#adrien is hurting and NO ONE IS NOTICING

[fizzytoo]

[actually-factually-anonymous]

It really is quite a disappointment. Evidently Chat Blanc and everything that happened in the episode meant nothing.

I'd already heard that the writers had stated the real reason for the Ladynoir conflict boiled down to her "being busy with her new responsibilities". But having it confirmed that everything in season four essentially was down to her just not considering him leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

These two are at the bare minimum supposed to be friends. But while I can see Marinette treating Alya as a friend and trusted partner in that season, all Chat seems to be is a subordinate who hasn't even been given the grace of knowing he's been demoted from partner.

And while it was always weird to imagine the reason that Maribug shut Chat out was because of Chat Blanc when their interactions in S3 never really changed, at least it made sense. But now? Why would Marinette push Chat away when she needs help? Why wouldn't she turn to her partner and then only uncompromised teammate when she's under pressure?

There's a perfectly good sidekick right there ready to assist, even if secrecy means that he can't get involved in Guardian matters (hypocrisy considered Alya's identity was spilled already and she's allowed in, but it is what it is); why not have him help where he can? Why not let him know important details like there being a secret member of the team who watches over them from afar- if only for the practical reason that if Chat Noir finds a unknown superpowered person spying on the team in their weakest moments it's going to be the Scarabella incident all over again.

Oh well. I suppose when Marinette gets busy she only has attention for her priorities.

I have yet to recover from how viciously season 5 blew hole after hole into the reading that Marinette is deeply traumatized by Chat Blanc and that heavily influenced her bad treatment of him in season 4.

Season 5 rlly just said "nah, she's perfectly fine with it now". They just annihilated that explaination with everything they got and explained absolutely nothing. Why would you DO that?

[servicpop]

NOW STARRING : deliquent (almost) bf (Adrien) x good student reader

「ㅤNSFWㅤ」ㅤAdrien gets a bit lonely and pulls reader under the staircase during break!

✙ warnings — semi-public sex, masturbation, orgasm denial, reader isn't 100% submissive, dirty talk / like 2 sentences of degradation and praise / not actually dating / slight internalised homophobia / mentions of bisexual Adrien

notes ,, first smut, hope I did well -> part 1 | not proofread!

"Fuck— keep quiet alright?"

When Adrien left a cryptic text message saying to meet underneath the staircase, you at first thought you had done something wrong and he was going to beat you up for whatever you did. But, turns out — it was a really silly reason — that Adrien saw this couple making out underneath the tree they had and he wanted to experience something like that with you. Obviously because friends help friends right?

Underneath the staircase was quite dim and almost eerie. It wasn't as romantic as kissing underneath a cherry blossom tree but when have you two ever been the cheesy romantic type? When you arrived, he pulled you in close, wrapping his arms around you like he had been reunited with his long lost lover — which wasn't too far off since he truly believed that you two dated in a previous life. When he hugged you, you tried to act nonchalant, you tried to ignore the warmth that his chest gave off or how safe you felt in his stupdily built arms. Friends aren't supposed to feel like this to eachother, especially if both parties are men!

"Did you call me over just to hug?" You chuckled softly, fighting every bone in your body to not hug him back. You gotta be strong, you can't fall for a deliquent bad boy, it's too cliché.

"I called you over to fuck."

"Wait, what?"

You felt Adrien's hand grip the back of your head, pulling your hair hard enough to tilt your chin up but not hard enough to hurt (he can't be hurting his precious boy). His chapped lips met yours, it was obvious that he didn't take very good care of his lips but that didn't matter, you'd help him out later. The kiss was rough and almost experimental as if Adrien had never kissed another in his life — which was wrong seeing how he's had multiple girlfriends in the past — he seemed almost hesitant, unsure.

Fuck it. Just this once you'd give in to Adrien, but that doesn't mean you were dating him!

You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer as you prod your tongue against his lips, you figured you would demonstrate how to kiss properly to him, he was a hands on learner after all. His eyes widened slightly and his hands dropped to your waist, supporting your balance as he hesitantly opened his mouth, letting your tongue explore. It was weird because usually he'd be the one always taking control but your occasional leading was a breath of fresh air.

After awhile he pulled away with a smirk, "I got it," he replied before picking you up and forcing you to rely on him for stability. A small squeak left your throat as you were hoisted up in the air and pressed against the wall, your legs instinctively wrapped around Adrien's waist. He kissed you again except this time he took dominance, roughly exploring your mouth, poking and prodding at anything he could find. He was so rough that you hadn't noticed his belt come off until the metal clinked on the ground, then you realised what was poking at your ass.

Shit, he was big. Not necessarily in length but girth and thickness, it was practically the perfect all-rounder.

"Wait— Adrien, condom?" You stuttered, the fear finally settling in now. Its not like you were a virgin, just that you've never had someone like... Adrien. His eyes met yours in slight disappointment but he didn't want to go too far on his first time with you, plus, he wasn't even dating you so why would he go so far? Shaking off his thoughts he nodded, rummaging in his pocket for one while keeping you pressed against the cold wall.

"Jerk me off first? The latex gets uncomfortable to put on," He put on a fake pout, letting you stand as he held his throbbing cock out for you to see. You huffed, he was definitely lying but you'd humour him. Just for today.

You reached down, your warm palm engulfing his tip and he let out a low grown in response. Your thumb rubbed against his slit and a smile cracked onto your face when you saw the pre-cum leaking out already. His forearms caged you in as his head hung low, you could see his eyebrows furrowing and the way his face contorted in pleasure. Adrien's hips grinded up into your fist, matching your rhythm as you stroked his cock, gripping tighter at the base before swirling your thumb on his tip. It was almost like you were massaging his climax out.

"S-shit how are you so good with your hands," He sucked in air between his teeth as he hissed, groans and low moans slipped out of his mouth like water. Eager hips bucked up into your fist, chasing his release. "Close, fuck—" He cursed under his breath, his hips almost slamming into your hand, his body trembed as he was so close. His eyes flew open as he looked down to see your thumb covering his urethral opening, denying him of an orgasm, "Wh–?"

"That's enough isn't it? It should slip on easily now," You grinned, taking the condom from his hand and ripping it open with your fingers, rolling the rubber over his now overly sensitive dick. He stared in disbelief, you just... denied him? Him? Oh you were getting it now.

"You little pervert," Adrien chuckled darkly as he whipped you around, pressing your chest against the wall and holding your arms behind your back. It wasn't the most comfortable position ever but your uncomfort was interrupted when he pulled your pants down with your boxers. It was embarassing to say the least, showing off your ass like this to another guy, you were glad you had to face the wall, otherwise you might’ve crumbled from embarrassment if you saw how hungry Adrien looked.

He was teasing you. Edging you. Slipping his cock along your entrance but never actually pushing in. You were dying of anticipation because from your position, it was hard to see anything other than the walls. A surprised and embarrassingly loud moan slipped out and you'd cover your mouth if it wasn't for Adrien's hand binding your wrists together. Adrien had slammed his hips into you, his cock buried deep inside you. No warning no nothing, he was truly cruel. One hand was gripping your hip while the other hand let go of your wrists, you were finally able to stabilise yourself against the wall but long fingers thrusted their way into your mouth. Well this was new.

You gagged slightly around his fingers as you tried to say something about it but your words were blocked by Adrien's middle and ring finger. His hips also began to pick up speed, pulling out almost fully before slamming back in. You were kind of thankful for his thick fingers blocking and muffling your moans or else people were sure to catch you two fucking like bunnies underneath the staircase.

He leaned down so that his chest was flush against your back and the hand that was gripping your hip turned into his arm linking around your waist as he held you close. Adrien's breath fanned your ear before he spoke, "You know those– puppy bandages you gave me yesterday?" His question was broken from panting and groans as he kept thrusting. "Where did you buy them? I– fuck– want them," Adrien chuckled.

You would answer if you didn't have two fingers stuffed in your throat. "You know... good boys don't gatekeep, you don't wanna be good for me?" Fuck. You were never the one for praise but that? That made you cum on the spot. Your knees gave out as your poor cock spurted out white but Adrien was already keeping you up right. He laughed, his gravelly laugh travelled straight through your ears and to your cock. He smiled against your shoulder, almost like he was hugging you from behind, he quickly came after you. Shame that it wasn't inside you but it would do for now.

You both panted, and he took this opportunity of vulnerability from you to sink his teeth into your skin, eliciting a small gasp from you, "What the fuck Adrien?" The bell rung, indicating that break was over and you whined, fixing your uniform before pulling your boxers and your pants up, wincing from the weird sticky feeling from not cleaning up. Adrien was already dressed and he waved you off, quickly running off to a spot where he could skip the next few classes with his friends. You'd have to fix yourself up in the bathroom later.

BONUS

"Did you seriously cum from my praise?

"No, it's just a normal reaction."

"Who's a good boy?"

"Fuck you..."

"Nope! Never letting you top."

"I didn't mean it like that!"

♡

notes ,, the smut wasn't as detailed as I wanted it to be but I get fics done in like a day so I didn't want it to be so long, anyways! That's adrien, I'll be working on a fic for my next oc "

[ladyofthenoodle]

fic idea from 2020 that the paris special unearthed from the archives of my brain:

So far, there wasn’t a single thing about this new reality that wasn’t terrible. She was grounded, for some reason, which she didn’t know about, and was therefore double grounded for breaking the rules of the grounding. Which she hadn’t known about!

To make matters worse, when she’d gone to text Alya to complain about the unfairness of it all, she realized she didn’t have Alya’s number. In fact, she didn’t have anyone’s number except her parents, Nadja Chamack, her grandmother, and someone called The Supreme.

