#More marichat content

[marichat914]

Happy Anniversary to the episode that made me go extra crazy 5 am in the morning a year ago...

Mlb Season 5 episode 9: Elation/Exaltation

[standreamy]

"Poison Counterpoison" part 1/3 For marichatmay2023 : Multimouse Next . . . Sooo yeah, a miraculous post. To be honest, when the prompts for Marichat May came out I was excited to get to work because they were pretty interesting. My fav bunch out of all marichat mays. However, irl issues came up and I had to take a forceful break I'm still partially into... and I also realised fandom wise that I have zero motivation to draw Miraculous at the moment.

This comic is kind of a proof to it, being on hold since last year, when season 4 was airing and my dissatisfactions with the series grew at very high levels. I used my own fanwork for aus to try keeping motivated and engaged, but the series is making me so tired and angry at how they are handling things, that I can't have fun anymore even while making my own stuff for it. Especially for the topics I addressed in the comic. Multimouse never brought up, communication issues subplots messed up in the worst ways, almost zero growth, moralism all over the place... And after being accidentally spoilered with leaks on twitter about the finale... I can't really find any motivation with how messed up I think it is. This is inspired on a fic I posted on ao3 "blame the rain". While the ending of that fic is much more sadder than the one for this comic and the characters here were changed a bit to be made more... Regretful and make the drifting off more realistic, the feeling is quite similar. . . Right now, only the movie is something I look forward and while I plan to finish my aus and headcanons in future, it won't be anytime soon. In this moment, I wish to give my time to things that makes me genuinely happy and have fun. However, I thank everyone for your support with my content and anyone who is genuinely interested in my Aus.❤️ . . .

[marichatmay]

We're back! And stronger than ever <3 We know the wait is excruciating every year, so no beating around the bush: Let's make 2024 the year where we show canon what it fumbled!!

Rules:

Be sure to put #marichatmay2024 in the tags and to tag us @marichatmay so we can be sure to see your post and reblog it.

Don't forget to add the prompt title in the tags so mods can sort all posts.

Reminder that we will not be reblogging anything age-restricted/nsfw, though you are welcome to make any type of content you feel inspired to create!

S5 and the Special are no longer considered spoilers, there is no need to worry about spoiler tagging. However, leaks such as those from s6 and the upcoming special are NOT ALLOWED, tagged or not. Please respect those of us who do not want to be spoiled.

Please don't spam DMs or Asks with reminders to reblog your post unless it has been more than 48hrs since your post goes unnoticed. We aren't ignoring you, remember that mods aren't constantly online and this is for fun, not a full-time job.

You are, however, welcome to add your post to submissions if you want to share your art/fic/edit that way.

Most importantly, enjoy yourself! Don't stress over this fun event! If you fall behind, no worries, post it whenever. Marichat runs all year in our hearts, so why not post it whenever you complete it at your own pace? Take care of your health <3

Calendar in text:

First Sight

Balcony

Protective Marinette

Rescue

Secrets

Trust

Cheek Kiss

Oblivion

Movie Night

Sleepover

Hide Place

Promises

Roses

Letters

Snow in May

Lies

Deal

Secret Relationship

Anniversary

Dancing

Catnap

Lullaby

Waffles

Ice Cream

Makeover

Vintage Clothes

Poison

Dress-Up

Angelic/Demonic

Prince

Soulmates

[asukiess]

hiiiii @mozzygan, I am your (very late) littlebug secret santa hehe <3 !!! you requested marichat--I am not so good with drawing angst but I hope you don't mind their date here. I have enjoyed getting to know you so much and am looking forward to reading more of your fics and original content (also perhaps more colt impersonations)!! <3

[jennagrinsoverml]

Any good fics featuring Marinette or Adrien akumatized?

There sure are! (And wow did I ever get a lot of asks for this!) Now, to be clear, I won't be reccing any Chat Blanc fics, since that's a category in and of itself (and as a result this list favours akumanette). But let's have some akumanette and akumadrien!

Confessions by @spuk-goodness

S04 Alternative beginning where Marinette shares her biggest secret with her partner and where 'We are a team' means 'I love you'.

Or the one where Hawk Moth notices that Marinette is a bit overwhelmed and decides to take advantage. A new akuma appears in Paris the very next day and Chat Noir has to fight by himself. Where could his Lady possibly be?

One-shot. Akumanette. This is a different take on akumanette than we usually see, which I loved. I absolutely think it makes sense for an akuma to target Marinette with how overwhelmed she is, especially in early season 4, and I love the way that it was handled here.

when you weren’t mine to lose by @bugsandchatons

Change is a scary thing, especially when it feels like nothing has stayed the same.

It’s been a year since Marinette became the Guardian of the Miracle Box - a year of struggling beneath a burden she never asked for, a weight that has her leaning on her partner more and more as the hours fly by, of letting him come to her, too, when he needs a soft place to land. A year of falling for the boy who takes on the world by her side with a smile made of sunlight, and fighting the growing urge to tell him what he means to her.

After all, they’ll have time enough for that when Paris is safe.

But when the unthinkable happens, Marinette learns the tragedy of loving someone quietly, and the lines she’ll cross to save him.

Multi-chapter. Akumanette (Akuma!Ladybug, really). This is what happens when Ladybug loses Chat Noir. It hurts in all the best ways and the writing is absolutely gorgeous and somehow we still get a happy ending!

Lovelace by @p-artsypants

Convinced that he's unlovable, Adrien is quickly thrown for a loop when Marinette confesses her love for him out of the blue. An akumatization and reveal later, he changes his mind about being unlovable.

One-shot. Akumadrien. I love when Gabriel is a horrible bastard and that results in Adrien being akumatized, and this fic is aboslutely perfect for that! It's also an original take on akumadrien, which I love.

Echoes of You by @kittinoir

In the day time, she’s Marinette - a normal girl, with a normal life. A normal girl, with a normal life. A normal girl, with…

Multi-chapter. Akumanette. Marinette gives up the miracle box and her memories, and Chat is frantic trying to figure out what happened to his Lady. (And the love square content, including a lot of Marichat, is fantastic!) Meanwhile, Chloe is trying to do better following the events of Miracle Queen.

A Different Approach by ShawnaCanon

Adrien finds out Ladybug's true identity. Since Cat Noir has been thoroughly friend-zoned, he figures maybe he can woo her as Adrien. But that means doing it without his mask. And that's scarier than any supervillain Hawk Moth could throw at him.

Multi-chapter. Akumadrien. It takes a while to get to the akumadrien, but I really enjoyed the journey. This poor boy is so romantically inept, but ultimately that's not what leads to his akumatization. This is a different take than we usually see and it's very much Adrien that is akumatized, rather than Chat (or any kind of Chat Blanc variation).

A Sound of Thunder by Tempomental

“Bye-bye, little… actually, that’s your line, isn’t it? Sorry.”

Ladybug stared at the man in front of her. Tall. Shaggy, but not unkempt blond hair. Oh yeah, and he was wearing a Ladybug costume.

“Who - who are you?”

“Oh, right, sorry.” He drew himself up to his full height and proudly announced, “My name is Adrien Agreste, and I’ve come from the future to rescue you!”

Multi-chapter. Akumadrien. In our time, Adrien and Marinette use their traditional miraculous. However, Adrien also comes back from the future to help out with the ladybug miraculous. It’s extremely intense and well written and every time I thought I had spotted a problem in the writing, it turned out to be a plot element but holy shit I thought I was going to die with how intense this is. If you like plot, you will absolutely LOVE this fic.

some truths are as loyal (as the shadows we lead) by @carpisuns

When Marinette wins a design contest hosted by Gabriel Agreste, it seems like a dream come true. Until everything goes wrong. (A Marichat akumanette fic)

Multi-chapter. Akumanette. This was actually the first akumanette fic I ever read and it gave me a bit of a taste for it! @carpisuns is an amazing writer, and I always enjoy everything she gifts us. This is no exception! My favourite part of this was seeing just how much it took to break Marinette, as well as Gabriel being The Worst.

too little, too late. by @madibug

“Ladybug.” Chat’s voice cuts in like molten steel. It’s a tone that Ladybug hasn’t heard him use with her before and so it surprises her into turning to him and - It feels like smacking into a wall. Chat is no more than a foot away from her but when their eyes meet, it hits her just how much distance has grown between them. Her heart hiccups out of rhythm, as hearts often do when something feels… wrong.

