#adrien you're hopeless

[mochinek0]

Looking Back (Part 2)

Lila looked around the reunion, annoyed. Adrien wasn't anywhere to be seen. The people she had control over weren't either. Lila smiled, spotting Marinette.

'Time to ruin her day. It'll be just like old times.'

"Marinette!" Lila smiled, walking up to her, "You can call me Mrs. Agreste. Adrien and I got married, after all."

"Congratulations!" Mari smiled.

Lila tried to keep the shock off of her face.

'Where are the tears? Where is the screaming?'

"We should go." A man walked up to Marinette spoke, "The kids are asleep, already."

'Kids? Marinette knows this guy? He's hotter than Adrien! How could she know him or his kids?'

"Already?" Marinette asked, "Oh, I guess it is late."

"Kids?" Lila asked, trying to keep the conversation going, "You.....have kids?"

"Oh, this is my husband." Marinette answered, "We got married seven years ago. We have a five year old and a two year old."

Before she could find out more, her husband pulled her towards the exit.

"Bye Mari!" her friends shouted, "Bye, Damian!"

Mari just waved and kept walking.

'I will not be ignored!'

"Bye Marinette!" Lila cried out, "I can't believe you're still so rude to me. You couldn't even say bye?"

Marinette stopped, turned and smiled, "Sorry, Lola. Bye."

'Lola?'

Lila seethed in anger. She had always thought of Marinette as her enemy, but it seemed she was just some distant memory to her.

Marinette's friend group continue to laugh after she had walked out of the reunion.

"I can't believe she called her that!" Ivan laughed.

"I wish I had recorded it." giggled Rose.

Lila stomped away, humiliated. She rushed outside of the venue and called Alya.

'She always answers! She's hopeless without me!'

Lila didn't expect Alya to be with the others.

"Oh it's you! Miss 'Popularity' herself!" Alya smugly replied.

"Excuse me?" Lila asked, "Alya this isn't like you."

"Oh, it's not?" she questioned, "Maybe I should drink more often then."

'She drunk. So she's useless. Wait! Maybe, I can use this to my advantage!'

"Alya, Marinette was so mean-" she began.

"All of Marinette's friends are successful!" Alya shouted, "Why do we all suck?"

'Huh?'

"Yeah!" Kim shouted, "We've listened to you since junior high! We trusted you! I have a gut and stuck as a PE teacher! Odine is at the Olympics!"

"Nino listened but he only hangs out with Adrien! After we broke up, he just got.....better!" Alya sneered, "He's a DJ who travels all over and I'm stuck running errand for other people at Tvi. I'm not even a reporter!"

"Why does Adrien saying you're un-fuckable?" Alix questioned.

"Excuse me?" Lila gasped.

Nathaniel scoffed, "He said he never dated you and he never would. Mr. Model was crying how he missed out on marrying Marinette and how you're not even his type!"

"Kitty Section listened to Marinette and they're famous!" Alix continued to rant. "Max works for her husband's company and he makes millions. It's like a millionaire club with them."

"Why are Marinette and her friends amazing people and all the people that listened to you miserable?" Alya sneered.

"Yeah!" the rest cried out.

Lila scoffed and hung up the phone. She tried to make the best of it and talk with other people, but she could see people pointing at her out of the corner of her eye. She pretended not to see them giggling and whispering at each other. She quickly made a break for the bathroom to collect herself. She hid in one of the stalls and took a deep breath. No one could know they got to her. They probably heard her call herself Mrs. Agreste.

'Stupid! I should have whispered it to her.'

"Who knew Marinette was such a savage!" she heard a girl say, as the door opened.

'Seriously?'

"She's matured so much!" Lila heard another voice speak.

"I know." the first voice answered, "I'm so happy for her. She went through so much shit with Chloe."

"Hey, did you believe about her being a bully?" the other voice questioned.

"Bullying Rossi?" they scoffed, "Hell no! Lila is a whiny bitch. She acted like she was four."

The second person laughed, "And those fake 'Pity Me' tears."

They both laughed.

"But Marinette callign her Lola-" they continued to laugh.

"Lila Rossi really is the Loud Obnoxious Lying Anti-Christ." one giggled.

"Juleka told me it use to be worse." the other continued.

"How?" they replied.

"Before she was 'LOLA', they would call her the 'STB: Stupid Thoughtless Bitch'." the girl answered.

Lila heard the other person snort.

"Then, they had to teach her safe sex before Wayne, so Mari started calling her an STD cuz she was like an infection that was hard to get rid of." the same girl continued.

"Wait?" one girl spoke, "Why did they have to teach her? She must have known by then."

Lila heard a giggle, "Apparently her and Wayne were eye fucking each other so badly when Mari started working at WE. You know she's the Wayne family's personal designer, right? Jagged Stone introduced them."

"Oh yeah. Didn't she make his Eiffel tower sunglasses when she was 13?" the other questioned.

"Yep. She did those and then worked on his album covers." one declared, "Not to mention the outfits he wore on stage, but seriously imagine undressing your future husband before even being with him."

"I can certainly see the perks." they replied.

"Anyways, the tension was so bad that Kitty Section went to Bruce's office to say he would likely get a grandchild soon, if his son didn't man up an d ask her out." one recalled, "They said it was like being one snap away from them going at it like animals at the office. Damian walked in and told them to stay out of his life and slammed the door. Bruce shouted he'd love grandkids and the next day Wayne asked her out."

"Damn." the other laughed, "From Ice Prince to Simp for Paris' Sweetheart?"

"Better than being known as Paris' Trashy Whore." the other scoffed, "Did you hear Rossi was trying to claim to be married to Adrien?"

"Shut up!" the other yelled, "She did not!"

"Yep." the other stated, "Hard to believe when Agreste was eye fucking Mrs. Wayne til Lola's Pack took him to the bar."

"Guess she's not such a frined now, huh?" the second girl called out.

"Let's go before Lola shows up." the first one declared, "She's bound to skulk in some bathroom 'til her group shows up and saves her from embarassment."

Lila heard the door open and close. She hadn't moved a muscle from whn they started talking. It wasn't until she blinked that she realized she was crying.

'That's why she didn't care.'

Marinette had always been the winner. No one had believed her. The few people that did were slowly turning against her. They were too drunk and were now blaming her for making their lives miserable. By tomorrow, they probably would have forgotten they said that.

Alya was constantly complainign about Nino's success now. Kim had lost to Odine too may times after their break up that he started to compulsively eat. He had lost his swimmer's body and had a giant gut. He'd poke it and complain about his life. His dating life wasn't that much better. He was constantly telling people 'He wasn't always like this. How he was ruined.'

Neither she nor Adrien modeled anymore. He worked for Gabriel and was plain miserable. He constantly complained about being watched and how he felt like he as under a microscope.

On the other hand, she would bring up about being a model and the date wouldn't end well. They would usually huff and tell her to pay for herself. Lila had finally shouted on one of her dates and questioned why. They replied they would only be wasting money on a salad or for her to throw up in the bathroom later. She stopped bringing it up after that.

Lila looked around. She was still in the toilet stall. Marinette was married with kids. Marinette was wealthy and married wealthy as well. Marinette had friends; she was famous and doing what she wanted.

She was still trying to find a guy to seduce to let her be a housewife and have access to an unrestricted credit card. Lila couldn't stop the sob that escaped her mouth. She had threatened Marinette in the bathroom and the bathroom is exactly where her dreams were shattered. No 'Prince Charming' was ever coming for her. She had chosen the wrong path in life and was now stuck on it. Her friends were just as friendly as she was. Everyone in her life was just as two-faced as she was and she hated it.

[darkacademicvibes]

You Owe Me

Fred Weasley x Fem!Lancaster!Gryffindor!Reader

Enemies to lovers, Fake dating

It's the fourth time in two weeks, and it's only Tuesday.

Adrien Pucey settles into the seat beside you, the same flirty smile on his face as his last three attempts at talking to you, and it takes everything in you to keep your glare of annoyance to yourself as you send Hermione at the gryffindor table your best 'can-we-please-have-a-tutor-session-right-at-this-second-i-need-your-help' stare, which she doesn't understand, of course, since you're usually so against studying.

"Hey gorgeous" you sigh heavily, barely glancing at him. "What do you want, Pucey" you mutter, hoping to merlin he doesn't make some revolting innuendo of some sort, you're trying to eat lunch for heavens sake.

"I want you to go out with me this weekend" he shrugs, and you turn to him, placing down your fork. "Look, Pucey, there's a nice way to say this, but I'm not going to be nice anymore. Leave me the fuck alone, I'm not interested in dating, sleeping with, or, talking to you" you state clearly, hoping it was exactly what he needed to leave you alone.

"Tell me one good reason why"

Hope is dead. There is no hope. Hopeless, that is his word, you will never say hopeless without thinking of this exact moment ever again.

"I have a boyfriend" the words practically tumble out of your mouth, and he immediately seems confused. Me too, pucey, me too. You think to yourself, because genuinely, what the fuck? No, you don't. Not that he needed to know that, because he was already standing up. "Right... uh, who, exactly?" He asks, and you panic.

"Look, we're trying to keep it to ourselves right now, yknow? We don't want anyone in our business, so if you could kind of... keep it quiet, that would be really helpful" you ramble, shit- literally - because at this point you are talking out of your arse. None of this is true, obviously, but if it gets him to leave you the fuck alone, then great, now it is. It's a lie, but it's true. In his mind, at least.

He pauses, "right." He mumbles, turning on his heel and leaving as you turn back to your meal, feeling particularly distraught.

"Y/n? It's time for our session-" Hermione Granger pauses, she's never seen you move so quickly, shoving bacon into your mouth and grabbing an apple turnover as you shove your things into your bag, standing up and grabbing her wrist with your free hand as you tug her along to the library.

What the hell happened since their last session? Y/n Lancaster has never once been the one most ready for their study session, it was always Hermione spending the better part of their scheduled two hours bribing her to actually open her books.

"I'm fucked" you state with a mortified groan the moment you make it to your usual table in the library, apple turnover in hand until you place it onto a loose piece of parchment, sending a suspicious glare to the wood of the library table. Who knew what tables couples had shagged on top of after sneaking in after hours for a bit of unsanctioned fun.

Hermione frowns, puzzled as she sits beside you, watching you actually open your textbooks. "What? What happened?" she asks, hurrying to tug her own books from her bag.

"Okay, you know how i've been bitching about Pucey asking me out and being all gross and stuff? Well he asked me out again, and I said no - obviously, like, gag - but he asked me why and I totally minblanked so I told him I have a secret boyfriend" you ramble, stressed at the situation you've gone and caused for yourself, because now you actually had to ask someone to pretend to be in a badly hidden 'relationship' with you to keep him off your back. Double gag.

She smiles, "oh, you do? congrats-"

"Hermione Jean Granger, you adorable, sweet, merlins favourite little gryffindor-"

"We're the same age-"

"-I am so greatful that you think I have such low standards and such high patience to date a boy of all things-"

"And we're both gryffindors."

"-But I am so single it borderlines on painful."

She's silent for a long moment, so long, you aren't sure if she understood you, and then, painfully slow, she begins to smile. And then a laugh bubbles out of her as you sulk, biting into the sweet apple turnover.

It takes a long few minues for her to calm enough to be able to look at you without laughing again.

"So now what?" she muses "You can't exactly keep lying and really expect to get away with it" she points out, and you fall silent, sending her a sheepish smile as she pauses, eyeing you warily.

"Y/n Gréine Lancaster, tell me you are not thinking about-"

You nod quickly, embrrassed.

"Y/n! That's ridiculous" she scolds quietly, and you groan.

"Trust me, I know... but I have to, I just want Pucey to leave me alone. He's been so convinced that i've just been playing hard to get- I can't take it anymore, 'mione, you even had to start tutoring me because i've been taking the long ways to class to avoid him in the halls" you insist.

She sighs, her gaze softening.

"I know someone you can ask, I'll talk to him" she promises softly. "He needs a date to christmas this year to keep his mother off his back anyway... a win-win situation is okay... right?" she asks softly, gently grabbing your hand. You nod softly.

