#Nino doesn’t know how to comfort people

[chocostrwberry]

Adrien: My girlfriend became a goddess to save the world and now I have to raise a younger version of the person responsible for this.

Nino: That’s rough buddy.

[wia-tia]

Hikaru considers everyone his friend (even though he shouldn’t).

[2]

This is part of a series, you don’t need to read the others, but it might add some extra context:

Part [0]: main post

Part [1]: Hikaru’s motivations

Random intermezzo

Part [2]: Hikaru’s relationship with Yura, Nino, Ryosuke

Part [3]: Hikaru's relationship with Aqua & Ruby

Hikaru’s approach to friendships is interesting. He bonds with people to increase his guilt, such as Yura. He also seems to view everyone who shows him affection, even if superficial or transactional, as a friend, such as Nino and Ryosuke.

Hikaru's relationship with Yura

I believe that he was genuine friends with Yura, as he expresses concern for her career by asking Yura to consider what her fans would think, and he compliments her (“It can’t be, you’re cute.”  “What a great attitude.”) Yura feels very comfortable sharing personal stuff with him. (“Miki-san” “You’re the best drinking buddy after all.”) All imply that they have known each other for quite a while. Despite the context making it seem like he wants to immortalise her talent, he warns Yura twice. Why would he do that? He also adds please to it: just to be polite or is it an actual plea?

Nonetheless, after Nino pushes Yura, he instantly takes responsibility for Yura’s death, saying it is his fault and that he can feel his life’s weight. In chapter 161, he says his death would greaten Ai’s significance, so I interpret this as him trying to increase his guilt by being the cause of death and suffering of someone he knows and probably cares about. This guilt would make him feel Ai's presence again as he associates guilt with her. In the anime, he doesn’t say it as mockingly as I thought he would. Maybe it’s even apathetic, it’s quite hard to characterize. It could have also served the purpose to help Ruby get the role for Ai. This could mean that he does care for both Ruby’s career and Ai’s legacy in some way, which contradicts that he doesn’t want anyone to surpass Ai.

Additionally, I still think the person contacting Frill in chapter 113 is Hikaru (we don’t know Frill’s agency). At that point he was the only person associated with alcohol (by drinking with Yura). So, this shows he can influence someone in a certain direction, though we do not know if this was intentional or not. Frill says: “Sometimes when I hear from people like them, I’ll question my own stance.” Through interactions like these, he indirectly motivates Frill to root for Ruby to get the role of Ai, which ties in as a motive to kill Yura.

Hikaru's relationship with Nino & Ryosuke

In chapter 132, Nino says that they won’t forgive anyone who surpasses Ai, even Ruby (Ai’s daughter). It seems that she views Ruby as Ai’s daughter, not Hikaru’s, despite Hikaru referring to Ruby as “our daughter” in the past. It’s implied that Hikaru shares Nino’s view. Yet, in chapter 138, he paradoxically sponsors the movie that condemns him but does not reveal his name in the movie. Does he wish to be condemned, yet not at the same time? I don’t get why he’d risk being outed if he still intends to continue the murders, so nobody can surpass Ai (people will find out it’s him, he says that himself in chapter 147). I think this is a form of self-punishment, which is tied to his guilt and not him wanting nobody to surpass Ai.

Something that’s also still ambiguous is Hikaru’s debt to Kaburagi, who Hikaru calls ill-natured. In chapter 138, he refused permission to use his name, which he contradicts in chapter 147, when talking to Nino. This could be his way to provoke Nino, because he can’t do anything to his daughter himself. In chapter 158, his decision to hand “them” over to the police indirectly hands Nino over to the police, without himself, which I think means he still wants to do something for Ai (I think this is increasing his guilt), which he said in chapter 155.

He considers Ryosuke and Nino sincerely his friends. They approached him first and he was unaware of how their obsession might spiral and vaguely mentions Ai and his relationship with her. Given he knew Ai well, Hikaru likely knew Nino was Ai’s colleague. He also says that he was unsure about seeing Ai twice, which I think is in line with his timid nature we see in the movie. Nino was Ai’s coworker and she had a boyfriend. Maybe he thought he could get back together with Ai because they were together. It would be a nice reason why exactly Ryosuke needs to be Nino’s boyfriend. Nino would be his connection to Ai and seeing that Ryosuke is also together with an idol could give him hope that not all is lost with his relationship with Ai. Also, it’s a reason why Hikaru wouldn’t have assumed that Ryosuke would harm Ai because Nino is also an idol. Ai saying no to him wanting them to be together again would give him a reason to not go see her himself. If Ai saw that Hikaru didn’t bring the flowers himself maybe she would be concerned and reach out again confirming that Ai was serious about it and wanted to see him again and maybe get back together even if she said that she didn’t call for that reason.

He denies that he knew what happened in Miyazaki. But how does he even know Ai was about to give birth at a hospital in Miyazaki, did Ai call him before the call we see? The hospital scene in chapter 160 makes it seem that Ryosuke and Nino were tracking Ai after her disappearance, but Tsukuyomi’s story says Hikaru was there, so it still needs to be confirmed what exactly happened there. With the knowledge we have, I think Gorou’s death was an accident. If all three of them were there, I think it would have affected them greatly, but we don’t really see the aftermath of it in the manga. I think this could also be one of the reasons he stays close to the other two out of guilt of traumatising them with Gorou’s death, even if he didn’t do anything.

Interestingly and quite sad even, Hikaru calls Nino and Ryosuke, Nino-kun and Ryosuke-kun. Nino calls him Kamiki-san, which implies that there is a hierarchical distance for Nino, yet Hikaru considers them friends. This might explain why he feels guilty when their actions lead to tragedy, like Ryosuke’s suicide or for not seeing that his friend would’ve killed Ai. I think that’s also the reason he stays around Nino. However, Nino stays around him to make sure nobody surpasses Ai because she doesn’t have the connections to famous people herself.  Aqua does accuse him of never helping Nino’s mental condition which I think once again is connected to his guilt, where Nino and Hikaru stimulated each other’s guilt complex over Ai’s death and even on a smaller scale over Ryosuke’s death. So, improving each other’s mental condition was never on their minds.

I think this means that he thinks that anyone who gives him the slightest form of affection is his friend. That’s actually really sad. If he considers them his friends, why would he want to break or manipulate them? So, I don’t think he manipulated them intentionally.

Yet, Aqua says that his desire not to hurt anyone is a lie, so like what actually happened regarding Ai’s death is still up in the air. I think it’s possible that Hikaru lied to Aqua. His motivation might be to increase his guilt or to be loved, as chapter 161 implies. But the question remains: what exactly are the lies?

Hikaru’s creepy smile of this chapter only appears after Aqua accuses him of wanting to kill Ruby, which I think means that he feels a negative emotion. We never see him express strong negative emotions as an adult weirdly enough (outside of the underwater scenes) and I think some of his smiles, such as that one, is a repressed form of that.

Following Aqua’s words, it seems that Hikaru has manipulated Ryosuke and Nino. If he was, how much of it was conscious? I can’t imagine that, at the age of 14 up to 19, he’d fully understand the impact of his influence on others and he considers them friends. Why would he intentionally manipulate them? I wouldn’t have mind if it was intentional if it was explored better and not some vague scenes that contradict Hikaru’s previous words. The manga doesn’t give him a motivation for the manipulation nor the killing of Ai. In addition, the focus on Hikaru’s role in the murders risks removing responsibility of Nino and Ryosuke which I think undermines the message of the manga about parasocial relationships, success culture & the problems of the entertainment industry. These things lead to terrible outcomes if unmanaged (terrible outcome: seen with Ai’s death, Hikaru’s sexual assault; situations with a better outcome: Kana’s mother wanting Kana to be popular and leaving her when she isn’t; she has been healing form it, Akane’s cyberbullying; she survives and lives further, Memcho’s age; people still accept her and so on). So, I think it's weird that the manga would suddenly change it's direction from that interpretation. The industry and lack of support system cause terrible outcomes, but the same industry with a good support system can lead to better outcomes. I have been having a hard time coming up with a theme for the manga with the last few chapters, but we'll see what the next two chapters bring.

Thank you for reading!

[0] [1] [intermezzo] [3]

[celestiall0tus]

Tales of Bloody Bug and Chat Noir - Chapter 8 - Princess Fragrance

Beginning || Previous || Next

            Adrien sat in science class with a handful of classmates from his homeroom. He occasionally glanced beside him where Luka Couffaine, Juleka’s twin brother, sat. He often tried to strike up conversation with Luka, but between Ms. Mendeleiev and Luka’s quiet self, it wasn’t easy. He wished Luka was in homeroom with him. Perhaps he could attempt to talk with him more. Then he could have another school friend like Nino.

            “Thank you, Rose, but I don’t think our classroom needs extra refreshing,” Ms. Mendeleiev said.

            Adrien snapped from his thoughts. He turned to the back Rose stared up at Ms. Mendeleiev with a deer-in-headlights look. Ms. Mendeleiev headed towards Rose.

            Chloe grinned and turned to Sabrina. “I thought someone packed a tuna fish sandwich but turns out it was just Rose’s perfume.”

            Adrien frowned at Chloe’s remark. He ignored it and looked back as Rose handed Ms. Mendeleiev her perfume.

            “Furthermore, using your phone during school hours is strictly forbidden.”

            Rose sighed. She took out her ear bud, grabbed her phone, and handed it to Ms. Mendeleiev.

            “Now, take the rest of your things and go to the principal’s office.”

            Rose gasped and whimpered. She grabbed her bag and headed out of the classroom.

            Ms. Mendeleiev returned her desk. “Watch what happens when you play about with flammable substances in a chemistry lab.”

            Ms. Mendeleiev spritzed the perfumed into a glass container. She covered a burner with it and pressed a red button. Everyone gasped at the explosion caused by the perfume.

            “Just to make sure you all remember that. I will be quizzing you tomorrow on lab safety … again.”

            The bell rang to signal the end of the hour. Everyone grabbed their things and headed out. Adrien turned to Luka to talk, but Luka was already gone. He sighed and headed out, eyeing the girl group as they lingered nearby. His eye caught Juleka as he considered asking her for advice. Was it right? It seemed wrong to ask someone else, but what else could he do? Surely there was no harm in this one time, right?

            Adrien approached Juleka. “Hey, Juleka? Could I ask you something?”

            Juleka turned and stared at Adrien.

            “Uh, right. Um, so, I wanted to ask you about Luka, if that’s ok?”

            “Why?”

            “I just want to be friends with him like I am with Nino, but he doesn’t talk to me. Is there something I could do to get him to, I dunno, open up?”

            Juleka grimaced. “I don’t know. You’re nice, Adrien, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you and Luka to be friends.”

            “What? Why?”

            “He’s not exactly, well, comfortable with people. You know?”

            “Uh, no.”

            “Well, regardless, you should just give up. He’s not going to open up to you. Ever.”

            “What? But-!”

            The warning bell ran to signal they had a minute left to get to class. Juleka didn’t say another word and headed off to class. Adrien sighed and followed to the same class.

~~

            Alix walked out of class when the lunch bell rang. She hurried to the exit when she heard a tiny sneeze. She flinched at the noise and ran to the bathroom. She glanced around to ensure it was empty. She took off her backpack and opened it. Her eyes widened seeing Tikki curled up.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “I don’t feel well,” Tikki whispered.

            “What? How? You can get sick?”

            Tikki nodded.

            “Fuck. Shit. How can I help you?”

            “There is a healer. If you go to him, he can help me.”

            “Do you know where he is?”

            Tikki nodded.

            “Good. Hang in there, Tikki. I’ll get you to the healer immediately.”

            Alix flung her backpack back on her and ran out. She stopped at the bottom of the steps to see Rose talking with Chloe. She tilted her head as Chloe held up a pink envelope and shredded it.

            “Hey!” Alix yelled.

            Chloe jumped. She scrambled into the limo behind her as Sabrina closed the door. The limo drove off by the time Alix reached the road. Alix swore and turned to Rose.

            “What’d that bitch do?” Alix demanded.

            “She… destroyed my… letter… for Prince Ali,” Rose whimpered.

            “Chloe had-,” Sabrina started.

            “You were able to dodge me last time, but at this close range, do you want to bet you can again?” Alix hissed.

            Sabrina stiffened. She raised her hands in front of her and ran off.

            Alix snorted and knelt beside Rose. “Hey, it’ll be ok. You can write a new letter.”

            Rose shook her head. “What’s the point? With Chloe there, I’ll never get close to Prince Ali.”

            “Rose, you forget who you’re talking to. It’s me. I’ll set her straight. Meanwhile, you go and write a new letter. Ok?”

            Rose sighed and looked away. She gathered the scraps of her first letter and left.

            Alix grimaced. She slowly stood as she kept her eyes on Rose. She took out an earbud and took off down the street.

            “Tikki, directions, now. Let’s get you help and then I have a brat to do with.”

            “Alix, you can’t. If you-.”

            “Tikki, I don’t want to see Rose akumatized. She’s an annoying creature, but she didn’t deserve that. And you should have seen the look on her face. She was devastated. She’ll be a target for sure.”

            A long pause. “Ok, but not as Bug.”

            “You have my word. Directions?”

            Tikki phased through the bag and wormed into Alix’s cap. Alix turned and adjusted it to give Tikki a peephole as she dashed through the busy foot traffic. They arrived at a small shop for Chinese massage. She headed inside through the building to a room with an open door. She stepped inside to see an old man drinking tea. Her eyes widened as she recognized him.

            “You. You’re that old man that I saved from getting hit by a car,” Alix said.

            “Uh, are you sure? I don’t recall-.”

            “Cut the crap, old man. You can’t fool me. You’re wearing the same clothes as you were that day and I don’t see anyone your age wearing those awful clothes.”

            “I’m afraid you still have me mistaken, young lady.”

            Alix snarled. She ripped off her cap and held out Tikki. She noticed a hint of surprise and recognition seeing Tikki before he masked it.

            “I got you. You know who she is. What she is. You are also the one that can help her.”

            The man sighed. “Very well, young lady. Put Tikki down on the mat.”

            Alix placed Tikki down. She sat nearby while she watched the man work. She shifted her gaze from him to Tikki. Fear worked its way up her as the seconds crawled by and the initial rush wore off. Her eyes darted between the old man and Tikki as he did his work.

            “How much longer?” Alix asked with a cracked voice.

            “‘One who is burning with impatience can never eat hot porridge.”

            “Cut the crap. How. Much. Longer?” Alix demanded.

            “Silence, please.”

            Alix growled and crossed her arms. She tapped her finger on her arm as the old man sat in front of Tikki with his hands over her. A few moments passed before she spoke.

            “Who are you?” Alix asked.

            “Just an old man.”

            “No, you’re not. There’s more to you. No amount of gaslighting will convince me otherwise.”

            “You will learn another time, but not now.”

            “And why not? What are you hiding? How do you know what these kwamis are? Are you the one that gave me Tikki?”

            “You must be cautious, young lady. Curiosity was the death of the cat.”

            “And satisfaction brough him back. My questions may be my downfall, but knowledge is my satisfaction.”

            The old man smiled. He rang his gong once and bowed his head. “We’re finished. Tikki’s health has been restored.”

            Alix’s breath caught. She stared at Tikki until she opened her eyes. She gasped and scooped up Tikki.

            “You’re alright. You’re alright!”

            Tikki smiled and nuzzled Alix. “I’m alright.”

            “Hey, old man? Thank you,” Alix said.

            “You’re welcome, Alix.”

            “Oh, lovely, you know my name. And just what would yours be?”

            “You may call me Wang Fu.”

            “Pleasure. And, you realize I’ll be back later to get my answers, right?”

            Wang Fu laughed. “I’ll await that day, young Alix.”