She next turned to Tikki to vent, but when she checked her (admittedly cool) purse, she found her kwami wide-eyed, terrified, and most horrifiyingly, muzzled—which Marinette couldn’t figure out a way to undo. 

So she was stuck in the bakery on a Saturday morning with angry parents and no one to talk to and no ideas on how to get out of the worst version of Paris possible.

Which is when Adrien Agreste’s bodyguard walked in. Brief hope flared in her heart before extinguishing just as quickly when she saw he was alone.

Which she should’ve expected. With how awful this world was, she wouldn’t be surprised if Adrien didn’t even exist here. She couldn’t imagine a world this awful with him in it.

She bagged up the Gorilla’s order with a heavy heart and sent him on his way before looking out the bakery display window with a sigh.

Only to spot Adrien Agreste himself, with an asymmetrical haircut and thick kohl around his eyes, staring back at her. He was different than her Adrien—and she couldn’t say she was a fan of the hair—but he was just as handsome, and his eyes even more striking with the eyeliner.

When he noticed her looking, his eyes widened and his cheeks started to turn pink.

Was he blushing?

Marinette could feel her own cheeks heating up as he stared. She ventured a small, embarrassed wave, and he—he!—

He lifted his own hand, brought it to his lips, and blew her a kiss.

Crash!

Marinette, along with about 300 macarons, toppled to the floor.

“Good morning, Marinette!” said Adrien Agreste, during a time that was decidedly morning but far too early to be described as ‘good.’ 

She scowled at him.

“Girl, you okay?” said Alya Césaire, who was—who was speaking to her.

Right.

Alya Césaire was speaking to her. Because Alya Césaire, Hesperia’s favorite lackey, was apparently Marinette’s best friend.

And Adrien Agreste was the boy Marinette was in love with.

She plastered a smile on her face. “I’m great, Alya! Super dee duper. Absolutely swell. What a beautiful morning with all the sunshine and the…. morning.”

Alya looked unconvinced.

“And the Adriens!” Marinette added hastily. “I mean, the Adrien. Because there’s only one Adrien and he sure is… here. Hello Adrien! Your face is looking very attractive this morning, because you are an attractive person. And that’s… something positive I can say about you.”

“Thanks, Marinette!” said Adrien with a dopey little smile. She wasn’t sure if he was mocking her or just deeply stupid. If her diary entries were to be believed, it was probably the latter. “Your face is looking attractive this morning as well. Did you do something new with your makeup?”

Marinette had done her makeup the same way she did every day, but she supposed his Marinette opted for a boring girl next door ‘no makeup makeup’ look.

Alya squealed next to her before giving her shoulder an excited squeeze.

Marinette took several deep breaths.

“Yes, I thought I’d try something new.”

Adrien smiled and nodded.

Alya shoved her forward.

Marinette barely managed to restrain herself from sending Alya a patented Toxinelle Death Glare. Instead, she smiled wider at Adrien.

Her cheeks hurt.

“Thank you soooooo much for noticing my makeup. That is a thing I am excited about. I love putting on makeup to impress cute boys, tee hee!”

Adrien’s face fell. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply—I know you always dress for you, Marinette! That’s something I really admire about you.”

His eyes were so earnest, so sincere, and for a second, she almost—

Marinette cleared her throat. “That’s so nice! You can leave now.”

Adrien blinked. 

“Bye!” She shooed him.

“Oh, um, bye Marinette,” he said with a sheepish wave, and then he left.

Nailed it.

“Girl, what the actual fuck?”

[aphroditelovesu]

Yandere Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Adrien Agreste Headcanons (Poly!Romantic)

❝🐞 — lady l: hi!! I finally wrote this and it's set in an au where they eventually discover each other's identities to make more sense. I hope you like it and forgive me for any mistakes! ❤️

❝tw: obsessive and possessive behavior, stalking, polyamorous and unhealthy relationships.

❝🐞pairing: yandere!adrinette/ladynoir x gender neutral!reader.

Everything was always very complicated between them. Marinette in love with Adrien and Adrien in love with Ladybug, both unaware of each other's identities and feelings.

Marinette always remained hiding her feelings for Adrien, too embarrassed to say anything and Adrien continued to yearn for Ladybug. This continued for a long time, until your arrival in their lives.

You were a new student and felt out of place after leaving your old school and your friends. You hoped to make friends at this new school, but you were afraid you wouldn't be able to do so. But luckily, or unluckily, you met Marinette first and she introduced you to her friends, who immediately liked you.

Marinette liked you, at first sight, you were so kind and sweet. She almost fell right there and it confused her, but she couldn't help but admire you.

Adrien became interested in you after a few conversations, and you caught his interest and attraction. He had something about you that made him attracted, and curious, an unknown feeling that he wanted to feel more of.

It wasn't difficult to notice their interest in you, Marinette constantly stuttering and blushing when you were around and Adrien, although shy, loved flirting with you and seeing you blush.

It wasn't easy to admit their interest in you, Marinette was still in love with Adrien but she really was in love with you, therefore, she didn't know what to do. Adrien was more resolute and acted in the way he knew how wanting to declare himself because he could no longer keep his feelings to himself.

Adrien was the one who first noticed Marinette's interest in you and he was surprised to notice that he didn't have a problem with it. If it were anyone else, he would have, but not with her. Because Marinette had a habit of stalking you incessantly, it didn't take long for her to realize that Adrien liked you. She was curious and excited, not jealous like she thought she would be.

They talked and decided to act quickly, both confessing to you. You were surprised and flattered and accepted, and finally, a romance happening.

Marinette is very jealous and overprotective, always wanting to know where you are and she will be very worried if she doesn't know. She will go so far as to use her Miraculous to look for you, even knowing the consequences.

Adrien is possessive, getting jealous very easily, and doesn't react well to it. He doesn't like it when you're with someone other than him and Marinette and will use intimidation to make someone stay away from you, whether with money or even his Miraculous.

They have always been very protective of you and at any sign of danger you will be quickly hidden and protected. They already talked about giving you a Miraculous, but Adrien considered it too dangerous. There was always a chance you could get hurt and he wasn't going to allow it.

You are spoiled intensely, clothes made by Marinette and bought by Adrien, jewelry, food, expensive and extravagant gifts to the simplest ones, like roses. You will never lack for anything as long as they are by your side.

They want to see you happy more than anything and will do everything to make that happen. They can't even think about the idea of ​​you being akumatized, the idea alone sends them into a frenzy at the thought of it happening to you. No, they have to be sure that this will never happen.

Marinette is very kind and soft, a mask of her true stalker and extremely jealous side. Adrien is kind and calm, always with a smile on his face and ready to make you smile, but he acts very strangely when you don't do what he asks.

They know they shouldn't use Miraculous for selfish reasons but when it comes to you, they won't care. Marinette doesn't care about ruining herself for you and Adrien has been ruined for a long time.

You are theirs and anyone who tries to get in the way will suffer the consequences. After all, you didn't just belong to Marinette and Adrien, but also to Ladybug and Cat Noir.

[lilybecca1]

So I noticed something when I was looking at how Izuku smiled at Katsuki...something about it just seemed familiar and I couldn't put my finger on what it was.

Until NOW

Like the way his smile just looks so fond, it's different than how he usually smiles at other people. There's just something about it that just screams that it's the look of love to me. But I couldn't really explain it or compare it to anything else before.

Well now I finally put two and two together and realized what it reminded me of...THIS MF

The way he looks at Marinette, he was so obviously in love with her, like can y'all see it too? The way his eyebrows relax and scrunch upwards, that fond smile.. IT'S LITERALLY THE SAME

I think generally animators have similar ways to show expressions, and this fondness, this genuine awe is something that I have also seen quite a lot of times before. That smile and that expression that you hold for the person that means so much more to you than anyone else, who you genuinely love from the bottom of your heart because they've shown a side to life and feelings that you never knew before. That smile is reserved for the person who your life wouldn't be the same without.

And his small laugh here ahhhyhshxhsjsj

It's such a sweet laugh like how Adrien laughs at Marinette too because he finds her awkwardness sweet.

And when you look at the parallels, it's so obvious. Like the moment Cat Noir realized he was in love with Ladybug as he looked up at her in awe:

And Katsuki's proud smile as he was looking up at Deku:

Then there's the fact that they both blindly trust each other because they know that the other would always win and save the other, no matter what:

Even Cat Noir sacrificed himself so much in the past for Ladybug to win, because he knew she'd always win..just like how Bakugo sacrificed himself for Izuku because he knew he'd never give up

"You know I like to fight by your side. But against you? Never"

"I could never hurt the person I love"

But that's not all. Remember the APOLOGY scene IN THE RAIN when Marinette fell in love with Adrien?

Yeah, now look at the Bakudeku version of it. The fact that Adrien and Bakugo both opened up and apologized and both of it happened in the rain..and look at Izuku's reaction to the apology. You can't tell me that he didn't fall in love a little at that moment just like how Marinette did. It's literally the same minus all the blushing and the smiling.

Want more? Well, here's Season 4 ending when Cat Noir reached his hand out to Ladybug, giving her back the hope after she has already lost all of it. Showing her that they can still do it, together. That she hasn't lost everything as long as he's still there. Reminds you of something?

And then as they look out at the distance with newfound hope...just like how Bakugo and Deku did at the cliff in that one Memories episode.

There are literally SO MANY parallels between them, and this is a CANON COUPLE that we are talking about, who are CANONICALLY IN LOVE. This is NOT a coincidence. Even if these are not meant to be parallels, the fact that they are so similar means that their dynamic, their relationship is very similar. So if we took bkdk in Miraculous context, then they'd be a couple. If there was even a tiny bit of flirting between them, it would be undeniable. In Miraculous, they are meant to be a couple, so it's obviously portrayed in their interactions that there is something between them. In MHA however, they are not specifically made to be canon, but their dynamic is essentially the same. They are the person that they trust the most, they rely on each other, trust each other with their life. They have no doubt in the other, they know that the other would always win. Their life wouldn't be the same without the other. They're Yin and Yang, just like Marinette and Adrien. The Sun and Moon.