"Of course, 'mione, thank you"

"Always, Y/n. Now.. herbology-"

"Oh god, must we?"

[fernsnouveau]

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

I actually liked her flaws.

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

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

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

Anyway.

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

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

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

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

And I can't ignore that anymore.

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

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

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

I don't like this trajectory!!!

[goggles-mcgee]

Hi! I hope you’re doing well! Do you have any head canons about your felinette stories (Moving on, finding home; The haunted Bride, The not-so phantom…) and Marinette, the Rolling Stone? I love all of your stories, specially daminette 😈

Hi! Of course I do! But since you're grouping them for the Felinette, I will focus these headcanons on the felinette aspects a bit! Also I am so sorry for the very late reply. Motivation has been very low 😔

Moving On, Finding Home:

•As Marinette starts to work with Amelie, Amelie decided they should go out for lunch along with Felix, but when they got to the cafe she suddenly had some business to take care of and rushed off. Felix took this as an opportunity to really talk to Marinette and apologize for his behavior last time he was in Paris.

•At first she's skeptical but as he went into detail about why he did it, she feels for him. He told her about the loss of his father and that he knew it wasn't an excuse but he had been hurt and angry. Especially at Adrien and his Uncle. He was surprised when she didn't immediately jump to Adrien’s defense.

•Since he was so willing to be vulnerable and he seemed genuine in wanting to start over with her, Marinette told him everything that had happened at school. At first she had just wanted to explain that her and Adrien weren't friends anymore but once she started talking she couldn't stop.

•After this talk, things work a lot smoother, and Felix actually tags along with his mother when she goes to meet Marinette. Somehow them having lunch became a routine as well, but neither teen complains.

•Amelie adores Marinette and has a hard time not spoiling the girl but she can't help that her love language is gift giving and look...if Marinette is going to be taking on as big a project as she is then of course she needs a new design desk...and tablet since her old one had a chip on the corner...and a new mattress because her little designer needs the best sleep to dream up wonderful designs!

•Felix does try to reign her in, but it's hopeless.

•Tom and Amelie are two peas in a protective-parent-pod. They love talking to each other about their respective child and all they do in the name of that love, like the time Tom threw Marinette’s birthday cake in the trash several times in a panic because he didn't want to spoil the surprise. Tom and Amelie basically become bestie with a fond Sabine watching over.

•Amelie being a Petty Betty and allowing paparazzi to take pictures of her, Felix and Marinette when they are out together (with permission, of course) all so she could show off how cute Felix and Marinette are together but also to rub it in the face of her brother-in-law that she nabbed the very talented designer before him.

•Felix does become the new Chat Noir, but he changes his name to Grimalkin and Adrien, who starts not-so-vague posting on his Chat Noir account on social media that the name sucks and nitpicks about everything of the new Cat Hero.

•The class start to think the reason Marinette has "changed" so much is because of Felix, and they start trying to include her in things again in an attempt to lure her away from the "problem" Lila hates this and tries to intervene but it never works out for her.

•Gabriel is having a rough month, what with Lila Rossi being herself, the Dupain-Cheng girl getting snatched up by his dreadful sister-in-law right before he was going to open an early-experience type of internship so he could keep her close and figure out how to akumatize her but also she did have great talent and it would be a waste if he let her slip through his fingers, then Adrien reveals he and Mlle Dupain-Cheng aren't on speaking terms and to top it all off!!! There is a new cat hero who is actually competent, and that is making being a super villain very hard.

The Haunted Bride:

•Marinette had for as long as she remembers, been obsessed with the Culpa Mansion. Her parents thought it was cute and funny at first, but when she still spoke about it and even spoke about details, she couldn't have possibly known, but when she overheard her parents talking about taking her to a professional or something she stopped talking so in depth about it.

•But she dreamt of it almost every night and keeps a dream journal where she drew a lot of things from her dreams. She has it locked and hidden because she fears if anyone found it, they would think she was crazy, especially her parents.

•Hawkmoth is defeated and in jail, but Adrien did somehow get through it all without being suspected of aiding his father. Nathalie is the one taking care of Adrien since Gabriel took the fall for everything.

•Marinette as Ladybug, decided against Ladybug and Chat Noir revealing their identities to each other. Something just told her not too but she did promise that if Chat found her, she would let him know. Her and Adrien dating kind of happened out of nowhere to her, but then he kept making cat puns here and there, and well Marinette came to the conclusion he was Chat and hat found her. So she made her own subtle references.

•Adrien does not know that she is Ladybug, but she thinks he does. He just started dating her because she reminded him of Ladybug, and while he did start to like her, he was still very much in "love" with Ladybug.

•Marinette starts to realize he actually doesn't know who she is, and it kind of opens her eyes to how he tries to manipulate her. She doesn't think he is doing it maliciously or anything, but she can see how much he values the class and keeping things happy, and she sees that he's doing it kind of subconsciously so he can keep his perceived normal and happiness. It's why he never breaks the peace, even if it's the right thing to do.

•When she wins the trip to the Mansion, Marinette actually exchanges letters with the owner of the Mansion, who happens to be her age, and she thinks that's cool. They become pen-pals and friends, and Marinette is just so happy to get to rant to someone just as obsessed with the mansion as much as her.

•When she and her class go to the mansion, she is already trying to break up with Adrien but that's kind of hard to do when he won't spend any time alone with her like a boyfriend should. She finds out that Lila is the one manipulating him in hopes that he would be charmed by her and fall for her. The girl squad (some of them) are helping her.

•Marinette is almost always somehow left alone, and during those times, she meets with Felix, and they just have a fun time hanging out, and Marinette finds herself falling for him. She only ever meets him at night though but it's when she's with him that she feels the happiest and most clear headed. He keeps her grounded.

•But while staying in the mansion, her dreams come back in such vividity that she starts having trouble determining what reality is and what is a dream.

The Not-So Phantom of the Théâtre du Châtelet:

•Felix is not scarred, nor does he live underneath the theater. The Phantom is a character he plays to manipulate and scare those who seek to hurt the theater and the owner, his mother. He doesn't mind the rumor. He plays into it in the name of protecting his mother and the theater she loves. He also does not care nor mind hurting others to do so.

•He works as a permanent stage hand and sometimes a stage manager since he knows the theater better than anyone. Yes, he did build hidden trap doors and such to help with his time as the Phantom.

•But what started as him protecting his mother and their theater kind of morphed into punishing those he thinks deserves it and if you're thinking his mother would not approve of this or not know what her son is doing, nah. She knows and supports her troubled little man.

•When he first meets Marinette, he immediately realizes what potential she has and is charmed by her almost immediately. They become friends as costume designer and stage hand. But when he sees the treatment of her from her ex-boyfriend and the lead actress, he will do anything to protect her.

•Marinette didn't believe in the Phantom until all these strange events started happening, and she keeps getting roses left in her workshop. She doesn't know how she feels about everything and thinks that makes her an awful person.

•She does have a crush on Felix, and they connect so well, but she also can't help but be drawn to the Phantom when they keep having encounters.

Marinette The Rolling-Stone:

•Marinette meets Felix after her big move to London when she goes to her new private school. Yes, Jagged and Penny enrolled her in a private academy because they feared what people would do if she were in a public school, given all that happened and what was televised.

•It's a school that allows her to work from home sometimes. The excuse that was given was that it was due to her adopted father's work schedule, but in actuality, it was because Marinette told Jagged and Penny about being Ladybug and the Guardian and they agreed she could home-school on days she needed to be in Paris.

•She got adopted into the Quantic Kids group by surprisingly Felix. He just felt like she needed friends, and she reminded him of himself before he became friends with his friends.

•It takes a while for her to trust them, but when she does, she cries over how much happier she is. When she starts getting feelings for Felix she's scared but Jagged and Penny help her through it.

•Felix doesn't know when he fell for Marinette, but contrary to what his friends think, he didn't freak out or get angry or anything like that. To him, it made sense, she made sense...they made sense. So no, he isn't scared of his feelings and is more than determined to prove himself to Marinette.

•Her friends find out she is Ladybug and convince her to let them help. Of course, she doesn't want to, but things are getting worse, and she needs people she can trust. Jagged and Penny are also there to help as well.

•Felix, of course, becomes the new Cat Miraculous Holder and becomes known as Carbonel!

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Let's say you have complete creative control.

How would you write a Marinette (non-Akuma/Amok) corruption arc?

If I had complete creative control, I wouldn't do a corruption arc for Marinette, I'd do one for Gabriel. But I'm assuming you want me to pretend I would do one for Marinette, so I will because why not? How I'd do it would depend heavily on when the writing team gave up and shoved the story into my hands. For the purposes of this hypothetical, I'm going to have to lean into the bad writing, so read on at your own risk.

Current state: as of the end of season five, Marinette seemingly knows that Adrien is a sentimonster. Marinette also has anxiety issues and there's a new butterfly villain on the loose whose knowledge regarding Adrien and connection to Gabriel are unknown. We also have Felix's previous less-than-heroic actions and Nathalie's status as Gabriel's former right hand lady. With all these less-than-awesome people out there, fully aware of Adrien's vulnerability, we have a pretty fantastic setup for an arc where Marinette gets ever more paranoid and controlling in the name of keeping Adrien safe from this new villain. Basically have her spiral into Gabriel 2.0 where her love for Adrien is used to justify terrible things. Not a setup I'd want to watch, but it does fit the show's treatment of The Power of Love so, you know, do with that what you will.

Season three up to near the end of season five: Something to do with Lila making Marinette lose all faith in her friends because, if you're going to write them as terrible friends, you may as well own it. Have Marinette feel like she's sacrificing everything for people who treat her like a villain or a child in spite of all she does, so she decides why bother to be the good guy? Why make all these sacrifices when it never works out for her? I'd probably have her stop showing up to fights like Chat Noir did in Kuro Neko, only if Ladybug did that it would be a much bigger deal. You could even have her full out quit and give Chat Noir her miraculous and the miracle box as a bit of a "fine, you do it and see if you can do it better" thing. Basically anything that lets her go fully selfish due to pressure and poor treatment since it's really not fair that Adrien's the only one who's allowed to miss battles and give up his miraculous when he doesn't feel appreciated.

A variation on this could be quitting because of something like her friends are putting too much pressure on her re:Adrien combined with the show's love of never letting her make the right call when it really matters, so she snaps from all this pressure on every side.

Pre season three: I don't think there's really a great lead up to a corruption in the earlier seasons. Things were pretty great back then. Idk, maybe have her snap from frustration with Chat Noir never taking things seriously, so she starts mimicking him, leading to people getting hurt? (Reminder, I think this is a writing issue when it comes to Chat Noir, but it's there and I said we were going to lean into canon's bad writing for this so here we are.)

And there you go! My takes on evil!Marinette. As I said at the start, I'm not interested in writing any of these. While I do think canon has the setup for them, they rely too heavily on things canon should never have done. Things that don't fit my image of Marinette's core character.

I'm also not big on corruption arcs for heroes. For me, they fall under the same category as the broken partnership/team trope: interesting concept, but one that's rarely executed in a satisfying way. They also tend to be too depressing and/or tragic for my tastes.

My two major hobbies are writing/reading fiction and studying world history/cultures. World history isn't all doom and gloom, but there's a lot of harsh, tragic, and sad things to be found in the past. As such, I've never really enjoyed fictional stories with a hopeless feeling to them. I turn to fictional worlds to escape reality. To go to places full of satisfying endings that are, at worst, bittersweet. If I'm reading a tragedy, I want something that's all or mostly historical fact. Not a matter of judgment, just one of personal preference.

[mae-dwrites]

A Bundle of Heliotropes - Chapter 1 - Marking

| Masterlist | Start: Here <3 | Next |

| Ao3 | Wattpad |

After two people have turned 16 they get a soulmark, a near-exact, or complementary, mark or as some referred to it as a tattoo. This can be anywhere on the person, sometimes they're simple, small, or inconspicuous on occasion. Other times they take up a great deal of space, elaborate pieces of work, their meaning so clear much clearer more often than not.