            Alix nodded and ran off. She checked her phone to see she still had enough time to confront Chloe. She headed towards Le Grand Paris, grabbing a bite on the way. She ran up to the front door that was blocked by one of the male staff members. She rolled her eyes and moved to enter, but he stopped her.

            “State your business,” the man said.

            “I need to see that brat, Chloe.”

            “She’s currently with Prince Ali.”

            Alix checked her phone for the time. She huffed and kicked the man in the crotch. He howled in agony as she ran inside. She made a dash for the stairs before anyone else could stop her. She ran up towards the restaurant floor, assuming Chloe and Ali were there. She burst into the room where reporters were interviewing Prince Ali. She scanned the crowd and spotted Chloe with him before the press.

            Alix dove behind the bar and peeked over. She considered how to separate Chloe from Prince Ali when the elevator dinged. She looked over to see the glass elevator filled with pink smoke. She watched as Rose dressed in a black princess/villain suit, green skin, and long pink hair pulled in a braid like a perfume spritzer stepped out.

            Alix ducked down. “I knew it, Tikki. She’s been akumatized. Dammit, why didn’t she just wait?”

            “Ask her later,” Tikki pressed.

            “Right. Tikki, spots on.”

            Tikki disappeared into the earrings and transformed Alix into Bloody Bug. Bloody Bug took her yo-yo and held it close to her.

            “Lucky Charm.”

            Ladybugs swirled between her and the yo-yo to create a pair of gas masks. Bloody Bug slipped one on while she attached the other at her hip. She took a deep breath and ran in. She threw her yo-yo and snagged Rose’s arm. She pulled on it and yanked Rose closer to her.

            “Bloody Bug!” Chloe cheered.

            “Party’s over, Princess Perfume.”

            “It’s Princess Fragrance!”

            “Close enough!”

            “What are you waiting for? Stop her?” Princess Fragrance roared.

            The paparazzi rushed forward. Bloody Bug grinned as she pulled on her yo-yo, smacking the paparazzi with Princess Fragrance. She laughed as she swung Princess Fragrance around like a weapon to keep the paparazzi down.

            Princess Fragrance screamed. She held her perfume gun up and spat out more of her perfume. Bloody Bug continued to swing her around, unaffected by the perfume, when she was grabbed. She dropped her yo-yo as she was lifted up by Andre, the mayor. She freed herself and landed on the floor, but her gas mask was ripped off by Prince Ali as Chloe stole her other one.

            Bloody Bug held her breath and ran. She crashed through the window and fell. She braced for impact when Chat Noir caught her.

            “I sure caught you between a rock and a hard place,” Chat Noir teased.

            “Get us out of here. Now.”

            Chat Noir looked up at Princess Fragrance as she peered over at them. He nodded and changed course. He landed in an isolated alleyway. He put Bloody Bug down as she scrambled to hide inside a nearby dumpster.

            “I don’t think this is the time for dumpster diving,” Chat Noir remarked.

            Bloody Bug ignored Chat Noir as she slipped inside. “Tikki, spots off.”

            “What are you doing?”

            “I used my Lucky Charm back there, but I was overwhelmed and it was stolen.”

            “Oh, well, what’s the plan, Bug?”

            “We need to attack with masks. If we inhale that perfume, I’m pretty sure we’ll be under Princess Fragrance’s control.”

            “And where’s her Akuma?”

            “At a guess, in her perfume gun thing. I’ve had this hunch for a while that the Akuma is usually in the weapon the villain uses. It’s proven right many times with a few exceptions. So, if push comes to shove, always aim for the weapon first.”

            “Can do, but where would we find her.”

            Alix hummed. “I have a hunch. Pont des Arts.”

            “Why there?”

            “Look, I’ll be frank, I know the girl that was akumatized. Total romance nut, and she wants that Prince Ali. Where else would a romantic want to go than padlock bridge?”

            “Oh! You mean the one where people put love padlocks with their names on them, then throw the key in the Seine? That is so romantic.”

            “Focus, Cat! I’m sure a hypnotized Prince wouldn’t appreciate the gesture as much.”

            “Fair point. Alright, ready when you are, Bug.”

            “Right. Tikki, spots on!”

            Alix transformed back into Bloody Bug. She kicked the lid of the dumpster up and struck a heroic pose.

            Chat Noir snickered. “Mighty heroic, Bug.”

            “Always. Let’s go!”

            Bloody Bug and Chat Noir headed for Pont des Arts. They landed on a nearby building overlooking the bridge. He took out his staff and clicked the pawprint button. A screen popped up and zoomed in on the bridge. She looked over to see Princess Fragrance holding a padlock that emitted perfume.

            “How about that. We have the element of surprise on them. What do you think?” Chat Noir asked.

            Bloody Bug hummed. “I can make us gas masks again so we can get close to her. Just don’t get surrounded by her minions. We may be stronger, but strength of many triumphs tyrants.”

            “Well, what if we destroy the bridge? That will keep her minions at bay so we can focus only on her.”

            “I like the way you think. Alright, let’s do this. Lucky Charm.”

            Ladybugs swirled and created another pair of gas masks. Bloody Bug put one on while Chat Noir took the other.

            “How do we want to do this? Distraction or surprise?”

            “Surprise. I’d rather not risk her catching on. Besides, I’m slippery.”

            “Prove it.”

            Chat Noir grinned. He slipped off the building and snuck his way under the bridge. Bloody Bug watched with the assistance of her yo-yo as he made it under Princess Fragrance and her group. She adjusted and readied her yo-yo as the bridge turned black and crumbled. She threw her yo-yo and caught Princess Fragrance’s arm. She pulled and sent Princess Fragrance flying, separating her from the others.

            “We meet again, your Highness,” Bloody Bug remarked.

            “Not you again! Why are you getting in the way of my happiness? The Prince belongs to me.”

            “No one belongs to anyone!” Chat Noir roared.

            Bloody Bug looked up as Chat Noir pounced and pinned down Princess Fragrance. He restrained her arm with the perfume gun and broke it with his staff. She cried out as the Akuma flew up. Bloody Bug caught and purified it, reverting Princess Fragrance to Rose. Bloody Bug took her gas mask and Chat Noir’s and threw them up.

            “Miraculous!”

            Ladybugs burst from them. They repaired the bridge and everyone placed back on it that were in the Seine. The effects of Princess Fragrance’s perfume vanished from them.

            “What happened? Where am I?” Rose asked.

            “You were akumatized. Had an eye for the prince?” Bloody Bug asked.

            Rose looked away. “I did. I really admire him and his work. I just wanted to tell him that, but Chloe wouldn’t give me the chance.”

            “That doesn’t mean he’s yours,” Chat Noir cut in.

            “What? I’d never think that! Did I say that?” Rose asked.

            Bloody Bug placed a hand on Chat Noir’s shoulder. “You did, but it’s becoming clear to me that these Akumas bring forth our darkest desires. Even if you yourself wouldn’t think that, a part of you seems to. Stoneheart and Mylene, Lady WiFi and Chloe and me, Stormy Weather and Mireille, even Mr. Pigeon and pigeons.”

            Chat Noir snorted. “His one true love.”

            “You certainly aren’t wrong. Point is, be careful to not let your darkest desires become you. In the end, you may… regret the actions you’ve done. And it… it may seem easier to ignore them, but they’re there and everyone else won’t ever forget. So, be careful with them and don’t let them consume you. Understand?” Bloody Bug asked.

            Rose nodded.

            “Good, now let’s-,” Bloody Bug started.

            “Hey, are you ok? You seemed-,” Chat Noir interrupted.

            “I speak from experience. Nothing more.”

            “Do you want to talk about it?”

            Bloody Bug considered. “Tell you want, Christmas holiday, let’s meet and we’ll get the answers we want then. I should be ready by then.”

            “Very well, I’ll wait until then.”

            “Thank you.”

            Bloody Bug and Chat Noir shared a smile before Bloody Bug scooped up Rose. They went down to the bridge where Prince Ali and the others remained. Bloody Bug put Rose down before they headed off.

            “Bloody Bug! Wait!” Chloe cried.

            Bloody Bug paused atop a streetlight. She turned back, smiled, and winked at Chloe. She waved and ran off. She ducked into an alleyway before she transformed back. She caught Tikki and offered a cookie.

            “You ok? Are you feeling alright?” Alix asked.

            Tikki nodded. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

            “Are you sure? You won’t get sick again, right? You won’t… you won’t leave me, will you?”

            Tikki’s eyes widened. “Oh. Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’ll be right here, I promise.”

            A tear fell from Alix’s eye as she cuddled Tikki. “Thank you.”

            “No, thank you.”

            Alix and Tikki stood a few moments longer before Tikki flew into the backpack.

            “Tikki?”

            “Lunch is over, Alix. Time to head back to school.”

            “Do I have to?”

            Tikki phased her head through the bag and shot Alix an angry, disappointed mom scowl. Alix blinked, then laughed.

            “Alright, alright. I’m going.”

[absolutely-normal-about-x]

X’s relationship with the Casketts cause important reasons.

Barrel Casket

It’s sort of complicated on one hand he owes Barrel for taking him in when he found him in nino ruins. Helping him and the guardians to be registered as citizens and the guardians signing up as Diggers (and boy do they have to make the most eleborate story of how the fuck him and the guardians are Volnutt’s family without revealing some…sensitive information) But on the other hand Volnutt isn't really considered a part of the Casketts. He’s just an apprentice so the boy never felt or experienced what it's like to be a part of a family. He respects the old man, having long conversations about topics of archeology, Terra’s history and some philosophy, while having some tea. He sympathizes with him about what happened to roll’s parents and wishes him the best.

Barrel is one of the very few people on Terra that knows the truth about X and the Guardians. Especially X, he’s a literal walking piece of ancient history that dates back before everything! He would obviously ask him a lot about what the world was like before the floods. He answers with reluctance and others with a hard no, there are parts of history that are better off forgotten. But Barrel learned that there are parts of X’s life that he doesn’t want to bring up, so he eventually respected his privacy. On rare occasions X would ask Barrel for any information about Terra’s history and accompinate him on some of his expeditions as an assistant.

Roll Caskett

Being Volnutt’s best friend, he looks out for her as well. Like Volnutt, he mentors her, but in reverse engineering and ancient technology. He’ll often let her talk about how much she misses her parents and comfort her. They fucking love to technobabble when it comes to tech from different eras (Tron does eventually join in) so much that it looks like a whole other language. She reminds him a bit of Alia.

Absolutely gave her a scolding of a lifetime when he learned that she charges Volnutt ridiculous prices for upgrades, then gave her a lecture on the importance of teamwork and maybe selling her inventions to folks who might need them because, technically, she and Volnutt share the money, so he finds it completely unfair that he pays her. So yeah, since then, she just needs proper materials to make upgrades..

[cassiekayscreams]

Adrienette - Jeckyll’n’Hyde AU

Intro/bio post

When Adrien first comes to class, Marinette has a little freak out because she already has pictures of him on her wall - just because they’re fashion spreads she took out of Agreste Magazine, but still. Kinda weird to have pictures of someone on your wall that is now in your class but you’ve never met before.

Marinette’s crush does still develop because of Adrien’s personality rather than being a celebrity crush, though. Origins sort of implies that Marinette really isn’t close with any of her classmates and Alya’s her first friend. I imagine most of the classmates don’t actively have negative feelings towards her, but due to Chloe’s bullying and the fact that Chloe often ropes others into it (Kim), she’s wary of opening up. When Adrien stands up to Chloe for her - something no one else is really doing, and especially impressive since she’s been his only friend for who knows how long - it means a lot to Marinette.

Marinette: Th-thanks for your help…

Adrien: Of course. … Is Chloe always like that?

Marinette: Y-yeah, pretty much…

Adrien: I’ve never seen her act like that before. Of course, whenever we’ve hung out, it’s just been the two of us, so I guess I haven’t seen her interact with many other people.

Marinette: How do you know Chloe?

Adrien: Our parents know each other. She was my only friend for a long time. I can’t believe this is how she’s been treating others the whole time…

Marinette: I’m sorry.

Adrien: No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry she’s been treating you this way. It’s not okay.

Marinette is awkward, clumsy, and stuttery around everyone. Maybe slightly more around Adrien due to the crush, but not enough of a difference that it’d be notable to others. In fact, as she starts hanging out with Alya, Adrien, and Nino more, she’d start getting more comfortable with them and actually having friends and would become less awkward.

For Adrien’s part, he thinks Marinette is very sweet from the beginning, though obviously quite shy. But it seems like she doesn’t have a lot of friends and, hey, he doesn’t either. As he gets to know her better, he’s pleasantly surprised by her sense of humor, playfulness, and how willing she is to stand up for her friends even if she won’t stand up for herself.

Marinette would gradually catch on that Adrien’s home life isn’t good. She would feel powerless to directly do anything about it (such as confronting Gabriel), but would do what little things she can to ease Adrien’s burden in the only way she knows how. Hanging out with him when she can, bringing him extra sweets and little gifts, letting him hang out at the bakery with her and her parents on the rare occasions he’s allowed to get away from the house and his other responsibilities. When he is stuck at home, they play online rpgs together.

They are both dealing with trauma - Marinette at school and Adrien at home - and they bond over trying to help one another with those. Adrien helps Marinette at school and Marinette helps Adrien outside of school. While they don’t necessarily realize or vocalize it, they know a little of what the other person is going to and want to help them. That mutual connection leads to a deepening relationship.

[starlit-dreaming]

[ch4] élémentaire

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

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

Side Fics: J'adore — 1/2 | 2/2

Note: ngl, this chapter kinda took my ideas and ran it through before i even realized it. i had only 2 main ideas and it ended up getting better than expected -- it even fit the theme of the chapter LMAO

4 words: karma is a bitch

ALSO I DIDNT FORGET THE TAGS THIS TIME!!!!!!!

Tags: @jjmjjktth @smolplantmum @always-on-a-sugar-high @fan-written @vixen-uchiha @fanfics-and-fangirling @marvel--unsolved @starlightshield @lady-bee-fechin @draco-kasai @weirdo-with-no-beardo @idontwannaexistsopleasekillme @blep-23

————————————————————

iv. jacinthes bleues

————————————————————

Even though they’ve been classmates for years at Dupont, Nino couldn’t really consider himself to be friends with all of them. Maybe the guys, but certainly not the girls.

So, despite how friendly Rose has always been even when they were attending Notre Dame, he didn’t actually know her well enough to feel comfortable calling her a close friend despite their shared circles. He knew nothing of her involvement in any of Marinette’s plans unless Marinette or Alix talked to him, and apart from info gathering, he couldn’t think of any other reasons on how she factored into Marinette’s plans. An insider job, perhaps?

Rose still wore a pink ribbon, her unspoken sign of her allegiance to Marinette, so… they were in the same boat. They both fell for Lila’s lies and were trying to make it up to Marinette. Rose was a much better actress than he ever realized.

“What a screwed up situation we’re in, huh?” Nino asked wryly, leaning back into his seat. They were both in the library, working on their assigned project for their history class in the peace and quiet.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Rose said with a smile, though her eyes narrowed at him. “If anything, it’s a minor setback.”

“If that’s how you wanna call it…” he frowned, trailing off as he looked at the textbook. “Y’know, there’s no shame in admitting—”

“We are both in very different situations, Nino,” Rose sharply stated in a sweet tone of voice. “You let yourself be fooled. I let myself be complacent. There’s a difference.”

He didn’t get why Rose seemed so on edge, but it was probably for the best if he let the conversation drop. Out of everyone, Rose was the worst person to be stuck in an argument with, especially because she had that effect on people in making them feel as if they kicked a puppy.

It didn’t seem all that different to him, though. They were both in the same situations, just different end results.

Still, Rose was also the most observant person in their group who could easily pick up on a wide range of information, and her grudges were long-lasting. He’s not gonna argue about technicalities.

“You’re slouching,” Rose started frowning.

“I know,” he awkwardly admits.

