#just got inherited by Marinette!!!

[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!!!

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Lol remember the early days when there was an about-even split between people who thought that Gabriel would be Hawkmoth and people who thought Alim Kubdel would be Hawkmoth? Good times, good times. Speaking of Alix’s dad, how would you have had the show pan out with him being Hawkmoth instead?

I wasn't around to see it in real time, but I browse fanfics in rough chronological order starting from the beginning of a fandom, so I'm aware that this theory was a thing because I've read a good portion of the fics that were written pre Origins. (AO3 has a last update filter if you want to pair down your options for a less overwhelming selection or just enjoy fics from before certain plot points came to be.)

While I'm aware of the theory, I'm a little confused as to where it came from. Alim only has two brief appearances in season one. The first is from the start of The Pharaoh. In it, we see Alim telling Jalil that historical artifacts are not meant for testing crackpot theories:

Mr. Kubdel: Jalil, these types of frescoes are almost always the illustration of a legend. They called it a legend for a reason... Jalil: That's what everyone thinks. But I know it's real. I can prove it! Mr. Kubdel: Really? And exactly how are you going to prove it? Jalil: I just need to get my hands on Tutankhamun's scepter and recite the spell! Mr. Kubdel: Are you serious? Don't even think of touching that scepter. I'd lose my job on the spot. It's a priceless historical object! Not a toy! Jalil: Come on, dad! We have to try out the spell! What if Tutankhamun had found out how to bring people back to life? Mr. Kubdel: Listen, Jalil! That's enough! Get your head out of those papyrus scrolls and focus on the real world! This one! (leaves)

And his other appearance is from the start of Timebreaker. In it, Alim gives Alix the watch that is later revealed to be her miraculous:

Alix: They're Marinette's parents. You know, one of the chicks I hang out with? Mr. Kubdel: Yes, I remember. They make the best bread in the whole of Paris. (he notices one of Alix's sneakers) Couldn't you have made more of an effort to dress nicely? Alix: What do you mean? I took off my cap. (points to her cap) Mr. Kubdel: But this is a special day. Alix: Well, it's only a birthday. Mr. Kubdel: No, this is a special birthday (reaches inside his jacket pocket and brings out a watch) This family heirloom was made by one of our ancestors many, many years ago. It's been passed down from one generation to the next, on their 15th birthday. And today, it's your turn to inherit it. Alix: It's pretty sweet, dad. But I've already got a watch, synced up to my smartphone. Mr. Kubdel: But sometimes there's more to things than meets the eye. Let's just say that our ancestor was… (opens the watch) Ahead of his time. (Alix gasps) Of course, I'd understand if you'd rather me buy you a new pair of rollerblades. Alix: No, Dad! I'm stoked to have it. It's awesome, thank you! (her phone rings) Mr. Kubdel: Are your friends waiting? Alix: Yeah, but I don't wanna bail on you. It's cool. Mr. Kubdel: No, no, go ahead. (Alix stands up and grabs her cap) Now, take good care of it.

Based on these two scenes, Alim doesn't read like a villain to me. He reads like some sort of protector. If I had to pick a role for him, it would be the guardian, not the villain. After all, what better way to find missing miraculous than to go into a field that has you informed about all sorts of interesting archaeological discoveries? The fact that he's handing out a miraculous only elevates that potential, especially since Alim was smart enough to give it to the kid who was suited to be a hero while leaving Jali is be his conspiracy-theory-loving self.

Another variation of that is to have him (or Alix's other parent) be the rabbit holder and Alim is passing on the torch to Alix because it's time to start her training. He did say that the watch is handed down through their family and, if there's one miraculous that would need a lot of training, it's the rabbit. Plus a history related field is a perfect fit for a rabbit!

Of course, a villain might also go into a field like curation in order to find miraculous, but I'm really not getting villain vibes here. Part of the reason Gabriel makes such a good villain is that he has a clear, understandable goal: bringing back his wife. Alim has nothing like that, so to make him into a villain, I'd have to come up with a motivation for him and the only thing that I can think of is wanting to bring back his own seemingly missing spouse. That's not a very interesting route, though, since it's just a copy-paste of Gabriel's plot and I'd want Alim to be something unique unless you wanted to swap Adrien and Alix for some reason and just tell the same story with a focus on different characters.

I mean, you could make Alim have a motivation like protecting historical artifacts, but then why would he want the ladybug and the black cat? What wish would he be trying to make? Rewriting history won't protect it! I could maybe see a goal of rewriting history to stop a bunch of atrocities, but any historian would know that undoing a given set of atrocities means massive changes to history and it would likely just lead to different atrocities. You'd have to change how humans work or something equally messed up to make a world without atrocities, which makes it a pretty poor motivation as it would make Alim too cartoonish to really work. He'd feel like such a massive step down from Gabriel's complexity...

All of this is why I don't think that the show should have continued post Gabriel. I just don't see what motivation you can give a villain that isn't either derivative or a cartoonish downgrade. "I want to resurrect my wife" just hits different from "I want to take over the world."

To make Alim a villain in his own right, you'd have to redesign major elements of the show. I think a character with his background would work well as a master thief who collects historical artifacts for his own collection or to sell them so that he can live in luxury, but I can't picture his character sending out akumas to terrorize Paris. Ladybug and Chat Noir would go from action heroes to something more stealthy. Spies who are trying to track down Alim and stop his network, returning artifacts to their rightful owners. Not a bad concept for a show, but too different from Miraculous for me to pretend it's a good concept for a series reboot.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Only way I can square Miraculous’s morality system is if it’s deterministic and good and evil are genetic, inheritable traits. That’s why Gabe got a statue, he wasn’t genetically evil, just forced by circumstance to do bad things. Meanwhile, Zoe didn’t inherit her mom’s evil but Chloe inherited extra evil so Chloe’s few good actions are still bad but Zoe’s backstory evil actions are still good. Marinette is good, so nothing she does, even teaming up with Chloe, is as bad as anything Chloe does.

yeah.......

[sarcasticbambi]

HMBingo "Hot Chocolate"

Marinette loved mornings like this. Waking up in the arms of the one she loved while being basked by the sunlight filtering in through the windows. 

The best part? Neither of them had duties to attend to that would require them to be up early, so they could stay in bed to their heart's content.

And she was so grateful for that, because the previous night’s mission took a toll on Damian, and although he’d gotten better at expressing himself, he still wouldn’t let people know when he got injured.

Thankfully, she’d learned to read him very well and managed to convince him for a day in (it took a bit of help from Alfred’s side, but still, she managed to do it).

Moving his arm from its place firmly wrapped around her waist, Marinette got up to start preparing something for them both to eat. She moved lightly, in hopes of not waking him up so he could have a bit more rest, wrapping herself in her robe and getting her slippers on, she left the room, unaware of the emerald orbs already following her form.

She started by preparing herself a mug of coffee and placing the frozen croissant dough in the oven for 15 minutes.

She doesn’t have as much time to bake as she’d like to, so, whenever she does have the time, she bakes extra and freezes them so she only needs to place the dough in the oven to still have fresh pastries whenever she feels like it.

For Damian, she started a water bath to melt the chocolate and started heating up the milk with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg.

For someone who inherited his father’s stoic look and with his mother’s training, it came as a surprise to her when she found that his favourite beverage was a cup of hot chocolate milk. But then again, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially when it was prepared by the one and only Alfred Pennyworth.

She had yet to reach his level of connaissance when it came to Hot Chocolate but, so far, the DuPain-Cheng recipe hadn’t failed her, so she was proud of herself for managing that much.

Distracted with her hot chocolate recipes, she wasn’t aware of the second person in the kitchen until strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and his forehead fell on her shoulder, startling her out of her musings.

“Why did you leave?” came his groggy voice.

Damian already had a very pleasant voice to hear and she swore she could hear him talk all day if allowed, but his morning voice was something else, and it made the butterflies in her stomach become a chaotic mess she could not contain.

Turning around she pressed a light kiss on his lips and, taking a deep breath she replied, “I was just preparing something for us to have for breakfast. You can go back to the room and I’ll bring it all in, Honey.”

“Trying to get rid of me first thing in the morning already?” he said while peppering kisses all over the shoulder he was propped on.

No deep breath will help me recover from this, first thing in the morning even!!

“Damian, you know that’s not it! You need to rest, especially after last night. I just want you to recover and let me take care of you in the meantime.”

“I am rested.” he said while still continuing his ministrations on her shoulders, changing sides this time.

“Damian, I’m trying to prepare your Hot Chocolate!” She tried admonishing him.

“And what’s preventing you from continuing?” He asked, as if he was not aware of how much his actions affected her.

“You know exactly what it is! Aren’t you hungry, I’m trying to prepare breakfast here!”

“Oh, I am hungry alright.”

“See, I’m prepa- Damian!”- she didn’t get to finish her thought as Damian placed his hands on her waist more firmly before turning her around and placed her on the counter, so she was levelled with him, swiftly moving the cups aside so no spillings would happen.

“I’m hungry for something else though, something sweet.”

Damian always let Marinette know just how much he liked kissing her, that it was his favourite way of showing her affection. He also liked saying her kisses were sweet, teasing her that it was because she was raised in a bakery.

So when he leaned in for a kiss, she shouldn’t have been as surprised as she was.

But then again, every intimate moment with Damian was a surprise because one never knows what to expect from him. 

This time, it was her on the kitchen counter, his hands on her hips and his lips peppering kisses all over her shoulders and collarbones. 

“If you want something sweet, you could always have the hot chocolate I just finished preparing and you just pushed to the side.”

He pulled away from his ministrations to look at her and the little pout on her lips. She saw something light up in his eyes, as if he’d had an idea - which usually meant trouble - and saw him grab the said mug. He looked at it and placed it in front of her lips, looking at her expectantly.

“What? You want me to drink it? I made it for you though!” 

He just kept staring at her with the mug placed in front of her lips, so she huffed, but grabbed it and took a sip, all while raising her eyebrows at his strange behaviour this morning.

After confirming she had indeed taken a couple sips from the hot beverage, he placed it down and kissed her like a starved man.

Marinette, poor soul, could only place her arms on his wide shoulders in her flustered state. Not that she wasn’t enjoying it, because she definitely was. It was just startling, and her poor heart could not take that much so early in the morning.

Leaning away from her lips, he sighed.

“It was indeed a very sweet hot chocolate, thank you for preparing it for me Habibi.”

Marinette just stared at him blankly, still attempting to form words, or even process what had just happened. And it seemed Damian was enjoying her reaction a little too much, if his smirk was anything to go by.

“I’ll go wash up first and return to eat.” He said and pecked her still sligh opened lips in her dazed state.

In the end, she only got out of her stupor when he shouted from their room:

“The croissants will burn if you don’t take them out now!”

