#like we need them to duo team with ladybug and chat noir

[chocostrwberry]

Hi again!

My delulu brain be like: OMG, Luka and Alix interacting?! They could be besties in your AU!!! or even dating XD. Their interactions would be so much fun!

THEYRE BESTIESSS,, and even in the band sometimes Luka improvs and no one else really likes it when he does that except her so they get along really well!!

And since their powers are both time-related, they don’t really take anything serious since they can just, go back and fix it ahehfeheihs

So they just goof around and crack jokes- (Luka cracks the joke, Alix laughs then adds something funnier, then Luka laughs harder)

[ringleaderscarletshadow]

You know how in season 5 They gave Marinette PTSD WELP turn that up to 11 Prompt is the idea of turning into a Robin would give her PTSD too that or just meeting Batman/Bruce in a NOT TODAY SATAN kinda way.... this blue eyed kids not up for Adoption don't know how they meet thought I

Ooo I love this so much. There's a lot of potential here.

Turning her into a Robin would definitely give her ptsd. I feel like it would cool to keep the "Not Today Satan" reaction to Batman/Bruce but perhaps instead of a robin, it's a thing where they try to get her and Adrien into one of the many younger hero groups.

This is my take on it below (Spoiler it ends up straying quite a bit):

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Wait, you're being serious right now?" Marinette double takes.

"Well, of course. We do not let children be part of the Justice League. They have their own place."

Marinette tries to process the words of Superman.

The League had seen how far Chat Noir and Ladybug have come as heroes of their own. Two children gifted an entire box of miraculous to keep safe purely because of the previous owner seeing them be kind to others. Sure, they did not know that part, but the duo was surely strong enough to be a part of this team.

Both Adrien and Marinette are skilled with not only their miraculous but nearly every possible miraculous pairing within the box. Each has their half that suits them the best. If there was any two people in the universe who could manage it, it was them.

Now, the heroes that had reached out to the duo to meet with them are saying that they want Ladybug and Chat Noir to join their teams but not the main, strong team. Instead, they want to place the duo in with sidekicks.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but you reached out to Chat Noir and myself because you wanted to talk to us about joining the team. Anyone who would read "joining the team" would think that you mean the League, not some sidekick division. Perhaps you got your information source told you wrong. The two of us are heroes and partners not sidekicks to someone." Marinette stands her ground, crossing her arms.

Wonder Woman and Superman look to each other before spotting Batman. The dark and brooding keeps an emotionless state. None want to speak. Reluctantly, Superman does.

"You are only kids. You should not be out fighting crime by yourselves. We caught footage of you taking on threats' way above your capabilities and nearly die."

"That is reckless and can get many civilians hurt. You are only thinking of yourselves. It needs to be stopped." Batman cuts in, frustration pouring into every word.

Marinette blankly stares at the Trinity before looking at the two other leaguers that happened to be in the meeting, Green Lantern and Shazam. Both of them had distasteful looks toward what was said.

It is Chat Noir, who had been held up dealing with civilian matters of his own, that makes it known that treating them with such distaste would not be tolerated. He walks up beside Marinette, hands firmly crossed to stop himself from doing anything regretful.

"You have no right to tell us what we can and cannot do. We are not children. We are young adults who have been wielding this magic just as long as your little bird has been dangerously flipping around kicking down evil doers with no protection but the suit of fabric. How about you think about the circumstances you have put children through before you try to 'educate' us on how to do things?

You know what? We do not accept your offer to join any team. The two of us will make our own. One where you cannot try to control everyone else all because you have the most following. I looked up to the Trinity as a guiding light. Now, I realize that they only want to make sure heroes only act as they see fit."

Adrien keeps his eyes sharp on the trio as he lets his words hang. He had no regrets to what he said. If they wanted to treat them like children, they were going to learn how wrong they are for it.

Wonder Woman is the one to get most furious of the trio. Not because they called her out specifically. It was how Adrien's first words on the scene were immediate decline.

"You cannot simply make your own team. Teams need leaders who are seasoned and know the horrors of combat. Without such, it will all fall apart and be weak."

"You think that we have not seen the horrors of battle, of war?" Marinette scoffs at the princess. "The number of times that I have watched Chat Noir die to save civilians and had to rewind to warn him before it occurs is beyond what you can comprehend."

"I have had to fix entire timelines because of the villains you think are nothing, but jokes and seen Ladybug die in order to save as many lives as possible while none of the League helps." Chat Noir hisses at the trio.

The miracle duo cannot find it in their minds to ever consider joining the League now. It was simply a matter of getting out of the conversation and standing up for what they know is right.

"Making up stories will not help your case. Wonder Woman is right. You have no experience leading a team and will only get anyone who joins hurt. We will not allow you to do so."

Green Lantern and Shazam both had have enough of the trios demands. They stand in front of Marinette and Adrien, shielding them.

"Tough luck guys. They will have a leader who fits your standards, and you will have to deal with it. Oh, by the way, I quit."

"Same goes for me. I don't want to be part of a team that puts down other heroes for their age."

Before any of the Trinity can speak, Green Lantern pulls up a light wall so the group can leave. Instead of taking the zeta tubes, Adrien pulls out Kaalki's glasses, double transforming to open a portal.

They spare a glance back to see an infuriated Batman, shocked Superman, and Wonder Woman trying to hide her anger toward them. Green Lantern laughs as the portal closes behind them.

They arrive in the manor that Adrien inherited from his parents. Marinette takes charge by letting her transformation fall and Adrien follows suit. Green Lantern takes the hint and allows his ring to replace his suit.

"Oh, we are revealing our civilian attire. Well, I guess you guys are the best people to let the secret out to. Shazam!" Billy appears in the spot of Shazam, slightly rubbing at his arm.

Hal places his arm around the older teen. Billy is hesitant but allows Hal to continue.

"I had a feeling there was more to you. I am glad you both told Bats off. Miraculous are a hard magic to wield. They had no idea what they were disrespecting. The name is Hal Jordan. Happy to be on whatever this team is."

He offers his hand. The duo confirms visually with each other before accepting. They each give their name, leaving Billy to reveal.

"I'm Billy Batson. I have to admit... I have been a big fan of the both of yours for a while now. I think we will all make a great team."

"Have room for a couple more?"

The group turn to see Raven and Tempest come in the room from Raven's spell. The two were a weird combo to have appear.

"Raven and I were also asked to come meet with the Trinity. As much as I like Nightwing, there was no way I was going to stay and be forced into any team by those three."

"If you do not want us to stay, we can leave and understand."

"Absolutely, we do not want to force you all into anything you do not want to. Oh, I'm Garth but go by Tempest."

"Raven. Rachel Roth if a civilian name is needed."

Adrien eyes Marinette. The two shared a smile as they gladly accept the two's request. Anyone how wants to work with them despite their 'lack of experience' and age are more than welcome to join.

The only thing they needed now was a name.

[theerurishipper]

I remember people said the scene in Transmission, where Ladynoir renounce their Miraculous and "seemingly" not thinking about each other are mean to be a plot hole, not character inconsistency.

Bt for me, if the character NOT even make a slight uncomfort gesture/expression when they see Scarabella and Black Minette out there instead of their team mate, then it's not a plot hole, it's character inconsistency.

"Plot hole" excuse only work if Adrinette make any comment/looks surprised/make any reaction upon seeing the new duo but the aired time won't let the show do more than that. But the show doesn't let them react negatively which resulting people interpret it as "Yeah I don't care about my team mate, I already got my gf/bf anyway" which is not plot hole at all.

It's 100% character inconsistency. Plot holes are when the plot is wonky, and some logic doesn't logic. When a character acts OOC, it is character inconsistency. Adrien and Marinette have both become wildly OOC since the second Adrienette became canon on this show. They don't care about superheroing anymore, they don't care about each other as Ladybug and Chat Noir anymore. Outside of like, one line about "I hope Ladybug/Chat Noir are okay" (which is quickly overshadowed by some Adrienette, cause we sure do need more of that when we're talking about the late Ladynoir), they just don't give a fuck.

Actually, this isn't even character inconsistency anymore, this is a whole character overhaul a la whatever happened to Felix Fathom. Cause Adrienette only works if you change significant aspects of their characters. What about Chat Noir meaning freedom and a means of escape for Adrien, what about Ladybug being the narrative opposite of his abusive father who gives him unconditional love and acceptance? Fuck that, what he really needs is to start centering his identity around his classmate (with whom he isn't even that close because she thinks he's perfect) and defining himself based on her needs. And what of Chat Noir being the only one who can understand Marinette's struggles? Chat Noir being her special partner whom she can always lean on? Nah, fuck that shit lmao, here's Marinette trying to tell Adrien something he already knows and Marinette trying to hold Adrien's hand even though she's done that before without a problem!

Anyway, like I was saying, they had to change their characters up so that Adrienette could make sense, because it sure wouldn't make sense if it became canon in the show that devoted the bulk of its development to Ladynoir, now would it? So that's why we get episodes like Determination, where Adrien is suddenly head over heels for Marinette out of fucking nowhere, right after the Jubilation dream sequence where they had those cabbage patch kids, and Ladybug initiated a kiss even though they realized this was a dream, and they were clearly having some complicated feelings about the whole thing at the end of the episode. Cause fuck Ladynoir, amirite? Like, why would we waste time on the relationship we spent 5 seasons developing when we could focus on some cookie cutter high school romance with retcons galore and multiple, I tell you, multiple scenes featuring Marinette suddenly having the inability to do things she's done before with no problem, and apparently, it's all Chloe's fault, like what a fucking shocker, who could have seen that coming.

And lets not get into the actual plot holes in Transmission too, cause those also exist? How does Adrien Agreste know and proudly state Scarabella's name when no civilian knows she exists? How does this not make Marinette question why he knows? Why does Marinette expect that someone else becoming Ladybug means she's free when she's still the Guardian? Make it make sense, please.

Anyway, that's all I got. I'm sorry for using your ask as a venting post, anon. I just rewatched Gamer today, and god, Adrienette are so cute and adorable in Season 1. Like, they actually have chemistry and fun interactions and it's the lucky charm debut episode! I will never forgive this show for taking that Adrienette away from me and replacing it with... whatever Season 5 coughed up.

Thank you for your ask!

[lilithdusk]

How am I supposed to move on from THAT ONE gif?

aka Ladybug realizing her feelings for her beloved partner at the end of season 4-

Rain was pouring, leaving Ladybug shivering; or was it at the sight of her city living up after it has been completely destroyed before her eyes a few hours ago?

Shadow Moth has been caught, finally. The fight lasted hours and a team of super-heroes was very much needed to take him down. His reign of terror ended, leaving a mournful son who lost his father after his mom. The official conference press Ladybug and Chat Noir held confirmed that they finally won over and, to protect his family, his identity will remain secret. Paris was now celebrating the news, marching in the streets, music blazing; as if the city breathed again.

Yet, tomorrow, Ladybug will have to declare that the Peacock miraculous was still lost and if she trusted her instinct, in bad hands. The rest has been short, because at the end of the day, Paris still needed the duo of super-heroes to protect them from another villain, willing to selfishly use people to get what they wish.

She had learnt that information the very same day she decided to reveal her identity to Chat Noir.

Walking in cercle in her room, Marinette has been talking for hours, the kwamis understanding after a few minutes that she needed to rant. She never thought she would consider that option and now, she was sick about it. Nervousness running down her body and making her jolt while she was rambling.

“Tikki, you don’t understand. What I am supposed to do? Do I just detransform in front of him? That seems too simple, as if I don’t care and I care! What if he thinks I am lazy? Do I have to set a dinner? Wait, a dinner is too formal, I know we’re teammates but he’s my best friend. Lunch is better right? I’ll go grocery shopping and I’ll cook pastries and- Shoot, what does he like? I don’t even know his favorite meal! How can I-”

When Tikki tried to suggest ideas for the fifth time and not having time to explain because Marinette was already thinking about the worst case scenario, she gave up and nodded from time to time until the girl calmed down. Marinette finally agreed with her and called Alya to rant, a second time. Alya didn’t hesitate to tease her friend about that date Chat Noir and she set after the end of the battle; making Marinette blushed and gesticulated her arms to deny.

“It’s not a date! Just a patrol between him and I to make sure that Paris is doing fine.”

“But weren’t you the one telling him that the secret identities worked until Shadow Moth has been caught?”

“Uh... Yes but perhaps he doesn’t even want to know my identity now! We talked about that months ago, things can change!” A pause. “Wait, do you think he doesn’t want to know? Why would he shut me down now? I want to know!”