“You can’t avoid it forever,” she gently said.

“I know, Rose.”

At this, she sighed, “If you don’t do anything about it, I will.”

It wasn’t a threat; it was a promise.

He doesn’t say anything in response to that, because he knows. Everyone is doing their part, no matter how hard it might be, and he’s been stalling.

But what he’s about to do is going to hurt either way.

His relationship with Alya is on the line — if she doesn’t believe him then… they might break up. He knows that the likelihood of their relationship surviving into adulthood is pretty slim, but he doesn’t want to lose her over a liar, he knows that much. If he says nothing, he’s letting her be manipulated; if he says something, it’s over even if he doesn’t want them to be. The only possibility of it going great is if Alya hears him out, which is definitely going to be a 50-50 chance.

And if Adrien doesn’t believe him, he might go crazy, but it’d be bearable — Adrien and Lila kinda have a thing going on. Adrien’s already pretty clueless about a ton of stuff, even more so when it comes to girls flirting with him, but with how he lets Lila hang off of him all the time, he wouldn’t be surprised if he was blinded from infatuation.

“If I were you, I would talk to Alya first,” Rose smiled sweetly. He’s not sure if it’s genuine kindness or if it’s part of her own plans, because it’s Nino’s problem to begin with, but it’s good advice nevertheless. “It’ll be easier to convince Adrien, but harder with Alya. If you do end up arguing or breaking up over this, then she’ll have time to come around and apologize.”

Adrien would be easier to convince.

As much as he thinks his feelings for Alya might be tipping into love, his girlfriend’s got a short temper and he can’t deny it. She was easy to rile up, and it does get hard to communicate with her when she’s adamant about being right.

“…yeah, you’re right. Thanks, dudette.”

—————————— 

“For the record, this is a terrible idea.”

Alix knew that her words would do nothing to deter Marinette from seeing this meeting through to the end, but she has always been her right-hand man and stating the obvious is her job. Honest to a fault, some might say, but frankly that’s the way Marinette prefers it. Despite their past disagreements, it will always remain the same.

Despite what happens, Marinette leads, and Alix follows.

“Oh, believe me,” she dryly chuckles, shooting Alix an amused look. Alix didn’t see why this was so amusing to Marinette, but maybe her suffering was the funny thing here. “I know it is.”

Standing tall before them was a very familiar building — a rather sizable hotel. It was overly fancy and had long since lost its charm, and yet it was the only place that Dupont could get a free field trip at on short notice: Le Grand Paris.

Despite knowing that it’ll be far from pleasant, it was necessary. There was no set precedent when it came to disbanding a faction and rebuilding it in later years, but this felt like a matter of formalities.

It was during the faction meeting that Marinette disbanded Méticuleuse, and so she herself needed to correct her past action — even if it never really stopped her followers from still following her unofficial guidelines.

The first step of doing so was holding a faction meeting, and that required a proper apology to Chloé Bourgeois (yeah, the irony of this fact wasn’t lost on Alix — Mme Bustier has consistently been badgering Marinette to apologize to Chloé despite being innocent, and here she was, doing exactly what Mme Bustier would be ecstatic to hear). Before they could move forward, they all probably need to air out their grievances, which was going to be the worst.

At least it was only Chloé who was going to be complaining.

(Félix technically needed to be there as well, but he was a special case considering that he isn’t attending Dupont and wasn’t even in France to begin with.)

So, apart from Marinette and Alix, it was just Chloé and Sabrina, and Claude Sainté-Pierre who was acting as Félix’s proxy (as he always did) who would be in attendance.

‘She’s going to be insufferable,’ Alix sighed, already feeling slightly irritated at the thought. “Would it be too late to ask you to swap me out with Rose for the meeting?”

“Absolutely,” Marinette smiled serenely, looking at Alix with a clear statement of “you’re not getting out of this that easily” — which, fair. Alix knew what she was getting into when she agreed to remain as her second. “Besides, Rose has more pressing matters to attend to from what I’m aware of, while you just have your daily bets and competitions with Kim. Ondine can easily help you get out of that by asking to spend more time with him.”

Ah. An unexpected bonus. That was also the reason why Kim didn’t seem to complain too much when Alix told him she had to bail on their race for the day, if Alix put two and two together.

Alix knew that Ondine was popular and reliable, and they both get along well enough (and Alix can say for certain that Ondine’s too good for Kim), but she never really stopped to think of her beyond that. Kim and Ondine were still in that phase of figuring out their maybe-relationship, so Alix did actively try to avoid thinking of Ondine more often than not purely because she wanted nothing to do with that.

‘It sure is convenient that Kim’s definite-girlfriend is in our group,’ Alix nodded. ‘I’m tired of all his demands for a rematch.’

“We should probably go in now,” Marinette sighed, sealing Alix’s fate for the next few hours.

‘On second thought… never mind.’

—————————— 

‘I would do anything to get out of this,’ Claude Sainté-Pierre thought, a fake smile plastered on his face as takes a sip of water.

They were sitting at one of the private tables of Le Grand Paris — something normally offered to celebrities and VIP guests. Chloé’s butler had assured them at the start that no classmates of theirs will be allowed to take a foot into the building before bowing and taking his leave.

The butler and the whole secret meeting was a bit much, but Claude was somewhat used to it. His parents were on the wealthy side, yet his family didn’t have a butler or anything — a regular cleaning service and security system, yes, but not their own wait staff. Allegra’s family had no qualms about employing maids and their own personal chef, and Allan’s family may have been similar to his, but Allan’s family had their own home studio and an indoor cinema.

Marinette’s probably the only one who would get it — Félix had the chance to go to her house when they were younger, and they didn’t have any hired help. At the bakery, yeah, but not within the house.

The sound of a glass cup thumping against the table brought him back to the conversation at hand.

Or rather… the lack of conversation.

They were seated at a table for six, with Claude kinda sitting across from Alix. Chloé was unfortunately next to him, while an empty chair remained on his other side. Empty seat, Claude, Chloé, Sabrina, Marinette, and Alix — the typical setup to prevent a faction leader from sitting next to another leader. It was mostly to prevent them from being fixated on the other person, since it often led to distractions.

Marinette and Chloé argued, Chloé and Félix would make snide comments against each other, while Marinette and Félix would, well… Claude’s not sure what to call it, exactly. It wasn’t flirting, but it also wasn’t really arguing or getting along.

Just talking, he supposes, which would make this meeting far less awkward.

“I believe you have something to say to me, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloé stated with sharp narrowed eyes, smiling.

Everyone knew that Chloé only stopped referring to Marinette by her first name ever since she stepped down from her position. Claude was under the impression that it would’ve changed once he heard from Félix that Chloé finally won.

Marinette maintained her smile, her lips twitching just the slightest bit as she relaxed her shoulders and fixed her stare on Chloé.

“Congratulations, Bourgeois,” Marinette stated. “You were right; I was wrong. You won.”

He expected as much.

For reasons beyond his comprehension, the Akuma Class believed the liar girl over Marinette for the better part of the year or two — he wasn’t paying too much attention to them, just Marinette given how haggard she was from overwork. It was even more noticeable with how their peers on the student council would always talk about her worriedly.

“I know I am,” Chloé had scoffed, leaning back into her seat as she regarded Marinette with a rather cold look. “That’s not what I was talking about.”

“And what exactly do you want to hear?” Marinette asked incredulously.

Looks like he wasn’t the only one who was confused — even Sabrina and Alix seemed surprised over the statement. Sabrina should’ve known everything about Chloé, and for her to be thrown off by this just goes to show that Claude really was wrong about the Charmante Faction Leader.

“What I want,” Chloé seemed to glare, “is an apology.”

“For what?” Marinette’s brows knit, clear confusion on her face. “For being naïve by not believing you?”

“That, and for your deplorable behaviour,” Chloé practically sneered. “It was disgusting, watching you act beneath your station.”

Alright… now she was definitely matching Claude’s memories of her. Claude was starting to think that maybe Ladybug was actually making a bigger and better positive impact than Adrien Agreste, but he stands corrected.

“Right,” Marinette dryly stated. “You’ve always been the type for extravagance like all the others who prefer to indulge in their wealth. How dare I show such a shameful side of me, for preferring to disregard status. I’d prefer to call it moderation, however. Ah, what was it again? Moderation is key, isn’t it?”

“Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous,” Chloé wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Moderation,” she scoffed, looking at her nails as if to ignore Marinette. “Well, look where moderation brought you. Acting like a mere commoner, lowering yourself as if you were a feeble servant to our peers, becoming not only a doormat, but also becoming a stalker!”

Oh… oh.

Claude suddenly had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, this was becoming personal. It was no wonder why Chloé wasn’t finding delight in Marinette’s defeat right from the get go — something that all of them had been expecting — she was pissed because of Marinette’s former fangirl crush on her friend.

Judging from the look of dawning realization on Marinette’s face, she got the memo.

“I’m sorry,” Marinette stated, looking away from Chloé. She was ashamed, he could tell that much. “I shouldn’t have let myself get so obsessed with the idea of Prince Charming. For what it’s worth, I have made strides to improve myself for the better.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” came Chloé’s clipped reply. “Adrikins is innocent and naïve — he needs someone to snap him out of it like I tried to do for you. I’m waiting until he finally opens his eyes on this whole Liar Rossi thing, because with how much he cares for the simpletons of our class, he’s going to realize that she’s the worst type of person to associate with. What he doesn’t need is to get dragged into your fantasy and unresolved issues — despite the distance, he is still my childhood friend.”

“I get it,” Marinette stated with gritted teeth. “When I realized how kind he was, he…” she sighed, shoulders slumping. “He matched my idea of a perfect prince.”

At this, Chloé leaned back into her seat once more, giving Marinette a glare. “You weren’t using him to get back at Félix for leaving, were you? Considering how similar they look.”

Oh, jeez… Claude didn’t want to hear any of this conversation for plausible deniability, but now he has no choice. This was definitely going to bite him in the ass later, because, well, for starters he’s the only guy here and if Félix says anything, it’ll get traced back to him. Sure, Alix was nonbinary and didn’t care about pronouns, but she was loyal to Marinette to begin with so no worries about breach of privacy there. Félix was unaware of the Marinette’s crush on him from back then, but there’s no doubt he knows now.

(It didn’t help much that Claude was probably the only one in the Quantic Kids who picked up on this whole crush situation. He never said anything to avoid getting on Marinette’s bad side, besides, he thought Félix was only nice to Marinette due to being all businessman-like.)

“Of course not,” Marinette huffed. “Yeah, I wanted to forget Félix, but I didn’t even realize that they were cousins until he came back. Félix is a common name, and I didn’t remember his last name beyond Graham until I saw the film with Adrien’s mother.”

“Hmph. Fine. I’ll accept that for now,” Chloé said, pursing her lips. “I won’t apologize for my words and actions. I’m still far too upset at what you’ve done to him under the guise of friendship to even want to.”

“As long as we’re done airing out our grievances, that’s fine with me,” Marinette smiled. “Now, can we finally move onto what we’re really here for?”

“Hold it,” Chloé cut in. “Sabrina, call our guest.”

“Yes ma’am,” Sabrina complied to the command, pulling out her phone.

“A guest?” Marinette blinked. “You never mentioned that another person was joining us.”

“Why would I waste my time on that when you’re going to be meeting them anyway, Marinette?” Chloé rolled her eyes. “Just wait.”

Claude, who left one of his hands in his hoodie’s pocket with his phone, finally ended the call with Félix before Sabrina could call him herself.

——————————

Nino’s not sure if it’s because he knew, deep down inside, that this was going to happen, but it’s a strange feeling nevertheless. He thinks that maybe he’s heartbroken, maybe numb, but he knows that he’s upset because he did cry in the restroom for several minutes after it happened.

Like ripping off a band-aid — hurts and then it’s fine for a while. Not great, not terrible, but fine.

As much as he didn’t want to, it’s either stick with the herd, or save the rest of his class from further manipulation.

It does hurt, though, knowing that he and Alya won’t be spending time together any more, that she’ll give him back his stuff and he’ll give hers back as well. He’s going to get bombarded with questions from the guys, and he’s not sure if that’s something he’s capable of handling emotionally at the moment.

“Nino…?” Adrien hesitantly called out, frowning with his brows pinched in concern. “Are you okay?”

He doesn’t think he is. On the bright side, he won’t be akumatized until maybe later. Can’t really say the same for Alya who just stomped off, but he expected that.

“Alya and I broke up.”

It was a quiet statement, simple, straight to the point. For the past several minutes, he’s been staring at his phone, trying to decide whether to actually drop Alya’s number like she yelled at him to do.

Huh. How long did he keep Adrien waiting? He hopes it wasn’t too long.

“What?!” Adrien shouted, eyes blown wide as he was very obviously taken aback by the news. “Why?! Don’t you two love each other?”

“We… had a fight,” Nino admits, not really wanting to rehash the last 15 minutes of his study period. But Adrien was his best friend, and he was also Alya’s friend, and Nino wasn’t gonna blind side him by making him feel awkward about hanging out with one over the other. “Rose and I finished our project early during our study period, so I went to go look for Alya.”

He should probably thank Rose for pushing him into doing it, otherwise he wouldn’t have, and then it’d be too late to do anything. She did look worried about him, when she caught sight of him heading towards the restroom, but she was with Juleka who’s been looking really pale lately.

Rose definitely knew how the conversation with Alya was going to turn out, and while he is upset at her for that fact, he knows that it’s not actually her fault.

“Uh huh…” Adrien nodded, looking increasingly worried. “What’d you two talk about?”

“It was about Lila,” he breathed, and he could see Adrien perking up at the mention of the girl. It made him feel terrible, having to break the news that Adrien’s crush isn’t as great as everyone thinks she is.

“What… uh, what about her?”

Like ripping off a band-aid, he had to remind himself. Taking in a deep breath, then letting it go as he steeled his resolve.

“I told her that Lila’s been lying to us. To all of us,” he looked away, not wanting to see Adrien’s heartbroken face. “And Alya… she didn’t believe me. She accused me of still liking Marinette and that’s why I’m siding with her. Stuff about how…” his eyes burned with unshed tears. “Lila’s been telling her a bunch of lies. About how I’m always looking at Marinette when Alya wasn’t looking, that she thought she saw me talking to Marinette after school the other day, that I was standing really close to her, like we were gonna…”

Nino took in another breath, letting it out with a sigh, willing to keep the weight of the heartbreak off his shoulders. He didn’t want to deal with getting akumatized for the day — it always made him feel worse in the aftermath.

It’s already been a bad day.

“What…?” he regrets looking back at Adrien, seeing a look of horror crossing his friend’s face. He hopes it’s for the situation that Nino’s in and not because of Lila’s lies. He didn’t know if he could handle something like that so soon after the breakup with Alya.

“I didn’t expect it either,” he smiled wryly, feeling all the bitterness bubbling up in his chest before suppressing it with a tired chuckle. “I thought that maybe…” he shook his head, his vision blurring. “Well, I guess Lila’s lies were stronger than our relationship, stronger than everything we’ve been through together, apparently.”

And oh, did that admittance hurt. Alya chose to doubt him over Lila, choosing a liar over her own boy—ex-boyfriend. She didn’t want to hear him out, claiming that he wanted to cover his unfaithfulness by throwing Lila under the bus.

“Nino, I’m… I… I know that’s not true—”

“Thanks for believing in me,” Nino gave his best friend a pat on the shoulder. “But I kinda expected this would happen if I talked to Alya about it,” he shot Adrien a weak smile. “I know you like Lila, just… be careful, yeah? I just… I don’t want you getting hurt like I did.”

Adrien said nothing. Nino didn’t blame him. Poor guy was still in a state of shock from what Nino could tell. It did make him feel better, knowing that he still had Adrien on his side if not Alya.