[aalissy]

Emma, Louis, Hugo

Whoohoo!! Welcome to the end of Adrienette April for this year!! I really hope you enjoy this lil ending chapter <3. Also, please feel free to join me tomorrow as I begin Marichat May :)

AO3

Adrien and Marinette sat on the balcony of their cozy Parisian apartment, sipping on hot cocoa as they watched the city lights twinkle in the distance. The soft glow of the moon bathed them in a warm embrace, casting a serene ambiance around them. They finally got to take a brief moment of rest as their kids were inside, sleeping for what would hopefully be the rest of the night.

Marinette sighed contentedly, leaning her head on Adrien's shoulder. "I dreamed about times like this, you know," she mused, a nostalgic smile playing on her lips. “Us and the three kids. I had their names picked out since middle school and everything.”

Adrien wrapped an arm around Marinette, gazing into her eyes with affection. "And what beautiful names they are," he said, brushing a kiss against her forehead. "You know, I’d still give everything to go and tell younger you that someday you’d end up married to me. And that we’d use those names you picked out and everything. I’d just love to see you blush and stammer again."

She shoved his shoulder, rolling her eyes at him even as her lips twitched with amusement. “And I’d love to go tell middle school you that he’d end up married to Ladybug. I’m sure he’d turn just as red if not redder.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and Adrien threw his head back in a loud laugh. “You know, you’re probably right,” he managed to say after his laughter subsided.

A comfortable silence settled between them as they sipped on their hot cocoa. They looked out at the beautiful, twinkling stars, listening to the sounds of the streets of Paris that came from below them. It was peaceful. A wonderful, warm night.

Marinette eventually broke the silence by giggling, her eyes twinkling with fond memories. "Remember when Emma turned our living room into an art studio, and we found paint on everything, including Plagg?"

Adrien chuckled, nodding in agreement. "How could I forget? Plagg wouldn’t shut up about that incident for weeks. He forced me to buy him boxes and boxes of camembert to make up for it." His voice turned more nasally as he attempted to do an impression of the kwami. “Gods are not meant to be purple, Adrien. Tell your offspring to paint the canvas. Not me.”

Marinette snorted. “Yes, I do remember that! Tikki was positively delighted by Plagg’s little color change. She laughed at him every chance she got. Between you and me, I think she even tried to get little Emma to do it again.”

“My lips are sealed,” Adrien said, making a gesture of zipping his lips shut.

"And what about sweet Louis?" Marinette continued with a playful glint in her eyes. "Our little explorer who once convinced us to go on a 'treasure hunt' in the park, only to find a collection of shiny rocks and leaves."

Adrien laughed, shaking his head fondly at the memory. "He's got my adventurous spirit, that's for sure. And adorable, baby Hugo has always been fascinated by the simplest things in nature. I love how he finds beauty in everything around him."

"He gets that from you too, Adrien," Marinette remarked, a soft smile on her face. "You've always had a way of seeing the beauty in the world."

“Then little Emma definitely inherited your artistic talent.” He grinned back at her.

“Of course she did!” she said proudly, lifting up her chin. “Who do you think also grew up painting the walls in my parents’ home?”

As they reminisced about their children's antics and milestones, their hearts swelled with gratitude for the family they had created together. Adrien squeezed Marinette's hand gently, his gaze filled with love. "I'm so grateful that we managed to find each other and make a family. Every day is a wonderful adventure with all of you."

Marinette leaned in, pecking a kiss on his cheek. "Me too, Adrien. Our family is everything to me. I wouldn't have it any other way."

They sat together in another companionable silence, basking in the warmth of their affection and the knowledge that their home was filled with the laughter and love of Emma, Louis, and Hugo. As the night grew deeper, they knew that their bond as a family would only continue to grow stronger with each passing day.

[taldigi]

Do you think you could have liked Adrien more if his assholish moments were on purpose?

On- hold up. Are you saying his shitty behavior is outside of his own control? Like all those times he leans in for a kiss on a girl who clearly doesn't like it or all those times he throws a tantrum and threatens to disown plagg cuz the girl he likes doesn't like him back? Or that time he was so angry because ladybug didn't get him when he wanted that he destroyed a ton of property.

Listen here's my flash rewrite of Adrian.

See he's like 14 right? And his mom is very dead. This is incredibly traumatizing, since no Doctor could ever figure out what was slowly killing her. After she finally disappears out of her sick bed, he resolves himself to become a doctor and find out what actually killed her.

This isn't what his father wants from him, as he wants him to inherit the family Business, aka the fashion company Gabriel. But as long as he is staying out of trouble and off the streets of Paris and is continuing to do his modeling for said business then Gabriel grits his teeth through this silly delusion that he has.

So he keeps him very busy doing things that he wants him to do. He wants him to learn a couple languages so he can do business internationally after all children are better at learning languages than adults are. Sure there's Chinese, but there's also English and Hindi and Even a little Spanish. He's got to stay fit and look good for the modeling career so he's got a sport to do. It's not the one Adrian would have chose, but it gets him away from the house for a bit and actually lets him talk to other kids, so he likes it enough.

However very occasionally on the way home from said practice he uses his puppy eyes to sneak off to the library and pick up a couple books that he stays up late reading. He's a little rebellious like that. It's a little thrilling, and each new book puts him a little closer to pre-med.

His father can't control him forever after all, he's only got four more years until he's a legal adult, and maybe by then his dad will respect him a little more. If he does everything right, if he does everything to make him happy, you know maybe. And there's no harm in being prepared.

Suddenly his father becomes incredibly distant. It's not like he wasn't before, but it's even more so now. He doesn't even see him at dinner sometimes. It's just him and the nanny... And as much as he likes him, he's not one for enticing conversation. See, Adrian is quite a social butterfly and he enjoys talking to people but he never is allowed to do so.

Flash forward, he finds his first little buddy in plagg, who finds his pleasant and sociable demeanor quite charming and hopes to corrupt him one day. So he encourages him to do something he's always wanted to do... Get out of the house. And so he does. Little escape. A little vacation. No one would notice because He didn't have anything to do and nobody needed his attention so... What's the harm in... You know, taking a bit of a walk right? Dang who does he bump into? Oh man maybe Marinette? Nino? School starts next week and they're excited to see him since they think he is a new kid, and old boy what an idea. How fun would school be? Being able to actually learn and talk to people? So now he has a new wish in his heart. And it's all thanks to his little kitty buddy.

He would ultimately be the same. Being very pleasant and nice. But instead of being oblivious, he's just destructed. He's got his nose in a book or he is failing to traverse a social situation because he's not very well socialized. In fact a lot of people don't really like Adrian that much. They think he's a little weird. It takes several seasons for people to start liking him. But Marinette knows better because she met him earlier and he she has bothered to get to know him. In fact they consider themselves friends. And I hate the stupid unable to talk to her crush joke because it destroys both characters and their development.

His dream to be a doctor would be a driving force for him throughout the series. The more he learns about magic The closer he gets to discovering the mystery of what happened to his mother. He eventually comes to the questioning realization that no amount of doctorly training or medical knowledge would have saved his mother and so he spirals into a depression.

[anxresi]

Okay, stop what you’re doing and watch this RIGHT NOW.

Are you telling me THIS Chloe, the genuinely remorseful girl ready to burst into tears in front of her idol, THIS Chloe who confesses to feeling ‘useless’ on a regular basis without a single trace of dishonesty, THIS Chloe, who confides it’s not even Marinette that’s her main problem, it’s her own lack of self-worth that makes her lash out at others…

…Can be the same sociopathic monster we see in S4-S5?

Because if you do, I’d go and get my eyes tested.

Just viewing this clip now brought it all home to me. How much they’ve ruined Chloe’s character, by stripping away the few layers she had to reduce her to this wretched caricature we see today.

To reset ALL her growth in one fell swoop and now pretending it never happened. To think what we could’ve got instead of this Mary Sue wannabe Zoe turning up…

…A fascinating character study of a troubled girl with major issues blossoming into a true hero, (or anti-hero, if you prefer) and the impact her new personality and outlook has on the people around her.

Nope, let’s ditch all that in favor of this perfect ‘long list sibling’ turning up out of nowhere, and inheriting everything that Chloe could’ve had after a lengthy redemption arc (true friends, a healthier relationship with her father, a permanent position as Queen Bee) all in the most lazy two-parter ever conceived.

After all, why ‘waste’ seasons worth of gradual development on an established character, when you can pluck one out of the great blue yonder as the finished article? So much more satisfying from a storytelling perspective, right??

Oh, and it forever tarnished my view of Ladybug too, that the solution for Chloe’s problem was to encourage her to be even nastier and more horrible so she could ‘bond’ with the main perpetrator of her feeling of inadequacy and self-loathing for years e.g her own mother.

Yes, let’s continue the endless cycle of toxicity and abuse because it’s so much easier than giving a traumatized teenager in need proper help and support.

This is why I laughed out loud when Miss Bustier announced in the leaks for S5 (not really a spoiler) that ‘everyone had tried to help Chloe’.

Really? Since when?! I must’ve missed an entire season of the show where this happened… (considering the quality of the writing, perhaps this isn’t a bad thing).

Anyway, thanks Ladybug. Some ‘hero’.

[artzychic27]

What about DC!Nathaniel AU? An AU where Nathaniel is the one somehow related to a DC character? Not sure who his father/mother would be, but he would dye his hair red to match his found family. And then we can get Caprikid using his powers to get revenge on his toxic hero father. I like angst, okay.

I know you said hero, but... Nathaniel's the son of Trigon, 'kay byeeee!

After finding a safe haven on Azarath, Arella gave birth to two children, a boy, and a girl.

For years, Raven and Nathaniel are taught to control their emotions and suppress and control the demonic powers they inherited from Trigon, and while Raven is shown to be making progress, Nathaniel constntly loses control

Trigon knew of their whereabouts, but did nothing to intervene, except when a monk named Juris had cast Nathaniel into another dimension to avert disaster

This action, in the process, erased his memories and reverted him back into a baby to avoid disaster and hopefully have the unlucky people who find him be able to control his temper

Trigon struck Juris down at the moment of the deed and went to search all across the universe for his son, knowing Nathaniel will be the twin to continue his legacy and conquer the Universe, seeing as Azarath corrupted his daughter

Nathaniel ends up in a basket at the doorstep of Aya and Maison Kurtzberg's home. They think nothing of it and immediately bring the ebony-haired purple-eyed baby into their lives

And to match his parents, he dyes his hair red when he’s seven! Aaw!

