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blue-i-spaniard · 1 year ago

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ML Plot points: Marinette and the "Ladybug" Replacement

This is gonna be a long one. Not only that, it also needs context.

Season 2 has Marinette grow increasingly more stressed out about everything. Chat's martyr tendencies and lack of self care mean that her role becomes even more important since she has to do it solo half the time (though that one does get kinda fixed halfway through S2, not that it helps her feel better). Constantly watching civilians get brainwashed/desintegrated/transformed gives her nightmares. But through it all, she has her friends and family to hold on to, so it's manageable.

Season 3 wrecks that. Her parents know something is up, but not what. Her dad gets convinced that she's in some kind of abusive relationship and gets akumatised over it. Lila is messing with hangouts to purposefully separate Marinette from the class by making her not know about their things and them not know about hers. Her constantly lying to them (even if for a good reason) doesn't help. Fu, the one person who she can be completely honest with, basically goes "Wow, kid. That sucks. Have you tried not being upset?". It gets to the point where she's attracting akuma butterflies on a daily basis. Everyone can tell she's not doing great, but while they try, staying with her just makes her feel worse because she can't go save the day.

Then, the Ladybug episode happens, with Lila doing her thing and the scarlet akumas showing up. After that, she sees Adrien doing a photoshoot with Lila and feels betrayed. After THAT, she confronts Alya and gets shut down. Lila's stories aren't as ridiculous as she's making them out to be when compared to the rest of the class. Ladybug herself allowed the interview with Lila to stay up for months and said nothing. On top of that, Marinette isn't that clean either. Alya has been checking up on her stories and knows that they're lies. Alya wants to help Marinette, but she's not sure she can trust her.

This is the last straw. Marinette finally breaks and gives the earrings back to Fu. She's clearly not fit to handle this. She almost got akumatised and it's only a matter of time before she loses it completely. Fu, who trusted her and saw her like a granddaughter, feels betrayed himself and basically tells her to get out.

Adrien gets back from a harrowing day. First, there was the Lila messing with Marinette, then the scarlet akumas, and finally, having to make aa deal with Lila. And now Fu is apparently calling for him and telling him that Ladybug quit.

Fu tells him to pick a new ladybug holder. While he's not happy with CN knowing the ladybug's identity, the alternative of having a complete nw¡ewe who they cannot trust is worse.

Thus begins the chronologically longest multiple parter, lasting a little under a month. Chat Noir wants to pick someone who he trusts and who he thinks will do a good job:

-Obviously his first pick is Marinette, the "Everyday Ladybug". Not only does she have the right attitude, she's also creative and has used a miraculous before (MUltimouse). Plagg shoots her down immediately. "No she can't. She has too many responsibilities already..."

-The first new ladybug holder is Marinette's boyfriend, Luka Kagami. She's very headstrong and while she has trouble with the ladybug powers (being more used to the straightforward powers of the dragon), she makes up for it with fighting skill and dedication. Unfortunately for her, Hawkmoth realised that the "wear them down" strategy worked and has started releasing three to four akumas a day instead of one to two. Usually by doing shifts with Viceroy. Kagami is good, but between her mother, fencing and classes she just can't keep up. She arrives late to Akumas because she has more trouble getting away, her mother is a lot more on her back about it and she starts falling asleep in class. She's also not as experienced with miraculi which means every akuma attack takes a lot out of her. After her third post-victory collapse, two weeks after she started, Chat Noir just takes the earrings away for her own good.

-Adrien's next choice is Luka, the one who, unlike him, is actually good at planning and working with people Chloe. She's probably the best of the Ladybug replacements. Smart enough to use the Lucky Charm effectively and a skilled enough fighter to finish the akumas quickly. She also doesn't have the same problems snaking out as Kagami. Her problem is Chat Noir. Chat, thanks to having to deal with Lila during modeling shoots and babysit the new ladybug, is a lot more bitter. With Fu obviously resenting Ladybug for leaving, it isn't long before he starts talking shit about Ladybug. Chloe, on her part, has known that Marinette is Ladybug since the first time she used the Bee miraculous. She didn't forget the "toy" during Princess Fragance. She's also spent the last month watching Marinette slowly break down to the point that it was either give up the earrings or get akumatised and lose immediately. She's having none of that shit. They argue, Chloe gets vicious on Chat, Chat throws the crap she does as a civilian and her mommy issues to her face and it escalates until Chloe attacks him. The fight was short and brutal, with Chat Noir the clear victor. Chloe is good, but not "OG holder" good.

-The next pick is the most reliable guy Adrien knows: Luka. He's the one who actually succeeded with the miraculous Ladybug gave him after all. Nino. He's chill and a good friend. He lacks Kagami's stressful life and Chloe's aggression. He'll do fine, right? Nino lasts three days. He's... not terrible... with the earrings. The biggest problem is that him and Tikki just cannot get along. Tikki tries to make him repress his feelings and Nino absolutely refuses to sacrifice his mental health in that way. If Chat needs help, he can count on Carapace, but this isn't working.

-After Nino comes the only real answer at this point, Luka. He's also better at handling social situations and friendships than him. He's even helping Marinette get better. Adrien just told her to take the high road while she was clearly suffering. Let's not kid ourselves, Luka will do great in any role. He could even replace Chat Noir. That guy just makes the women in his life leave him Alya. Not the greatest choice for the earrings, but he's kinda runnign out of options. He just knows she has experience with a miraculous and that she's his friend.

Alya is... coping. She already blamed herself for things going wrong during Hero's Day. She's seen Marinette slowly break down with nothing she did really helping. And now Ladybug quit. Why? No one knows, not even Lila. And now she has the added mess of being the only one who can possibly fix things. She cannot mess up like in Hero's Day. Not again. Add to that the fact that she's no longer as active in her blog and her family is trying to be there for her, but the extra attentions is the last hing she wants right now because she's a full time superhero and she already messed up once. It's her childhood dream, the thing she has wanted for her entire life. How could she possibly mess it up!

And then Tikki warns her about Lila.

And she is not coping anymore.

It ends very quickly after that. Getting manipulated like that took its toll and she just has a breakdown in the middle fo the akuma attack. She lasted a week. Chat Noir is running out of options.

-Luka will admit that this month did not go the way he thought it would. He finally got a date with Marinette, but it turns out she is actually extremely traumatised. She also refuses to talk about whatever it is that traumatised her in the first place, which makes things harder. He decides early on that it might be better to not date until she's feeling better, just hanging out as friends. It's slow, but he does think that she's making progress. Then one day, Chat Noir grabs him and takes him to a rooftop. His melody is all over the place; nerves, guilt, fear. Chat is not doing great and... Are those Ladybug's miraculous? He knows he was probably a possible candidate, he was Viperion that one time but he's still surprised. And what is Caht saying about Marinette?

Oh... Luka wasn't Chat's choice. It was Marinette. And she had a panic attack and got akumatised in response.

Crap.

The fight was terrifying. Malady successfully immobilised Ryuko, Queen Bee, Carapace, Rena Rouge and Chat. It ended with Luka refusing to fight and managing to talk Malady into breaking her own akumatised object. Luka now knows Marinette was Ladybug.

The special ends with Marinette talking everything out with Fu. They decide to help her by letting the five temporary heroes keep their miraculi full time as support. She also has a friend who she can confide in. Adrien is granted the same benefit and chooses Nino.

Fu has had a lot to think about this month.

#ML plot points

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shysublimecoffee · 1 year ago

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Indeed, Astruc's idealization of Adrien, bordering on perfection, seems to mirror the pedestal on which the fandom often places him. It's a bit ironic, given the sarcastic undertones, especially when compared to other characters in isekai harem anime or shonen manga, such as those in Naruto. In those cases, fans actively advocate for character development and potential, cheering for the female leads. Adrien, on the other hand, is almost comically devoid of agency – a situation that borders on the absurd as he doesn't even get to cheer among the finale battle no... he's just taken out of it.

These female characters cater to their, admittedly, lustful and rather pathetic protagonists in a genre often criticized for its saturation with the male gaze and the objectification of women. What's noteworthy is that, despite these criticisms, their fandoms actively advocate for the characters' development and agency. Now, enter Adrien, a character in a cartoon ostensibly centered around girl power, and one might expect a departure from such issues. Instead, it appears they've taken a detour in the opposite direction. It struck me that in a narrative where Adrien's story, from season one onwards, revolves around unwittingly battling his villainous father, he's left with little more than a footnote at the end. In contrast, every other character, be it Marinette, Felix, or even Kagami, receives substantial contributions to HIS storylines. It's a realization that prompts the question of whether the writers are intentionally steering Adrien's narrative into this peculiar direction.

I firmly believe that the writing team is purposefully sidelining Adrien from the central narrative to prevent him from overshadowing Marinette because that would encourage the fandom to perceive him as an individual character, distinct from his connection with Marinette.

From the very onset in season one, Adrien has been crafted primarily as eye candy—acknowledged within the story's universe, yet that's where his depth seems to end. Even when it comes to profound moments, such as mourning his mother, those experiences are often usurped by characters like Gabriel and Nathalie. His discontent with the new dynamics introduced by Ladybug is addressed with mere lip service, and the problem conveniently dissipates with minimal exploration. What's particularly disheartening is the disproportionate focus on Marinette's distress in Chat Blanc, while Adrien's perspective is seemingly sidelined. The chilling realization of witnessing another version of oneself succumb to a dire fate. It's baffling and, frankly, another distressing thing is that Felix, of all people, stumbles upon Amelie Agreste's body, while Adrien is kept in the dark about the whole situation. He seems unable to catch a break; someone else steps into his central role, yet he remains excluded from active participation in his story.

Alya, who has been part of the team for a shorter duration, receives more favorable treatment than the guy constantly confronting akumas since the start. It seems as if the protagonist believes he exists solely for that purpose, devoid of any personal life. The question arises: how can she be considered a "good" team leader when she consistently withholds important information from him? It's not just about preserving her secret identity; he has his own life and concerns that deserve acknowledgment.

While this could have been an opportunity for character development, it appears that in Season 4, Marinette's treatment is portrayed not as a flaw for her to address and improve upon, but rather as an acceptable stance. The show now seems entrenched in a protagonist-centered morality, where Marinette's actions are deemed right simply because she is the central character.

It appears that many in the fandom overlook the fact that Adrien has the choice to walk away from the situation rather than enduring constant disrespect and inconsideration. He not only bears the weight of being an abused child but also willingly sacrifices himself, all while grappling with the immense responsibilities of a job that befalls a mere kid. It's reasonable to feel apprehensive if your partner consistently withholds crucial information. In the realm of heroism, it's not a game; how can one be adequately equipped to be a proper hero if the other half is withholding information that could lead to dangerous consequences?

While we witness Marinette's struggles as a guardian, her point of view tends to dominate, creating a skewed perspective for the audience that might lead us to believe she has it the worst. Certainly, Marinette faces considerable challenges, and her difficulties are worthy of sympathy. However, the deliberate absence of Adrien's perspective leaves us unaware of his struggles. He seems to lack any substantial support, and beyond Plagg, there's uncertainty about who he can turn to. Despite being the one offering comfort most of the time, it raises the question of whether Marinette would reciprocate that support when Adrien is the one in need.

With Season 5 concluded and heroes now a permanent fixture, the possibility of them pursuing their own path becomes a valid consideration. Based on what I've observed, if Marinette struggles to handle just one Chat Noir, what about the rest of the team now that they're not just allies but officially permanent heroes? It appears her controlling nature might lead to a downward spiral in the face of this expanded responsibility.

When I mention the comparison between the fanbase and Astruc, I'm highlighting the consistent scrutiny Adrien undergoes. Astruc's portrayal of Adrien tends to revolve around catering to Marinette, and it seems the fanbase mirrors this perspective. Even in Season 5, everyone, both within the story's universe and among the viewers, appears to be an Adrienette shipper. It's as if the characters' sentiments reflect the sentiments of the fanbase itself.

Witnessing the frenzy and prolific fic-writing sparked by one episode where Adrien doles out sensible advice to Marinette, one can't help but wonder how intense the reaction would be if Adrien were to nonchalantly distance himself or engage in actions that don't align with her desires. It's as if there's an aversion to embracing Adrien's genuine flaws—apparently, the mandate is for him to exist solely to be with Marinette, with everything else relegated to secondary status. Any deviation from this ideal, it seems, is met with a virtual arsenal of pitchforks.

I could never embrace this ship from the jump; it's glaringly one-sided with nothing reciprocated from Marinette and Adrien seemingly giving away too much. The purported power of love in the theme song seems like a facade; there's a stark lack of equality in this relationship. My boy Adrien appears to be a puppet with strings, transitioning from his father's domination to now being handed over to Marinette as if he's a prize worthy of her affections. He'd chip part of away of himself for her and she'd smile and I dislike it immensely for how they portray it as true romance. I dislike her actions and her mistreatment that a fact.

I find myself straddling the line between indifference and frustration due to her actions and mistreatment of her partner. Indifferent because she fails to evoke any substantial emotional response or genuine concern from me compared to Adrien.Even if she were to shed tears, it wouldn't stir any emotion in me. I believe she has the potential to be an interesting character, but that possibility relies on the writers recognizing her mistakes and steering her character in a progressive direction. She seems more like a prop fed lines making my discontent directed more towards the writers for crafting her in such a way rather than at the character herself.

#adrien agreste #mlb marinette #miraculous ladybug

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celestiall0tus · 1 year ago

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Miraculous Paradise - Chapter 4 - Miracles

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Adrien lay in the hospital bed in the early dawn hours. He stared out his window at the quiet, winter city. He hadn’t been awake long, but everything hurt. His body felt lethargic and fatigued. His heart palpitated constantly that was accompanied by wrenching pain. His head felt light even as he lay back on the pillow. That didn’t compare to the gut-wrenching truth.

Adrien would die soon, he knew it. The doctors hadn’t told him anything yet, but he could feel it. Seventeen years and this was the end. His heart twisted at the thought of leaving Emilie and Gabriel alone. For all the years they had all spent hoping for it to go up in flames. What was the point of it all? Why was he even alive to begin with? Why did he exist? Was he even meant to?

“Awfully dark thoughts, Adrien,” a man’s voice said with a slight hiss.

Adrien blinked. He turned and saw a doctor he’d never seen before. The man was tall, wearing the usual doctor clothes, but his hair was green, and his eyes were snake-like.

“Who are you?” Adrien whispered.

“The answer to a lot of your questions, and your salvation.”

“I don’t understand.”

The doctor pulled up a seat. “Allow me to be brief. I’m not human. I’m what’s known as a kwami and we are responsible for the miracles you mortals pray for. I was responsible for your mother being able to conceive you.”

“You… you are? How?”

