blueprints and plans, are the supporting pieces of evidence.” 

“That's another point I want to make,” Adrien begins, “There is limited information about the miraculi that is publicly known. We're going off by statements Ladybug and Chat Noir have made previously, but you cannot convict anyone of being Hawkmoth without their presence right here, since only they can give the confirmation about who's the villain and who's not.” 

The crowd stirs at the mention of the two heroes, which Blanchard seemingly notes. “Unfortunately, those two have gone missing in action ever since Hawkmoth ceased attacks one year ago, effectively denying the people of Paris a formal declaration of the end of the battle as well as the identity of the villain. Ergo, we truly do not know if they've defeated him, if he was rightfully punished, or if he had only retreated into the shadows without the heroes ever finding his real identity.” He scoffs. “But today, we have a suspect and clear evidence right in front of us. Why must we wait for these ‘heroes’ before we act?” 

Half of the people make sounds of agreement, while others direct their annoyance at the defense attorney. For the umpteenth time, the judge brings down his gavel. 

“Yes,” the judge sighs, “Monsieur Agreste, we have tried coordinating with the mayor to contact Ladybug and Chat Noir for this case, however there is no sign of them. Our concern in this case is the defendant's identity regardless of whether the heroes would deem her guilty.” 

“But—” 

“If you have a way to bring the heroes to the witness stand, I will be happy to postpone this trial.” 

Adrien pouts and shakes his head, clearly unequipped with such a method. 

“The prosecution will now present further arguments.” 

“Very well, Your Honor.” Blanchard sweeps his gaze towards the other table. “I would like to call the defendant, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, to the witness stand.” 

Everyone watches the petite girl as she is guided to the stand beside the judge and swear the oath. Unlike the majority in the position of an accused, she doesn't wear a gloomy face, or worry, or fear. Marinette's expression is just . . . unfazed. Almost cheery, even. In addition to that, she's eerily calm—no nervous ticks or excessive babbling. 

“Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.” An air of exasperation surrounds Blanchard when he stands in front of the defendant, as if he has gone through this a thousand times. “Will you be cooperative in answering my few questions for you?” 

She gives a small smile. A smile. “Yes, of course. I'll try my best.” 

“Right . . .” Blanchard reads off a piece of paper. “First, regarding Monsieur Agreste's statement. Have you been practicing entomology recently?” 

Her eyebrows furrow. “No, not really. I've just been designing.” 

“In that case, how would you explain the butterflies witnessed by your neighbors and found in your apartment?” 

“I've been keeping them there.” 

“For what purpose?” 

“I can't tell you.” 

Blanchard doesn't say anything, as a way of telling everyone: ‘see how difficult it is to get through her?’ He switches to another topic. “How do you explain the blueprints and akuma plans found in your apartment? They tie you directly to Hawkmoth.” 

“Yes, they're incriminating, aren't they?” Marinette chirps. “But you should understand that I can't tell you the reasons. They're just there.” 

“Are you Hawkmoth?” 

“No, of course not.” 

“Do you have anything to say to at least prove you're not? Evidence?” 

She thinks for a moment. “Something tangible? No, nothing I can show you.” 

“Do you have companions in your apartment who may have planted those papers?” 

“No, I live alone.” 

Blanchard turns to the judge. “As you can see, the defendant denies the accusation, but ambiguously. Since she doesn't provide a clear alibi, we can only rely on the current evidence which points to her guilt.” 

Marinette is quickly ushered away from the witness stand and Adrien is given his turn to speak again. 

“It is reasonable for my client to deny those accusations . . . because masquerading as a villain isn't her at all. Let me tell you that all of Marinette's friends and family will vouch for her kindness; in both le collège and le lycèe, she was an excellent student academically, and a dedicated volunteer in her extracurriculars. Not to mention, she regularly sells her creations for charity. If you look at her school records, her worst offenses are just tardies; she did have a case of theft which, under the proper investigation, you would find she was framed for and one instance of expulsion that was retracted. Nonetheless, this girl couldn't have been an emotional terrorist in any way.” Adrien takes a deep breath after his spiel. 

“There are other concerning points in her behavior. Several of her former classmates as well as her parents, have recounted Mlle. Dupain-Cheng disappearing at random times, which always coincided with the instances of akuma attacks,” Blanchard rebuts. 

“My client becomes anxious during akuma attacks. It's just a coincidence.” 

“Unfortunately, the defendant has been seen interacting with suspicious individuals as well.” Blanchard clasps his hands behind his back. “Your Honor, may I call another witness to the stand?” 

With the judge's permission, a civilian is called into the stand: a woman just about the defense's age, wearing a pencil skirt with her long sleek hair cascading down her back. Clark swears he hears Adrien mumble ‘ew, hell no’ using his superhuman hearing. 

“This is Mlle. Lila Bianca Rossi,” Blanchard introduces, “Former classmate and acquaintance to Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. She has some . . . notable observations about the defendant.” 

Now Clark knows he hadn't imagined Adrien's comment. The defense attorney has his jaw clenched tightly, with no concealed disdain for the witness. But Marinette's expression doesn't mirror his; she only has her head tilted in confusion. With a hint of amusement perhaps. 

“Mlle. Rossi, please enlighten us with the defendant's apparent change in behavior during collège and lycèe,” Blanchard requests. 

“I regret standing here to testify against my classmate.” Rossi throws a look of pity at Marinette, folding one hand on top of the other. “But she had this . . . this shift in attitude all of a sudden. I was a transfer student in our school, Francois Dupont. From the way our classmates looked up to Marinette, I can tell that she's the consistent role model. But then—no one knows why—but she suddenly became distant and irritable. She even verbally harassed some of us even if we didn't do anything to her.” 

“Is there anything about her that leads you to believe that she is Hawkmoth?” 