So, Nathaniel grows up normal with no knowledge of his parentage and everything is fine until his father dies

Overcome with grief, Nathaniel reveals his inherited power. His skin turns red, his hair turns white, an extra set of eyes appears and all four of them glow a bright yellow

Instead of running away when he lets out a demon scream, Aya comforts her son until he turns back to normal

Neither of them have any idea what just happened, but one thing’s for sure, Nathaniel’s got to keep his emotions under wraps

… Then he starts middle school

It's incredibly difficult for him to stay calm when Chloé's going around tormenting the students, the principal is a spineless moron who does nothing to stop it, and... Oh, yeah! It’s middle school!

And just when he thinks things can’t possibly get any worse, this creep named Hawkmoth shows up. He’s stressed out of his mind trying not to get Akumatized, and some prick named Louis is being a real pain in the ass

Nathaniel nearly reveals his powers in fits of rage by making things float or causing glass to shatter, but people only assume there’s an Akuma

It’s not long before Nathaniel gets Akumatized into Evillustrator, but because of Trigon’s DNA, his appearance is slightly altered- Extra set of eyes, horns, longer hair, and a nice set of fangs

He summons demons made of ink to ravage the streets, and what makes this more scary is that Hawkmoth has no control over him. And this isn’t Nathaniel’s own doing, either

It takes Ladybug and Chat Noir hours to defeat him, and the second he’s deakumatized, Nathaniel runs away before they can ask if he’s alright

Meanwhile, Master Fu has been sensing a dark presence for years now, but is nowhere close to figuring out where it’s coming from… Until he sees Evillustrator

Later, for about a week, Nathaniel is plagued by nightmares of a man who looks similar to him when in his demon form, and all he can hear is the name Trigon, something about him fulfilling a prophecy, and being a portal

This leaves Nathaniel on edge, causing some slip ups with his powers and keeping his emotions in check, so he starts to “fix” things that annoy him

-Every time Kim attempts to do a dare, it suddenly turns safe and he has no chance of hurting himself… Or others

-Chloé’s mouth disappears

-A black bar covers Adrien’s face wherever he goes

-Rose’s voice is muted, Juleka’s voice is louder

-Two shadowy hands come up from behind Marinette and pull at her pigtails every time she mentions Adrien

Master Fu summons Ladybug and Chat Noir and tells them to capture and bring Nathaniel to him

He performs some sort of ritual that undoes everything Nathaniel used his powers on and makes him less evil looking

After assuring Ladybug and Chat Noir that he’s not an Akuma, Master Fu explains that Nathaniel is the son of Trigon, devourer of a million souls, conqueror of countless worlds, and one of the most powerful beings in the universe

Ladybug/Chat Noir: … *Drawing their weapons*

Master Fu: Don’t.

He explains that Nathaniel’s destiny is to act as a portal which will allow Trigon to enter their world and conquer it. However, when that will happen is a mystery. But, the more he taps into his dark side, the more Trigon comes close to discovering his location

Nathaniel: WHAT?!

Master Fu: Do I need to spell it out for you?… You are a living portal for your demon father, and he’s going to tear open our universe with his bare hands!

Ladybug: … But?… There’s a ‘but,’ right? There’s a solution?! Yes?!

Chat Noir: Say yes!

Nathaniel’s dreams become more frequent, and occasionally, he goes into this sort of headspace where all the land around him is desolate with blood-red skies and not a living soul around. And this man in a strange mask keeps following him and telling him to accept his destiny as he causes these glowing red marks to appear along his skin

When he wakes up, the markings are gone, but his hair becomes longer. While he can cut his hair, this glowing S-shaped mark remains on his forehead, which he covers with his bangs

Ever since he learned of the prophecy, Nathaniel has been attempting to become closer with his classmates- Modeling some of Marinette’s clothes, going to Kitty Section rehearsals, listening to some of Nino’s demos, making posters for Ivan and Myléne’s protests, trying out rock climbing with Lacey, doing some makeup art with Cosette, watching some of Jean’s performances, and even creating a comic with this cute guy named Marc

Alix wonders what’s gotten into him as of late, but Nathaniel remains secretive

One night, Nathaniel, with the advice of Master Fu, tries meditation to clear his head and relax. But he comes into contact with Trigon, who warns him that his destiny is drawing nearer, and then shows him horrifying images of everyone he loves suffering under his wrath

Nathaniel wakes up, and like always, his hair is longer

It’s the next morning when things take a turn for the worse. The marks that are usually only in his dreams are all over Nathaniel’s arms, and he becomes aware that this is the day Trigon will turn him into his portal, so he tries to make his friends’ last day one they’ll remember fondly by suggesting an outing at the park, going for ice cream, and doing a quick sketch of all of them together

This has them all concerned and thinking something’s wrong with Nathaniel, but only Marinette and Adrien truly know what’s got him acting this way

Before he can tell them exactly what he is, a spontaneous solar eclipse blocks the sun, and Nathaniel collapses. When Kim tries to help him back up, he accidentally reveals the marks on his arms and forehead, which Alix recognizes from one of the museum exhibits

They take him home where Aya reluctantly tells them everything, from finding Nathaniel on her doorstep to discovering his powers after Maison died

Of course, they’re horrified and come to the conclusion that Nathaniel is the reason so much weird stuff has been happening to them, but Alix and Marc are quick to shut that down

Meanwhile, when it seems all is fine and well, Nathaniel is kidnapped right out of his bedroom and dragged into some decrepit building by people in cloaks. And standing there is the same masked man from his dreams, who calls himself Slade

They perform the ritual to summon Trigon, and by the time his friends locate him, it’s too late. Nathaniel is gone, and Trigon returns to take over the world

But, somehow, the Akuma Class and Science Kids survive his attack and not be turned into stone like everyone else.

Simon: ... Everything is gone. Everyone's dead. Nathaniel's probably dead, and we're gonna die soon! Can this get any worse?!

*Suddenly, a black portal appears in the sky*

Simon: Of course! Why not?!

From the portal emerges a young woman in a purple cloak, accompanied by four other people

She introduces herself as Raven, daughter of Trigon and the twin/elder sister of Nathaniel. While Trigon has been searching for Nathaniel, so has she. After Nathaniel was banished from Azarath and de-aged, she spent years looking for him before their father could find him with the help of the Teen Titans

Bombarded by all sorts of questions, Raven goes on to explain the prophecy

Raven: Children on Azarath heard the prophecy so many times, but… “The gem was born of evil's fire. The gem shall be his portal. He comes to claim, he comes to sire. The end of all things mortal.” My brother, your friend, is that gem.

Akuma Class: …

Science Kids: …

Teen Titans: …

Ismael: … They told that to kids?!

While things seem hopeless, Raven assures them not all is lost. Nathaniel’s existence as an inter-dimensional portal is complete, but another part lives on elsewhere. They just have to get him back and have him battle Trigon

Alix, of course, is going, along with Denise and Ivan for muscle, and Beast Boy for some extra power

Ladybug and Chat Noir pass along the Miraculous so the others can help them battle against Trigon with the Teen Titans, though, it gets tricky when he summons nega versions of the team to taunt and fight them on an equal playing field

The trip is long and perilous, but they successfully find Nathaniel… Only he’s seven and has no memory of any of them

Back on the surface, the heroes are battling their nega-selves and are nowhere close to weakening any of them while the others battle Trigon’s minions in case they go looking for the others

Carapace then suggests that, since they can't defeat themselves, maybe they could defeat each other. And surprisingly, it works, but according to Trigon, all they did was prolong their suffering and he sends more of his minions after them

Going back the way they came, Raven carries Nathaniel and tells him about their time on Azarath, about Trigon and the prophecy to try and return his memories with Alix adding a few things about his life in Paris, but nothing’s coming to him

They are soon accosted by a horde of fire demons. The group successfully escapes while keeping Nathaniel out of harm's way. And amidst the battle, it’s revealed-

Nathaniel: Alix, why are you doing this?

Alix: You do remember, don't you?

Nathaniel: … The stories you were telling...I can see it. Bits and pieces. You...our friends...my dad...like it was a dream. A nightmare. Whatever it was, it's over.

Ivan: But, there may still be a way to--

Nathaniel: Nobody can stop him. I remember that. You came down here for nothing.

Raven: … I came down here for you, baby brother.

Back on the surface, the large group run away with Trigon's minions in pursuit. They take down most of them, but then Raven and Beast Boy appear to finish them off

At first, everything seems well, until they see Nathaniel

Roi Singe: WE’RE DOOMED!

Wyvern: Shut up! You’re gonna scare the damn kid!

Rena Rouge: We’re dead. We are so dead!

Just then, Trigon commands his army to expand throughout the universe and enslave everything until all bow before him

Before going to battle their father, Raven comforts Nathaniel by saying he is no longer a slave to any prophecy and he will know what to do when the time comes

At that moment, Ladybug’s only lucky charm is a pair of hair clips, which she gives to Nathaniel since he lit up with her lucky vision

The Titans, Miraculous heroes, and the survivors without powers take Trigon head-on. To their shock, he takes damage only thanks to Raven's added power. But, as one final attack, Trigon envelopes them all in a massive blast, immobilizing them

As Nathaniel begs them to get up, Trigon unleashes another heat ray to kill him off, but Nathaniel somehow shields himself and the others with his powers. And while Trigon charges up another blast, the Goat Hero transforms back into Marc, and Nathaniel discovers that the Miraculous is a pair of hair clips like the ones Ladybug gave him

When he fails to kill Nathaniel again, Trigon only mocks him, claiming that Nathaniel’s only purpose is to serve him as his portal, his creation, and declaring that he has no power over him

Nathaniel: ... You created me… But you were NEVER my father! Fathers are present in your life! Fathers protect you! Fathers raise you! I was protected by the monks of Azarath and searched for years by my sister. I was raised by Aya and Maison Kurtzberg, and my friends! They are my family! This is my home! And you are not welcome here!

As Nathaniel renounces any biological ties with Trigon, he returns to his original age while wearing all white, and his original hair color is restored. His power returns, and he transforms into CapriKid

Genesis, combined with his own powers augments both of them, allowing him to create bursts of white energy he uses to blast and weaken Trigon before creating a massive burst of energy that engulfs and obliterates Trigon for good, and propels a wave of restorative energy that washes over the earth and undoes Trigon’s corruption

Akuma Class: …

Science Kids: …

Teen Titans: …

Nathaniel: … Uh- *Gets tackled into a hug by the Akuma Class* H-hey, guys.

Nino: That was awesome, dude! You were a badass!

Juleka: So. Fucking. Wicked.

Chloé: You’re not entirely lame, Kurtzberg.

Adrien: So, is the black hair permanent?

After all comments on his powers and how he defeated Trigon are out of the way, Nathaniel and Raven have a proper (and tearful) reunion

Weeks pass, and everyone other than the Akuma Class, Science Kids, and Teen Titans has no recollection of Trigon's temporary reign

Nathaniel has better control over his powers, is able to use them around his friends, he occasionally visits Raven over in Jump City, and has recently begun dating Marc

... Also, somewhere, that Slade guy who kidnapped Nathaniel is nothing but a living withered husk, and... Cliffhanger. Just like the Original Teen Titans, which I am still bitter about.