“She prayed unendingly, and I blessed her with fertility, however it came at a price. A price that you are now paying. The moment you turned seventeen, the poison that had been in your blood amplified. It is this poison that will kill you in three days from now.”

Adrien’s stomach dropped. “T-three days?”

“Correct, but I have an offer for you. There is no removing the poison from you. There is no stopping your death, but it can be pushed back. I can offer a magical charm that will give you another year to live, but only a year. During this time, your health won’t be perfect, but you will be able to live for the first time in your entire life.”

Adrien perked up. “Wait, really? Would I be able to do things like go outside on my own? To do more than just lay in bed all day?”

“You would. You’d have the chance to experience all things you wouldn’t otherwise, just as your dear mother always dreamed for you.”

Adrien’s breath caught. He had no idea what Emilie wanted for him, but the opportunity to fulfill her dreams was too enticing. Perhaps it would make his passing easier if she knew he got to live. That he really did get to experience the joys of life.

“There is one more thing. A miracle is gathering that would require me. Under no circumstances are you to take part in this. If you take part in this miracle, you will die immediately upon its completion.”

“O-oh. Okay. I accept, please.”

The doctor nodded. He touched Adrien’s medical bracelet and it transformed into a snake bracelet before it changed to high tech medical bracelet.

Adrien took a sharp breath. His head cleared of all fog, and he was able to focus with astounding clarity. The exhaustion that weighed down his body evaporated, and he felt light. His heart slowed to a normal pace as the pain vanished. Tears sprung from his eyes at the pure joy of it all.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The doctor smiled, then frowned. “If you find yourself in need of me, call upon my name, and I will come to you.”

“Of course. But wait. What is your name?”

“It’s Sass.”

Tikki and Bridgette sat at a table in a back room of a homely diner. Tikki looked over the menu while Bridgette fidgeted. She glanced between Tikki and outside at the bright morning. She scoffed, stood, and paced back and forth.

“Relax, bug. Everything will be fine,” Tikki reassured.

“She’s worried. I know she is. I shouldn’t be out during the day. She’ll do nothing but worry as long as I’m out. I should be home right now. She should have peace of mind knowing that I’m safe,” Bridgette spat.

Tikki groaned. “Will you come out, so she’ll stop worrying?”

Bridgette glared at Tikki when movement caught her eye. She turned as a blurry shape moved across the floor. It shed its cloak to reveal a tiny red fox. She sighed as shame flooded her. She scooped up the fox and held it close.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re worried. I promise to be home as soon as this is all done. You won’t have to worry anymore.”

The fox nuzzled Bridgette and purred. Bridgette clung to it as she took her seat. She petted the fox while Tikki held the menu up for the fox.

“Would you like us to bring you something?” Tikki asked.

The fox looked at the menu, then at Bridgette.

“Uh, she has difficulty reading still.”

“Oh. Well, how about this?”

Tikki snapped her fingers and created samples of menu items. The fox’s ears perked up and it leapt up, dancing in the air. It yipped and Tikki snapped her fingers again to create new items. Its eyes sparkled each time Tikki created.

Bridgette smiled when pain hit her heart. She touched the earrings as regret and guilt stabbed her repeatedly. Trixx was amazing and a good fit for Marinette’s needs, but even so, there was one itch that Trixx could never scratch.

“Think you can conjure something with cheese now?” Plagg asked.

Tikki and Bridgette turned as Plagg and Felix joined them in the room. Tikki huffed and crossed her arms.

“And why should I when you can’t even be bothered to be on time?”

“I did bring something along the lines of what you asked for,” Plagg pointed out.

Tikki relented and created a platter of camembert for Plagg. He gleefully sat and inhaled the cheese.

Felix furrowed his brow and stared at Tikki. “What are you? How did you create that from nothing? And what’s with the little fox floating in the air?”

Tikki gestured to the open seat beside Plagg. “Sit and we’ll explain everything.”

Felix eyed Tikki suspiciously but took a seat.

“Excellent. Now, we had felt a prayer, a desperate cry for a miracle, to save a boy on death’s doorstep. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to save him. At least not without a terrible price to pay. However, that hasn’t stopped other kwamis from offering their services to the woman,” Tikki explained.

Felix frowned. “I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous. What sort of drugs are you on? Is this even real? It can’t be. I’m still dreaming, right? That has to be it.”

Plagg and Tikki exchanged glances before Plagg grinned. Tikki called out Plagg’s name when he scratched Felix’s cheek, gouging it. Felix took a sharp breath at the immense pain. He reached a hand up and gawked at the blood on his fingers. The fox kit yelped at the sight of the injury and blood and hid in Bridgette’s arms.

“Real enough for you, Felix?” Plagg asked.

“Go to hell,” Felix hissed.

Tikki moved around and created a first aid kit. She stopped the bleeding and treated Felix’s wound. She tossed the kit over to Plagg who destroyed it. She moved back and touched the fox’s head.

“No more blood. It’s all good.”

The fox raised its head but remained in Bridgette’s arms.

“Now then, the kwamis that approached the woman hold part of a power known as Paradise. It is a miracle that can only be summoned with a set of five kwamis. Two have already emerged with the others sure to follow,” Tikki continued.

“Except for Sass,” Plagg remarked.

“True, Sass will attempt to keep Paradise from happening, but that has not always worked in the past. And Sass is the only one of the set that doesn’t like Paradise. Longg will jump at the chance to create it, as will Wayzz if the cause is noble enough.”

“And what does this have to do with me?” Felix demanded.

“I need a holder and Tikki asked me to find a rich boy,” Plagg answered.

“Holder? What is a holder?”

“A person that wields our jewels. These people can invoke us to gain superpowers based on what our concepts are. If you agree to help, you will gain the power of destruction. A power you will use with a partner, that of creation.”

Felix glanced at Bridgette, then back at Tikki. “That’s all wonderful, but why should I bother? This isn’t my battle.”

“And what of your family? Would you rather see them lost to the creation of Paradise? Would you enjoy seeing their bodies evaporated and souls consumed as they’re wiped out of existence like they were never alive? To see the world as we know it return to its purest state as a Garden of Eden? Pure, beautiful, but never to be touched by man,” Bridgette spoke.

Felix tsked. “That’s absurd. How would all that happen?”

“Eh, there’s a few details off, but she’s in the ballpark,” Plagg remarked.

“What? There’s no way. How would you even know anyway?” Felix demanded of Bridgette.

“I can take a guess knowing full well that all miracles come at a price. If there’s a group out there wanting to create something called Paradise, it can only come with the steepest of prices. I don’t know about you, but I won’t allow it to be made. I made a deal for my cousin, for her future, and I won’t renege on that bargain. I will see her happy,” Bridgette remarked.

Felix opened his mouth when the fox jumped onto the table. It glowered at Bridgette and barked at her. Felix’s eye twitched as he watched Bridgette’s half-hearted attempts to quell the fox. He sneered and reached for it but was stopped by Bridgette. She glowered at him and dug her nails into the bits of exposed skin.

“You will not touch my cousin. Not unless you are looking for a fight, bitch boy,” Bridgette growled.

“Let’s go then. I can take a toothpick like you,” Felix hissed.

Bridgette sneered and reared back her arm but was held back by Tikki.

“Easy, easy. It’s been a rough day for you. Just, let me do that talking,” Tikki pleaded.

Bridgette snorted but released Felix.

“Now, before an actual fight breaks out, I need you to understand something, Felix. Someone is going to need to stop the holders of Paradise. To keep them occupied long enough for another miracle to expire. Bridgette had long accepted this burden, but you are under no real obligation. However, we ask you for your family, your legacy, but most of all, yourself,” Tikki explained.

“And my money,” Felix added.

Tikki grimaced. “Well, let’s just forget about that right now. Paris will need heroes. The world will need heroes.”

Felix laughed. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by Bridgette.

“Forget this. Just find someone else, Plagg. This privileged twink doesn’t have what it takes to be a hero. He’s made it painfully clear already that he’s no interest in helping people. Why continue with this farce?”

“What’s the matter? Upset that I see no reason to help some alien creatures and their pet?” Felix asked.

“And there it is, Tikki. Waste your time further if you want, but I’m leaving before I give him something to match his scratch.”

Tikki watched Bridgette leave with the fox. She turned back to the boys, shook her head, and ran after Bridgette. Felix waited a moment longer before he stood to leave. He paused when Plagg joined him.

“What are you doing?” Felix demanded.

“Whatever I want. And I don’t have anything better to do, so let’s go.”

Felix opened his mouth, then shut it. He shook his head and kept walking.

Amelie sat in an armchair near Emilie. She had promised to watch over Emilie while Gabriel went to pick up Adrien. The hospital called and said they had news, good and bad. She had attempted to press further, but Gabriel didn’t ask any more questions when they said Adrien was well enough to be brought home.

Amelie had believed that perhaps Emilie received a miracle last night. That was until she found a pair of brooches clutched in Emilie’s hand when she was checking on Emilie after Gabriel left. She removed the brooches from her pocket and admired them. One was a simple purple circle brooch while the other was a magnificent peacock tail fan brooch. She placed the purple one down and examined the peacock fan.

The peacock brooch was breathtaking. The metal was perfectly cut, the jewels brilliant, and the color vibrant. It was a piece of art that could draw anyone’s eye. Amelie unfastened the pin and put it on her suit jacket. She stepped up to a window and marveled at the brooch on her. It stood out beautifully against her black clothes that immediately drew the eye.

“I see you’ve made the right choice,” Duusu cooed.

Amelie froze as Duusu materialized beside her. She stared at him with wide eyes. He held his head high and fanned his tail.

“Oh, how I love to see you mortals admire me. Must have been difficult as you were freezing last night. Thankfully you pulled through.”

Amelie blinked a few times as things clicked in her head. “Right. It was difficult seeing how radiant you truly are as the cold threatened to take me.”

Duusu beamed. “Oh, I love you. Now, little peahen, are you ready?”

“In a moment. Now that I’m not freezing, may I ask some questions.”

“Certainly. What is it you wish to know?”

Amelie considered carefully. “What can you do exactly? Like, what do you offer?”

“The power of beauty, my darling dearie. When you put me on, you’ll be able to shape the world to your standards of beauty and it shall be exalted by all. But you do need to be careful. While there’s no limit explicitly, after a while you stop pulling power from me and pull from your own life. When you start doing that, it’ll shorten your life.”

“Oh. Oh, I see. Well, let’s see. What about, no… how about, ah… you are a miracle, yes? What exactly is the miracle you entail?”

“One of the greatest of miracles, peahen. Paradise. With the set of Paradise, the five can create a literal Heaven on Earth, a Garden of Eden, as your kind would say. It would be a utopia for you all to live in and with those you deem worthy of witnessing Paradise.”

“And… and this would save Adrien?”

“Of course. You would all live for eternity within your Paradise with those you love. Your lives would be free of strife and everyday full of unending bliss.”

Amelie’s jaw dropped. With this power, they could save Adrien. They could create a corner of Heaven for them to live in forever. Emilie and Gabriel could spend eternity with Adrien. She could liberate Felix from Colt’s oppressive thumb. They’d all get to live their lives in unending bliss.

“Though, I should warn you, it does come at price. My powers, that is,” Duusu interrupted.

“What kind of price?”

“See, you won’t like seeing ugly things in the world. Inner, outer, or even both. You’ll want to get rid of it.”

“Oh. Well, if we’re making Paradise, won’t be getting rid of the bad and ugly anyway? Make way for a beautiful, good haven?”

“Pretty much.”

Amelie considered when movement caught her eye. She looked past Duusu at Emilie who tore apart the blankets looking for the brooches. She turned and tackled Emilie in a hug.

“Emilie! You’re alright!” Amelie cried.

“Amelie, please, not now. I need to find-!”

Emilie paused when she saw the peacock brooch on Amelie.

“Where’s the other one?” Emilie demanded.

Amelie grabbed the other brooch and handed it to Emilie. “I hope you don’t mind if I picked for you?”

Emilie sighed and took it. “You always had an eye for beautiful things, didn’t you?”

“For better or worse. Colt,” Amelie added with a hint of venom in her voice.

Emilie giggled and put the brooch on. Nooroo materialized as Duusu joined them.

“So, you weren’t the one we talked to in the garden?” Duusu asked Amelie.

“Sorry to deceive you,” Amelie admitted.

“You know everything?” Emilie butted in.

“I know enough without betraying myself.”

Emilie grimaced. “I love you, but don’t stop me. I will save my Adrien. I-.”

“I’m with you. Together, we can create Paradise. We’ll be happy for eternity. Free of heartache and pain. Free of worry and despair. Free of the past and future. It’ll be perfect.”

Emilie smiled and hugged Amelie. “Thank you. I’m glad I have you at my side.”

The door to the sitting room opened and Duusu and Nooroo vanished. Emilie and Amelie looked over at Gabriel and Adrien. Emilie tore herself out of the embrace and ran up to Adrien.

“Look at you. There’s so much color in your face. And… and what’s this?”

Emilie raised Adrien’s left hand where a high-tech silver bracelet sat.

“Some sort of new technology. It’s suppressed the substance killing him, but only for the next year,” Gabriel said.

Dread consumed Emilie. She took several deep breaths as she fought the coming tears. She forced a smile and hugged Adrien.

“We’ll make the most of it. Every moment will be like a dream,” Emilie promised.

“Why don’t we start with breakfast? Oh, what if we go out?” Amelie suggested.

“Can we?” Adrien asked.

“I think that’d be wonderful. Gabriel, won’t you help Adrien pick out an outfit?” Emilie asked.

Gabriel nodded. He escorted Adrien out, leaving Emilie and Amelie alone.

“We have no time to waste. We need to start tonight,” Emilie whispered.

“What do we do though?”

“I’m not sure. We have the day to think, but we must bring out the others needed for Paradise before time is up.”

“Right. But for now, we may want to change if we’re heading out,” Amelie pointed out.

“Oh, right. Let’s go.”

Emilie and Amelie headed for the stairs when Felix returned. Amelie turned to greet him when she saw his bandaged injury, a fresh, untreated wound, and a black cat on his shoulders. She screamed and ran up to him.

“Oh, Felix, my precious boy! What happened?”

Felix pointed to the cat.

Amelie puffed out her cheeks and reached for the cat when Felix stopped her.

“I wouldn’t. That’s how I got these. Let’s just say I’ve… I’ve been chosen,” Felix remarked.

Amelie eyed Felix suspiciously, then squealed. “Oh, I love cats. But no more scratching my darling Felix, understand?”

The cat meowed.

“Good. Now, get ready. We’re going out with Adrien.”

“I don’t think… wait, did you say with Adrien? Isn’t he still in the hospital?”