Multi-chapter. Akumanette. I really enjoyed this one, especially all of the different plans and how the crew adapted. This is @madibug's answer to the Ladybug version of Chat Blanc, and it's really creepy and interesting!

fleeting. by @agnes-writes

e·phem·er·al (/əˈfem(ə)rəl/), adj. - lasting for a very short time. But no matter how fleeting Ephemeral's powers may make things, the damage has already been done. And Ladybug pays the price. OR: A drabble based on what I want to happen in Episode 100: Ephemeral.

One-shot. Akumadrien. I really enjoyed this alternate imagining of Ephmeral! It was written before the episode aired, so it's not entirely consistent, but it's still really interesting and well done.

And, for a bit of a self-rec, The Closest Thing to Love features akumanette, if you're interested in fake dating and PRPR 😊

[ramen8008]

Okay so after my exams I wanna dive back into writing. Soooo

I'm making those for most fandoms I'm in. What kind of fanfic would y'all like?

Now for explanation for all of these.

Miraculous Rewrite:

It's what it sounds like. Basically go over it and change stuff. They will be in their last year of high school so they are older. Marinette and Adrien would get to be proper friends who talk. Chat and Ladybug will have the best friend/partnership where they COMMUNICATE.

Lila would be better written. Basically everything you might want to change.

Adrien! spiderman au

PLAGG is his 'guy in the chair'. He's friends with Marinette. Marinette figures out he's Spiderman and they work together every once in a while (Adrien doesn't like it). He doesn't know she's Ladybug. There's both akuma and normal threats.

Basically they go from "we deal with our own problems" to helping each other out with akumas or just other creative evil people.

Ladynoir.

Basically my headcanon. Here. With some expanding

Marichat:

Same, my headcanon that I posted before. Here

Shorter Fics:

One shots. Or a couple of chapters. Give me ideas I'll make them happen.

ALSO EDIT!!

When I write "older" I DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT MEAN NSFW CONTENT. I just mean that they'll be older in age and be more mature.

[ilikekidsshows]

The most ironic part of people defending Marinette in Ladynoir and Marichat is that hardly any analysis I've ever seen about her "being soooooooooooooo adoring to her Kitty uwu" ever EXPLAIN Marinette's feelings either.

Even her own fans mostly only write abuse and neglect excuses and talk about some endlessly vague softness, some at this point meaningless heart eyes, and whatever short lines of kindness of the week on her end of the ship are thrown in there.

Even Marinette's own fans apparently can't not go in depth on her "boundless love and devotion" for Chat Noir because the show drags everything down with her writing. It's always the same surface level crumbs. So how are WE supposed to get more out of it then?

If even her own defenders mostly only really talk about Catrien doing 95% of the work in Ladynoir and Marichat in Canon, then how are WE supposed to say something different? We are complaining for the same reason as they are focusing on Catrien: he's canonically actually contributing to the damn SHIP in ways that are pure enough to talk about.

All canon ever does for Ladynette's side is explain what use, excuses and comfort she gets outta his presence. That's also all her canon self ever truly highlighted in her crush era besides him bein hot.

Even her own defenders reduce her crush on him to thirsting. I've never seen anyone actually talk about the scenes in Passion where she for real showed effort and progress cause, I guess, that would require of her fans to acknowledge that she prior to this acted wrong in the first place. And of course the critical people won't make the posts cause when her damn fans can't be asked to acknowledge the rare REAL moments where she actually TRIES then I'll sure as hell not do their damn job.

Cause it's almost hilarious, right? For as much as Marinette defenders yell about us being too harsh, I've truly wanted to read analysis posts on her feelings for Chat to be convinced. But for 2 whole seasons her own fans failed her. They hardly say anything of substance and mostly count on Catrien to make up for her lack of contributions in the ships. Even massive fan Blogs like Buggachat for example are constantly showing that writing flaw in their content. That Adrien has to put up with and has to romantically do WAY TOO MUCH to make up for Marinette’s writing that sticks even in the most best faith (and often to at least some extent ooc, if not entirely) characterization.

When even her own fans spew nothing but endless excuses then don't blame us for picking up on that.

When even her own fans say hardly anything but abuse apologia to defend her then don't blame us for picking up on that.

When even her own fans say that she should be thanked and rewarded for having failed Chat Noir in basically ever possibly way, but hey, at least she stopped being an aggressive Jerk about it, then don't fucking blame us for picking up on that.

We're the ones who can at least argue with Canon scenes and whole episodes to make our point that Ladynette treats him badly. Her defenders say that canon doesn't count whenever they don't like it and otherwise point to their fanon as arguments. Forgive me for thinking that our side has the stronger case, our arguments are the ones that hold up when put to the test by Canon.

---

Yup. Stanning Marinette has to be based off vibes and made up stuff at this point, because the canon is giving us nothing to root for other than her being the protagonist. All the likable aspects of Marinette are so downplayed in canon these days, that the fans have to actively ignore canon to make her a better person they can view as an undisputed hero. And that's without getting into all the abuse apologia and excusing of bad behavior they engage in whenever they don't outright claim Marinette didn't do something she actually did in canon.

It's basically what that person who wanted writing tips for Marinette said; how can we make fanworks where Marinette is a good person who cares about her partner, when the character in canon, based on her canonical actions, probably doesn't care? Well, I try to avoid Buggachat’s stuff these days specifically because all I've seen from said stuff these days is trying to make the toxic stuff look quirky and cute. This isn't the only fanwork that's like this, though. Like, I remember when the Paris Special came out and people started wondering if the alter versions of the heroes were gonna tell each other their secret identities and work more closely together and all the fanwork with this concept was just: “Haha, the main verse lovesquare can’t count on each other for anything and the supposed villains support each other better! It's so silly!”

Like, the toxicity does sometimes get depicted in fanworks but it's always just funtimes, and not actually a problem because they treat it as a two-sided thing, where Adricat participates in the mess in their relationship, when he's the only one trying to be wholesome. There are so many comics of Maribug doing something absolutely horrible to Adricat and the artist’s comments are just: “they're such disasters, lol” when Marinette is the only “disaster” in the equation, but they have to be equally guilty, because then they can brush it off as just “communication issues” instead of Marinette being a self-obsessed jerk.

Like, the reading of the lovesquare as mutual communication issues is understandable to a point. In seasons 1-3, the typical dynamic was “Cat Noir hides his problems, because they're home-related, and Ladybug remains oblivious that he isn't always happy”. However, Cat Noir did tell Ladybug, all the way back in Syren, that he doesn't want to be left out of the loop, which is all Marinette does in season 4. The season 4 “Ladynoir Conflict” isn't based on Cat Noir hiding something Ladybug is oblivious to, even though everyone is used to treating their dynamic that way. In season 4 Cat Noir does tell Ladybug what's wrong, tries to do so repeatedly, only for Ladybug to shut him down by ignoring him, giving him excuses or by repeating apologies she doesn't actually mean because she has no intention of changing the way she behaves with him. The more I looked into what actually happens in season 4, the more I realized that the “the Ladynoir conflict is mutual communication issues” take is wholly inaccurate. Marinette alone is the one keeping secrets.

Marinette Stans have to make stuff up and ignore huge junks of canon in order to depict Marinette as a good partner and person these days, because the stuff the writers have her get away with keeps getting worse.

[d011zk1ll]

Welcome to my blog ♡

My name is Atticus, Felix, Reece or Doll! I use He/They and im an unlabelled trans man!! <3

I have a Discord server! feel free to join, we don't bite <3

here's my meet the artist/author post!

My bluesky ,tik tok, spotify, and Ao3 and fic tag as well as my playlist tags where you can see all the playlist i've made for characters or ships

My Straw Page

My ask box is always open for art asks or random rambles :)) but please don't send gofundme links I'm a minor I cannot help

My current interest is school bus graveyard, all the content from the cool as fuck fanbase and miraculous ladybug and a lot of the AU's made by the wonderful people in the fandom!

I have the basic DNI (listed in this post because I've gotten two asks about it at this point) !! As well as W1lbur, Dre@m etc fans as I know this was once a blog where MCYT were the main focus ♡♡ (Still love cream crew!!)