At the end of the afternoon, Alya had given advice about the way Marinette should dress if she met her absolutely platonic teammate in her civil form and had finally hung up. She smiled as she transformed and was about to leave her balcony when Su-Han appeared. She felt like a bus was hitting her, it wasn’t over yet. Apprehension and disappointment were quick to take over her as she made her way to meet Chat Noir. At the top of the Eiffel Tower, she found her partner waiting for her with a dinner. His smile dropped when he noticed her mood.

“I am sorry.” She simply said.

Chat Noir waited for her to continue, incomprehension written on his face. Ladybug pursed her lips, trying to hold a sob. She always was the one making sure that their security was the top priority so why a part of her wanted to say screw to that? Why was she so disappointed?

Lowering her head, a tear fell down on the floor; Chat Noir immediately understood and slowly nod. Of course, what was he even thinking? It could never have been easy. He came down to earth when Ladybug hugged him tightly. While crying, Chat Noir learnt the newly issue and decided to just support her for now. Yesterday, she had spent the entire day at Adrien’s side to make sure he was fine and even called some of his friends to take over when she had to leave. He could be the one keeping her safe. He could reassure her and go on, as they always did.

“You okay my Lady?” He moved back, hands still on her shoulder as she wiped her tears.

Green eyes met hers as she sniffed. Sure his smile was a bit low and she could see tears prickled at the corner of his eyes, yet he seemed so confident and calm.

“How do you do that?” She whispered.

Chat Noir shrugged and pressed her shoulders.

“Remember when Bunnix came that one time? We were still fighting together in the future.”

“Yeah, but I thought we would have figured out our identities by the time.”

Chat Noir raised his eyebrows, taken short by her answer. So she wanted to know his identity? That is what she had planned for tonight if the Peacock miraculous wasn’t lost? She actually wanted to know? It wasn’t his own fantasy?

“I wish I could see you.”

Ladybug raised a hand and finger touched the border of his mask then his cheek before lowering it down.

Chat Noir immediately took her hand back to his face.

“You see me. With or without the mask, you’re the only one who truly knows me.”

Her eyes softened and she opened her mouth before Chat Noir continued.

“Trust me, it is just a matter of time. It doesn’t change anything about us my Lady. I’ll be ready to start this all over again if it meant meeting you again.”

Her heart throb and sped up. She remained silence, absolutely in awe. What has she done to deserve someone like him? An invisible force pushed her towards him. She realized how devoted she was for him. Chat Noir could ask her anything and she would do it without question it. She was ready to follow him wherever he wanted to go until the end of the world. She wanted to be a shoulder he could cry on, a hand he would take whenever he felt the need and someone to rely on. Something new was building up in her chest, very different from the usual anxiousness or panic she felt; something ready to explode rather than swallow her entirely.

“It is you and me against the world.” He smiled.

Shining. That was what he was right now. Glowing in the surrendered night, guiding her as he usually did. He was so bright, almost blinding her by how much faith she had in him.

Chat Noir let go of her and turned his head towards the illuminated city, a smile painting his lips. Ladybug never glanced away from him. She remained silence, incapable to say out loud the realization that just hit her.

She sincerely, genuinely and fully loved him. She had no doubt. And it wasn’t just platonically, she knew Chat Noir owned a part of her heart that she thought only existed for Adrien. After all this time, Ladybug could have laugh if she wasn’t so struck by the gratitude she felt for him. She was so thankful to count someone like him in her life, fighting along with her, willing to lose or win at her side. Ladybug was utterly in love with him.

Blushing painting her cheeks, she forced herself to look away. She promised herself she would tell him someday the feelings she had for him. He needed to know how important he was for her. But for now, they would have to face another villain; together.

Masterlist

[flightfoot]

Something that annoys me with how both the show and salt fics prop up Marinette is how it always comes at the expense of nerfing others. No one is allowed to be more capable than her at saving the day, even when it would make perfect sense. Plot always has to be resolved by her and mostly only her.

Chat Noir/Adrien is the most consistent victim of this. Even though he's established to be an accomplished fencer, academically intelligent, a super model, etc.... somehow Marinette is the better fighter, the smarter one, the more professional one. Almost none of his honed skills gets him to shine because he might overshadow Ladybug. Who needs a guy who put in the effort and struggles at getting skills when there's this special girl who can get it right on her first try and never struggled since Origins? Chat Noir could save the world by Cataclysming a giant meteor bread but it would just be a footnote in an episode centered on Ladybug and her akumatized family. If he's shown to have a skill that would be super useful like soccer, he will forget about it. Cause he is not allowed to be the MVP. It always has to be Ladybug. It's for the gurl power tm.

Except not really when we consider Alya. There are episodes which I feel should've let Alya resolve things or contribute more. The one instance that stood out most to me is in Optigami, where Marinette recognized the Nino with them is a senti instead of Alya - his girlfriend who literally spends all her screen time next to him when she's not with Marinette. Alya who recognized the new turtle is Nino within 5 minutes of meeting him. Alya did not realize something is off with him but Marinette somehow did. Marinette, who has been out of touch with her girl squad as shown in Gang of Secrets, Mr Pidgeon 72, Guilt Trip and Crocoduel. If she's out of touch with those girls, what makes Marinette more capable of noticing something is off with Nino? Alya doesn't have to figure out Shadowmoth's gambit with the turtle miraculous but it really should've been her who noticed something is off with her boyfriend. I also felt Hacksan should've been handled by Scarabella and Chat Noir instead. It felt cheap to have Marinette swoop in to save the day when the point of the episode is to show she can count on them - it would give more weight to scenes where she expresses how she trusts them. Sentibubbler is easily Alya's best episode, but it still doesn't feel like enough considering her promoted role. The show shouldn't downplay Alya just cause she's not the main protag.

This isn't just detrimental to Adrien, Alya and the rest of the cast but also to Marinette. This is where all her stans get off on saying she's overworked and the only one doing anything as a hero. It's why she can't seem to form a proper team and all her scenes when she turns to them for support ring hollow to me. It's why I question how capable she really is when everyone around her has to be nerfed just so she can stand out. I wouldn't quite call her a Mary Sue but I can see why some people think she is.

Yeah, I've noticed these same things. I think part of the issue comes from Miraculous attempting to have a power fantasy trajectory with Marinette, where the regular person you identify with gets to be badass and amazing, while the actual plot seems suited to a more equitable distribution of power and attention, especially with Adrien being Marinette's counterpart and partner, and them being considered a duo. It results in the show telling us that they're somewhat equal partners, but the dynamic often feeling more like hero and sidekick. Which in season 4 was intentional at least, so I'm wondering whether season 5 will do more to distribute the badassery evenly.

I think something like ATLA's distribution of power and attention, where the main character and the one the plot revolved around, Aang, was really important, but a lot of the plot and character dynamics and focus was on the ensemble cast (Sokka, Katara, Toph, and at the end, Zuko) with their own stories and development, could help with this issue. Miraculous isn't ATLA though, and is largely centered around around the Lovesquare in particular, so I don't expect that to happen unless the writers go for a soft reboot. Which I could see happening after the last currently greenlit season, season 7, if they get approval for more.

Miraculous also seems afraid to tell a story without Marinette more generally, which can sometimes be detrimental to the writing, when she isn't inserted organically enough. It's a problem a lot of shows that revolve primarily around a single character have, when the other characters are both fleshed out enough for the audience to care about them and want them to get time to shine, and competent enough that they should be able to handle problems on their own that the main character is dragged into instead.

I think more specialization would help with this. It's why I like to lean into Marinette being the tactician and expert at improvising how to use objects, while having Adrien be a little more skilled at the actual combat, and at bodyguarding in particular, and have Alya be the best at reading and manipulating the villains in order to win battles. It allows each one to excel in their own field, without feeling like any of them need to be cheapened to make the others look better.

Though I will say, Marinette being overworked and trying to do all the jobs, since she's at least competent at everything, DOES play into her character arc. Marinette's incredibly skilled, but she has a lot of internal struggles, and one of them is with overstretching herself to try and do everything personally. We see it even outside of superheroing, like when she decides at the end of Wishmaker that she'll try to be and do everything she proposed that she'd do growing up, and in Simple Man when she tries to take on babysitting Manon, Ella, Etta, and Chris all at the same time, even though Alya immediately offered to cancel her date and help out when she saw that. I don't know how much of that is intentional, but it does fit.

[iwasbored777]

I agree that they overdid it with the secondary heroes. Aside from the fact that they absolutely nailed the "superhero duo rom-com" dynamic in the first season and more heroes distracted from that, it just felt like every classmate got a Miraculous, no matter how little of a prescence they had in the overall story. At least Alya and Nino are the protagonists' best friends, Chloe's the main civilian antagonist in season one and Luka and Kagami where the faux romantic rivals, but a lot of the others just where cool background characters in a role they weren't meant to play.

There's this idea in general that every single character needs to be important. But sometimes secondary characters should just be that.

I personally think that they should've left it with Ladybug and Chat Noir in every episode but the og squad - Alya and Nino and Chloé - show up at times only when necessary and after Zoé replaced Chloé she would show up instead but it would be just the five of them and that's all. But I really loved their dynamic when Chloé was the Queen Bee, they were funny, they were all so different but it was a good squad and it was the last time the squad was interesting because it didn't feel like every teenager in ML is dressed up for Comic Con, it actually felt like they are a team od superheroes. This way no one can get the right amount of attention and it feels heartless like Avengers: Endgame. I know that a lot of heroes being in the team and getting in the way of Ladynoir was the whole point of season 4 but they should leave it there in that season where it belongs. If they repeat the same thing and decide to gather a whole team again in the future it would feel lazy, especially since the likability of some of the characters dropped - I mean I REALLY don't want to see Nino back as Carapace again cuz he's straight up annoying and if Alya is back as Rena Rouge than she and Ladybug have this inner "we know each other's identities" thingy which leaves Chat Noir either alone again or forced to talk more to a guy who thinks he's a whore. They should just leave Bunnyx because she's the coolest and needed to look after the timeline and Ladybug and Chat Noir should unify the other miraculouses. I think that would be the best choice. Secondary heroes' value went downhill after Heroes Day (where they were great btw) and it was totally lost after Miracle Queen and it hasn't been the same ever since. Ladynoir is amazing in this season now that it's just the two of them. It really makes Ladynoir feel like Ladynoir and their relationship is closer and more intimate especially when they made babies together they were so close then.

[quijotine]

There's a miraculous duo, not a miraculous team.

This may be a little bit out of the zeitgeist, but I literally just gave a TED talk to my shower about this. It's time for meta again. Lessgo.

So, the thing that's getting me hyperfixated right now is the fact that both Ladybug and Chat Noir believe this--that there's a duo and that is it, full stop-- but the way that they execute this belief is so different, that this is ultimately what's slowly making Chat reach a boiling point.

Let's start with him, since he's the most recent example.

As you all have correctly pointed out in your meta, he is right to be angry and he wouldn't have been if Rena had just explained this was her plan instead of the convoluted excuse she gave him, right?

Well, yeah but consider this: Chat would've gotten angry, regardless. Maybe not angry enough to punch a wall, but angry. This isn't the first time Chat has shown to be unimpressed when he is being left out of the plan or when the dynamic changes.

And these are just the two most recent examples, mind you. Most importantly, this has been his opinion since the beginning of the season:

Chat would've gotten angry because the sole fact that Rena was calling the shots supposes a change in dynamic. And Chat would've followed and done as he was told, yes, because eventually that's what he did (if only briefly) when Marinette reasoned with him. But that would be a direct trip to the milk bar afterwards. Furthermore, what would a more honest alibi have looked like, if Rena was to be clear with him? "This is my plan, Ladybug is busy right now. Please just follow through?"

Following Chat's rationale: a) Why are you coming up with the plan? Ladybug is the one that comes up with plans. b) How do yo know Ladybug is busy right now? If she's busy, wouldn't she have called me instead of you?

A more honest approach would've simply made Chat ask more questions because Chat is not the type of person that follows you blindly. It may look like he is when he is with Ladybug, but that is the result of their bond. He questions authority when he believes it to be unfair (re: Su Han, Natalie, Gabriel, the school principal, Master Fu, and on some instances EVEN Ladybug), and this would've been the case because at the moment, Rena was calling the shots from a seemingly unfair vantage point.