Bonus:

The way she holds Cat Noir's tail reminds me a lot of how Izuku was holding Bakugo's tie lmao

When their eyes meet

Ladybug getting angry at the villain for hurting Cat Noir like Deku losing it when Bakugo gets hurt

[frickingnerd]

kiss me before i lose my mind

pairing: luka couffaine x gn!reader

summary: luka knows he really shouldn't kiss you in public, to keep your relationship a secret. but he just can't keep his hands off you...

tags: secret relationship, mari crushing on luka & adrien crushing on reader, almost caught kissing, use of y/n, kissing, luka is a bad liar, luka is so in love with reader, dancing (reader & adrien)

seeing you smile at him like this but being unable to hold you close and kiss you was absolutely killing luka. 

but you and luka had decided to keep your relationship a secret from your friends, ever since the two of you got together a few weeks ago. after all, making your relationship public would only end up hurting someone. everyone knew that marinette had a thing for luka, as well as that adrien had a little crush on you as well. those two were your friends and you really didn't want to hurt them by making out in front of them, but it was getting harder and harder as time went by to keep your relationship a secret. 

the two of you were currently at a party that rose was hosting, having arrived there separately, only to find your way towards each other once everyone had arrived. despite trying to keep it hidden, you still couldn't stay away from each other. and keeping your hands to yourself was just as hard, if not harder… 

"please, stop smiling at me like that. i'm not sure what will happen if you keep doing that…"

luka's eyes went back and forth between you and the dancefloor, where all of his friends were dancing together. despite having found a more secluded spot, he was sure someone would notice if he'd kiss you right now. though he really couldn't keep away from you for long… 

"luka… i always smile like that"

you replied amused, gently resting a hand on your boyfriend's cheek, only for him to remove it and take your hand into his own. 

"then i guess i never realized how pretty you look…" luka leaned in a bit. "i really, really want to kiss you right now…" 

you could feel his breath against your lips and the loud music in the background. yet somehow, luka's breathing sounded so much louder than the music, as he tried to control himself and stop himself from pulling you into a kiss. 

"and the others? if they see us, they–"

"would it be selfish if i said i don't care anymore…? i know they're our friends, but… as our friends, they should be happy for us! and nothing would make me happier than kissing you already…"

luka was barely holding himself back anymore. his lips shaking with anticipation, just waiting to finally meet yours. 

"just one kiss, alright?"

you both know that it wouldn't stay at just one. but luka mumbled a quick "sure" out, before pressing his lips onto yours, his hands finding their way onto your hips and pulling you closer. you closed your eyes, immersing yourself into the moment. after a few seconds, luka pulled away for a quick second to gasp for air, only to press his lips onto yours for a second and then third kiss. 

you only pulled away from each other when you heard someone approach, a familiar voice calling out to the two of you. 

"is everything okay…?"

you quickly pulled away from each other. luka towered over you, covering adrien's view of you, which led to the model only getting a good view of luka's back. 

you stared into luka's eyes for a moment, a panicked look on both of your faces, before you put on a smile and turned around to face your friend. 

"yeah, all good here!" luka smiled, trying to look as calm as he always did. "i just… got my necklace entangled in their clothes… you know how it is!"

you bit down on your bottom lip, trying not to grin after that awful lie luka told. and yet, adrien seemed to buy it. 

"oh, i see! then, if you don't mind, would you like to dance with me, y/n..?"

you turned to luka for a moment, almost as if asking for his permission. though in the end, you knew you had no reason to refuse adrien's request. 

"sure, i'd love to!" you replied and the blonde boy's face lit up. "we'll talk again later then, luka~!"

[theerurishipper]

Something I've noticed is that the show goes out of its way to portray Adrien's trauma as romantic.

In Kuro Neko, Adrien is exhibiting a trauma response wherein he invalidates his own feelings and tries to be whoever the other person wants him to be, and Catwalker is explicitly based on the mask Adrien puts on to please his abuser, which is also the persona Ladybug develops an instant crush on. What the show tells us, however, is that Adrien as Catwalker telling Ladybug that it's his own fault for being sensitive because he was hurt by her actions and following that up by promising to take care of her is romantic and wonderful.

In Strikeback, Adrien is once again downplaying his feelings and hurt in order to come to Ladybug's support because she needs him. He is once again invalidating his own hurt and absolving her of all blame. What the show tells us is that it's so romantic that Adrien was willing to push away his hurt feelings and come to her aid like a loyal partner even though she never apologized to him or promised to change her behavior.

In Protection, Adrien's tendency to want to be perfect for everybody and cater to their needs is depicted on screen, with him assuming the full blame for Marinette's confidence issues. He has a whole conversation with Kagami about how he needs to change himself for her. What the show tells us is that Adrien is so romantic and so sweet for essentially assuming blame for Marinette's inability to tell him her feelings and saying that he has to be the one to change and cater to her needs.

In Collusion, Adrien's reacting to his father sending him to London by saying "Marinette and I will last forever," is him clinging to the very little good that is going on in his life. It is him once again centering his identity around this girl and his relationship with her because he has never been allowed to be his own person. What the show tells us is that "Adrien loves Marinette so much uwu."

In Confrontation, Adrien writing "All I know is that I love Marinette Dupain Cheng," is him once more centering his whole life around his girlfriend because he has been conditioned into defining himself around other people because he has never been allowed to an individual in his own right. What the show tells us again is that Adrien loves Marinette so, so much, you guyz.

In Conformation (credit to this post by @youremarvelous), Adrien telling Plagg he's angry at himself for falling short of Marinette's love is also him downplaying his own feelings and placing more importance on her, and him believing that he has fallen short of her love stems from him belief that he has to earn love. He's just shifted from defining himself based on Gabriel's wishes to defining himself based on Marinette's wishes. What the show tells us is that Adrien is such a good boyfriend for wanting to be perfect for Marinette.

The discrepancy between what has been portrayed and what the show wants us to think is concerning, to say the least.

[marinettesaltprompts]

Marinette Salt Prompt: Breaking the Norm and Breaking Fate

Since the Miraculouses were created, there has always been the idea of "True Holders". Those who were destined to have a defined connection to one specific Miraculous and could unlock far greater powers than any other user in their lifetime.

Unfortuately however, True Holders often brought more trouble for those part of the Order. Many a miraculous holder were chosen to wield a miraculous, only to be removed because a True Holder was found for their miraculous and were rightfully considered the better fit. Though some willingly gave up their miraculous, others were left in grief and denial, especially when the reveal of the True Holder meant that one or more holders were discarded, simply because they weren't enough.

In a few rare cases, a true holder meant that partners who held a miraculous were forcefully seperated once a True Holder came into the scene. These event usually resulted in heartbreak and revenge, as either the ex-wielder (or even their partner) went rouge against the Order and used their powers selfishly, often resulting in death and destruction.

Of course, that wasn't to say the Kwami's took it any better either. Some like Tikki just accepted it and moved on, while other Kwami's like Plagg hated the fact that many wielders were taken for them just because they weren't a "Perfect Fit"

Even when the Order fell, this dilema still remained in the latest chosen heroes:

Ladybug was a True Holder. Chat Noir ... wasn't. In fact, if Plagg was being serious, Adrien never felt like a fit for the Miraculous of Destruction at all. He was too soft, and too caring of others.

Fu knew this, having continued to search for the True Wielder as the heroes continued to take care of Hawkmoth, knowing of the eventual fate that Adrien would eventually be replaced, thus unwilling to confide in him the same way he did Ladybug.

Ladybug had begun to realize this as well, if only subconciously. As her power grew, the unknowing gap between them grew as well, as she began to see him as ... lesser. Less of a partner and more of a subordinate, someone who she felt only had to know about certain topics when it was needed (at least, according to her) rather than it being shared as partners. Even if Hawkmoth wasn't an issue, Plagg was sure she wouldn't be open to sharing her identity with Chat Noir, leaving herself vulnerable to someone unequal to her.

Hell, even the people of Paris seemed to notice the gap. Ladybug just seemed to glow and take all the focus when she appeared, and Chat ... was just there.

To anyone else, the fact that Adrien wasn't a True Holder was a sign he was always meant to be a temp, and that Plagg should just accept that.

Yet ... despite all that, Plagg refused. He thought Adrien was the best chosen he ever had. Though Adrien was emotionally a bad fit for destruction, he was a wonderful kid who took really good care of Plagg (and not just because of all the Camembert he could afford). Not to mention that the lack of a killing intent had meant his powers were held back, to the point where they were unlikely to hurt anyone if accidentally used on them (which was honestly a good thing, because Plagg's powers were beyond dangerous).

Yet, Plagg knew it wouldn't last long. If Fu and Ladybug had their way, Adrien would soon be gone, replaced by another holder. All while Adrien would be left oblivious to the situation until it was too late.

Plagg wasn't going to let that happen however.

And so... the little Cat Kwami began to plan as his wielder slept unawares.

If Adrien was not a True Holder, Plagg would go against fate and make him one. Fu and Ladybug be damned.

(Might add more later, but for now I thought I would share my initial idea. Let me know what you think!)

[xhanisai]

the stupid chat blanc au

Fu only gives out the Ladybug miraculous and chooses Marinette to become the hero of the city.

Le Papillon only akumatises one person and it's Adrien (who becomes Chat Blanc)

During the first akumatisation to not only bait Ladybug out into the open but also to show Paris how dangerous he can be, Le Papillon ordered Chat Blanc to cause some mass destruction.