[midnightrosebell]

Marinette Dupain-Cheng deserves better, let's begin.

This is super fucking long for no reason.

ALSO, there is charater bashing, cursing, and I would love to hear your opinions in the comments as this is what is post is for!

Firstly, Marinette Dupain-Cheng:

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is no matter how much that fucking theme song says it, NOT your average girl.

Firstly she is the daughter of the two most famous bakers in paris, that is shown during the series as we see a long line of people froming outside the bakery as the seasons progress. From this the Dupain-Cheng's have a substantial amount of money as we can presume. And she has a famous uncle in Shanghai, and during this we see her parents pay for her to go jest because she wants too. If we take a look at her grandmother we can see that she travels the world with her motorcycle, although this may be an in expensive way of travel compared to the normal plane cost; over the years of her doing this it will add up. And seeing how little we know of sabeins family and how Marinette is the only child, we can presume that she will have a big inheritance when she's older. Basically she has her life set for her the day she was born.

She not only can from a rich back-round but also made her own back-round for her self as a self though (seeing that we never seen her attend actual classes) and Purely hand made designer. She not only made designs for jagged stone but presumably has commissions from Clara Nightingale, has be recognized by the Queen of fashion, Audrey Bourgeois (controllingassmotherfuckingchildneglecter) And the one a only Gabriel Agreste (hawkbitch). She also made costumes for their school play, and did commissioms for outside people/friends. She also knows a lot of famous people/friends with the children of said people. Like alya's mother who is the head chef at Andrea hotel. Alya also runs a pretty famous blog called they ladyblog witch highlights the attacks on paris and has core footage for the hero's. This can be said for the reset of the classes future cause as of right now, they have something that, already is successful. Like max, he built a robot, helped successfully bring back dinesours and has already has planned projects for the future. Rose, she is the leading female singer for the kitty section and also has made her own perfume. Nino, he made a play at the school and is a DJ and has performed for so major events. Nathalie, he and Marc makes comics about Paris's superhero situation and has already gained a large following as we can presume. Then there is Luka son of jagged stone and lead singer in the kitty section. His sister juleka daughter of jagged stone and and been dabbled in the modeling industry. We all know about Adrien and Cholé, but what about Sabrina? Well, she is the daughter of the police chief in Paris. Kim is a Olympic swimmer, Alix a professional skatter and the Kagami, an professional and Olympic fencer.

Needless to say she has quite the backing.

Now, let's ge into the actual reason we're here.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎���𝚜.

•firstly she babysit for her classmates little siblings and Nadia and she also makes commission (as mentioned above)

•She provides emotional support the characters and makes sure they don't get akumatized. Not only that, she also listens to understand and gives advice to the person. Even BEFORE the akumas.

•She helps ALOT in the bakery ever since she was young and takes her time to make, box, and give out pastries so those who she thinks need it. It also helps her parents out and bring in new customers. She bakes for special events for her classmates like brithdays.

•She is also the class president and is in charge of everything in the class, wether it be, fundraisers, class trips, brithday party's , class hangout, so on so forth.

•Lila. Just fucking Lila Rossi who's names predicated her fate. She made marinette life a living hell even after she left, through CHOLÉ (hang on we are getting their) And got her expelled, turned the class on her, attempting to turn her mother as well and threaten her to keep her mouth shut. SHE ALSO FUCKING AKUMATIZED HER SELF TO GET BACK AT HER.

•CHOLÉ BOURGEOISIE. She TOURNAMENTED Marinette for nearly SIX FUCKING YEARS. This is why I HATE CHOLÉ redemption arc. She bullied, embarrassed, and destroyed Marinette in more ways than one. She told everyone Marinette had a crush on Kim, thus getting Marinette embarrassed after Kim openly mocks her WITH cholé. She destroyed her self-esteem by this and by also at every little moment, put her down whenever Marinette had a single ounce of pride in herself. She JOINS Lila to make her life a living hell and keep her away from Adrien.

•She had to watch, one by one, as herclassmates fell for Lila's lies, had to watch Lila lie and framed her, watch their disgust and disappointment. Watch as them turn against her, watch as they slowly froze her out. Only to act as if nothing happened when Lila had left for one of her "trips" and when she was exposed as a lying mole. Now for them to come retreating back, even now, not trusting her as they used to. Not even her parents.

•she can't even cry, scream, or shout about how much they hurt her because she is the "right example. " The sign of hope that they can look up to as she has never been akumatized. She is the class representive, the golden child, the sweetest and the most forgiving girl that always owns up to her mistakes. She is the everyday ladybug.

•Marinette can't lean or rely on anyone. Who would their be to help her? She is supposed to be the person OTHER people can rely on, that they can talk to advice on what they can do. To help and comfort THEM in THEIR time of need. Not Marinette she is the therapist.

•After all of this, you bet your ass that she needs therapy. She went through so much seeing her family, friends, classmates and her citizens go through so much pain, so much anger that they can't even express at the fear of being akumatized. She watched her city, burn, flood, explode, controlled, over and over again. She watched as the ones she loved would die before her eyes knowing, knowing that she can't do anything about it.

𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲𝐛𝐮𝐠

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗-

○Ladybug fights akumas almost every other day.

○She can bearly express her emotions both in and out of battle as "She is ladybug".

○She has to handle and take care of all the kwamis. 19 MINIATURE GODS by her self without being caught. Then had to deal with the responsibility of being a guardian and most likely has to go through training in the future. Not to mention the possibility of more gardians visiting in the future

○She has to deal with reporters everywhere she is asking questions upon questions after her long and tiresome battles. Such questions even step into her bongeries, making her uncomfortable, but they don't care, and she doesn't want to come off a bad and have her citizens lose belief in her. Not to mention that one episode with Nadia when she interviewed the two heroes and accused them of being together. Honestly, the joke chat noir had made as well was a little too far seeing they were only a few months into being heroes.. and she was what? 11?

○Then there is chaton would matter of factly keeps trying to make advancies towards her and getting in her personal space and keeps persisting on a data and how their are "meant to be" and "their the only ones for each other" "are bond to be together" I don't even think chat knows he doing this. However I doubt that theory as well as he guilt trips and manipulates ladybug into feeling bad about not showing up on dates (even though she states that she wouldn't be as to attend) and when rejecting him, she sates her reasons clearly but guilt trips her more (by staying that he understands but he still loves her AND Threatened to stop being chat) making her feel bad. During this he doesn't listen to her, legit ignores her and is snarky towards her and in general he's a bitchy pussy cat in a few episodes. HE EVENS THREATS PLAGG TO TELL HIM WHAT WRONG WITH LADYBUG OR ELSE HE'S TAKING OF THE RING. Honestly, I love adrien. I really do. But the boy needs some major help, okay

○Then there's a hawkbitch who decided to target children to bring back his dead wife WHO WILLINGLY DIED TO BRING ADRIEN INTO THE WORLD AS A SETIMONSTER Akumatized the entire world to come after ladybug (mostly likely knowing that it'll probably kill her in the process) AND THEN THERE IS NATALIE– He teams up with a child and that child did something he's been trying to do for the past 3 years. Then He sends Lila after her make her life miserable. Then he sacrificed himself to be with Emily, RIGHT IN FRONT OF MARINETTE. Imagine your tournamenter of your city turns out to be the person you aspired to be when you grow up- And then jest fucking suicides in front of you.

○Has to fight no matter what, time, place, in side and outside suit. What the actual Fuck she can't even take a break.

○The ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD IS ON HER SHOULDERS. (Even tikki said that)

○She was thrown into being a hero with no training what so ever. (I am looking at you master Fu)

○She has to watch her city be destroyed over and over again. The place where she grew up, the people she loved, she can't even save them as she has to focus on the akumatized victim.

○She had to watch people die in front her eyes. Bruned, drowned, decapitated, frozen, stabbed, crushed. Then right after see them walk and talk as if nothing ever happened.

○Not to mention how many times she had to risk her life over and over again for this city.

○Risk her identity and safety of those around her is she is ever found out.

○she can't even ask for goddamn help mentally because of her identity as a hero and was betrayed by someone she thought she can trust. She has to keep this all to her self while being Paris's knight and shinning Amour.

○Also, chat blanc. That- that episode was fucking traumatising. Also if you didnt realise after this episode, marinette started to act differently. This is because her tendency to over think grew from there. She started to overthink more because she realised that one action may have a chain reaction that she might not be aware of. She started to really overthink from there about her actions and responses.

○Fuck hawkbitch and felix. Natalie deserves better. Adrien needs a mental evaluation and marinette need to go on vacation.

i would like to say I don't not have any thing against the characters it is jest my opinion on what I've seen through out the show, if you do not agree please jest ignore it or comment on this post! I would love to hear your reasons and responses!

[natedogx15]

Miraculous Descendent Chapter 61: The Heirloom Two, The Unraveling

Previous Chapter

In André Bourgeois' bakery, the man is working hard to prepare a special cake for one of his more famous clients. As he does, Chloe walks down the stairs and notices her father hard at work.

"Do you need any help, Dad?" She asks him as she prepares to grab an apron to help her father.

"There's no need, Princess. I have everything under control. You can enjoy yourself today. I hear there's a new Egyptian exhibit opening in the museum. Maybe you can go out for a bit and see that. I'm sure it'll have some interesting stuff to see." André tells his daughter while wiping a bit of sweat off his brow.

Chloe gives her father an unreadable expression as she thinks about his suggestion. However, she doesn't have much else to do.

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything while I'm out." Chloe tells him before leaving the bakery.

"Will do, Princess. Thank you for all your help." André thanks her with a smile as he watches her leave.

In the restaurant of Le Grand Paris, Alix and her father are sitting at one of the tables in celebration of Alix's birthday.

"Thanks for taking me out, Dad. But are you sure this is a good idea? A new exhibit is opening today. I know how important your job is to you." Alix says as she looks around the restaurant somewhat awkwardly.

"Yes. But today is also especially important for you and our family." Her father says before seeing his daughter's sneakers.

"Though. I wish you had dressed more appropriately for the occasion." He says, and Alix shrugs.

"I took my cap off, didn't I? Besides, two people from my class live here, and I helped around once." Alix casually says while pointing to her cap.

"I know, but it's a special day." Mr. Kubdel states, and Alix shrugs.

"It's just a birthday. It's nothing that special." Alix tells him with a raised eyebrow.

"You may change your mind when you see my gift." Mr. Kubdel states as he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out the box he wrapped a little less than a week ago.

Alix raises an eyebrow at her father before taking the box. She stares at the panjas bracelet in shock when she opens it. She's not one for clothing or jewelry. But even she can tell this looks valuable.