What I'm getting at is this: Chat is fully aware that things are changing for the worse (for the duo) and from his pov, Ladybug isn't doing anything to prevent that. She is encouraging these changes.

Moving on to the lady of the hour, miss Ladybug.

Conversely, where Chat is frustrated by all these changes, Ladybug doesn't think twice about them because to her, they're not even something worth considering. They're the cat and bug team, and by her own admission, she doesn't tell him nearly enough how important he is.

And can you blame her? Girl is battling her demons at the moment. She's focused on defeating Hawkmoth, and is constantly second-guessing her decisions as a Guardian because she doesn't want to make the situation worse, just as shown in the nightmare at the beginning of Sentibubbler.

The nuances of who comes, who goes, how the monster of the day gets defeated are irrelevant to Ladybug because she's not looking at the details, she's looking at the bigger picture, in direct contrast of what Chat is doing. For LB there isn't a "miraculous team," there's Chat and her, and her wielders, whom she calls when she needs in the arrangement she sees most fit.

You can argue that Rena is now part of the permanent "miraculous team", but again, I disgress. At the risk of being corrected by eps 5, 9, and 12, Rena's appearance lasted only 4 episodes: She is not supposed to be even seen again, per the last scene in Sentibubbler.

Furthermore, we know that there eventually will be a team but we don't know the workings of it, other than the fact that this will happen when they are adults. This is the kind of development that I can see happening after they defeat the first Hawkmoth, not before. Because at the moment, neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir have the maturity to trust their decisions and trust that a change in dynamic does not mean a change in their emotional bond. Ultimately, these are the lessons they need to learn (on top of several others), and the outcome I would expect once Chat Noir explodes.

tl;dr: Ladybug and Chat Noir approach their partnership in directly opposite ways. Ladybug thinks adding or subtracting team members does not do anything to it because their bond overrides any temporary changes. Chat Noir thinks that these small changes eat away at their partnership and are breaking it. These two different perspectives can cause for a) to Chat to get increasingly frustrated with each coming episode and b) for Ladybug to be blindsided once Chat Noir has reached a toppling point, resulting in grade-A angst.

[undeath1245]

Regarding the Quantic Kids

The Quantics Kids were first introduced during the early stages of Miraculous Ladybug. They were supposed to be a group of young superheroes that Ladybug and Chat Noir were a part of. They consisted of Sparrow, Melodie, and Mercury, and later on into development, Gavroche was added into the team, and Mercury was replaced with Kid Mime. It was a request by a producer to help sell the show to viewers, but sadly, the idea was soon dropped, and we were left with only the main duo.

However, as shown in "Heroes’ Day”, Ladybug and Chat Noir formed a team together with Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee for a brief time, thus forming the original Miraculous Team, or Miraculous Heroes as I call them. Throughout seasons three and four, the Miraculous Team slowly grew from five members to 18 members, many of them being Marinette’s classmates, and to be honest, I really wish they could have kept them as the original five (reminds me a whole lot of Power Rangers). Then in “Miraculous New York”, two characters, Sparrow and Mercury, were reused, one being a young sidekick to Nightowl, and the other being an adult member of the United Heroez (I wish they didn’t call them that).

Now, I’m only an observer of Miraculous Ladybug. I didn’t watch the show, only observe it through clips, reviews, fan art, and fanfiction. I’m kind of like a bystander. But, I’m working on a fan concept of the show, not necessarily a rewrite, but rather a PV-inspired reimagining, titled Miraculous Heroes. I just want to see if I could revise it into a full-on superhero story, where there’s lots of super activity and fantastical activity happening across the Earth. I also want to explore more with Bridgette and Félix’s struggle with juggling between their civilian identities and superhero identities. I also want to add in more supervillains other than Hawkmoth, and while I’m reusing some of the akumatized villains (i.e. the Mime, M. Pigeon, Style Queen), I also want to rewrite them into non-akumatized villains, like in the PV. There are so many things I want to do with this concept.

Now, let’s get to to elephant in the room. Right now, I’m stuck between having to reuse the Quantic Kids concept or reuse the Miraculous Five concept. On one hand, I’m reusing Bridgette and Félix, so it’s fair to bring back the original team they were supposed to be a part of. Maybe the Quantic Kids were supposed to be a new superhero team to introduce to the public before Ladybug and Chat Noir. Plus, I feel like there should have been only two miraculous charms, or at least seven miraculous charms like earlier in the show. Another thing, I also want to add in new superheroes and antiheroes by reusing the young akumatized villains from the show (i.e. Lady Wifi, Riposte, Antibug, DJ Bubbler, Dark Cupid, Timebreaker, Gamemaster, Princess Fragrance, Reflekta) and revise them a little. For example, Riposte is now a liquid silver superhero hailing from a family of mystical warriors, and Reflekta is also made of liquid metal now, and is able to create portals out of mirrors like Mirror Master. Note how I said that Riposte and Reflekta are two liquid metal superheroes. I’m gonna either get to that later, or I need to revise Reflekta’s abilities.

On the other hand, I also want to explore the original Miraculous team and flesh out their dynamics and interactions with each other, especially with Rena Rouge and Carapace’s unexplored dynamic. With that in mind, I also want to flesh out Master Fu’s role as mentor to the team. I really think he should have been a good mentor not only to Marinette, but to Adrien and the other team members, other than just hanging out in his garden and being all Zen-like. Perhaps after Hawkmoth and Mayura are dealt with, the new holders of the butterfly charm and peacock charm respectively would either become new superheroes or new supervillains, the former choice leading them to become new members of the Miraculous team, and the latter choice indicating them to become the former villains’ successors. Maybe they’ll become superheroes, and the team would probably have to face off against a greater threat than Hawkmoth, perhaps either an imprisoned force of evil or a fully accomplished supervillain who’s also seeking the charms.

I could use the Miraculous Five concept and Quantic Kids concept altogether, however. Perhaps the Miraculous Five would serve as the main heroes in Paris, working together to take down Hawkmoth and his numerous allies, while the Quantic Kids would serve as the main heroes in New York. Remember the United Heroez (I’m just gonna call them the Union of Superheroes)? Well, what if Sparrow forms a group of young superheroes on her own, similar to Robin with the Teen Titans? Perhaps the Quantic Kids would still exist outside the events of Miraculous Heroes, taking care of the supervillain activity in New York in the mean time. Not only do the original members (Sparrow, Melodie, Mercury, Kid Mime, Gavroche) return, but so will Uncanny Valley (who definitely deserves a redesign). I’m also including Zoé Lee in the team, who not only needs a new superhero persona (right now, I’m thinking of a copper-based superhero), but also desperately needs a character revitalization. Maybe she could be Chloé’s rival in regards to both of them being daughters of big names in the fashion industry; I also want to rename her as Zoé Deschanel.

So, what do you guys think? Should it be the Quantic Kids concept, Miraculous Five concept, or both concepts altogether? In the mean time, I’ll go on and flesh out the story, or at least I’ll try to, considering that I had came up with numerous fan concepts.

[graveyardollie]

Slight spoilers for season four! (also I'm sorry I am unable to make this post under a cut)

This is highly inspired by @only_miraculous-doodles on Instagram since they suggested on one of their insta story to write about why Chat Noir is not just a holder like any other

*deep breath* here we go

- Chat was there from the start and accepted ladybug immediately just as she is 🐞

- Ladybug and Chat Noir always have each others back, they are there to protect each other, no matter what happens

- they're both equally awkward

-He respects her boundaries and her wish to not tell each other any private stuff

- She saved him on many occasions

- But he saved her more than you could tell…and he even sacrifices his life multiple times

- Plagg tells Adrien almost every timen during akuma attacks that he doesn't actually need to go and he can just stay home, but Adrien mostly says "Ladybug needs me." meaning: no matter how scared/tired/angry he may be, he will always be ready to help and be by Ladybug's side

-Ladybug not even for a second believed that Chat Noir committed any crime in s1 ep Copycat, she knew her kitty is not a thief nor a liar

- Ladybug knows his kitty cat very well even though she doesn't know him personally (or at least, she thinks she doesn't). She literally know his character like no other

- The way ladybug caught Chat Noir after he almost froze to death definitely doesn't say "just a holder like any other"

- "Get it? Claws"

- Ladybug always says she hates when CN is telling her jokes or cheesy compliments (we know that's not true from s4, but also we can already sense that way back in season 1!)

- The way Marinette got worried the second Chat Noir started fighting in this episode (Darkblade s1) because he was there all alone without her help

- Chat Noir never doubts her plans (except of course s4 and some small exceptions in earlier seasons - there is very small amount of them) because he trusts her so much and in her instincts

- Chat Noir also always understands LB's plan even when Ladybug explains it very poorly because they're in the middle of the fight!

- "We're cat and bug team!"

- They always take care for each other

- Wherever Ladybug starts to doubt herself, there is chat noir to get her self-esteem higher than his staff can go

- "Good job, kitty"

- Ladybug "sacrificed" herself once for Chat Noir and he already was ready to use his powers in unholy and definitely not “for the children’s show” way

- This scene when they're both badasses tells me enough to not make this whole post but still, trying to prove my point in here

- Chat Noir also tends to get Ladybug her senses back again like in Volpina when she almost gave up her miraculous for an illusion without checking it first (but I get it's hard to focus when you think the love of your life may die by horrible death soon)

- when chat isn't behaving like himself Ladybug checks multiple times on him to make sure he's okay

- They trust each other SO MUCH

- Even after an argument, they quickly find a solution because being angry at each other is more painful than anything else

- After Chat being akumatised, LB doesn't give up on him. She believes she can save him. Till the very end

- And of course the iconic "I don't know if I can do this...i can't imagine being ladybug without...him."

- At the end...it's always just the two of them. Together as a duo. As a team.

But yeah girl, chat noir is just miraculous holder like any other. Mhm. Sit down.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. Feel free to add more, becuase I don't have anymore energy 🌹

[depressed-teacup-inc]

Let’s go it’s a double review

Ok two episodes at once Qilin and Penalteam let’s go

Qilin

We love a side character episode, and Sabin proves that she is the most competent human being ever and I would fucking kill for her to have been Ladybug instead of Marinette because Sabine’s an icon

Also the design slapped, and in general, thanks miraculous for finally half trying to show some more of Sabine’s heritage or even just personality and hobbies? I was hopeful to see Marinette expressing Interest or knowledge in her Chinese heritage, but we only got the end screen with dumplings… you know what I’m not even surprised anymore

Also why the fuck was the French version of a SWAT team in this episode?! Like I get this episode is meant to be a criticism of abuse of power, but it was so exaggerated stupidly, that it just makes me groan, because the SWAT team was summoned to arrest one lady over a bus ticket instead of actually being there during any other akuma fight, which only makes me hate the writing and Roger more

Overall half decent episode, love Sabine, Marinette’s incompetent but slightly better (can’t say that about the animation tho), and chat noir gets no screen-time and has to be beat up, BUT HE GOT TO DEFEND SABINE HONESTLY THESE TWO WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD DUO

Penalteam

Ok this episode was stupid. Like I know that’s an immature thing to say, but this episode just… radiated terrible filler energy

Like from the premise of this episode being about soccer and teamwork that wasn’t executed well at all(which btw, I’ve seen an extremely smart soccer cartoon before! Called Super Strikas and I strongly recommend that show from my childhood), Chat Noir being made fun of so much and made to be an idiot even tho Adrien has literally shown affiliation with many sports?! LIKE WHY ARE YOU MAKING HIM SO INCAPABLE AND STUPID???

(Also especially after Kuroneko, an episode that basically told chat “yeah we need you” but proceeds to make fun of him, kick him around, push him aside, etc.)

To heroes with (outside of the bull hero dude) having either an extremely broken power (Literally, Sublimation CAN JUST GIVE YOU ANY SUPER POWER WHATS THE POINT OF THIS FIGHT ANYMORE) or just a weird name??? Like fetch??? Really???

And no ma’am I’m not addressing the designs I don’t wish to look at them

To Chloe being demonized to the point that she willingly works with Hawkmoth, despite THE FACT SHE LITERALLY WAS THE FIRST VICTIM TO REJECT HAWKMOTH AND FOUGHT AGAINST HIM ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS??? And how they tried to make her and Lila affiliated like it’s so scary, to only see in the season finale, them tripping her (HOW EVILLLL)

Also very lazy way of including Lila in the plot SHE WAS LITERALLY JUST EXISTING ALL SEASON LONG?