“I saw something, a couple of times, in the park near her family's bakery.” The witness frowns. “There's a strange car that passed by a bench she was sitting on and . . . it looked like she was talking to someone inside. It didn't look like any of our classmates’ cars, and they looked pretty secretive about it.” 

“Do you remember anything about these people who talked to the defendant?” 

Rossi taps her lips. “I'm sorry, monsieur, I don't remember very clearly. The first instance was a man . . . I think, and after that it was a middle-aged woman. I do remember the woman wearing glasses and this bird-shaped pin on her chest. It stood out against her blue jacket.” She fiddles with her thumbs. “At—at first, I didn't think much of it and I didn't want to pry into Marinette's business, but now that I think about it, it was very suspicious.” 

“Does this mean, Mlle. Rossi, that you speculate that woman to be Mayura?” 

“I—I can't say for sure, but if you ask me, that seems to be the most likely explanation.” 

Blanchard nods understandingly as more murmurs litter around from the audience. “For the information of everyone here, by the way, I have questioned the defendant about this matter prior to the trial. Like earlier, she denies everything the witness recounted.” 

He faces Adrien. “Even if it is ‘unlikely’ for someone like the defendant to become a villain, we should acknowledge that people can have ill intentions despite a saintly image. Moreover, even if Mlle. Dupain-Cheng is not Hawkmoth as you claim, it is an undeniable fact that she is associated with him.” 

Adrien heaves out a long sigh, stepping beside Blanchard in front of Rossi. “Monsieur Prosecutor, may I interrogate your witness?” 

Blanchard nods. “Be my guest. As long as she consents.” 

“Mlle. Rossi.” Adrien's tone drips with his strange dislike for the woman. “I don't even know how you ended up as a witness here and to be honest your crimes need a separate trial of their own—” 

This earns indignant gasps from the audience. 

“—but for now, let's dissect your testimony. You said you witnessed my client here speaking with suspicious people. When exactly was this?” 

“Lycèe. Seconde,” Rossi coolly replies. 

“Do you remember the appearance of the car that approached my client?” 

“It was black . . . fancy with tinted windows.” 

“A Bugatti, would you say?” 

“Yes, yes a Bugatti. I remember it was that kind of car.” 

A tight smile graces the lawyer's face. “What made the encounter you witnessed suspicious?” 

“Before the car came, Marinette kept looking around as if she didn't want anyone to see. I never heard what they were talking about, but it seemed pretty serious. They were always whispering and when the car left, Marinette pretended as if nothing happened and went straight to her house.” Rossi shifts around a little. 

“Is this your only basis for treating it as something suspicious?” 

“Well—” 

“Does that mean, Mlle. Rossi, that any two people conversing secretly are already planning magical terrorist attacks?” 

“I—I just thought it fits Marinette's identity as Hawkmoth!” Rossi defends. 

“It fits conveniently with that explanation, but it also fits with my explanation.” Adrien shrugs. “During this time, seconde—we were fifteen—my father, the designer Gabriel Agreste, started secretly commissioning the defendant here as a design collaborator for his brand. My father wanted to keep it under wraps because it's the only way to make her agree. Unfortunately, they can only discuss the details in person and through Father's assistant, Nathalie, because Mlle. Dupain-Cheng's email has been repeatedly hacked by her harassers and competition. They were particularly fond of taking the Bugatti around the city even if it was so conspicuous. If you request it, Your Honor, I can definitely retrieve the documents of that same agreement right now.” 

Clark notices that Adrien throws a pointed look at Rossi when he utters ‘harassers’. 

The judge hums. “We will cross check this as evidence later.” 

“Of course.” Adrien nods. “Now that we've established that Mlle. Rossi had just misunderstood the situation, I think she's now pretty useless as a witness. What do you have to say, Monsieur Prosecutor?” 

The judge quietly relays his disapproval at Adrien for being rude to the witness, but motions at Blanchard to speak. 

“I believe I've yet to present the most incriminating evidence.” The look in Blanchard's eyes is menacing. “This morning, we did one final search inside the defendant's apartment. And we found this.” 

The screen flashes to show a familiar purple brooch: two pairs of wings emerging from a shiny jewel. It draws out the loudest reaction from the audience yet. 

Adrien gawks and turns to his client, who shrugs and shakes her head. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Butterfly miraculous. The very magical artifact Hawkmoth used to control Paris with fear. We have found this in Mlle. Dupain-Cheng's bedroom and it has her fingerprints on it as well.” 

“How certain are you that it's the real thing?” Adrien questions, rubbing his head. 

“It is unusable at the moment. If you look closely, there is a crack at the bottom, which must be why it is deactivated,” Blanchard says, “We are in the process of reaching out to a magic user who can verify its properties.” 

“You have used the evidence and my client's past behavior as bases for her guilt, but I have a question for the prosecution.” The defense lawyer looks agitated now, as if the brooch is one thing he hasn't accounted for. “What could be my client's motive for terrorizing Paris? Why did she stop?” 

“As you saw earlier, the defendant can be quite uncooperative, so it's difficult to deduce a motive or an explanation for the disappearance for now. If you are so convinced that Mlle. Dupain-Cheng is not Hawkmoth, do you have another candidate for someone who might be?” 

Adrien shares a look with Marinette. “Um . . . er—no . . .” 

“Though I cannot present what her motive might be, I have a clue in the reasons behind Mlle. Dupain-Cheng's actions. Her resortion to villainy may be a product of repressed childhood trauma.” 

Adrien visibly stiffens and pales. 

“I have done my own investigation and found that Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain are not the defendant's biological parents,” Blanchard declares. “She was brought into the foster system at the age of eight, and then adopted at nine. According to her former psychologist, she does not have any memories prior to her relocation to Paris, which may be from a traumatic experience. It is not impossible, then, that she may have psychological . . . tendencies, prompting her manipulation of others’ emotions through the Butterfly miraculous.” 