“Thanks for not calling me delusional. I… I know I said that I’d come hang out with you and Kitty Section today, but uh… I’m… not really up for it right now,” he gave Adrien a side hug. “Kinda don’t want to be around anyone from school.”

Maybe he’ll stop by the Dupain-Cheng Bakery on his way home. He could really use the warm hugs he’d always get from Sabine and Tom, and maybe a warm, freshly baked chocolate croissant. They always knew how to make him feel safe and at home whenever he’s had a bad day, and maybe they might have some advice for the heartbreak and—

Ah shit, Nino was definitely crying now.

“See ya tomorrow, dude,” he tugged his cap down and headed off.

Breakups are the worst.

[imsparky2002]

Lil’ Monsters

Welcome to DuPont Daycare for Little Monsters, run by the zombie, Caline Bustier, and the headless horsewoman, Olga Mendeliev. Here’s a look at all the students that attend, and one naughty guest.

Maridoll: This little voodoo doll loves to make clothes and dolls for all her friends, even Lila! She's painfully shy, and doesn't do much talking, but is learning how to come out of her shell. Marinette is scared of getting booboos, because her friends will get them as well. Though she has a tendency to panic, she gets comforted by her friends, especially Alya and Reshma. She's also very very close with her best friends, Adrien, Kagami and Luka.

Average Adrien: The newest kid in the monster daycare, Adrien is the first and only human. A bright and happy little ray of sunshine who can stop hearts with his smile, he’s excited to learn about all his new monster friends and their families. He’s willing to try anything, but doesn’t always understand the limits he has as a human. His favorite people to play with are Luka, Kagami, Marinette, and of course, his best friend, Nino!

SpectrAlya: Alya is a friendly ghost girl, and her dream is to become a reporter when she's older. She's always carrying a little microphone, with her best friend Nino as her "camwaman". Her family helps her run a little blog about her daycare, and she's always looking for a scoop. Since she's just a toddler, it's easy for her to jump to conclusions without getting the full story. Still, she's a loyal pal and will do anything to help the other kids. She wishes that ghosts would be allowed to haunt, 'cause it seems so fun!

FrankenNino: A friendly and energetic little boy who just wants to help everybody get along, Nino can often be found settling arguments between his classmates…when he isn’t searching for his missing limbs. As Adrien’s best friend, he tells the young human everything he knows about monsters. He also loves to make music with his friends, scratching on his little toy turntables, when he’s not helping Alya by filming for her blog!

Max Steam: He may be a robot, but he's a real sweet kid. Max's got a passion for discovering new things, and to show them to his inventor Markov. He likes to use big words, though he doesn't always get the pronunciation right. Kim's his best buddy, and he loves reading books to the werepup. He's also got to be careful, since his hardware is brand new, and he doesn't like tripping over himself.

Alix Gorgon: A spirited little toddler who is always mouthing off to people, this little Gorgon is a world class smartalec! Only her best friend Nathaniel is able to reign her in. She loves to play with her Greek Monster friends Simon and Cosette, and frequently gets into trouble doing crazy challenges with Lacey and Kim. She adores her snakies, who she frequently talks and sneaks pieces of her snack to!

WereKim: The most energetic little puppy on the planet, Kim loves to play with all his monster tot friends. He can be more than a little rowdy, he loves to howl, wrestle and chase his tail. But he’s also a very sweet boy, who loves to give hugs and affection, especially to Ondine, who he has an adorable puppy love relationship. He’s the goodest baby boy in the world!

Ivan Bumble: A baby yeti who uses his strength and size to protect others from bullies. He loves to wrestle with his sasquatch cousin Denise, and his favorite kid is Mylene, his flower. If you mess with her, there'll be hell to pay. Also gives the best hugs, and has a tendency to throw boulders.

MyLeaf: A little girl with a green thumb, as well as green skin. She may only be a seedling, but she's already got a passion for saving the environment. Mess with plants around her, and you're in for a bad time. Still, she is a very timid child, constantly apologizing for other kids getting tripped up by her vines. Her powers also grow different flowers depending on her moods. Loves playing and snuggling with her yeti, Ivan.

Draculeka: A sweet little vampire who tries her best to be regal and mysterious like her piratey mama and rockstar papa, but who can’t help causing mischief with her brother Luka and her best friend Rosie. She loves to play music on her toy guitar, jamming out in a little band with some of her friends. She also has a tendency to get nervous and angsty at times, but her friends are able to put a fanged smile back on her face!

Luka Cullen: A mellow and relaxed little vampire who loves making mischief with his sister, Luka sometimes gets into trouble for hypnotizing the teachers for pranks! He loves rocking out on his toy guitar, especially in the little band he’s formed with his friends. He especially loves playing for his friends, Marinette, Kagami and Adrien! He’s a sweet boy, but very protective of those he loves!

SkeleRose: This little skeleton has both a heart and hair of gold, always livening up the room. She's the first to raise her hand in class, which is easy when your limbs are detachable, and always goes out of her way to help her teachers and friends. If only she could stop losing her bones. Her favorite pal is Juleka, a little vampire who she loves very much. She's the singer in their band "Monster Smash".

Chloepatra: A somewhat bossy little mummy who fancies herself the queen of the school, Chloe likes for things to go her way. She does have a nice side, which mostly shows when she plays with her friends, even if she argues with her sister frequently. She’s incredibly dramatic, utilizing her mummy powers to make a grand entrance. She’s also know to throw the occasional tantrum, and heaven help you if you wake her up from a nap!

Zombrina: This little zombie is quite the braniac! She shambles around helping kids with homework, assisting her best friend Chloe, as well as Miss Bustier, who's like a second zombie mama to her. She doesn't want to hurt her friends, and is content with just nomming on their heads, and chewing on little pieces of brain for snacks.

Nath Goyle: A quiet and artistic little gargoyle, Nathaniel loves to draw little pictures for his teachers and friends. He’s a bit of a stickler for the rules, always monitoring the daycare to make sure everyone is behaving. He loves to play with his best friend Marc, who often joins him for a fly around the playground.

MothMarc: A shy and timid little moth, Marc is easily startled and upset by loud noises and sudden movements. He spends a lot of time off on his own in a quiet corner. But he’s also a very kind little boy who loves to write poems and stories for his friends, especially his best friend Nathaniel!

NeferZoe: The nicer of the mummy duo, Zoe often has to keep her sister from getting in trouble with other kids. She's a sweet girl who loves her scarabs, helping her sister to take care of them. She's got a mischevious time, loving to shamble around and act scary, but she gives the best hugs. Her best friend is CosetTaur, who she often calms down when the minotaur is angry.

CosetTaur: This little minotaur will only ram you if you’re being bad. Cosette is usually a very sweet girl who loves playing with Zoe, and solving puzzles is her favorite thing to do. It feels a connection with Alix and Simon, since they’re all monsters who were villainized by the Greeks.

Ondine Blue: A cheerful, sweet and bubbly little girl, Ondine is always doing everything she can to make her friends happy. She loves to run around and play games with her friends, and encourage them to take care of the ocean! She also loves to play with her puppy, Kimmy, who she can often be seen snuggling with. Oh, and she actually LIKES bathtime!

DracoGami: This little eastern dragon is one of the most stoic of the group. However, she can be a rambunctious kid, as her strict mother can attest to. She loves playing in the water with her good friend Ondine. Kagami has a problem with sharing, at least when it comes to her treasure. Only her partners, Adrien, Luka, Marinette can grab any without fuss.

AstraRore: Sent to Earth from the planet Boreala, Aurore is here to meet all kinds of new monsters, and she couldn’t be happier! Cheerful and curious, Aurore loves to discover new things and solve mysteries in the daycare. She loves all the new friends she’s made, but her favorite friend is Mireille, the little slime.

SliMireille: A cautious little bundle of slime who loves to hang out with her alien friend, Aurore. She gets very anxious about leaving trails of herself on the floor, and doesn't like the sort of chaos that usually occurs in the daycare. That's why they have all sorts of hiding spaces. She and Aurore love all things science, and especially the weather. They have Nino as their cameraman, and give little weather reports.

Denisquatch: A lively and playful little Sasquatch, Denise is always full of energy. They love to run around and play outside with all their friends, dreading days when rain traps them indoors. They especially with their cousin Ivan and friend Kim, and scooping their cyclops friend, Simon, up for a big hug!

IsmaCat: A mischievous little stinker, Ismael loves to make minor trouble around the daycare. Though he’s often pulling small pranks and snarking at people, his friends love him anyway. At heart, he’s a good kitty and a loyal friend who stands up for people.

Flamecey: She's certainly got a fiery temper, that's for sure. Lacey is quick to anger, so it's not wise to try any funny business at her expense. She's already a little rebel, who hates being told what to do without a good reason. Still she's a cheerful and helpful kid. When it gets cold, most kids huddle around her for warmth. She loves doing dares with her friends, Kim and Alix, as well as causing mischief with Ismael.

OperJean: An enthusiastic and theatrical little phantom, Jean loves to put on performances for all his friends! He can be a little dramatic and emotional, but his friends are able to bring him back to earth. His adorable southern accent makes it a joy to listen the songs he performs with his ‘bandmates’. He especially loves singing for his ‘Grimmy’, the little reaper, Austin T.

Austin Grim: He doesn't want your soul, just a hug! This little reaper is incredibly shy, and worries about being seen as scary by humans. Funnily enough, he can't seem to be scary to other monsters! His favorite person in the world is Jean, and the two love to sing songs together, and go on little adventures. He has a passion for collecting little trinkets, and is said to have the cutest laugh.

SiClops: This little cyclops has an eye for technology. He's the first to ask to play on the tablet, and teaches his friends how to play video games. Him and Max help to fix anything that is broken, and he loves to snark with Nathaniel and Ismael. His bestest friend has to be Denise, who does puzzles with him, and gives the best furry hugs. He, Alix, and Cosette are great friends too, and love going on little adventures and making fun of those old Greeks who villainized them.

Harpy Lila: A shifty little harpy, Lila gets more joy out of nothing than annoying her fellow monster tots. She loves to spook and snatch up her classmates, particularly ones that are easy to scare, like Marc and Mylene. She also loves to cause trouble, and is something of a compulsive liar, though no one ever believes her.

Frightful Felix: A mean-spirited and hateful little boy who gets joy out of torturing and scaring others, particularly his cousin Adrien, and Adrien’s monster friends. He likes to dress up in his Jack-O-Lantern costume and cause mayhem. He wants to be like his uncle Gabriel, following his footsteps in hurting and hunting monsters.

This was an absolute delight to make with Weeby, and we came up with so many fun ideas. You’ll be seeing more of this spinoff that’s for sure. Make sure to check out their main Monstrous AU. Also make sure to reblog, reply, post and ask. @artzychic27 @msweebyness 

[mlwritersguild]

5 Times Adrienette Attempted to Buy Each Other Christmas Presents (and One Time They Succeeded), by @galahadwilder

Based on a prompt submitted by @2manyfandoms2count: 5 times [pair/group of characters]* attempted to go Christmas shopping and the 1 time they gathered to exchange gifts *there can be as many or as few people involved, a pairing, the core 4, the miracuclass…

AO3; Post-Reaveal Pre-Relationship, Christmas Fic, 5+1 Things

Summary:

When Marinette and Adrien find out each other's identities just before Christmas, both of them are desperate to find the perfect present for their partner. But, off-balance, neither one of them is entirely... thinking straight.

Alya, Nino, Tikki, and Plagg are going to lose their minds.

---

Chapter 1: I Don't Want a Lot for Christmas

Marinette’s computer background has been updated a few times since she was fourteen. It started when Adrien retired from modeling: something felt wrong about using images that he’d hated, something inauthentic. Like she was violating him somehow. So she’d replaced all of the images of him with candids, photos of his genuine smiles, spending time with his friends, playing in the park, smiling at her .

She’d kept the hearts, of course.

She’s replaced the photos as they aged, as they got closer. As she’d started noticing stubble gracing his strong chin, as the baby fat had melted off his cheekbones, as he’d grown more and more comfortable with his genuine smile. She paid so much attention to his face, spent so much time staring at it… and somehow she’d never known.

She sits, curled up in her desk chair, knees hugged to her chest with shaking arms. She’s not sure she even remembers how to blink—her eyes are wide, hollow, and she feels like she’ll never be able to close them again.

“Isn’t this a good thing?” Tikki asks from her nest on Marinette’s spare pincushion. The Kwami is lying on her stomach like a schoolgirl at a sleepover, chin propped up on her little nubby paws, gazing into Marinette’s eyes with her own ocean blues. “You’ve been closer to him than you knew this whole time!”

Marinette wants to sob. A part of her realizes that Tikki’s right, that she’s known him better than she thought, but that part is drowned out by the part that’s suddenly aware of the gulf between them that she’d never even noticed. How could she have missed it? She’s spent so much time with both of them, so much time interacting and watching and observing. She’d even started to take note of how, despite their superficial differences, they were so similar on the inside. How could she have��possibly missed that both of them were the same person?

She hadn’t wanted to know. Hadn’t wanted to acknowledge.

It’s a towering, overpowering sensation, knowing. Because knowing, knowing they’re the same person, puts so many things into perspective. Chat has shown her so many parts of Adrien that Adrien would rather hide. And Adrien has shown her so many hidden parts of Chat, as well. She can see it all now, his pain, his love, his hope, and it’s… very nearly too much.

So she’s not entirely sure why the first thing she says is, “I’m going to have to re-do so many presents. ”

---

Adrien never used his climbing wall before he met Plagg. There was never a point—his father had gotten it for him. Adrien had wanted to go out, get out of the house, and Father always said the problem with the outside world was people —Adrien had asked if he could go rock climbing, something that didn’t have to involve people, could be solitary. He’d expected his father to say no. He hadn’t expected to wake up one week later to contractors preparing to install a rock wall. It’s been an oppressive reminder of all the ways he’s kept trapped ever since.

Yet, ever since he became Chat Noir, he can’t sit still. He’s not sure how much of that is cat and how much of that is simply having the opportunity, to run, to jump, to climb, to move, to leave , that he never had before. In truth, it doesn’t matter, not entirely. When he’s feeling, really feeling, feeling so strong that the emotions burn and shine inside his bones, he can’t hold them all in one spot. He has to let them out, to spill them everywhere , lest he combust.

That’s why, right now, he’s halfway up his rock wall, his arms shaking with exertion and excitement as he reaches for the next handhold. He has no idea what emotion has grabbed into his heart and refused to let go, but it’s big , big and stretching , and he swears if humans could float like hot-air balloons he’d be a hundred feet above Paris right now.

“I knew it,” he gasps, grinning the rough plastic digs into his fingers. The grin is wide, almost painful, and he feels like he’ll never stop smiling again. “I knew it!”

Plagg flits up to a rock just out of his reach, flipping into it like a particularly bored leaf in autumn. “Proud of yourself?” the Kwami says, rolling vaguely onto his back like he’s sunbathing his tummy.

Adrien halts with his fingers just short of the cat god, letting the burn race through his arms, his thighs, his calves. “Proud?” he says, laughter bleeding into his voice. “Plagg, I’m ecstatic. ” He closes his eyes. “It’s her. ” And in that moment, everything’s so big , so bright , and he just… He lets go of the wall, spreads his arms wide, and with a pulse of his leg muscles, leaps backward.

For one, glorious moment, he’s in freefall, in midair, and his whole body feels exactly as light as his heart. He wishes he could stay like this forever, suspended in the air, suspended between one moment and the next, suspended with her .