“Nope. He was all good to come home. He was given some fancy device that makes him well but didn’t cure him. So, we’re going out as a sort of celebration.”

Felix sighed with a smile. “Alright. Let me get changed.”

Amelie squealed. She pulled Felix in a tight embrace. He returned it before he stepped back. He paused when he saw the peacock brooch on her. He had never seen her wear such jewelry before, especially one like that. It was unbelievably beautiful, almost in an otherworldly feel. A bad feeling rose in the pit of his gut.

“Felix? Is everything ok?” Amelie asked.

Felix shook himself and quickly bowed his head. He moved past Amelie and Emilie. He glanced at Emilie and saw she had on a simple purple brooch. He hummed and kept going until he was back in his room. He headed into the bathroom, shut the door, and looked at the cat.

“Alright, Plagg, I have a question for you.”

“I may have an answer.”

“What were those brooches? The ones my aunt and mother were wearing?”

“Huh? Oh, right. Y’know the jewels that Tikki mentioned? Yeah, that’s what those were.”

“Are you telling me that aunt and mother are wearing kwami jewels? Which ones?”

Plagg turned away. “Why do you care?”

Felix’s eye twitched. “Are they the ones for Paradise.

Plagg flicked his tail and looked at his claws. “Again, why do you care? This isn’t your battle.”

Felix’s eye twitched. “Your glibness does you no credit.”

Plagg shrugged. “You’re smart enough, rich boy. Figure it out on your own.”

Felix furrowed his brow. He didn’t want to get involved. He wanted to finish up his business here and head back to London. He wanted to return to life under Colt’s heel as they bickered day in and out. He didn’t need this. He didn’t want it. But want wasn’t a luxury he was allowed.

Felix couldn’t deny the facts. Amelie was committed to whatever Paradise was. He was certain that Emilie was the ringleader and Amelie would follow wherever Emilie went. He imagined Gabriel would too but probably hadn’t yet. That left him to wonder about Adrien. Tikki said a miracle was asked to save a boy on death’s door. He was certain it was Adrien, but what should he do about it? Did he help Amelie and Emilie, or did he fight against it?

Felix cleaned up while his mind wandered. He could help his family and save Adrien. He could play a role in Paradise and see Adrien well. That would be the most sensible path if he considered his family. Adrien slipped into his mind again as he reconsidered. It was clear what Amelie and Emilie wanted, but what of Adrien? What did Adrien want?

Felix’s eyes widened as he remembered earlier with Bridgette. She had remarked that she made a deal for her cousin. He was doubtful of her word, but could he make a deal with these creatures? Could he ensure Adrien’s survival if he helped them? It was worth a shot if anything.

“Plagg, after this outing, would you be able to show me to your, er, Sugarcube?”

“What brought this change of heart?”

“Do you really care?”

Plagg considered. “Touche.”

“Excellent. Let’s be on our way then.”

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jennycinco-5 · 2 years ago

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Miraculous Ladybug vs Agent Ali/Ejen Ali Comparison post : Introduction

So in my previous post about this mention about “Three Malaysian Superhero Cartoon have better handle than ML”. For anyone wonder what Cartoon I mean is “BoBoiBoy” “Ejen Ali (Agent Ali)” and “Mechamato”. All of this show have same demographic with Miraculous, a Kids Show with Action who also beloved by older viewer.

While the three shows also have their specific flaws, they still have its consistency and better handle than Miraculous. The show creator and writers know what is the main core about the show. Its about Kids being Superhero and Secret Agents. Despite this, they still allow to bring some serious heavy issue or drama to make the show interesting instead of a fanservice. They do have some “soft reboot” to expand their world building and stuff but it never become messy like Miraculous.

Miraculous constantly has retcon and it become utterly MESS because The Writer feel viewer are idiots and only care about the ships. This is make The Writer and That Guy has zero idea what the show is about ! Its about a shojo-esque cartoon ? Its about silly teenage-romance ? Girls Power ? Family Drama ? They DON’T KNOW about that ! I would like to said this show is about a wild fantasy of grown-man about his “ideal virtual daughter” who obsessed with freaking white boy and that its !

Since I already see many of post who compare Miraculous with other show about the consistency and the handle, here I will make the same post with one of Malaysian Cartoon and I will choose this cartoon :

For comparison post, I think Miraculous is deserve to be compared with Ejen Ali. Gotta admit this is my favorite show to the point my current Tumblr name “jennycinco-5″ is based from one of the villain of this show. I like to said that Ali is a “what if Adrien and Marinette become ONE CHARACTER but with good characterization and handle”. I said that because Ali share same parental neglect issue with Adrien after the death of their mother and he also have some Marinette personality. But the show handle him mooore better than Marinette and Adrien. Making Ali become lot more interesting as the story progress

In this topic I will make a post about :

Comparison of Ali & Alicia vs Marinette & Adrien

Comparison of Aliya vs Emilie Agreste for being death mother who trigger the main plot

Comparison of how Ejen Ali vs Miraculous handle the serious issue for children

Comparison of the Antagonist/Villains and how they “Humanize” them

Comparison of IRIS and Miraculouses

Comparison of the Secondary Character like friends/allies and mentors

If you interest about Ejen Ali and curious about the show, you can watch it at Disney Hotstar. You can watch it from English Subs or English dub. Its still on going on Season 3. There is also the movie titled “Ejen Ali: The Movie” in there and you also can read a mini comic in webtoon title Ejen Ali : M A T A Secret Files about the series side story and all of them are canons especially the movie one since its explain about the world building and the lore of IRIS and the Agency

#ml salt #comparison post #ejen ali #agent ali #ml critical #ml writer salt

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mcheang · 4 years ago

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@pendoodlex Do an Adrien Salt where Lila lies about Chat Noir and Ladybug being in a relationship and Adrien confirms the lie.

It’s my love life!

It’s easy to lie about stuff people want to hear. Alya was greedy for any gossip about Ladybug and loved support for her theories on Ladybug.

Recently they debated on Ladybug’s true age. Was she an immortal with teenage hormones and atttiude? Or simply a teenager?

Now they were on to Ladybug’s love life.

Lila: Of course LadyNoir is a thing. Ladybug just denies it because she doesn’t want to give Hawkmoth any more reason to target Chat Noir, but it’s obvious how much they care for each other.

Alya: Yes! A witness to Ladynoir!

Marinette: a lying witness

Nathaniel frowned. “I don’t know, Lila…”

Before Lila could insist she was correct, Adrien actually jumped in. “It’s true. Ladybug and Chat Noir are a couple. Sorry, Nathaniel, but she’s off the market.”

Marinette froze. Did Adrien just lie to Nathaniel about her love life? Just so no one would interfere with their beloved Ladynoir fandom?

WTH???

Overwhelmed by her hurt and rage, Marinette actually grabbed Adrien’s hand and dragged him out of the classroom, her face burning red.

Some assumed she was trying out another one of her confession schemes. Lila thought Marinette was going to tell Adrien she was a liar (eh, he already knew.)

In a far off corner, Marinette was whisper-yelling at Adrien. “What are you thinking? It’s one thing to ignore Lila’s lies, it’s another to endorse them! LadyNoir is not real!”

Thinking that Marinette still had a crush on Chat Noir, Adrien winced and rubbed his head. “I’m sorry, Marinette. But it’s true. Ladybug and Chat Noir are a couple.”

“No, they are not! Where’s your proof?“ She demanded.

Adrien thought quickly. “I saw them kissing on a rooftop last week.”

Marinette raised a brow. “Are you sure you weren’t just dreaming?” Her voice was heavy with skepticism.

Adrien: Positive.

Marinette: Well, I’m not sorry to say that you’re wrong. Ladybug and Chat Noir are not a couple.

Adrien: and how are you so sure? Just because you have a crush on Chat-

Marinette: Because Ladybug visited me after my dad was akumatized!

Adrien:…what?

Marinette took a deep breath. She hated lying but she also couldn’t stand lies about her.

“Ladybug consoled me after Chat rejected me. She reminded me about the other great boys in my life and ones I have yet to meet. And I asked her why she wouldn’t date Chat. Do you know what she told me?”

Adrien was quiet.

“She said she was in love with a boy from her own civilian life, not Chat Noir. To be honest, he’s not even her type.”

Adrien perked up. “Ladybug has a type?”

Marinette: Obviously. From what I hear, she’s more into the sensitive soul kind of guy.

Adrien: Chat is sensitive!

Marinette just stared at her crush in disbelief. “Um, yeah, no. The dude sulks whenever he gets rejected and has no idea what no means. For crying out loud, he gave me a pink rose before dumping me, and that was after he ate the treats my dad baked for him.”

Adrien: For someone with a crush on the hero, you sure sound bitter.

Marinette exhaled again, calming herself. “I’m not bitter. I’ve moved on, truly. Enough to see what Ladybug meant when she said I’ll move on soon enough. I’m over Chat.“

Adrien raise his brows.

Marinette continued, “I’ve been able to analyse his actions without the hero-crush filters. Be honest, Adrien, how would you feel at having to constantly reject the same person over and over again? Wouldn’t you be annoyed by their repeated flirtations?”

Adrien shrugged. “I reject fans all the time. Well, not exactly. I just ignore their love letters.“

Marinette shook her head. “That doesn’t count. You don’t know those people. Let’s say Chloe was going to confess her love to you every day. And you have to reject her every day. When you reject her, she raises a fuss and causes an akuma. How would you feel about your childhood friend?”

Adrien grimaced. “That would suck. I would avoid Chloe just to avoid her confessions.”

Marinette raised her hand, like there you go. Point proven.

Adrien wasn’t done. “But,” he insisted stubbornly, “it’s different for LadyNoir. They’re partners. Yin and Yang. A superhero duo. Who else is she going to end up with if not her partner? These kinds of pairings always win in the end.”

Marinette: that’s just sad. You’re comparing Ladybug’s love life to fiction. Life isn’t a fairy tale, Adrien. you don’t decide who Ladybug ends up with, and it’s not right for you to lie about her either.

Adrien: LadyNoir will happen. I’m sure of it.

Marinette: You’re not even going to take back that lie, are you?

Adrien: Why would I? It’s going to be fact.

Marinette said sadly, “Goodbye, Adrien.”

After school, Marinette tore down her posters of Adrien. Filters removed, indeed.

Tikki: Don’t worry, Marinette. I’m sure things will come right in the end.

Marinette: that doesn’t mean I can’t help set things back in order. Tikki, spots on!

Alya turned around at a tapping on her window.

Alya: Ladybug!

Ladybug: Hey, Alya. Listen, I’ve been reading your blog, and I need to set some facts straight.

Alya: Is this about revealing your love life? Because honestly, it would be better to be honest about your love life than to let others hope they have a shot with you. Remember Copycat?

Ladybug: That’s my point. I’m not dating Chat Noir. I don’t even like him that way. Lila has been lying to you, Alya.

Alya: Um, she’s your Best Friend…

Ladybug: When did I ever say that?

Alya:…….. ……….Why didn’t you correct me before today, then?

Ladybug sighed. “Because i had called her out in front of Adrien, and she got akumatized. And when she disappeared for a while, I figured there was no need to bring her up.“

Alya: Hold on. Adrien knew Lila was lying?

Ladybug: Yes. Though I’m sure he must have his own reasons for protecting Lila. But back to my point. I am not dating Chat Noir, and I am not interested in him like that. My love life is mine to decide, not for others to insist on just because they prefer me with Chat. How would you like it if Parisians started pairing you with Pegasus or Monkey King instead of Carapace? With them insisting you break up with Nino just to be with someone they chose for you?”

“That would be annoying,“ admitted Alya. “And invasive.”

Ladybug: I want to do a live interview, to clear the matter up once and for all.

In this interview, Ladybug was professional and succinct as she stated she doesn’t know Lila Rossi and she is not in a relationship with Chat. She doesn’t want to hurt her fans, but her love life is for her to handle.

Unable to help herself, Alya asked, “If you don’t like Chat, who do you like? You don’t have to give any names, but just one little tidbit, please?”

Eh, why not?

Ladybug leaned back on her hands and smiled, her eyes going faraway and dreamy. “Mature. That’s all I’ll say.”

After all, Luka had always supported her crush on Adrien. He never pushed her, but was always there for her. Why didn’t she how good he was? Oh right, Adrien filters.

Lila was fuming. How could she show her face again? Where was an akuma when you wanted one?

The akuma was drawn to a LadyNoir fanatic.

Fight fight fight. Chat was noticeably sulky at having been rejected on air.

When Alya came over to interview, he insisted he would not give up on Ladybug. Alya raised her brows, “Yeah that’s fine. But just don’t be pushy about it. And from your attitude earlier during the battle, I don’t think you fit Ladybug’s ideal criteria.”

Chat flushed and turned away, using his baton to propel himself home.

At school, Lila was playing truant, and Alya was grilling Adrien for keeping quiet.

Adrien: her lies weren’t hurting anyone!

Alya: I’m taking into account your isolated childhood, so let me just say, lies are hurtful. And it’s not right to encourage and spread her lies either.

Adrien: LadyNoir has to happen!

Nino shook his head in disgust. “You sound like that akuma last night. Ladybug has the right to decide who she wants to be with. If you ship LadyNoir, that’s fine. But you shouldn’t let it get this far to decide for Ladybug who she ends up with.”

Alya sighed, “Let’s blame Gabriel for this and hope Adrien can still be saved.”

Alya also understood when Marinette gave up on Adrien after seeing his behavior. She was interested in Luka but decided to wait because she didn’t want him to be a rebound guy.

Anyway, Adrien learned to keep his opinions to himself when all they got him was disapproval.

Ladybug’s interview caused the Parisians to question if the Italian diplomat should even still be in Paris if her daughter likes to spout lies about their heroine. How could she let her own daughter lie about stuff like that? It was enough that Mrs Rossi was questioned at work and her ignorance unveiled.

Yeah, Mrs Rossi would be lucky to keep her job after this but it was suggested Lila be sent outside Paris since she would certainly be unhappy with her new pariah status. Lila was sent to a correctional facility where no one was charmed by her falsehoods. Hell, she couldn’t even contact her mother because she was even busier trying to make amends.

When Ladybug finally told Chat she was happily in a relationship with her new boyfriend, he was sulky. Oh sure, he continued to fight alongside Ladybug but he was hopeful that she would break up with her boyfriend.

Plagg: that’s a horrible reaction. Can’t you just be happy for Ladybug?

Adrien: love is irrational and can’t be reasoned with, Plagg.

Plagg: then can you at least be polite and respectful to Ladybug’s wishes that you stop flirting with her?

Adrien: fine. Being Chat Noir was a chance to finally express myself, though.