When Marinette Dupain-Cheng was younger she couldn't wait for her mark. She hadn't cared what it would look like because no matter what it would be beautiful, because this was her way to her one in the Universe.

When she fell in love with Adrien she was sure it was him but slowly felt as though she was wrong as she failed to confess or even have a normal conversation with the blond. Why would the Universe give her someone she couldn't even talk to?

This led to her officially letting him go and giving Luka a wholehearted try, that was until he got his soulmark. Akumas, being Ladybug, and Guardian duties had already been putting a strain on their relationship so Luka getting his mark was just the icing on the cake, and Marinette thought it would be better for them to break up and remain friends.

Marinette spent months of hopeful vs. hopeless, and as her birthday drew near a feeling of dread came upon her. The day came when she woke up with her collar area burning with her mark.

It was beautiful, just below the center of her collarbone a circle resting with elm branches coming from it going across to end at her shoulders. In the circle was a giant ladybug, along with robins sitting on the branches of her tree.

Looking in the mirror left her almost breathless, she brought her hand up to the mark almost scared to touch it. For fear if she touched it would fade the canvas of her skin forgetting what had been.

The only problem was it was far too telling. A ladybug? As if that wouldn't reveal her. She couldn't show this, not without someone realizing what the ladybug truly represented.

She could show Alya, she had told her identity at the beginning of the school year. She trusted her not to blab about it, especially when a few months ago Alya was going through the Ladyblog rewatching her videos and trying to see if any of them could be of help. Then she stumbled upon her interview with Lila to realize that she couldn't possibly be best friends with Ladybug when that was in fact her. She apologized to Marinette when she realized her mistake and how it took her this long even after Marinette had already told her and proved she was Ladybug.

“Marinette!” Tikki’s voice broke through her trance. The Kwami had been admiring her mark, while it wasn't the biggest or the flashiest. It was certainly something to admire. Big and flashy had never been Marinette’s forte, perhaps her soulmate and her had that in common?

“Sorry Tikki. I just,” Marinette glanced into the mirror again looking at the branches and its’ birds. “I can't believe it.” The teen said the last bit breathlessly.

“Guardian, as beautiful as your mark is,” Wayzz floated up. “You’re going to need to hide it. Someone could put it together, even with the quantum masking.”

“Wayzz is right,” Marinette turned to face Tikki as she spoke. “We can't count on the Miraculous magic to hide your identity when a mark so clearly refers to your heroine persona. While our magic is ancient that doesn’t mean it’s entirely dependable either.”

“You're right,” Marinette sighed. “I can show Alya at least. I'm sure she's gonna freak.”

Marinette wore a shirt that covered above her collarbone, unable to wear her usual white tees. She wore a light pink top so that if the shirt got wet the mark wouldn't be seen through the fabric. Marinette had already been making it a habit not to wear her usual whites anyway, with how many times Lila had caused “accidents” that ruined them. It wasn’t like she was dumb enough to keep wearing something that would be affected the worse.

Marinette already knew that Lila would try to say she must not have a soul mate if she wasn't willing to show her friends. Honestly, Marinette could care less about that, as Lila probably wouldn't share hers either when she got hers later this year. Not to mention there were others in the class and friends that had been getting their marks recently and not all of them wanted to share. Also, Marinette might be the younger between her and them, if her getting the mark on her birthday was anything to go by. Which it was.

Marinette made her way downstairs while tying her hair back, over the last few months while she still was late for things she had gotten better at waking up early. It made her friends excited, that's for sure. Marinette was proud, she may not get all the hours of sleep needed for a person her age but at least she started her day earlier.

She grabbed an apple and made her way down the stairs. She didn't want to risk Lila trying to claim she had done something when she was least likely to have. So she made her way as quickly as she possibly could, despite her having more time to get to school; it helped to get there as soon as she could around a certain time. As the more people around to see her the less likely Lila could make her claims.

Marinette passed through the bakery giving her maman and papa hugs and kisses before snatching up croissants into a bag to share with some of her friends. Mainly Alya, Nino, and Adrien of course every morning hung out with her. Many of her other friends would sometimes join them, sometimes they were in a rush or just forgot to grab something to eat.

Everyone mostly “played nice” as Adrien tried to keep it. While Adrien seemed to play peacekeeper along with Alya they both had very different reasons. Adrien being so Lila wouldn't say anything to his Father and risk his freedom, and while they understood that it still hurt when Adrien sometimes took more of Lila’s side in the conversation, even if it was for the sake of “keeping the peace.” Over the months Chloé, Kagami, and Marinette had been able to convince Gabriel to be more free with his son, even Natalie had surprisingly shown support. But Adrien still turned the arguments in Lila’s favor a good chunk of the time.

Alya on the other hand had been slowly sliding more to Marinette, so as to not cause Lila into a fuss. Alya hated it, that much was clear, but it seemed as though Lila didn't notice as long as the Créole teen was spitting articles of her amazing life. Alya had made a separate blog to “support her friend” but what Lila hadn't noticed was that the writer’s name wasn't Alya but a pen name. But it had come to light for Lila that Alya still cared about Marinette and wasn't entirely leaving her. Alya gave excuses, true and false, but we're good enough for the Italian. But Lila taking notice had only been a recent thing.

“Marinette!” Alya shouted as Marinette made her way into the courtyard. Some people turned to see the dark-haired teen make her way to her friend, some of those students happened to be Max and Rose. Score, Marinette couldn’t help but think as it meant if Lila tried to say something they would most likely doubt her, especially if she was with Alya.

“Hey Alya,” Marinette smiled before hugging her best friend. As she pulled away she wasn’t even halfway out before Alya was practically buzzing.

“So?” Alya stretched the word out while bouncing in place. “Did you get your mark? Or is it not there? And if there isn’t one then that’s okay girl! Remember your soulmate could be younger than you and hasn’t turned sixteen yet. And even if you don’t get a mark I won’t think any less of you, it just means that you're free to choose your own destiny and-” and before Alya could continue rambling, something that she had picked up from the Asian girl, that Marinette cut her off.

“Alya! I got my mark,” Marinette laughed before finally letting go of the other girl’s hands. Alya’s face slowly went from blank to pure glee. She grabbed Marinette’s shoulders and shook her, “You. Me. Bathroom. Now!”

Alya dragged her to the bathroom, while others would be upset at the other’s demanding antics Marinette just laughed. Alya pushed the bathroom door open and surveyed the room, “Which stall is empty?”

Some girls gave her weird looks, but those who were friends or knew the girls personally giggled or simply smiled. One of them pointed to the one at the end. Alya declared “perfect” and brought Marinette in with her. Some of the girls said happy birthdays to Marinette while giggling as Alya dragged her into the stall. As Alya shut the stall door it could be heard some girls going “Oh” as they realized why the two went into the stall.

“Show me now girl!” Alya cried, the stall at the end wasn’t as small as the others but it certainly wasn’t one as big as the one closer to the door. Alya had mentioned that her mark might hint at her heroing, as a theory. It wasn’t uncommon for soul marks to represent someone’s work or passions, so it was safe to assume that Marinette’s could reference Ladybug.

Marinette pulled her arms out of her shirt before taking it off, her tank top left a perfect view of the mark. Aside from the straps, it’s not like it really mattered. Alya let out what had to be the loudest squeal Marinette had heard come out of her, and she had let Alya try many Miraculi on just for the fun of it. That sleepover had been the loudest squeals and laughter that came out of Alya to date. Till today that is.

“Are those tree branches? And robins?”

“Yes, and yes,” Marinette said before bringing her shirt back on. “Elms if I’m not wrong. But I studied plants for that one nature-forest-themed fashion competition.”

Alya finally opened the stall back up when Marinette had her shirt situated, and with Wayzz and Tikki away. Alya just seemed to be radiating from excitement. If Alya was the type to jump up and down when excited that would be exactly what she would be doing now. Though Marinette had a feeling it had to do with how nervous Alya was for Nino’s birthday.

Nino’s Birthday was just four days away, Alya’s was last month. She didn't get a mark so she held out hope that Nino would be her soulmate, while being soulmates didn't necessarily mean it was romantic you couldn't blame the girl. As for all they knew, Nino or Alya may have a romantic bond with someone else. With how close they were and how much they loved each other it made sense to be scared of such possibilities.

Marinette was honestly scared hers wouldn't be romantic, not that there was anything wrong with a platonic bond. But for Marinette, it just meant finding someone to have her big house with three kids and a hamster would be much harder.

Marinette subconsciously touched where her mark lay, What if they don't like that I'm the one they're soul bound to?

“Marinette!”

The said girl looked up to see Adrien, Nino, and Kim waiting for her. A smile came on her face as she saw them. Kim waved at her overdramatically before raising a sign that read “Happy Birthday To The Bread Child.”

Alya and Marinette laughed at the sign, it had been a joke between mainly Kim and Marinette that she was “The Bread Child”. When they were in early collège their class had done a project about names and their heritages. From then on Kim liked to joke about her father’s last name.

Her other friends had slowly made their ways into the joke calling her bread-related nicknames. Adrien and Nino were the worst, as they were puns. It honestly made Marinette think their favorite hero was Chat Noir rather than Ladybug.

“Happy Birthday!” Nino and Kim shouted at their long-time friend.

“Happy Birthday Marinette,” Adrien smiled at her. The girl's insides swirled around a little at his smile, it was charming, one of his real ones even. Despite letting go of her crush on him he still made her flustered from time to time.

“Thanks you guys,” she felt a bit embarrassed but she couldn't care. Her friends always made her feel like that on important occasions, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

“I'm assuming by Alya’s face and that she was practically skipping her way over here that you got your mark?” Kim raised his eyebrows at his short friend. Though most people at Françoise Dupont were shorter than Kim.

“Yes,” her cheeks flushed as she admitted it.

“That's amazing dudette,” Nino said in his usual fashion.

“Can you show us?” Kim looked between the two girls.

Marinette swallowed before opening her mouth to speak, “I don't want to lie to you but I want to keep it myself. I would love to show it but for now, I would like to keep it to myself.”

Marinette looked everywhere but her friends while she said this. They were gonna think she was selfish, or that she hates them when she doesn't! But because they think she hates them they’ll start hating her, and they’ll all leave her. She’ll have no friends because they’ll tell everyone and then she won't ever make friends for the rest of lycèe. Since no one likes her she’ll never get to be a famous and successful designer, and when she finally finds her soulmate they’ll think she’s horrible and hate her because she has no friends and that she's a failure. And then she’ll be alone for the rest of her life. She’ll never get her big house for her hamster and three kids, and-

“Marinette!” Her friend's voices snapped her out of her panicked state.

“S-sorry!” Marinette cried.

“Marinette, it's okay,” Nino said.

“We understand and we won't push you to show us,” Kim pulled Marinette in for a side hug. “We would never hate you for being private.”

“Exactly!” Adrien said with a reassuring smile. “It's your decision. Also soulmarks are very personal things, it only makes sense if someone decided not to share theirs.”

“It’s in your full right to decide who you want to share your mark with,” Alix said from behind Marinette. Marinette would have jumped if Kim hadn't been hugging her right then. “Honestly I don't think I will share mine with anyone when I turn sixteen next year.” Alix admitted before continuing in a joking tone, “Unless it’s something sick like a dragon or snakes. Then I would show that sucker off for all it’s worth!”

Everyone laughed at Alix’s statement before heading to their classroom.

|

When Damian Wayne first didn't get his mark he thought maybe he didn't have one, and he was fine with that. Even pleased one could say. As it would be one less person to care about, to protect, or to be used as a weakness.

His family reassured him that his soulmate probably just hadn't turned sixteen yet. Truly that didn't, as the League had certain beliefs around the topic. All Damian saw was that it was the Universe giving him that one person that anyone could use against him.

Lo and behold they would be right; just a few months later would he wake to his shoulder blades burning as a mark finally made itself upon his body.

Damian looked at his back with the mirror in his bathroom. It was…magnificent. It was the only word that could come to mind that held everything he felt about it, the young Wayne couldn't help but look at it.