My Dm's are open if you want to make friends!! Especially my moots!

I'm autistic, have ADHD, depression and anxiety so be warned I may not always be the easiest to deal with but I try ♡

School bus graveyard

SBG/school bus graveyard: tag(s) for all things sbg! Fic's, playlist, art, Brainrotting ideas

Miraculous ladybug

The ladyblog discord server: An Au where they have their powers still, but Adrienette are online friends! An on going, multi chaptered fic

The History book on the shelf is always repeating itself (And the other tag since I put it under two different ones by accident!!! Agh!!): A future Au ft Emma Dupain-Cheng as Feyline and maneki-neko and Anthea Cesaire as Adalia! Also an on going multi chaptered fic

Could you stay awhile : An Alyanette au where Marinette ended up with the black cat miraculous and Alya, the ladybug. They're a year older in this au, as it happened a year after canon and it's a collection of oneshots

I won't say (I'm in love): Marichat au with Mari hating Adrien, and Chat hating Ladybug. Still a WIP, and the first fic (either chapters on oneshot) will be out sometime soon.

MLB twitter au!: This is basically me being silly! It is CYSAW but i thought it nice to give it it's own tag! :D 90% crack tho

mini comics i've done!

Mao and Scarabella meet their future counterparts (Complete, 5 pages, just sketched no colour)

Kitty blanche (incomplete currently, expected 10 pages, coloured)

And my general miraculous ladybug tag!!

More to be added!!

Mlb x SBG

Two quarters and a heart down : A sbg, MLB crossover. Aiden has the black cat, and Ash the ladybug. Taylor has the fox, Ben has the turtle, Logan has the bee, tyler the peacock and maverick the butterfly :)

SBG X Epic the musical

SBG epic AU: A taylyn centred version of epic the musical, very SBG and Epic-ey. No spoilers yet (official account run by me and two others here)

[tammulberry]

Sweet Beginnings: Marichat AU (Mulberry Conundrum)

SYNOPSIS: After graduating high school, Marinette inherited the bakery of Tom & Sabine. While business was booming and life was peaceful, all that changed when a mysterious man in a gaudy outfit by the name of Cat Noir makes her try to weaponize bread.

RATING: PM for Passionfruit Macarons

Copyright © 2024 by T.A.M. Mulberry

A Cat With Sunglasses?

Working in a bakery was a feast for the senses. The smell of fresh pastries, delicious bread and sweets. The elegant yet simple designs that surrounded the place. The taste of home. Marinette was content, to say the least.

After graduating from high school, she was set to inherit her parents' famous bakery. Some would say it's the best one in Paris. Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie-Patisserie.

What more could Marinette want? She certainly didn't want anything to change.

Until it ... did.

See, there was a certain customer that always showed up at a specific hour and a specific day. Friday at 7pm when the bakery is about to close.

***

As Marinette was cleaning up and saying goodbye to the last few customers, she heard the bell on top of the door ring.

"Welcome to the best boulangerie-patisserie in Paris!" Marinette greeted in her best customer service voice. "How may I help you...?"

She turned around to see a tall man. Now, Marinette wasn't normally intimidated by tall men but whatever she was looking at right now was enough for her to go into full panic mode.

Bright orange board shorts. Green patterned socks. Sandals. An oversized black hoodie with cat ears. A facemask. Perhaps the worst one of all... huge sunglasses at 7 in evening.

If he showed up this late at night with an outfit as ugly as that then it meant that he most definitely had some ulterior motives. Ulterior motives that Marinette absolutely didn't want to know.

So she screamed and the man mirrored her.

"W-wait a minute, I just wanna—!"

"I HAVE A STALE BAGUETTE AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE IT!" Marinette swung it around like a sword before throwing it at him. The man dodged it smoothly. A little too smoothly that Marinette didn't know if she was frightened or annoyed that he wasn't scramming. It hit the door of the bakery with a loud thud before it fell down and left a mess on the floor.

"Whoa! Marinette! Chill out!" The man tried to calm her, but the adrenaline made her ears ring.

"How do you know my name? Are you stalking the bakery?" She interrogated him further as she grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie.

He stepped away from her and laughed. He laughed.

"You have a name tag, ma'am!" The man continued to laugh and all Marinette could do was stare up at him, confused, embarrassed and oddly charmed by his laugh.

Shut up, self. You almost hit the guy with a baguette.

"Anyways, I'm sorry if I frightened you," he cleared his throat. "I'd prefer if we start over."

The man bowed down like a theater act and Marinette, whose head already managed to cool down was taken aback.

"Good evening, I go by many names but everyone else calls me, Cat Noir."

Marinette tried to stifle a laugh. That sounded so ridiculous.

"I'm Marinette," she said with a warm smile. "I'm sorry for trying to hit you with the baguette earlier. When they're stale, they can be... well, I— uh. I'm sorry in general."

"Hey, it's no big deal," the man said, holding out a palm.

"Well, since you walked in here..." Marinette started. "You probably want to buy something."

"Right. Yeah," he looked at the selection that was still available. "Do you guys still have passionfruit macarons?"

Marinette's face lit up. "Of course! Macarons are one of our bestsellers but the passionfruit macarons aren't as famous as our other flavors."

"Guess, I'll be coming here from now on then," he chuckled lowly and Marinette's face flushed. "I'll be taking your entire stock by the way."

Marinette looked at him incredulously. "Our entire stock is enough for a big family. Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I can pay for it," he fished out a wallet that looked expensive. Especially compared to the outfit he was wearing. He fished out 60 euros and offered it to her. "Consider it an apology for nearly scaring you to death."

The blue haired girl nodded and opened a box to place the macarons in. She felt awkward and embarrassed ... yet intrigued? While she didn't want to assume anything, there was something so strangely familiar about the guy, ugly clothes and all.

"So... Cat Noir? People call you that like a stage name?" Marinette questioned, in an attempt to make small talk. "What do you do?

"Well, I ... uh..." he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I do charity. And I chose to be a black cat."

"Is that so?" Marinette replied, not completely convinced. He looked like a mixed bag of traits. Smooth, confident, awkward and warm. She couldn't deny that it made the peaceful yet monotonous day a lot more interesting.

She realized she was already done with the box of macarons and handed it to him. Marinette almost wanted to ask him more questions but she hesitated. "Thank you for coming to the bakery."

"Thanks," his facemask prevented her from seeing his face but she could tell he was smiling. "I'll make sure to come back, Princess."

"Princess?" She repeated, her face flushed."

"Yeah," Cat Noir started. "Cuz you're sweet like one."

Okay, that was the cue to call Alya because she might actually faint on the spot.

He snickered mischievously and opened the door. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

END.

[yolowritter]

In Defense of Ladrien

Hello there everyone, and welcome to a shorter post this time. I'll be honest, I'm in a random Ladrien mood right now, so I figured I should go rewatch a few of the Season 2 episodes with it. As you do. Then I remembered...it doesn't exist. Not in canon anyway, and that's a real shame! Despite Adrien and Ladybug's mutual crushes on each other, we don't get anything except a couple times where they blush at each other and stammer through their sentences. Which okay, it's cute, but c'mon, there's so much potential here! So today I want to lay a bit of groundwork as to how Ladrien could have been improved in this show, and also (hopefully) open up a discussion about it, since I rarely see anyone bring it up in modern MLB. I guess we're all too busy with Sentimonster angst and questioning what's going on with Lila's three mothers. Still waiting to see how they'll try to write themselves out of this predicament... Anyway, today we're talking about the most underrated lovesquare ship, Ladrien!

First of all, it's worth mentioning that I won't be going over the show episode by episode. This is just a short post discussing the ship in general, not a 7.5k analysis like I did with Chloe, my keyboard still needs time to recover. So, I'm sure we all know the basics, but I'll give a simple overview of canon Ladrien just to have everyone on the same page! Ladybug (Marinette) has a crush on Adrien Agreste. Adrien (Chat Noir) has a crush on Ladybug. That's it. That's the ship. Nothing more to it!