Plagg: there’s a difference between freedom of expression and being rude/disrespectful/obnoxious

Adrien tried to date Kagami, but she broke up with him. There was no point in continuing the relationship when Adrien was so fixed on Ladybug.

I’m gonna leave this open ended. Any ideas how you would end this story?

#miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #ml salt fic #Adrien salt #Lila is exposed #Lila gets exposed #post-Chameleon #Marinette x Luka

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sweetcloverheart · 3 years ago

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Unpopular Opinion Time

I mean, I whined talked about my thoughts on Ladynoir, might as well talk about the other side of the love square.

I feel with Adrinette, it has the opposite issue that Ladynoir has - because where as the latter seems adamant in never hinting at or showing us what exactly Ladybug would/could think of dating Chat (outside of jokes), the show can’t seem to get enough of shoving it down our throats how in the former, Adrien doesn’t see Marinette as anything other than part of the gang, his heart forever stuck on Ladybug.

I mean, fair is fair in that it’s not like there’s no basis for the behavior - Adrien grew up sheltered, raised in his little bubble with only his dad, Nathalie, Gorilla, and Chloe (and once upon a time, his mother). He’s only just now be given the ability and chance to interact with other kids his age and develop his social skills. Having grown up with those limits, I can reasonably believe that he wouldn’t raise a brow to Marinette crush-induced social anxiety around him and just think of it as simply normal kid behavior, or at least thought so back in the earlier episodes. Marinette doesn’t make things easy on herself either - yeah, she’s tried to confess more than once, but she often ends up being her own worse enemy by either overthinking her plans to confess or chickening out last minute either due to shyness, fear of rejection, or ultimately deciding her superhero duties are more important, playing along with his “just friends” comments despite how heartbreaking hearing that is for her.

And it’s not like there hasn’t been progress - they started the series as acquaintances/classmates, only really interacting based on coincidence or their classmate’s meddling, and have now as of the recent seasons upgraded to actual “friends”. They’ve had ship moments, even when they had tried “moving on” from their crushes on each other(’s secret identities) and dating other people (Which...has it’s own set of problems, but this isn’t about that, so let’s move on). Marinette’s trusted him with a miraculous twice now ( the second time causing her to get taken advantage of with Felix), while Adrien’s compared her to his mother, and even felt close/comfortable enough to confess about feeling trapped and how much he dislikes Gabriel’s controlling parenting in “Risk” (even if you ignore the “under Akuma influence” part). Even if we’re no closer to a confession, I can at least say their relationship has moved up a level compared to “Origins”.

But despite all that, the show just doesn’t seem interested in allowing her to move into his potential partner hemisphere. No matter what Marinette does, what schemes the girl squad cooks up for her, how many ice creams Andre the Icecream dude gives, the amount of “double dates that are obviously double dates” Ayla and Nino bring him on, or how often the class and city proper coos over how they’d make a fine couple - Adrien never gets a clue or is slightly swooned. He’s forever trapped in the endless cycle of seeing Marinette very clear and obvious courting attempts as “just friend” things and her as his good buddy who for some reason constantly gets tongue tied around him and trips on air the minute she make eye contact with him.

And it’s not like Adrien doesn’t understand what it means to be flirted with/crushed on - Chloe is unabashedly open about liking him (and is beyond possessive about it), touching him affectionately and calling him “hers”. And while you could argue that he likely doesn’t view her actions as romantic either due to being childhood friends and therefore seeing her behavior as normal for her, the fact the he shows clear obvious discomfort with her flirting and touches and states such means he seems to know how she feels, or at least that her feelings for him (as a friend or a crush) are prompting the behavior. Similar happens with Lila when she tries to manipulate her way into a relationship with him, and gets flustered when she tries to imply they’re dating in “Volpina” (mostly because he doesn’t want Ladybug thinking that). There’s also Kagami, who was extremely blunt and direct with her feelings towards him. She made it clear she was interested in a relationship with him, and he wasn’t completely ignorant about her intentions. Twice we’ve had him mistakenly think another girl was interested in him romantically as a super hero (”Weredad” and “Rocketear”), and while those were played for laughs and ship drama in the latter’s case he was at least shown to be able to notice (even incorrectly) when someone shows interest in him. He can also tell when someone’s not interested in him, considering his determination to make Ladybug fall in love with him and constantly trying to woo her, and eventually respecting her wishes to stop flirting at inappropriate times and not encourage the citywide shipping of them in “Glaciator 2″ (though we all saw how that went after). We have also been shown that dense as he can be and despite his lack of understanding social cues, Adrien is not stupid - He knows what flirting looks like, he knows what someone being interested in him (supposedly) looks like, and he knows how to have crushes on people. Even if he can’t figure it out and is honest to god fooled by her “pretending” he doesn’t send her heartrate skyrocketing while dismissing her verbal flubs and other people pointing it out, he should have noticed she only acts this way around him and him specifically for a reason at some point.

And yet, confusingly (and often frustrating), he seems to constantly have big fat blinders on for Marinette and her crush on him. Like, no one is being subtle about how she feels about him, least of all the girl herself. Are you telling me it genuinely doesn’t occur to him that Marinette might like him more than a friend/fan after four seasons? And if not that, am I supposed to believe he doesn’t consider her a potential girlfriend in spite of all the time they’ve spent together as civilians? He was okay with and willing to start dating Kagami (who directly pursued him true, but he still said yes) to start moving on from his (assumed) one-sided crush on Ladybug, and honestly believed he managed to charm Marinette and Ayla into having crushes on him as Chat Noir (and was openly shocked about the former since he thought “Chat Noir isn’t her type”, implying he’s aware at least of what type of guy she might like/doesn’t like Chat Noir romantically). He flat out compared her smile to his mother’s even. The fact that he can think these things but not “hmm, my buddy Marinette’s looking cuter than normal recently.” or “Weird, I feel super warm holding hands like this with Mari for some reason...” or even “When I was with Marinette, I didn’t think about my crush on Ladybug at all...” is baffling. His own ex gets to call/think of her as “cute” more than he does!

There’s also the issue of the fact that when we do finally do get to finally see Adrien view Marinette in a romantic light, it’s only after she reveals herself as Ladybug. There’s no conflict about the feelings, no struggle over the fact that his desk neighbor/”good friend” turned out to be his hero partner and the girl he’s been in love with for ages, or even time taken away to internally-debate over if his love is still genuine with this discovery or slowly building up to viewing her the same way he had her superheroine persona - he just jumps straight into dating her, no questions asked. He never considered Marinette a dating option, even when he was actively trying to get over Ladybug, but the minute he realizes she and the object of his affections are one and the same, he immediately transfers the crush over to her, which doesn’t say good things about the ship if the only thing that can get Adrien to even think of Marinette as a potential romantic partner is her being/being related to his crush on Ladybug. At least Mari was allowed/given the time to mull over the Chat=Adrien reveal in “Ephemeral” and actually think about if not liking Chat romantically meant her feelings for Adrien weren’t valid anymore, and even Luka was allowed some minor conflict upon learning Marinette was Ladybug in “Wishmaker” (not that the show makes proper use of it latter). In the two (direct) reveals, Adrien just immediately circumvents any and all awkward feelings he should be having so he can finally get the girl like he wanted, even though he should be thinking about what this implies with his crush being someone he barely paid attention to in the past/recently made friends with. And while you can interpret this as Adrien simply being able to reconcile the fact that both Marinette and Ladybug are the same heart and soul more easier because he sees the similarities more clearly than Marinette does with him and Chat (He did call Marinette “Paris’s Everyday Ladybug after all) and just comes to/start loving and appreciating her more because of it, it also kind of carries this bad implication that Adrien just sees Marinette as a vehicle to fulfill his love for Ladybug since he would have never even thought of dating her until he knew she was the other (and oh boy is this blatant in “Chat Blanc” when you think about how Adrien justified dating her civilian self because of knowing her secret identity while withholding his own)

As stated in the previous post, I get the main ship is supposed to be slowburn. And yes, I can accept a dense love interest (Hell, “Idiots in Love” is one of my of my bread and butter tropes) - but it’s been four seasons and a year in canon! Are you seriously expecting me to believe that in that entire time, Adrien hasn’t once considered either Marinette being a potential girlfriend or even her liking him as a civilian? Even after getting a girlfriend of his own? Even after having to openly “turn down” Marinette in “Weredad” when he mistakenly thought she was in love with him as Chat Noir? Even after her near-accidental “prank” confession and almost kissing him in “Puppeteer 2”? Even after she let him drag her around all of Paris in her pajamas and spent his mother’s death anniversary with him? Even after their fake rehearsal confession/date in “Glaciator 2”? Even with how constantly and often he discusses his crush on Ladybug with Plagg (Who knows Ladybug is Marinette, and so ought to know she’s in love with him with how often he and Tikki hangout in their “off hours” - which in that case should be even more of a reason to tell him that Marinette likes him, or at least encourage him to go after her!)? Even with how unsubtle and blatant their class - hell, entire freaking city of Paris actually, is about how much they ship the two (in and out of costume) and how often the show pulls out “they should totally be dating” and “You make such a cute couple!” and “Those two are meant to be.”!

And it’s not that I hate Adrien slowly building his way from stranger to friend to potential lover - honestly, the scenes/episodes where Adrien and Marinette are able to just effing vibe and be good buddies despite some minor awkwardness without her either being embarrassed eight ways to Sunday because of shipping shenanigans gone wrong or because she’s still not able to exist in the same breathing space as him despite having become “good friends” now is good, because they’re fun interactions and show progress in their relationship growth. I also know that season 5 will likely give us more relationship build up for the two of them and might have Adrien actually think romantically of Marinette without Ladybug being involved. I know the ship is canon and that it’s going to happen eventually - but it doesn’t stop the frustration of seeing all of Marinette’s efforts come to nothing, and sucks the fun out of watching the buildup when the writers come in with a blatant show of how unaffected Adrien is by this development/change/ship-teasing, as if roughly elbowing us while going “LOL look at how dense Adrien is poor idiot still doesn’t get it!”

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into-september · 4 years ago

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MLB and the bad rich people

Modern children’s media defaults to middle class even when it by all logic shouldn’t. Donald Duck, single uncle raising three children while constantly going in-and-out of employment as plot demands it in comic-verse, owns a single family home with no aid from the richest duck in the world, and Scrooge’s wealth (and fame) never directly affects the lives of his nephews.

Compare Cardcaptor Sakura. Sakura’s family is solidly upper middle class, and so, presumably, are most of her friends. Remarkably, though, not the closest ones. Tomoyo and Syaoran/Meilin are all Old Money, and Eriol probably has the funds for his mansion through similar means. (the benevolent rich is a thing in this ‘verse, it needs saying - look at Clamp School Detectives and Tokyo Babylon, where it is the main characters having this kind of money and it never once being relevant to the stories, nor affecting the way they interact with society around them)

Then look at Miraculous Ladybug, kind of eyebrow-lifting diverse in its depiction of race (note: this does reflect urban western Europe) and sexuality (admittedly limited to subtext and Word of God), but extremely homogenous on the topic of class. As it probably would be, property prices in Paris considered, but look at what the adults earning money do. Marinette’s parents are manual workers who somehow have the funds to run a family bakery on the most expensive property on mainland Europe, Max’ mother a train driver, Sabrina’s father a police officer defining his vocation by its servitude, Myléne’s a janitor. Alya’s mother is a high-end chef, but her father a zookeeper. The only known parent with a clearly upper middle class vocation is Alix’ dad.

Now look at the parents with real money. Gabriel, the story’s main villain. Tomoe, seemingly interested somehow in what he’s doing. Ditto Audrey, and these three all treat their children with what is at best abuse born out of ignorance rather than malice. André Bourgeois, for all his flaws as both a man and a politician, is a presence of downright benevolence in that company, though his approach to parenting is not doing much good in combination with his wife’s everything.

(interesting exception: Jagged Stone, who as of S4 is frequently sorted into the Jerkass Parent Club because wow are you people coloured by living in places without public support of single parents even though Anarka clearly has the money to supply her children’s trash garage band with professional sound equipment. The show does not seem to define him as upper class even though he lives in the most luxurious hotel in Paris and has a private helicopter and a pet crocodile he feeds live ponies or whatever)

With Zoé’s introduction to the story, I’m stupidly interested in seeing how she’ll factor into this. Because the for all that the Adults With Money are bad, it’s notable that the Kids With Money are generally depicted as victims of their class.

Adrien is a social outsider not because he’s ridiculously rich, but because he has been and still is isolated from his peers. I don’t think the issue of money is ever mentioned about Kagami, but the family business is one that clearly demands funds. Both of them are suffering because of their family money. Adrien’s class belonging is the argument used for locking him away from the rest of the world, and Kagami’s family tech being her jailer very much suggests that the same applies to her.

The contrast is Chloé, who pretty much defines herself by her family’s money. She flaunts her expensive clothes and accessories, her exclusive dance school, her personal chef. She shamelessly uses her money to get her will, and is far from averse to turning to her father’s political power which she at least claimed came across becaues of his personal wealth. But the show is clear that this dysfunction, too, is the result of Bad Adults With Money. Chloé is miserable and Chloé utterly lacks the insight to what it is that will make her happy, because the adults in her life have taught her that money and fame are the only things defining a person’s value (and that’s why Adrien is the only person who can be her friend). Only the remarkable are worth of love and attention, and the only remarkable about Claudine, dear, is her mother. On the other hand, the father whose only way of caring is to bend over backwards to her every demand.

(and boy oh boy, the things to be said about the contrast in what Adrien and Chloé want from their fathers, and how said fathers go about giving and not giving them those things. This is the reason I ship Gabriel/André. Because Adrien needs a father who will love him and Chloé needs a father who will tell her no)

So I’m very, very curious about Zoé, sprung from the same roots as Chloé but going by the previews, clearly come out different. Is she a victim like Adrien and Kagami? Since she presumably escaped the poisonous worldview that Chloé didn’t, what was it that made the difference? Since she seems to be older, did she just have the chance to grow up? Were she somehow given the chance to recognise that her mother is an awful, awful person? Or will she just be what only Prince Ali has been before her - the person whose inescapable upper class belonging has become a vessel for doing good.

Because the show hasn’t exactly been subtle about the moral that we should probably be eating the rich, or at the very least their parents.

#miraculous ladybug #ml meta #mlb meta #blah #ml spoilers #mlb spoilers

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wisteriasymphony · 5 months ago

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Wisp…:my good friend…:what is senimomster Emile/gen

The concept interest me….

Also like imagine if Emile died when Adrien was younger, so this senimonster girl that looks just like his mom appeared, do you think Adrien would think he’s haunted or would he be like “cool a baby sister and/or twin or triplet” (Felix and Adrien as twin my beloved <3)

I would hate to feign ownership of the concept, so to start off I'll say you should definitely check out @asukiess's blog if you want the bulk of sentiemilie related stuff! The initial post is linked here, but I'll try to summarize what I've gleaned so far.