He crashes hard onto his bed with a flop, the impact driving the breath from his lungs, but he doesn’t care—he’s too giddy. “It—it’s her ,” he chokes, still grinning like a loon. He rolls over, pressing a pillow to his face. “It’s her , it’s her , it’s her …”

“Which are you more excited about?” Plagg says, lighting on his nightstand and sitting down with his front paws between his back ones, more like a person than a cat. “That Pigtails is Ladybug, or that Ladybug is Marinette? ”

Adrien rolls onto his back, flinging the pillow into the air. “Who cares? ” he cries. “She’s her !” Which she and which her don’t matter—they’re both the same, they’re each other , they’re she ! The pillow drops into his outstretched hand, and he lets his arm fall back onto the mattress. “Oh, crackers, Plagg, it’s both of them… I… I wanted both, for so long, and now…” He wants to cry. He’d suspected, sure, over and over, but he’d always thought that was wishful thinking. Unlucky Adrien, no way on earth the two girls he’d fallen in love with could ever be the same, things like that—good things, lucky things, happy things—didn’t happen to him. And yet there she’d been, clear as day. And maybe she’d run, yeah, maybe she’d panicked, but—but he isn’t going to think about that. That’s just how she is, right? That’s…

Plagg gags. “Guardians, I knew you’d act like this…” he groans.

Adrien hugs the pillow to his chest, trying to press down on the beating of his heart, take control. She does not hate him. She doesn’t. She’s friends with Adrien, she’s friends with Chat. She was just scared. “It’s nearly Christmas,” he mumbles. “I need to get her a present.” He swallows. “No, wait.” He rolls onto his side, staring at the picture of Marinette he’s kept as his lock screen ever since he’d realized he was falling in love with her. “I need to get her… the perfect Christmas present.”

Plagg cackles. “Oh, this is going to go well.”

---

“Come on, pick up pick up pick up ,” Marinette breathes, pacing hard around her room, her feet sending scraps of cloth and loose thread skittering across the floor. Her heart is pounding in her ears, drowning out the ringing of the phone. She needs to talk to Alya. She needs to talk to Alya right now.

As soon as the line clicks, the words are spewing out of her like vomit. “Alya help me I need to figure out his presents!”

Alya laughs. “Slow down, girl!” she says. “Can’t understand a word.”

Marinette’s pulse is still thundering, her breath coming short and rapid under a chest that is way too tight. Her hands are shaking so bad she can barely hold her phone up to her ear. “I—I have to—have to—have to—his C-c- Christ mas present,” she manages, collapsing into her desk chair like a puppet with cut strings.

Alya is silent for a moment, and Marinette can almost hear what the other girl is thinking—Alya isn’t sure whether it’s safer to indulge Marinette and let her play this out, or stop her right now before she does something stupid.

“You have enough presents for the next fifty years,” Alya says, finally, obviously making her decision. “ Including this year. I remember a… pair of mittens?”

The mittens. The mittens . Marinette twists, curling into her chair. She’d been—she’d been so proud of those, the thread count, the softness. The color. But they’re not his color. They’re the color she thought he liked, but Adrien is Chat Noir and Chat Noir’s color preferences are very different from Adrien’s and…

“Not–not… not right, ” Marinette squeaks, hugging her knees close to her chest. “None— none of them are right!”

“...Oh, boy,” Alya groans. There’s a sound from the other end of the line like a thump , like she’d sat down hard. “What did he do now?”

She can hear the disbelief in Alya’s voice, like this is something small, something trivial, like this is just another panic attack, and it is , it is, it’s a panic attack obviously, but there’s so much more to it right now, so much, so much, she can’t tell Alya but she has to tell Alya and the words are spitting out of her before she has a chance to stop herself. “He—he, he’s, he’s—Chat. He’s Chat.”

“What?”

“Alya Adrien is Chat Noir.”

There is a moment where Alya says nothing, and Marinette briefly thinks she’s hung up. But then she hears a rush of breath on the other line, and… “You—you’re telling me he’s… you…” She can hear Alya’s fingers, maybe rubbing the bridge of her nose, maybe rubbing her temples. “...YOU DIDN’T THINK TO FREAKING LEAD WITH THAT? ”

Marinette’s skin feels like it’s on fire. Her breath is coming short and sharp, stabbing outward through her lungs into her chest. “Alya—”

Alya sighs. “Okay,” she says. “Okay okay okay. Hang on.” There’s a rustling in the background, probably Alya moving some papers around. “Let’s—wait. Okay. Adrien is Chat Noir.”

“Y-yuh.”

“You… finally revealed? You didn’t tell me you were—”

Marinette shakes her head with a whimper. “It—accident.”

“...Oh.” Alya sucks in a breath. “Okay. I know you’re freaking out right now, and trying to sublimate it under your concern for his Christmas present, but… look, Mari, this is, hands down, the best thing that’s ever happened to you. ”

Marinette opens her mouth to speak, but Alya gets there first. “And don’t you dare say that meeting me was better, because right now you are the luckiest woman in Paris. Okay? Can you just… appreciate that, for a minute?”

Marinette tries to speak, but all she manages is a long teakettle whistle from the back of her throat.

“Oh, crap, Mari, I—I’m sorry,” Alya says. “Everything—everything’s okay, okay? Nothing’s wrong. You’re fine.” She breathes in, loudly, then back out. “Breathe with me, okay?”

Marinette breathes in slowly, trying to match Alya’s pace. She feels her heartbeat slowing, her skin cooling. Her thoughts start to settle. “Okay,” she sighs. “I’m—I’m okay.”

“Okay,” Alya says. “I am going to freak out later over the fact that I now know Chat Noir’s identity , but right now I’m holding it together and I just—” She pauses. “The only two people you’ve ever fallen in love with? They’re the same boy.”

Marinette swallows. “I’ve—I mean, I’ve dated—”

“Luka doesn’t count, honey,” Alya says.

Marinette stays silent for a moment. “I—no. No, I guess not.”

“And Marinette?”

“...Yeah?”

“Neither does Kagami. Not for him, and not for you. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“...What?”

“Chat Noir has only ever claimed to be in love with two people . And Adrien has only ever claimed to be in love with one . Both of those people are you. Adrien is in love with you. ”

“...Oh,” Marinette whispers. Then the full meaning of what Alya has just told her strikes her full force. “ Oh. ”

---

“She’s probably panicking right now,” Adrien says, staring at his Ladybug action figure.

He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, on the side, one arm propped across his knee. He’d been so happy with the revelation that, for a moment, he’d completely forgotten how she must be feeling. And he knows her—knows her even better than he thought she did. He knows Ladybug inside and out, better than the back of his own hand, and Marinette—well, Marinette has always been transparent to him about everything (except for her feelings for him—those had been incomprehensible for most of their friendship). Both Ladybug and Marinette would be freaking out right now.

“I should be with her right now,” he mumbles.

“Nuh-uh,” Plagg says. “She’s on the phone with Alya right now. Right now, you’re the issue, so you need to give her some space. ”

“...Right,” Adrien says. “ I’m the stressor.” He leans down, his eyes boring into the plastic Ladybug’s. “Space.” It rankles—like being petted in the wrong direction. It’s his job to comfort her, to protect her, to keep her safe. What is he supposed to do if he’s the one she needs to be kept safe from?

Then he looks up at Plagg. “Wait,” he says. “On the phone with Alya?”

Plagg doesn’t grin, which is odd. His smile is soft, gentle. “You think this is my first Pigtails freakout?” he says. “She’s wielded me enough that I know a few things about her that you don’t.”

“Right,” Adrien says, turning over in bed. That shouldn’t hit so hard, like a spike through the gut, but just—the thought that even his own Kwami knows his Lady better than he does… it hurts. It hurts a lot , in a way he doesn’t want to think about.

“Adrien,” Plagg says. “You know who she is now.”

“Yeah,” Adrien says. It’s not enough, thought—there are still parts of her that he doesn’t know, still some parts of her that—

“Which means you can learn .”

“...Oh,” Adrien whispers. Then the full meaning of what Plagg has just told him strikes her full force. “ Oh. ”

“Now come on,” Plagg says. “Let’s get your girl a Christmas present.”

[unchataparis]

A Review of Illusion

This endcard highlights Lila and Marinette’s rivalry, look at the contrast of their body language! Marinette is furious, glaring, watching her back, clearly not trusting Lila to not stick a dagger into it; while Lila appears to be filming a perfume commercial. Lila looks peacefully radiant here, and that’s exactly the image she wants others to hold of her. Despite the commotion over Lila’s actions in Season 3 and the hype for her in Season 4, she didn’t appear that much. I hope this wouldn't still be the case in Season 5. Lila is a fantastic character with a lot of villainous potential. If written properly, she could really shine, even more so than she does already.

I like this segment of a newscast interviewing a variety of people on their options of Ladybug’s capabilities (again, Chat Noir has evaporated). Having all the Miraculous stolen from her strikes a huge blow upon Ladybug’s reputation; most Parisians support her, but I bet there are quite a few who’ve lost sufficient faith in her.

Really appreciating the newscast followed by the debate followed by the Alliance ad. Feels very real.

Adrien doesn’t like the Alliance rings because it’s literally his identity stolen from him and commercialised, but Plagg embraces any kind of lazy luxuries like a moth to flame.

"Thanks to the Alliance ring, anyone can make you say anything." What an extraordinarily horrifying concept.

Gabriel, you are screwing up so badly, I can’t even emphasis how badly.

And the famous Agreste kitchen is finally revealed. It looks quite nice.

Hopefully, they can have all the intimate conversations a family can have once night has fallen and the kitchen light is low here.

French toast, the American dub says, over the very obvious animation of a pancake being flipped.

This man smiling is the most disturbing thing I’ve seen today.

Gabriel is almost completely leeched of colour. remember when he used to be blonde? And deeper blue-eyed? It’s like his life is draining out of him.

Gabriel knows he’s dying. He’s making amends.

"I’m not comfortable with my face on these things." "We can spend more time together…but if you want things to go back to the way they were, just say the word." I see that Gabriel has not lost his flair for manipulation. Good on Adrien for bringing up his concerns, but it’s understandable why he won’t push it.

This is such a cool perspective, I don’t think Miraculous has ever done split-screen before. And Alya is wearing the little hip-bag Marinette made for her, even though Trixx isn’t residing in it anymore.

I was watching both screens and the videos playing on their respective Alliance ring/phone. This was cool, the background and facial expression correlates with what they were expressing, it must’ve been difficult to animate.

"La Resistance." "There’s a resistance?" "Not yet, but you can be the first new member if you sign up."The comedy of this exchange in flawless. Good on Nino for not being too burdened by his lack of Miraculous. He was never a permanent Holder like Alya, but he grown Wayzz’s absence quickly.

"You don’t feel weird talking to these things?" "Well, it’s only my image, and it’s allowing me to spend more time with people I care about, like my father, my friends. You." Adrien successfully gaslighted.

This episode is full of great cinematography. The switching shots between Adrien, Alya, and Nino at the lunch table as they discuss the Resistance is quite personable, and really highlights the silliness of the shenanigan they’re involved in. 

"We can tell Marinette and Adrien that we were superheroes, it’s not like we have any Miraculous that Monarque could steal from us." Nino, you are so fired.

Adrien being approached by both Chloé and Lila. Chick magnet.

Lila has an Alliance ring. And her avatar is Adrien. Of course it is.

And now all of Adrien’s fans know where his school is.

Lila alerted Adrien’s fans to his location so that she would be able to spy on the Resistance meeting? She wanted to disrupt the gathering, I guess, get Marinette away from Adrien. And when that didn’t work, when they split off together instead of scattering, her next best bet is to eavesdrop on their conversation.

The way Lila is sitting is so pretty.

Realising from this image that most of the class’ parents have already been revealed. RIP Nathaniel, Nino, Ivan, Rose, and Kim.

This is the most inane plan in Miraculous yet. Inane and hilarious.

Animation error, Gabriel's suit was clean before Adrien dunks on it a second time.

Lila did help Gabriel exponentially. If Gabriel wasn’t Monarque and he wasn’t aware of the plan, he would’ve flown into a rage that’ll make him a prime target for Akumatisation.

They spilled entrée, main, and dessert on Gabriel. Nino should’ve come into the classroom with some beverage. Could’ve completed the course.

"You see, Alya? I’m a curse for Adrien. All this proves is that I’d better stay away from him." Girl, enough with the self-hatred, you didn’t do anything.

Alya being the voice of reason, she proposes that everyone needs to apologise to Gabriel.

Enough with the dramatics.

I have to admire Nino for his rigid, unwavering dedication. If the  situation is already screwed, peel whatever benefits you can from it.

This is a pretty risk plan on Monarque’s behalf. Just one touch and the Mirage would be dispersed. Of course, chances are Ladybug and Chat Noir would just assume the Collector also has the power of illusion but surely the suspicions would start building up. The Collector would have to aim to miss Ladybug and Chat Noir on purpose. The Collector’s teleporting power reminds me of the Spot from Spiderverse.

This man is going to die. The amount of Kwami he’s using is slowly draining him of his sanity and vitality.

Huh, that’s a good plan from Monarque. Joining the battle like this, Chat Noir and Ladybug are going to have some trouble dodging all these tiny butterflies, especially if they don’t even know he’s there.

But the man looks ridiculous. He looks like an army of toy soldiers.

Ladybug realised something is wrong the moment Chat Noir froze. Didn’t waste a second to flounder. Great battle instincts.

Hiding in the sewers wasn’t a good idea after all. Even if the water puddles didn’t give the Monarques’ footsteps away, the echoing would’ve alerted Ladybug to the fact that there were many more people than visible. Being in the streets, aboveground, with the clamour of pedestrians, shine of the Sun, and continuous metropolitan noises would’ve hidden Monarque much better.

Magical bolt of lightning. Huh. Well, sending lightning bolts is a pretty cool power.

The spaghetti got cleaned off.

"In order to do good, anything goes." Thank you, Gabriel. Very wise.

This man could win gaslighting championships – he is really laying it thick this season. It doesn’t even seem cartoonishly exaggerated anymore, I could see actual manipulative parents doing what he does. I don’t think he ever planned to take Adrien out of school in the first place, he just played at enacting that final command, and, of course, overturning this decision and apologising to Adrien about it would grant the illusion that he is a changed and renewed man, when in reality, he’s the same Machiavellian bastard he always has been.

"Père, I don’t want to wear the Alliance anymore, do you mind?" "Of course not." Because the one person Gabriel will never suspect to be Ladybug or Chat Noir is the son that’s 24/7 under his nose.

Starting to wonder what affliction each sauce has with the personality of the named Resistance member. For Lila, Comrade Sweet and Sour is obviously a play on her two-faced personality, but for everyone else? Is Adrien mayo because he's basic? And Marinette is a foundational sort of person that could be built upon?

After analysing Alya and Adrien’s nails, it’s really noticeable how long Lila’s nails are, and they even have French tips! Very stylish, just like her.

This episode establishes the the ordinary folk of Paris, especially the ex-Heroes, aren’t giving up just because they don’t have any more Miraculous, they’ll fight however they can. It’s curious that Nino calls his secret brigade the Resistance, instead of the Patrol, the Anti-Monarque Squad, or the Neighbourhood Watch. The Resistance implies that Monarque has already won, and they’re only struggling against him, trying to prevent him from gaining further ground.

This episode also marks a revolution in Adrien and Gabriel’s relationship. Finally, after seven years of being ignored and belittled, Gabriel has not only reached out to his son but tried to form a genuine connection with him, granting him amenities such as an relief from modelling and small privileges like being able to stay at school for lunch. Gabriel is definitely trying to make amends with Adrien before it’s too late. Unfortunately for Adrien, this miraculous (ha) turn of heart is neither permanent nor truly sincere.

Lila comes onto the playground again, worming her way not only into Marinette’s tight-knit friend group but the very same group of ex-Heroes who are making a stand against Monarque. I’m predicting that, sooner or later, the members of La Resistance are going to realise they’re among fellow heroes, and Lila is going to have some interesting leverage with this information. Whatever movement the Resistance can enact will be nullified by the fact that they have Monarque's double agent in their midst.