Okay...well, things aren't so simple. Canon does give us a couple moments where this dynamic is toyed with, but they're few and far between, leading to a...less than adored ship in the fandom. Don't get me wrong, I love Ladrien! That's why I'm writing this after all, and surely there's others out there who ship it too! But when compared to Adrienette or Marichat...it falls flat on it's face due to the utter lack of content we have to work with. Thankfully, we at least have an established dynamic! And hey, with this show, even that's a bloody miracle!

However, I have seen a lot of people (in yee olden days) say they prefer other sides of the Square because Ladrien seems...a little dishonest. In their defense, it really wasn't hard to make the claim that Marinette's crush on Adrien was (by early S2) still quite superficial, considering they hadn't actually gotten to know eachother than well, and vice-versa for Adrien with Ladybug. I can see why, especially since these are the respective personas that are "least real". Adrien is forced to conform to his father's expectations and always be perfect, while Ladybug needs to be professional and has the city's safety to worry about, hence is unable to ever be genuinely "Marinette" while in the suit. Add to that all the identity shenanigans, and it's easy to see why this ship got pretty much dismissed by a large portion of fans back when it was still relevant. And given that Miraculous has since pivoted away from teen drama and more into the "crazy butterfly man wants to destroy the universe" territory, most ships except Adrienette (and Marichat in Elation) got left behind as the storyline progressed. Ladybug and Chat's relationship evoled, we had a whole arc where Adrien was depressed, etc. That's just the natural progression of storytelling. At some point, we have to move on with the plot.

Fortunately, I am here to present the opposite argument! Ladrien would actually be a very viable ship, especially because of this hero worship that afflicts both Marinette and Adrien! It makes for amazing and complicated interactions on both sides, and here's why! It's because Ladrien was misunderstood, or maybe even misrepresented by the show itself. In my humble opinion, it shouldn't (only) be about Adrien blushing the moment he sees his crush, or Ladybug stammering twenty times in a single sentence. That's all well and good, but look at that I said a moment ago. Ladrien, by the very nature of it's existence is dishonest. Neither Ladybug nor Adrien can be themselves with eachother, even if I have no doubt they would rush headfirst into some kind of secret romance if given the oppurtunity! But...that the point of this ship in my opinion. They both view each other as this perfect, can-do-no-wrong person and have placed one another on a pedestal higher than Lila's delusions! Ladrien is fundementally doomed to this flaw from the very start...but overcoming it is what's interesting!

Just...hear me out! Let's say that after Gorizilla (or some other Akuma with Adrien as a target), Ladybug goes to check on him post-battle to make sure he's okay. Maybe she visits him that night, and surprises him with her presence. They do their usual routine of blushing and stammering, and for one reason or the other, one of them confesses that they have a crush. Regardless of who it is, or how exactly this plays out, let's say for the sake of argument that they get together after another visit or two. Maybe Marinette thinks this is her chance and can't resist getting to know the boy she loves, maybe Adrien is the one to bring it up because Ladybug is his hero. The immediate first problem is that while they know eachother...they can't be honest with their partner. And this brings up an amazing character conflict!

For Marinette, it's possible she has doubts about herself and rationalizes that of course the Adrien Agreste would never see her, but be in love with Ladybug! There's a whole other can of worms here about Marinette's feelings in regards to her mask, but that's for another post. For Adrien, maybe he's a bit conflicted because Ladybug is in love with him...but not Chat Noir, who he considers to be the "real" him. And the more they interact, the more both of them realize that the other is blindsighted by the mask they wear. There's genuine moments sprinkled in between, but feelings of inadequacy keep them from truly connecting. Think "the wall between us" metaphor. But...just when it seems like neither of them is really that happy, when they start feeling like a mistake, both Ladybug and Adrien get a glimpse of the person behind the mask. She realizes that he isn't some perfect, unreachable guy, and he in turn figures out that she's trying so hard to be good enough for him. This can happen in an infinite amount of ways, and I guarantee there's at least some Ladrien fanfics out there that do it! And I'm really glad, because it means someone else gets it!

After this we have a myriad of possibilities as to how things could go, but regardless, things absolutely change in their dynamic. They slowly start to getting to know the person behind the mask. Naturally, they both find themselves even more in love, then eventualy there's a reveal somewhere there, they get together officially, etc. You get the point, right? The reason why Ladrien is interesting is the dichotomy between Maribug and Adrichat's identities. It's the idolization that blinds them slowly fading away to reveal the truth, it's the feelings of insecurity that plague their relationship until everything finally comes to a head! If Ladynoir is parters in battle to lovers, Adrienette is high school sweethears, and Marichat is friends to secret midnight visits to lovers, then Ladrien is idols to friends to lovers! And I absolutely adore their dynamic!

Now, I'm obviously not the first person to bring this up, since I distinctly recall some great Ladrien fics from back in the day with pretty much this plot. And the reason why I adore them is that they play into the inherent dishonesty so well! I hope my point has come across, and if anybody wants to add their own analysis, by all means feel free! This post is supposed to open up a new discussion after all. Anyway, I have to go take a day off and go through my old Ladrien bookmarks! I'll see you all next time, but until then, Stay Miraculous everyone!

[toxinoire]

What’s your ranking for the sides of the MLB Love Square? Mine is:

1: Adrienette, fucking dorks

2: Ladynoir, Stressed Out Dorks that should have talked about their trauma ages ago.

3: Marichat: Elation is my second fav episode of MLB.

4: Ladrien: least canon content, but most canon potential!

Oooh nice ranking! Mine is:

1. Ladynoir: Traumatized children. It's really just no communication than miscommunication for these two, but their banters are ✨

2. Marichat: Lack of applied potential, but their canon content gave me more emotions than my life ever has.

3. Adrienette: ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE and fluffy and wholesome. The reason they're third is because, despite canon, they still lack angst.

4. Ladrien. Unfortunately, they have so little scenes, but their few scenes are so cute! There is so much potential that isn't touched, but they're still very cute.

[fragileizy]

i’ve said this once on discord but i’ll say it here. the fact that there’s practically no nsfw art for mlb is so bad. i have my favorite artists who hide their content behind a paywall, not just for money’s sake but because it’s hard out here being someone who draws it and you could get cruicified by an internet mob. not everyone, but… a lot, yeah.

anyway this leaves us with the people who do post nsfw unabashedly for mlb— unafraid because they’re already fetish art, this won’t matter— but all we get is fetish art. when’s the last time you saw a— god— adrienette bj. ladynoir getting frisky in a back alley. marichat having their stereotypical balcony moment where chat is getting her off. ladrien model-shoot quickie. these are all fics i’ve read multiple times but never seen in artwork, and this sucks. it sucks so hard. the fandom really chokes itself out like this.

these are all examples of just the lovesquare, by the way— there are so many more fics that deserve love, who get buried twice as hard, because they’re “not the right pairing” and you’re going to get crucified by drawing art for it. it is so miserable.

[marichatmay]

Is it May again already?! None of us can believe it, just one more day until May! What's even harder to believe is the year us Marichat-shippers have had! It's amazing how well fed we were :3 All the better for inspiration this time around! We hope you're as excited as we are and we look forward to everything you all will come up with <33 Rules:

Be sure to put #marichatmay2023 in the tags and to tag us @marichatmay so we can be sure to see your post and reblog it.

Don't forget to add the prompt title in the tags so mods can sort all posts.

Reminder that we will not be reblogging anything age-restricted/nsfw, though you are welcome to make any type of content you feel inspired to create!

Spoilers are allowed, just please be sure to tag them appropriately. Not everyone is watching at the same pace as you, respect that :D

Please don't spam DMs or Asks with reminders to reblog your post unless it has been more than 48hrs since your post goes unnoticed. We aren't ignoring you, remember that mods aren't constantly online and this is for fun, not a full-time job.

You are, however, welcome to add your post to submissions if you want to share your art/fic/edit that way.

Most importantly, enjoy yourself! Don't stress over this fun event! If you fall behind, no worries, post it whenever. Marichat runs all year in our hearts, so why not post it whenever you complete it at your own pace? Take care of your health <3 Calendar in text: 1. When the Parents Are Away 2. Medieval Festival 3. Multimouse 4. Runaway 5. Nightmare 6. Rescue/Kidnapping 7. 'I'm Sorry' Kiss 8. Element 9. Snow 10. Winter Refuge 11. Hard Decision 12. Unforgivable 13. Rose & Thorns 14. Protection 15. Sacrifice 16. Mistakes 17. Bait 18. Injury 19. Sunset 20. Darkness 21. Night Flight 22. Star Sign 23. Secret Date 24. Dancing 25. Balcony 26. Stargazing 27. Panic Attack 28. Blackout 29. Cuddles 30. Promises 31. Meet the Parents

[their-destinys-writer]

Caged Chapter 17

Rated: Teen

Chapters: 17/?