Senti!Emilie is, in her original interpretation, a sentimonster copy of Emilie created from the shared love/grief Gabriel and Nathalie had for her, made so the Agreste family can continue on as if she never died to begin with.

Eventually, an idea was floated around that Gabriel might possibly alter Senti!Emilie to be a freshly 18-year-old version of her, which I suggested be called Emmy. (To explain her existence to Adrien, Emmy is an unrelated intern of Gabriel's and his mother is simply on some long business trip... so the story goes.)

A lot of the work I've seen surrounding her examines Gabriel's and Nathalie's relationship to her, her relationship to the 'former self' she is being silently and constantly compared to, her own self identity and the issues that come with being a sentimonster... and occasionally, her relationship with Adrien. Most of it revolves around being an 'imperfect copy' of Emilie Agreste and the various issues that occur, though.

As for me personally, I like also to use it to examine how much Gabriel has changed as well, and to study his character through what he justifies putting Emmy through. There's something to be explored with how Emmy being a(n inexact) replication can lead to... Gabriel taking Emilie's previous affections for him as a carte blanche of Emmy's consent. Not to mention how his molding of her into a younger version of his wife and subsequent treatment of her can reflect how much he views her as a partner and how much he views her as property.

Likewise, it's interesting to examine the way Emmy's view of him could be drastically different now that their dynamic has changed! As the Agreste patriarch, his relationship to her is no longer "the punk boy with lofty dreams that I want to run away with" and instead "the man who regularly assaults and controls me whom I have been conditioned to feel affection for". I tend to take this to explore a dynamic where Emmy comes to actively resent and fear Gabriel, but there's also valid interpretations where Emmy does not come to that realization.

And of course, it's also fun to explore Emmy and Adrien's relationship, the gut-wrenching dramatic irony of neither of them consciously knowing they're related but having gut feelings surrounding it, and the ways they can support each other in the midst of Gabriel's control over them!

#sentiemilie #(I'll also add something about tweosdrien and emmy but it's *way* darker and as such will be posted on a side acc reblog)#wissym answers

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anxresi · 4 years ago

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I could line my wall with all the posts Thomas has made about Chloe tonight. (around 50, by my count)

If you wanna read them, don’t bother.

I certainly won’t be sharing any of them

What would be the point?

Because basically, they amount to one thing...

Chloe is bad, and we’re bad people for liking her.

That’s it.

And for anyone thinking that he kids around a lot with his comments...

I’m pretty sure this is something he feels VERY strongly about.

Or he wouldn’t expand so much energy in constantly talking her down.

So no, I don’t think we’re going to get a Chloe redemption.

No, I don’t think she’ll be Queen Bee again.

No, I can’t see any real change in her behavior.

She’ll just remain the same ol’ hatable Chloe, the ‘evil’ girl that young kids apparently ‘get’ that adults don’t understand...

Yep, apparently we’re ‘dumb’ for wanting her to improve and develop!

To provide a good example for bullies out there that they can be more than just abusers all their lives!

Children couldn’t possibly grasp the delicate subtleties of self-improvement as you grow up!

It’s all so clear now!

Stupid us!

Also, her merchandise doesn’t sell very well.

Another good case for her staying as a villain, I guess.

And she’s compared to a monster and a domestic abuser.

This damaged teenage girl.

Yeah, sounds about right.

And all those tender moments where she showed empathy and love were just ‘fake outs’ all along.

Makes total sense!

And anyone who wanted more from her is just ‘delusional’ and is ‘writing the show in their head’.

Exactly!

Except...

That’s not the way it seemed on screen at all.

When she hugged Miss Bustier

Or had a heart-to-heart with Ladybug

When she risked her life as Queen Bee

Showed genuine concern for Adrien

When she finally appreciated Jean-something

And shared moments of friendship with Sabrina

These did NOT come across as part of an elaborate plot twist

From a show which isn’t exactly known for its complex writing.

They seemed to form part of a ladder...

Which would inevitably climb to a true character shift.

Where this flawed teenage girl could take a long, hard look at her life.

And realize she didn’t HAVE to be like her awful mother.

Or as power-hungry as her father.

She could learn lessons from her favorite superhero Ladybug...

Become a better person...

And an even greater superhero.

She could still keep her sassy attitude.

Just be a bit kinder and selfless, that’s all.

But, nope.

EVERY bit of niceness we witnessed on screen...

None of it was real.

It was all influenced by ‘class’.

Even her childhood friendship with Adrien was nothing.

If he was as poor as the rest of his classmates, she would’ve bullied him too.

Straight from Thomas’s own mouth.

One of the best relationships in the show, gone just. Like. THAT.

He also said to ‘redeem’ her at this stage would be too ‘unconvincing’?

ORLY?

I hate to return to critical mode...

But the show ain’t exactly known for its consistent writing.

One minute Marinette is confident around Adrien...

Next she’s a nervous jumble of words.

It sets up two new ships for Mari and Adrien with great fanfare...

Only to ditch them both two eps later.

(Also, what the **** did they plan to do with Lila?!)

In other words, this isn’t a show that plays the long game

Whether this is to satisfy the networks’ demand to air the eps out of order idk.

The point is that trying to tell us that Chloe’s ‘arc’ was some grand scheme...

Where she’d have a few sympathetic moments only to emerge worst than ever afterwards....

I simply don’t believe it.

Either this is terrible, amateurish writing of the worst kind...

Or Thomas flexed his influence behind the scenes...

And put an abrupt end to Chloe’s development before it really got started.

It doesn’t really matter which reason I guess.

What DOES matter is this petty and spiteful man sees fit to bash her in around 70% of his online interactions right now.

He could just ignore the posts but nope, he goes right in there, full throttle.

You can just tell how smart he is with his intimate psychological breakdowns of why Chloe is the way she is...

When we all know the actual reason... he just couldn’t be bothered.

Far better to create a whole new character, give her none of the depths that could make a developed Chloe such a pain to write...

And then 'reward’ her with the position of Queen Bee, for being super-sweet and as shallow as a puddle.

And oops, make her Chloe’s half-sister or whatever to further rub salt in Chloe stans’ wounds.

Is the show even gonna tackle the angst that would arise from Mayor Andre discovering his beloved wife had an affair?

Or Chloe discovering her much-loved mother is in fact a cheat?

What about coping with the SHOCK revelation that she... GASP... has a long-lost sister?

Forget it. All that rich potential for human emotions sounds B O R I N G.

Don’t forget that if there’s a major event in this show that doesn’t include the words ‘Love Square’, the makers just don’t care.

Let’s cut straight to a giant golden Zoe (who now looks like a giant golden Chloe) trying to smoosh her now much smaller sister...

While Chloe pushes Marinette and her parents towards the beast to save herself.

Because of course she does.

Never misses a trick to make Chloe look bad, does Thomas.

It’s a skill you can tell he’s very proud of.

Anyway, back to Zoe...

Despite my harsh words above, I harbor no ill-will towards you.

Your design is decent and you seem like a stand-up gal.

But I hate to say this...

You shouldn’t exist.

It was completely unnecessary from a storytelling POV to create a sibling for Chloe, and your mere presence will diminish the show.

I can say this with utmost confidence after looking at the situation from every conceivable angle...

Without even needing to watch your eps or know why you were created.

(Although, I have a pretty good idea)

Some people might say WELL GIVE HER A CHANCE!!!!

Hmm... no.

Everything the show needs to be successful with Chloe’s character...

It’s already right there.

She does not need a secret sibling

She does not require a sweeter counterpart

And she definitely DOESN’T need Thomas constantly bashing her to impressionable fans online like she’s the Antichrist personified!

Seriously dude, if you hate her so much why bother creating her?

And if you hate her so much... why spend so long talking about her?

Despite his repeated denials, I think something another user here said is very true...

She DOES live ‘rent free’ in his head.

It sickens him that, despite his best efforts, she still has so many fans.

Not to worry, Thomas.

From what I see, there are still plenty of sycophants who agree with everything you say (even if they actually don’t)

After all, it’s enough for some to get a reply from the ‘great man’ himself

Why jeopardize that by trying to engage with him in a meaningful debate?

Especially when we know how handsy he is with the ‘block’ button.

Anyway, this went on for about a thousand more words than I meant it to.

I guess me and Thomas have just ONE thing in common (Thank God)

This is a topic which we both feel VERY strongly about.

The differently is of course, I have far less power in the process, and preach to a much smaller audience.

Still, I won’t let that stop me ranting away like a loon.

Hey, if it’s good enough for him... ;)

#miraculous ladybug #chloe bourgeois #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #adrien agreste #ml salt #ml rants #lila rossi

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sourstiless · 4 years ago

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im tired of people saying adrien only falls in love with marinette because she’s ladybug. that’s shallow as fuck and also just not true ?? also tired of seeing people think marinette only likes adrien because he’s a model, and that he’s pretty, because that’s also shallow and untrue.

i’m going to put this under a cut just because it’s longer than i thought it was gonna be. tldr at the end.

he cares so much for marinette, and the only reason he doesn’t realize why she likes him is because she isn’t being forward with her feelings. his love language is words of affirmation. he believes that if you love someone, it’s important to tell them that you do. hence in the puppeteer episode:

ladybug: if i mean so much to you how is it so easy for you to say these nice things to me? even in the worst situations. the really important things are the hardest to say, aren’t they?

chat noir: it’s precisely when something is important that it’s important to say, no matter what.

words of affirmation being adrien’s primary love language probably stems from being raised in a neglectful household. while emilie is assumed to be more loving and caring, we can gather from context clues that gabriel has always been somewhat distant and absent. adrien alludes to this when he says his father gave him the same gift for 3 years and his mother only died a year ago. he never really got that verbal love and appreciation form his dad, and that’s all he really longs for, so he gives that to the people he loves as a result.

on the other hand, marinette’s love languages are acts of service and receiving gifts. she primarily feels like the best way to express your love is by doing things for others, and gift giving. we see this through the massive amount of presents she has ready for adrien, as well as how she freaks out about getting something for her dad for his birthday. because of this mix up in love languages, the way they express their love for each other doesn’t come off as love to each respective character.

adrien doesn’t believe he loves marinette, or has a hard time admitting he likes her in that way, because he doesn’t believe she could possibly like him. he makes it clear in the puppeteer 2 that he believes it’s most important to tell someone you love and appreciate them, and marinette can hardly utter a full sentence around him. because she fumbles her words and has a hard time communicating how she feels, paired with the fact that he doesn’t understand most social cues, he doesn’t believe she likes him, and therefore convinces himself he does not like her that way.

however, this can be easily debunked by scenes throughout the show. he tells her that she’s their “everyday ladybug”. remember, ladybug is supposedly the person he is completely in love with. he compares his very good friend marinette, to the lady he loves. when marinette is forced to sit in the back of the classroom, he looks at her with such admiration and love, and willingly goes to sit in the back to be next to her. on the other hand, he completely avoids lila.

while on the topic of lila, when she lies to get into his house and nathalie and gorilla are reprimanded for it, he’s upset. he tells lila he’ll still help her, but not if she hurts the people he loves. then the episode “ladybug” comes around and she hurts marinette, and he’s not just upset, he’s angry. adrien is very easy going and willing to be friends with people because he wants to see the best in them. it takes a lot for him to end his friendships, as seen with chloe, and he threatens his friendship with lila because of what she did to marinette. these scenes accompanied by all of the scenes where he just looks at her like he’s completely head over heels (i.e. the shanghai special, the new york special, the dance in despair bear, trouble maker when he watches the show for marinette, etc.). he just doesn’t realize his feelings because he doesn’t think marinette could possibly like him, and he’s afraid of losing what he already has if he confesses and she rejects him.

on this opposite side with marinette, her love languages, as stated before, are acts of service and receiving gifts. marinette doesn’t like adrien because he’s rich, or because he’s a pretty face. in fact she hates him when they first meet. it isn’t until he offers her his umbrella in the rain, that she begins to develop feelings for him.

her primary way to show people that she loves them is by giving them gifts, not by telling them. and because of this, there is often times confusion between her and adrien. they aren’t shallow, they’re just confused because they are unable to navigate their feelings in a productive way.

we know marinette doesn’t take words of affirmation “seriously” because of what she said in the puppeteer 2(the dialogue i already put earlier in the post). so while adrien is constantly reassuring her with his words, she doesn’t understand that that is the way he expresses his love and takes it with a grain of salt. when she’s ladybug, she doesn’t think that chat is being serious about his feelings because she has trouble verbally expressing her love. that results in her believing that people who don’t have trouble putting their love into words aren’t actually in love. she believes that the most important things are the hardest to say, so if it’s easy to say them then it’s not important.

tl;dr adrien and marinette do love each other (both as civilians and heroes) but because they don’t understand each other’s love languages, they’re confused about their status to one another.

#miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #chat noir #mlb meta #love langauges

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sixtyeightdays · 5 years ago

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you reap what you sow

prompt from @mialuvscats : i hope this meets your expectations ! im sorry this took so long, i tried uploading it from my phone but it glitched and i could only get my hands on the computer today

i’d like to say that i think if sabine and mari are there, damian and talia willl be relatively looser and not as uptight . mari and sabine are cold but loving and sunshiney. they keep talia and damian in check, essentially. which is why i wrote them in to be loose and free but able to be openly happy when they want to be, even if they are only happy around each other.

with sabine here i also thinkt hat talia will be slightly easier on damian, which also ties to the fact that he will not be as cold and uptight.

talia will be a good mother in this fic bc i want her to be and itll be ooc but its okay its my fic anyway

and the timeline is kinda messed up and all over the place sorry

that aside, have fun reading and i hope you enjoy!

talia and sabine are best friends, and before most of the class joins francois, marinette ruled the school after coming to paris with sabine. mari and damian are betrothed and the two are best friends. they can be icy one minute and sunshiney the next, although the sunshiney part is more mari than damian.

maybe the waynes come to paris, bc if theyre in gotham the others wont really know if the queen is back, and theyre kinda unsure why marinette is being timid and very unlike her ice queen demeanor she sometimes uses. mari is closest to jason in terms of batfam because firstly maybe she cleanses jason of the lazarus pit after helping damian using tikki's creation magic to counteract plagg's destruction one. since the waynes are here theres no point in mari hiding her queen status anymore and queue lila reveal

Talia al Ghul and Sabine Cheng were an unlikely combination, but worked perfectly well.

The two women were extremely close. Sabine was almost as deadly as Talia, but she made up for it with her devious mindset. She was the one who steered Talia away from doing anything wrong --well more wrong than usual-- and the one who was assigned to dish out punishments to usurpers.