It didn't work. For some reason, Le Papillon can't control Chat Blanc nor see through his eyes so all he could do was get out of hiding and find the boy.

Chat Blanc did wreak havoc. He vandalised all the Gabriel-related adverts, threw eggs at the front of his stores, chased after pigeons, inhaled twenty 16" pizzas by himself and so on.

He also got bored so he tested his powers on the Eiffel Tower by picking it up and shooting it into the sky.

It crashed into the moon. He didn't mean to do that.

Ladybug accidentally crashes into him similar to origins and that's how they meet. He calls her Maladroit and she's telling him off for destroying the moon, making him whine.

"It was an accident!!!"

"So fix it!"

"I don't know how!"

Ladybug is overwhelmed. There's news that the world is starting to flood because of the damaged moon, she has no idea how to use her powers, she wasn't so keen on being a hero and Chat Blanc is just an overall menace who is no help whatsoever.

She tried to run away and give the earrings away to Alya. However, throughout the whole time when she was at school, she noted how stressed and scared everyone was about the inevitable flood and Chat Blanc.

Marinette also noticed Chat Blanc lingering by the school, looking really lonely. It was then she realised that he looked like he was their age and he probably had no one to rely on. She wondered about the boy under the mask. Maybe...he just wanted a friend?

The city is flooded much faster than everyone anticipated and even Alya got caught up in it. Le Papillon also makes his entrance and he tries to force Chat Blanc into listening to him. Marinette notes the Akuma in visible pain from Le Papillon trying to control him so she suits up and kicks his ass.

She dispels Le Papillon's butterflies, uses Lucky charm, purifies Chat Blanc (all whilst giving him an encouraging smile to show he's safe with her), and uses her cleansing powers.

An amnesiac Adrien watches Ladybug with awe as she delivers her speech to Paris. He falls in love and when she holds his hands and tells him that she'll always try her best to protect him from le Papillon's clutches, he starts internally planning their future wedding.

"I'll try my best to be supportive if I get akumatised again. I promise! I don't want to hurt you."

"Ouais, Chaton~"

Ladybug notes that Adrien is really cute and finds his bashfulness very endearing.

Marinette didn't expect him to join their school (Gabriel was oddly compliant to finally let Adrien go to public school, looking guilty for some reason HMmMMM????).

The gum incident does happen but it's the rest of the class who are very uncomfortable with him despite his attempts to stop Chloe's pranks (who was also lowkey starting to bully him cos "ew adrichou you're a mangy cat now"). It's because he was akumatised that they were wary of him.

Only Marinette knew that he was actually not a bad person. So with Alya's encouragement, Marinette stands up for him in front of the class and reiterates that le Papillon took advantage of Adrien and turned him into a villain.

Nino is the first to step up after that and becomes Adrien's best friend.

The class decide to give him a chance too and towards the end of school, they decide they all really like Adrien. He's just a silly cat.

After school, Adrien waits for Marinette to come out of the building and gives her this heartwarming, cute thank you. He offers her his umbrella and doesn't realise he's also won over her heart. She falls for him.

After all of this, because Gabriel is a perfectionist, he only akumatises Adrien. He wants to try and be able to form the link with him. He akumatises him every time even if it's at the slightest of inconveniences. Be it that they ran out of milk in the kitchen or he accidentally bit the inside of his mouth or that he tripped over his chair, Adrien will get akumatised.

Chat Blanc has a playful relationship with Ladybug. He really likes her but at the same time, he doesn't like having to co-operate and loves being a menace.

"Here, minou, minou, minou!"

"Let me chase after those people in peace!"

"No! That's not very nice!"

"But they did it to that small kid first!"

"...Okay. But you can't just threaten to make them bald and shoot cataclysms at them!"

"BOOOOOOOOOO."

Blanc is also very flirty with Ladybug but she doesn't take him seriously because he ends up growing a liking to her civilian persona too and is just as flirty (Ladybug refuses to acknowledge she's low-key jealous of her own self and Tikki is tired of this shit).

He's more aware of his feelings as Adrien, madly in love with Ladybug and desperate to be closer with Marinette because she's so cool, right??!?

He can remember some things that happened when he was akumatised after he gets purified and often gets embarrassed. He gets all flustered and apologises to Ladybug but she always laughs it off and pats his head and calls him cute nicknames.

Sometimes she stutters like Marinette and Adrien finds it so both endearing and worrying. Hopefully, he doesn't intimidate them both.

He's close friends with Nino, Alya and Marinette. Often they're there every time he gets akumatised. As Chat Blanc, he never tries to pull pranks on them or do mean things. He's extra protective of them.

Alya finds it really funny and interesting how chummy Chat Blanc can get with Marinette and Ladybug.

As Chat Blanc, he has all his memories of being Adrien but his intrusive actions and thoughts are much stronger. (Like a goofy, terrible villain Chat Noir.)

The more Ladybug gets to know him, the more she realises how hard Adrien's life actually is and the things he's been through. So she tries her best to be a very good friend and look after him.

Le Papillon finally manages to create a link between him and Chat Blanc, however it turns out that all along the Akuma has been erasing the link with his infinite destruction.

"Finally! I can reach you, Chat Blanc-"

"Sup, old man."

"Now, you will listen to me and retrieve Ladybug's earrings-"

"Byeeeeeee~"

"NO WAIT PLEASE-"

Le Papillon tries to entice Blanc with offers and promises but it never works. The only time he got close was when he offered him all the fatty tuna he could ever dream of...

Le Papillon realises that using Chat Blanc wouldn't work. But he didn't want to akumatise anyone else because Chat Blanc was just the perfect Akuma and AAAAAAA. So, Mayura steps in.

The first Sentimonstre causes serious harm and almost takes Ladybug out of commission. So Chat Blanc stepped in to save her and he wasn't very happy >:D

And that's it for now~

[miharuki]

Hi, could I request luka couffaine x reader fic please?

Reader is Adrien's twin sister, and she likes luka, and luka feels the same way, but the reader is worried about what Gabriel will think and doesn't want to hurt luka :)

Thank you very much ahead of time ♡

Firstly, sorry about my English cousin, secondly I think I'm going to do part 2, the text was long (2000) words

(fluff at the beginning, angst at the end, gabriel and asshole, secrets)

𝕺𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖀𝖕𝖔𝖓 𝖆 𝕿𝖎𝖒𝖊 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖆 𝕭𝖑𝖚𝖊 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊

Once upon a time… A couple, a loving wife who gave up everything for her true love, and her devoted husband who loved her enough to defy reality for her, even if it meant bringing her back to life, and finally waking her from her precious slumber, like a beautiful Sleeping Beauty. Even if it meant making their own children the unhappiest people just for his selfishness, that was Gabriel Agreste, father of Adrien and you, Agreste, twin children born from the same feather but completely different.

Adrien gained total attention from people when he became a model for his father's collections, not only he, but you too. However, you felt lonely in that mansion with no one to talk to, even though you went to school, you felt empty. Why? you wondered.

Until… when your brother introduced him, a friend of his and an ex of one of his friends, Luka Couffaine, a sweet name with a lovely meaning, "luminous." And now you understand why. Since you met him, Luka has proven to be a calm and kind person, always listening and helping others, a light in people's lives when they need it, an admirable person.

"Hello to you too, [Name]!" Luka said as he waved and approached slowly, smiling warmly as you greeted him in return, unaware that someone was watching your interaction. Adrien smiled when he noticed that his sister was opening up more to her friends, and he also noticed how kind Luka was being to his dear sister, making him a friend to Adrien as well.

While for Adrien, it was just a friendly interaction between his friend and his twin sister, someone else saw it as something more: Juleka. Unlike Adrien or anyone else, she noticed the subtle change in her twin brother's attitude, realizing how Luka had started to light up in her presence—not just a friendly kind of happiness. Juleka saw that her brother was looking at you the way he looked at Marinette the first time, a look of love. She was hoping that this time their relationship wouldn't end up like the one with Marinette.

And it didn't. Juleka remembers how her friends began to notice how Luka was acting around you, how he smiled affectionately every time he was with you, or how his eyes took on a dreamy gaze whenever something reminded him of you.

"Luka has a big crush on Adrien's little sister, and it's just so obvious," Ayla commented while chatting with her group of friends, discussing the moment when you and your brother had arrived together on the Liberty boat.

"I bet she won't take long to realize!" Marinette said confidently, giving Luka a thumbs-up as if to say he was doing things right, and indeed he was. It didn't take long for you to develop feelings for the blue-haired musician.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go for a ride, maybe relax…" Luka asked while on his bike, making you smile at his kindness, something you had admired about him since you first met. But he seemed especially bright that day. When you sat on his bike, you felt nervous, which was unusual, especially when Luka turned to ask if you were ready.

"Y-yeah!" you stammered, finding it strange that you were stuttering, which quickly turned into embarrassment for stuttering. Your face turned slightly red with embarrassment as you looked at the back of the boy, riding through the tranquil landscapes of Paris.

And before you knew it, you were in a relationship, an almost secret one, if not for the flushed and blushing faces every time you encountered each other. It was always him you looked forward to seeing when leaving school, wanting to stay a little longer instead of going home. The moments you spent in parks and on the streets, watching the sunset together while enjoying each other's company. You memorized every song he composed, especially the ones where he declared his feelings for you. Your relationship was so healthy that it was impossible not to feel envious of your strong connection. It was impossible not to see the true love that both of you seemed to share.

"I knew it! They were meant to be together!" Rose exclaimed as she hugged Juleka, who blushed at her girlfriend's action but was happy to see her brother in the distance, looking so happy with you, [Name] Agreste, Adrien Agreste's twin sister, a friend, and the object of affection for one of their friends.