Word count: 4,915

Ao3 / FFnet (unable to post) / Wattpad / Patreon

For additional content and behind the scenes, support me on Patreon. I also take Ko-fi.

A/N: I wanted to give a HUGE thanks to @emari-13 for creating the amazing art accompanying this chapter. It’s been such a long time, I needed a ‘Previously On,’ because I’m pretty sure 70% or people who read this story already forgot where it left off lol. Please check out her comics! They’re amazing and there’s so much Marichat! Also, DO NOT REPOST. It has been posted with permission.

Caged Chapter 17 - Ladybug

Chat Noir was staring. Staring at the smirk Ladybug was giving him. And Ladybug couldn’t help but feel a twinge of retribution, as his face turned redder than her suit. He inhaled.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!” he yelled, just as Ladybug managed to attach her yoyo to a chimney and safely take them into an alley.

As they landed, Ladybug tucked her yoyo in its place and peeked around the corner.

“I don’t think anyone noticed,” she assured him, as she looked at many citizens either fighting off magician objects or running from circus animals. “Plus, I guess the fact that we were so high helped, too. Anyway, we need to—”

Ladybug frowned when she turned to her partner. Char Noir’s jaw and arms were hanging, his eyes the size of saucers as they stared at her.

“Chat Noir?” Ladybug called, in concern. “Chat Noir, are you with me? Please say something. Anything.”

Only a cracking noise whizzed out of his mouth, lips remaining parted.

Ladybug placed her hands on his cheeks. “Chat?” she called. Still no response. “Chat Noir, listen to me: I know you’re in shock. It’s the exact same way I felt yesterday when I found out about you. And you have every right to feel like this.

“But like me, you’re gonna have to freak out after we’re done, because right now I need you. I need my partner to defeat this akuma. Can I count on my partner, please?”

Slowly, his jaw closed, and clenched. Along with that move, he nodded.

“Okay,” Ladybug breathed. “Good, okay. I promise we can talk more after. But right now, let’s kick some akuma butt.”

She proceeded to grab his wrist and drag him towards the exit of the alley. Chat Noir, much like she had already suspected would happen, was staring blankly. Merely letting himself be dragged. Ladybug squeezed his hand, in hopes to bring him back to reality. Yet the only response she got was several blinks.

I can’t tell whether this is better or worse than my freak out, she thought. How did I manage to get through Birdcage? She started to go through the events of that day, attempting to find the moment it clicked for her.

“THERE YOU ARE!” Ladybug looked right on time to pull Chat Noir and throw him the other way, as another giant pie swept past behind her, where he used to be. As the akuma sent another yellow beam from his wand, she blocked it with the spinning of her yoyo.

“I think the akuma is in the wand!” she yelled at her partner, blocking two more light beams. “We need to get that!”

Ladybug waited. And waited, blocking beam after beam. Chat Noir should’ve moved by now to distract the villain. She gambled a glance his way, only to find him standing still, hands by his chest like he was holding a tablet, staring into space.

“CHAT NOIR!” she called.

“I-I—” he said at last. “I’M FREAKING OUT!”

“I KNOW!” she yelled back. Definitely worse than me. “But I need you to focus! We can’t talk about it unless we beat this guy!”

“That’s—” Chat Noir started, but seemed to have changed his mind about what he was going to say. “That’s good incentive.”

The next second, the cat hero had jumped away attracting the attention of the akuma. Finally. Ladybug let out a breath of relief as she caught a break from the blocking, instead attempting to wrap her weapon around the wand. But the villain was quicker than she anticipated. After several failed attempts, she called on a change of technique.

“You have us running circles around you, and we don’t even know what to call you,” she said, hoping to slow him down with the art of stalling.

“Need a few ideas?” Chat Noir chimed in. “Is it The Magician? No, wait, already taken. Maybe The Trickster? Joker? Harlequin?”

“Call me Clownface!” the man yelled, swishing his purple cape.

Ladybug stopped whatever retort she was going to say, her face contorting instead.

“Did you just say that your name is Clownface?” Chat Noir asked as he landed next to her.

“Indeed!” the akuma confirmed proudly.

“Clownface?” Ladybug parroted, turning to her partner. The second their eyes met, there were simultaneous snorts, right as they started laughing. Hard.

“Clownface!” Chat Noir wheezed.

“That’s the dumbest name I’ve ever heard!” Ladybug barked, followed by more laughs.

“Just when you think Hawkmoth can’t get any dumber!” Chat Noir cackled.

“Stop laughing!” Clownface yelled. But it only made Ladybug grab her sides, letting out another shriek of laughter.

“I-HA-I can’t!” Chat Noir held on to his knees. “I’m-I’m dying!”

Clownface growled. “FINE! See if you laugh now!” He pressed his red nose, causing it to shine yellow for two seconds. A portal appeared behind him out of thin air and several small elephants came through it.

Ladybug yelped and jumped out of the way. Before she could fall over, though, Chat Noir instantly grabbed her, accidentally carrying her bridal style. The girl looked at him, shocked for a second. Her cheeks instantly warmed, as so did Chat Noir’s, followed by a shared embarrassed smile.

However, the moment lasted only a second, interrupted by the sound of a roaring lion coming out of the portal. They both screamed and Chat Noir started running the opposite direction. Still carrying Ladybug.

“Chat, hold on!” she commanded, proceeded by sending her yoyo to the nearest chimney. Chat Noir instantly grabbed on to her waist and they both were sent in the air, landing on top of an apartment rooftop.

“Nothing’s working!” Ladybug screeched. “And now I’m not so sure the akuma is in the wand. Did you see what he did with the nose?”

“You’re Marinette!” Chat Noir yelled.

“Say it louder, I don’t think Hawkmoth heard you!”

“How did you do this when you found out about me?!”

“I barely did!” Ladybug retorted. “I don’t know, I just suddenly realized that it was more important to save Paris than to freak out over a boy. N-Not that you’re just any boy! You’re the boy I love! I didn’t mean it that way, I meant—Gah! Now I’m freaking out!”

BANG

The building they were on suddenly trembled, and Chat Noir had to steady her. They both peeked over the edge to see the animals from the portal slamming against the wall. It took a proper look to notice the animals weren’t exactly real. They acted like real animals, but their colors were off. And it wasn’t just the bright costumes they were wearing.

“He’s like a Jack of all trades,” Ladybug muttered, rubbing her chin. “Where is he getting all this stuff from?”

She looked at Chat Noir, hoping to get an idea. But he was once again staring off into space.

“Chat Noir?”

“Ladybug, I’m in love with you,” he said, still slightly unfocused.

Yet, it didn’t stop Ladybug from blushing. “If you keep saying things like that, I’m going to lose focus.”

The attempt at the feeble joke did nothing to wake him out of his stupor. Letting out a loud huff, she smacked his arm, finally causing a flinch from him.

“Snap out of it!” she scolded.

“I’m sorry!” he apologized as he rubbed his arm. “But none of this feels real!”

“I know, but it is, and there’s many civilians that are depending on us!”

“I’m useless without my sanity!”

Ladybug groaned while she facepalmed. This was way worse than when she found out. So, a change of strategy was probably necessary.

“Come on!” She grabbed his wrist and led him across rooftops. Some of them with parts melted by the giant toxic pies. They were finally near Clownface again back on the streets, but they hid behind a column of a nearby building.

“Chat, listen to me,” Ladybug said, grabbing his shoulders. “I know how you’re feeling. We are going to talk about this. But right now, I need you to distract that clown, so we can beat him, and get back to our civilian lives. Do this for me, please.”

“I-I—” Chat Noir stammered. Before he could get a word out, Ladybug jumped into the fray, hoping that endangering her life might at least break him into survival mode.

And it worked.