“That's not—” 

“Definitive? I agree, but the chance is not zero.” 

--

Clark is stunned down to his core. The judge and the jury were unswayed by the defense's counter arguments—they had just declared Marinette guilty, and the length of her sentence is currently in the talks. He has watched the entire trial to gain clarity on the case, but he’s becoming more perplexed by the situation. Marinette Dupain-Cheng's behavior is already strange in itself, but so is Adrien's. It seems that he has purposely withheld information—he doesn't even try to argue with Blanchard's closing statements or fight for a lighter punishment. 

He adjusts his tie. He still can't wrap his head around a single girl terrorizing Paris for six years, but the evidence is pretty solid. And said girl doesn't even mind being thrown into prison at all. 

He even catches the conversation after the verdict was announced: Adrien apologizes to her, but she merely pats his back, smiles, and tells him that she's off to a long vacation. She says it so casually, that Clark doesn't believe it's a crazy woman speaking. 

Clark stands up to approach Blanchard and get a more detailed statement, but he suddenly stops in his tracks. 

He hears them before the doors burst open. Oh no. 

“We'll take her from here.” Batman strides into the courtroom, flanked by Wonder Woman, the Flash, Zatanna, and Green Arrow at his sides. 

←Previous Chapter | Next Chapter →

Fun Fact! Instead of Marinette, it was actually Adrien who started to dabble in entomology after Hawkmoth's defeat Taglist: @noisydreamlandkoala

[flightfoot]

got any fic focusing on marinette's trauma? all i can find are adrien trama fics

That makes sense. All Hawk Moth related trauma is stuff that Adrien would also have, and who it would be ten times worse for. Still, I'll see what I can do. I'm gonna stick to ones where the trauma Marinette suffers is derived at least somewhat from canon, and not like, from being captured and tortured, or having a fatal illness, or her mom dying, or anything like that. I'm assuming you want ones that are at least close-ish to canon, instead of just "Marinette angst" fics.

---

A Small but Stubborn Fire by @cardiac-agreste

What if you were the parent of a teenage superhero, but didn't know they were? All you know is the nightmares, the panic attacks, and the bruises. She's missing school, she's disappearing on you, and she's not telling you anything. So you assume the worst: Assault. Depression. A permanent rift in the family. And what do you do when you realize you weren't thinking dark enough? Because your fourteen-year old daughter is the hero who flirts with death on the nightly news. -- Come inside and read about one mother's struggles to raise her daughter in a dangerous world while avoiding the mistakes her own mother made with her.

This is a more serious take on the consequences of Hawk Moth's war on Paris, with actual bloody, painful deaths as a consequence of many akumas, and Parisians developing PTSD because of what they've gone through. Ladybug can fix all the physical scars, but not the mental ones, including her own.

I love the focus on Sabine here. She's not just presented as being a mom - though of course that IS an important role she has. But she's explored as a character in her own right, one with a lot of emotional baggage as a result of her abusive mother, and trying to not fall into her mistakes, but sometimes doing so anyway out of fear for Marinette's safety. She's a really fleshed out, humanly flawed character, sometimes admitting that she would do something selfish if it means protecting the people she cares most about, like her daughter, even if its at others expense. She grows and changes a lot throughout the course of the story, her perspective on many matters changing multiple times as a result of getting new information or seeing the consequences of her previous approaches, and adjusting as a result.

If you want a fic that more realistically explores the dark consequences of Miraculous's setting, that fleshes out Sabine, or just develops a character in a complex way, then I highly recommend you check "A Small but Stubborn Fire" out!

---

In Pursuit of the Uneatable by @nemaliwrites

Who do you trust when your own reflection becomes a stranger? In a Paris where Lila weaves tales that blind the city, Marinette stands accused, isolated. Her parents' trust is shattered, her friends distant, and in battle, illusions blur the line between ally and enemy. As the shadows and uncertainty threaten to close in, Marinette finds herself turning to the last person who claims to be on her side: a boy in a white mask who calls himself a fox hunter.

THIS IS NOT A BASHING FIC. Well, Lila bashing, I guess, but even then she gets a lot more consideration than usual. Anyway, there's no animosity towards Marinette's friends and family here. Instead, the fic has more of this melancholy, contemplative tone, with Marinette feeling boxed in by Lila, and trying to figure out how to navigate her circumstances, especially being around Lila. Even when there isn't any particular threat against her, just having Lila around, knowing that she could pull something else to make Marinette's life worse, and thinking that there's no way to counter her, that she always wins... you can feel how suffocating it is. But she does have a way out, a mysterious boy who she's seen around, who completely has her back as far as Lila's concerned... but she might not want him to, to the extent that he goes.

By the way, this IS a Lovesquare fic, the thing with the boy... well, that'll make sense once you read the fic. But it's not romantic, I can tell you that.

Anyway, it's this interesting psychological, low-key sort of fic. If you want a look at the more emotional consequences of Lila's brand of bullying and isolation WITHOUT any sort of demonization or bashing towards anyone else, but just exploring the effects on Marinette and how to respond to it, then this fic is worth a look.

Oh, also, this is rated M, though I'm honestly not sure why. Marinette's not in the best headspace, but it's not a "this isn't appropriate for teens" headspace, there's nothing sexual, and the most that is present in the story as far as violence and gore goes are some bruises that were acquired under indeterminate (though probably abusive) circumstances, and the breaking of an arm and being bludgeoned in the head, and neither of them are described particularly graphically. So long as you're 13+, this fic's probably fine.