"If Luka managed to make Adrien's sister fall for him, I think you can make Adrien fall for you too, Marinette," Ayla teased, elbowing her friend who was now stammering and blushing, while everyone laughed at Marinette's attempt to say something without stuttering.

But the perfect romance can never last forever, not even in a fairy tale. In this case, you couldn't stay with your prince charming. Imagine the surprise when you came home after another date with your boyfriend and saw your father standing there on the stairs. Something told you that something was wrong, especially when your father said in a stern and authoritative tone:

"I heard you've been going out a lot…"

"Well, of course! I've been hanging out with my friends…" you said as you approached your father slowly, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and looking at him with closed eyes.

"Especially with your friend Luka Couffaine?" Your heart stopped. He knew? But you had been so careful. No one else knew that you and Luka were dating; everyone just thought you were still friends, but friends who liked each other. That's what they thought, right? You remember that day vividly.

"…I want to be with you, [Name]. You're the only song playing in my heart and in my mind. I can't stop…" Luka said as he held your hand, the other tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. With a flushed face and a racing heart, you wanted to say yes and pull him into a hug, to tell him how much you loved him. But… what would your father think?

"I would like to… but…" A smile appeared on Luka's face before fading as you continued, "…I don't want the media to hound you. I just don't want to burden you… I'd be a weight…"

Luka smiled softly, realizing that you were just trying to protect him, and he found it endearing. He held your hands and gently moved his face to look at you. He smiled and leaned in.

"So, let's keep it a secret!" The confused look on your face disappeared as he continued, bringing his face closer to yours. "We won't let anyone know. If that puts you at ease, we can love each other even if it's in secret. That way, I won't have photographers hounding me, and you won't have to worry about it. So, what do you think?"

With his face close to yours, lips almost touching, you smiled. A secret, yes, it was perfect. That way, no one could question, and you wouldn't have to worry about the true reason – your father. You were happy and laughed in joy, finally sealing your relationship with the blue-haired musician. "I'd love that."

"You'll have more rehearsals from now on, maybe this way you can focus on your career…" Gabriel said as he turned, scrolling through his tablet and checking the news about his children. When he went up to his room, he placed his backpack on the chair and sat on the bed, grabbing his phone and sending a message to his boyfriend, letting him know that they would have more rehearsals, so their time together would be shorter.

"I don't mind as long as I can be with you, even if it's for a short time! ❤️" You smiled at the message and blushed as you lay down, looking at it with love. You felt happy to have someone like Luka as your boyfriend, embracing your phone with affection.

Even with the short time you had, you were happy to skip some rehearsals to be with your Blueberry, always meeting in secret, embracing each other and enjoying each other's company. That was until Lila arrived, not only lying to Kagami but also destroying your relationship. It was one of those moments when Lila left after the confrontation with Kagami following the akumatization that she saw your figure running somewhere. What were you, [Name] Agreste, Adrien Agreste's twin sister and Gabriel Agreste's daughter, doing running randomly?

It was when she realized that something might be going on that she followed you, watching where you were heading. She noticed that you entered a distant park and slipped into a thicket. Crouching down, she peered through the leaves and saw something surprising: you and a blue-haired boy, embracing. You? With a boy? Acting strangely? So, that's what you were running for.

That's what she thought as she grabbed her phone and took a picture without you two noticing, perhaps a way to hit Gabriel in another way. And that way turned out to be the worst. But everything came crashing down when, in the midst of a photoshoot session, during a break, you looked at your phone and saw a message from your brother.

"Luka is leaving, come quickly!!" This message made your heart race. What do you mean Luka is leaving? And so you ran, apologizing to the photographer as you rushed to get to your boyfriend's house as fast as you could, not caring about the confused onlookers.

"Luka!" Your shouts were heard as everyone turned to look at you, running to catch up with the boy. When he turned his head in surprise to see you sprinting toward him, just as he was about to get into the car, he simply gave up and ran towards you. Your friends watched as both of you ran. "Luka!" you yelled as you approached.

"(Name)!" The boy also shouted as he ran and embraced you, both of you breathing heavily from the sprint. Tears streamed down both of your faces, a rare sight.

"Are you really leaving?" you asked as you looked at him. The boy simply placed his hand on your face, wiping away the tears.

"It's for your own good," he said, trying not to cry, but a few tears were falling on his pale face. He sighed sadly.

"Can we meet again?" you asked, holding onto the hand he placed on your face. "I promise we'll meet again… I promise, my love." And so, for the first time, everyone witnessed the love between Luka Couffaine and [Name] Agreste, sealing their promise with a kiss, a moment that all could witness.

"They just did!?…" Marinette exclaimed in shock while smiling with her mouth wide open. Adrien, it could be said, was also surprised by the turn of events. Ayla took the opportunity to snap a photo of the moment, the last moment they could witness as their friends had just declared their love and made it official.

But soon, Adrien noticed a familiar car approaching Jacket Stone's car and their friends. It was his chauffeur's car, which stopped right behind. From there, Nathalie emerged, adjusting her glasses and immediately grabbing her tablet. She walked toward the couple, who were embracing again, and sighed. Nathalie then got the attention of everyone, including Adrien and Luka.

"Nathalie?" Adrien asked in shock as he looked at his father's assistant. What was strange was that she was here when she's usually always by his father's side. This worried him, especially since she could report directly to his father.

"Miss [Name] Agreste! Leaving your rehearsal abruptly and not responding to any of my calls, you two are in trouble!" Nathalie scolded.

And so, when you separated from Luka's embrace and looked at Nathalie, Jacket Stone, seeing the tension escalating, intervened to put his hand on Luka's shoulder and wake him from the situation. Nathalie had already grabbed your hand and was dragging you toward the car, while Jacket was also directing Luka to get in the car. Before getting into the car, Luka saw you smile at him, and he smiled back before entering his own car.

Adrien noticed Nathalie taking out her phone, and she looked at him, saying, "Don't forget to come home at 6:00 PM; your father only allowed you a few more hours." With that, she got into the car, and Adrien could see her sad expression through the window as the car drove away. Jacket watched with the children, observing your girlfriend's car disappear, just as they were about to leave as well.

"Dating?! Who gave you permission to date this boy?" Gabriel said, keeping his hands behind his back. He sighed in disappointment and pinched his nose. "I knew allowing you too much freedom could end up being a distraction, especially this boy, this Luka Couffaine. He was just a distraction!"

"But father, I—"

"But nothing, [Name]! Leaving after your rehearsals to meet with this boy?! Skipping a photoshoot just for this boy?! What do you think you're doing?! Do you really want to ruin our reputation? I think you deserve more than just a week of punishment! Go to your room now!"

Gabriel said as he fiddled with his ring behind his back. You simply accepted it sadly, walking up the stairs and glancing back to see your father looking at his tablet, viewing a photo from one of your meetings with Luka. You wondered who could have done this.

"Nathalie, make sure [Name] doesn't contact her 'friends' anymore. I don't want any more distractions," your father said before you entered your room, no longer hearing anything else, only the familiar tears returning.

"Luka…"

:(

part 2

[jasmine-the-fox]

Olga can see the truth

Hey guys! Back with another salt fic request made by UnknownDrew over on AO3! So happy to write this so I hope you all enjoy it in the end like I loved writing it!

Anyways enjoy the fic!

Olga has worked with children long enough to know that when something doesn’t sound right… look it up online to see if it’s true… and Lila Rossi was a walking lie in her opinion. It didn’t matter what it was about, she has to lie about herself no matter what which is why she has given Lila detention each time she lied or made an excuse for not doing the work she was assigned.

It caused the girl to always be quiet in her class… but the second she left the classroom she would go back to lying about herself… and that’s when she noticed that something was happening to people when Lila lied about something.

Marinette would avoid any place at school where Lila could be heard. During lunchbreak or when school ended, she noticed how she looked depressed while quickly heading home… which made her worry greatly for the girl… then came Adrien Agreste. If he was with his friends, he was happy and with a smile on his face… but the second Lila came over he would either keep away from her, ignore her or excuse himself and leave the group… which would upset Lila greatly.

But it was clear that both of them didn’t like Lila and she was hurting them with her lies… with this all noted, she decided to inform Caline to see what she had planned to stop all of this… but she was shocked by her words “Olga… I think you work too much as your making all of this up about my class. Nothing is wrong with any of my students” she said before walking away.

this up about my class. Nothing is wrong with any of my students” she said before walking away.

She tried to make her see things her way but Caline simply sighed “If anything… I think you should have Marinette in your class… that girl has been causing problems in the class by refusing for them to all be friends… especially with Lila” with that said she left to get to her classroom.

This shocked Olga… Caline was blinded by her own beliefs to not see how terrible her class was the longer Lila was there lying to her students. She had noticed that the class was bullying Marinette and ended their friendship with her because of things Lila said to them while crying crocodile tears to them… disgusted by this, Olga decided to do things herself about Caline’s class and she was going to make sure things changed for the better.

Which is why she stormed into Damocles’ office which startled him with a glare “For far too long you have pampered Caline into believing she can do no wrong and how her students are perfect. But it ends now! You will give me the power to punish her and her students as she should have done or I will get the proper authorities involved to investigate her, the class and you!” she demanded making the man tremble as he went pale from her words… but he agreed and wrote her a note to give to Caline so she knows that she has no say in what Olga decides for the class in the end.

She nods back to him after taking the note and went to her classroom to get started on her plan, it was going to happen and Caline won’t be able to protect her students from being punished in the end… but she hoped it would give them a wake-up call that they needed from the start.