As a giant pie nearly missed Ladybug, Chat Noir let out a battle cry and was waving his staff against Clownface. Not as graceful as he usually did, but it would have to do for the moment. With the akuma distracted, Ladybug studied his wardrobe, hoping to find whatever they had missed. So far, he could shoot beams from his wand and create portals with his nose. The pies, however, seemed to appear out of thin air. One second he had nothing, and the next he was throwing one across the street.

With that clue, she blocked and dodged several beams to get to her partner.

“I need you to keep an eye out for the pies,” she said.

“They’re hard to miss,” he retorted with wide eyes.

“No, I mean I need you to see where they’re coming from.”

“He usually brings them from behind his back,” Chat Noir responded.

“What?!” They both blocked several beams. “When did you notice that?”

“Right before he almost hit you.”

“Great job, chaton!” Ladybug used her free hand to give him a quick scratch under his chin, which sent his cheeks ablaze. “We need to find a way to get that cape out of the way, then.”

“Easier said than done,” Chat Noir said in a dreamy state, his movements slowing down. Enough that Ladybug had to tackle him so he wouldn’t get hit. In the process, Chat Noir accidentally dropped his baton, which rolled on the ground near Clownface, causing him to trip and fall face-flat on the pavement. The drop caused the cape to fall over his head, revealing his back.

“Oh my gosh, Chat, Chat!” Ladybug rapidly tapped her partner’s shoulder before pointing. “The box! The akuma is in the box!”

“How did we miss that?” Chat Noir gaped.

As if to answer his question, Clownface finally got the cape off his head, and it covered the box. Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged looks and nodded.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called as Chat Noir shot off to distract the villain and, hopefully, get rid of that cape. On her hands landed a spotted mixer, and her eyes immediately started scanning the vicinity, until landing on a construction site with fresh cement on the sidewalk, plus wire fence and traffic cones.

She knew exactly what to do.

Ladybug placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled to catch the attention of both Chat Noir and Clownface. As soon as they turned to her, she ran the opposite direction, directly into the construction site. Right before stepping on the cement, she jumped to the car on the other side, taking the barbed wire along.

Unfortunately for Clownface, he saw the cement too late, stepping deep into it. As he started struggling, Ladybug wrapped a piece of the wire to the mixer and called on Chat Noir. He didn’t need to be told twice, immediately taking the other end of the wire and using his staff to slide down behind the akuma to hook the wire to the cape.

“Ready!” he hollered. Ladybug turned on the mixer and the wire started wrapping around it until it couldn’t pull anymore. A Cataclysm later, the box disintegrated and an akuma was purified. Before she could call on Miraculous Ladybug, Chat Noir pulled out the civilian to firm ground.

A flutter of Ladybugs traveled the city, repairing every inch melted by giant pies and making the animals disappear. As everything became right, she made sure the civilian was okay.

* * *

The whole fight had been a blur to Chat Noir. He was aware they fought. He knew they won. He also knew he had been lucid for only ten percent of it. With the ladybugs finishing their last sweep through the city, clarity finally arrived to him.

The clarity that the girl smiling next to him was no longer a stranger.

“Bien joué?” Ladybug asked. He didn’t even notice when she had finished taking care of the civilian. Chat Noir only stared at her fist.

She was Marinette. Ladybug, the Ladybug, was Marinette. And she revealed herself in the most dramatic way imaginable. Far more dramatic than him. Something he never thought she was capable of.

He needed to process. Properly.

“No,” he said, taking Ladybug aback. “We’re not done. Just, akuma, yes. Us, no.”

“Chat—”

“Nope. I need to properly freak out now.”

Chat Noir turned on his heels and vaulted over the buildings. Behind him, he could hear the zipping sound of Ladybug’s yoyo, followed by her light footsteps. At last, they landed on a flat rooftop, perfect for pacing around. Which he did like a big cat in a small cage.

“Chat Noir?” Ladybug asked tentatively the second she arrived. “Are you okay?”

“Nu-uh.” He shook his head, continuing his pacing. “You’re Marinette. Ladybug, my partner, and the first girl I fell in love with, is Marinette. Oh gosh, I kissed Ladybug. I kissed Ladybug! When I was kissing Marinette, I was kissing Ladybug. Wait, so, did I never get over Ladybug?”

“I guess, technically, no?” Ladybug said with a wince. “But you didn’t know that.”

“R-Right.” Chat Noir lowered his hands from his hair, finally slowing down his steps and turning his gaze to Ladybug. To Marinette.

“The same thing happened to me,” she said suddenly. “I thought I had moved on, but I was just falling deeper in love with you.”

There was a last beep and a pink light washed over Ladybug, and there she stood. Marinette. The girl he was in love with. For the second time, it seemed. Or perhaps fell deeper for.

“Sooo,” she drawled, looking away, “this is what I’ve been trying to tell you. Actually, I was planning on telling you the next time you would’ve visited me at home. But then Birdcage happened, and I found out about you. And then the paparazzi, and the video, and Clownface. So… yeeeah.”

“You’re Ladybug,” Chat Noir repeated for what seemed like the twentieth time in the last hour. His eyes moved back and forth between Marinette and a small creature that dove into her purse to take out a cookie. A red kwami, he immediately realized. “You, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, are Ladybug.”

“Mhmm,” she nodded. “I know it’s a lot to take in. I myself almost had a total meltdown after I found out about you.”

“Birdcage!” he blurted out. “That’s why you were so off your game! You had just found out my identity and you were freaking out. Of course! No wonder…”

“Yeah…” Marinette pressed her lips together. “Are you feeling better?”

“Me?!” Chat Noir’s voice cracked. There was a moment of silence as he asked himself that very question. Am I okay about all this? Did we just go in circles around each other? And then he started chuckling. “You were right. This is hilarious!”

He then started wholeheartedly laughing. This was insane! What were the chances that, of all the girls in the city, he would end up falling for the very girl he had already loved? It was like the universe decided to play a game with them and torture them for mere amusement. Even worse, they could’ve been together long before if they had known each other’s identities shortly after getting their miraculouses.

“Adrien?” Marinette called, seeming slightly worried. And he couldn’t blame her. He must look like a maniac, laughing for no real reason. He then remembered the suit he was wearing, staring at his gloved hands. Yet, his real name was what he was being called. He had almost forgotten she knew.

“Ladybug,” he whispered again, finally with a heart willing to slow down. “This whole time.”

“Y-Yeah,” Marinette stammered, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. He could feel warmth fill up his chest with the gesture. Something so subtle, so soft, so beautiful.

Both so Ladybug, and so Marinette.

“You’re the girl I’m in love with,” he said. The words set Marinette’s cheeks ablaze, and he hoped to the gods that it was a good thing.

“Yeah,” she chuckled. Yet, her hands fiddled with each other, as if debating on her next words. Until, at last, she decided to say: “You’re also the boy I’m in love with.”

The ramming of Chat Noir’s heart against his chest returned, but this time, it was full of elation. Gone was the panic, replaced instead with pure, unabashed joy. And as his lips stretched into a toothy smile, the ring gave its last warnings before washing him in green sparkles. Leaving him in his civilian clothes.

He didn’t care, though. She knew. He knew.

Marinette squeaked, as Adrien had lifted her off the ground in a hug and twirled her around, letting out another laugh. He was sure she had been about to say something else before he grabbed her, but he didn’t care. He heard what he needed.

“You love me!” he whooped. “You actually love me!”

“Oh my gosh, Adrien, put me down!” Marinette giggled.

“Never!” Adrien proclaimed. Yet, still placed her on the ground, arms still around her. “Ladybug, Marinette, is in love with me. And they’re the same person.”

“We are,” she breathed. “And you’re both Adrien and Chat Noir.”

“I am.” Adrien pulled away to look at her beautiful bluebell eyes. “I guess the cat’s out of—”

“I swear that if you finish that sentence, I will punch you,” Marinette threatened.

Adrien chuckled some more. “Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t want to offend my Princess. Or,” he leaned closer to her, “should I call you My Lady, instead.”

The girl bit her lip, having a hard time hiding a giddy smile and a clear blush.

“Whichever is fine, as long as you let me kiss you properly this time.”

“Whenever you’d li—”

He didn’t finish his sentence, for Marinette had grabbed his face and pulled it onto her lips. This kiss was nothing like the others they experienced before. There was no hesitation, no awkwardness, no desperation. They were pressed as close as they should be. They moved at the right, synchronized pace. It was perfect. Everything Adrien had wanted it to be, and more. As they softly broke apart, Adrien traced his thumb on her cheek, letting out a light laugh.