[szczekaczz]

thought i might share some books that are important to me or that i found simply very interesting. i love learning what others are reading and maybe it's time for me to return the favor haha

Solo: The Story of an African Wild Dog by Hugo van Lawick. An observation on an AWD pup whose mother was very low in the pack hierarchy. One of my childhood faves. I found it in the local antiquarian bookshop when I was nine or ten and fell in love immediately. I still have very nice memories of it <3

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. An unicorn tries to discover what happened to all other unicorns in the world. Also a childhood book. Some of the excerpts are still very close to my heart and I have them memorized after all these years…

The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams. Two dogs escape facility experimenting on animals and try to survive in the wild of the mountains. I have no words for this book. It (together with animated adaptation) literally changed something in my brain and I was never the same. This is also where my love for the tragedy began… It remains the biggest inspiration for my own project of The Lantern Dogs, even though I realized it like a year into working on it haha. It’s so rooted in my brain.

The Death of the Beautiful Deer and How I Came to Know Fish by Ota Pavel. Autobiography and childhood memoir of a mentally ill Czech guy who goes fishing. My copy includes both of these books so I’m merging them here. It was an extremely touching and emotional book for me in my teenhood. I remember having note app full of excerpts from it in my old phone haha plus I always still include this book if someone asks me for reading recommendations.

A Short History of Decay by Emil Cioran. A philosophy book on many things with the biggest focus on death. Okay so this was extremely important for me during high school and it gave me enormous comfort back then. I remember feeling a great peace… Unfortunately my current mental issues prevent me from re-reading it (I tried last year and couldn’t even finish one page lol) but yeah back then it was a source of peace of mid.

Rytm życia [Rhythm of life] by Antoni Kępiński. Essays on philosophy, medicine and biology based on the history of nazi concentration camps in WW2. And this is what brings me peace right now. It doesn’t have any translation and it’s a true shame. I don’t even know how to describe it. It talks about the foundations of all life on earth, how people act in extreme situations, how does the world work after the war, how technology affects our psyche… it’s hard to describe. If I were to ever translate just one book, it would be this one.

Shielding the Flame by Hanna Krall. Based on the interview with Marek Edelman about his memories of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and later working as a cardiologist. I’m been finding myself very drawn to literature about the reality of the war. This book is very moving. I don’t know what to add here, it’s so important.

The Time of Women by Elena Chizhova. A story of three generations of women in USSR. I read it for my classes last year and loved it… I found the relationships between the characters and their ways of coping with living in harsh conditions the most interesting. During classes some people said that the narration was too complicated but personally I found it very fun and clear tbh.

Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy. An Avar rebel has to make an alliance with imperial Russian military. Tolstoy’s prose is as pleasurable as always. I love his use of language and ways of storytelling. I read it last year during a brief vacation in the woods and I’ll always associate it with that peace and quiet…

Ali and Nino by Kurban Said. A story of Muslim Azerbaijani boy and Christian Georgian girl set in the deserts of the Baku. It was recommended to us during the classes on the Russian-speaking Caucasus. The professor advised us to focus on the dialogue between the cultures and religions, how they blend and interact with each other. I also fell in love with the language… it was such a pleasant read.

From predatory behaviour to relationship: looking at dog from different perspectives by Michele Minunno. An analysis on predatory behaviors in dogs, what is their meaning and how they affect relationships between dogs themselves and also humans. Over the years I’ve been studying dogs more closely, I’ve found no one whose thoughts and knowledge on dogs I would respect more than Michele’s. His respect towards dogs and who they are as a person is truly touching to me. I think this book is a nice introduction to his work…

Canine Olfaction Science and Law by Tadeusz Jezierski and others. Everything on dogs’ sense of smell. After searching for so long, I’ve been so happy to finally find a book that talks about the olfactory system in such a detailed and deliberate way. I haven’t finished reading and studying it yet, but I can’t recommend it enough already. I wish I could shove the entire book into my brain forever…

What Is a Dog? by Raymond and Lora Coppinger. Basics on behavioral ecology of dogs based on observations in Mexico, India and Africa. I think this book can be a very nice introduction to ecology in general to people who are not very into biology yet – everything is explained in a very simple and understandable way. I am fascinated with free-ranging dogs of all kinds and I took a great pleasure learning about FRDs in the south.

there are also some books that unfortunately don't have an english translation so i didn't include them (besides Kępiński's one yeah) but there are more </3 but most of them are on pedagogy and are set specifically in poland's reality so it probably would be quite hard to explain their importance to me...

[starryknightwrites]

Safety and Why Adrien’s “Sudden” Crush on Marinette Makes So Much Sense

Season 5 sees Marinette jumping headfirst into a crush on Chat Noir because her faith in a relationship with Adrien has been rocked considerably. She doesn’t trust the strength of their friendship. She doesn’t trust that she’ll make the right decisions around him. The foundation isn’t even there for her to trust his love for her. Their future is fraught with uncertainty.

Chat Noir is her loyal partner. Chat Noir is in love with her. She’s comfortable with Chat Noir. Chat Noir is the safe romantic choice.

While it’s also true that she has gained a newfound respect and loyalty to Chat Noir, she is also rebounding with him pretty hard. Especially after his unwavering support of her in ‘Strike Back’. He is her rock.

Adrien is doing the same thing. Ladybug neglected Chat Noir. He upset Ladybug to her breaking point with his excessive wooing. Every time he has any hope for he and Ladybug, it is abruptly snatched away by Ladybug herself or outside forces.

Marinette is comforting and kind. Marinette is harmless. Marinette has never shown pushiness or aggression toward Adrien. Marinette feels safe- moreso than anyone else in his life besides Plagg- and his trust in her has been building since Season 1.

In ‘Gamer’, Adrien takes an ego hit. He dazzles his classmates by winning against Max- you can see a little Chat Noir coming out in his body language there. Only to be beaten easily by Marinette during their practice session. He laments his insecurities to her and she comforts him by giving him her lucky charm bracelet. This becomes a symbol of their friendship and mutual support and clearly means a lot to Adrien. It’s a comfort. He keeps it on him wherever he goes.

In ‘The Gorilla’, Adrien almost tells Marinette that he is uncomfortable modeling. I’ve seen people saying that his telling her in ‘Risk’ was “unearned”, but the truth is, he felt comfortable enough to open up to her 3 seasons prior.

Marinette takes Adrien to hide from his unhinged fan club in the fountain. She comments on how it’s awesome that he has such a popular ad and he says “I don’t know about that. It’s actually pretty… embarrassing”. He gets distracted by her pajamas and she becomes embarrassed at his wandering gaze. Then his fan club shows up and the chance to further elaborate never comes up, but he was super close to sharing his discomfort around modeling with her in that moment without the effects of Risk.

In ‘Frozer’, Marinette is the first person Adrien asks for advice about Kagami after ultimately deciding against all of the “close” adults in his life. Nino may have been the most obvious choice- but considering Nino’s hopelessness in ‘Animan’, I can understand why he trusted Marinette. And he felt comfortable enough with Marinette as a safe zone to ask her to come along.

In ‘Malediktator’, while the rest of the class is celebrating Chloe’s curt exit, Adrien is extremely put off. When Marinette explained what happened, he felt comfortable enough with her to disagree and to call her out on the “She was useless anyway” comment. I’m not sure what Adrien expected from Marinette after this. He’s used to people either punishing him for disagreeing or just ignoring him/standing their ground. But Marinette feels guilty and takes steps to remedy what happened and bring Chloe back- something he clearly appreciated in the end.

In the ultra controversial ‘Chameleon’, Adrien advised Marinette not to take an aggressive route with Lila and she listens, ceasing to try to expose her (*in an earlier edit, I said it didn’t stick, but I realized her exposure attempts in Catalyst came before Chameleon. Marinette did actually stick to her word.) Compare this to his conversation with Lila in the same episode in which he asks her not to lie to him and warns her about the class turning against her. He’s nice about it and offers his support, but Lila jumps on the defensive and accuses him of ‘playing superhero’. Similarly, when he gives Chloe advice, she won’t even change her ways for more than a day- even under threat of losing her friendship with him.

Lastly, Adrien allows himself to “slip” with Marinette. He trusts that she won’t admonish him for his jokes or “being silly” Marinette is quite silly herself (that’s why they made such a goofy couple in ‘Elation’). She only takes offense to his prank in Puppeteer 2 because she humiliated herself. She even apologizes profusely for the misunderstanding later.

‘Risk’ made clear to Adrien what MLB has been building to for seasons: Marinette feels like a safe and comfortable space for Adrien. His father is cold and controlling. Nathalie is cold and in league with his father. His bodyguard is emotionally distant and silent.  Chloe is pushy and doesn’t listen to him. Felix antagonizes him.  Lila is dishonest and manipulative with him. Ladybug has been a neglectful partner who he secretly reasons only wants him around as far as his miraculous can assist her. Kagami led their entire relationship and he felt uncomfortable challenging her. Nino was fine until Rocketear where he denounced Adrien’s entire alter ego as a useless playboy.

Even the fact that Marinette has never managed to confess properly, is a safety to Adrien. She’s never put any pressure on him. She’s always just been that cute, silly girl who is compassionate with him and stands up for what she believes in. Never controlling. Not at all intimidating. Down to listen. She’s (the everyday) Ladybug without the strife. Marinette is “safe”.

[miraculouscontent]

Anonymous asked:

I don't know about you, but selling the main pairing giving a greeting kiss by having Alya physically stopping Mari from pushing Adrien away is very uncomfortable.

It's like we've traded away AdriChat forcing boundaries in private with nobody to stop him to now making it a group effort to steamroll over every boundary MariBug ever makes. I wish Alya cared more about Marinette's comfort than the ship. It's gonna get to a point where she'll never be able to maintain any boundaries.

Anonymous asked:

So... Multiplication.

I have to say, I was horrified that they went straight from Marinette telling Alya that she did not want to focus on her crush with Adrien, and very clearly, so it couldn't be misinterpreted, to Alya PHYSICALLY PREVENTING Marinette from avoiding an unwanted kiss from Adrien, and not just once, THREE TIMES. Thankfully Ikari Gozen came just before he was about to succeed, because Alya was literally holding both of Marinette's hands down so she couldn't stop him as she had the previous two times.

Anonymous asked:

Don't you just love how casually Adrien is trying to smooch Marinette after realizing he loves her?

I hate that we have to sit here and talk about why it’s wrong for grown white men to write “jokes” about a white boy who can’t take a damn hint and a best friend who will physically hold the female protagonist in place even after she’s made clear that she doesn’t want this.

And naturally the fandom will eat it up and praise Alya for being “a representation of the fandom just wanting Adrien to kiss Marinette already” because Marinette’s agency doesn’t matter as long as The Ship is happening.

Also, just throwing this out there--

- Alya bringing up Marinette’s past attempts of giving up on Adrien (as if Alya wasn’t involved at all in forcing Marinette back in Adrien’s direction) is beyond insulting.

- “It’s just a friendly kiss!” No, it’s not. If Adrien had purely friendly intentions, then not only would Alya/Nino be getting one, but Adrien would’ve been giving them to Marinette before (remember back in “Ephemeral” where we all mocked Adrien for calling Marinette one of his closest friends? yeah).

- If Adrien supposedly loves Marinette so much, then maybe he should be able to use his eyes and see that her rejecting his cheek kiss the first time means that he shouldn’t try it again. This is Season 5, there’s no excuse for this behavior anymore and there hasn’t been for a long time.

- Even if Marinette genuinely wanted to be kissed or whatever, it doesn’t excuse her being physically held in place. At the end of the day, she was rejecting the kiss and had already stated her feelings on how troublesome the Adrien crush had been. Hell, even if she was already in a relationship with him, she should be allowed to not want to be kissed and those feelings should be respected. Even people in real life relationships have moments where they’re just not in the mood for physical contact, which is completely valid.

[chlodriendump]

The Stages of Fake Dating

23-year-old Chloe's about to launch a new make-up collection in 3 months, but a certain incident begins to put a dent in her reputation so her PR manager decides that dating Paris' golden boy would help boost up her image. Meanwhile, Adrien's getting sick of being forced by his father to go on blind dates so he does the only thing he thinks would put a stop to it...agree to fake date his childhood friend (who he hasn't spoken with since high school).

1. The Plan

"Hey, that guy was practically harassing me for a stupid selfie!" Chloe defended as they got out of the elevator.

"Even so, the public seems to think otherwise." Julia, her PR manager, hands her a tablet showing a bunch of tweets calling her names she's heard a lot back in high school.

She sighs. "And you actually think dating someone is the best way to fix this?"

"Not just someone," Julia says, leading her into one of the meeting rooms.

Her eyes instantly land on a familiar face she wasn't expecting to see in person ever again.

"Adrien?" She lifts her sunglasses up to do a double-take and looks back and forth between him and Julia until realization dawned on her. "Oh, for fuck's sake."

2. The Act

"Is that gonna be alright with you?" Adrien, being the gentleman he is, needed her permission.

"Jesus, Adrien, we're not fourteen. Yes, you can hold my hand for this," Chloe assures him, putting her hand out.

"Hey, just want to make sure my girlfriend's comfortable." He teases before taking her hand in his.

"Still Paris' golden boy, huh?" She snorts, trying to mask the fact that something in her stirred when he called her his girlfriend and held her hand. She doesn't exactly know what those feelings are, but resolves not to dwell on it.

"I really missed you, Chlo," he says, smiling genuinely at her.

"I missed you too," she replies, returning the smile.

They continue walking along the sidewalk, pretending not to notice the paparazzi across the street.

3. Getting Closer

"Is it just me or did my father seem too happy when he found out we were 'together'?" Adrien asks, making the other blonde laugh.

After getting suffocated with questions about their 'relationship', they decided to get some fresh air on the balcony.

"He's probably relieved he doesn't have to annoy all his rich friends to set you up with their daughters anymore," she says.

As the laughter dies down, hints of tention and awkwardness fill the air; both having so much to say, but not knowing where to start.

Five years worth of events probably couldn't be covered properly in one night.

"Why'd you stop talking to me?" he blurts out, keeping his eyes on anywhere but her.

"I just wanted to forget high school," she explains. "Fresh start, you know?"

"You could've confided in me, I always got your back," he says, finally looking back at her.

"I'm sorry." It's the only response that seemed right. She doesn't notice that she mindlessly starts playing with one of the many bracelets on her wrists, but he does.

"Is that the one me and my mother gave you for one of your birthdays?" He gently pulls her arm close to inspect it.

"Yeah..."

"You kept it all this time?"

"Of course I did."

For two people who haven't spoken in years, the following conversations certainly didn't make it feel that way any longer.

4. Falling for Each Other

"So, you're buying her this ridiculously overpriced teddy bear because..?" Nino asked, eyeing said stuffed animal that Adrien just picked up from the shelf.

"Because she lost her old one and I'm a good friend," Adrien says matter-of-factly.

"In secret? With no cameras to capture the romantic gesture?"

"It's...personal." Adrien adjusts his hood and shades, looking around to make sure no one noticed him.

"Now, if this was a romcom, remind me again how two people fake dating figure out they caught feelings?" Nino smirks and crosses his arms.

"Well..." Adrien tries listing things in his mind, "They can't stop thinking about the person, they're excited to spend time with them, they do a lot of nice things for them even when it has nothing to do with their fake..."

"Mhmm."

"Shit."

"Yep."

-----

"You're awfully happy to see your phone," Julia says as she enters Chloe's office.

"Shut up, Adrien just texted me something funny," Chloe defends before another giggle escapes her.

"Ah, makes sense." Julia smirks.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe looks at her suspiciously.

"You like him."

"I don't." Her denial only makes the other woman grin.

"I've witnessed the entire disaster that was your love life." Chloe shoots her a glare. "And not once have I seen you smile like that."

"Fuck."

"Yep."

5. Making it Real

"Before this all ends, I just needed you to know that eventually..." He pauses out of fear that she may not want anything to do with him afterwards. "It became real for me."