A circle between his shoulder blades with tree branches that went across his shoulder blades and stopped just as it went to wrap around, clearly cherry blossoms were the branches that came out, ladybugs in flight or resting in the branches. While it made no sense it was still a beautiful sight. In the circle was a robin, its back to the viewer and its head turned up so you could see its face, as best you could with how the view of the mark portrayed it.

Damian swallowed, his body showcasing the form of nervousness without his consent. He couldn't help it though, looking at made his chest tight and his fingers flinching, desperately wanting to touch the mark. His arm made its way up and his hand came down-

He clenched his jaw as he turned his hand into a fist and brought it away. He huffed leaving the bathroom, and his face became a scowl. As he got dressed two parts of him berated him. He took a moment to calm himself, it’s just a mark. But it wasn't like a regular tattoo, it couldn't come off.

It was one of the reasons you, internationally, couldn't get a tattoo until you were eighteen, because you were one: a minor. And second, you didn't get your mark until you were around the age of sixteen to nineteen. At least that was the average range of the current day, there were some larger age differences here and there, but it wasn't as common now. Guess the Universe seemed to catch on to how humans had been viewing age differences in recent times.

Damian didn’t understand why the Universe had decided that soulmates would be part of the staple of its rules. An absolute that had become the conclusion long ago that no matter what you were bound to meet your soulmate, in one life or another. At least that was according to magic users and what the League had from hunting down certain magic users.

So under no circumstances could his family find out about this mark. He may have come a long way from who he was when he was ten years old but even still he did not wish to entrust them with everything. While they were family, his most trusted, and partners, he couldn't stand them over insignificant things. This mark did follow under the file: “Keep Out Of Knowledge For Long As Possible.” or as he formally called it “My Business.”

It was his business, and as it was his business it meant his brothers would poke and pry their way into said business. Damian stifled a groan as he made his way down the hall. Damian could only hope his brothers would stick to their recent “level 1: giving space” tactic, but that would only last for so long. He might as well enjoy the peace that came with it.

“Damian we're going skating after school!” Grayson exclaimed upon the young Wayne entering the dining room.

As much peace that would come with the level 1 space.

-

Being Tagged is always an option.

[theconstructorr]

Episode 6: Dark Cupid

A stunning woman, admired for her beauty despite being in a committed relationship, finds herself caught in a web of jealousy and envy. One evening, she accompanies her boyfriend and his parents to a restaurant. When she and her mother-in-law find themselves alone, a man approaches the woman, hitting on her. She politely rejects him, mentioning she has a boyfriend. The mother-in-law, simmering with jealousy, watches with disdain.

Returning to the table, the girlfriend and her boyfriend share unexpected news: she's pregnant. The mother-in-law, her anger bubbling over, later tells her son to kill the woman. He agrees, and the sinister plot unfolds. The girlfriend is lured to visit the in-laws, only to be murdered on the way there by her brother-in-law.

Late that night, her boyfriend calls, frantic when she doesn't return. Panic sets in when he calls the police, and the next day, they confirm her body has been found. He is devastated, his world shattered.

The next day in Ms. Bustier's class, the students are assigned Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault. Marinette shares with Alya her love for fairytales as they leave class together. In the hallway, they see Adrien, surrounded by Chloe and Sabrina. Alya scowls, but Marinette's gaze lingers, envy tightening her chest. Alya notices, warning her to stop. Marinette feels ashamed, but Chloe catches her eye and smiles wickedly.

Later, the boyfriend visits the mortuary to see his girlfriend's lifeless body. Overcome with grief, he cries for her and their unborn child.

In Ms. Mendeleiev's class, Chloe grabs Marinette's hand, pulling her aside when everyone else leaves. With a smug smile, Chloe says, "We should be friends."

"What are you talking about?" Marinette responds, confused.

"We have something in common. I'm Adrien's number one friend, and you're his number one fan," Chloe declares, her voice dripping with possessiveness.

Marinette's stomach churns. "You're delusional," she mutters.

Chloe's smile turns cold. "Know your place. Adrien is mine. Stay away from him.”

Chloe leaves, and Marinette stands there, burning with a mixture of anger and confusion. Tikki appears, concerned. Marinette, eyes filled with fury, mutters, "I should've let her stay dead."

"No," Tikki says softly, "don't say that. Remember what Adrien told you? If she bothers you, talk to him."

"But Chloe's right," Marinette sighs. "She's his best friend. Besides, I won't ever get the chance to talk to him."

Back at home, the boyfriend is surrounded by his family. His mother feigns sympathy, but he sees right through her. When she makes a cruel joke about his girlfriend's death, he snaps, attacking his mother in a fit of rage. His siblings pull guns, holding him at bay. His grief turns to sorrow, and he breaks down in tears, his anger giving way to hopelessness. It is then that the darkness overtakes him, and he is Akumatized.

Pain rips through him as dark wings grow from his back. His family flees in terror, but he chases them, shooting arrows that pierce their hearts. They fall, dead, one by one.

At school, Adrien and Chloe are together again. She flirts relentlessly, pulling him into a closet, eager for a kiss. Adrien hesitates but then succumbs to the moment. But as their lips meet, he imagines Ladybug instead, and the kiss feels hollow. Chloe pulls back, her voice full of self-satisfaction. "Don't you think we make the perfect couple?"

"Yeah, sure," Adrien replies, his mind elsewhere.

"Want to come to my house?" she asks, undeterred.

"Why not," Adrien says, deciding he could use Chloe for his own ends. He's tired of waiting for Ladybug.

Meanwhile, Marinette is at home, doing her homework and reading Sleeping Beauty. Tikki smiles at her enthusiasm. "I've never seen you so excited about homework."

"I love fairytales," Marinette admits, lost in thought. "I used to imagine I was the princess, saved by a prince."

"Is Adrien your Prince Charming?" Tikki asks, playfully.

Marinette blushes. "No, he's more than that."

"Well, I'd say Cat Noir is more like Prince Charming," Tikki teases.

"Really?" Marinette asks, surprised.

Tikki nods. "Think about it. All the times he's saved you. He's been more of a Prince Charming than Adrien."

"I still want Adrien to be my Prince Charming," Marinette replies softly, a sigh escaping her lips.

Adrien, meanwhile, is at Chloe's hotel, but something feels wrong. As he walks toward the elevator, it opens, revealing a woman lying on the floor. Her face has been blown off, blood everywhere. Adrien recoils in disgust, his hands covered in her blood. Then, everything goes black.

When he wakes up, Chloe is there, worried. Adrien brushes it off, but his mind is racing.

Later, as he ascends the stairs to his room, his gaze falls on the painting of him and his father hanging on the wall. But before he can look away, the painted figure shifts—his father's image warps into something unrecognizable. The man in the frame becomes a faceless, demonic figure, his eyes voids of darkness. With a guttural snarl, the figure leaps from the canvas, lunging toward Adrien with a horrifying, otherworldly force. His mother's cries echo in his ears, and Adrien is torn between fury and sorrow.

Just as he thinks he can't take it anymore, his mother, now appearing to comfort him, suddenly slits his throat. Adrien falls, blood spilling everywhere.

He wakes again, startled, as Nathalie shakes him awake. He is frantic, his thoughts racing. Later, after Nathalie has gone, Plagg appears.

"Your house is haunted," he says grimly.

Adrien laughs bitterly. "Is it really?"

"I think so," Plagg responds. "Alya got possessed here, and now you and your dad are too."

Adrien, frustrated, mutters to himself, "I need Ladybug to fix this place."

But when Ladybug enters his mind, his thoughts drift to her. "I need to tell her how I feel," he whispers.

Meanwhile, Dark Cupid begins wreaking havoc, shooting arrows that turn people into violent, hate-filled monsters. As chaos erupts on the streets, Marinette and Alya are shot. Marinette does everything she can to protect her friend, but Alya dies in her arms.

Heartbroken but determined, she transforms and chases Dark Cupid, dodging his attacks and trying to find a way to stop him. She summons a rifle, but misses. Dark Cupid pursues her relentlessly. Just as she's cornered, Cat Noir appears and shields her, taking the shot meant for her.

Ladybug cries out, devastated, as she falls to the ground. People from the streets run toward her, and in self-defense, she shoots them. It feels wrong, but she doesn't know what else to do.

Cat Noir and Ladybug fight, but the pain of betrayal and confusion makes Ladybug hesitate. He lunges at her, tackling her to the ground. Pinning her beneath him, he tries to position himself to cataclysm her face. But in a split second of clarity, Ladybug grabs his face and kisses him. Dark Cupid freezes, his confusion palpable for a brief moment, and in that instant, the spell over Cat Noir breaks. He deepens the kiss, unable to stop himself.

Suddenly, an arrow pierces through Cat Noir's back, its sharp tip passing through Ladybug as well. They gasp in agony, and the pain intensifies when Dark Cupid steps on the arrow, driving it further into their bodies. As Hawk Moth's voice echoes, commanding Dark Cupid to bring them both to him, Cat Noir's eyes flare with a newfound strength. He grabs Dark Cupid's ankle, unleashing a devastating cataclysm that sends him crashing to the ground. Without hesitation, Cat Noir follows up with another cataclysm, this time targeting Dark Cupid's torso, obliterating him in a flash of destructive energy. Dark Cupid crumples to the ground, lifeless.

Exhausted and drained, Cat Noir collapses beside Ladybug, both of them struggling to roll onto their sides. As they shift, blood drips from Cat Noir's mouth, splattering across Ladybug's face. He winces, apologizing, his breath ragged.

His voice shakes with pain as he tells her what to do, gripping her shoulders, his body trembling as he attempts to push away from her.

Groaning, Ladybug begins to pull away too, her own body screaming in protest. But slowly, painfully, they manage to create enough distance for Cat Noir to reach the arrow. With a final, desperate cataclysm, the arrow dissolves into nothingness.

In the aftermath, Ladybug immediately activates her miraculous, her power surging through the air as she restores everything to its rightful state. The battle is over.

When the deakumatized man asks what happened, Ladybug simply says, "You were under control."

Cat Noir, now himself again, looks to Ladybug, confused. "What happened to me?"

"You were under a spell," Ladybug explains softly.

Cat Noir looks at her, realization dawning. "And you broke it... by kissing me?"

Ladybug blushes, smiling shyly. "It worked."

Cat Noir looks at her with a spark in his eyes. "So, it's true love, then?"

Ladybug smiles, unsure, as the weight of their shared journey settles between them.

Later, as the sun sets over Paris, Cat Noir pulls Ladybug into a quiet moment, confessing his love for her. She's flustered, unsure of her feelings, but in his embrace, she lets herself feel the warmth of his love.

But back home, Marinette sits on her bed, heart heavy. Tikki asks what's wrong, and Marinette confesses her inner turmoil. "I shouldn't have kissed him," she admits, tears welling up.

"Why not?" Tikki asks gently.

"Because I like Adrien," Marinette whispers, voice trembling.

"Then maybe you can like both," Tikki suggests.

Marinette shakes her head, tears falling. "No... I only want Adrien."

Tikki wraps her arms around her, offering comfort, but Marinette can't shake the pain of her unspoken feelings.

[i-like-anything-water]

Chloe: I think I got this whole flirting down now, Adrikins.

Adrien, beaming: Really? I'm so happy for you, Chlo! What happened? Did you ask your crush out on a date?

Chloe: Don't be ridiculous, Adrikins. That's what Queen Bee would do, not Chloe Bourgeois. No. I just told Marinette she didn't look too 'hopeless' and can even be as fabulous as me if she finally took my advice.

Adrien:...what?

Chloe, grinning: I know, right? Fucking nailed it.

Adrien: That's not flirting! And Marinette?! You like Marinette? But I thought - with all the glaring and fights - oh, you're definitely a disaster lesbian.

[countlessrealities]

Here's a LIST of PLOTS & GENERAL IDEAS I'd like to explore with my muses! They aren't in any particular order, and I'll be adding more as I go. Check out my wishlist tag too if you want!

Feel free to hit me up if you're interested!

Bolded ideas are the ones I'm craving the most. Italics are plots I'd like to do, but with which I'll be picky. Strikeout are ideas I'm currently not up for.