The very next day, she storms into the classroom before Caline could start the lesson “Olga? What are you doing here?” Caline asked in great surprise. Olga gives her the note and she goes pale after reading it “And if you have a problem, you can go speak to him” she said, this angered Caline but she left the classroom to probably try to speak to Damocles about this.

Then Caline looked them over “When I call your name you stand” she said making them look at her confused “Alya Cesaire, Kim Lechien, Alix Kubel, Nino Lahiffe, Max Kante and Ivan Bruel” she said which made them all stand “You all have one week of detention, I also will have you do cleaning with the janitor during that week. If you have a problem with this, I will have no problem speaking to your parents about the unjustified bullying towards Marinette that you have done” she said making them look at her in shock.

“Now then… Juleka Couffaine, Mylène Haprèle, Rose Lavillant, Nathaniel Kurtzberg and Sabrina Raincomprix. For now, I want you to return home and think about what Marinette has done so terrible that you saw her do to deserve the pain she received” she ordered making them slowly nod as they grabbed their things and left.

Olga noticed how nervous Marinette and Adrien looked over the situation “So this leaves… Alya Cesaire, Chloe Bourgeois and Lila Rossi… your parents have been called and informed of the bullying done towards Marinette… As for you Lila your mother was also informed of the sexual harassment you have done towards Adrien… which his father is informed about… and she also knows about how your failing” she said making Lila freak out as she tried to run out… only to be stopped by her mother.

Once it was only her with Marinette and Adrien. She told Mari that her parents were waiting for her at home “You will also be allowed a week to stay at home to rest” she explained making Mari nod and leave the classroom. With her and Adrien alone… she turned to look at him “It is very clear that you have suffered greatly. Get yourself a therapist to get some help to help you with the pain you have gone through” she said making him nod and promise to get one before leaving to return home.

Once he left, she pulled out her phone and called Child services about what Adrien is going through at school and at home. She also described Adrien’s physical form of being skinny and also how he is pulled out of school often without the school giving permission for him to go… she then calls the Embassy and informs them of how Lila has been using her mom’s job to protect herself and lie about travelling.

This of course causes many changes… Alya was without electronics because of her actions, some were pulled out of activities because of what they have done, Chloe was banned from shopping and Lila… well she was on the next flight back to Italy where she will reside until college… if she even is able to get into one that is.

Adrien was also taken to live with his aunt in London due to child labor laws being broken by his father who made Adrien work when he should be at school, put on multiple diets that were becoming dangerous for him and worked him over the normal hours he should be working… in the end things were getting better. Marinette was smiling again and made some new friends and was confirmed doing a lot better by her parents, they even got her a therapist to talk to about her pain and suffering she was put through.

But it was all thanks to Olga… because now justice has been served… since she was the only one who knew what to do in the end…

[generalluxun]

Who do you think is more fitting to be “Creator’s Pet” of the show: Astruc’s virtual daughter Marinette or perfect and flawless Adrien?

Okay, before I start- I don't like the term creator's pet, it tends to suggest currying favor on the 'pet' part, and obviously Marinette or Adrien can't do that.

Perhaps 'favorite'? and let me lay some ground rules.

This is not character salt! Nothing here should be used to deride the characters. This is about the narrative woven with/around them. This is examining the external biases at play.

We must recognize that Marinette is the PoV character for the show. That is value-neutral. We can't hold screen time as evidence.

That said let's tackle Adrien being 'perfect' first. I know the show and creator use that word a lot but it is very clear in the show that ... He's not. He makes mistakes, he gets *called out* for his mistakes, he gets upset, he apologizes. He's not perfect.

So, why/how/what is the purpose of the perfect mantra in the show? It's because Adrien is a *trophy*. He was Gabriel's trophy, and now he's Marinette's. A trophy must be 'perfect', or how can it be a trophy? He makes no demands(his flirting as Cat Noir was shown as him being wrong and he corrected his behavior to be more perfect), he gives everything, he carries emotional baggage and costs nothing.

All of his perfection benefits *other people* in the narrative, not himself. Does that sound like a favorite? No it sounds like something you *give* to your favorite.

Because yes, I do believe Marinette suffers from an above-average attachment by her creator(and some fans) I say suffers from because I think it hurts her as a character. Superficially it seems to her benefit, but below the surface it's empty calories.

Marinette makes mistakes too, but they are always framed as best intentions. At the end of any disagreement she is the one in the right. Her pain is always the focus/valid one in any situation. S5 amped this up to the point I call it 'Poor Mari' when it happens. Any emotional situation must make you sympathize with Marinette first and often only. It doesn't matter what or who is involved. The entire Agreste Arc has been summed up by the emotional impact *Adrien's family being the villains and his father dying* have on *Marinette* not Adrien. Marinette gets the sympathy for someone else's crisis. How weird is that? It's not even that she did anything wrong (before the lie) but no one else seems to be allowed to experience more emotion than she does, no matter the situation.

That is a strange choice and one that hurts the narrative and her character. (As they find new/more/repeat ways to put her in emotional turmoil to keep her always center all the time)

As an example from before S5, we can look at how Luka/Kagami were handled. It's two parallel situations, handled at the same time. How they're handled gives the insight you are asking for.

Marinette's struggle is the first an foremost thing in Truth. Luka is the sweetest bean, and even when he's akumatized it is all about her pain the end and her having to break up with him. He's upset but he never blames her, never corrects her. After the breakup he is still completely supportive and always there. He works to find her happiness, even though he openly admits to still being in love with her. Marinette is handled gently and put on a pedestal.

Meanwhile, Lies focuses more on Kagami and her efforts to connect with Adrien who is pining for Ladybug( just as Marinette is pining for Adrien) She gets mad at him. She breaks up with him. She holds him accountable for his behavior. She gets over him. When she finally joins team Adrienette it is for *Marinette's* sake, not Adrien's. (MP72)

So yes, Marinette is favored heavily, beyond simply 'the main character' she is the center of this world physically and emotionally in a way that is only more noticable as time goes on.

Oh- and another easy metric: How many people have said Marinette is the best Ladybug ever vs. has anyone ever given Cat Noir the time of day except Ladybug when she felt bad about leaving him out of the loop?

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2023: 8-Not Soulmates

Adrien smiled as he looked at the calendar. Tomorrow was the day that soulmates would be revealed to everyone who was between sixteen and eighteen. It had been three years since last time and he was excited for when it was his turn. If anything, he was hoping that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was his soulmate. Marinette was his friend, but she was also kind, creative, smart, and she made tasty pasties. He also thought she was a bit cute. All he wanted to do was protect her from guys that could hurt her.

Adrien turned at the sound of his door opening and saw Natalie.

"Hey, Natalie." he spoke, "Is there a change in my schedule?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow." she answered, "How are you feeling?"

"Excited." Adrien declared, "I sort of have my eye on one of my friends. I hope it's her."

"Even if she isn't, don't be disappointed. The person with you mark is waiting for you." Natalie stated.

Adrien glanced down at her hand. It was bare or covered with makeup.

"What about your soulmate?" he questioned.

"I had my eye on someone, too." Natalie replied, "We weren't a match. They matched with one of my friends and they had a family. I'm very happy for them."

"How did you-" Adrien began.

"Handle it?" Nat asked, "I was sad and upset, but I saw how they interacted. They were right to be paired up. I know my soulmate is out there and I haven't stopped looking."

Adrien nodded his head as she left the room.

Adrien got out of his car, excitedly. He immediatley spotted Marinette and made his way towards her, ignoring the people calling out his name.

"Hey, Mari!" He shouted, "Excited about today?"

"Yes!" Marinette smiled, "My soulmate is gonna be here next week!"

"Huh?" Adrien spoke outloud.

"Oh, right." she giggled, "My soulmate is my best friend, but he's in the United States. They actually set an alarm for the time I woke up so they could talk to me about my mark. We found out we matched!"

Adrien grasped the strap of his bag. He felt like the ground was going to fall out from under him.

"Oh." he whispered.

"Yeah." Marinette smiled, showing off her soulmate mark on her hand.

Adrien saw a sword and a needle with a piece of string that formed an X .

"He said he immediately thought of me when he saw the needle." Mari continued, "But he wasn't sure."

"Th-That's great." Adrien managed to say.

"Of course, we have to see if it's romantic, but-" She concluded.

Adrien looked at her confused, "What do you men?"

"Can I see your hand?" Marinette asked.

"Huh?" the model spoke, confused, "Uh, sure."

Marinette pressed their palms with soulmate marks together. He watched as his mark glowed a light blue.

"Blue?" he spoke.

"Mine was blue too." Marinette declared, So we could be considered platonic soulmates. We're friends. Blue is for friends. Red is for enemies and Gold is for lover. Even if Damian is only a platonic soulmate; he's still my best friend."

Adrien lowered his hand and nodded his head.

'At least it's not red.'

"Hey." Luka called, walking over, "How are you? How's the search?"

"My best friend is my soulmate." she excitedly told him.

"Damian?" Luka asked.

Adrien looked at the musician in shock.

'Luka knew about him and I didn't? Why?'

Marinette nodded, happily.

"He set a timer for when I wake up and asked." Mari recanted, "He didn't think he would match mine. He was just gonna give me a pep talk before I came here and freaked out."

Luka laughed, "Well, he has helped you out, a lot more than I ever did."

Mari lightly smacked his chest, "Damian just has a lot of older siblings to ask for advice."

Luka noticed the model's confused look and nodded his head towards him.

"May I?" he asked.

Marinette simply nodded.

"I can see you're confused, Adrien." Luka declared, "Marinette went through a difficult patch the last couple of years. Damian has many older siblings while he…..is not so great at socializing. When it came to Mari, he's reach out for help from his family or his friend to get an idea of what was going on, what he could do, or say to help her."

Mari smiled, "He's sweet."

"To you and only you." Luka smiled.