She takes a step closer to him.

"It was real for me too."

Bonus:

Everyone in the office erupted in cheers after they kiss because they totally knew Chlodrien would end up together after the first month of fake dating.

[carpisuns]

ok im seeing people take this comment as a confirmation of the true selves trope and i have some Thoughts lol

i don't think that was a confirmation that chat noir is actually adrien's "true self" but more an expression of his self-perception

adrien's a model. he's used to posing, literally and figuratively. what he shows on the covers of magazines is not his "true self"—that's the image people want to see, and he knows how to give it to them. it's exhausting to have to play the role of posterchild all the time because that isn't really him

but neither is "chat noir." it's really clear that adrien kind of puts on a persona when he suits up, and he leans into his natural goofiness extra hard because it's fun and freeing. but he also uses that humor to deflect a lot, and he tends to push back his feelings to keep up the fun-loving, carefree facade of chat noir. in a lot of ways, i feel like the mask wears him as much as he wears the mask.

i think maybe adrien doesn't really know what is "true self" is like, because he's never been allowed to just be. he is constantly performing, whether it's as the agreste brand posterchild or the wise-cracking superhero. he says that his goofy side is the "real him" because that's the role he prefers to play, but it's still a role. (he even acknowledges that in weredad when he says he “didn’t think chat noir was marinette’s type”—not that he wasn’t her type, but that chat noir wasn’t her type. meaning that he recognizes that chat is kind of a character he made up for himself, that doesn’t perfectly reflect the person he actually is)

so what is his "true self"? it's not "adrien" or "chat"—it's both. all of us act differently in different situations, but the characteristics that come out in one set of circumstances are still as much a part of us as the ones that are currently hidden. of course, we’re closer to our home base/true self when we’re around people we’re comfortable with, and with adrien we see this probably most strongly with nino and sometimes with ladybug or marinette, depending on the situation. those little moments when adrien gets a little bolder and goofier, or chat gets a little softer, or when he shows his disappointment or his loneliness on either side of the mask—those are signs that he feels comfortable enough with her that he can stop worrying about appearances and just let himself exist, however he feels at that moment.

probably the best example of adrien’s “true self” is how he is when he’s alone (or with Plagg). after all, aren't we our most authentic selves when there's no one to perform for? in those moments when he’s by himself, we see kind of a merging of those two sides of him that he has compartmentalized. he lets himself actually feel and express his emotions, and that helps us see who the “real” Adrien actually is—a sweet, soft boy with a big silly streak and a flair for the dramatic, who cares deeply about his loved ones and who longs to be loved the way he loves.

i feel like the fandom tends to put adrien in a box—either the “model adrien” box or the “chat noir” box, and i honestly think that’s a disservice to his character, which is really beautifully and subtly developed by the show writers. this is one of the reasons why adrien is such a fascinating and lovable character, and i hate to see him stripped down to a single, sparse set of characteristics when he is so much more than that.

[adrinoir]

This isn’t a competition of “who has it worse?”

Okay. So recently, I saw someone talk about how it’s bad that so many people think Adrien gets the short end of the stick when he truly doesn’t.

Um. I just, have some things to say about that statement.

Can we stop comparing their issues as to “who has it worse”? These children both have some pretty bad issues going on, none of which are their faults. They’re pretty equal in that sense. I’ll list what they’ve got going on:

Adrien

Adrien has a terrible home life constantly and it’s not like that’s hidden very well. It’s very easy to see. Does it excuse everything he does? No. I’ve talked about this before, accountability needs to be taken even if something you did was a result of a personal issue you’re dealing with.

But, it does make it hard for him to open up and make friends. And what sucks is that his two closest friends - Nino and Ladybug - lack trust in him.

Nino bad mouthed Cat Noir in front of him and gave away him and Alya’s identities when that’s a thing he was told is not okay. Ladybug keeps Cat Noir in the dark about wayyy too many things, and he realized just how much this past season. So, of course he’s not going to feel comfortable fully opening up to either of them just for that alone. He wants to feel important and validated and neither of them make him feel that way.

The only person we’ve actually seen him open up to is Marinette. He loves her, and as Cat Noir it’s easy to talk to her about things since she doesn’t know he’s Adrien. But even in Risk, it’s shown he’s been wanting to talk to her about things going on, but hasn’t had the courage to do it.

And obviously, Adrien can’t open up to his own father because the man neglects him so much. So, he really only has Marinette. That’s it.

Marinette

Marinette does have nasty, nasty issues and consequences for simply just having a crush on Adrien/Cat Noir and for being an important hero. Being guardian and having her love end the entire world are two big ones.

Marinette is also very lucky to have friends like Alya and her girl squad, and extremely sweet parents at that. However, the fact that it came around to bite her in the ass is awful. Opening up to her best friend shouldn’t have had the consequences that it did. Marinette should be able to open up to Alya and Cat Noir without having to worry about them risking her identity or their own.

There’s this thing people do where they compare issues or even devalue their own issues just because someone else’s are worse. It’s unhealthy.

This show has a problem switching back and forth between making Marinette look bad vs making Adrien look bad. It’s like they want you to favor one character over another. But they both have it pretty bad, despite their issues being completely different.

And in the fandom, it’s one thing to dislike the character - nothing wrong with that - but you’re opening a whole new can of worms when you compare their issues. It’s what I’ve seen people argue over.

I’ve also noticed consequences are given for the wrong things. For example, Marinette losing all the miraculous aside from her own and Cat Noir’s just because she mistook Felix for Adrien was unnecessary. Or, Adrien being kept in the dark just because of Master Fu pushing this idea and the Chat Blanc storyline traumatizing Marinette, also uncalled for.

At this point, it’s a big matter of these two opening up to each other instead of poorly handling their personal issues. Keeping Cat Noir in the dark isn’t productive. Cat Noir acting like his only issue with her was her turning him down isn’t productive. Luckily, the season 4 finale was a step forward.

Man, at the end of the day, I just want these two to be happy together.

[flightfoot]

Perspective From Another Timeline

Thanks to my betas @steelblaidd and Izzybusy!

I ADORE @buggachat new Bakery Enemies AU. This idea just kept on swirling through my head, I had to write it! This is set between parts 13 and 14, so after Adrien meets Alya and Nino but before Marinette starts sympathizing with him. AO3

---------

“You okay?”

Alya shook her head, trying to clear it. “I’ll be fine. I’ve weathered worse than that - we both have.”

Nino grinned at her. “True that.”

Alya smiled at him fondly, remembering Heroes Day. It was a bittersweet memory, with her having been turned against Nino and them both being akumatized. 

But they had fought to protect each other as best they could. She’d seen Prime Queen’s footage, how Carapace had struggled to get her to fight against Dark Cupid’s magic, how he’d only given into despair after she’d given into akumatization. 

“What did that blast do to us?” Nino wondered. “Everyone else the akuma blasted just disappeared. Why’re we still here?”

Alya’s brow furrowed. “I dunno… hold on, let me check to see whether any new info on the akuma’s been uploaded.”

Pulling out her phone, she tapped on the Akuma News Alert app.

An error message popped up, telling her that she had no internet connection.

Puzzled, Alya checked her phone’s other settings. 

No wifi - no wifi even recognized, much less connectable - no cell service, no connection to the outside world at all.

She glanced over at Nino. “Hey, you got any signal?”

Taking out his own phone, he quickly checked his connection. He shook his head. “Not a single bar.”

Frowning, Alya looked around. “Maybe all the cell towers were taken out?”

Everything looked intact though, no sign of any destruction at all.

Something else caught Alya’s eye. “Hey Nino, what time should it be?”

Nino blinked. “Well I mean lunch just started so it should be a little past noon-”

He glanced around, noticing the long shadows and the pinkish-orange of the evening sky.

“-which it clearly is not anymore,” he concluded.

Great. “Guess Ladybug and Chat Noir must’ve taken a while to defeat the akuma,” she said, putting her phone away. “Hopefully my parents aren’t too worried. They like me to text them just after an akuma attack, but right now…?” she gestured to her pocket.

“My folks aren’t as worried,” Nino said. “But they still expect me back home before the sun goes down. They’ll be getting nervous soon.”

Alya let out a small sigh. “So much for playing Super Penguino together.”

“Hmmm…” Nino’s eyes gleamed. “You know… it’s not night just yet. And I’m sure my parents would understand if I was a few minutes late because I grabbed a bite to eat.”

Grabbed a bite to eat? What was Nino hinting at…?

Alya looked around at their location more closely.

Wait… that blast seemed to have carried them to that one park, the one near-

Alya grinned. “I think my parents will forgive me for not calling in if I bring them fresh-baked treats from the best bakery in Paris.”

---

*ring ring*

The scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the store. 

Instantly Alya felt her shoulders loosen up, releasing tension she didn’t even know she’d had. There was just something so warm and comforting about the bakery.

Of course, a lot of that was due to the people running it. Good luck finding more friendly, caring people than Marinette’s parents. Sabine often checked up on anyone who seemed to be struggling or upset (and ready to protect them if they were - Alya had seen the video of the time a TV crew decided to invade Marinette’s privacy), and Tom was basically a giant teddy bear in human form.

But neither of them were manning the counter today.

Instead a young woman stared back at them.

A very familiar-looking young woman. 

“Marinette?” Alya asked cautiously.

The woman stared at her for a minute. “Alya?” she finally asked. “What happened to you?” She paled. “Did a new supervillain attack? Is that why you and Nino are younger?”

Huh. Weirdly scared reaction from Marinette. They’d all gotten used to supervillains by now. She’d expect an older Marinette to take them in stride even more than the current Marinette.

Hm… an older Marinette, a different time of day, and Marinette not seeming to know about the latest akuma attack? 

“Marinette… what year is it?” 

Marinette blinked for a moment. Her eyes widened.

Seemed Marinette understood what she was getting at.

She told Alya the date.

Her hunch was right. “We’re in the future,” Alya breathed.

A wicked grin slowly spread over her face. 

Five years was a long time. A lot of things could have happened. A lot of information could’ve come to light.

Like Hawkmoth’s identity.

Or more information on the Miraculous.

But most importantly right now-

She leaned in close to Marinette, making sure to keep her voice down, just in case someone else was around in the back. “So did you ever get together with a certain blond-haired, green-eyed model?”

“Uh… what?” Marinette asked, looking puzzled.

Alya snapped her fingers. “Adrien. Did you and Adrien finally get together? Ooooh, if you did you’ve GOTTA tell me how the confession went! Or, no, wait, don’t tell me, I want to get the deets at the time. Just let me know how long I’ve got to wait, girl!”

Marinette just stared at her, slack-jawed. “Adrien… like ADRIEN AGRESTE?!” she said, her volume rising with every word.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up. “Um… yes…?”

She’d thought that Marinette would be glowing about finally getting together with her crush, or dejected about still not being able to spit out what she wanted to say to him, downcast over him rejecting her, or maybe even infuriated because he mistreated her and they subsequently broke up.

(The last one was VERY unlikely though. After the Felix debacle, she’d learned to have a bit more faith in Adrien’s good nature.)

Shock at the concept of dating him? Not something she’d anticipated.

Footsteps echoed from behind Marinette.

So one of Marinette’s parents must’ve been in the back-

Adrien popped his head around the corner.

Seemed both he AND Marinette had aged well. 

Not that Adrien looked all that different. Taller, definitely, maybe with slightly messier hair and… were those earrings? They looked good on him.

“Hey dude!” Nino waved at his best friend. “What’s up?”

“Uh…” Adrien said, scratching the back of his neck.

“WOW those outfits really take the years off, huh?” Marinette said loudly, shoving them out the door. “Make you look smaller than usual. Well we better go talk about plans later okaybye-”

She promptly slammed the door behind them, physically pushing them away from the bakery.

After Marinette had dragged them a good distance away, Alya finally got over her shock, turning around and glaring at her. “What was that about?!” she asked Marinette indignantly, hands on her hips. “You know me, I wasn’t going to spill anything to him. That’s why I was talking so quietly! Why’d you have to do that?!”

Nino frowned, seeming more concerned than annoyed. “Adrien looked really hurt by that. Not cool.”

“There’s nothing to spill!” Marinette protested, gesticulating wildly. “I only met him for the first time two days ago!”

*record scratch*

Two-

Two DAYS ago?!

Ok, hold up.

“Adrien joined our collège class the day after I did! He sits in front of you in class! What’re you TALKING about?!”

“Uh… no…?” Marinette tilted her head to the side, befuddled. “I think I would remember that, even if it was a few years back.” 

Alya let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, no kidding. He would be uh, difficult for you to forget. Heck, even if your memory was erased, you’ve got so much stuff revolving around him, I couldn’t see that lasting long.”

Marinette blushed. “Why do you think I have a crush on him?! He’s HAWKMOTH’S SON!”

“WHAT?!” Alya and Nino yelled in unison.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated Hawkmoth a couple years ago,” Marinette explained, pulling out her phone.

A moment later she held it up, showing a blog post from the Ladyblog.

Oooh, that’s a nice graphical design. I’ll have to look into updating my site, Alya thought.

Turning her attention to the picture, she squinted. “Hey, can you enlarge the photo?” She asked.

Marinette complied, enlarging it and turning her phone sideways, letting it fill the entire screen. 

Gabriel Agreste being led away in handcuffs by the police, with Ladybug and Chat Noir in the background. Ladybug looked satisfied, with maybe a twinge of melancholy, but Chat Noir…

He stared vacantly ahead, seemingly not focused on anyone or anything, a smile on his face - but the most forced one she’d ever seen.

“What’s wrong with Chat Noir?” 

Marinette frowned, looking troubled. “I don’t know. He seemed really, really upset when Hawkmoth was defeated. It was a tough battle, bad enough that neither of them have returned since, but that doesn’t explain why-”

She trailed off, lost in thought. 

A moment later she looked up, meeting Alya’s eyes.

Immediately she waved her hands around, trying to ward off… something. “I- I mean, that’s what I read on the Ladyblog and what I could piece together from video footage, it’s not like I was there, NOPE. I was huddled in my room the entire time. Not like I have any insight into what Chat Noir was acting like during the battle, not beyond what any other civilian would know! That would be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” she let out a few forced guffaws.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up.

O...Kay…?

Maybe Marinette had been following Ladybug and Chat Noir during the final battle and hadn’t wanted anyone to know? She’d wondered whether Marinette might have a thing for Chat Noir, but her crush on Adrien dwarfed any feelings she might have had for him. Plus it’s not like Marinette would actually know Chat Noir, unlike Adrien.

Thinking about Adrien…

“He must’ve been devastated,” she murmured. Marinette looked at her questioningly. “Adrien, I mean,” Alya clarified. “Having your father turn out to be a terrorist? I can’t even imagine.”

Marinette buried her face in her hands. “Not you TOO,” she said, her voice muffled.

Nino slowly started edging his way behind Marinette.

“What’s your problem with Adrien?” Alya asked. “Did he do something?”

Marinette glanced away. “Not… exactly… I just… I’m afraid that it might all be an act. That he might’ve been helping Hawkmoth secretly, and… and even if he wasn’t before, that he might just be biding his time, waiting until he figures out who Ladybug and Chat Noir and then BAM!” she slammed her fist down on her other hand. “He takes them out, steals all the Miraculous, frees his father and rules Paris FOREVER!”

Alya reached out towards Marinette tentatively. She collapsed into Alya’s arms. 

Hugging her tightly, she sang a soft nonsense song, rubbing small circles in Marinette’s back. 

She’d done this a few other times since she’d met Marinette, though she’d never thought she’d do it underneath these circumstances.

Whatever these circumstances actually were.

Did everyone have amnesia or…?

“Do you have any big memory gaps?” Alya asked once Marinette’s breathing had calmed down. “Especially from five years ago?” 

Marinette shook her head. 

She’d shelve that theory for now then. More likely it was…

“An alternate timeline, huh?” Alya said.