And to top it all off Marinette (especially in contrast to the Lila episodes, in case we were hoping for any sort of consistency) being worshipped, made the captain, and always said to be right??? And then the show wants me to buy that Marinette is actually a victim and no one listens to her when in fact the problem is everyone enabling her.

Anyways, bad episode, just go watch a sports anime instead, I’m only here for the gays

[jesuis-melodrama]

LadyNoir Inequality: Chat Noir’s Fall from Significance

How does Ladybug and Chat Noir's roles differ between the seasons? How was responsibility, positions, duties delegated between them? This essay analyses in detail how the LadyNoir fallout of Season 4 came to be, and how Chat Noir ultimately fell from hierarchal significance.

What attracted me to Miraculous, apart from the stellar animation and the potential of the in-universe powers, was the dynamic between Ladybug and Chat Noir. Like the camaraderie of the Phantom Thieves in Persona 5, the partnership between Ruby and Clancy in Ruby Redfort and the hierarchy of respect and power between the Hashira of Demon-Slayer, Marinette and Adrien interested me, because they are two very dissimilar people on separate standings who mutually trusts, supports, and depends on one another despite being different in almost every single way. Their powers, although complimenting, are not comparable, and their personalities, although cordial, are inverse. But despite these odds, Ladybug and Chat Noir are not just friends, companions, and confidants, but equals.

 The first episode of the series, The Bubbler, demonstrates this splendidly (Author’s Note: The Bubbler is the first episode available on Netflix. Chronologically, Stormy Weather is the first official episode, but the same values hold up). It was a jarring introduction to a new show. The audience has no idea who Adrien and Marinette were, what Tikki and Plagg were or why these magical girl transformations suddenly granted them the powers to fight the maniacal butterfly man, but we can recognise the symptoms of two people already deep into the composition of their friendship. The Bubbler threw the smoothness and effectiveness of their teamwork directly into the faces of the audience, and it was brilliant.  

We weren’t weighed down by the gritty details of the beginning, we don’t have to watch the awkward bumbling, the introductions or the unsurety of two strangers who have yet enough reason to trust one another. We were immediately thrusted into the middle of their partnership. The first thing Chat Noir did when he stepped onto the scene was to defend Ladybug and the first thing she did was to joke around comfortably, clearly relieved that he had finally arrived. After watching Marinette obsessively creep around Adrien’s house, trying to show love to a boy she barely knows, and watching Adrien uncomfortably trying to enjoy a social event which he desperatedly wanted but is clearly inexperienced in, the sudden switch of persona and their sudden familiarity and reliance on one another was a fresh breath of air and it made Miraculous a show worth investing in.

We may not know what happened between them, how they received their powers and how they know each other, but it is obvious some catalytic event has tied Ladybug and Chat Noir together. And by all the features exhibited (another great thing, the words spoken were only secondary to the demonstrative body language) the audience was immediately aware that they have stepped into something sacred, something unbreakable. And even with the thick wall of secret and unspeakable identities between them, we feel comforted when we see them together, because they are comfortable and happy with one another.

So, fourteen monster-of-the-day episodes later, when Season 1 presented the first inklings of Miraculous’ overarching plot, watching Marinette and Adrien receive their Miraculous, meet each other as civilians and then as superheroes, the scene is nostalgic and sentimental, and aided by the fantastic animation, the audience can appreciate and remember the defining passage as an evocative and triggering moment for years afterwards.

But that is not to say their partnership hasn’t been without fault.

The cracks were always present, but as the seasons rolled on, it only became more obvious. Their roles were disparate. Ladybug comes up with the plans, Ladybug comes up with the solutions and more often than not, Chat Noir is used as a tool and a distraction for Ladybug’s success. Ladybug had the Lucky Charm and the Miraculous Cure. Chat Noir can stand on his own, defend and attack as an individual, but apart from using the Cataclysm as Ladybug directs, Chat Noir has no outstanding impact on the defeat of any akuma. He does not contribute to any tactics, and he cannot win without Ladybug because he has nothing to offer strategically.  

Assets aside, there is also the matter of leadership.

The audience finds out that Chat Noir initially took the frontman role in The Origins. He attacked Stoneheart first while Ladybug dithered behind. But as Ladybug regained confidence, she took the leadership position in both episodes, and Chat Noir was more than happy to follow. Thus, their dynamic was laid down. They both showed satisfaction with their place in the relationship, Chat Noir often yielding to her judgement, such as in Stormy Weather and Dark Cupid, and Ladybug asserts that Chat Noir was in her team in Antibug.

The first big indicator of disagreement in this mutually agreed arrangement was in Syren. A contentious episode, the consequence of Chat Noir physically rebelling against Ladybug’s decision for the first time. All the way to Season 4, Rena Rogue has stirred conflict and mistrust between the duo. When I watched Ladybug leading Rena Rogue away while Chat Noir stared angrily at their retreating backs, I remembered hoping that the episode would end with Ladybug telling Chat Noir everything, so that they could have their Season 1 relationship back. Where they navigated this confusing and alien new world together, hiding so much from the public and each other, but never their authenticity and belief in one another.  

I wished that Ladybug had told Chat Noir about the Guardian. I wished that both of them had been privy to the information from the very beginning and I wished that both of them knew who the other Miraculous Holders were because they chose them together. Realistically, someone in the show should’ve connected the dots, and realised that most of the Miraculous Holders were attending a specific class in Collège Françoise Dupont and were all associated with a specific person. That was the only reason I could think of why having Ladybug and Chat Noir choosing the Holders together is a bad idea. It would threaten their identity (which at that point, was still a concern).

But canonically, Ladybug constantly chose Holders who were dangerously close to the situation. Kagami in Ikari Gozen, Chloé in Malediktator, Rose in Guiltrip and Max in Startrain. The only Holder Chat Noir has chosen wasn’t even chosen by his particular identity. Adrien suggested that Luka might be a good Snake, and Ladybug heeded his words, not Chat Noir’s. I wished there was a single scene where Ladybug and Chat Noir analysed the situation and the potential Holder together, looked at each other, no words needed to be said, just a nod and a telepathic agreement shared through their eyes, and Ladybug would present the next Holder with a Miraculous with her and her partner’s approval both given.

What was the point of keeping their identities hidden?

In Season 1, it made some sense. They had no idea the Guardian existed. Even if Chat Noir was reluctant, they can both agree that they could not take their chances, should one of them be captured. But with the reveal of the Guardian’s identity in Season 2, the need for secret identities is almost eradicated. Clearly, there is someone who is an even bigger threat to their civilian lives than Ladybug and Chat Noir are to each other. Ladybug is now burdened with a bigger cache of knowledge. Should one of them be captured, it can only be hoped that it would be Chat Noir, because unlike Ladybug, he could not spew information about potions and kwami and secret books and the Guardian’s location.

In Season 3, the climax of Miracle Queen places the duties of the Guardian directly in Ladybug’s hand. She is now in charge of all the heroes in Paris, she is now the leading physical and strategic force in the battle against Hawk Moth and she is now officially stated as Leader, not just holding a de facto position.

In Season 4, the need for secret identities is gone. Ladybug is the Guardian. She and her original partner, Chat Noir, has no more safety nets in keeping their identities hidden from each other because there is no longer a background link tying them. Should Marinette be incapacitated, should Adrien meet an accident, there is no one reading their news who is available to inform the other person. The only reason why Chat Noir’s identity continues to be hidden from Ladybug is because she does not want to know. The only reason why Ladybug does not reveal her identity to Chat Noir is because she does not want him to know.

Chat Blanc could be inserted as a contending factor. Chat Blanc saw to it that the reveal of their identities to one another could lead the end of the world.

But Chat Blanc was not the only factor.

Season 4 Marinette is overwhelmed and stressed and guilt-ridden. Season 4 Marinette tore herself apart trying to maintain the kwami, her Guardian duties and continue moonlighting as Ladybug. Season 4 Marinette was at the end of her tether, and at this point, Chat Noir’s presence and his insistence was no longer a support or a comfort but another chore and responsibility to be balanced.

Her support network as both Marinette and Ladybug were extinguished. Thus, in a peaking moment of weakness, she finally revealed her identity to Alya.

Marinette met Alya and Chat Noir on the same day. Two strangers both became her friend, two insistent strangers who were united in their goal to find out Ladybug’s identity. Marinette hid her secret life from Alya, Ladybug hid her civilian identity from Chat Noir. As Marinette, she was supported by passionate, fierce, and rash Alya who jumped to conclusions and unnerved Marinette with her determination to find out the truth about Ladybug. As Ladybug, she was supported by passionate, fierce, and rash Chat Noir who impulsively leapt into battles and irritated her with his constant declarations of love.

But Marinette had connections to Alya as both Marinette and Ladybug. She found herself acknowledging Alya’s true character and learned to rely on her through a multitude of trust falls and confrontations. Marinette made the decision to trust Alya, she made the decision to depend on a person she knows as both a citizen and a superhero.

She had no choice with Chat Noir. She never knew who he was, only that he was thrusted into the same situation as she was. Truth was an important concept to Marinette, she stated multiple times that she could not stand liars. And subsequently, she could never really trust Chat Noir because she does not know who he was.

Chat Noir was an emotional crutch during the finale of Season 2 and Season 3. He was the reason why she found the courage to go on despite the anxiety of her failures and the culmination of her carelessness. Throughout Antibug, Heroes’ Day, Gamer 2.0 and Miracle Queen, it was demonstrated that the only way Marinette could trust him and confide in her vulnerabilities was through Ladybug with him as Chat Noir. She couldn’t afford the trust the boy behind the mask, so, when it came to the end of her line, when she has no other choice, Alya was the one to receive the relinquishment of her identity, not Chat Noir.

Gang of Secrets signified the end of Chat Noir’s reign.

He was a founding member, one of the original team, once upon a time on equal par with Ladybug. But now, his presence only matters as much as a temporary hero’s. The released episodes of Season 4, Mr Pigeon 72, Sole-Crusher, and most noticeably, Optigami and Sentibubbler, demonstrated the redundance of his company. Both physically and emotionally, Rena Rouge (now known as Rena Furtive) has filled in as Ladybug’s partner. Chat Noir has to be sneaked around, shield from the fact that there is a new permanent hero and shield from the fact that now, there is one other person in the world who knows Ladybug’s identity, that isn’t him.

With Ladybug’s circle of temporary allies expanded, she no longer needs to rely on Chat Noir to be her support. She could gather up any number of useful powers she has at her disposal and expend them as she wished. In Megaleech, among the five-men team Ladybug had gathered, each one of them has contributed to the defeat of the akuma, with Polymouse outshining as the victor over the army of mini Malediktators, and each one of the other heroes playing a vital role in Ladybug’s plan. Chat Noir’s delegation? To distract the enemy while Ladybug gathered up her soldiers. In the end, he didn’t even use his power, marking the first time in a Miraculous episode that a hero was called upon and left without use. The Cataclysm is no longer necessary for the defeat of an akuma. But the Lucky Charm and the Miraculous Cure are as relevant now as they were when Stoneheart first attacked.

Optigami and Sentibubbler reached the apex of his unimportance. Both times, he was more of a hindrance than a reinforcement. He unconsciously prevented Marinette from becoming Ladybug, which derails the plan to Rena Rogue’s command. He has to be told by Marinette, the civilian, to stay out of the superhero’s plan, because there was nothing he could do that Rena Rogue wasn’t already doing.

The Cataclysm is a one-use power, Chat Noir is a one-trick pony. He’s still stuck in Season 1 mode while Ladybug has broadened to new powers, new suit, new duties, new partners, and new goals.

Hawk Moth knows the identity of all the heroes but Chat Noir don’t. Chloé knows the identities of all the heroes but Chat Noir don’t. Alya has more privileges and inside knowledge than Chat Noir has, and with Rocketear, Nino is now another confidant privy to more secrets than Chat Noir is.

All Chat Noir is left with, is the comedic side-kick routine he is now entrenched too deeply in to crawl out, the knowledge that his best friend in both his civilian life and superhero life think he’s annoying, and the realisation that Ladybug truly no longer trust him, because the heroes around him, his subordinates in a sense, now ranks higher in prominence.

Did Ladybug mean for this to happen? Absolutely not.

But Chat Blanc is no longer a reason big enough to cover all the discrepancies. And she has grown so used to keeping him in the dark to realise how much the darkness was causing the chasm between them to grow. Chat Noir is now outwardly lying to Ladybug that he’s fine, refusing to tell her that he knows to some extent the secrets she has kept from him. In Season 2, he angrily confronted her about being left behind. In Season 4, now that Ladybug holds all the power, now that he no longer has the authority to demand reasons and explanations, the only thing he could do is keep his mouth shut and hope that the sheer cliff he’s balancing on does not shear away even more.