The two could read each other like open books, and hence, when both Talia and Sabine became pregnant, Talia one month before Sabine, the two knew immediately.

They had debated whether or not to have their kids be betrothed, and eventually decided to let their children make the final call when their kids were old enough to understand.

Nine months later, Marinette and Damian were born. In the League infirmary, an hour after the two were cleaned and left there to rest while their mothers did the same, the two had already grown rather close.

Their baby cribs were next to each other, and somehow they were staring at each other through the walls of the crib, and were making small grabby hands to the other.

When Talia and Sabine were sufficiently rested and came to pick up their children, they were slightly shocked, yet gratified by their children. Sabine smiled and draped an arm around Talia’s shoulder, smiling lazily.

“I guess they’ll be as close as their mothers, non?”

Talia smirked, and the two walked forwards, lifting their respective children in their arms and walking to their quarters.

The two mothers did not regret it. Their kids were enamoured with each other, practically joined at the hip.

By the time Marinette and Damian were 5, they had a very extensive vocabulary, since they had learned to speak Arabic, French and English. They were also extremely smart and skilled with weapons.

Marinette was extremely adept at using a yoyo. It seemed weird, I know. But when the League was stormed when she was 3, she had taken out 4 men with her yoyo alone. Since then, she had been teaching herself how to use the yoyo effectively.

Damian preferred to use a katana. He looked much scarier than Marinette, even if the two were the same age. He had found a natural talent in using blades, knives, katanas and daggers included.

Marinette was the Rain to Damian’s Fire.

She was the only one who could calm Damian down when he was mad, mad.

But make no mistake, Marinette could switch personalities in a heartbeat. She was one of the League’s most skilled interrogators at the age of 5.

After all, who would suspect a pigtailed 5 year old in pink to be scary?

Damian much preferred his stoic and icy attitude. The only people he ever let loose around was Marinette, Sabine, and Talia.

Talia and Sabine loved the children to an almost deadly extent, and the four were extremely overprotective of each other.

Marinette had taken to magic as well. She had been trained by many people in the League about sensing magic. Damian did not have the patience for magic and rituals.

Marinette knew Damian was more of a ‘attack first ask questions later’ type of fighter, a stark contrast to Marinette’s ‘i will curse you and you will suffer in agonising pain for the rest of your life’ preferred type of fighting.

She’d never really liked getting her hands dirty, hence the magic. Killing people with magic was so much cleaner.

Sabine and Marinette had to leave for Paris when she was 9. For what, she wasn’t sure, but regardless of the distance, she and Damian constantly traded calls and letters. They would never go even a day without contact.

They were staying with one of Sabine’s old friends. His name was Tom Dupain, and he was an old wrestler and had worked with the League before. He and Sabine pretended to be married and Marinette’s name had hence became Marinette Dupain Cheng.

Damian and Talia stayed at the League, although all of them knew that Damian was to meet his birth father when he turned 10.

Marinette adapted her icy demeanor in Paris, never wanting anyone to get as close as she was with Damian.

A few hours in, walking around Paris, she had met an elderly man in a red Hawaiian shirt, emitting the aura of magic. She had confronted him, and eventually, he opened up to her about the Miraculous. Tikki, the Ladybug kwami, and Plagg, the Black Cat kwami had taken a liking to her.

Marinette was apparently something called a True User, a reincarnation of the first Ladybug miraculous wielder. Plagg just rather liked the aura of death and chaos she apparently gave off, from the League.

She and the other Kwamis also had a rather amicable relationship, and she’d go to the ends of the Earth for the tiny gods, and vice versa.

The elderly man, named Fu, had also started to train her into becoming the new Guardian of the Miraculous.

Before, Marinette had been planning on laying low and not drawing atention to herself, but once she had beaten up two upperclassmen for bullying her classmate and somewhat accquaintance Nino, she had been fiercely regarded by both the students and faculty.

As a result, she eventually grew close to Nino, and his friends, Kim, Alix and Chloe. She only ever let down her icy demeanour around them, showing the bright and bubbly girl persona she kept hidden. She wasn’t as close to them as she was to Damian, but they were all still quite close friends.

It wasn’t long after that Marinette became the queen of her school, at the tender age of 10, earning her title as the Ladybug. Or, as Chloe liked to put it, the Lady, because she was lucky enough to ‘get a friend like her’.

Marinette didn’t protest. She rather liked Ladybugs, and besides, it was ironic and it reminded her a little of Damian, who sometimes liked to call her his Maribug. Because she was sometimes a pest, he deadpanned. Marinette had whacked him with a pillow.

Everyone in the school feared the Ladybug. No one knew anything of her past. She was a mystery, an enigma that no one could solve. When new students came in after Marinette turned 14, everyone was slightly shocked to see their Lady change.

She was much more bubbly and approachable. Word had spread around that Marinette, the Lady, was trying a clean slate for the new kids. After all, not everyone should fear her.

Probably.

School eventually returned to what it was like before Marinette became the Lady, although she did still rule the school, she did it much more subtly, with more restraint and secrecy.

One of the new kids, Alya, had taken a liking to her. Marinette did not like her very much, she was loud and clingy and drew a lot of unwanted attention.

Marinette and her old crew, who had playfully called themselves her Consorts before the name stuck, had split up temporarily, to cover more ground and spread their branches.

Chloe was to pretend to be Marinette’s bully, Kim and Alix rivals, and Nino a shy recluse. They had had a good laugh about it beforehand, before watching Moana, because Kim wanted to compare the size of his muscles to Maui’s.

None of them had accounted for Adrien Agreste, who had tried to get the gum off Marinette’s seat like the naive, sheltered boy he was. Marinette had admittedly gotten mad at him for screwing up a perfectly good plan, before ramping up her ice persona to like, a 2/10, to get the newbies off her scent and scare Adrien away.

It hadn’t worked, because the boy was apparently as stubborn as he was naive. But besides that, Alya had been really grating on Marinette’s nerves, especially since she was convinced that Marinette had a crush on the model. It was not true, of course.

Honestly, Marinette thought dryly, as Alya dragged her all over the place to.. somewhere, she wasn’t even sure anymore. But frankly, she didn’t particularly care. Honestly, the only boy she’d probably ever have a crush on would be Damian.

Not that she’d ever admit it.

When Marinette and Damian turned 10, she and Sabine had taken a plane to Gotham to meet up with Damian.

Damian had not been having a good time. He was very much unwanted here, that was clear.

Grayson seemed to be the only one trying to interact with him. His father, had been trying his best to stay out of Damian’s way, which he reciprocated. Todd was flat out ignoring him and Drake just seemed to be busy all the time.

After all, who would want to interact with a grumpy 10 year old assassin?

He missed Marinette.

It was the day Todd finally tried to open up to Damian, that Marinette had arrived. No one had told him that she was finally meeting him again for the first time in a year. Sabine had left Marinette to figure out where Damian was on her own. She was more than capable of it.

With a quick scrying spell, she found him, and Kaalki opened a portal headed in the direction of Wayne Manor.

Meanwhile, Damian just appreciated the fact that Todd was finally extending an olive branch. He was lonely.

It hurt seeing his father care for everyone in the manor apart from him.

He had been walking along the gardens in the manor. Todd had joined him.

“Listen, I know it’s hard to feel accepted here. Sometimes, I do.” Jason gazed wistfully at the sky above him.

Damian was unsure of where the ex-Robin was getting at, so he just kept quiet. It wasn’t as if Damian didn’t know who Jason Todd was. Before he had come to the manor with Talia, he had read the Waynes’ files. In addition, Damian had known of Jason while he was affiliated with the League. They had never talked, or interacted, but he had known of the elder boy.

“I just, uh, wanted you to know that if you ever need anything, you can come to me.” He finished lamely, running a hand in his hair.

Damian opened his mouth, then closed it, hesitating. “Thank you, Ja--Todd. I will.” He settled on saying dryly.

Jason visibly relaxed and cracked a miniscule smile. There was a sudden ‘swoosh’ sound, and both Jason and Damian turned around, bodies automatically going on the defensive.

Stumbling out of Alfred’s rose bushes, trodding on a few accidentally, was Marinette.

“Angel!” Damian exclaimed, moving forwards to help her forwards.

She brushed her shoulders off, looking around before freezing, staring at something behind him.

“Jay?”

“Pixie?” He asked, sounding incredulous.

Marinette rushed forward and wrapped him in a tight embrace. Jason laughed and hugged her back, chuckling.

Damian quashed down the bubbling feeling of rage in the pit of his stomach and settled for casting a frosty glance in their direction. Not that they noticed, since they were too busy embracing each other, Damian thought scornfully.

The two pulled apart after too long in Damian’s opinion, laughing.

“Angel? How do you know Todd?” Damian asked coldly, ever so protective.

If Jason noticed the sudden reversion to his surname instead of his first, he didn’t say anything.

“Oh, he came to Paris with Lia once and I cleansed him of the Lazarus pit madness, like I did with you.” She replied.

“What are you doing here?” Jason asked. Damian had forgotten about that.

“Visiting, of course!” She winked. “Now, let’s give your old man a good scare.” She pecked Damian on the cheek before vanishing. (Thanks, Trixx.)

Jason and Damian looked to each other. “Did you know she could do that?” Jason questioned. Damian shook his head before pausing.

“Wait.. how did she get into the manor?”

The only response was the faint echo of a laugh.

It was time for dinner anyway, and only Damian, Jason, and Alfred knew of Marinette’s presence. Marinette had voluntary evelaed herself to the elderly butler after noticing his aura.

It was Miraculous tainted. If Marinette could guess, he had been either one of Duusu’s, Sass’s, or Nooroo’s.

When the butler had retired to the kitchen alone, Marinette had unraveled Trixx’s magic veiling her and waved at the butler.

To hi credit, he didn’t so much as bat an eye before his eyes widened as he took her in. Marinette cut to the chase.

“Who was your kwami?” Alfred had surveyed her for a second before seemingly trusting her.

“Duusu.” He answered.

Marinette smiled. “I’m Tikki’s.” From her perch in Marinette’s left pigtail, the red Kwami pried open the folds of her hair, waving once at Alfred before sinking back into the recesses of the bluenette’s locks.

Alfred blinked. Once. Twice. “I’m presuming you’re staying for dinner?”

Marinette beamed. “I’m gonna scare the big bat.” Alfred nodded, accepting this. Marinette clapped her hands and she disappeared again. Alfred shook his head, smiling faintly.

Conveniently, it was one of the times where everyone was there. Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian. Rare these days, what with Dick in Bludhaven, Tim at WE, and Jason off being Jason.

Bruce was currently on his way back from WE, although it would take around half an hour. He had told everyone to start eating first. Perfect.

After Marinette’s encounter with Alfred, she had reappeared in Damian’s room, where she and Damian caught up. Just like old times.

She had disappeared again once she left the room, and Damian wasn’t entirely sure where she went.

Alfred set the the table as per normal, which Damian and Jason noticed right away. They looked to Alfred, who merely winked before stepping back into the kitchen and laying out the food.

There was a screech of a chair as Marinette, disguised as Bruce (Trixx in her right pigtail and Tikki in the left) sat down. Dick looked startled.

“I thought you wouldn’t be back till later!” Dick exclaimed.

Mari-Bruce shrugged. “Faster than I’d expected.” She answered, securing the veil of Trixx’s magic around her vocal chords, making her voice sound exactly like Bruce’s.

Jason inched away slightly from Bruce, though she pretended not to notice.

Alfred nodded at her as he reentered the room.

Everyone dug in, occasionally talking. It had been about 25 minutes before the sound of the door opening could be heard. Damian and Jason’s head shot up, thinking it was Marinette.

Mari-Bruce smirked. Showtime.

Bruce entered the room, not noticing Mari at first. Until the batboys gaped at him. He looked confused. What--?

Mari-Bruce was a pretty great actress. “Who are you?” She thundered, internally laughing.

“Who are you? I’m Bruce Wayne.” He answered, looking befuddled and frustrated.

“Impostor.” Mari-Bruce accused.

Bruce spluttered. “No! I’m the real Bruce!”

Mari-Bruce scoffed. “That’s what an impostor would say.”

Damian and Jason seemed to figure it out, although they probably weren’t sure which Bruce was the real one yet.

Tim rubbed his eyes. “Am I seeing double, or?”

Bruce said, “Ask me something the real Bruce would know.”

Dick looked torn, but did as requested. “Who murdered your parents?”

“Joe Chill.” They both said at the same time. Mari-Bruce and Bruce winced, selling the act.

“When’s my birthday?” Tim asked.

“July 17th.” Both Bruces answered.

Tim looked surprised. “You actually know my birthday?”

“No shit, Tim.” Mari-Bruce said, rolling their eyes. She rather wanted to proceed to the next part of her plan.

“Would I say that to you, Tim?” Bruce asked slightly desperately.

“Maybe?”

Bruce facepalmed. In the confusion, Mari took the chance to slink into the shadows where she rewrapped Trixx’s invisible magic around her.

Only Damian noticed. He smirked. “Where did he go?” He asked, placing a hand on the hilt of his katana for emphasis. He didn’t see Marinette smile at him.

Everyone looked panicked. “Search the manor.” Bruce ordered.

Jason still looked slightly skeptical but did as he said. Damian drew his katanas and tilted it in the direction he was going.

Amongst everyone, Bruce was the most attacked. While Jason and Damian paired off, Tim and Dick did as well, ("Don’t go alone!” Was Bruce’s admonished cry), Bruce had gone alone.

If she were being honest, Marinette had always had a grudge against the billionaire. He hadn’t saved his son, he had tried to kill his son, even though he had a no killing rule --which Marinette thought was plain stupid--, and he had left Damian to suffer at the hands of Ra’s Al Ghul.

Talia could only do so much to save her son.

Yes, Marinette was aware that Bruce hadn’t know Damian existed, but now he was still treating Damian as if he didn’t exist. Marinette knew how much Damian craved affection, even if he never admitted it.

Yes, maybe Bruce was getting better, but maybe she could.. spur the process.

So Marinette retaliated in one of the many ways she knew how.

Messing with them.

So when the Waynes regrouped in the dining room, Jason, Damian, Dick and Tim came back unharmed, and Jason had been filled in by Damian of his suspicions. But Bruce?

He came back covered in honey and feathers, drenched with water and covered in pink slime.

“Why is he going after me?” Bruce had questioned in that annoying voice of his, after looking over his spotless sons.

Jason shrugged. “Maybe he doesn’t like you. God knows he’s not the only one.”

Bruce looked slightly hurt but Jason didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“Maybe this person is infatuated with you and is vying for your attention.” Damian deadpanned dryly. Marinette had smacked him on the back of his head, still invisible.