Marinette looked up at her questioningly.

“That’s what I think this is,” Alya explained. “I WAS thinking that maybe there’d been some sort of mass amnesia, but if you don’t have any memory gaps - and trust me girl, with how involved you were with Adrien, there WOULD be memory gaps - that seems unlikely. I’m betting this is some sort of alternate universe, one where Adrien never got to go to school.”

“I still don’t get why you think there’s something between me and Adrien!” Marinette said. “I mean sure, he’s pretty, but did I really fall for him just for that?” 

Alya shook her head. “Actually, you hated him at first. Chloe’d been bragging about how he was her friend, and with that on top of you catching him trying to remove the gum Chloe’d planted on your seat and mistaking it for him PLANTING the gum… well… both of us just assumed he was a spoiled rich bully, just like Chloe. Luckily that turned out not to be the case.”

“How’d that misunderstanding get cleared up?” Marinette asked. “And how did your Marinette jump from that to crushing on him?”

Alya grinned. Marinette had ranted about this moment to her SO. MANY. TIMES.

“School let out later that day. It was raining and Marinette had forgotten her umbrella, so she hung back a moment, long enough for Adrien to approach her. At first she looked away from him, not wanting to acknowledge his greeting. But then he told you - told her I mean - that he hadn’t done it, promised that he’d just been trying to take it off with such sincerity that she had no choice but to believe it. He opened up to her, even though she’d been shunning him just moments ago. And finally he gave her his umbrella, just because he could. Because it was the kind thing to do. She’s been a goner ever since.”

The Marinette in her arms looked away. “I can see why she might have developed a crush on him. But I still dunno whether I trust him.”

“I don’t know whether I have anything that could convince you on that,” Alya admitted, “especially since this is probably a different timeline, and for all I know he could be evil here. Just make sure that you’re judging him on his own merits, okay? Not who he’s associated with. Not his fault he has so many crappy people in his life.”

“I’ll… take it under consideration,” Marinette said reluctantly. 

Marinette looked from side to side. “Where’d Nino go?”

“Oh, he snuck back into the bakery several minutes ago.”

“WHAT?!”

---

Nino opened the door to the bakery, letting out a small sigh of relief. He really wanted to check in on his best friend, and judging by Marinette’s behavior, she wasn’t exactly keen on him or Alya chatting with Adrien.

Thinking back on what he’d just heard, he frowned. 

He wished he could say that he’d never have suspected that Gabriel was Hawkmoth.

That he didn’t think Adrien’s old man could ever be capable of such evil.

But he knew better.

The guy threatened to withdraw Adrien from school and isolate him from everyone else at the drop of a hat, paid little attention to his son when he was at home, and was a very negative influence on his life in general. He might have been grieving, but… so was Adrien. He needed the only parent he had left.

And instead Gabriel had chosen to respond by becoming a supervillain and terrorizing Paris, endangering his own son in the process.

He really wished he’d gotten to hit Hawkmoth with his turtle shield more. At least he got to relish the smack he got in.

“You’re back!” 

Nino looked towards the voice.

Adrien walked closer to him, a tentative grin on his face. “I didn’t think you’d return so soon!”

“I had to come back to talk to my best friend,” Nino said.

“Best friend?” Adrien asked, blank-faced.

Oh, right. According to Marinette, Adrien hadn’t joined their class. She hadn’t even met Adrien until recently. 

Had some sort of memory-wiping akuma attacked? Wouldn’t have been the first time. 

“Do you know who I am?” Nino asked, pointing at himself.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh… well I know you’re friends with the Ladyblogger and Marinette, and… sorry, that’s it.”

He looked really apologetic, like a dog who’d ripped up a bunch of toilet paper and acted guilty about it once caught.

Hm. If it had been a memory-erasing akuma, maybe he could jog Adrien’s memory…?

And even if it wasn’t, he wanted to let Adrien know that someplace, somewhere, people cared about him. If Marinette’s reaction to him was any indication, he’d need that reassurance. Being looked at with suspicion, having people run from you just because of who your dad was, thinking that you might’ve been involved in his crimes… he couldn’t imagine.

“You joined our class the day after Hawkmoth first attacked,” Nino told him, pulling out his phone.

Adrien shook his head, looking confused. “Uh… no? I wanted to, I REALLY wanted to go to school, but Father-”

He cut himself off, looking away.

“Marinette said the same thing,” Nino told him. “That you hadn’t enrolled in our class, that she’d only met you recently. I don't know what that’s about, whether everyone’s memories were wiped, or an akuma messed with the past, or what.”

Come on, come on, where was it- ah!

He clicked on a photo, one taken a few months ago, holding his phone up so his friend could get a better look.

Adrien squinted for a moment. His eyes widened. “That’s-!”

Nino nodded. “Our class photo. The official one, anyway.” He chuckled. “I liked our unofficial ones better.” Swiping to the side, he showed the new ones the class had taken at the park. 

Adrien’s jaw dropped more with every new photo. He let out an involuntary bark of laughter at the one of himself, Nino, Kim, and Juleka posing. “I- I always wanted to mess around like that at photoshoots,” Adrien said. His voice trembled slightly. “But I wouldn’t be able to get away with it. And that’s mostly fun when you can share it with friends, at least share the picture, and I- I couldn’t. Chloe wouldn’t have appreciated it, and L-”

He cut himself off, shaking his head.

“Luka?” Nino asked. 

He didn’t know why Adrien would know Luka and not anybody else, but he seemed the most likely option.

“Uh…” Adrien scratched the back of his neck, looking away.

Hm, he’d have to see if he had- ah!

“You played in Kitty Section too, with Luka, Rose, Ivan, and Juleka.” Nino explained, clicking on the video. 

Adrien’s hands shook as Nino handed him the phone, watching the mini-concert.

“I- I was allowed to- I got to-” Adrien’s voice quavered. 

“Not at first.” Nino grimaced, remembering how bummed Adrien had sounded when he called him. “Your old man said that Agrestes were soloists, and that we were all bad influences.”

“HE was the bad influence,” Adrien said. A current of anger, of venom ran through his voice that Nino had never heard before. 

“Well I already knew that, even before finding out he was Hawkmoth,” Nino said, making a face. “Dude needed to chill out.”

Adrien snorted. “If he had any ‘chill’ he wouldn’t have decided that becoming a supervillain was the best way to heal my mother.”

Oh.

So THAT was why Gabriel had done it.

He’d just thought it was standard ‘I’m an asshole and want to rule the world while being a jackass to everyone in my life’ behavior.

(He still wasn’t going to rule out that being a factor.)

Nino put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder sympathetically. “At least he’s gone now and you’re free, right?”

“Right,” Adrien said. He didn’t meet Nino’s eyes.

“Not you TOO,” Marinette had said, burying her face in her hands.

As if she found it exasperating that Alya sympathized with Adrien. As if she had expected differently. 

Those worries she’d voiced as Nino had been tiptoeing away, about Adrien helping Hawkmoth, about him lying in wait, biding his time… Marinette probably wasn’t the only one to have that concern. And with Adrien’s face being as well-known as it was...

“You AREN’T free, are you?” Nino asked, eyes wide.

Adrien sighed. “I was as surprised as everyone else when I found out who Hawkmoth was. That someone who’s caused that much harm, that much trauma to this city, lived in my own house.” He clenched his fists, digging into his jean’s fabric. “I could barely believe it… no… I didn’t WANT to believe it.”

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “I- I only remember snippets from right after his arrest. The police chief talking to me. Riding back to the station. It’s all a blur. Everything felt like I was processing it underwater. It was all so blurry and muffled. Even- even then, though, I could feel everyone’s accusing stares.” “I understand why, don’t get me wrong,” he cut in hurriedly. “Who wouldn’t be suspicious of the son of the terrorist who’s been making everyone’s life miserable for the past four years?” Adrien almost panted with exertion, his eyes wild. “And- and it was happening in my own house! Underneath my nose! I should have KNOWN! I could’ve stopped this!” 

Reaching out, Nino pulled his friend into a hug. 

Adrien stiffened for a moment, before melting into his embrace.

“It’s his fault, not yours,” Nino murmured. “Remember that, dude. He was the adult. He was your parent. Your ONLY remaining parent. I’ve met the guy. And I’ve heard you talk about what he’s like. If you had investigated more?” Nino shuddered, thinking about the disproportionate punishments the bastard had enacted. “And knowing he was HAWKMOTH on top of that? I’m kinda glad you didn’t. Yeah, maybe you could’ve ended things sooner. Or maybe he would’ve hurt you more before you had the chance. I’m just glad you survived.”

“I-” Adrien’s throat sounded tight. “I’m- I’m glad I survived too.”

They stood there for a moment, Nino feeling Adrien’s breath go in-and-out, his heartbeat racing, until it gradually started to slow.

*ring ring*

Adrien and Nino broke up their hug just as Marinette burst through the door, Alya on her heels. She skidded to a halt in front of Adrien - but not quite in time, sending her careening towards the floor.

She never made contact.

“Woah!” Adrien shouted, catching her in his arms.

Nino detected a hint of pink to Marinette’s cheeks before she abruptly sprang to her feet.

“So, uh,” Marinette said awkwardly. “I’m guessing Nino talked to you about some stuff. I mean, of course he talked to you about stuff, because that’s what talking is about. What- what I mean is, what were you two talking about?”

“I wanted to show him how much we care about him,” Nino told her. “Especially since with this… amnesia?”

“I think it’s an alternate timeline,” Alya said. 

“Especially since in this timeline,” Nino continued, “it really doesn’t seem like he had anyone.”

“I had a couple other friends,” Adrien told him quietly, giving a melancholic smile. “But I lost contact with them right after Hawkmoth’s defeat.”

Noticing Nino’s frown, he hastily added, “they didn’t abandon me or anything! They were online friends. One moved somewhere without internet reception, and the other... we never knew each other’s names. But we talked all the time. We chatted, laughed, defeated villains together…”

“In the video games we played, of course!” he added after a moment. He chuckled fondly. “We played as a team. Together, we were unstoppable, no matter what our opponent threw at us.”

Adrien swallowed. “But in the aftermath of Hawkmoth’s defeat, with all the turmoil, with everything that happened… I lost my means of contacting her. I- I don’t know whether I’ll ever get to see her again.”

“We’d promised to meet up after Hawkmoth’s defeat,” Adrien said. His voice cracked. “That- that once it was safer in Paris, we’d finally tell our names.”

His eyes dropped to the ground. “Instead, we lost each other. Maybe for good.”

“I know what that’s like,” Marinette said. She sounded strangely distant. “I had a friend like that too. I cared about him. A lot. Maybe… maybe even as more than a friend.” She said the last part haltingly, as if she’d only just admitted it to herself. “He- he wanted to know who I was. For me to know who he was. But- but I couldn’t do that. Not in Hawkmoth’s Paris. I already cared for him so much it ached. If I was closer to him than that- if I’d accepted his rose- I’m- I’m afraid Hawkmoth might’ve used the strength of those feelings against me. That I could’ve gotten akumatized, or he might’ve, and if we knew who each other was, knew WHERE the other one was… I just… I couldn’t accept that we might be sent to hurt each other.”

“We talked while the final battle was raging,” she continued. “He seemed really upset, more angry than I’ve ever seen him before, but… also kind of sad. I wanted to know what was wrong, but there wasn’t really time to press him. And after that battle he just… disappeared. I knew there was going to be some sort of disruption, but- but I’d thought we’d have more time to talk beforehand, that we’d be able to exchange new contact information. We were cut off before we had the chance.”

“I- I think of him every day,” she said quietly. “Wondering how he’s doing. He was always so positive, no matter what life threw at us. I hope that wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he hasn’t lost that positivity, that optimism, the ability to see the best in the world and in others.”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to know you cared for him so much,” Adrien said, giving her a warm smile.

Marinette blinked, giving herself a small shake. She turned to Alya. “I dunno whether you’ll remember any of this after the Ladybug in your time restores anything, but on the off-chance you do, is there anything you need to know?”

“Oh!” Alya pulled up some footage. “You told me who Hawkmoth was, but what about Mayura?”

“Mayura?” 

“Who?”

Alya snapped her fingers. “You know, the Peacock Miraculous wielder, the one summoning the sentimonsters! Did she not exist in this universe?”

She pulled up part of the fight against Mayura, the sentimonster Ladybug, and Hawkmoth.

The video ended, she took another glance at Marinette and Adrien.

Marinette seemed to be in shock, staring straight ahead.

Adrien frowned, thinking. “I’d wondered for a long time how Father managed to hide his supervillain activities from Nathalie, considering she was around him most of the time. I thought maybe she was just really good at never asking questions.”

He grimaced. “Looking at that? I’m betting she didn’t ask questions because she already knew the answers.”

“You think Mayura’s Nathalie?” Alya questioned.

He nodded. “Unless something’s different in your universe. My father doesn’t have a lot of associates, and the way he acted around Mayura there, how he was willing to pass up a chance to fight Ladybug for her Miraculous in exchange for catching her… the only people I can think of who he’d do that for are my mother and Nathalie, and mom…” he trailed off.

“I- I didn’t even think about that,” Marinette said guiltily. “I remember reading something about Gabriel having a secretary, but I didn’t think about her much beyond that.”

“Maybe you could ask this universe’s Alya to post something on the Ladyblog, telling Ladybug and Chat Noir she has a lead on who Mayura is?” Alya said. “I mean, I know they haven’t shown up in ages, but maybe that’s just because they haven’t had reason to.”

Marinette winced. “I… really don’t think that’s it… plus Ladybug and Chat Noir never said that someone was helping Hawkmoth. Mayura never appeared, at least in public. I don’t know what we can do about this right now, especially without proof. Maybe if Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared, but…”

She sounded doubtful. Alya was beginning to think that the final battle was even worse than Marinette had alluded to.

She hesitated a moment, before turning to Adrien. “I- I think I owe you an apology. I thought you might’ve been helping Hawkmoth, but… well… I was just judging you by who your dad was. You’ve been nothing but sweet and kind.”

Adrien smiled at her, though it was slightly strained. “It’s fine. I’m used to it. A lot of people in this city have suffered at Hawkmoth’s hands. I don’t blame them for being scared, or angry at any reminders of him.”

“That doesn’t make it RIGHT,” Marinette said heatedly.

Nino nodded. “Dude just because something’s done to you it doesn’t mean it’s justified, or that it shouldn’t be made better. Like with your old man forbidding parties. I didn’t let that stop me from bribing your bodyguard into letting me and the other guys throw a party at your place for you!”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “It kinda escalated though. I think half the guys at Paris were partying in your room by the end!”

Alya gave Nino a sideways look. “And ONLY the guys because they ditched us girls while we were planting trees with a lame excuse. Seriously if you’d said you wanted to throw a party for Adrien while his dad was away, you could’ve just told us!”

Nino winced. “Yeah, my bad. At least we got to have fun there for a while before the akuma attack.”

“Akuma attack?” Adrien asked, eyes wide. “But I thought you said Father was gone!”

“He was- OOOOOOOH.”

“Yeeaaaah I don’t think he was actually gone,” Alya said. “You threw a ‘secret’ party in Hawkmoth’s house, WHILE he was still at home.”

Adrien gaped at Nino. “How’re you not DEAD?!”

Nino chuckled. “Lucky I guess?”

*twinkle twinkle*

A familiar red mass flew towards Alya and Nino.

Adrien’s eyes widened. 

“Behind the portrait!” he blurted out, just as the two of them were enveloped by the ladybugs, spiriting them off to whence they came.

It was silent for a moment.

“Do you think they heard?” Adrien asked Marinette.

“I hope so,” she said, looking off in the direction the ladybugs flew.

She turned to him. “I was planning on setting up some hang out time with Alya and Nino later this week. If you’re not busy… would you like to join?”

His smile told her everything she needed to know.