Because Chat Noir is still fun for him, isn’t it? Being a hero, being himself? Chat Noir isn’t a role for him to act, to fake being happy, to pretend to be something he’s not. Chat Noir is a persona where he can be as expressive, as temperamental, as coquettish, and childish and experimental he wants. An entity where he can safely explore all the emotions children his age usually experiences without consequences. A place where he isn’t held under fear of abandonment or emotional abuse, where he can explore his identity and speak his mind without retaliation or repercussions.  

Isn’t it?

Chat Noir’s presence is still prevalent at every akuma fight because he is a founding member. Ladybug has no reason to tell him to go home, and he’s still useful in the sense that he can provide distractions while Ladybug figures out her plan, and feed information to Rena Furtive who is hiding and watching and waiting. And there is still the Cataclysm, a power that is supposed to rival the Lucky Charm, whose potential is still yet unearthed.

But Chat Noir has no more standing to rely on. He is no longer a principal participant in the encompassing war between Ladybug and Hawk Moth, even if he is a principal target. Each side gathers up their warriors and equipment, and Chat Noir is just another treasured pawn in Ladybug’s army. He is alone in the fact that no one knows his identity. Ladybug has someone, Hawk Moth has someone, and both of them has an arsenal of champions to pick from.

He’s a wild card, he’s an anomaly. He was once Ladybug’s partner, he was a prototype for the modern Miraculous hero, and by himself, he had a visible presence. But he lost the novelty quickly.

Even in Season 1, people preferred Ladybug. She was the one to fix their city, she made the flashy speech at the Eiffel Tower, it was explainable. In Season 2, Hawk Moth began to ignore his Miraculous multiple times in favour of Ladybug’s earrings. Chloé called him Ladybug’s second fiddle. In Season 3, Fu’s obvious favour of Ladybug as future Guardian emphasised Chat Noir’s emerging sidelining. And in Season 4, Ladybug herself begun to omit her partner.

What does this have in store for the future? Rumours and headcanons fly, whispers of an akumatization on par with Chat Blanc looms closer and closer. Personally, I hope that something more substantial is done with Chat Noir’s character. There’s still so much to be expatiated, his family history, his own personality, and his unlocked powers. If the Black Cat Miraculous was truly the harmonizing consort of the Ladybug Miraculous, then logically, Chat Noir should be receiving the multiple new upgrades in the near future.

A climax where an issue that has spanned for four seasons ending within two episodes sounds stereotypically Miraculous and nightmarish. But the show has three more seasons to go, and hopefully this conflict will be used as a starting point for what may be in store for those seasons.

What if Chat Noir decides to deflect? What is he decided to derail, and what if Chat Noir becomes the next villain? ShadowMoth is a recurring joke at this point, and with the development of Season 4, ShadowMoth’s return in Season 5 sounds exhausting and repetitive. Looking at the overarching picture, there is only one person that has enough incentive and power to become Ladybug’s future archnemesis.

Love and hate are the opposite sides of the same coin.

But no matter what is in store for the distant narrative of Miraculous, this essay concludes on the now.

We look at Season 1 Chat Noir, and the Chat Noir of the latest episode. Even if his powers and position hasn’t grown, he has developed into his role emotionally, in an unfortunately negative way.

Chat Noir is no longer Ladybug’s partner, and analytically, no longer as important as he once was.

I really hope the show does something good with this.

[princessjaqulinechess1031]

by the bedside

Characters: Damian Wayne, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste, Jason Todd

Summary: A job goes wrong, and Marinette fears the worst until Damian wakes up. 

Notes: Cross-posted on Archive of Our Own. 

Sequel

"À la claire fontaine," a soft voice sung, pulling Damian out of his hazy daze. "M'en allant promener, j'ai trouvé l'eau si belle…"

Damian groaned and tried to turn on his side, to try and reach whatever it was singing, but the moment he did, the song stopped and was replaced by a gasp. Damian blinked his eyes open, ignoring the sting, and saw sitting next to him was a disheveled and red-eyed Marinette sitting next to him.

"Damian….," she whispered. Damian tried to reach out a hand to her, but found that it felt like lead. Moving it felt like a splitting pain, and it was weighed down by a cast. Damian shut his eyes and leaned back into the pillow. The building, the explosion, and –

"Adrien?" Damian croaked. Marinette nodded her head and took the hand not enclosed in a cast in her hands. She gave it a gentle squeeze and smiled.

"He's fine," Marinette said. "He's doing damage control with your brother."

Ah, yes. Dick. Nightwing had come to Paris as one Dick Grayson, something to do with Wayne Enterprises or other, when he had realized what Damian was up to. Robin had become an unofficial third member of Paris's own dynamic duo, Ladybug and Chat Noir once all their allies identities were exposed. Hawkmoth was long gone, so it was just petty criminals and the like, but adding a fourth member to that so suddenly had thrown everything off. Even if it was for one mission. A bomb was missed, and now –

"How long was I out?" Damian asked. He narrowed his eyes and looked around and saw a familiar location had enveloped him. "And ho-how did we get to the Batcave?"

"Two days," Marinette said breathlessly. "And a Zeta tube."

Ah, Zeta. He should have known. Damage control probably meant making sure Paris still had someone patrolling and keeping it's citizens safe.

"Nightwing insisted we bring you back here," Marinette said. "Said you should be with family."

That meant it was touch and go for a moment. Damian felt unfrazzled by the brush with death, how many times had he had one since he was born? Not to mention he actually had died once. He looked down at Marinette's outfit, and saw she was wearing the same purple sundress she had been wearing before her transformation two days ago.

"H-have you been here the whole time?" Damian asked softly. Marinette looked down at her fingers sheepishly.

"I-I had to be sure," Marinette said. "When the Lucky Charm didn't work, and –" Marinette cut herself off with a chortle of tears. "Ma moitié, I had to make sure you weren't dead."

Damian shut his eyes. This was what frazzled him. He knew in their line of work, one got hurt. Sometimes you didn't walk away. But to hurt Marinette, to make Marinette feel hopeless and lost as Damian fought on a hospital bed. Marinette was the one good, pure thing he had ever been able to keep, and to make her feel pain felt like a betrayal.

"You should have gone home," Damian said slowly. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Marinette shook her head and squeezed his hand.

"If you expected me to do that, then you don't really know me."

Damian turned his head to the side, and tried to ignore the sharp burst of pain at the top of his back from the movement. But try as he might, he still winced. Marinette reached forward and put a hand on his shoulder to try and steady him again.

"Be still, ma moitié," Marinette said. "Monsieur Pennyworth said it was best for you to remain as you are."

Marinette was so polite, and despite Alfred's continued insistence, Marinette continued to call the man by his proper name. Damian found it was one of many adorable things about her to love.

"Nawaret aynaya," Damian said, "I promise I'm fine –"

"No you're not!" Marinette busted out. "You're hurt, you- you nearly died! All because I couldn't keep my team – I got distracted and –"

The young girl burst into tears, and Damian took his hand from her grasp and reached up to caress her cheek. Oh, Marinette. She always took ever mistake, every misstep, as some misgiving on her part. To Marinette, the safety of all Paris and all of her friends sat squarely on her shoulders. She might shoulder that responsibility with her brother Chat Noir, but Marinette would always hold it as a personal stake in her heart.

"It's not your fault, nawaret aynaya," Damian said softly. "This – this comes with the mask, you know that. If you had or had not been there, this would have happened eventually." He wiped away a tear form her cheek, and Marinette reached for the hand still caressing her. "I love you Marinette. And I know you would never hurt me. So stop blaming yourself."

Marinette gave a weak smile.

"If you expect me to stop just like that," she hiccupped, "then you don't really know me at all." She sucked in a deep breath and rubbed her thumb across his wrist.

"I love you too," she said. Damian's heart sang. For seventeen years he had waited for something and someone that would look at him and not see a monster. Not see an assassin or a danger or someone to fear. And by some miracle, that person turned out to be the love of his life.

And he'd be damned if he let her go.

"He's flatlining, I'm calling it," a voice said, breaking the moment around them. Damian retracted his hand and Marinette wiped away a last tear. In the doorway stood one Jason Todd, mask gone but still wearing spandex and his leather jacket. "Mari, time of death?"

Marinette bit her lip and looked down at her hands, but Damian could see the beginnings of a smile on her face. Jason stepped into the room and dragged a chair from the corner and sat down next to Marinette with a loud thud.

"Papa Bat should be here in a little bit, Brat Bat," Jason said. He took out his gun and began to fiddle with it, probably to clean it since he pulled out a white cloth from his pocket. Damian frowned.

"I'm not a brat," Damian said. Jason rolled his eyes.

"You might be seventeen, but you're still a brat sometimes," Jason said. Marinette looked up from her hands, that familiar mischief shining in her eyes.

"You're kinda. Sometimes," Marinette said softly. Jason laughed and slung an arm around the girl's shoulder.

"Ah! I got the girlfriend on my side!" Jason said. "I win!"

Normally Damian would keep going and insist he wasn't a brat, but Jason was as transparent as a plane of glass. Jason was trying to cheer up Marinette with this joke, and Damian was not going to try and ruin that. Marinette was going to be happy and not worry too much about Damian, that was his mission.

"What did you win?" Adrien asked, popping his head into the med bay. His blonde hair was still damp, meaning he probably just got out of a post-patrol shower. He came up behind his adopted sister and hugged her from behind, placing a kiss to her temple.

"Marinette admitted Damian was a brat sometimes," Jason said.

"I am not!"

"Yeah, you are," Adrien said. Tim and Dick entered the room, and Tim was texting someone on his phone. Probably Stephanie, telling her he was okay. Dick pulled a chair over to the other side of Damian's bed and leaned back, his long legs stretching out underneath the medical bed.

"Be nice to the injured child," Dick said. Damian frowned.

"I am not a child," Damian said. "I am the same age you were when you went solo, Grayson."

Dick raised a brow. "And? I was a child then, henceforth, you're a child now."

Damian furrowed his brow again and Marinette laughed softly, but once again he did not fight. If it made Marinette smile, it was worth it.

His father finally materialized, Alfred behind him. His father was as stoic as ever, his eyes steeled and guarded thanks to the new visitors to the Cave. Despite the Miraculous duo having been unofficial members of the Batfamily for a year and a half, Father still seemed opposed to giving them official membership. Damian wondered if it had anything to do with Marinette being his girlfriend. He hoped not.

"Master Damian," Alfred said, and a phantom smile overtook his professional form. "I see you are recovering well. I assume Miss Marinette has made sure you've stayed where you should?"

"He only woke up a little while ago, Monsieur," Marinette said. Her lips upturned wickedly. "The real problems in that regard have not started yet."

Adrien laughed and hugged his sister tighter.

"Trust me, mi'lady is here is plenty capable of keeping Damian in line."

Once upon a time, Damian had been jealous of Adrien's nickname for Marinette. Now Damian knew better. Adrien may have once been desperately in love with Marinette and Ladybug, but once one Kagami entered the picture it was game over. Now, the nickname was mere relic of that time and a testament to the depth of their bond.

"I expect nothing less," Alfred said. Father stood at the foot of his bed. He was still dressed in his suit, but his cowl was down, revealing his identity. That made Adrien and Marinette's lack of inclusion even more baffling – they knew who all of them were, the biggest secret they had.

"Are you alright Damian?" Father asked. Damian nodded.

"Yes Father," Damian said. A sigh of relief left his father's form. Despite medical evidence, after everything that happened with Jason, Father would never be certain of his kid's state until he heard from them exactly.

"Well, I mean, wasn't he just fighting with Jason?" Tim asked. He looked up from his phone. "Me and Dick heard them outside. If he's in a fighting mood, he's fine."

"I almost died, and you guys treat me this way," Damian said. Jason rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, this is how we show our love," Jason said. He eyes Dick. "Except for Dick. He does the whole normal shit. Damn well-adjusted asshole."

"Damn non-well-adjusted asshole," Dick shot back. Marinette giggled. Father turned to Marinette and Adrien.