---

Stop Time by @liiinerle

— she put her hand on the page, blocking it so the words wouldn’t scream so loudly at her. They had screamed more than enough already. Gritting her teeth, she pulled her fingers together, crumpling the paper slightly — just enough that it didn’t look so pristine and mocking. It needed to be full of despair, in every possible way. “Marinette —” started Mullo. “No! Never again. Marinette is… gone, forever.” She let go of the paper. Now it lay alone in the light, as the last thing she could ever tell them. That she loved them, that she’d miss them, that she would never talk to them again. A suicide note. Of sorts. ----- Fu accidentally names Marinette as the new guardian, and not Ladybug. She's forced to fake her own death and go into hiding in order to get away from Hawk Moth. She finds a hiding spot in the Louvre, but there she's forced to face the effects of her going away by a very unexpected source: her friend Alix.

Definitely mind the tags on this one! But if it ain't triggering to you, then I highly recommend reading it. You can really feel Marinette's struggles here, with basically making herself homeless, unable to reach out to her friends and family, needing to steal just to feed herself and the kwamis, and then dealing with everyone in her life grieving... and then moving on. Except for a few people who don't...

It's just... it's really good, really heart-wrenching.

---

Bend the World Around It by @kasienda

“Tell me it was real." She can’t look at him. She can barely stand the pain in his voice. She definitely can’t face it. “It wasn’t.” He shakes his head, and turns to her - his eyes swirling in their intensity. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Tell me that you were there. We were there together, having the same dream.” She squeezes her eyes shut. She wants to lie to him. She needs to lie to him. But she can’t. Lying would be like it never happened. But it did happen. And if it’s all they get to have, she wants him to know it. “I think we were having the same dream,” she whispers, unable to meet his eyes.

So this is an adorable Jubilation aftermath fic, with Ladybug and Chat Noir both mourning the loss of what only they remember, of a dream that never was. And them deciding that screw it, it may not have been real to anyone else, but it was real to them. They remember those years together, and they want to live together, if only during the times when they can afford to be missing from home. They remember being happily married, and crave that life.

---

I (Wish I) Knew You by @buggachat

University has been hard on Marinette. Making new friends and maintaining her grades is a lot easier said than done when she has to disappear at odd times to fight akumas. She's struggling, and with Alya away with family and Adrien painfully out of reach, she's never felt lonelier.

If only she could talk to someone who really understood her struggles... but it's not like Chat Noir would know anything about loneliness. Right?

Nice aged-up Ladynoir fic here! Marinette’s struggling with losing friends and lovers because of her flakiness due to her superhero activities, until at last she breaks down. Thankfully, Chat Noir’s there at least - and it soon turns out he’s got problems of his own that he’s been hiding.

There’s some fluff and angst, it’s mostly just the two of them navigating life, dealing with their feelings and talking things out.

---

Accidents Are Also Miracles by @liiinerle

After a few turbulent days where four new people discover her secret identity, Marinette loses faith in her ability to keep the secret hidden. Wracked with doubts and insecurities, she pleads with Alya to take over as Scarabella, but she still can't let those worries go. Especially not once Monarch starts taking a particular, and personal, interest in her.

Along the way, she also starts to date Kagami, and has to deal with changing feelings about herself, Adrien, Alya, Kagami, and the idea of being Ladybug. At the same time, Alya works to uncover Monarch's secret identity, while Kagami struggles against a controlling parent, and a girlfriend who seems bent on destroying herself - with or without Monarch's involvement.

Fantastic Marigami fic here! You’ve got three major POVs in this fic: Marinette, Kagami, and to my delight, Alya. I loved getting to see Alya cope with taking over as Scarabella especially.

But of course, this fic centers more around Marinette and Kagami, with Marinette struggling with Monarch targeting her, and Kagami struggling against her abusive parent, as well as both of them trying to navigate their relationship together when they know that not everyone will approve. 

There’s also some other plots going on in here, like Sabrina breaking away from Chloe and becoming more independent (and closer to Adrien in fact), as well as a Lila takedown plot, though thankfully not one that involves demonizing other characters. While there are conversations about people believing Lila and siding with her, no one’s actually attacked for it except for Lila herself.

Oh yeah, and while this fic may not have much focus on Adrien, he’s still treated fairly and with respect, even when he messes up. He can make mistakes, but people understand where he’s coming from, and are still kind to him and want things to be okay, and to help him escape his abusive circumstances.

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Perfect Paradise

(art commissioned from @hekuuu )

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!

After twenty years of marriage power couple Adrien and Marinette Dupain-Cheng have divorced! Following on the heels of Felix Graham de Vanily's shocking confession has everyone wondering: Is this what drove a wedge between the happiest couple in Paris?"

Ch.1 Tearing at the Seams

Juleka stared at the TV as Nadja's words sank in. That... couldn't be right. Could it?

"... M. And Mme. Dupain-Cheng have three children..."

Oh god, the kids! Juleka felt the unpleasant memory of Jagged's absence when she was growing up sting like a wasp. Sharp and unexpected. Like it always did.

Rose burst in, phone open to the same story playing on the TV. Nadja was one of the few news anchors she trusted not to spread misinformation about their most famous friends.

Still her eyes held disbelief as she looked to her wife. "Juleka? Did you...?"

Juleka shook her head. "He didn't tell me anything." From the way Nadja was saying that they were already divorced Adrien didn't tell anyone.

Pulling out her own phone Juleka called the man whose face was plastered all over the news. Adrien would hate that.

"Hey, it's Adrien! You caught me catnapping but leave a message and I'll get back to you!"

"Adrien! We just saw the news! ...God, I don't know what to say. You didn't-" Juleka took a breath as she cut herself off. Adrien had enough to deal with without her adding to it. "If you need any help. With the kids or whatever just call me. Okay? You're still a member of Kitty Section."

Juleka shot Rose a questioning look who nodded vigorously. "You're still our bandmate even if it's been a while. Okay? We're here for you."