"That's a family heirloom that's been passed down for generations. I thought now would be the best time for you to inherit it." Mr. Kubdel explains to his daughter with a smile.

"Uh. Thanks. Shouldn't Jalil have inherited this, though? I thought the oldest was supposed to get stuff like this." Alix tells him while examining the bracelet.

Hearing this question causes Mr. Kubdel to sigh.

"As much as I love him. I don't know if I can trust him to take care of such an important object to our family." Mr. Kubdel tells his daughter honestly, causing her to snicker slightly.

"Knowing him, he'd probably break it to test some crazy theory." Alix agrees with a smile as she puts the bracelet on.

"That's what I'm worried about, too. Which is why I'm entrusting you with this responsibility." Mr. Kubdel tells his daughter.

"Well, thanks. It even goes with my fashion." She says as she examines the silver chains.

Soon, the two's food arrives. Surprisingly, Marinette is the one setting their plates.

"Hey, Marinette. I didn't expect to see you." Alix waves with a slight grin as Marinette gives them their food.

"Yep. I'm helping my mom in the kitchen and with orders a bit today." Marinette tells them with a smile before she sees the panjas bracelet.

"That's a beautiful bracelet, Alix." She compliments the girl.

Alix grins before raising her hand to give Marinette a better look while saying.

"Thanks. It's a family heirloom, apparently. Dad just gave it to me for my birthday." She tells Marinette.

"That's amazing. I got a family heirloom for my birthday a while back, too. Though, mine was a puzzle box instead of jewelry." She tells Alix with a smile.

"Huh, that's cool," Alix says before hearing her father cough to get her attention.

"Oh, right. Dad, this is Marinette, one of the gals in my class. Marinette, this is my Dad. He's a historian at the Louvre." Alix quickly introduces the two.

"How do you do?" Mr. Kubdel asks as he introduces himself with a welcoming smile.

"It's nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy the food while you're here." Marinette says back.

"Thank you. I'm sure we will." Mr. Kubdel says before Marinette leaves.

"She seems nice." Mr. Kubdel states as he digs into his food.

"Yeah, she's cool. Definitely not what I was expecting. I figured she'd end up like another Chloe. But she's nice." Alix says as she grabs some of her food.

"I'm glad you aren't having any problems with your classmates." Mr. Kubdel tells her.

Alix shrugs at this.

"Other than Chloe, everyone seems okay. I've hung out with a few of them besides Max and Kim. Alya and Rose are weirdos, though." Alix tells her father.

As the two have this conversation and Marinette heads back into the kitchen, Tikki messes with her wielder's computer. She soon stops when she notices a page on the new Egyptian exhibit in the Louvre. Her eyes widen as an idea pops into her head.

At Adrien's house, Plagg has similar thoughts when he sees the Egyptian exhibit article. Adrien is playing on one of his arcade machines to calm his nerves as Plagg messes with his computer.

"Hey, kid. How open would your old man be to you going to the museum for the new Egyptian exhibit?" Plagg suddenly asks Adrien.

"I don't think he'd be against it since it'll be educational. Why?" Adrien asks while continuing to play his game.

"Because I thought I'd let you know there's a bit of history about the Miraculous hidden within the exhibit. So, if you want to learn more about us, you can probably go there." Plagg reveals to him.

Adrien freezes in shock when he hears this, and his character dies.

"Are you serious?" Adrien asks Plagg excitedly.

"Yep. When I looked at some of the exhibits, I saw something related to the Miraculous." Plagg explains.

Hearing this causes Adrien to immediately sprint out of his room to beg Nathalie to convince his father to let him go to the museum. While he's running, he's thinking about inviting Nino. Plagg watches him go with an amused smirk before thinking.

"I wonder if the others will see the exhibit and bring their wielders there. 

In Sabrina's room, the girl listens to her Kwami as Barkk tells her about the hint she'll find if she goes to the Egyptian exhibit.

"So, there's a section in one of the exhibits about a previous Ladybug Miraculous wielder before ours?" Sabrina asks for clarification's sake as she looks at her Kwami.

"Yes. I recognized her on one of the inscriptions." Barkk nods.

Sabrina decides to check it out. She quickly texts her dad about this before grabbing a bag and exiting the apartment.

While these two inform their wielders about the exhibit, Tikki goes to the restaurant area to inform Marinette. But she stops when she sees Marinette and Alix talking again.

"So, Kim and I are having a challenge at the front of school today. Almost everyone in class is supposed to show up because of his boasting. You up for it? I can finally show you the art room when I beat him." Alix tells her, and Marinette smiles. 

"Sure. I don't have anything planned today." Marinette nods.

Seeing her wielder already making plans, Tikki decides against telling her and goes to the second person who knows about her.

"I'm sure he won't be busy." Tikki thinks before flying into Nate's room and stopping directly in his face, causing the teen to jump and fall back onto his bed.

"Don't do that!" Nate snaps at her as he sits up and glares at the giggling Kwami.

"Sorry. I promise that was an accident." She apologizes to him.

"What do you want?" Nate asks, getting to the point.

"There's a new exhibit opening in the museum. Incidentally, it has something involving one of my past wielders." Tikki explains, causing Nate's eyes to widen.

"Why are you telling me about this?" Nate asks in confusion.

"Because Marinette has already made plans to go with that Alix girl in your class to the school for a contest between her and Kim," Tikki informs him.

"So, what do you want with me? This isn't going to be something where I have to steal an exhibit, is it? Because I have no way to do that." Nate quickly tells her while raising his hands nervously.

"Of course not. I know there's nothing you can do about that. I thought you might want to go down there in her place and tell her about it later. That's if you can figure out which exhibit it is." Tikki states.

"Wait. You're not going to tell me which exhibit it is?" Nate asks her in confusion.

"Nope. It doesn't matter to me as much if one of my wielders finds information on a former one since they're all different. I thought this would be a good test of your observation skills." Tikki explains to him. 

Shrugging, Nate decides to go since he doesn't have much else to do ever since they stopped messing with the Miracle Box. He gets ready and heads down before leaving the hotel. Not long after he's gone, Marinette and the Kubdels come down.

"You girls have fun and be careful. I have to get back to the Louvre before my break ends." Mr. Kubdel says as he waves the girls goodbye.

"We'll be fine, Dad. Make sure Jalil doesn't do anything stupid." Alix says before she and Marinette leave for the school.

"I'll try." Mr. Kubdel sighs as he watches them go for a second before heading to the museum.

After a long walk, the two arrive at the school, where several classmates and Ondine are waiting. When Kim sees them arrive, he grins at Alix.

"What's this? Did you bring someone else to see your birthday crushing?" Kim playfully asks with no genuine mocking in his tone.

"Yeah, yeah, keep talking, Kim. I'm going to enjoy having you as my servant for a week as my last birthday gift." Alix taunts back with a smirk.

"Servant?" Marinette asks in confusion as Kim and Max walk up to them.

"Yes. Kim bragged that he could beat Alix in a race even if she used her rollerblades. Alix got angry, and the two made a bet where the other must listen to the winner for a week." Max explains to Marinette as Alix and Kim butt heads.

"It's not too late to back out. You already lost to a panther after you bragged about beating that." Alix mocks with a smirk, causing Kim to scowl.

"That was a magic panther. It doesn't count. Besides, you need the skates as a handicap since you have a height problem." Kim mocks back while holding a hand above her head at his height.

"Are they always like this?" Marinette asks as she observes the two.

"Yes, they're both extremely competitive. They'll have contests like this all the time." Max nods before some of the other spectators add fuel to the fire.

"Come on, Alix. Kick his butt and show him some girl power." Rose roots for Alix.

"You better not lose a second time, dude," Nino calls toward Kim before Ondine joins him.

"You've got this, Kim!" Ondine shouts toward him.

"You've got this, Alix." Nathaniel awkwardly roots for Alix while raising an arm.

At the same time as this is happening, the three people who know about the Miraculous are arriving at the museum nearly simultaneously.

"What are you guys doing here?" Nate asks in surprise when he sees Sabrina and Adrien walking to the entrance.

Recognizing the voice, the two turn. Adrien sees Sabrina and Nate behind him, while Sabrina only sees a confused Nate.

"Did you guys come to see the Egyptian exhibit, too?" Adrien asks, somewhat excited at this development since Nino said he couldn't make it and Adrien had to go alone.

"Well, I did. I thought it would be educational since it's the grand opening and will likely have a lot of people giving it attention." Sabrina calmly explains.

"I had nothing better to do," Nate says honestly with a shrug.

"Cool," Adrien says before the three enter the museum and find the new exhibit together.

"I didn't expect you to be interested in the exhibit, Nate. You never seemed like the type for this kind of thing." Sabrina tells Nate as the trio walks.

"Like I said, I had nothing better to do. I wasn't interested in seeing Alix and Kim race each other at the front of school, like Marinette." Nate explains.

"Oh yeah, Nino is there, too." Adrien nods.

"I'm pretty sure it's because it's Alix's birthday," Sabrina says, remembering everyone's birthday on the class list.

"That would make sense if your birthday is anything to go by." Nate jokes to Adrien.

Adrien laughs uncomfortably as the group walks into the Egyptian exhibit. This is short-lived as someone suddenly runs into him and Nate from behind, causing the person to drop a yellow binder and a black-stringed dark cyan scarab pendant with a golden base and gold details. When the two teens see who ran into them, they see Alix's older brother, Jalil, even if they don't know that yet.

Jalil himself quickly grabs the pendant and checks it before sighing in relief.

"It's not broken!" He says a little louder than he needs to in his happiness.

"We're okay, too. Usually, people ask the ones they run into if they're okay." Nate tells him with a glare as he rubs the arm Jalil pushed.

Hearing this, Jalil quickly realizes what he did and gathers his binder before getting up and turning to the group of three.

"Sorry about that. Wait, you're in Alix's class, right? I'm her older brother, Jalil. Are you here to see the new Tutankhamun exhibit, too?" Jalil introduces himself before he realizes who he's talking to.

"Yeah..." Nate says, a bit put off by his cheerfulness.

Before anything else can be said, Mr. Kubdel walks up behind the group.

"I'm glad to hear some of my daughter's classmates taking an interest in our exhibit." He says with a smile.

"Dad!" Jalil exclaims in surprise before grinning at him and pushing past Nate again.

"Dude," Nate says in annoyance before deciding to let it go and look around for that hint Tikki talked about.

Adrien and Sabrina aren't far behind him. Each of the three looks at the various exhibits for a hint of the Miraculous while Jalil and Mr. Kubdel talk.

Back with Marinette, she watches as Alix and Kim get into place after their trash talk session. Max stands in front of the two as he goes over the rules of this race.