"You two can stay here as long as you need, to make sure Damian is okay," Father said. Damian tried not to let his surprise be palpable. Marinette and Adrien were barely allowed in the Batcave half the time, now Father was offering to let them stay while Damian recovered? What had happened in the time he was asleep? "You can Zeta home for clothes, if you need them. But we have enough clothes that might fit you Adrien, and I'm sure Cass left some things behind before going to Hong Kong."

"Thank you, Monsieur Wayne," Adrien said for the both of them. Marinette smiled and then turned her attention back to Damian.

Damian for seventeen years wondered what it would be like to be purely loved.

Now he knew. It came from Marinette Dupain-Cheng, that kind of true love

[themaribatpit]

Jasonette July Day 9: Pixie

Written by: The Maribat Pit  @jasonette-july-event

Prompt: Pixie

Rated: T

(By popular demand, a slight continuation of Game On @aespades, @certainmuffinbagelcalzone.)

A/n: Edits have been made because I noticed the paragraph errors AFTER posting this.

Marinette was really starting to miss the days of working with Chat Noir at that moment, and that was saying something.  “Bugaboo” and “My Lady” were starting to feel more tolerable when she wasn’t being called that every second of the day.  Being called “Pixie” regardless if she was Ladybug or Marinette, was really starting to get old, fast.  For reasons that she could not understand, that’s what Jason insisted on calling her.  Sure, she was a lot smaller compared to him, but that coupled with needing to hang back and let Red Hood and Arsenal deal out the heavier hits was starting to get on her nerves.  She was just as experienced as them, she had a mentor just like they did, and had been saving lives for just as long as they had.  Ever since she had joined them, she thought that she would be fighting alongside a team again.  Now she was either supporting them or using her sewing skills to add improvements to their suits.  She was in good hands, some might say hands that were a little too good.  All this frustrated her to no end because she liked Jason, she would have thought that someone who had been a vigilante from a young age would understand what it felt like to be constantly underestimated. 

“Unbelievable,” she snapped one night as she came home from another mission.  She pulled off her pink flats and threw them across the room as she entered her apartment.  She didn’t even get the chance to use her Miraculous, she was effectively closely guarded bait on that last mission.  She slumped on the bed in frustration and Tikki hovered over to her, her antenna drooping in concern.  “Some days I want to wipe that smile off of that stupid face, just to prove I can.” Marinette grumbled into her pillow.  She didn’t hate Jason, she knew that there was some good in him.  Roy was the more optimistic and cheerful of the duo, like Jason, he had also been mentored by a more experienced hero.  Jason was a lot more reserved and cynical by comparison, though he wasn’t a complete Ice Prince like his brother Damian. 

“Maybe it’s because they’ve been doing this for a little bit longer.” Tikki suggested, after Marinette complained about it for the umpteenth time.

“Batgirl and Black Bat are only a few years younger than me,” she reminded her, “and there’s no doubt that they could hold their own in a fight.  No one gives them stupid nicknames, just shortened versions of their real names out of costume.” Tikki awkwardly scratched the back of her head.  “I bet you that he barely remembers what my real name is.” Marinette was getting increasingly furious at the thought “it’s always ‘Pixie this’ and ‘Pixie that’. I know I’m shorter than him, but I have taken on giant robot dolls, literal monsters, and I once rode a dragon!” Marinette yelled. 

Marinette throws a pillow at Tikki, only for it to phase through her. “What does he think I do as Ladybug? Create Christmas presents with my Lucky Charm?!” 

 At this very unfortunate moment Jason happened to return back to their apartment with Roy in tow. “What’s got you riled up, Pixie Pop?” Jason quipped after seeing the frustrated look on her face. This was the last straw for Marinette, “Stop calling me that! Does it please you to demean me? Does it bring you joy to fucking bully me day in and day out?” Jason and Roy take a step back from Marinette’s outburst. Marinette continues “I have kept Paris safe ever since I was 13, I didn’t have the World's Greatest Detective or a Robin Hood cosplayer helping me. It’s always you two off saving the day while I’m the distraction. Do I have to remind you that I’ve beaten Robin and Red Robin?” 

 “So have we, right Roy?” Jason says look backwards to Roy. Roy meanwhile was slowly walking backwards with his arms up in surrender.

 “Don’t drag me into this please.” Roy pleaded. 

 Marinette continued her rant, “So why do you keep calling me Pixie Pop like I'm some pet or stuffed animal?” She storms up to Jason and pulls him down to her height by the collar. 

Roy sensed the tension and wanted absolutely no part in making it worse, “You know what? I’m gonna go get us some shawarma.”

Jason looked over at Roy “Really, Roy?” A slight scowl made it clear he knew Roy was essentially leaving him to face Marinette’s wrath.

“All I know is that they are open at four in the morning and I’m hungry, so I’ll be right back.” Roy said, and he left the room.  Just as he thought Roy was out of earshot, Jason heard sprinting down the hallway.  Roy had abandoned him to face the burning blue fire in Marinette’s eyes.

Marinette let go of him, she didn’t need them, she had made that absolutely clear. 

“I’m done,  I don’t expect you to understand what it’s like to be underestimated all of the time.” she muttered harshly, “to always be kept at arm's length, because no one trusts you to do anything right.”

Marinette had no idea just how deep her words cut him, and Jason couldn’t really blame her.  As far as she knew, compared to his brothers, he might as well just be ‘the one with the guns and leather jackets’.  He hadn’t really told her about what had happened all those years ago, he didn’t even like to think about it himself.  Roy was one of the few people who understood what he’d been through. It was true that both of them started out as sidekicks, maybe the red in their costumes helped them stand out from their mentor’s shadows.  Their time as young crime fighters had left their scars. They were blindsided when they found someone who had been a heroine since she was 13, and took to it with the same determination they had when they were younger, more innocent, more naïve. 

 As Marinette flitted around the room, gathering her things, every nerve in Jason’s body was screaming at him to stop her.   He reached out and grabbed her by the arm, trying not to think about just how small it felt around his hand.  “Look, I’m sorry,” he began. What could he say to her? That he knew exactly what that felt like? That the last thing they wanted was for her to end up like them?  That every hit they took in a fight was one that she wouldn’t have to, so that she wouldn’t turn out broken like they were?  The problem was she didn’t see them as broken, she saw them treating her like glass.  If she was put through the same ordeal, Jason had no idea what he would do.  If she shattered just like they did, then in a way, they would have failed her.  If she came out still whole, still brimming with light, then what did that say about them?

 Marinette pulled her arm away, “I’ll show you, then you’ll be sorry” she told him bitterly.  With her backpack in hand and shoes on her feet, she pushed past him and walked out the door.  

 Jason remains staring at the open door, regretting how he had treated her. He grew fond of her during their time together as ‘Red Arse Bug’.  She had a cute face, cute voice and she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. “Stupid, stupid” he says to himself, facepalm at each syllable. Even with the now hostile relationship with Marinette, he knew he had to follow her. He had to stop her from making the same mistakes he did, so that she would not become like him. He put on his helmet and left to search for clues as to where Marinette would go and what she would do.

 Marinette wandered through Gotham city, unsure what to do now that she stormed out of the apartment she shared with Jason and Roy. She felt like everyone belittled her, Selena did, and now so did Jason. She needed to do something eye-catching, to prove to everyone that she didn’t need their help.

As she wanders past the Iceberg Lounge, she gets a spark of inspiration. If she could take down the Penguin single-handedly, nobody in Gotham would doubt her ever again. With unyielding determination she calls out “Spots On” and turns to Ladybug, ready to take on one of the cruelest crime lords in all of Gotham. Ladybug walks up to the front door and kicks it down, sending the door flying and knocking any unfortunate goons behind it. Penguin’s gang whipped out their guns, tire irons, pipes and anything that could count as a weapon and were now charging in to stop the intruder. 

 Marinette swings her yo-yo to wrap around one of the goon’s ankles, before swinging him around crashing him into several others. A guard points his rifle behind Ladybug, she spins around, sending her yo-yo towards the gun and pulling it from his hands. As the guards begin to group up together in an attempt to minimise the effectiveness of her yo-yo, Marinette looks up and begins to smirk. She flings her yo-yo upwards and hooks it onto a chandelier. She yanks it down, sending the chandelier crashing onto the unsuspecting guards. 

 Marinette dusts her hands and proceeds to walk through into the main hall. She proceeds to kick down that door too, she is then greeted by The Penguin surrounded by his gang. “I’m taking you down Cobblepot.” She shouts, swinging her yo-yo as if it was a lasso, preparing for a fight.

 The Penguin stands up from the seat of his large chair. “What are all you idiots waiting for?” He shouts all around him. He points his umbrella at Ladybug, and begins shooting his umbrella gun. “Get her!” The penguin roars, at this cue every gangster charges at Ladybug. 

 Marinette gracefully dodges and weaves around Penguin’s army, knocking each one out one by one. Until only The Penguin remains, she wraps her yo-yo around his umbrella, easily disarming one of Gotham’s most wanted. She walks towards The Penguin, slowly unravelling her yo-yo in anticipation of tying him up and sending him to Arkham Asylum. 

 The Penguin takes out a little remote control from his suit pocket, “It's not over yet.” he snarls and pushes a button. At that moment the entire building shakes.

“Born on a Monday” a voice groaned, followed by another loud thud. “Christened on a Tuesday.” the same voice groaned. Then a giant hand shoots up from beneath the floor, “SOLOMON GRUNDY” roared the giant as it emerged from the floor. 

 Red Hood and Arsenal had been watching the fight from a careful distance outside the Iceberg Lounge.  “Well, she’s managed to take on Penguins goons just fine,” Arsenal observed through the small pair of binoculars,  “she’s certainly had plenty of time to get very creative with that yo-yo”.

Red Hood’s hand was still itching to reach for one of his pistols, ready to jump in at the first sign of trouble. “By the way, how was your shawarma?” he asked sarcastically.

Arsenal looked over at him, raising an eyebrow “Hey, I’m not the one who said the one thing that just made her angrier, you were on your own there.”

“Nice to know you had my back.” he grumbled.

“Oh I do in a fight, you just decided to be an ass and poke the angry girl with a stick.” Arsenal pointed out.

Their banter was interrupted by an earth shattering thud, following a loud groan “Born on a Monday.” At that moment their blood ran cold. Red Hood and Arsenal rushed towards the Iceberg Lounge. Both worried for Ladybug and aware of what comes after that dreadful nursery rhyme. 

 “What are you two doing here? I can handle this.” growled Ladybug as Red Hood and Arsenal arrived. 

 Before either Red Hood or Arsenal could answer, they were interrupted by Solomon Grundy smashing the ground where Ladybug was standing. Ladybug gracefully dodged the punch, grappling onto a ceiling lamp to swing towards Grundy with a kick. 

 The giant grabbed Ladybug while she was mid-air and threw her towards her partners. Red Hood catches her, holding her tightly as the two fly across the room. He shields her from the shock, taking the brunt of the impact as they crash into the wall. 

 Red Hood groans “You okay?” Ladybug looks up to see she was relatively unharmed, but Red Hood had taken the brunt of the throw. Concern visible on her face as she sees Red Hood’s damaged helmet, and the bruised and bloodied face beneath.  

 Their quiet moment together was interrupted by Arsenal's cries for help. Every arrow he had in his quiver wasn’t making a dent in Solomon Grundy. Ladybug decides to cast Lucky Charm in desperation, and swings her yo-yo up. The ladybugs converge to form...a polka-dotted stick of dynamite. 

 “Arsenal!” She called. “Tie this to the end of an arrow, Red Hood and I will keep it busy.” She tosses the dynamite to Arsenal and tells Red Hood to tie Grundy down.

 Ladybug using her yo-yo grabs on to Solomon Grundy’s left arm while Red Hood uses his grappling hook to hold on to his right arm. Leaving Grundy exposed and immobile, giving Arsenal the opportunity for a clear unobstructed target. 

 Arsenal draws and aims the special Lucky Charm Explosive Arrow. The giant zombie growls “Arrow Boy no hurt Grundy.” 

 “Arrow Boy yes hurt Grundy” quipped Arsenal, before releasing the arrow causing a thunderous explosion into Solomon Grundy’s face. The giant slumps, Ladybug and Red Hood quickly release their hold and watch its body fall back into the hole in which it came from. 

 Solomon Grundy’s body lays motionless in the basement of the Iceberg Lounge as the three peer over the hole in the ground, “Let’s get outta here before the GCPD or worse, Batman arrive” Red Hood points to the front door, and the three of them leave the lounge to head back to their apartment.