Having said what she needed to Juleka hung up. Hoping her words would remind Adrien that he had people who cared about him. It may be a few years since they were in the same support group but Juleka still remembered him. Just like Adrien still remembered her.

Rose was typing furiously. Probably to Marinette. Adrien may not mind being called but it made Marinette's anxiety spike. And she was busy running Dupain-Cheng Fashions.

"Rose, sweetheart, keep it short." Juleka reminded her as she reached for Rose to sit beside her on the couch.

Her wife's fingers pausing with an "-Oh-" as she sat down hard. "I don't think it's sunk in yet."

"Yeah..." Juleka still remembered how Rose looked the first time she walked on stage wearing a Marinette original. Marinette and Adrien letting Rose hold Louis in her arms as their friends looked on. Adrien's lovesick look that never faded since they were teenagers.

"It doesn't seem real..."

-------------------------------------

"Madame Mayor, what's your response to the people that say Chat Noir shouldn't have-"

"I'm sorry it wasn't me," Mylène interrupted, turning to the next reporter. "Yes?"

"Madame Mayor, the people of Paris want to know if the extradition of Felix Graham de Vanily, also known as Argos, is still a priority?"

"Yes! I've spoken with the President and he assures me that we will continue pressuring the UK government to honor our treaties."

"What about accusations of leniency to one Adrien Agreste?" Asked a reporter from one of those papers that might as well have been a tabloid.

Mylène's eye twitched. "Dupain-Cheng," she corrected.

"Isn't M. Agreste the leading contributor to your campaign?" he continued. "Some people have suggested-"

"If these 'people' have any evidence that Adrien Dupain-Cheng collaborated with Monarch I encourage them to come forward. Otherwise I suggest you refrain from spreading rumors and slander. Thank you, that'll be all."

Mylène was followed by a chorus of "Madame Mayor! Madame Mayor!" as she stepped away from the podium.

Once out of sight she collapsed into a chair. Humming Smelly Wolf to herself to settle the hammering in her chest.

"Water?"

She looked up from the offered water bottle to see her longtime boyfriend smiling gently at her. "Yes, please." Mylène returned the smile as Ivan picked her up before setting her back down in his lap.

One of the few advantages to being a short adult.

"I'm glad you took the time to come," Mylène said as she leaned her head onto his chest.

Ivan shrugged. "Kitty Section is taking a break after the last tour and I know how much you hate these things."

Smiling against his shirt Mylène traced his band's logo. "Have I said I love you today?"

"Love you too," Ivan beamed.

"Ahem."

Reluctantly Mylène turned to her aide. Ignoring the slight reproach in his expression at the Mayor of Paris sitting on her boyfriend's lap. At least it was an improvement from him blushing and avoiding eye contact... She thinks. "Yes, what is it?"

"We might have to go with a different dress for the fundraiser. Depending on how... volatile the situation is with M. Adrien."

Mylène blinked. The dress Marinette donated so she wouldn't stand out among Adrien's snobby rich acquaintances? "Huh?"

Her aide handed her his tablet and Mylène read the headline. "Well... shit."

-------------------------------------

"Max! Oh, Max! Wherefore art thou Max?"

"Ha, ha, Kim. Very funny."

"He lives!" Kim raised his arms as Max came back into view of his webcam.

Alix snorting and Ondine shaking her head fondly in their respective tabs onscreen.

"We were just ironing out the kinks to the new software!" Markov explained as he floated next to Max.

"Hey, Markov."

"Hi, Markov!"

"S'up!"

"Hello, Alix, Kim and Ondine." Markov smiled with his eyes. "It's nice to see you again. Congratulations on your new job Kim!"

"I still say leaving him in charge of kids is a bad idea," Alix piped up.

"Uh-huh. Remind me who out of the both of us has gotten arrested the most?" Kim smirked.

"ACAB!" Alix snapped. Blushing from the fact that she'd been caught more often than Kim rather than anything else.

"ACAB," they chorused. Alix had taken to tagging protest art in very public places after joining Mylène and Ivan's activism. Well, on a more permanent basis than the rest of them.

"Besides," Ondine chimed in, "Kim cares about the sport. He's not gonna let them do anything reckless." She narrowed her eyes. "Right?"

Kim put on his most innocent expression, which wasn't very innocent at all. "Me? Encourage recklessness? I would never!"

Alix snorted.

"Statistically speaking there's an eighty percent chance of Kim encouraging reckless behavior in those he interacts with," Max said.

"Ha!" Alix smirked.

"But, of course, the data is skewed on account of Alix being the main data point."

Kim guffawed while Ondine covered her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle her laughter.

"You're all terrible," Alix announced.

Whatever comeback Kim was going to retort with was interrupted by his phone chiming. "Oh shit."

"What?"

"What is it?"

"Adrien and Marinette are getting divorced."

Alix blinked as her own phone chimed. Sure enough Kim was right.

"Max, you look a little off," Ondine stated.

"Yeah, dude. Aren't you the one always saying that marriage has a fifty percent divorce rate?"

"Certainly reminded me when I got married," Ondine nodded.

"Twice!" Kim elaborated.

"Yes, thank you Kim."

"Well... Yes." Max admitted. "But I always thought those two would beat the odds."

"We all did," Alix nodded. "But life throws you curve balls. Believe me, I didn't expect to spend my last year of collège time traveling."

"Lucky!"

"Kim, she had to repeat a grade."

"Oh yeah."

As his friends went back to bantering amongst themselves Markov started running calculations in his head...

-------------------------------------

"You hear the news?" Marc asked.

"Yeah." Nathaniel continued sketching the next page of their comic. "Hand me that would you?"

Marc gave a chuckle as they handed Nath the ruler. "Chloe's ranting about how she 'always knew this would happen' on Twitter."