The conversation ended abruptly as the bell rang for school to start.

"We should get going to class." Adrien spoke.

"Yeah." Luka agreed, "Pretty sure teachers are just gonna let us go half way through. Don't know if anyone would pay attention today."

Marinette laughed as they entered the school.

The school couldn't handle the chaos. There were too many students on their phones, people yelling, fights breaking out because couples were breaking up or accused of cheating. Adrien walked out of the school and entered the car. He could feel Natalie eyeing him in the mirror. He just shook his head and sniffled. He was grateful that she didn't say anything on the way home. Adrien got home and collapsed in his bed. Natalie must have said something to his father because his meals were brought to his room and he wasn't bothered for anything scheduled.

Adrien watched a week later as Marinette ran up to some guy and hugged him.

'Must be her soulmate.'

He watched on as they placed their palms together and their marks glowed gold. He turned away as her soulmate lifted her chin up and kissed her.

'It hurts so much.'

As he walked towards the school, he heard whispers:

'Is that Marinette?'

'That must be her soulmate.'

'Man, I thought she was going to get with Agreste.'

'Yeah.'

'Didn't she like him or something?'

'Pretty sure they had a falling out.'

'They don't really talk anymore.'

'Someone said they say him crying when he didn't match with her.'

'Yeah right. He could have anyone. Why her?'

'They were friends years ago.'

'Well, something must have happened. Haven't seen them together for awhile now.'

'She probably got tired of him saying she was a great friend.'

'True. If I had to hear how much of a friend I was to my crush, I would have moved on, too.'

'That new guy looks like he's already in love with so that works in her favor.'

Adrien pulled out his phone and texted Natalie to bring the car back to the school and meet him toward the back. When the car pulled up, he quickly got in. Before she could say anything, he broke down sobbing. Natalie was shocked but nodded for the driver to take them home.

'She's not my soulmate and it's my fault. I stopped paying attention to her. Luka knew about him. When did she get a new best friend and why from the US? He listened to her. He helped her. I called her a friend and the universe punished me for it.'

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

[miraculousystuff]

She The Devil

*Kinda short and the ending was a bit lazy but-*

It was the same as always. Marinette, straining herself over the high road. Lila, spewing her lies. And Alya, lapping it all up like a dog. However, this time Marinette couldn’t resist throwing a nasty little barb at Lila. “I simply can’t go to Mylene’s beach clean up because I have a birthday party with Taylor Swift.” she simpered, and Marinette saw an opening that was too good to refuse. “Like Taylor would invite you. She would rather accept a cigarette butt.” Marinette said, and it wasn’t meant to be heard. But Lila whipped her head around to face her, and soon everyone was glaring at Mari. “How could you say that Marinette? When I’ve been nothing but nice to you?” she whined as fake tears came rolling out. “How could you girl! You made Lila cry!!” Alya hissed, comforting said girl. Meanwhile, Mari just rolled her eyes. “Let’s go with that shall we?” she said.

It all would have been fine. If Adrien hadn’t walked in on them at that exact moment. “Let’s go with what?” he asked innocently. “Marinette is just being a BITCH.” Alya yelled, but Marinette froze. This was the first time Alya had sworn at Marinette, but she had to say, not too surprising. In fact, she was expecting it. What was surprising, to the class at least, was when Adrien spoke up. “Marinette is not a bitch! How could you?” he argued. Lila sobbed even harder. “MY OWN BOYFRIEND DOESN’T BELIEVE ME!” she wailed, and Adrien looked even more furious than he did a second ago. “I’m not your boyfriend, or your friend Lie-la.” he claimed, annoyed. “Are you breaking up with me?” Lila cried, pressuring him to give in. The old Adrien would’ve. Succumbed to peer pressure, and agreed. But he didn’t. Yet, before anymore could be said, the rage called Alya began.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? DID MARINETTE PUT YOU UP TO THIS?” Alya screamed. Adrien was taken aback. “Of course not! I just don’t appreciate someone who claims to be my girlfriend insulting my real girlfriend.” he said, earning a gentle smile from Mari. They had started dating 2 months ago, not that the class noticed. Any trace of tears gone, Lila looked like a gaping fish. Maribrat? With her Adrien? Not going to happen. So she twisted it. “ADRIEN HAVE YOU BEEN CHEATING ON ME WITH THAT BULLY? I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME!” Lila screamed once more. But she wasn’t going to blame it on Adrien. No. Her enemy deserved it. How dare she date her boy toy? Before Alya could yell at Adrien, Lila started to speak, while Marinette put on noise-canceling airpods. “It was Marinette! She seduced Adrien! In fact, she threatened me yesterday to stay away from Adrien!” Lila said through sobs. Alya’s fury turned to Marinette, who was still blissfully unaware of the situation that had unfolded.

“HOW COULD YOU!” Alya was in full on frenzy mode. Marinette was sitting at the front with Adrien (part of the reason for Lila’s revenge) and Alya thought she was sneaky as she stomped over to Marinette to kick her in the back. However, as soon as she touched the bluenette, Marinette grabbed her hand and judo-flipped Alya onto the floor. Everyone gasped, including Marinette herself. Alya got up and, before Mari could begin to apologize,  tried to punch her, but she easily blocked her attacks. Soon, Alya was once again lying on the floor, a now victorious Marinette on standby. Everybody was shocked. Who knew their Everyday Ladybug could throw a punch? However, now Marinette was angry. “What the actual fuck is wrong wrong with you. All of you. Verbal abuse. Emotional abuse. Physical abuse. You may not be a part of the fight, but you hurt me by standing by, in all this abuse. I wish I was never friends with you. I wish I never met you.” she said, her eyes welling up and threatening to spill as she did so. Adrien put a comforting hand on her shoulder. But Marinette wouldn’t cry. Because she was about to tear the class a new one.

However, the class didn’t seem to get the message. But Marinette was going to put a stop to it, once and for all. Everything started with verbal abuse. Whenever any of her ‘friends’ decided to insult her, she had a response ready that made students cry. Then it was emotional. Anytime they tried pressuring her, or making her stressed, she simply said no. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Then physical. The class had taken to trying to trip Marinette, or ram into her shoulder. Emphasis on tried, because half of them are now officially tripping over themselves to get out of Marinette’s way. Infact, most of the class were scared of her at this point. Gone was their Everyday Ladybug. Because they made her walk like an angel. Talk like an angel. But she always knew,

She was the devil.

[flightfoot]

Top Ten Best Completed Miraculous Fics Of 2023

So I've made reclists for a ton of the Miraculous fics and series I recommend that finished in 2023, but as you may have noticed, those are rather expansive. So I decided to do a ranking of the ten best Miraculous fics from 2023 as well! (at least in my eyes). These naturally trend towards longer fics, though there are some that are on the shorter end. The shortest is under 30,000 words!

A lot of these you could swap around the order on, but the top fic... yeah the top fic is top for a reason.

Some of these fics were really popular, while others are virtually unknown, they run the entire gamut. I hope everyone checks these out though if they haven't already, there's both some hidden gems and some very well recognized gems in here!

All of these were part of earlier reclists that I made. All of those fics are in this collection I set up on AO3 called "Keyseeker's Choices For Best Completed Miraculous Fics of 2023". I really hope everyone checks it out, I've got commentary/reviews for every entry in the collection, and there are over 150 entries!

I'm gonna just be copying the descriptions I wrote for the fics on the earlier reclists, as I wrote those shortly after finishing reading the fics when they were fresh in my mind, and as great as these fics are, I don't have the time nor bandwidth to reread them all.

10.

Found by @trishacollins

Chat Noir and Ladybug need to tie up some loose ends. Unfortunately, one of those ends is Felix.

This is a fantastic fic! It’s part of a wider series wherein Adrien and Felix were friends with Nooroo and Duusu from a younger age, but Adrien’s memory was wiped of it by his parents, but this is the first fic you really need to read. Basically, after the events of Emotion, Chat confronts Felix about what he did, and Felix confesses to being a Sentibeing, and Duusu reveals to Chat that he is one as well, leading to Felix cooperating with the heroes. 

Of all the fics I’ve read that tackle the subject, this one does the best job of giving Felix a redemption arc for his actions in the season 4 finale, focusing not only on how he hurt the heroes, but the kwamis. I loved that he truly understood how much he fucked up with the situation he put the kwamis in, how much suffering he put them through, and that the kwamis were allowed to be angry at him for awhile afterwards, to be suspicious and untrusting towards him at first (and that Marinette was allowed to do the same). Felix screwed up and hurt people, and he had to really show that he understood what he did was wrong, why it was wrong, and try to help the people he hurt.

---

9.

The Ghost in the Machine by @jheqiawrites

As part of this function, Adrien knew about Monarch, the akuma butterflies, the victims, and, of course Ladybug and Cat Noir, the heroes of Paris. He was authorized to contact the Ladyblog as well as the citywide alert system if one of his platforms was active during an akuma manifestation, allowing his friends to get somewhere safe until Ladybug and Cat Noir could deal with the situation

While the necessity of these functions was disconcerting, it was programmed to be his routine so he gradually grew used to the inconsistencies. After all, humans tended to be selfish, highly inconsistent, and often flighty, but once you had observed them for a while an intelligence such as his could begin to see the patterns.

That is until she came online.

This is just a beautiful, though bittersweet story. I adore how Alliance!Adrien grows and changes throughout the story, how he develops as a person. He starts off not being able to figure out what he’s feeling, needing to make new modules in order to try to process the emotions he has welling up, and not totally understanding his own reactions. But as time goes on he grows and gets a better handle on himself. This isn’t an “evil AI” story, he’s just a person who’s slowly figuring out who he is and how to handle himself. 