“This is such a relief!” Adrien sighed. “We don’t have to hide! We can go on dates, have picnics, visit each other whenever we want—”

“Wait, Adrien, we can’t,” Marinette interrupted.

“But we know—”

“The city doesn’t know, remember?”

Adrien opened his mouth, but left it hanging, remembering every single event from the past few weeks.

“Crap.”

“What is it with you cursing lat—oh right, you’re Chat Noir,” Marinette slid a hand down her face.

“No, you’re right,” Adrien responded. “I messed up. Everyone thinks you’re cheating on me with, well, me.”

“To be fair, our privacy has been invaded to illegal levels,” she said.

“Then what now?” Adrien asked, sliding his hands down her arms to hold her hands.

“I think we’ll have to wait until the story dies and after Annabelle’s lawsuit is resolved,” Marinette responded.

“After the lawsuit resolution?!” Adrien screeched. “That could take months! You have any idea how long a legal process is?”

“It is?” Marinette squeaked. “I don’t know, I’ve never experienced one!”

“There’s no way I’m waiting months to take you out on a—”

“MARINETTE!!!”

The ground shook, and both teens had to cover their ears from the booming voice. The shaking stopped. Marinette and Adrien exchanged looks right before running to the edge of the building, towards the direction the voice came from.

“Another one?” Marinette questioned under her breath.

“We just beat one,” Adrien said. “And why are they calling your name?”

“MARINETTE!!!”

Afar into the city, they could see a glimpse of what looked like soundwaves, followed by crashing sounds and car alarms.

“No,” Marinette breathed, hands slowly going up to her head. “This is bad. Worse than bad. It’s a total disaster! The akumas are looking for me. Hawkmoth knows he can use me against you. My life is over. I’ll have to move outta Paris, change my name and give up being Ladybug. It’s over. It’s all o—”

“Hey, hey,” Adrien softly interrupted. It wasn’t until she saw him kneeling in front of her that she realized she was sitting against the wall. “It’s gonna be okay. We’ll figure this out. And if my father decided to have your mother on his side, he’ll make sure your reputation gets scrubbed clean. And I know there’s more we can do as Ladybug and Chat Noir to help clean this mess. You’re not alone. I’m here for you. I’m always here for you, Marinette.”

Her breaths started becoming steadier. Adrien took a moment to look at the red kwami, looking for some validation. The being simply nodded, as if approving of his handling of the situation. Next to her, Plagg was already halfway through his emergency cheese. Like they were gearing up for battle.

“Okay,” Marinette whispered, catching his attention. “Okay, um, how upset do you think people are over everything that happened?”

“Honestly, I don’t think they have to be upset about your alleged cheating to be looking for you,” Adrien reasoned, sitting on his knees and placing a hand on his chin. “Clownface didn’t seem to care about our situation at all. He was just looking for you. For us.”

“So,” Marinette continued his train of thought, “it means they’re getting direct instructions from Hawkmoth to search for me. And considering how public my image has become these last few days, I’m easy to identify.”

“And if Hawkmoth is certain he can get at least one miraculous by using you, when you’re in a vulnerable position right now, that means…”

“He’ll stop at nothing,” both Adrien and Marinette said in unison.

“We have to show him that his plan is flawed,” Marinette determined, that commanding look that made Adrien putty back in her eyes.

“It’s a good thing Hawkmoth can’t find Marinette if Ladybug’s around,” he smiled, a gesture that Marinette immediately returned.

With renewed confidence, Marinette stood up, Tikki already at her side after finishing the cookie. She called on her transformation and Adrien marveled at the light show before him. Seeing the girl he fell in love with become the girl he had always been in love with, it was surreal.

“Gosh, I love you,” he said with a wistful sigh.

“You think you can handle it, chaton?” she asked with a smirk.

This time, he was ready. He had his freak out. He saw who she was. He was more than ready to fight alongside the love of his life.

“Absolutely.” With that, he called on his own transformation, glad Plagg didn’t need to be told to eat, having already gobbled the emergency cheese he kept with him at all times.

Ladybug and Chat Noir watched towards the horizon, from where the sounds waves were coming from. With one last nod to each other, they jumped back into the fray.

* * *

They had beaten the akuma fairly quickly. But shortly after it, another one came. And then another one, once the previous one was beaten. It was an unprecedented event. Akumas were showing up with only few breaks between, and they were all calling out one name: Marinette.

It seemed she had been right. Hawkmoth saw the news and was taking full advantage of the knowledge that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was important to Chat Noir. And clearly, he felt that information was ripe to exploit. Even worse, there were also a lot of fans upset by the implication that some girl was cheating on their beloved cat superhero or their favorite model. Making half of the akumas fans.

The trickiest part had been getting what they needed to recharge their kwamis. After the second akuma, they ran out food to give them. Even worse, Ladybug was getting the short end of the stick, considering that Chat Noir didn’t always need to use his own power. They managed to restock that time, but by the sixth akuma, Ladybug needed a second helping.

“I’m exhausted,” Marinette wheezed, her hands on her knees as the suit melted off her. “Oh, Tikki, are you alright?”

The kwami let out what sounded like a chirp. Probably too tired to even speak.

“Come on, there’s a bakery around the corner,” Chat Noir said as he led her outside the alley they were standing in. Arriving at the bakery, there was a short line in front of the counter. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to notice their presence, too engrossed watching the television behind the cashier.

Marinette took a moment to look at the faces of the customers, most watching with a concern she hadn’t seen since Stoneheart. The images on the screen, while they may seem like any other day, it had the distinctive factor that every single battle shown happened on the same day. Even the reporter recounting the events seemed tired, with the words ‘HAWKMOTH ON A RAMPAGE’ sliding at the bottom of the screen.

“You think he’ll akumatize any more people today?” Marinette asked her partner, as she tightened the hold on her purse.

“I really hope not,” Chat Noir sighed. “I’m so tired, I think my paws might fall off.”

“Doesn’t Hawkmoth get tired?”

“He’s not the one doing the work,” he grunted.

“What can I get you?” the girl behind the cash register asked. Marinette ordered a generous amount of sweets, even though she hoped she wouldn’t have to use them for what was left of the afternoon. As they waited for their order, she returned to watching the television, showing the numerous attacks of the day.

She could feel something on the back of her mind. A concern, a pattern. Something was very peculiar about Hawkmoth’s tactics.

“What are you thinking?” Chat Noir asked suddenly.

Marinette gave him a quick glance. “Is it just me, or were the akumas kinda easy to beat?”

“I was able to avoid using my power on most of them,” he responded, looking at the hand that could use said power. “You think Hawkmoth is getting sloppy?”

“The opposite,” she said with a hum. “I can’t shake off the feeling that he’s getting ready for something. Tiring us out on purpose, so we’re not ready for something bigger. Maybe he knows something we don’t. Or senses something we can’t.”

The cashier handed them a bag of sweets, which Marinette immediately stuffed as best as she could in her purse. But her eyes continued trained on the television.

“Well, whatever he’s planning, we’ll be ready for it,” Chat Noir assured.

Just as he said that, the image changed to a live broadcast in front of a mansion. Wait, that mansion looked familiar…

“Father?” Chat Noir uttered. Indeed, Gabriel Agreste entered the screen, standing in front of a group of journalists holding microphones and cellphones to him. Why was he giving a press conference?

“Good afternoon,” Gabriel said. “As you all know, the reputation of my son and his classmate has been put into question these last few weeks due to unfortunate comments from superhero Chat Noir. In light of such comments, the privacy of two teenaged children has been violated several times already, and it has recently reached new heights of social media bullying and harassment. Due to these careless actions and preposterous allegations against two children, my legal team has decided to take legal action against the reporter Annabelle Billard, on slander and defamation charges.

This decision was taken after filling a formal complaint for lack of ethics against the production company behind the Margot and Dorian Show. After speaking with the producer, I was assured Ms. Billard will be relieved of her job effective immediately for breaking ethical guides and broadcasting laws. This is merely the first of several actions that my legal team will be taking against her.

Because this is now an ongoing case, I will not be taking any questions at this time. Thank you.”