"You should really block her," Nathaniel pointed out, still not looking up.

"True," Marc admitted without giving any indication that they would. "So... You don't have anything to say?"

Nathaniel sighed as he straightened up. "I mean, shit, Marc. We don't know anything about what happened. We haven't talked to either of them in over a year. I just... Don't give me that look."

"What look?" Marc asked innocently while giving Nath the Look™.

Nathaniel grumbled as he pulled out his phone.

Marc beaming at him.

-------------------------------------

"One ticket for Paris, please."

"Sure thing! Is that one way?"

"Yes, please."

"... Y'know. You look an awful lot like one of Kitty Section's guitarists."

Luka smiled. "I get that a lot."

-------------------------------------

Kagami downed her glass of Romanee-Conti wine like a shot and then poured herself another.

The news playing in 4K on her Samsung QLED flat screen.

Turning on one of the stools of her personal bar to look at the TV. A picture of Adrien's smiling face staring back at her.

She raised her glass. "To proving me wrong."

-------------------------------------

Nino stared at his phone for a moment before sighing and rising to his feet. "So it's over."

Alya narrowed her eyes as she quickly left money on the table for their coffees. "That broke way too fast. Someone blabbed."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, dude."

"Preferably later."

Nino nodded. "Yeah. You know where she'll be?"

"The studio, drowning herself in work like always. You?"

"Home," Nino stated simply as their paths split. "He always goes home..."

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

What do you think about opinions that Chloe’s development was ruined in season 3 finale because Thomas didn’t like that viewers like her more than Marinette? I Don’t think that it’s true, but it gave me idea that Thomas ruined Chloe’s already few character development because viewers liked her more than Gabriel.

I've heard this theory before and it seems like a massive stretch to me. It's always possible, but I don't feel comfortable making accusations like this without some hard evidence and I've yet to see any, though it's not like I follow this guy on Twitter or anything. My knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes is all based on random things that make their way to my Tumblr feed. So if someone has hard evidence, feel free to reblog and add it, but the most likely explanation is just bad writing. Why ascribe malice when incompetence makes just as much sense and requires a lot less motivation?

Think about what this accusation is actually saying. It's claiming that an adult man willfully ruined a major element of his passion project (or even just the show that he's known for, meaning that it will define his future career) because he was salty that people liked a character that he created. That seems like a conspiracy theory take to me.

It's also not like Thomas has full creative control of the show! Head writers have power, but they rarely have total power. They're still employees and a ton of things happen between an episode being written and the final version being aired. Producers, directors, censors, and many others usually okay a script prior to an episode being animated because that's the most expensive element. Plus it's not like he's the only one who wrote Chloe's story. Every season two and season three episode is credited to multiple writers. In other words, it seems like multiple people signed off on Chloe's story.

There's also the issue of the air dates. Queen Wasp and Miracle Queen first aired about twelve months apart (October 6 2018 vs October 15 2019). Production times for animated TV shows are about that long, which would mean that Miracle Queen was probably being written or was even already set in stone around the time that Queen Wasp aired. In other worlds, every element of Chloe's journey was probably at least sketched out before the audience ever saw it start. That would mean that nothing in that story was reactionary. It just doesn't fit the timeline.

While Chloe's season three ending was a total mess, it was hardly out of nowhere. It was glaringly obvious that Chloe couldn't stay Queen Bee from the moment that we met Queen Bee. You can't willfully out yourself to the world and expect to stay a hero (or, at least, that shouldn't be a thing Felix). I was honestly baffled when they gave her back the bee in Malediktator and relieved when Marinette finally acknowledged the problem in Miraculer:

Ladybug: I'm sorry, Chloé. I should've told you this a long time ago. I might never be able to let you be Queen Bee again.

Which was, of course, the setup for Miracle Queen, further complicating this theory because it looks like less than a year passed between the world premieres of Queen Wasp and Miraculer (October 6 2018 vs May 15 2019).

I don't know if this made it to your Tumblr feed, but the Miraculous writing team announced that the writing for season six was done back in late March. The show won't air until sometime this winter, well over half a year later, because that's just how animation works and they've supposedly done things to make the animation process faster this season. I just don't see how this Chloe theory works or why it needs to be a thing when her bad writing falls perfectly in line with things like the absolute disaster that was season five. She wasn't a fluke, she was a warning of things to come.

As best I can tell, the entire Queen Bee plot was just an incredibly awkward and forced way to show how dangerous identity reveals were. Which isn't a bad plot to have, but don't do that plot and then let a bunch of other temp heroes keep their miraculous post reveal! Writers, what are you even doing?

If you want my best guess answer to that, then I don't think that the writers planned to make their story feel massively hypocritical. I think that they just did a dumb writing mistake that I've seen multiple shows do: they wrote a really cool cliffhanger ending without planning how to make that ending work in the following season. And there was no way to really make the ending work, so they end up just kind of ignoring it.

The reason why this happens is pretty simple. Most shows try to end their seasons on cliffhangers so that fans will come back for the next season. It's extremely rare to have a solid happy ending that ties everything together. This can lead to writers making questionable calls because they're pressed for time and have to come up with something that will keep the fans wanting more even if that thing makes no sense. It can also lead to writers making questionable calls because they DO have a plan for how the cliffhanger will play out, but when it comes time to actually put that plan into action, it gets shut down and now they have to scramble to make the nonsense work.

Anyway, what I'm really trying to say is that, as much as I like the concept of a redeemed Chloe joining the team, it was pretty clearly never going to happen in canon. The writing only backed that read for a brief moment at the start of season two where we got a handful of episodes that made Chloe feel less like a cookie-cutter mean girl and more like a true character, but then the Chloe plot really got going and I was just waiting for the inevitable fiery end. I actually thought that Chloe was going to be treated as a tragic character and become a true villain in season four. Instead we got utter nonsense that tossed her character all over the place to the point where I have no idea what they're even trying to do with her.