Not that it’s entirely about Adrien Alliance figuring out his own emotions, there’s other things going on as well. He’s worried about why there seems to be weird surges in the Alliance Network right before akumas attack, for instance, and why the details about the reason for that seem to be hidden from him, making him more paranoid about the Alliance system the more he looks into it...

 It’s just... it’s really good and absolutely worth a read. 

---

8.

Kwami Magi Homura Magica by Crossoverpairinglover

After eighty-four loops in time, Homura Akemi takes a new path to Paris to save her friends.

The sixty-third loop after that, Homura arrived at the Agreste Mansion.

After clash after clash with the heroes of Paris and its greatest menace, events have reached a tipping point.

Ladybug faces someone verging on a second wish, a wish that endangers space and time to save a friend.

This was an absolutely AMAZING story that crossoverpairinglover dropped out of NOWHERE. Seriously, if you like Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Miraculous Ladybug, this is a real treat - but be prepared to sit down and binge, because it’s over 100,000 words and only has three chapters. 

Anyway, I adore the care that’s taken with going through Homura’s mindset here, she gets a lot of character focus. And the lore! There’s some good explanations here for the history behind kwamis and Incubators’ interactions, and the Order of the Guardians normally treats Magical Girls, and why the Incubators are wrong in their assessment of the universe needing more energy to stave off entropy (hint: it involves Plagg), and just... there was a lot of love put into this.

And the action! Most Miraculous fics don’t have much in the way of fight scenes, and what they do have is mostly just functional. This is one of the rare exceptions. There’s some really long, detailed fight scenes in this (roughly the entire second half of the second chapter has one between Ladybug and Homura), which are a treat to read! 

We also get some glimpses into a variety of other universes here, other timelines, alternate ways things could have gone down - I’m especially partial to the rather detailed view we get of one where Homura sent a message asking for help to the Ladyblog on her third time loop, and how things progressed from there. 

The ending I also thought was really good, a happy ending that generally made sense and dealt with the issue of the Incubators. 

If you can’t tell I’m really happy with this fic, it was incredible and unexpected. The length of the individual chapters can be daunting, but if you’re up for the task, I highly recommend giving it a shot!

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7.

you made me a hero - reverse crush short stories series by @non-fantasy

This series is just plain fun! Like the title says, it’s a reverse crush AU, so Adrien’s head-over-heels for Marinette, while Ladybug’s smitten with Chat Noir. Which means that Adrien’s constantly trying to woo Marinette while Ladybug’s attempting to have normal conversations with Chat Noir (and failing), and both of them are oblivious to each other’s feelings. 

I love the way non-fantasy executes it, with Alya literally carrying around a spray bottle because of how eager Adrien is, and Ladybug being VERY SCARY if you ever lay a finger on Chat Noir (seriously akumas will literally beg for their akumatized object to be broken just to escape her wrath). 

Oh, also, Ladybug regularly stops by Adrien’s room so they can both lament how difficult of a time they’re having wooing their crushes, and just have fun together.

There’s a lot of entries in this series - 29 of them in fact - but most of them are pretty short, making it great if you want to devour some quick, cute, hilarious romcom action! 

Some stuff does actually change over the course of the series, it’s not just slice-of-life. Like identity reveals, dating, and even Hawkmoth’s defeat, so there’s clear progression and changes in circumstances as well.

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6.

The Parable of the Caller by @nemaliwrites

A week after Hawk Moth’s identity has been revealed, Adrien finds himself with nowhere to go, nothing he can do, and worst of all, strange gaps in his memory he can’t explain. In a stroke of luck, he stumbles upon a burner phone filled with voicemails from one of the Saviors of Paris: Chat Noir himself, who disappeared following Hawk Moth’s arrest.

But with each new voicemail Adrien listens to, he’s forced to confront the fact that there might be some kind of connection between himself and Chat Noir — and discovering it might leave him more broken than before.

I absolutely adore this fic, it’s a fantastic character study for Adrien! Basically in this universe, Ladybug and Chat Noir talked about who should be Guardian, with Chat eventually convincing her that he should be the one to take it on, primarily due to the whole “the Guardian gets amnesia about Miraculous-related matters” situation, and wanting to protect Ladybug from that. Then he finds out Gabriel is Hawk Moth, they take him down, and he relinquishes the Miracle Box and his guardianship to Su Han - all without having a Reveal with Ladybug, since well, he’s not in the greatest shape mentally at the time.

It’s a real treat to see Adrien’s thoughts and feelings about one of the Heroes of Paris leaving him all these voicemails, treating him like this close friend for reasons he doesn’t understand, and just seeing Chat Noir as this outside person. He’s got a very different viewpoint on Chat when looking from the outside than he would from the inside, with being able to see his heroic and good qualities far more easily when he doesn’t know that he is Chat.

Also Marinette’s struggling in the background of the fic with the loss of her partner and guilt over sending Adrien’s father to prison. It gets touched on at various points, and you can tell that she’s having her own story off to the side that we’re just not entirely privy to, what with this tale being told entirely from Adrien’s perspective.

---

5.

Dreams of You by @chocoluckchipz

Dreams had long been his only escape. Dreams of Ladybug, the girl who had always been there for him.

If only in his dreams. And only while she was also sleeping.

Because with the first rays of sunshine gliding over her skin, with the first fluttering of her eyelashes, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, memories of Adrien would vanish from her mind.

She would go on living her life.

He would always be the only one who remembered.

At least until they meet in the real world and fall in love all over again, something that would’ve been easier to do if Adrien wasn't a prisoner in his own home.

Chocoluckchipz has some of the most beautifully executed lovesquare fics I’ve read, and this is no exception. Most of the fic is dedicated to Adrien wooing Marinette, spending time with her, with her own dream self acting as his wingman, giving her tips on how to get her to fall for him, all the while frustrated that she can’t share memories with her waking self, and that she and Adrien can’t share as much information as they’d like while asleep, due to limitations of the “curse” that allows Adrien to share dreams with his soulmate. 

It’s not all cute Adrienette fluff though. There’s a threat in the background waiting to erupt, as the weirdness of Gabriel’s ultimatum to Adrien about finding Ladybug or else being forced to marry Lila keeps on gnawing at him - and with good reason. This is a world with magic and kwamis still, and that fact makes itself very relevant in the last third of the story. 

It’s a well-written tale and very much worth a read!

---

4.

Accidents Are Also Miracles by @liiinerle

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

3.

Between the Heavens and the Embers by @readersmoon

Everyone in Paris remembers the fateful night of January 16, when the city was attacked by the most powerful and destructive akuma ever created. The assault, which lasted for hours, resulted in the death of 439 people.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was among the casualties.

Years later, Adrien hasn't been able to move on, haunted by the memories of her broken body. So, when the opportunity to leave Paris for a while presents itself, he doesn't hesitate. But this trip might end up giving him more than he ever dreamt of.

This is a fantastic fic, though a serious and a dark one - make sure to mind the tags, and it’s M-rated for a reason. Vee - or rather, Marinette - is going through a horror story here. Imagine finding out that your life is a lie, that everyone you thought you could trust was manipulating you, that you were just being continually gaslit for years. 

As for Adrien, Alya, and Nino... well, none of them took Marinette’s “death” all that well, especially Adrien. Finding out that she’s been alive all this time, in these horrible circumstances, and they had no clue... it’s hard on them as well.

I love how this fic goes into how much trauma everyone has even after the immediate danger’s dealt with, you don’t just walk off this kind of experience, especially with how many years this lasted.

---

2.

drowning (in plain sight) by @buggachat

Everybody had expected Monarch's defeat to be a moment of triumph. Nobody had expected Gabriel Agreste, unmasked and mind frayed from continual abuse of the miraculous, crying out to all who would listen and making Paris certain of one thing:

His son, Adrien Agreste, is one of his sentimonsters.

And now he's missing.

Nobody can find him— not even the superheroes, and not even his closest friends. But Marinette, Nino, and Alya aren't ones to give up so easily. They'll find him, no matter what it takes.

(But, geez, would it kill Chat Noir to lend a hand?)

I’m sure everyone saw this one coming. If there’s one thing buggachat’s good at, storywise, it’s capturing raw, tumultuous emotions, frantic breakdowns as the characters desperately try to navigate bad situations. This was a real treat to read, as I’m betting most people reading this will agree, given just how popular the fic has been. It also has a ton of fanart, both by buggachat and by random fans, if you go looking for it (there’s a drowning in plain sight tag which I’d advise perusing). 

---

1.

one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace.

Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack for the last remaining Miraculous: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most.

Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.

This is a simply phenomenal fic. You get to explore a lot of different perspectives, like Felix, Kagami, Marinette, and Adrien’s, just to name a few, and see their different thought processes and plans and priorities, and how it can cause their plans to collide with each other, even when they all ultimately are aiming for a good outcome for everyone. The characters are pretty complex and can mess up at times, even when they’re doing things (or not doing things, looking at you Luka) with the best of intentions. It was a joy to read and a real nail-biter the whole time, I actually wrote a fic for it halfway through just to resolve some of the tension for myself, One Does Not Love Shadows.

It also features the version of Luka I’ve connected best with to date, as he feels like Luka, but also is a lot more fleshed out, and can make some major errors while simply trying to avoid missteps. It’s helped me get a better handle on a character who I’ve generally had a lot of problems with really understanding.

It is an M-rated fic, though I think Wackus is being overly cautious on that front. There’s no sexual content and I wouldn’t put the violence or gore above a T-rating, so I wouldn’t let the rating scare you off.

---

So that's my list! I'm sure many people will disagree with me (especially since most of these fics haven't even cracked 1000 kudos, so there are a lot of other fics out there that people have read more of), but these fics made the biggest impression on me this year, and I hope they make an impression on you as well!