As the three arrive home, they each find a nice comfortable spot to collapse onto. Jason claimed the sofa, slumped down Roy in the middle of the living room floor and Marinette sat at the dining table. “I vote for a week off.” groaned Roy.

“I second that motion” agreed Jason. 

“I still have design work to do.” Marinette told them, not really looking at either of them at that moment.  She was torn between appreciating their help, and frustrated that she hadn’t been able to handle the situation herself like she thought.

“Still that was one hell of a fight, and hey, you still managed to take on a squad of goons by yourself.”  Roy said, “I’m so proud” he said dramatically pretending to wipe away a happy tear. 

He nudged Jason in the leg, “um, yeah, good work” he said awkwardly, slightly lost in thought. Marinette smiled slightly, before turning her attention back to her little fairy friend perched on the table. 

“So does this mean Red Arse Bug is back together?” Roy asked enthusiastically, Marinette wasn’t really paying attention. 

The name still needed work, for one thing.  For once Marinette felt like her powers were being used in harmony with their abilities, but she wasn’t sure if it was a feeling that she should get used to.  Marinette could still vividly remember seeing Jason’s bruised and bloodied face beneath his helmet.  Jason stood up and walked over to the fridge, looking for ice to dull the swelling on his face.

“Not with that name,” Jason grumbled, not entirely sure if Marinette was willing to stay after their argument.  Someday, somehow, he would tell her the full story of what happened to him.  Right now, that was a whole Pandora’s Box that he just wasn’t prepared to open.  Nestled at the bottom of that box was hope, a hope that no one else would meet that same fate.

“...Lucky Shot?”  Marinette suggested as she carried Tikki over to the sofa and sat down.  Both Jason and Roy looked up, it made some sense, seeing as they both used projectiles and she had her lucky charms.  Jason tentatively made his way back to the sofa, ice pack in hand.

“Sounds better than ‘Red Arse Bug’.” Jason remarked, as he sat back down. 

“Well, let’s see if our little adventure made the news” Roy said, as he reached for the TV remote.  Jason tuned out Vicki Vale’s voice as she reported on the fight that took place at the Iceberg Lounge. 

As Roy slept at their feet, Jason knew if they were going to continue working together as a team, they couldn’t keep her in the dark any longer.  

“Hey Marinette.” Jason speaks softly. Marinette's ears perk in surprise, hearing speak her name for the first time. “I’m sorry, for what I said and how we treated you. You’re right.” He gestures to the sleeping Roy on the floor, “Both of us started out as sidekicks, we both grew up in the shadows of Batman and Green Arrow. Both old men with impossibly high standards, everything we did was never enough.”   Marinette listened intently as she shuffled closer to him on the sofa.  “We’ve both been to hell and back, Marinette. Literally in my case.” he explained, Marinette glanced down at Tikki for a moment, as if silently asking if her magic was somehow involved in this.  “But always remember, we have each other’s backs, just like The Three Musketeers.” Jason told her, Marinette giggles at his literary reference.

“Roy’s Porthos, you’re Aramis, I guess that makes me D’Artagnan.” Marinette chimes. Jason loved to see that hopeful smile on her face.  What scared him the most was the idea that something or someone would try and take that away from her.  They couldn’t keep treating her like glass, and they couldn’t keep treating her like a sidekick if they wanted to keep her from making their mistakes.  They were all going to fight like hell to make sure this world didn’t break her the way it broke them.  Marinette leaned in close and rested her head on his shoulder.  He felt her calm even breathing, fanning his neck as she slept peacefully at his side.

[yannowhatigiveup]

My One And Only - Chapter 6

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Thank you so much for all the notes and reblogs! As I’m writing this I’m currently writing chapter 14. As more chapters are being written, I try to make them longer. Before my target was around 1000 words then it progressed to 1700 and then to 2000 so newer chapters will be updated less frequently.

Alya shook her head. "That isn't what I'm trying to say. What I'm trying to find out is who does she is love now?"

————————————————————

Marinette had been the one to collect the dinner despite Damian's constant requests to help. Despite her short size, Marinette managed to transport the food from the door to the dinning table in his hotel room, which Damian found surprising as she was way much stronger than she looked. Damian thanked her for bringing the food and sat in the chair directly in front of her so that it would be much easier to talk, after pushing her chair in for her.

"So, Shaytan" Marinette said while struggling to cut the vegetarian steak. "What did you want to ask?".

Damian smiled and got up to place his hands on hers, then he helped cut the steak before sitting back down. She giggled. "Earlier you asked what my reason for coming to Paris was. I shall fully answer that question now. My reason for coming was to gain more information about the alleged attacks happening here" Damian was slightly shocked at how Marinette's facial expressions changed from happy and bubbly to serious, though he didn't show it. This was a serious topic after all.

"Well first of all, the attacks are happening, they have been for over a year now." Damian's shock was plastered all over his face 'They've been dealing with this for over a year?' "Second of all" she took a piece of steak and swallowed it before continuing. "The Paris police force aren't dealing with this by themselves, there are superheroes here"

"Well Angel, who are they?"

"Well when the attacks first started a superhero duo was always there to defeat them. A girl called Ladybug and a boy called Chat Noir" she took another bite of steak. "But since the villains have gotten a lot stronger, they've expanded to a superhero team. On hero's day was one of the most biggest attacks and at the time, the superhero team was at five members. The other heroes were Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen Bee." Damian was impressed at how much Marinette could say without needing to take breaths of air.

"And who is the one responsible for these attacks?"

"Hawkmoth" Marinette said taking yet another piece of steak. "When someone's negative emotions passes a certain limit, Hawkmkth uses an Akuma to akumatize that person, turning them into a villain with powers. If you're wondering, an akuma is a butterfly filled with Hawkmoth's power. I heard he can control them to go to a certain victim but if the akuma is far away, he can't control the villain or get in contact with the akuma." Marinette took another piece of steak, in her defense it was really good, for a vegetarian steak. "But recently there has been a new villain working on his side, Mayura. She creates something similar to an akuma but it's call an amok and it's in the shape of a feather. What the amok does is create a sentimonster. A sentimonster is fueled by emotions and can be controlled only by the person who holds the object with the amok inside"

"Yes that does make sense. So how many superheroes has there been in total and what are the ages of all of them, including Hawkmoth and Mayura?"

"I believe there have been ten different superheroes." She began listing them all out loud. "Ladybug, Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen Bee, Viperion, Pegasus, Ryuko, King Monkey and Multimouse. Yep ten but most of them have only appeared once. And they're all in between the ages of 14-16, I'd say. Hawkmoth and Mayura however are adults"

"So you're saying that two adults are putting the lives of a maximum of ten kids in danger" Marinette nodded. "But what is his motive?"

"I honestly have no idea" Marinette put bluntly while putting another piece of steak in her mouth. She then glanced at the time and realised she had to go home soon. She looked at the half eaten steak, she sighed "I have to go Damian I'm so sorry, I'm can tell you every thing I know through text if you want me to,"

"No it's fine, you go home and home a good sleep. We can talk tomorrow" Damian was surprised when Marinette hugged him before leaving. Of course, he hugged her back.

A few hours after Marinette left, Damian opened the computer to a shared document, surprisingly, Tim was on it at the time. The system showed that Tim was typing something.

Tim: Wow, no rest for Demon Spawn eh?

Damian rolled his eyes at his older brother's comment. He dragged his mouse down the document, searching for a certain column labeled 'current situation'. There he could give a general idea of how bad it was here at Paris. Marinette and told him so much already but his gut told him that she had more to tell. Though he didn't like the thought of becoming soft, he didn't mind being that soft around Mari. 'Everyone else? Hell no'. He quickly found the column he was looking for. He then selected an option out of the possible five, 'critical'. This meant that Paris was in serious danger. He knew that Tim was watching, probably drowning himself in coffee, but the dark-haired boy was surprised when Tim didn't sent a message straight away. As the three dots appeared, indicating that Tim had begun to type, Damian signed off. He liked it when he seemed mysterious.

Then Damian remembered that Marinette never got to finish her steak. Not wanting to waste it, he decided to have it as a midnight snack.

~~~

"Oh Tikki! I had an amazing time with Damian" the bluenette gushed to her kwami.

"You seemed very happy in his company Marinette!" Tikki squeaked. "But how will you be able to move on after he's gone back to Gotham?"

Marinette frowned. "Well, I'll worry about that when the time comes". She then thought about all the fun she had at the dark-haired boy's hotel room then the thought about how he made her blush like mad. Again the moment made her blush again, just not as much as earlier. Then the thought hit her. "Tikki, when I put Damian's head on my lap, do you think he thought it meant something else?"

"You let him rest his head in you're lap? Wow I never saw that!" Marinette went red again, this time she didn't have Damian's shoulder to hide herself. 'I guess that's my new coping mechanism, but I'm not complaining. He's also really hot when he smirks- gAH'

~~~

It was 4 pm. Tim wasn't really tired, he was just a caffeine addict, this was his fifth cup in the span of a single hour. If Damian was here, he would likely look at him with judging eyes. 'But he isn't here so hah, take that Demon Spawn'. Just when he said that in his mind, a message arrived saying that Damian was online.

"Speak of the devil" Tim muttered, taking another sip of coffee. He decided to write him a message.

Tim: Wow, no rest for Demon Spawn eh?

Though he wasn't really expecting him to reply, he didn't expect Damian to do what he did next. Tim watched as Damian changed the situation column for 'No Information' to 'Critical'. "What the-" Tim saw that Dick was in the room. "Dick could you pull up a live feed from Paris?"

"Aight"

The TV showed a peaceful and quiet Paris, not like the one you would expect if it were labeled under 'critical'. Tim was so confused he began to type a message but noticed that Damian had signed off. Dick, seeing Tim's confused nature, came over to look at the computer. "What was he referring to? What the hell is going on?"

———

Taglist: @little-bluestar, @miracleofadisaster, @frieddonutsweets

[graaythekwami]

There are two types of episodes I die for: 1) Adrien seeing the absolutely awesome LADYBUG side of Marinette- her passion, creativity, pure heart, and quick thinking- that is never showed to him because of how awkward and stuttery Mari is around him. 2) LB actually being able to confide in CN. It’s said that they’re a team, they balance each other out, but I kinda feel CN is underrepresented. In Sentibbuboer, it seen that Mari doesn’t even want CN to know about Alya. Your thoughts on this?

I love those kind of episodes too. :)

Usually Chat Noir being left in the dark frustrates me, with both Marinette and Adrien being main characters it is annoying to constantly see Adrien’s character being pushed to the side. However, unlike is some previous episodes/seasons, I think Chat Noir being left in the dark in season 4 is actually well written and important story-wise.

It’s a theme we’ve been seeing across the episodes this season, with Chat being less and less involved in fights, and we’ve been seeing Chat Noir’s growing frustration towards it. This doesn’t feel like an instance of writers favoring a character, but rather part of their character arcs-- and as such I am completely here for it. Though I know the eventual LadyNoir fight will probably be painful, I hope their partnership becomes stronger from it in the end.

Marinette’s definitely making a mistake with keeping Chat Noir out of the loop, but she’s not doing it maliciously. In fact, she doesn’t seem to realize the tension is building at all. Adrien is a master of hiding his emotions, and we see him doing this as Chat in front of Ladybug. He’s keeping things bottled up, and she doesn’t realize just how much she’s isolating him or how that’s hurting him. It’s going to eventually come to a head, and it probably won’t be too pretty. 

I think Marinette not wanting Chat Noir to know about Alya is the result of how things were when Master Fu was in charge, and what happened with Chat Blanc. From the nightmare in Sentibubbler with Chat Blanc (and the fact that as soon as Marinette saw Chat Blanc she knew it was a nightmare, suggesting that this isn’t the first time she had nightmares about him) we can tell this definitely had a deep impact on her.

Marinette doesn’t know the full story of what lead to Chat being akumatized, all she knows is that him knowing her identity equals Chat Blanc. In her mind, Chat Noir not knowing things like her identity is keeping him safe from Hawk Moth. Combine that with how Master Fu continuously kept her in the know but not Chat, it’s not surprising that it might have become habit by now. As much as I love Master Fu, I do think he could have handled many things better.

With Fu now gone Marinette now lost her support that knows about both sides of the mask-- and she has it ingrained in her not to tell Chat in order to protect him. So she instead turned to Alya-- Alya is the new Master Fu for Marinette. The new person to know both sides of her life, that she can talk to about anything, and that can support her. But even then Marinette is hesitant to trust Alya fully in this role, as we see from the fears in her dreams: Marinette is in the mindset that she has to carry this burden on her own, and that is affecting her ability to fully trust. Sentibubbler was an important episode because it allowed Marinette to see how much she can trust Alya, and allows her to have that support she needs.