[mysteriouslee]

DAY 26

lee!marinette ler!adrien

SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5

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Adrien and Marinette were finally dating. Can you believe it!?

Adrien sure couldn't, cringing back at every time he called his girlfriend "just a friend". They were chilling out at Marinette's house. For once in their lives, nothing interrupted them. No akuma, no strict rules, no drama, it was as if the world stopped just for them and it was great. Adrien admired Marinette as he laid beside her watching her ramble on about the new game she got.

"I'm sorry I must be boring you" the bug apologized.

Adrien gave her an unimpressed look and started poking her side.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I don't how many times I have to tell you, you never bore me and I love hearing everything you say" the Cat insisted.

He noticed Marinette stiffen up as if something frightened her. This was now when Adrien's inner Chat Noir kicked in.

"Something bugging you" the blonde said pulling back his fingers.

Marinette shook her head and sighed.

"Oh really, seems to me like someone is ticklish" Adrien accused

"No way!" the ravenette denied.

"Uh Huh, then you wouldn't mind if I tried a little experiment" the amok suggested

"I can take anything you throw at me" Marinette informed.

Adrien pulled Marinette to stand up.

"If you can stay still and not laugh while I kiss you, then you win but if you don't.....well you'll find out" Adrien stated.

"Bet" the baker girl replied.

Oh no, why did I agree she thought, she's totally gonna crumble and she'll suffer a fate at her boyfriend's hands. I mean, it's Adrien, it can't be that bad right?

Marinette held her hands above her head and Adrien set a timer for 10 minutes. The former model rested his hands on her waist and once again asked if Marinette was ready. Marinette nodded, a confident sparkle twinkled in her eye.

Adrien's lips met hers and not soon after his thumbs rubbed circles into her stomach and his other fingers dug lightly in her sides. Marinette couldn't believe she folded this fast, she snorted and fell back.

Adrien shook his head "tsk tsk, oh Marinette I thought you said you were ready?" Adrien teased.

Adrien announced his penalty, he was gonna tickle her for the remaining time.

"Thehehen what wahahas the point of thahat" giggled the gray and pink clad girl.

"I just felt like either kissing or tickling you and I chose both" the green eyed boy admitted.

Marinette toppled over on the bed and Adrien followed, leaning down to blow raspberried on Marinette's neck.

"HOHOLD OHOHAHAN, ADRIEAHHAHA YOUHUHL KIHIHI MEEEEE" Marinette shrieked while wrestling Adrien to get off her neck.

Usually Marinette was stronger than Adrien but the tickling worn her out a little.

The two rolled around as Marinette squealed for mercy, however there were 5 minutes left to go and this Agreste was a man of his word.

Marinette caught sight of Tikki eating her left over oreos and cheekily snickering at her predicament. She was so gonna get Tikki later.

"OHHO MY GAHHAHAHD ADRIEHEHEHN PLEAHAHSE" pleaded Marinette. She never knew Adrien could be this evil.

Adrien pulled up " Alright Marinette, I'll be nice" Adrien stated

Marinette took a sigh of relief.

"By changing spot" Adrien finished.

A mere "what?" could only get through her mind before Adrien started raspberrying her stomach.

"NOOOHOHOHOHOHOHO" Marinette screamed.

Adrien had his girlfriend absolutely hollering and convulsing for the rest of the time.

"5" Adrien began counting down

"4"

Finally it will be over soon Marinette relaxed a bit.

"3"

"2"

"Oh wait there's a another minute on. Marinette wailed in frustration. Adrien almost felt a little bad.

When the time came as he promised, he stopped once the time ran out.

"Youhure meahan" Marinette said, still living through the after shocks.

"Oh I'm not that bad" replied Adrien, kissing Marinette's cheek.

[halfagone]

I loved what you did for my miraculous x DP prompt! This next prompt is kinda a continuation of it? Depending on the age difference between Danny and the miraculous duo, maybe he can kinda be a bit of a mentor for them? Like, as soon as they get the whole misunderstanding of Danny being an akuma out of the way his core immediately latches on to them as a sort of his protection obsession. Ooh, maybe he’s helped out the kwami before back in this time traveling days and Tikki and Plagg remember him and apologize for their holders attacking Danny? What do you think?

Ooh, that's great to hear! I'm glad you liked it, hopefully there weren't too many spelling/grammatical mistakes. lol So Danny would probably have to be... 16 or so years old (maybe 15, if his birthday hasn't come around yet), since I had Jazz just graduating high school and soon off to college. Marinette and Adrien can be anywhere from 13 to 15 years old, depending on what season we have this set in. Since he's still Hawkmoth and not Monarch, then safe to say, it's pre-season 4. So... let's make them 14, and Danny 16. For simplicity's sake. I don't write usually Danny with a protection obsession, not because I don't like the idea, but because it limits a lot of routes I could take with his characterization, but let me try it out this time for the idea. While I usually like the idea of Danny going back in time and fighting with other Miraculous users, I think in this situation it would have to be strictly with other Miraculous and not the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous, else Danny would have recognized them, even if he was sleep deprived.

---

Danny had been laying out in bed, finally getting some rest after the... adventure, if one could call it that, he had today. Ladybug and Chat Noir, as they had introduced themselves in English (and yeah, Danny knew Chat Noir was technically "Cat Black", but he wasn't calling the guy that, alright?), had been sincerely apologetic when they found out he wasn't an akuma, and even more apologetic when they found out he was a hero.

Honestly, Danny was just relieved that they actually believed him and didn't just accuse him of lying to them. Or attacking him on sight any further once they found out he was a ghost. He didn't blame them once he found out the situation. He'd heard stories of the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculous, of course, but he'd never actually gotten to meet the holders before. Most of his experience was limited to the Snake, the Dragon, and the Peacock wielder.