"Let's review the official rules. Two laps around the fountains, which is approximately 500 yards. The first one across the line after their second lap is the winner. The loser will be forced to listen to whatever the winner wants for the 168 hours. Which should be approximately 11:49 next Saturday." Max explains before looking at the two contestants.

"Do you both understand the rules?" He asks them.

"I do. But you may have to say it a second time for Kim. You know he's pretty slow when it comes to comprehension." Alix says with a smirk.

"Hey!" Kim says before Max cuts them off.

"The trash-talking session is over. You're moment of talking the talk ended. Now it's time to walk the walk." Max states, using some of the sayings he learned while being friends with these two.

"You've got this, Alix!" Rose calls.

"Take him down." Juleka murmurs while pumping her fist slightly.

"You've got this, Kim." Nino roots since it seems like Kim is the underdog in this situation.

"Just make sure you don't trip!" Ondine calls toward him.

"On your marks," Max says, causing the two to get into their ready positions.

"Get set," He continues as the two slightly lean forward.

"Go!" Max shouts, and the two take off.

Kim takes an early lead over Alix, but she manages to catch up with him on the first corner. The two continue to be neck and neck. Every time one would take the lead, the other would soon catch up and overtake them. Kim is really demonstrating his athleticism while keeping up with Alix for a long sprint like this. It's clear to everyone who didn't know already that his constant boasting isn't just for show.

The spectators watch as they soon complete their first lap around the fountain and start cheering for the two contestants. But neither can hear these cheers as they're too focused on the contest. When they reach the third corner of the second lap, Alix grins excitedly while thinking.

"I'm so close. I need to be a little faster. I'm almost there."

After thinking that, she pushes herself a little more. In her excitement, she doesn't notice that her new jewelry starts faintly glowing. It soon vanishes as quickly as it appeared, though.

When they turn the last corner, it seems the amount of running is starting to hit Kim slightly as he slows down a bit during the final stretch. This lets Alix overtake him and cross the finish line before him.

"Alright!" Alix shouts as she raises an arm in victory while people cheer for her.

She then looks at a slightly tired-looking Kim as Ondine runs over to him with a water bottle.

"And that's what you get for messing with the birthday girl!" Alix announces with a smirk while pointing at Kim.

"Yeah, yeah. You just got lucky. I'll beat you next time." Kim promises before downing the water Ondine graciously gave him.

"We'll see about that after you spend a week as my servant. Now, get me lunch. Chop, chop." Alix orders while clapping her hands together smugly.

Groaning, Kim asks her what she wants, and Alix shrugs.

"I don't know. I think I saw a food cart around the corner." Alix tells him while pointing toward a corner.

Sighing, Kim walks off with Ondine following him, trying to keep his spirits up.

"You almost won. I'm sure you'll get her next time." She tells Kim with a smile, causing him to rub his head while blushing.

"Thanks. It's cool that you came after last time, Ondine." Kim tells her.

Ondine's smile grows as she stares at Kim as the two walk to get Alix something to eat. While they do that, Alix skates up to Marinette and grins.

"So, what do you say I show you the art room?" Alix asks before getting a confused look from Nathaniel.

"Alix. The school is closed today. Even clubs aren't allowed inside." He tells her, causing her to groan.

"Seriously? I had a project I wanted to work on today." She groans in frustration.

"It's alright. Maybe we can come back tomorrow." Marinette says reassuringly.

Back at the museum, the searching trio can't find anything about the Miraculous on any exhibits. They're not sure what to be looking for anyway. It isn't until Barkk points Sabrina at a specific Egyptian papyrus that one of the three finds anything.

"Over there. That should be where you find something." Barkk whispers to her wielder, causing Sabrina to rush toward a darker part of the area where a massive papyrus rests on the wall.

Sabrina looks at the papyrus but can't find anything about the Miraculous. Her search is soon interrupted by Jalil's voice coming up behind her.

"I'm telling you, Father, it's right there in the hieroglyphics," Jalil states while pointing at the papyrus in front of Sabrina.

He then notices her and lightly pushes her out of the way so he can continue.

"There, as you know, the one with the scepter is Tutankhamun, the first. And opposite of him is his princess, Nefertiti. There are exactly one hundred mummies beside them. She died several years before him, and the sun god Ra took her as his goddess." Jalil explains while pointing to different sections of the papyrus, causing his father to sigh.

"Yes, I know. I'm the director of this exhibit, Jalil." He tells Jalil in a slightly deadpan manner.

"Then you should also know Tutankhamun wanted to bring Nefertiti back to life and tried offering the sun god a new wife to replace her. This section seems to decipher the ritual he devised to do this." Jalil explains as he points at a different section. The section shows a woman being held by two men as a ray of sunlight surrounds her.

Jalil then takes off his glasses while proudly saying.

"Nobody has ever fully deciphered this section of the hieroglyphics, but I have. And I believe it's a magical chant used to complete the ritual. I'm sure of it." He announces to his father and anyone in the room who's listening, which includes Chloe, as she's just showing up.

"Oh great, another crazy guy." She mutters in annoyance as she walks over to the group.

Mr. Kubdel sighs at his son and rubs his temples while saying.

"Jalil, these types of frescoes are almost always the illustration of a legend. There's a reason why these are called legends."

However, Jalil isn't done.

"That's what everyone thinks, but I can prove it's real," Jalil promises his father while grabbing his arm, causing Mr. Kubdel to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"How exactly do you plan to prove this?" Mr. Kubdel asks in slight worry mixed with his skepticism.

"I just need the scepter." He promises his father before reaching for one of the main exhibits of the new Egyptian section of the Louvre. A gold and cyan-striped staff that curves into a recent moon at the top with a red-eyed cobra tip.

However, his father quickly grabs Jalil's arm and turns him away from the staff before glaring at his son.

"Absolutely not. I forbid you from touching that scepter. I'd lose my job here in an instant. That's a priceless historical object. It's not a toy." He chastises his son while raising a finger at him.

"Come on, Dad. We know magic is real because of Hawkmoth and the heroes. Our world is full of things that were once considered fiction. What if Tutankhamun actually managed to discover how to bring someone back to life?" Jalil pleads with his father desperately.

But his father doesn't care.

"Listen, Jalil. You need to get your head out of the papyrus scrolls. Even if what you say is true, you should know the steps of this ritual. I don't want to hear any more about this." Mr. Kubdel tells his son while motioning toward the mummies on the papyrus before storming off, ending the conversation with his son.

Jalil looks down in sadness and drops his papers while Chloe smirks slightly.

"Too bad, so sad." She mocks him, getting a scowl from Sabrina.

"Must you constantly mock others?" She asks Chloe with a disapproving glare.

"Yes. It's fun." She says with a smirk as Jalil dejectedly walks off.

After watching him leave, Sabrina gives one last glare to Chloe before returning to examining the papyrus for a hint about the Miraculous. They don't know that Hawkmoth senses Jalil's growing negative emotions from his lair.

"You weren't wrong in how we live in a world where the fantasy can become real. Now, let me help you make yours real. I know I could find some use out of having the power to resurrect the dead." Hawkmoth states as he creates a butterfly and sends it after Jalil.

Later that day, Jalil dejectedly sits outside the museum, looking down at his glasses. He doesn't notice the butterfly heading toward him before entering his scarab pendant.

"Pharoh. I am Hawk Moth. I have endowed you with the magical power of the ancient gods. Use them to complete the ritual and prove yourself right while bringing me the Miraculous of the heroes." Hawkmoth orders.

"My precious Nefertiti will come back to life!" Jalil grins as he talks as if he's Tutankhamun.

The corrupted black smoke envelops his body as he starts to transform.

Next Chapter

[uptoolateart]

Where We Find Ourselves Again - Ch 12

PREVIEW:

Chloe eased down onto her sofa, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. She scrolled through the camera roll on her phone, smiling at the latest impromptu ‘photoshoot’ of her daughter.

Izabel was easily the best thing to happen to her – her greatest achievement. Those gorgeous dark eyes inherited from her father. That luscious hair inherited from Chloe. And the way she posed…. It was like a second instinct – incredible, bearing in mind she’d never even met her grandmother Audrey. It was like fashion was in the blood.

It was time for another major upload to her social media account, to remind everyone she’d won the Mother jackpot with her Izzy. Frankly, that was the only reason she’d even signed up for this account. Some people latched onto social media to hold onto their pasts like precious antiques. But not her. She had zero interest in keeping up with everyone – practically negative interest. Why move to Rio just to keep doing the same thing she was doing in Paris?

She opened the app, her finger moving for the ‘New Post’ button – when a message notification grabbed her attention. Probably Sabrina, off on her latest charity mission somewhere, sharing another reel of a cat being stupid.

Preparing herself for a good laugh, she tapped the notification and…blinked at the screen.

Lila Rossi?

Good god. She hadn’t thought of her in years. They’d never really been friends. More like…acquaintances drawn together by a mutual dislike of that baker girl. One more thing she’d put behind her when she’d run off with Leo to Brazil – just like she’d put Lila behind her. You couldn’t build connections based on common hatred. You couldn’t build anything on hatred.

But…maybe Lila had learned that, too. After all, they were nearly forty now. Surely no one was still hung up on stuff from when they were in school…right? She probably just got drunk last night and looked her up and sent a totally generic message about…well, how gorgeous Izabel was, of course. What else would anyone message her about, who didn’t know her personally?

So why was her heart pounding…some instinct telling her not to open that message?

‘Ugh. Chloe Cardoso, you are being ridiculous – utterly ridiculous!’ She stabbed at the phone and brought up the message.

Lila: Hey!!! Long time no speak!! Your daughter is GORGEOUS. So I know it’s been FOREVER but I just found out the most INSANE NEWS about Adrien and Marinette. I know, I know, who cares about those losers anymore?? But this is BIG, Chloe. Like…BIG. It changes EVERYTHING.

Read at Ao3

[kleenex-tissues]

Yours Truly (5)

AO3 version here

Ch. 5: Ravings of a Mad Man

Every single day when Damian returned to his room at the end of his leisure time, a new email was waiting for him. He really should have deleted the email address after he deigned not to fall for his brothers’ scheme, but something stopped him whenever he hovered over the button. So, instead, he made a habit to open the account, delete the email from Marinette, and continue on as he had. It had become a routine for him, a regular part of his activity list.

Today, he made to do the same thing, but he hesitated before sending the usual email into his trash. Perhaps it was because he had such a quiet few days, or maybe he had finally inherited some of his family’s insanity, but he did not hit the ‘delete’ icon right away.

The last few patrols had been maddeningly quiet, as if every criminal in Gotham had decided to go on a joint holiday. Even Jason, for all his theatrical arrogance, had been docile, opting to leave his eye-sore of a helmet hidden away.