Dark threads. Violence, gore, torture, manipulation, near death experience, gruesome injuries, and any other sick things we can come up with!

Enemies / rivals with benefits relationships

Angst in general. Hurt my muses, betray them, hate them, be absolutely nasty. Let’s have one of our muses in a real bad situation and the other being hopeless to help.

Unrequited feelings (romantic, but also platonic). Let my muses suffer because their feelings are one-sided or have them dealing with the awkwardness of someone they know having one-sided feelings for them

Slow burn polyships

Fake dating plots

Amnesiac!muses threads

Crossovers !!!

Morty being as unhinged as he can be, with all his pent-up rage and trauma pouring out. And I also want to explore his more cynic / detached / apathetic side

Exploring the long term consequences of Morty's traumatic experience in Meeseeks and Destroy (and possibly a what-if scenario where things go down the real dark route)

Rick dealing with the aftermath of finally getting his vengeance, only to find out that he feels just as empty as before, If not worse

Digging into AR's psychotic disorder

A "business fuck buddies" to "friendly acquaintance" to "friends" to "friends with benefits" to "lovers" arc for Blitz & Stolas

A "bitter exes" to "I'll allow you in my space but I'll make it your problem" to "cautious friends" to "friends (with or without benefits)" arc for Blitz & Vero

Blitz & Fizz working through all their shitty past history and becoming queerplatonic besties

Adrien finding out about Monarch's true identity and that he's a sentimonster (not necessarily in that order). Bonus if it's Félix who tells me either things

Exploring the real extent of the long term consequences that Cole's abuse has on Félix

Adrien / Felix & Cat Noir / Argos shenanigans

Mirror verse stuff for Adrien and Cat Claw Noir

Anti-hero Poison Ivy

Rick Prime and / or Bill befriending other villain muses

Alastor and Vox. Literally anything with those two. I live for their one-sided rivalry or whatever that's supposed to be xD and yeah, I do ship them too, but that's not important

Alastor interacting with the other residents of the Hotel. Gimme shenanigans

Alastor & Rosie 'cause they are bff goals

Vaggie talking with someone about her past as an Exterminator / how she felt after she was banned

Vaggie & Carmilla mentee / mentor dynamic

Alastor meeting a version of himself. Gimme duplicates interactions for him, it would be so fun! I can't guess if they'll get along or hate each other's guts x3

[ Last update: 25/04/24]

[clovercalloway]

We Best Love: Episode 2, "Why are we here, just to suffer?"

ON THE PREVIOUS FIRST EPISODE:

Well, damn, now I have no idea what'll happen next. I usually expect something like this to happen near the end of any romance, but they just went and did it.

Will they reach the second base in this episode, then? Who knows.

They already kissed, now we just wait for that sweet tension.

I swear, the more I watch this intro the more gay it looks. Like, I can feel the tension in the air.

Meanwhile, Shi De is a hopeless romantic, he can't be more obvious with that monologue. Like, it's impossible.

He keeps saying things like "look at me" as if that isn't the gayest thing to ever say in any fictional show when you refer to another guy.

[EAW: Now I know what this reminded me of. Warning: kinda MHA spoilery but w/o context , @bossman ]

Idk which one is gayer, I'll be honest

Shi De, you're the one that kissed him underwater OUT OF NOWHERE. Are you really in the position of asking that?

"What's wrong with you? Why did you kiss me?" TELL HIM, SHU YI!

He says that Shu Yi wasn't coming up. Boy, that's the lamest excuse I've heard. Please just follow Bruno Mars advice and say this instead.

Now he's asking about Yu Xin, like he's tired of Shu Yi pining after her for so long (the jealousy, guys... Alexa, play Heather). But Shu Yi is all "you stalkin' me?".

I know he asked that as a joke.

THAT WAS A RETHORICAL QUESTION, BUT SHI DE SAID GO BIG OR GO HOME!

Is Shu Yi fucking serious?

"So you can defeat me". Sweetie, that's not-

Not the reaction I expected. Like, I used to watch Ladybug but this guy's too much. How is he somehow more oblivious than Adrien? Is barely episode two. Lord, please don't tell me it gets worse. I'll need ice cream if he starts acting more dense than he already is.

Anyways, Gao Shi De tries to comfort him but Shu Yi tells him to get lost and our boy obeys.

He went back into the water, istg...

I can only picture Linkin Park in the backhead of his mind playing very loudly. My son is in his sad arc.

He's being very dramatic and thinking "boy, I need to get over it".

Well, he actually says a lot more, trying to be deep and all that, but I was very distracted by his dramatic self.

Tho he's right that it's worse when the unrequited love is a friendship. Little does he know, for Gao Shi De the unrequited love is hitting hard.

Oh no

He seems into it

Well, idk what'll happen next, but whatever it is, please don't let this pretty lady be a rebound, what you need is to dwell in your own feelings, even if it doesn't feel right at the moment, because it's better to learn how to live with those emotions and then manage them, that way you will be mature enought to fall in love in a better- who am I kidding, his ass is not listening

Fang Zheng Wen tries to talk to him, but then Yu Xin appears and invites them for lunch, but Shu Yi says he "doesn't wanna be a third wheel".

I feel you, man. You don't have to force yourself to be in that uncomfortable situation.

HERE COMES THE BOY TO THE RESCUE

It's a green flag if someone notices what you're trying to say without saying it. He was uncomfortable and at least someone not only noticed but also did SOMETHING about it.

Like, no hate to Zheng Wen but it's obvious the atmosphere is not pleasant for your friend, you should say or do something.

Speaking of being proactive, Shi De went and showed him a recording of him at the pool, in a low moment as we know he got a taste of that unrequited love.

Shu Yi is again asking the right questions ("why do you follow me all the time", "what do you want") that would give him a clear answer if he wasn't so dense.

The nerve of this guy. He's blackmailing him with the video.

"You have to be on-call and obey me." Sounds fruity, LET'S GO!

Modern marriage proposal, they call it.

So the only way to break this deal off is for Shu Yi to beat him, anything counts. Shi De tells him that and Shu Yi looks excited.

"I'll beat you hard" This isn't getting less gayer by the second.

"Tomorrow in my house" I'll count those as dates.

Skip to the next morning and now they're arguing over going on a car or a MRT.

Bro is blackmailing him with the video again, so they end up being late and Shu Yi pretends to be mad about it.

You are not beating the stalker allegations.

"You have it so you can put pranks on me?" Why are we here, just to suffer?

While Shu Yi keeps being his oblivious self, Shi De invites him for breakfast.

Class is boring and Shu Yi falls asleep on his shoulders, so adorable.

Still, you'll have to lend him your notes, man.

Classmate over there is telling Shi De to wake him up and our boy refuses. Let him have this moment, dude.

"But he's not even from this departam-" "Shut up"

After class, Shu Yi suddendly wants to have lunch.

Oh

Well, Yu Xin is there and Gao Shi De can tell that his boy is not feeling good.

So now both of them are hiding, but

"How long do you have to hide from her?" He's not wrong

Obviously is gonna be awkward but is better to do it sooner rather than latter or it'll be worse and he'll end up losing his friends without wanting to.

And Shu Yi knows this, but he says it still hurts. And that's totally reasonable

But then "if she finds out, we can't be friends anymore"

No, man. If you can get pass that, you'll just have an even stronger friendship. If not, she at least will know it and will try to explain how you're still important to her, even if her love isn't the same as the love you say you feel. The only thing actually puting your friendship in danger is the dreaded miscommunication.

"Why do I tell you this" Cause he's your future husband

And, of course, because is nice to say things. Bottling up your feelings will only hurt you more on the long run, you need to face them head on.

Gao Shi De agrees with me, a total w

"You can't just put [love] back into the shelf"

Then he says Shi De wouldn't understand. Boy do I have news for you...

Shi De says he DOES know and Shu Yi is curious

This is too much. This is Wei Ying levels of oblivious.

Shu Yi, stop ruining my ship, you're part of it.

Shi De's classmate keeps looking at him like that meme of someone pointing with their eyebrow raised and a big rainbow at the side.

Wait, I had an idea

Sorry, I had to

Sharing a meal is fruity activity, says science (at this point it's just me thinking these are dates, because if they're not, I'm even more curious about how a REAL date between these two would be).

Well, now the classmate, the same one from before, keeps butting in and acting as if this couple's existence is a personal offense.

But his dislike seems more inclined towards Shu Yi. [EAW: is this guy 🌈 too?]

Now our main couple and their closed ones (even tho the guy with no name may only be a classmate) are all in the same table, and this dude keeps making passive aggressive comments, but Shu Yi bro defends him and says that Zhou Shu Yi doesn't lose, not against Shi De, and if he did, it was on purpose.

Thanks for exposing him, man.

And guess who comes in

Welp, a lot has happened in just one meal, right?

Of course, Shu Yi leaves immediatly. And Shi De follows.

At an arcade, Shu Yi's friend is asking him why are they so close now? Is it another prank for Shi De?

No, my man, but you should ask Gao Shi De, at least he knows more about his own feelings.

Suddendly, and idea.

Did you really never think of this? Were you so caught up in trying to rile him up that you didn't actually do any basic competition? You really are something else.

Playing montage!

This is even funnier because for Gao Shi De, I bet he shares my mind and totally thinks of this as a date

Meanwhile, Shu Yi

"Your days are numbered, you little-"

Shu Yi does his litle finger gun at Shi De and I'm like don't worry, you already shot him, just look at how his eyes are hearts when he's with you.

Welp, we have a flustered Shi De.

It's obvious who keeps winning again and again. But in case it wasn't clear with episode 1, it's Shi De.

Shu Yi leaves, ready to be "tortured" again tomorrow, and Shi De is totally smug because he got what he wanted, at least. A nice time with future bf.

Cute aggression, they call it. Typical of future life partners.

Perfect opportunity to commit theft, says Shu Yi, but he's caught instantly.

Both begin to wrestle for the phone and for being caught and then somehow this happens.

The way I had to pause (the video and myself) after this. Gods, my mind is not pure and I'm going to hell.

Also, I snorted hella hard.

Yu Xin is me fr

I know it's basically the same scene, but this is just too perfect for a meme

Yu Xin apologizes saying "I thought you and Gao Shi De were together". Give them a few months. If it depends on Shi De, it could be weeks. If it's on Shu Yi's hand, maybe we'll need like three years at minimum.

It's usually "from their limited perspective, it can be seen as fruity" but man, from my non limited perpsective as someone who witnessed those moments, this is still fruity as f.

Yu Xin has the right energy but not the right idea and keeps insiting that Shu Yi confesses. Shi De gets tired of watching this uncomfortable circus and leaves with Shu Yi.

"Are they really not dating?" You both are his friends and know him well enough, I do not. And even I think this is very very rainbowish.

Well, Yu Xin, they are on a date so does this answer your question?

"Why do you add spicy if you can't take it?" "Cause you like it" This is a gem.

"I just know you too well" It's nice to know that at least from Shi De's perspective this is a rivalry more than an enemies relationship.

Shu Yi thanks him for getting him out of there, and says that Yu Xin and Zheng Wen are really compatible and make a perfect couple.

"What would you do if the one you love loves another person" says Shu Yi, having dealt with something similar to rejection but accepting it.

After eating they go out but Shu Yi starts feeling bad and Shi De takes him to a doctor.

"Try to separate them and take adantage of it" says Shi De and Shu Yi gulps hard. Try to run but you won't get far, kid.

So that was episode 2! Aside from the doctor being a bummer and not letting me and Shu Yi live (or well, die), it was fun. They're not even in an official relationship yet, but sure feels like it!

"If you want to die keep eating spicy hotpot" Hey doc, I'll die but I'll die happy, ok?

Shu Yi, man, like, besides the obvious hints through the whole episode, he literally kissed you. Like, how dense can you be?

And to @bitacrytic, oml, thanks a lot! Tumblr was being a b*tch and didn't let me answer your comment. And yeah, so far I'm invested. But also busy. I hope to finish the post for episode 3 sooner.