But the damage had been done.

Bruce snapped his fingers and ‘aha!’-ed at Damian. “That must be it!” Bruce crowed.

“Are you that narcissistic, you arrogant plebeian?” Marinette’s normally cheery voice was dry and dripping with distaste as she unwrapped her magic.

Bruce, Dick and Tim immediately went on the defensive, shifting into a battle stance. Marinette only scoffed.

“If I wanted to harm you, I would have already done so.” Marinette waved a hand in their direction dismissively.

Dick looked confused. “You’re like, ten.” He pointed out.

Damian glared. “I am ten as well, Grayson.”

Tim butted in. “Are we not going to acknowledge the fact that this tiny ten year old broke into the manor unnoticed?”

That brought everyone to their senses.

They were suddenly surprised by Marinette running at Jason, full speed. They expected him to duck or whip out a weapon, but all he did was stand still as she flipped in midair to land on his shoulders.

To their utter shock, Jason grinned, even as she fisted her hands in his hair for a better grip.

Damian only smiled fondly at his Angel. She was as short as he remembered, Damian noted.

He missed her. More than anything.

Marinette beamed, and slid off Jason’s shoulders.

“Why did you attack me?” Bruce asked. ��Isn’t it obvious, fool?” Marinette revamped her icy demeanor and glared at the civilian Batman. “I despise you.”

Bruce looked very affronted. But Mariinette ignored him, even as he continued talking and made her way over to Damian.

“Damibear!” Marinette sang, as if she hadn’t seen him less than an hour ago.

The Waynes looked as if they expected Damian to attack her just for calling him that. They were not expecting him to grin and say, “Angel.”

Mari jumped on his back, and Damian merely repositioned himself accordingly, used to this from all her previous piggybacks.

“Okay so Jason and Damian helped her get into the manor.” Tim deduced, only to notice Jason and Damian shaking their heads.

“All by herself.” Damian and Jason chorused. Marinette made bunny ears on top of Damian’s head.

She kissed Damian’s forehead lovingly, replying to his ‘i am older than you’ with a ‘yeah by like a week’, and looked to his family.

She winked.

Then disappeared.

There was silence, and then, “Wait, we didn’t even get her name!” From Dick.

Damian and Jason were interrogated that night, and they refused to tell them anything related to Marinette.

Marinette smiled from where she had hidden in the shadows, and made her way back to Damian’s room. She curled up in Damian’s bed, drifting into sleep. She was almost asleep when Damian returned.

And when Damian pressed his lips to her forehead and whispered, “Goodnight, Angel”, a smile made her way onto her lips.

By the time Damian had slipped into bed with her, her head leaning comfortably on his chest, she had fallen asleep.

When the two turned 15, Talia and Sabine sat them down and told them about the betrothal. Damian had been visiting with Talia.

It had been almost two months since Lila had turned her classmates against her, not that she cared, of course. She still had her Consorts after all.

“Marinette, Damian, we’d like to tell you something. An offer? Of sorts. I’m relatively sure you will accept, however.”

Talia smiled as Marinette dragged a grumpy Damian over to them by the head, beaming brightly.

“Oh come on, Mian! Don’t be such a grumpy banana.” Marinette reprimanded the older boy who was rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

The boy only smiled lazily, and ran another hand through his best friend’s hair, the girl making a small noise of protest. “Thats what you get for calling me a noodle, Angel.” (if you didn’t know miàn means noodle in chinese)

Sabine cleared her throat but looked at the two with amusement clear in her eyes.

They straightened. “Sorry, maman,” Mari muttered.

“Now, before you two were born, Sabine and I had an agreement. We are perfectly fine with this and the implications of it, so it is up to you to whether to accept or not.” Talia got straight to the point.

The two children looked to each other curiously before turning back to their parents. Damian nodded in acknowledgment and Sabine picked up where Talia left off.

“How do you feel about each other?” Sabine asked, watching the two closely for their reactions.

“If that’s your way of asking us if we’re okay to be siblings, since you and Lia are dating, Maman--” Marinette started but was quickly interrupted by a barely noticeably flushed Talia.

“No, not that, and we aren’t dating, Nette.” Talia aimed a playful glare at the girl, who grinned and blew a raspberry at her.

“How would you and Damian like to be betrothed?” Sabine asked, smiling at her friend and daughter fondly.

Marinette spluttered and Damian coughed.

Talia and Sabine burst out into laughter.

After the adults got their laughter under control and after a few glares from their kids, Damian spoke up.

“Marinette is my best friend. If I had to be betrothed to anyone, I’m glad it’s her.” Damian looked away and Marinette coughed awkwardly into her elbow.

“You misunderstand us. You don’t have to be betrothed. The choice is yours.”

Damian felt slightly attacked. He really did like Marinette, and the betrothal was an easy excuse to ask her out (even if he was a 15 year old). He didn’t know if Marinette felt the same way, and he didn’t want to impose that on her, so he kept quiet.

Marinette, who was looking deep in thought, answered.

“Can I talk to Damian for a while, privately?”

Damian, despite his better judgement, winced. This was probably the first time in a really long time that Marinette called him by his full name. It was normally Dami, Damibear to annoy him, or some other weird nickname like Mr Grumpy Banana this morning.

Regardless, the bluenette hadn’t called him “Damian” for a very long time. Two years, maybe.

She walked out of the room, Damian trailing slightly behind, before stopping a few feet outside the room.

Marinette slid down onto the floor, her back pressed against it and head in her hands. Damian frowned. He didn’t want his best friend looking so.. dejected. He ignored the slight pang of hurt that the thought of being with him could get this kind of reaction out of her.

He sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder like he always did when any of them felt upset. He was happy to feel her lean into his side like she always did.

She turned her head and buried it in Damian’s side, breathing in his comforting scent of paints and nature. He tightened his hold on her ever so slightly and she almost burst into tears.

It wasn’t that she was opposed to being in an engagement with Damian, it was just that she didn’t particularly want to be with anyone or love anyone, especially after her father died and Damian’s father abandoned him.

Her mother and aunt didn’t show it, but they were sad about their fathers. She had heard Talia interacting with her ‘beloved’ before, and it almost always ended up in tears or frustration. (Not that Mari blamed her, Bruce was kind of an asshole.)

She felt Damian’s chin press into her scalp and a hint of a smile grazed her lips. But this was Damian. Damian who was her best friend. Damian who supported her no matter what. Damian who comforted her and was there for her whenever she needed it.

Damian would never hurt her. And she was determined never to hurt him, ever, if she could help it.

She looked up and smiled at Damian. The smile he loved so much, the smile she always had on whenever she saw him, the smile that would unconsciously fly to her lips whenever she heard his voice.

Maybe it was then that Marinette should’ve known that she loved her best friend, but then again, she was only fifteen. She didn’t know what love was. But she would. Very soon.

“We accept.” Damian told Sabine and Talia when they reentered the room.

“We thought you would.” Talia replied.

When Marinette turned 16, her last year at Francois Dupont, six months since she’d made Lila’s time a living hell with her Ladybug (both in suit and in school), and fashion clients connections, the Waynes had visited.

Turns out, Damian and Jason got caught trying to sneak onto the Wayne private jet but instead of stopping them, they insisted they came along too, having pieced together that Damian and Jason were going to visit the mysterious tiny girl they couldn’t find the name of.

So they had no choice.

And os that leads to now, with the Waynes standing in the courtyard, elicting a growing crowd as they waited for Marinette, looking the part of scary rich people that can end your life without a problem.

Damian suddenly started running, and he hugged a girl. No one could see who the girl was because her head was buried in Damian’s chest and his body was shielding hers.

Not many people in the courtyard was surprised when they pulled away and standing there was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. After all, she was one of the most successful students in class that didn’t get fame from famous relatives. No, al her fame was hers alone.

In fact, the only people surprised were Marinette’s class, not-so-fondly referred to as the Akuma Class. Her Consorts were the only one who knew of her betrothed, Damian. Other than that, Marinette had never been willing to share.

When Marinette saw the other Waynes however, after hugging Jason, she rolled her eyes. Bruce, Dick and Tim stalked forwards, looking every inch the scary billionaires they were.

It was broken by Dick hugging the girl and gushing over how cool she was. Tim smiled at her and she had smiled back. Marinette flipped Bruce the bird.

“Why are you... so sunny? You definitely weren’t like that when you threatened us in Gotham. You were such an ice queen.” Tim mentioned, failing to keep the amusement out of his tone.

“What do you mean? Marinette’s always been like that, even if she is a bitch now. There’s no way she can be cold.” Alya remarked snidely.

Alix and Chloe stalked forward, raising thier fists threatningly. But Marinette only laughed coldly.

“You wanna see cold, Cesaire?” Marinette snarled, dropping all acts of being nice.

The Lady was back. Publicly.

The silence was interrupted by Rose, who asked, "But Lila, don't you know the Waynes?"

Said Lila had been trying to slink away unnoticed, but when her name was mentioned, all attention diverted back to her, effectively keeping her in place. Her pale face and scared eyes were enough to tell that she had indeed been lying.

Yells and screams broke out across the courtyard as the Akuma Class berated Lila for lying to them all this while. Until, Marinette interrupted, face set in a ice cold, stony position

"Okay, blame her for lying." She started. "But why did you believe her?"

The Akuma Class drew a blank and didn't respond. Partially because they didn't know what to say, and partially because Marinette's mere presence was overwhelmingly intimidating. Marinette sighed and pressed on.

"Everything the Liar has said can be found faulty by a simple internet search." It was true, and the class knew it. When no one replied, Marinette shook her head sardonically. "You reap what you sow."

She turned to her betrothed. In an instant, her icy mood was gone, replaced with the sunshiney-ness the Akuma Class had grown used to.

"C'mon, Dami!" She gave him a quick peck on the lips, hoisting herself up on Damian's back. Damian grasped her legs tightly, as she continued to be piggybacked by him.

"Onward!" She cried out dramatically, pointing to the school exit.

Damian only rolled his eyes fondly at his beloved, steering themselves out, her Consorts and his family behind them.

None of them looked back.

If they did, they would've seen the expressions of disbelief and regret etched onto every one of her old classmates' faces.

Not that they would care.

5k words yay

also uh yeah again, sorry this took so long, i kept hitting a mental block while writing this and it didnt manage to upload from my phone for no good reason :(

but anyway its up now, i hope u find this acceptable! :)

#maribat #mari is raised by the league #talia is actl a good parent in this fic bc i can #sabine is a queen as always #marinette is a godess #she is an icy queen #yes ik i spelled goddess wrong #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #ml x dc #dc x ml #betrothed #daminette #okay i think im done #i dont really know what else to tag

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miraculousoj · 4 years ago

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LadyNoir July 2021 Day 1: Older

Summary: Just some pre-reveal banter and fluff between LadyNoir. Ladybug spends Chat Noir's birthday with him eating macarons, joking about his age, and discussing his plans as an 18-year-old.

Rating: General audiences

Word count: 1920

Warnings: slight mention of alcohol

"Cats me if you caaan!" Chat Noir sang out as he ran across the Parisian rooftops under the night sky. The cool autumn air hugged his face as he laughed, jumping from building to building, running from his lady in their usual game of catch; the loser had to bring food to the next patrol. If he got to their rendezvous point before she caught him, he'd win, if she caught him before that, she'd win.

If Ladybug were to be completely honest, she didn't mind losing and purposely tried to lose at times since she knew bringing fresh pastries was easy for her seeing as her family owned a bakery and she had no idea what Chat noir's financial situation may have been outside of his superhero life. Listening to him talk, he usually seemed like his home life was nothing to envy - he often spoke about his neglectful father, his deceased mother and busy schedule; though he did not give specific enough information to reveal his identity. It seemed that the only happiness in his life was being a superhero and attending school, something that had to mean that his home life was absolutely horrendous since she couldn't imagine anyone enjoying school. Nonetheless, he always put on a smile during their late-night patrols and akuma fights, seldom showing sadness or pain. It was only during the end of patrols when they'd sit and talk for an hour where he'd express his misfortunes in life but never in a way to gain sympathy. He'd always state them matter-of-factly as if narrating his life without seeming too beaten up about it. Maybe he had just gotten accustomed to it, that thought broke her heart. So she always tried to bring him his favourite pastries - croissants and macarons which he would gulp down graciously, almost as if he hadn't eaten at all that day.

"Seems like I'm the faster hero today m'lady!" Chat Noir taunted as Ladybug finally jumped to the roof that he had been standing on for about two minutes. Chat Noir contorted his body, flexing his biceps and triceps, earning an eye roll and chuckle from Ladybug. "Cats got your tongue? These bad boys right here got you stunned huh, m'lady?" He said, smiling proudly and moving his eyebrows up and down.

"As if Chaton," Ladybug retorted, hiding her blush and strutting towards him.

Standing directly in front of each other, he looked down at her acknowledging the height difference which increased by almost six inches in the past two years. It was in these moments when he noticed how much more beautiful she had become over the years. She looked up through hooded eyes, got onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek gently. Chat Noir gasped, his jaw fell open and his eyes widened in shock. She had never done that before.

With a flick of his bell and a giggle, Ladybug whispered, "Happy birthday, Chaton" into his ear causing Chat Noir to regain his senses.

"Y-you remembered?" He asked wide-eyed, turning to his left to face Ladybug who had now walked over to the box of treats she had brought. They usually left the treats at the rendezvous point to indulge in whilst hanging out and chatting after patrols.

As she sat, Ladybug asked, "Why wouldn't I? I even marked it on my calendar so I wouldn't forget. You're one of my best friends, and I never forget a friend’s birthday." If it wasn't for the darkness of the corner she sat in, Chat Noir would've seen her face turning as red as her mask.

He was speechless. Ladybug had marked his birthday on her calendar and even considered him more than a friend, yeah it was a best friend, but it was more than a friend, so he was obviously climbing the relationship ladder in some way.

He resorted to saying a grateful thank you instead of asking too many questions, also he was famished and tired and just wanted to put his head in his lady's lap and eat some of those delicious Dupain-Cheng pastries she always brought. Oh how he loved them. He was even good friends with the bakers’ daughter who sat behind him in class. She was an extraordinary girl and he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't considered asking her on a date a few times but his schedules didn't permit it and his heart belonged to Ladybug but by all means, if Ladybug didn't exist, he'd be head over heels for Marinette. She reminded him so much of Ladybug too, the way she took control during akuma attacks, stood up for others, helped those in need, brought pastries to school and she even told him Happy birthday that morning and gifted him some macarons.

"Chaton" Ladybug’s cooing broke him from his thoughts of Marinette. He constantly compared them and if you asked, he wouldn't admit it but he would be a little disappointed if she wasn’t the girl under the mask.