Danny sighed as he sunk into bed further, grateful that his sister had already fallen asleep.

When Ladybug had informed him that Hawkmoth (honestly, what kind of name was that?) had control of the Peacock, he'd been... heartbroken, for the lack of a better word. He'd been given the chance to wield the Peacock Miraculous just once, but it'd been the ride of his life. He hoped Duusu was alright, stuck with a villainous holder like Mayura. And really, what happened there? How did they get ahold of the Miraculous? And why did they only start using them now?

All those thoughts spun around his head like sheep, and unfortunately, Danny wasn't in the mood to count them.

Just as he was beginning to fall asleep, however, two floating creatures hovered over his head.

Danny absolutely shrieked and scrambled up the headboard, instantly waking his sister. Jazz roused with a pinched frown, only to flail in bed when she saw the two floating creatures as well.

"Shh, it's just us!" The red one hushed gently, waving their tiny hands to calm them down.

Danny squinted at her. "Are you- The Ladybug kwami?"

The red one grinned brightly. "That's right! I'm Tikki, and this is Plagg, he's the Black Cat kwami."

"Couldn't this have waited until after I ate my cheese?" Plagg complained to Tikki.

"As if your wielder doesn't feed you constantly," Tikki reminded him pointedly, but Plagg wasn't fazed.

"What are those-" Jazz asked, pointing at the kwami with wide eyes.

"You know Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Jazz nodded. "They get their powers and suits from something called a Miraculous. These guys, the kwami, are connected to the Miraculous and give them that power."

"It's a little more complicated than that, kid," Plagg pointed out, but Danny waved him off.

"Details aren't important right now," Danny remarked. "What are you doing here? Is everything... alright?"

"We wanted to see you! We've heard plenty about you from the other kwami," Tikki explained with a twirl, her little antennae flickering with cheer. Adorable. "We know you only met us thanks to time travel, but you have a lot of valuable experience that we think could help our wielders."

"What? I got a letter of recommendation?" Danny frowned. "To do what?"

"To mentor them, what else?" Plagg remarked callously. "You've wielded the Peacock before too, haven't you? That means you have insider knowledge on how to defeat Hawkmoth and Mayura."

"But you guys are literally Kwami. You are the ultimate insider knowledge," Danny deadpanned, squinting at the pair.

Plagg and Tikki glanced between themselves.

"We're not- There's only so much we're allowed to tell," Tikki explained after some hesitation.

"Are you bound not to share secrets?" Jazz asked.

Tikki immediately lit up. "Yes! You're right! And well, we may be able to offer advice, but it's not like we can really communicate with them once they transform. We can't give any hands-on training like you can."

"What about the Guardian?" Danny prompted.

"The Guardian is biased," Plagg stated flatly.

Tikki shot him a look. "What Plagg really means by that is the Guardian... prefers a hands-off approach. And when he does step in, he... isn't always the most uniform-"

"He plays favorites doesn't he?" Jazz remarked, and Tikki sighed, her antennae falling a little.

Plagg chortled. "Oh, I like you." His laughter faded as he explained, "My holder, unfortunately, is the one that gets the short end of the straw."

"Really? But the Black Cat has always been the more- er, uncontrollable of the two, from what I hear. No offense," Danny replied, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture.

Plagg nodded. "You're not wrong about that. My holder is pretty good at reigning it in more often than not, but he's been... frustrated, on occasion, thanks to the secrets the Guardian and Ladybug- as a result- tend to keep from him."

"That's not good," Jazz murmured to herself, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I'm not sure how much I could do," Danny told them with sincere honesty. "I know I may look like I know what I'm doing, but I can promise you I'm flying by the seat of my pants half the time."

"Most of the time," Jazz corrected.

"Okay, most of the time," Danny conceded. "Is that really the role model you want to set for your wielders?"

"They really haven't had much in the way of role models period, if you remember," Plagg quipped.

Tikki answered, "We know this may be asking a lot from you, and maybe you don't think you have much experience to offer, but you handled Ladybug and Chat Noir expertly today! Sure, it might have seemed... harsh, on occasion, but our wielders are young. They don't always know how to deal with akuma or amoks, and sometimes it results in them leaning into their special powers and limiting their timers. It's been working out for them, but Hawkmoth has been getting trickier too. They'll need someone to teach them how to use their abilities to the fullest."

"And you think I can do that?" Danny asked with a wince.

"You were a great Peacock holder, Phantom," Tikki assured him. "When you went out as Divinity, you were easily one of the strongest on the battlefield! And all the work you've done as Phantom through the years has only added to that. Could you give it a try?"

Danny looked at her earnest expression, trying not to focus on the twisting feeling in his gut. He didn't think he could do it. Not in the least. Sure, Danny had confidence in fighting his own Rogues gallery, but those guys were ghosts! He didn't always have to hold back as much. And sure, maybe Ladybug's Lucky Charm could fix a lot of the damage, but Danny- Danny didn't want to put all of his weight into attacks. What happened if he steered them wrong? What happened if he made them ruthless, harsh? They were symbols of protection here, he didn't want to poison that. Not when his own image back home was... not the best.

At the same time, his core twisted at the thought of abandoning these kids to figure it all out themselves. And okay, maybe he shouldn't call them 'kids', they couldn't be that much younger than him. But they were still so new to heroics. He might not be all that much better, but even if he had a year more than them, wasn't that a year of experience he could use to help them?

His core kept humming with help-protect-teach-comfort-protect-protect and honestly it was getting annoying.

Danny sighed. "Fine, I'll do it." But then, something occurred to him. "Ugh, I'm gonna have to break Wulf out of prison again to teach me how to make portals. There goes my vacation."