The most probable case is that I'll be uploading these blind reactions weekly, but only if I'm less busy those weeks. [Jokes on me, adult life is hard.]

Anygays, hope you enjoyed this. (I surely did.)

[dasom-bh]

hihihi so excited to be here! you can read a bit more about dasom under the cut and links to other pages can be found on my pinned post<3

beonhwa's self-proclaimed it girl

super bright, sweet, and cheerful......overall nice to everyone she comes across

but she can also come off as super ditzy and spoiled

spends almost all her free time at the establishments on flora lane (so if you're ever looking for her that's probably the first place to look after the mugunghwa estate)

overall she just sees the best in people and really does just try her hardest to be kind since she knows how lucky she was to have been brought up in such a privileged household

however, her home life has never been as easy as her public persona makes it seem

as the youngest child, she didn't bear much responsibility as her elder siblings, but she was engaged at a young age for political purposes

because of this, she was raised under direct supervision by her mother who expected nothing less than perfection from her daughter

her strict upbringing made dasom v quiet at home as she was afraid that the slightest mistake might upset her mother

she was often kept from her siblings to focus on her personal lessons despite desperately wanting to spend time playing with them growing up

now days, she wants to fall in love and become her own person with interests not dictated by her mother

however, she is still at her mother's beck and call, and will cower and give in at any command she's given

inspo: serena (webtoon of the same name heh), adrien agreste (mlb), mitsuri (demon slayer), umaru doma (himouto! umaru-chan)

&& some plot bunnies if you happen to be interested!!

her current obsession crush (can also be found on my plot page) kinda imagined them to be using her for their own personal gain and completely taking advantage of her reputation as a hopeless romantic

someone who finds it absolutely despicable that she's running around so carelessly despite being openly engaged and a representative family member of house of mugunghwa

she's pretty and rich and doesn't have a care in the world!! do you hate her or just want to be her????

you spot her at the beonhwa gallery but don't realize it at first due to her quite and demure behavior. it's the complete opposite of how she usually presents herself

peter rabbit has gone missing and she needs help finding him!! you accept her commission and ensue on an adventure together

you have a crush on her fiancé (amaryllis) and you're jealous of her...........or maybe she's jealous of you????

she grew up with you and trusts you with her life. either someone who is just waiting for the opportunity to betray her or someone who is genuinely and truly in her corner, rooting for her unconditionally

bad influences

enemies

ex-crushes of hers who still can't believe how quickly she moved on from them

i really lean towards angsty plots.......so if you are in need of anything in that field hmu

[oneknightstand-if]

This game is fantastic, the amount of customization and interactivity is awe-inspiring and really impressive- It feels as if you must have put more than a novel's worth of text in the comp version alone, I shudder to think of how much work the branching routes in the future chapters will take.

I'm in love with my ray-of-sunshine (I almost imminently got my "sweetness" stat to 100) charming changeling MC who spouted off an entire Shakespearian monologue when she thought she was dying. Really a changeling after my own heart (I'm sure they watched a Midsummer Night's Dream and deeply identified with every character). Not sure who I'll romance yet-- I did decide that MC has a bit of a crush on both Merlin and Adrien, but I think that's just because my MC, like me, is a hopeless pansexual. Kinda waiting to meet more ROS. I love how protective Adrien gets over my MC, but I do tend towards femme ROs and Loralai sounds incredibly hot, so--

(all that to say! you're doing fantastic work!)

Thanks for the compliment! And yeah, the first chapter of One Knight Stand is already the length of some entire releases. I'm doing the popular 'branch and bottleneck' style of narrative branching (with some gauntlet style Dead Ends mixed in), so hopefully the story divergences shouldn't be spinning too wildly out of control as it continues. It'll basically be keeping a similar structure to how it was in Chapter 1.

Also congratulations on the extra vertical space in your Stats Menu for a good while to come with that choice of final words.

And no hurry with having to choose a RO (especially as the bulk of them haven't even shown up yet) .There's no lock-off points of doom where you have to gun for the romance or lose your chance and they'll all be around (well, most of them who aren't actually trying to kill your MC).

[miscelanea-007]

Just a couple minutes more

"Come on, Plagg! Please!"

"I already told you yes! Why are you insisting?!" 

"Because you said only ten minutes! I need more than that!"

The black kwami sighs, shaking his head.

"You know ten minutes is usually what takes for your princess-"

"Queen," Adrien corrects him immediately, wincing at the unimpressed look Plagg sends his way. "Sorry..."

"Uh-huh. What it takes for your little queen to get bored of us," the God of destruction turns upside down where he floats in front of Adrien's face and points at his face with his fingerless paw. "Still, I might be willing to up it to twenty if you get me some good-" Adrien presents him with an extra big piece of Camembert and Plagg smirks. "Fine. Twenty minutes it is, lover boy." He takes the cheese and vigorously munches it, cheeks inflating while Adrien sparkles in front of his eyes. He is hopeless, Plagg thinks. Both are.

------

Chat Noir lands on the roof of The Grand Paris Hotel with the help of his staff and immediately clicks on the top, igniting the twenty-minute countdown.

"Okay, Tiger," Chat tells himself. "You've got this." Taking a deep breath, chest puffed out, he makes quick way down to the balcony of the one and only Chloé Bourgeois. 

Chat isn't expecting the glass doors to open wide for him before even having the chance to tap at them, yet it's exactly what happens.

"Go away," Chloé hisses at him, rim of her mesmerizing sky-blue eyes puffy and red. "I'm not entertaining you tonight."

"You're sick," Chat declares, leathered hand flying to the girl's forehead -as if he would be able to feel anything with the fabric as a barrier - just to be bat away after a heartbeat of surprise. Chloé squints at him, furious, and Chat has to fight against the very powerful urge to hug her and reveal to her who he is behind his mask. Instead, he takes a careful step back, tail wiggling ever so slightly behind him, pout on his lips. "Please let me stay. I can distract you this one time!"

"I don't need you to-"

"I know," Chat declares and Chloé sniffs loudly. He smiles and she growls. Trying not to laugh, Chat vows his head. "I promise I'll behave for you, queen of mine."

"Don't call me that," Chloé huffs. "You remind me of my boyfriend when you do," she adds in a murmur and Chat beams. He is her boyfriend! If only he could tell her... "Okay, fine," Chloé finally relents and takes a step to the side, allowing him entrance to her room. "You're lucky I'm bored and nobody is home, alley cat," she turns on her heels and marches inside her chambers. "Be quick before I change my mind!"

Giddy, Chat all but skips inside his girlfriend's room. 

-------

"And I told her 'No, Marinette, you can't not participate. You're the most talented designer there is! After my mother, of course.'" Chat hums, content with hearing Chloé ramble about anything and everything. "And do you know what she said?!"

Chat ponders about her question for a moment, as if Chloé was about to actually allow him to answer. Which she doesn't.

"Exactly!" She goes on. Chat grins, Chloé's attention on her fingernails that he's carefully painting a vibrant green. "She stuttered! I truly don't get her lack of confidence," she sighs, frustrated, cheeks getting slightly redder. She clears her throat. "Well, I do," she says. "Mrs Dupan-Cheng explained it to me," she looks up at his face and scrunches up her nose. Chat winks at her and Chloé rolls her eyes. "I'm not telling you, though."

"Don't you trust me?" Chat teases, giving the last details to Chloé's left thumbnail. "There," he declares and retreats his hands. "What do you think?"

Chloé inspects her hands, blowing on them, laser-focused on finding any mistake she can launch to critique Chat's work less than perfectly, yet she finds nothing. 

To Chat's surprise, she smirks at him. He immediately smirks back.

"You could make a living out of this if being a sidekick doesn't do it for you in the long run," she tells him and Chat can't be triggered faster. "I know," goes on, however. "You're no sidekick. You and Ladybug are equals and all that," she giggles and coughs softly. Chat's hands fly to her sides, pulling the covers up her middle a little tighter and sky-blue looks with a hint of amusement at emerald green. "I do. Trust you."

Chat leans closer, stopping only when a recently manicured hand gently touches his chest. He clears his throat, face on fire.

"I trust you a little less now," she declares, severe, but her eyes are still soft and Chat wishes he could kiss her and hold her.

Maybe if it's just her, Ladybug won't be too mad...

No, he can't. She'd be in danger. He can't afford that. Never. Not again. Not if he can avoid it, and he can.

"That's furr."

Chloé groans and Chat snickers, effectively breaking the mood. He stands up and spreads his hands in front of him.

"To regain my queen's trust, allow this loyal feline to get you a hot cup of chocolate."

"Get me a couple of marshmallows with that chocolate and I might consider it, Chat Noir."

"Deal!" Chat glows. "I'll be right back!" He marches to the door and opens it. "Don't miss me too meowch!"

"Hardly," Chloé deadpans.

With a wink and a last vow, Chat leaves the room, hurrying hall down. Just as he reaches the elevator, his staff alarm goes off and he swiftly turns it off.

"Sorry, Plagg," Adrien whispers. "Just a couple minutes more. My queen of hearts needs me. I'll make it up to you, I promise. All the cheese you want."

Leaving the elevator with quick feet, he makes his way to the kitchen, already fantasizing about the pretty smile and satisfied sigh Chloé would make once the chocolate touched her pretty lips.

[sunlessea]

what soft romance cliche are you?

+ some choice muses bc funsies.

adrien + because i love you!

passionate; you are the heated moment of an argument. when the person you care for has done something outrageously stupid or dangerous. all of your pent up emotions that you've kept inside of you come bursting out: "beCAUSE I LOVE YOU!" how could they be so dense. how could YOU be so dense. you've loved each other this whole time. your love tends to be strong, and loud. sometimes it might be hard for you to express your feelings but you let people know that they are cared for. you're also hot. good for you.

mr wines + /oh./

the italicized oh. often seen in romance novels and fanfics. when a character looks at someone, wondering why their chest tightens when they're near, why their heart beats quicken at the slightest touches, why they lose their breathe at the sight of them and suddenly realization dawns on them— oh. they've been in love for a long time now. you are soft and quiet, probably the most overlooked. though when you love, you fall deeply. i'm sure you have a lot of anxieties when it comes to love, and you're more inclined to fall in love with a longtime friend than a stranger. though, your love is pure. and maybe if you have someone in mind, this is your sign to tell them.

elysium + love at first sight.

let's be real, only children believe in "love at first sight." but you're a hopeless romantic probably sitting around in coffee shops waiting to meet "the one." and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. infatuation at first sight is more accurate. you are the moment when two people lock eyes, and the whole world stills. nothing is there but you and them. and there is suddenly a strong sense of longing. you love love, don't deny it. flowers, chocolates, the whole nine yards. because of this you are loved by many. hopefully you know it too: you are loved.

mr pages + the almost kiss.

you're unsure about things, always hesitating. why is that? maybe there's something to lose for you, but maybe (just maybe) the risk is worth it. you're the moment when the main characters lean in, lips parted and almost touching. but it's not the actual kiss everyone loves, it's the anticipation. when they look into each other's eyes before they flutter close. and there's a lot of frustration when things are interrupted. trust me though, you're a lot more memorable than the actual kiss. you're nervous, but at the end of the day all you want is to be loved.

[milarqui]

Scarlet Lady: Animan

Directory | Intermission

From his vantage point, he could see Marinette and Alya animatedly talking about something that (apparently) required the former to wave her hands around while showing something.

“Hmm...” This plan he had come up with would require some work to put into practice, particularly –

“Uh, Nino? Any particular reason you've been ogling Marinette so much lately?”

“AH!” he shouted: Adrien had not only come up from behind him, but was also giving him a rather unhealthy (for him) glower. Well, maybe he could have a bit of fun. “Ah, man, you caught me. Truth is I'm totally crushing on Marinette.”

Adrien's made a noise that was somewhere between a growl and a whimper, as his face became pale and he began to tremble.

“O-Oh, awesome, I hope you'll be h-happy–” Adrien somehow managed to say through clenched teeth.

“Dude, I was kidding,” he replied, thinking that maybe he had underestimated how bad Adrien had it for Marinette, before noticing something red coming out of his friend's mouth. “Is that blood?”