The people around them proceeded jumpstart conversations, some commenting on Mr. Agreste’s excessiveness while others went along the lines of ‘good riddance.’ As for Marinette and Chat Noir, they exchanged looks of concern.

“That’s not good, is it?” Chat Noir commented.

“Annabelle’s life has just been ruined,” Marinette responded, feeling a tightness in her throat. “I think he just angered the worst person that can be akumatized right now.”

“You really think that’s all it will take to get her akumatized?”

As if to respond his question, the image on the television flickered, and whatever was playing after the press conference was replaced by a shadowy image. The heroes’ eyes widened, watching as their worst fears unfolded.

“Good evening, citizens of Paris,” the image said in a distorted voice. “We interrupt the scheduled programing to bring you breaking news: Hawkmoth wants the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses, and he wants all of you to help me find them. But first,” the shadowy figure stepped closer the camera, revealing the face of Annabelle pasted in grey skin and dark hair, “bring me Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

[purrincess-chat]

Ironically, "Marinette is dumped by Adrien, then gets into romantic relationship with Chat Noir" is more or less beginning of "Chat Blanc"

It's basically as if (some) MariChat shippers want first half of "Chat Blanc" (where Chat Noir has "happy romantic relationship with Marinette" after finding out that she is Ladybug and deciding to don't tell her about it) to happen, but without "second half" (where Gabriel finds out that "Adrien = Chat Noir" and exploits it to akumatize Chat Noir into Chat Blanc)

There's a really weird double standard in the fandom, and a lot of people infantalize Adrien and are weirdly protective of him. So, I think a lot of people are taking the secret keeping personally, but the thing about it is, it shouldn't fall on Marinette to reveal all of the dirt on his family. Nathalie tried to have Gabriel tell him two seasons ago, but they never did and never pushed it again. I think if anyone should tell him, it should be Nathalie. Ya know, an actual adult in the situation who knows more than Marinette does.

Marinette has had her own share of trauma the past few seasons and has had to deal with way more than she should have. I think one telling moment to me that a lot are overlooking throughout this whole discourse is in Migration when Adrien is talking to the blue boy about Marinette keeping secrets from him back then. He wasn't pressed about knowing the secret; he just didn't want her to feel guilty about it. Because he has secrets too. I can maybe see a similar situation happening in s6 where she feels guilty about it, and maybe it does cause some contention in their relationship, but it doesn't necessarily mean they have to break up over it. They could and probably will work through it. I doubt she will ever tell him, at least not as Marinette bc that would mean a reveal, and we know the writers are milking that for all it's worth, so I doubt the secret is going to break them up necessarily.

The main and most plausible threat I could see is Lila/Cerise/Iris/whoever the fuck. But we will have to see.

[buzbu]

I’m watching ‘Ladybug and Chat Noir: Awakening’ (you can watch a really bad quality bootleg recording on most pirating sites right now), these are my reactions while I’m watching . A lot of the points won’t make sense unless you’ve seen it too I’m sorry 😭

If you don’t want to watch the movie but want a vague idea of the plot, here u go

⚠️NEW MIRACULOUS MOVIE SPOILERS⚠️

- master fu is soo dramatic

- THIS IS A MUSICAL???

- whoever the singer is for marinette sounds so noticeably different to her it is throwing me off

- the character designs are so cute

- brand placement: 1

- Adrien is brooding so hard with his headphones. I bet he’s listening to something emo

- omg gabriel agreste backstory right away

- Luka cameo

- whyd they make plagg a fart monster

- there are more than 4 background character designs this is crazy

- whyd they make gabe kinda fine

- gabes first musical number as hawkmoth is so insanely Dr Facilier

- they made him such a good villain omfg I’m actually rooting for him he’s got the whole ‘a villain who would sacrifice the world to save her’ thing going for him

- oooo they have the mime villain from season 1 (?), and they are actually showing how op his power is. He could create literally anything and he just made a wall and a gun, he couldve done so much more. They did him justice they made him kinda fine too very Danny Bailey from Schmigadoon

- chat noir calling himself a sidekick is my villain origin story

- didn’t know how much I needed an action montage with a rock cover of the miraculous ladybug song until now

- a slither of adrienette in the montage

- brand placement: 2

- I’m an hour in and chat noir hasnt called ladybug milady ONCE

- oh my god they have the play fighting trope where they end up pinning eachother against a wall this is so them

- I don’t think the songs are very movie like, the words are pronounced like radio songs so you can’t really understand what they’re saying a lot of the time without captions (I don’t have captions 💔)

- the romance feels a lil rushed. Because they spent the first half hour almost exclusively on marinette and setting up her character/insecurities/etc and all the romantic development was in a montage. Now there’s a love song and theyre in love and it feels very underdeveloped to be at this stage already

- this song is cute though I can’t make out the majority of the words but in-love ladynoir content has my heart

- no marichat so far . Waiting patiently

- they haven’t set the love square up to its full potential 💔💔

- ok nevermind they kind of have, ladybug rejected chat noir for adrien, she asked adrien out and he rejected her for ladybug. But there has been no ladybug + adrien interactions or chat noir + marinette interactions yet

- omg gabriel adrien angst omg gabe is so much less of a dislikable character, they actually gave him some depth . Adrien is full on yelling at Gabriel and gabe actually looks like he cares about his son

- this bootleg is terrible quality but even with the bad quality the quality is so obviously good

- I’ve gotten used to the marinette singing voice and now I just love it

- this movie is so dramatic with the love songs and songs about insecurities, I feel like it’s that movie ladybug made fun of in the show

- GABE AKUMATISED HIMSELF AND ITS SO COOL THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT WEIRD IPAD VILLAIN HE WAS IN THE SHOW

- adrien just said ‘the less interested you are, the more they run after you 😒’ because ladybug called him for help after she rejected him😭😭😭😭 bro rlly said all girls are the same

- idk if this bootleg is just clipped together but it keeps randomly turning french with no subtitles and it’s confusing me so much. I don’t know french, why must they be in paris

- these boss fights are so well animated

- chat noir is so bitter god damn

- ladynoir angst but it’s actually high stakes im loving this

- LADYBUG SAVE YOUR CAT WHAT ARE YOU DOING

- SHE LET HIM FALL WHAT

- gabe just turned the water they fell in into lava this is crazy

- they just turned french again I have no idea what they’re saying

- MARINETTE / HAWKMOTH SHOWDOWN

- nevermind

- I’m sorry marinette would pick this dialogue to shreds it’s so corny

- GOT THE TINIEST SLITHER OF MARICHAT I AM HAPPY

- YES YES YES GABRIEL FORCED TO FACE THE FACT THAT ADRIEN IS CHAT NOIR

- HES SELF REFLECTING!!! REALISING EVERYTHING HE DID WAS INSANE AND HURT ADRIEN WHEN HE TOLD HIMSELF HE WAS HELPING HIM. THIS IS WHAT THE SEASON 5 FINALE SHOULDVE BEEN

- THIS IS PERFECT

- this is what ppl wanted for the show . adrien being resentful at first, Gabriel hit in the face with his own guilt and mistakes, having a genuine moment of self reflection, adrien forgiving him and gabe changing instead of getting his wish and being remembered as a hero, plus all of paris finding out hawkmoth was Gabriel, etc. I love this

- brand placement: 3

- omg there’s a masquerade ball everyone looks so good

- so marinette knows that adrien is chat noir but he doesn’t know shes ladybug yet ? That better change in the next 2 minutes

- HE KNOWS!

- marinette is so pretty I’m actually so happy with this

- OHHHH NATALIE VILLAIN ARC ????

- oh theyre talking in french again I have no idea what this ending means

FINAL THOUGHTS!

obvs it isn’t canon but I love this adaptation. The superpowers are portrayed as powerful as they actually are, there’s more drama and angst which I needed, the timeline is VERY different to the show. Marinette stands up for herself to chloe the same day that ladybug and chat noir reveal their identities, so it’s like the origins episode of season 1 mixed with one of the various identity reveals from season 4. Also she’s not friends with any of her class other than alya, adrien and nino, so it’s also kind of pre-origins vibes. Idk, it was really good and I can’t wait to watch it in better quality, with captions, and without ads playing every half hour

Also I’m forever thankful that there was no lila rossi storyline