On top of this, not only had his schoolwork been mindlessly easy, his brothers and sister had vacated the house for various operations, leaving only him, his father, and Alfred, their loyal butler, to fill the space. It should have pleased him to have such a peaceful environment, but Damian was a creature built for excitement – chasing villains, busting drug deals, deterring gang violence. The silence was starting to annoy him.

And this email was beginning to become bothersome too.

He shouldn’t be hesitating, this isn’t like him. He is content with his circumstances. He has no desire to disrupt his peaceful day with an email sure to irritate him further.

So why exactly was he opening it?

To: d.w.redbird@xxxxx.net From: maridesigns@xxxxx.net Subject: Things to look forward to!!

Hello again, Redbird

I have fully accepted at this point that you will probably never respond to me, but I still need to practice my English. So, today I will tell you all about the things I have in my upcoming calendar.

It’s the end of September now, which means the annual Paris Young Designers Contest submission goes live in just two days. Of course, as I do every year, I will be submitting my own fashion line concepts that I have been working on since last year’s ended.

The best part? If I win, my line will be featured in a runway show hosted by Gabriel Agreste, the biggest designer in the city. Everyone who is anyone in the fashion world will be there to scout the winner. If I win this, I could be working for some of the most well-known designers all over the world. I wouldn’t even need to go to University. It would be straight into the industry!

Obviously, that’s just a pipe dream for me. A ton of people apply every year, plus this is like my third time sending in a submission. If I haven’t gotten it yet, I’m not sure I will now. Alas, my dear friend, Alya, is forcing me to send one in.

See, she told my parents I was gonna join the competition (which I was definitely debating doing despite the book of design concepts sitting on my desk) and they got so excited about it, that how could I possibly disappoint them? So now, here I am, trying to put together a cohesive line to submit within the next eight days.

And next week, my parents have a gig to cater a major event for the mayor, so after submitting my line, I will be thrown straight into the kitchen to bake and decorate as many cupcakes as I possibly can before time runs out.

I also have this huge test for my chemistry class next week, but I don’t know if I’ll have enough time to study. Maybe I can get Adrien to help me? He’s a science whiz, I swear. I don’t know how I passed any science classes before I met him.

Are you any good with stoichiometry? I would definitely appreciate some help. You know, if you ever reply.

Anyways, I hope you look forward to my next email!

Au Revoir, Mari

This was stupid. Why did Damian open the email? Why did he read it all? And why is he now going through his deleted emails and reading every single one that Marinette had sent him?

Most of it was nothing more than idle chatter and rambling. She talked incessantly about her friends – Alya mostly, her schoolwork, her parents’ bakery, the commissions she was currently working on, and numerous other useless anecdotes about her days.

Damian read each one twice.

He must be going crazy, letting something as silly as this take up so much of his time. Maybe he was just that bored. As soon as the criminals of Gotham began to roam the streets again and life returned to normal, this would have no further importance, Damian was sure of it. He was just bored. Yes, bored beyond rational thought.

This small break in his sanity was also surely what was causing Damian Wayne, for the first time in his life, to respond to Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

To: maridesigns@xxxxx.net From: d.w.redbird@xxxxx.net Subject: re: Things to look forward to!!

Marinette,

I hope you will not continue to refer to me as ‘redbird,’ given that it is a moronic screen name my brothers wrote in my stead. I would prefer Damian from here on out.

I have not heard of the ‘Paris Young Designers Contest’ nor of this Gabriel Agreste, so it surely cannot be as life-altering as you state. You should continue your application to University for good measure.

I have heard that Gotham University holds one of the most prestigious fashion designing programs, but I have not experienced it to know. Perhaps, it can be added to your list.

Congratulations are to be awarded to your parents for being held in such high regard by the mayor of Paris, but I hope they should hire more workers to assist in preparing such a large event.

I am well-versed in all areas of science, but I do not have the time to teach you. Attached is a link to a great video on stoichiometry. It will not cure you of your inability to master the subject, but it will be an adequate beginning.

Sincerely, Damian

–

Later that evening, Damian and his father began their nightly patrol under the moniker of the vigilantes of Gotham, Batman and his loyal partner, Robin.

The title of ‘Robin’ had been tossed around for years, going through Dick, Jason, Tim, and even their family friend, Stephanie Brown. Each had filled the position sufficiently, but none were a match for him. Damian prided himself on being the ideal Robin. He was, after all, Batman’s only biological son, the one and only heir to both the mantle of Batman and the Wayne legacy.

Duty had driven him to his father’s home, but the suit became his very essence and his reason to not return to the den of assassin’s where he was raised. This was his new home, standing on the rooftops beside his hero and protecting the people of Gotham. This is what he was created for.

His ego pushed him to shoot his grapple gun across the four-lane road onto the next roof, despite brushing mere centimeters above a moving semi-truck. This was child’s play for him, but he supposed it did bring him a feeling of triumph whenever he landed perfectly on the roof he had aimed for.

While Damian riskily swung above the city at high speeds, his father merely leapt onto the next roof in his route, silently staking out the alleyways. Where Batman was careful, Robin was assertive. They were compliments of each other, working perfectly in tandem.

They prowled the night, and after three hours, the only crime that surfaced was a petty mugging attempt that the victim had thwarted on their own. All Batman and Robin had to do was bring the mugger to the police station along with the victim’s report. It took a total of eight minutes and thirty-four seconds to complete, Damian had kept count.

Peace once more filled the moonlit night, and the two returned to watching the city from the top of Wayne Enterprises. The silence that strained between them made Damian’s hands twitch. His mouth shot open without him thinking, “Do you think they’re planning something? The rogues, I mean. They’ve never been this tame before.”

His father turned to look at him. His mask covered the majority of his facial features, obscuring Damian’s ability to read how he was feeling, but after living with the man for seven years, he had been able to pick up on the subtle movements of his mouth to make his feelings more clear.

Bruce was thinking. Uncertain and curious, but calm. He tried never to let emotion get the best of him, so his body constantly radiated stoicism.

“I’m not sure, son. My job is to bring peace, so I would love nothing more than to revel in the tranquility of Gotham.” Bruce paused, in a way that seemed less like he was gathering his thoughts and more like he was drawing attention to the next line. He had always had that innate dramatism to the way he spoke. “But this feels off. If they’re planning something, it’s big.”

Damian pondered his father’s words. This wasn’t good, especially with his siblings' absence. While the two were capable of holding their own in a fight, Damian still reluctantly wished for the extended family to return for the comfort of his father. Fighting a battle with only two men was impossible, no matter how strong they were.

Bruce spoke again, his voice faint in the night, “Maybe we should go home and think about this. You’ve got school in the morning, so let’s call it a night.”

Damian nodded, and they headed towards the alley where the batmobile lay in wait. When Tim returned the following night, they could begin discussing further. Until then, there was an unspoken tension running down their backs. Something was waiting, for better or for worse.

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Perfect Paradise Ch.6 Living in Ruins of a Palace Within My Dreams

Summary: Mother's lament.

-------------------

"Ok, which gate was it again?"

"I have it here."

Emma played with the auto luggage as Juleka and Rose got organized. Making it's little engine carry it forward and back.

Louis stuck his foot out. Causing it to stop. "No," he chastised.

Emma stuck her tongue out at him but got her stim toy out and played with that instead. Foot shaking on her knee.

Louis raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

It was almost a year since they last visited China and Emma hoped her Mandarin was up to par. It'd be embarrassing if she said something silly in front of Aunt Fei.

"... Do you think Maman will come with us?" Hugo wondered.

"Sorry, mon ange, not this time."

"Maman!" Hugo flew into her open arms. Grabbing on as tightly as he held onto Uncle Nino.

Marinette kissed the top of his head. Hugo inheriting all the tall genes from both sides of the family so she didn't need to lean down. Soon Marinette would have to look up at him the way she had to for Emma.

The thought sent a sharp pang through Marinette's chest and she squeezed a little bit tighter.

"Maman, you're here!" Louis beamed as she ruffled his hair.

"We're swamped at work but I couldn't let you go without seeing you off," Marinette smiled softly. "My little Sunshine."

Louis' smile fell a little but he didn't pull away.

He was so much like his father at that age. Even with the glasses.

"Daughter, ready to see your aunt again?" Marinette asked, switching to Mandarin.

Emma's hands had left the fidget toy in favor of running down her ponytail. "Méi cuò... Muqīn"

Marinette felt another stab at the formality but hid it quickly. "Ni què dìng mā?"

"Shìde shìde!" Emma walked a few steps away and pretended to look at the big screen of timetables. Brow furrowed as she felt her mother's gaze on her back.

"Hey, Marinette."

Pulling her eyes away from her daughter Marinette gave Juleka and Rose a hug each. "Jules! Rose! Thanks so much for doing this."

"You kidding? We've always wanted to visit your family!" Rose bounced slightly on her heels. "Kitty Section just isn't that popular in China."

"Which means we'll be able to walk the streets without being recognized," Juleka observed. "You okay?"

Marinette gave a pained smile and made a so-so gesture.

"Flight F13 is now boarding for departure to Shanghai. Flight F13 is now boarding for departure to Shanghai."

"Eep! That's us!" Rose directed the auto luggage in the proper direction as she gave Marinette two quick cheek kisses goodbye.

Marinette placed a hand on her sons' shoulders. "Take care of each other. Listen to your Grunkle and Aunt Fei."

"Yes, Maman," they chorused.

Hesitating for a moment Marinette walked up to her daughter. "I... Tell Aunt Fei I said 'Hi' and that I'll visit when things are a little less hectic over here."

"... Okay."

Marinette reached out a hand for her daughter's shoulder... Her fingers curling up as she let her hand fall to her side. "Okay."

"... Māma," Emma whirled around to look at her mother. "... Zhàogù hǎo zìjǐ.

Marinette swallowed. "Wo ye ài ni."

Blushing and biting her lip Emma hurried after her brothers.

Juleka hugged Marinette. "We'll keep an eye on them," she promised.

And then they were gone. Marinette standing alone and numb as the world went on around her.

A harried looking family rushed past with a stroller.

Four teens were laughing and joking with each other as they got out their tickets.

An older couple shared a chaste kiss.

Marinette turned on her heels and wiped at her eyes. Getting into her Tsurugi brand car, one of the few private vehicles left on Parisian streets.

"Destination?" The onboard computer asked.

"Le Mode Dupain-Cheng." Marinette took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She had work to do.

-------------------

"Don't be bemused! It's just the news! This is Nadja Chamack and today we have Paris' favorite philanthropist, Adrien!"

"Hello again, Nadja."

"I wish we had you back on the show under better circumstances."

"Don't kid. You love the scandal!"

There was some light laughter from the audience as Nadja shrugged in foux guilt.

"In all seriousness though, your divorce came as a surprise to all of Paris. Especially so recently after your cousin's confession."

"Yes, Felix's revelation was shocking. I thought we were close enough where he could be honest with me but... that wasn't the case. You think you know someone, y'know?"