Adrien shook his head and pulled a handkerchief from a pocket to wipe out the blood. While still worried for him, it looked like it wasn't serious, so he turned to his plan.

“I've been thinking of ways to hook you up, dude. Like, maybe you can ask her to the new panther exhibit at the zoo!”

“Nino,” Adrien replied. “I can't ask Marinette out. I have no time or energy thanks to my... job.”

“No way!” he exclaimed. “You've been way livelier lately! Even your Pops has let you have more fun! You should at least try!”

“That's... true,” Adrien admitted, looking down at his hands. “Can... can I really? Is it possible? Am I allowed?!”

Man, he was sparkling like an animated character.

“Bro, it's just a date.”

Nonetheless, he pulled him towards the girls, who had just stopped their talk and started to leave the place.

“Hey Alya, Marinette!” Adrien greeted as they came close.

“Hey guys!” Marinette replied.

“Have you heard about the new panther exhibit at the zoo?”

“Oh, yeah, it's all my dad talks about since the panther's quarantine ended,” Alya said, smiling. “Did I tell you that's why we moved? Dad switched zoos with it.”

“Well, wanna check it out together?” he suggested.

“Sure, sounds fun!” Marinette agreed. Score!

“Fair warning, don't engage my dad in front of the animals. He gets so weird,” Alya warned them.

----

The girls agreed to meet them in a while, and the two of them quickly dropped their things at their homes before meeting again.

“A date with Marinette!” he said. It was the one thing he had been hoping for so long. He turned to his best friend. “Hey, should I get her flowers? Or a present!”

“Whoa, slow your roll!” Nino exclaimed, smiling. “We're testing the waters with a chill hangout, remember?”

“Yeah, you're right,” he agreed. He had to make sure that Marinette was interested in him, or at least willing to try, before he could begin.

“Don't worry, man, soon you'll be asking her out on a real date, and then you pull out the smooth moves.”

He laughed.

He had been blessed that day when he sat in the front row.

“You're awesome for setting this up, Nino.”

----

Up above the two boys, a blonde girl growled in anger.

----

She wasn't going to complain.

She had seen this too many times.

“This is hopeless! Nothing will disguise my beauty!”

It was going to be useless, but she was going to try anyway.

“Chloé, this is ridiculous,” she said as Chloé picked a pair of boots. “Adrien is free to date whoever he wants!”

“Of course he is!” Chloé replied. She just waited for – “As long as it's me!”

There it was.

“But why'd he choose the stinky, sweaty, gross zoo?! I'll have to talk to him about his lack of consideration for me.”

“Ugh.” What a wonder, this girl's mind was. Able to mold reality to fit her narrow-minded beliefs.

“The sacrifices I make for love.”

“You don't have to–”

“SACRIFICES!”

----

“I'm surprised you agreed to a date, Marinette,” Alya said as they waited at a picnic table, already inside the zoo.

“Huh? This isn't a date, we're just hanging out,” Marinette replied.

“Hm. I guess you could see it that way.”

“Wait...” Marinette said, and Alya could detect the tone was the kind she really didn't want to hear. “Alya, do you want this to be a date? With Nino?”

Alya felt her cheeks redden and tried to hide her face from her inquisitive friend's look.

“We've already established it's not a date, so why does it matter?”

A look aside to the widely grinning Marinette told her it was too late.

“Oh no.”

Fortunately for her, something interrupted Marinette before she could squee like one of Adrien's fangirls.

“Hey, Marinette, Alya!”

“Hm?” Alya mumbled, smiling upon the face of her saviors, one of whom was waving hello at them. “Hi Max! Hi Kim!”

“Not here with your girlfriend?” Marinette asked.

“Nah, we're having guy time!” Kim said, flexing his biceps. “We're gonna see the new panther to see how I measure up!”

“Measure up?” Alya asked.

“Yeah, like, speedwise.”

Max's face told pretty much what he thought of it.

“How do you plan to measure that?” Marinette asked.

----

As Max and Kim split off, Marinette looked in the distance and saw two familiar figures, one of them waving a hand.

“There they are!” she told Alya, standing up and waving at their friends. “OVER HERE!”

“M, I'm telling you right now, don't do anything weird,” Alya demanded.

“Whaaat? We're just having a nice, no pressure day out with the guys!” she replied, but Alya didn't look convinced.

“Mhmm.”

Looking away, she unconsciously slipped into what her father called her 'slasher movie special' (which was ironic, given her hatred of horror movies).

And if me and Adrien accidentally leave you two alone halfway through, that's just a coincidence, she gleefully thought.

“You have a terrible poker face,” Alya fired.

----

Ughhhh... the only good thing about today seemed to be that she'd be out.

“Grr, look at those gross idiots! I need to get closer!” Chloé said, 'hiding' behind a newspaper with holes at eye height.

Sometimes she pondered how she hadn't gone mad yet.

“Maybe you'd do better in the bushes. Where you can sit in shame.”

Oh, right. The chance to snark at her. And mess with her stuff. Even if she barely realized it.

“As if! My plan is so original and genius, just watch!”

And she sat on a chair and hid behind the newspaper again.

Should she feel pity over this? Because there was no way she could be this dumb.

Wait. She was this dumb.

There was even a man right next to her, doing the exact same thing – down to the newspaper.

Although, who was that man spying?

----

“STOP! YOU CAN'T COMPETE WITH MY PANTHER, KID!”

Marinette could hear Alya's father from the distance, which really didn't bide well for the next exhibit, the panther. Which already had Kim in front of it.

Which probably explained why Alya's father was shouting that.

“Whatever, it's clear I'm the hot one!”

Yeah, that did it.

“Whoa, Kim, you wanna race a panther? Do you like being lunch?” Adrien asked, amused, as she looked at the animal.

“Ha, I can take'em!”

“Go!” Otis ordered, angry. “My panther needs calm during her meal and you're stressing her out!”

“Then shouldn't you feed her in the back, away from the public?” Marinette asked, and from the way Alya's father's face went red, it was obvious that he hadn't considered that option.

“Get out or I'll have you banned from this zoo!”

“Dad, no,” Alya said, exhausted.

----

He had sensed the man's anger from his home, and, seeing how strong it was, and what kind of power it could play out, he decided he could make for a good chance.

“Animan,” he said, “I'm giving you the chance to get revenge.”

“Excellent! How dare those kids disrespect my panther, thinking they can outrun her?!”

He blinked. He had heard way too many dumb reasons for people to get angry about (some of them from the Enchanted Florist)... and somehow this was the worst of all.

“... really?”

Well, dumb reason or not, it was enough to get what he wanted out of him.

----

“Well, that was... interesting,” Nino said as he delivered the drinks, noting Alya's still embarrassed face. “Where to next?”

“I'd like to see the giraffes,” Adrien suggested as he and Marinette accepted their drinks.

“I'd rather go to the reptile house,” Alya replied. “Faaar away from panthers.”

“I'll go with you!” Nino offered, and Marinette realized this was the golden moment she had hoped for.

“Let's split and meet up later! I'll go with Adrien!”

“Yeah, okay!” Adrien agreed, smiling.

And then disaster struck.

“Oh, Adrichou! What a coincidence meeting you here!”

“C-Chloé?!” Adrien replied, dropping his drink from the impulse of being pushed by the irritant now hanging on his arm. Fortunately, he managed to make her let him loose and glared at her. “Wow, Chloé, wild that you're here, where I am, without me telling you.”

“Must be our deep connection,” Chloé replied. Marinette stuck her tongue at the stalking girl, irritated that she was (a) messing her plan to get her friends together and (b) disturbing Adrien.

Adrien, for his part, gave Chloé a glare.

“You weren't invited, Chloé, you can't just–”

“AHHHHH!”

Suddenly, Max and Kim were passing by them, running as if the devil was behind.

“GET TO SHELTER!”

“GET OUT OF HERE!”

Looking in the direction the duo had been running from, they realized why.

Somehow, all the animals had escaped their enclosures.

Again.

Come on, it took us hours to get you back here last month! Adrien and Marinette lamented.

“AH!”

“SCATTER!”

----

Adrien was a tad irritated. Chloé had prevented him from finally being alone with Marinette, and now this?

“We were so close to going off on our own, Plagg, CLAWS OUT!”

----

“Ha!” Chloé laughed. Her plan had worked perfectly! “Now their 'date' is ruined, I win! Tikki, SPOTS ON!”

----

She had been this close to finally giving her best friend the chance to be alone with Nino!

“This was Alya's big break, so annoying! Pollen, BUZZ ON!”

----

The heroes quickly entered the scene, and managed to protect the civilians, forcing the wild animals to stop and distracting them.

“Get OFF you overgrown handbags!” Scarlet Lady shouted as she smacked a panther with her yo-yo.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir was twirling his baton to keep a giraffe away, all while Kim looked at the event, transfixed.

“Get out of here, Kim!” Chat Noir ordered, and the boy shook himself off and ran away, thanking him for the help.

Marigold noticed two other people were still there, trying not to put their backs to any of the animals, and saw her chance.

She grabbed Alya.

“Ah!”

She grabbed Nino.

“Whoa!”

She pushed them both into the now empty panther enclosure and slammed the door.

“Stay safe!♥” she said with a smile, jumping back into the fight.

“HUH?!” both of them replied, still in shock.

----

It took Alya a while to realize what had just happened. And what it entailed.

“Nonononono!” she yelled.

“Alya?” Nino asked, worried.

“This can't be happening!”

“What's wrong?”

“My dad's an Akuma and I'm stuck in here instead of getting footage, which is the onlyreasonI'mrelevantbecauseScarletLadyonlyworkswithrealreporters–“

Alya's sudden panic spiral was cut short when a pair of headphones blocked all sound save for the ones it emitted, and she turned to Nino, who was smiling at her and saying something she didn't quite catch, but looked like... something about breathing?

“... I can't hear you,” she replied. Taking off one of the headphones, she was able to hear him.

“Missing one Akuma won't ruin you,” Nino suggested. “You can still make a blog post about it.”

“I guess,” she admitted.

“And maybe try interviewing the other heroes.”

“That's a good idea...”

And then she began to listen to the actual song. It had no lyrics, but it was really cool, full of rhythm and intensity.

“This is a good song,” she said, amazed.

“Really? I mixed it myself!” Nino replied, and Alya took off the headphones.

“What software do you use?! I can never get background noise out of my videos!”

Nino laughed gently.

Wow, I've never seen him so close, a part of Alya noted, as she got closer.

“Maybe listen to more of my stuff before deciding my advice is worth it,” Nino said, but Alya knew she wanted to know.

She laughed.

And she grabbed his DJ hand with her writer hand.

----

Unfortunately, the heroes weren't having as good a time as the lovebirds. Right now, they had had to jump to the higher point they could find to avoid the animals, and even then the giraffes and elephants weren't looking friendly.

“There's too many of them!” Marigold admitted.

“Then what do you suggest, Stinkbug?!” Scarlet Lady yelled.

“Back to roots: defeat the Akuma and the animals will be captured!” Chat Noir suggested.

With some effort, the three of them jumped at the roof of the nearest enclosure and made their way to one that offered a better vantage point.

“Where did you go...” Marigold mumbled, looking around.

“There!” Chat Noir shouted, pointing at a passage that only had two beings.

One was a panther that did not look like the one that had been freed earlier.

The other...

“KIM!” Marigold shouted.

“He's really going to eat him!” Chat Noir realized.

And all of them realized as well.

All because he said he was faster than a panther?!

Seriously, people needed to get some priorities in order...

Realizing that Kim was clearly tired from running away, Marigold and Chat Noir jumped between the Akuma and him. While Marigold twirled her spinning top to prevent the Akuma from advancing, Chat Noir allowed him to take a breath and gave him a pat in the back.

“Quick, hide in the first building you find!”

Kim nodded and started to run again. While he trusted the heroes, he knew they wouldn't be able to do this forever. And the less work they had to do protecting him, the better.

“You won't get away this time!” Marigold declared, trying to find the way to paralyze the Akuma.