As he dropped his body next to Ladybug’s and threw his head into her lap, she began running her hands through his hair and they both peered into each other's eyes in silence for a while. Friends. That's what they were but this wasn't what friends did, at least none of Adrien's friends did this. Except for the couples, of course. However, he dare not complain in case she stopped. He let the moment continue until she broke eye contact to fetch a macaron from the box to feed him. Another thing that friends did not do. But he ate it happily, it tasted like passionfruit, like the same ones Marinette gave him that morning. It came from the same bakery after all and they were his favourite flavour both as Chat Noir and Adrien so it was only obvious that his respective ladies would gift him his favourite flavour.

"So how old are you now Chat?" Ladybug asked with a smile, she obviously knew but was just asking the usual birthday question.

"Eighteen," he replied sitting up, the number echoed in his mind and his eyes widened slightly. "I'm eighteen," he repeated a bit louder with a smile, this time, "finally legal. How old are you, m'lady?" He taunted, leaning towards her with a Cheshire cat smile, poking her cheek.

Ladybug narrowed her eyes and flared her nose, "Seventeen," she whispered "but I'm turning eighteen in two months, you know that," she stated louder, scowling with her arms folded.

"I'm oollldeer than you!” Chat Noir sang out pinching her cheeks and laughing. "Aww, babybug is maad, she's angwy, absolutely fwustwated," he teased in the most babyish, high-pitched voice he could have made whilst gently tugging at her now warm, reddening cheeks. "She's bwushing!" he exclaimed and fell backwards laughing wholeheartedly. He only felt this happy with her. Chat Noir’s laugh was contagious, to say the least, so although Ladybug tried her best to look angry, she couldn't hold in her laughter and began laughing too.

As their laughter died down, Chat Noir sat up, slouching down to rest his head on her shoulder. Ideal sitting position. He hated having to sit upright and maintain that prim and proper form for extended periods of time. Yeah, he knew that slouching was bad posture but he wanted to be a normal kid who didn't need to worry about posture.

"Hey Ladybug, now that I'm eighteen, I bet I could probably buy some wine for us," Chat Noir said excitedly.

"Oh!" Ladybug looked at him in wonder. They both had had wine many times before but had never been able to get wine-drunk especially together. Gabriel never allowed Adrien to have more than half a glass of wine to maintain his pristine image and Marinette’s parents didn’t necessarily like alcohol so they rarely cooked or baked with it unless an order or recipe specifically required it. Therefore, they never kept it around the house or encouraged Marinette to drink.

Both teenagers looked at each other grinning, they had talked on many occasions about their desire to experience what being drunk was like. Now that Chat Noir was eighteen, he could pull through for them and bring a bottle or two during one of the patrols in the future.

"Wow, you've got perks to being older, huh?"

Chat Noir laughed, "Definitely, but I gotta use my powerup within the next two months else you'll come and snatch it from me!" Both teenagers laughed, revelling in their company and happiness.

"But I think what I really want to do now that I'm eighteen, is organize to move out of my dad's house." Chat Noir said, feeling the atmosphere become heavy. Ladybug nodded, allowing him to continue. "Maybe I'll get an apartment and you can come visit me sometime," he had a faraway look in his eye and a small smile.

Ladybug knew sharing their identities was a dangerous idea and going to his apartment would only reveal his own but she also knew that their relationship as superhero partners needed the reveal soon or things may begin to fall apart.

She felt herself falling for Chat Noir more and more each day, the way he fought valiantly at her side and trusted her no matter what, and the way his eyes twinkled when she called him Chaton or scratched his chin. Her descent was slow and gradual at first but then she began thinking about him after patrols, ‘Does he go home? Does he stay out for a bit longer? Does he do homework or did he finish that before patrols? What time does he go to bed? What time does he wake up? Did he eat?' So many questions spiralled her mind each and every day, she couldn't control her feelings. She even resorted to telling him to send her a message when he got home so she'd know that he was safe, of course, she blamed it on the danger of akumas, not her feelings for him. She even stayed transformed until she got his 'I'm home bugaboo <3' message through her yoyo. Oh how she lived for that little heart at the end and the one time he didn't send it, she had a slight panic about whether or not he was okay, if they were okay. But he sent it in a separate message with an asterisk twenty seconds later. And that's when Ladybug knew she had it bad for Chat Noir, maybe even as bad as she had it for Adrien. The descent after that was like being thrown off of a cliff, she fell, and hard too.

Did she want to go to Chat Noir’s house one day? Hell yeah she did! But she couldn't. Things bigger than them and older than them were at work in the universe and there was no telling what could happen at any moment.

"M'lady?" Chat Noir’s voice broke into Ladybug’s thoughts, "you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I-I was just thinking about um...uh if I saw any apartments in the classifieds or on social media lately," she lied.

"Oh, ahaha. It's fine, don't worry yourself with that m’lady, I'll sort that out when I'm ready. Plus, father’s not letting me move out anytime soon,” he patted her knee, “Right now I'm focused on us enjoying the end of my birthday together." With that, they both smiled peacefully and leaned into each other as they watched the moon and ate the macarons and croissants in silence.

@ladynoirjuly

Also posted on AO3

#ladynoir july #day 1: older #miraculous ladybug #mlb fanfic #fluff #banter #ladynoirjuly2021 #alcohol

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 4 years ago

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Gabriel Agreste: Interesting Villain, Horrible Character (400 Follower Special)

I'm honestly surprised more people didn't want me to talk about Gabriel, especially with how often I rag on how horrible of a person he is. But, three character analysis posts later, and we're going to talk about why the main villain of Miraculous Ladybug is a real letdown.

Gabriel Needs to give the Whining a Rest

The interesting thing is one of the few things I actually liked in Season 3 was Hawkmoth. His plans actually made sense (for the most part), and by playing the long game, he managed to turn Chloe against Ladybug and deprived her of several key allies. Granted, Season 4 immediately undid the latter, but I was still impressed by his strategy.

Generally, one of the better aspects of Gabriel as a character was just how over the top he was as Hawkmoth. Keith Silverstein is clearly giving it his all with his performance, and he is just so enjoyable to watch as a cartoonish supervillain.

And therein lies the first major problem with Gabriel as a character. While he is fun to watch as a simple supervillain, the show tries to give him more depth and unintentionally makes him worse.

In Season 2, when it was revealed that Gabriel was Hawkmoth, many fans speculated on what he needed the Miraculous for, until the Queen Bee Trilogy showed it was to save his possibly dead wife, Emilie. The idea of that is so the show can give more depth to its main villain, and I think it's an interesting idea in concept. After all, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

The problem is just how radically different Gabriel is normally compared to how he is as Hawkmoth. He always goes on about how he's “doing this for Emilie”, but it's hard to really sympathize with him when you consider he constantly gives evil monologues and evil laughs, really getting into the supervillain role. And let's not forget all of the “I'm going to wear Ladybug's skin as a suit” faces he loves to make.

Clearly this man is the picture of mental stability.

Gabriel's motivation for being Hawkmoth when compared to what he actually does as Hawkmoth is shady enough, but the thing is that the writers clearly want the audience to at least feel a little bad for him. They want to make the audience sympathize with him despite the way he acts with or without the mask. Without Miraculous Ladybug, he is routinely putting innocent lives in danger and never once shows regret for his actions. All he talks about is how “he's doing this for Emilie”, or that “he'll get their Miraculous soon”. There's no real reason to feel bad for him other than “because the script says so”.

Let's compare Gabriel to Malcolm Merlyn from Arrow. His big plan in the first season of the show is to create a machine that will cause an earthquake to destroy a crime-infested portion of Starling City, claiming to be trying to help everyone, but it's clear he is only doing it out of revenge for his wife getting killed by a criminal from that part of the city. In addition, throughout that season and future seasons, he always makes sure his plans lead to him benefiting in some way, showing he isn't just some noble man trying to achieve his goals with a less than noble method.

If we got some moments that showed that what Gabriel was doing was selfish, it would make him a more complex villain. But we don't get anything like that. What do we get instead? Well...

I Could Really Care Less About Emilie Agreste

We have known Gabriel's motivation has been to save his wife for a little over two years at this point, but at the same time, it's hard to believe that motivation because of how underdeveloped Emilie is as a character.

There have been a total of two lines in the entirety of the show that explain what happened to Emilie, and they're both vague as hell. One of them was from “Feast” that implied Emilie used the broken Peacock Miraculous.

Adrien: My mom used to have dizzy spells… just like Nathalie.

And the other that outright tells the audience what's happening to her in a clip show that most people will skip.

Nathalie: As I've watched Emilie falling deeper into an endless sleep, my sadness for her has deepened, too

That is literally all we get for an explanation, and nothing else. We have no idea of what she's like as a person or what her relationship with her family was like other than Gabriel and Adrien saying they miss her. Other than the way the narrative says she's important to Gabriel and Adrien, we don't really have a reason to care about her as a character. There have also been some lines that imply she went along with Gabriel's questionable parenting techniques, like how he was apparently only homeschooled as a kid (Origins) and never had a birthday party growing up (The Bubbler), so how do we even know if she's a good person? In fact, why not set up this question as a mystery to make the audience wonder if Gabriel has another reason to bring Emilie back?

It ultimately turns Emilie into a plot device and not a character that Gabriel and Adrien only bring up to make the audience feel bad for them, and meant to justify Gabriel's actions by saying that he's “doing this for his family”.

But hey, if he's doing this all for his family, surely Gabriel's redeeming traits come from his relationship with Adrien, right? Right?

As a Parent, Gabriel is Far From the Best

I've talked about this briefly before, but parenting in Miraculous Ladybug is written in such a black and white way, even by the standards of this show. Parents are portrayed in one of two ways. They're either amazing people who love and support their children unconditionally, or they're awful people who treat their own children like trash. And much like a lot of things in this show, there are times where the latter is treated like the former.

There are so many times where the narrative insists on making you see Gabriel as a troubled, but wellmeaning person who tries his best to be a good parent to Adrien, but it is far from the truth.

I'm not going to beat around the bush. Gabriel is a terrible parent. Like, he is awful at being a parent in so many ways, even before you find out he's Hawkmoth. In his first appearance, “The Bubbler”, he delegates getting Adrien a birthday present to Nathalie, his assistant. He literally can't be bothered to take time out of his schedule to get his own son a present for his birthday. And as the show goes on, he becomes more controlling and forbids Adrien from going out with his friends in other episodes (Captain Hardrock, Silencer). While this could be used to show Gabriel getting worse, it's never acknowledged in-universe, with Adrien continually defending his father essentially keeping him on house arrest.

“But IOTA!” You might say. “Gabriel has made efforts to bond with his son in some episodes.” While that might be true, most of those come right after his Akumas have almost gotten Adrien killed. He only hugged Adrien and made an attempt to learn more about him after Simon Says invaded their home, he only decided to watch that movie Emilie was in with Adrien after Gorizilla nearly dropped him off a building, and he only hugged Adrien again in public after he was turned into a gold statue by Style Queen.

In fact, let's talk about how Gabriel acts in the Queen Bee Trilogy. He actually decides to quit being Hawkmoth, but it's not because he realizes all the damage he's caused. Instead, he gave up because his “magnum opus”, a stronger than usual Akuma that only got the advantage on Ladybug ironically because of dumb luck, failed. Sure, he says he can't keep putting his son in danger, but he rarely ever acknowledges that he does so in the first place. When Riposte wanted to fight Adrien, Hawkmoth did nothing to stop her other than giving her a stern warning earlier on and nothing else. Where was this attitude earlier?

Hell, even then, he immediately goes back to being Hawkmoth as soon as he sees an opportunity, not even a day after his “mAgNuM oPuS” blew up in his face (because I guess Scarletmoth was just Plan B). If he made such a big deal about caring for his son, why didn't he try harder to spend time with him? Has he ever had doubts about what he's doing before? If Chloe didn't show up as Queen Bee, was he going to follow through on his promise and try to be a better father to Adrien instead of trying to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous?

And yeah, the whole irony is that Gabriel is doing this for his family when he is unknowingly fighting his own son, which could lead to some interesting drama if done right. The idea of how Gabriel would react to his son being Cat Noir could really lead to some internal struggles for him to go through. But then we got “Cat Blanc”, which shows just how terrible of a character Gabriel is.

In an alternate timeline where he found out his son was Cat Noir, what does Gabriel do? Does he try to steal Adrien's Miraculous while he's sleeping? Does he reconsider his actions or realize he was endangering Adrien's life?

NOPE! He just decides to akumatize him all while emotionally tormenting him, before causing the end of the world.

This is honestly one of the most appalling things I've ever seen in any TV show, because it's basically an abusive father ordering his son to listen to him all while referencing his (kind of) dead mother to back up his point. And rather than use this to show how despicable Gabriel is, the episode decides to blame Marinette for this happening. Yes, according to the show, her present to Adrien caused several events to happen which caused Cat Blanc, but this logic makes no sense. It's like blaming the JFK assassination on the man who sold a gun to Lee Harvey Oswald, instead of, you know, Lee Harvey Oswald.

Not only was this episode yet another excuse to blame Marinette for something that wasn't her fault, it leads into the biggest problem I have with Gabriel as a character.

Sympathize with Gabriel? Surely, You Jest

After everything I've gone over regarding Gabriel as a character, after all the awful things I've talked about, are you really surprised that I don't feel bad for him at all?

Gabriel is just an awful character and a despicable human being, but the show just keeps wanting me to feel bad for him. It's just so hard to when you consider everything he's done has made him anything but sympathetic. I'm just saying, it's kind of hard to feel bad for someone who tries to start World War III with the only justification being “i'M dOiNg It FoR mY fAmIlY”, especially when he treats his family like crap.

The writers go out of their way to show how horrible Gabriel is as Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth, but they think because they throw in a few moments where he looks conflicted, we'll immediately feel bad for him. What makes so many people interested in seeing Chloe become a better person is that they can tell she's the victim of a troubled upbringing, and know that because she's only a teenager, she still has room to grow as a person, represented by having more honest moments of vulnerability. Gabriel is a grown man who once caused the apocalypse because of how terrible of a parent he is, and has even fewer sympathetic moments than Chloe does. Which one of these two is supposedly irredeemable? The answer may surprise you.

But the frustrating thing is that this kind of villain could have worked. Instead of making him this mustache-twirling psychopath, show how much Gabriel regrets what he has to do, but keeps pushing onward despite all the lives he's risking if it means that he can save his wife. Instead of making Gabriel like Lex Luthor, make him like Mr. Freeze, who is basic a better written version of him.

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But as it stands, there's a good reason why Gabriel gets little to no respect as a character in the Miraculous Ladybug fandom, as a villain, or as a father.

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