"So you're sympathetic to your cousin?"

"Oh, no. I fully endorse Mayor Haprèle's continued calls for extradition."

"Some of our watchers say that's quite cold of you."

"Some of your watchers forget that Monarch terrorized my city too."

"Indeed. What about the claims that Marinette issued the divorce due to the revelation about Monarch?"

"Baseless rumors. I'm the one that filed for divorce."

"Oh?" Nadja leaned in.

"We were having trouble even before Felix's little stunt. It was just poor timing."

"Isn't it always. And the nature of these 'problems'?"

"I'm afraid that's between me and my ex-wife."

"Nothing too serious, I hope?"

Adrien smiled blandly. "Nothing other couples haven't gone through."

"What about the custody of your children?"

"Marinette is busy running Le Mode Dupain-Cheng it seemed best to give our children a more... stable, environment."

Next.

"How could he not have known? That terrorist was right under his nose!"

"Talk like that is exactly why you shouldn't be here! You're ignorance on how abused children are treated-"

"Abused!? That sheltered little mama's boy had the world handed to him on a silver platter!"

"Says the man with ten yachts!"

Next.

"The Atlantean delegation has once again refused any compromise on-"

Next.

"Ryuko has successfully redirected the hurricane and dispersed it's energy. Climate scientists have issued a warning that the Miraculous hero has only given us a temporary reprieve from the worst of climate change-"

Next.

"-and Claudie Kanté have been chosen for the EU's joint mission to Mars. Mother of the famous Max Kanté, Claudie started as a test pilot for experimental spaceships-"

Next.

"Miraculous hero Wanblí spoke out today against America's continued encroachment onto indigenous land. In violation of established treaties-"

Next.

"Is Ladybug lying to us!? The people of Paris have a right to know!"

Next! Next! Next!

"Mme. Dupain-Cheng! Mme. Dupain-Cheng! Will your recent divorce affect the fall line's release?"

"No. I have a great team that's been working diligently to keep us on schedule."

"What about concerns of burnout?" Another voice called.

"That's why we've hired extra hands to help with the more technical aspects. Union representatives have been very helpful in contributing to a safe and efficient work environment."

"And the criticism the spring collection faced? Some say it was precisely because of these policies that-"

"The spring collection was always experimental. Any issues it had rest entirely on m- my shoulders... I would remind you that people work best when they're not exhausted. Thank you, that'll be all."

"Mme. Dupain-Cheng! Mme. Dupain-Cheng!"

Emma exited out of her news app and pulled out her earbuds as the fasten seatbelt sign blinked on. "Bit late for that," she snorted.

[princess-of-the-corner]

I just had the thought about how often Shaggy Rogers gets stuff from his incredibly diverse family, his got a Knight from Arthur's roundtable in his bloodline, Egyptian royalty, a nobel with a werewolf curse(scooby doo and scrappy doo show), the mansion from the Boo Brothers etc. What if, he ended up Inheriting a dang Miracle Box. Just, imagine if he ended up going to Paris after that because, "aw man, those hero are probably, like, kids! They could use some help, right gang?" So he and mystery Inc go to Paris, with their own Miracle Box, basically sibling adopt the Heroes, and help stop Hawkmoth, thwarting his attempts to get the other miraculous, so we'd go into the later season without the ugly Monarch suit. We'd have Daphne and Velma get the School inspected, because lets be honest, They should really either check their cameras(if they even have any), and have proper background checks on students, plus Marinette would've needed a Hearing before they'd even attempt to Expel her. The principal would probably be arrested for stealing school funds for his Owlman stuff.

Call this au, Scooby Doo Miraculous Incorporated

SDMI au

I mean that's hilarious because depending on the continuity the mystery gang is barely older than the Miracuclass

[tammulberry]

MIRACULOUS DYNASTIES: Introduction to an AU by T.A.M. Mulberry

READ THE 1ST CHAPTER HERE

Long ago, before the rise of machines, there were miracles… 

For centuries, worthy heroes were given jewels that granted extraordinary magic from beyond this world. There are two miracle jewels, however, that stand on top of the hierarchy. The Ladybug of Creation and the Black Cat of Destruction. Juxtaposed for eternity — as one cannot live without the other. 

Legend has it — that when both these jewels are used at the same time, one will have the power to alter reality itself. 

“Are you willing to pay the price of absolute power?”

Copyright © 2024 by T.A.M. Mulberry

OVERVIEW

I started working on this AU by the time Season 3 was still airing. It is basically an alternate universe exploring a different timeline, origin and conflict for Marinette, Adrien and the rest of the crew. I've been wanting to share it for the past few years but never got around to doing it. Might as well do it later than never.

There won't be any major spoilers here since I have an entire story for this AU laid out for the world to see so if you ever find this post, make sure to stay tuned to any updates on le prologue chapter.

GENERAL CHANGES

Marinette and Adrien start out as 18-19 year old students that go to a Lycée Francoise Dupont of the Fine Arts instead .

The setting is in a post-modern futuristic Paris with advanced technology.

Most of the people in the story are from the Uptown area in Paris, because one of the themes in the story explores the superficiality of fame and money along with the dark side of being a celebrity.

The general tone and mood is darker but it's still cute and wholesome.

Miraculous and Miraculi are used interchangeably due to an in AU translation error by past historians.

The inheritance of Miraculi operate on a dynastic cycle that can be overthrown.

Less villains but are reoccurring

POWER SYSTEM

So this is my take on the Miraculous power system for this AU. I wanted it to be a lot grander and powerful so that the risks of wielding one will be even more apparent. This will only be showing a brief history, the kwami name change + other definition of terms and the types of miraculous.

DIFFERENT TERMS & ADDED TERMS

Chi / Qi: It is the general term for the power within someone.

Tianshi Energy: This is pure energy and it loosely translates to angel. It is a force that is created after a sacrifice.

Mogui Energy: Similar to an akuma, a Mogui translates to devil in Mandarin. It is a dark force that is created from the inner evil of human souls.

Qiji: The name change of the Kwamis. It means "miracle."

Miànshā: The veil that keeps the identities of Miraculous holders hidden.

ENERGY BALANCE / CHI

Because of an event that had happened in Ancient China that involved someone using both the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous to grant them the wish to drive out anyone that wanted to overthrow the Middle Kingdom, there was a sudden surge in Mogui energy that overthrew the Tianshi Energy. Overtime, this corrupted the state of the world as it continued to spread. That was, until Piao Chong and Hei Mao brought the balance back.

THE QIJI

For this AU, the kwamis are known by a Chinese term instead to be consistent with the lore of the Miracle Box because its roots in China will be explored.

The Qijis (pronounced: CHEE-jee) were first discovered by an Ancient Chinese Monk and they were the first ones to be converted into Miraculi, meaning that they were the oldest ones made. In English, it roughly translates to miracle which is why the Miraculi today are known as — well, Miraculous.

"Maybe we got lost in translation."

"You can't just insert a reference with no correlation to the topic at hand."

TYPES OF MIRACULOUS

YIN AND YANG MIRACULOUS

These are the first Qijis that manifested into existence. They are the most powerful Miraculi to be created and they were made to balance each other out. Only Creation can restore Destruction and only Destruction can completely destroy Creation. Even if they are individually more powerful than any of the other Miraculi, they need to simultaneously exist with each other to keep the balance.

Ladybug & Black Cat

LOTUS MIRACULOUS

These are the Miraculous that manifested from both the concepts of Creation and Destruction. They are not as powerful but they do have more specific applications. They are based on the different aspects of a human psyche and represent the different Chinese elements. Because they rely on both Yin and Yang aspects that have stemmed from the Ladybug and Black Cat, they also have passive abilities when they are detransformed.

Turtle, Moth, Peacock, Fox & Bee

ZODIAC MIRACULOUS

Now these are the Miraculi that stemmed from the Lotus Miraculi. While the ones mentioned are based on the Human Psyche, the Zodiac is based on the natural world and the abiotic elements of it. They all have different forms that change depending on the season, natural phenomena or internal balance. However, their fifth forms all give them a limit of 5 Minutes to use before transforming back and they cannot switch between forms while in transformation.

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog & Pig

TIMELINE

PREHISTORY - The Eons of Wild

“Eons have passed, floating in space Without a name and without a face The avatar of creation had nothing to create Until destruction birthed another with no name.”

— a passage from the ancient days

ANCIENT HISTORY – The Age of Miracles

"It was only during then that the beings that have existed longer than all of human history were given names. They started to embody the traits that early humans possessed and observed them from birth to death. A fragile existence."

— an excerpt from historical research

MIDDLE AGES – The War of Regimes

"Elite families were originally chosen by the monk that created the jewels. However, just as dynasties can be overthrown, so can the families of ancient history."

— an excerpt from historical research

MODERN HISTORY - The Rise of Machines

"Revolution. Industry. Progress. Suppression. The future. The rise of machines was the fall of the old world. The fall of miracles."

— an excerpt from a monk.

MAIN TIMELINE — The Convergence

As the leaves began to fall, it was a sign that school was back in session; and for the eager high school students of Lycée Françoise Dupont of the Fine Arts, it was another opportunity to make it big in the industry. The hustle and bustle of aspiring musicians, actors and authors showed just how everyone was determined to make it there on time.

At least … most students were.

— an excerpt from Chapter 1

Stay tuned for more updates on this AU! I hope that you'll find something enjoyable about it once it comes out.

T.A.M. Mulberry

[ao3feed-ladynoir]

Gabriel Seeks Financial Planning Advice

Gabriel Seeks Financial Planning Advice by UpTooLateArt

As Gabriel accepts his imminent demise, he decides to make plans to protect Adrien's inheritance and livelihood. This is the letter his trusted financial adviser writes to him, summarising the key points of that meeting. ------------ So, I really do work in financial planning, and my team and I got to talking about Harry Potter's needs and suddenly I was writing a post-meeting summary letter to Harry, as if he were a client.

Then a colleague said, 'You should write one to all the characters on Miraculous.' Well, I don't know about ALL of them, but Gabriel's letter started writing itself in my head without me even trying. The objectives list had me cracking up and suddenly I had my laptop out, writing this crazy thing.

Words: 1092, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Financial Planning Letters Written to Imaginary Characters

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Gabriel Agreste, Gabriel's financial adviser, Adrien Agreste, Kagami Tsurugi, Tomoe Tsurugi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Félix Fathom

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: When your day job merges with your obsession, My colleagues told me to do this, Gabriel seeks financial advice ahead of his impending death, A letter written by the financial adviser, My thoughts here just spiralled, Crack Treated Seriously, The characters tags are like. Just references made in the letter., Same with the relationships., i don't even know what to call this, This is easily the most random fic I've posted, Post-S05Ep24 Representation

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48047245