“You will never catch me!” the Akuma declared, and suddenly its black skin turned into feathers as he became an eagle.

“He transformed!” Scarlet Lady pointed out.

“And is getting away,” Marinette lamented.

“No worries, I tagged Kim so we can beat him there!” Chat Noir told the girls, and Marigold smiled.

“Well played, kitty,” she complimented, starting to scratch his chin as he happily purred.

God, he was so adorable!

Scarlet Lady made a disgusted face.

“Be gross on your own time,” she complained.

----

Chat Noir eventually began to track down Kim, whom they ended up finding at Marinette's parents' boulangerie. And Marigold took point as they entered the delicious, delicious-smelling shop.

“Hello, Ma–uh, Ma'am,” Marigold greeted Sabine and Tom, who had helped an exhausted Kim into a chair.

“Oh, but you're–!” Sabine said.

“Ohoho! Yes, it is I, your hero–” Scar claimed, but was interrupted.

“Marigold!”

Seeing Scar silently thundering about being slighted was hilarious, and he had to cover his mouth to avoid being heard.

“It's so nice to meet you!” Sabine stated, picking Marigold's hand – making her look awkward for some reason.

“A-Ah, thanks!”

----

The embarrassment of her parents welcoming her to the boulangerie past, she had led Kim to the hall and realized something: if the Akuma was like an animal and could track Kim by smell, then there might be a way to trick him into a trap.

But they couldn't put Kim at risk, obviously.

There were other ways of doing it, though.

“Can we borrow that?” she asked, pointing at one of his wristbands.

“Sure,” Kim replied, trusting her, as he immediately took off the wristband. She was thankful that she was wearing gloves, because the band was kinda sweaty.

“Ew, newbee, what do you want that for?!” Scarlet Lady complained.

“We're gonna lure the beast into a cage, obviously!”

----

The plan was simple, really: put the wristband in one of the many empty buses nearby, wait for the Akuma to show up, and trap him.

The first part worked, as the Akuma – back in his panther form – pounced into the bus, only to find too late that the smell that had led him there was not that of Kim, but of one of his clothes.

“WHAT?!”

“He's in! Now, Chat Noir!” Marigold said, and Chat Noir jumped into the bus.

“Cataclysm!” he shouted, destroying the door controls, and he jumped back out just as the bus doors closed, with the panther only just crashing into the doors.

“Nice!” Marigold declared. “Now we just let him tire himself out!”

Suddenly, the panther transformed once more – but this time, he picked a rather larger form, large enough to break through the roof of the bus.

“Oh yeah, he looks real tired out!” Scarlet Lady yelled in annoyance as the Tyrannosaurus Rex climbed out of the bus.

Chat Noir quickly jumped at his head, intent on distracting him.

“Get the F–” the akuma said, but Chat Noir yelled over him.

“GET HIS LEGS!”

“DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” an annoyed Scarlet Lady shouted back, hitting the dinosaur's leg with nothing to show for it. Instead, it was the spinning top that tangled its legs together.

“I got him!” Marigold said, and picked up the top. “VENOM!”

Jumping at the Akuma's head, she stabbed him with the tip of the top, quickly paralyzing him and causing him to collapse on the ground, with Chat Noir jumping off just in time.

“That was easy,” he admitted. “Thank you Venom!”

“Right?” Marigold said, smiling. “No one even got to jump in his mouth!”

“Ew!”.

----

Tikki enjoyed a cookie, doing her best not to let her wielder annoy her too much with her attempts to claim success.

“I did such a good job today. Stopped Maribrat from being alone with Adrichou, ruined their date, defeated the Akuma without even using my Lucky Charm. I'm too good for Paris.”

Alright, mission failed.

I'm going to throw out her hairspray while she sleeps.

----

The two of them had been let out by the zoo workers, so they could also return the animals back to their enclosures, and now they were just waiting for their friends to show up again.

“Sorry, sorry!” one of them said, running into the scene.

“We're here, we're here!” the other added, huffing.

“Hey, glad you're okay!” she replied, waving at the two.

“Did you get chased far?” he asked, a bit worried.

“Yeah, I–”

Then, their friends noticed they were holding hands.

“Whooooa!”

“What is this?!”

“OOOOH!” both said in unison, pointing at said joined hands.

She turned to her boyfriend – her boyfriend! – and sighed.

“Told you they'd make it weird.”

“Wha– When– How?!” Adrien asked, surprised, while Marinette wiggled with a wide smile.

“Marigold locked us in the same cage all afternoon,” she replied.

“Turns out we have a lot in common: an interest in video editing...” he said.

“Really young siblings...” she added.

Then they gave smug glares at Adrien and Marinette.

“Best friends that ditch them.”

“Eheheh!” both awkwardly laughed.

----

Fortunately, since nothing bad (or too bad) had happened, Adrien and Marinette were forgiven, and they split off once again.

“Hey, man, congrats!” Adrien told Nino while giving him a one-arm hug, and Nino smiled.

“Thanks, dude!”

Adrien's eyes opened, and suddenly the cheerful atmosphere turned kinda oppressive.

“Pretty amazing you got a girlfriend when you're supposed to be wingmanning for me.”

“M-My bad.”

----

Meanwhile, Alya had a bone to pick with Marinette.

“Girl, I told you not to be weird but you totally tried to dip on purpose,” she complained, and Marinette tried to put a surprised face.

“Whaaat? I just wanted to see the elephants!”

Alya gave her an irritated gaze.

“It was giraffes.”

----

After being told what had happened, Otis felt quite embarrassed of his actions and how they had affected everyone. He had been lucky that he had only been sent home early and that this issue would be written down in his file: if it weren't for the fact that Akumatized people were not blamed for the actions taken under Hawkmoth's influence, he could have been fired.

“How embarrassing,” he complained, after the twins mobbed him and asked what had happened.

“I'm home!”

“Alya!” Ella exclaimed, as his second daughter entered the room. He had to apologize, fast!

“Listen Alya, Dad didn't mean to ruin your day out! You know how I get when people stress out my–”

But then Alya gently kissed him in the cheek and danced away, humming a song he had never heard.

While he was glad that she was fine now, he wondered what in the blazes had happened while he was possessed to make her so happy.

----

Puppeteer

@zoe-oneesama If only Animan could prey on Hawkmoth...

Alright, we're getting (slowly) closer to the end of Season 3!

BTW, not counting the 18 empty pages reserved to begin all the chapters I have yet to do, this story stands now at 321 pages in Times New Roman size 12.

[eddo-tensei]

I'm gonna say something because it took me a while to figure out what was really wrong with Zoe Lee without resorting to using the term "Mary Sue" because it doesn't feel like an argument people can use anymore and it just didn't feel like it was the exact problem here. While one could argue Zoe has a lot of those traits, there's something else to her that bothers me. That said, Socqueline's depiction in Derision finally gave me an answer.

Zoe Lee isn't a Mary Sue character. In fact, she's barely a character at all. Her entire arc is resolved in two episodes and since then, she's mostly been in the background since then, only being brought in to "fill in" blanks. Need a Bee wielder, but you don't want to use Chloe? Bring in Zoe. Need a Cat wielder, but you don't want to use Nino for some reason? Bring in Zoe. Need a LGBTQ rep, but you don't want to use a character that's too prominent? Bring in Zoe because she's barely in the show otherwise. Hell, her having a crush on Marinette doesn't amount to anything because at that point, the show is going full steam ahead with Adrienette and I have a feeling that the writers don't have the balls to even hint at the idea of Marinette being anything but straight. She's a hopeless suitor filling in for Luka while he's at Brazil and that's annoying especially since they could've written her to be interested in someone else, but they didn't. Zoe Lee is a "supporting character" in the most literal definition you could think of and that fucking sucks.

It's actually a massive issue with a lot of the cast in Miraculous beyond the "main characters", not just Zoe herself. At times, they don't actually feel like characters you're supposed to care about on their own. Sometimes, they feel like they're just there strictly to support other "more important" characters like Marinette and Adrien. This wasn't always the case, but it's slowly been becoming that as the series went on with Season 5 having this issue at its worst. I understand that writing characters beyond the mains can be hard, but that shouldn't mean you should just make them glorified support packs. You can do much more with them and you shouldn't have us look at them strictly through the lens of the main protagonist. This being a show for kids shouldn't be an excuse for that either because MANY shows allow us to care for the supporting cast beyond how the protagonist feels.

Feel free to disagree, but I don't hold that much of a gripe with Zoe in concept. Now I don't like how she had been depicted in the series up to this point and I DESPISE what they do for her towards the end of the season, but the idea of an illegitimate half-sister for Chloe could've been interesting as it could've shown how messed up the Bourgeois family was, a concept that they never bothered to touch beyond "Chloe bad." In fact, they seem to be on the path of just having her be a Bourgeois while shoving Chloe out into the street. Because who cares about her other family? Zoe would just be "great" in the Bourgeois family. I'm sure Andre won't just shower Zoe with gifts while not giving her any real support. Nope, because that would imply that he isn't a good parent. And I'm totally sure Chloe being shipped off to Audrey with the implication of more abuse coming her way TOTALLY isn't spreading a horrible message about how to treat troubled youth. Nope, not at all. I pray to god people here can read sarcasm.

Finally, I've stated much of my feelings for Socqueline already, but she should not have been introduced so late and the fact that she was utterly tanks any potential she might've had as a character. If anything, her existence undermines other characters like Alya. Alya's introduction made it clear that she meant a lot to Marinette, who probably didn't have any friends to begin with. That showed us that Alya was really important to Marinette growing as a person and that their friendship held a lot of weight. But not after this because it turns out Marinette already had a super great friend who was always there for her and was torn away from Marinette when mean old Chloe got her suspended. Even though Socqueline never actually left Paris and was probably in that arts and crafts store the whole time. An arts and crafts store that Marinette never went to until Season 5. And now that she's been introduced, despite how abrupt her introduction is, Alya salters will probably try to use Socqueline as Marinette's "true best friend" while shitting on Alya for something they blame her for (Most likely concerning Lila). Can you tell that I REALLY hate salters?

They had over four seasons.

Socqueline was in an arts and crafts store in Paris throughout the entire run of Miraculous. There was nothing that indicated she left Paris. Just that she was forced out of College Dupont. She was in a store that Marinette could probably walk or take a bus to so the latter could see her "best friend." This also could've been a place that Marinette hung out in to pursue her dream as a designer. This is a place that Marinette could've brought people like Alya, Mylene, Juleka, Rose, Alyx, and many others to. Yet we never got a scene like that, much less one where they got to meet Socqueline.

They had four seasons to implement this character into the show. Four seasons that all had a consistent count of 26 half-hour episodes, something that most cartoons these days WISH they had, along with some specials. They had all of that time and their only "hint" to Socqueline's existence until Season 5 was Marinette changing her hairstyle before the series.

This is not a character you just drop into a series. They had plenty of opportunities to introduce Socqueline and how important she was to Marinette. If she was this important to her, SHE SHOULD'VE BEEN IN THE SHOW FROM THE START. I don't care what justifications you have. This is garbage and given that this is supposed to be for a character who was SUPER important to Marinette as a person, it's even worse. At most, beyond the fake Ladybug episode, it feels like the main purpose of her character is to shoehorn in a ridiculous incident into Chloe's list of crimes. An incident that doesn't even make sense even when she's there. For someone who's supposed to be Marinette's idol, it sure is interesting that she wasn't even a presence in the show until she cosplayed as Marinette's alter-ego in SEASON FUCKING FIVE.

And before you cry and tell me I'm being mean, this is not me "hating someone who protected Marinette with her life." This is me hating the writers shoehorning in a character that was supposedly super-important to the main character and then treating her like a fucking guest star. They made her as a narrative tool to justify Marinette's questionable behavior. That's not good and if this was actually planned from the start, that's even worse. You shouldn't be proud that they basically left a character in the backburner for four seasons (over a HUNDRED EPISODES) and then plant her in Season 5 without even giving us a hint of her existence beforehand. That is fanfic tier writing. I know this because I write it myself.

Please have better standards for your shows.