However, while she has that support, Chat Noir does not, and he needs it as much as she does. Ladybug was his support in the mask, not Master Fu, but with Ladybug not there like she used to be it is impacting him. Chat Noir does not care about Ladybug being the Guardian and him not-- in Truth he said as long as it doesn’t change things between them he’s fine-- but now things are changing. In Furious Fu he told Ladybug that he’d give up his ring if she asked him too (aka give up Plagg, aka his only support at home), because he trusts her and respects her role as Guardian. It was when he found out that her memories of him could be erased that he fought Su-Han, because their bond and partnership was at stake. To him it isn’t the Miraculouses that makes them partners, it’s everything they’ve been through together. And now he feels like he’s losing that bond.

Marinette was not wrong to confide or trust in Alya. Marinette was under so much pressure, and she needed that support, it was a good thing for her to do. The issue is that she hasn’t told Chat Noir everything that has happened and it’s affecting their partnership, and in turn Chat Noir hasn’t told Ladybug how this is impacting him, something I know she would try to resolve if she realized what was happening.

Adrien doesn’t deserve to be left in the dark, and Marinette doesn’t deserve the burden placed on her. The answer is simple-- bring Chat Noir into the know, allowing Chat to both support Ladybug and have a full knowledge of what’s going on. Unfortunately with the tension that’s building up, we’re probably going to have a clash before a resolve.

The problem here is the lack of communication, and I hope this all leads up to them learning to better communication as partners, and to be a stronger duo than before. :)

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Float Like A Butterfly... Chapter 5: So Last Season

Summary: Now that Adrien is no longer Chat Noir he doesn't have to get hit all the time. Unfortunately, his luck doesn't seem to have gotten the memo... Or has it?

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

"So, how're you holding up?"

"Please, Adrien, it's my mother! I'm positively ecstatic!"

"Exactly. It's your mother."

Chloe looked down for a second before her eyes snapped back up, any doubts she had hidden in an instant. "She's finally coming back! I'll finally be able to show her what she's been missing." Chloe tossed her ponytail back to emphasize the unspoken Me. "Now, I've gotta go. Sabrina insisted we do an 'emotional support routine' or whatever beforehand. Ciao!"

Sighing, Adrien stared at his phone for a moment before putting it down. He knew Chloe was grateful for Sabrina's help but it was still a struggle getting her to admit it.

Or getting her to admit how much Audrey had hurt her.

It was one thing to travel halfway around the world for your career and leave your daughter behind. It was something else entirely to completely ignore her. In all the years since Audrey left Chloe hadn't received a single birthday gift, phone call or text message. Adrien would know. Chloe would've bragged about it endlessly if her mother had taken so much as two seconds to acknowledged her existence-

Adrien's foot jerked, striking the vanity table and making the connected mirror tremble. Heart suddenly pounding against his chest as tension built up in his forehead. Distressed expression reflecting back at him.

Breathe, Adrien. Breathe.

Slowly, he inhaled.

Then exhaled.

Again.

Good.

He was okay.

Adrien was okay.

Guilt pricked like a thorn for thinking of his own problems when Chloe needed him. Adrien crushed it with his anger and annoyance but it was still there. Like a splinter that wouldn't come out.

I hate you.

Swiping out of the video chat Adrien tapped on Nino's number. It rang... and rang... and rang...

He's annoyed with me. I did something wrong again and Nino doesn't want to-

Adrien smacked both sides of his face. No, dummy! Nino's just busy or something. Stop that!

It wasn't every day a teenage DJ provided the music for Paris Fashion Week, after all. Nino had to make sure all his equipment was working properly.

The door to his dressing room burst open.

"Adrien, your friend Mlle. Dupain-Cheng will be bringing the last article of the new Gabriel line," Nathalie announced. "Your father expects everything to be perfect for Audrey Bourgeois."

"Doesn't he always?" Adrien deadpanned.

Nathalie stared at his watery eyes before typing something into her tablet. "Your performance on catwalks only has a 99% success rate. He expects you'll do better."

Father thinks you're a failure just like everyone else. He-

Shut up! Adrien felt something heavy settle in his chest.

One of the makeup artists came rushing in and Nathalie gestured her towards Adrien. "Touch up his eyes," she instructed and then left.

Jaw clenching, Adrien sat perfectly still as the makeup artist did her job. He was never entirely sure what the staff thought about him. 'Professional' was a word that was tossed around a lot. That used to fill him with a little pride... Before all of this.

The last person to suggest that a thirteen year old mourning his mother wasn't 'professional' so much as he was 'depressed' had never come back to work... Oh. Adrien had forgotten about that.

Finishing quickly, the makeup artist left too. Leaving Adrien with his thoughts. He didn't want to be with his thoughts at the moment. They were distracting and Nathalie had not been subtle.

I hate-

His phone vibrated as it received someone's text.

Ni-Non: hey dude!

Ni-Non: it's crazy over here man

Ni-Non: break a leg! ;)

Adrien smiled as his unpleasant mood faded to the back of his mind... And if he saw similarities between his family and Chloe's, well, that's why he could empathize with her.

Adrien: That's theater but I guess there's not much difference.

Adrien: Thanks. ^_^

 ---------------

There was a knock at his door. Adrien stopped fidgeting in the awkward suit to go answer it.

"Hello, Marinette." Adrien smiled in greeting.

"Oh, uh, hello!" Marinette gave a small wave as she stepped up the short stairs and-

Adrien braced himself with one foot while his hands went to her shoulders. Steadying Marinette as she quickly removed her weight from him.

"Oh! Uh, sorry." Marinette looked away in embarrassment at having tripped into him.

"... No worries!" Adrien smiled as he shook his head. Marinette seemed... subdued. Reaching down to pick up the hat that had fallen. "Oh, no." The artificial feather Marinette made for his allergies had come loose. "I hope it's not too hard to fix it."

Marinette looked down. "Uh, y'know, it doesn't really matter. This hat is a complete failure anyway."

"What? No, it's not!" Adrien rose to his feet quickly in shock. "Why would you say that?"

"Because... the queen of fashion, Audrey Bourgeois, saw it and hated it!" Marinette's hands covered her face, voice breaking. "I'm sorry, Adrien. I really messed up. I'm a total no talent!" Her arms wrapped around herself in a hug. "Please, don't put it on," she pleaded.

Adrien's heart went out to Marinette as she laid her insecurities bare. "Marinette, everything's going to be fine." He searched for the proper spot to reattach the feather,  fiddling with it as Adrien reassured her. "Your hat looks great. I think it's awesome and so does... my father." Adrien cleared his throat as he managed to fix her hat. "Otherwise he wouldn't have picked it for me. Look!"

Putting Marinette's hat on Adrien walked across the dressing room like he was already performing. Striking a few poses to ease Marinette's anxiety. "See?"

It seemed to work as Marinette gave a small smile. "You got that catwalk down," she complimented.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Really? Thank you."

"Ah-hem," Nathalie cleared her throat. "We have to go." Without waiting for Marinette she turned on her heel and started walking towards the viewing area.

Adrien rolled his eyes but smiled at Marinette's back as she hurried to catch up. Turning back to look at himself in the mirror Adrien scanned his outfit. The suit may have been generic and a few seams too close to last year's entry but Marinette's hat was fire.

"Okay!" Adrien was gonna go out there and make sure they recognized Marinette's talent!

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

Holding Marinette's hat to his chest Adrien stuck his head out in a decidedly 'unprofessional' manner. Spotting Marinette's family and a bunch of his friends in the first row. Adrien's blond head caught Nino's eye from across the catwalk and he gave him a thumbs up.

Adrien waved as he ducked back behind the corner before the photographers could take any pictures of the Agreste heir acting like a kid.

You got this, Adrien. Nino's DJ-ing, your classmates came -even though most of them don't care about fashion- with any luck Alix and Kim will tease you about it for the next month.

That would give Adrien the opportunity to dish out a bunch of jokes he never got the chance to use!

The music started; that was his cue.

You got this!

Adrien posed on the runway. Camera flashes already starting. Strutting down the catwalk Adrien smirked at Marinette. See? Stopping at the platform's end he posed in various angles for the photographers. Nino seemed to be enjoying himself too and that made Adrien's smile come much more naturally.

A small eruption boomed behind him and Adrien turned to see Hawkmoth's latest fashion disaster. Gasping, as his heart started hammering in his chest.

"A fashion show without the Queen of Style!? Glitter-ally unacceptable!" The akuma villain announced. "Where's that ungrateful Gabriel Agreste. I demand that he kneels before me!"

Ugh, what has he done now?

"My father isn't here," Adrien snapped in annoyance. Hearing people running for the exits.

"Well, then. If fashion disaster daddy isn't here I'll just have to settle for Agreste Junior! You're fired!"

Adrien's eyes widened as he stepped back. Golden glitter exploding everywhere as his body became numb and his senses dark-

-Glowing ladybugs swirled around him as Adrien had the disorienting feeling of laying  down when he could've sworn he'd been standing. Glancing around, Adrien realized he was now at the Eiffel Tower.

"Adrik- Adrien!" Chloe tackled him as he stood, throwing her arms around him. "I was so scared!"

Adrien blinked in surprise as Chloe set her head on his shoulder. Not letting him go... Adrien smiled as he hugged her back. Enjoying this genuine display of affection.

"Pound it!"

Head snapping towards the sound Adrien saw another Black Cat, this one a girl with long, reddish hair, fist bump Ladybug. They grinned at each other in post battle relief.

I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!

A chill to rival Frozer's ice covered Adrien from head to toe. It was one thing to see Ladybug working with a different Black Cat on the news. Quite another to have his replacement. Three. Frickin. Meters. In front of him!

Chloe didn't notice... Or rather Adrien didn't notice when she'd let go to help her mother. Who tried to fire her own daughter as thanks.

Adrien jerked his eyes away from the superhero duo-

I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!

-Away from the Miraculous holders and forced himself to listen to whatever the Bourgeois were saying. Ears ringing as Ladybug and the Black Cat talked about something behind him...

"Oh, mom. If only you knew what a great team we made!" Chloe trailed after her mother as they walked down the tower's stairs; attempting to capture her attention. "We fired a bunch of incompetents. It was awesome. We should really spend more time together! What if I went back to New York with you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Casserole- Eh, Chloe!" Audrey dismissed. "First I have to get back to Gabriel Agreste's fashion show. And they better..."

Adrien's eyes narrowed as he looked down from the railing, his grip on it tightening. Heat from a growing indignation melting the ice he felt. What did she just call Chloe?

"Adrien Agreste, right? I can give you a lift back if you want."

His tensed body jerked in surprise as Adrien realized Ladybug was standing right behind him. Throat and chest constricting as his thoughts whirled. Spots darkened his vision as he felt lightheaded. Adrien's knuckles becoming white, the metal railing digging into his skin. A single thought rose above the ringing in his ears.

I don't wanna talk to her.

Giving his best model smile, Adrien schooled his features. "Ah, thanks but-" he pointed down, "-I should really check on them."

"O-oh! Of course!"

Ladybug's face was out of focus but Adrien could still feel the melancholy in her voice.

Powering past his queasy stomach Adrien made his way to the stairs. The sound of Ladybug's yo-yo whirring reached his ears; signaling her departure. Adrien took a shuddering gasp as he leaned against a metal pillar for support. Body suddenly limp.

Breath accelerating Adrien tried to calm himself. Why was he up here? Had- Had Audrey's blast mind controlled him? Again!? He couldn't breathe.

Adrien sank to his knees as he felt his skin crawl at the idea of that- that- asshole reaching into his mind and taking away his free will. He hated it! He HATED it!

Gasping as his rage broke him out of the panic, Adrien steadied his breathing... He wanted- no, needed to know what happened... Which meant getting up and moving forward... Forcing himself to his feet Adrien wiped the sweat from his brow and followed the others down.

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

"Remind me to tell your father to fire the person in charge of the Eiffel Tower elevators..." Audrie panted. "This is... unacceptable... utterly unacceptable!"

"Of course, mom. Oh!" Chloe glanced down to see what she'd stumbled on.

Adrien looked up as he fanned himself with Marinette's hat.

And dropped it.

He stared open mouthed at the small, black, octagonal box in Chloe's hands. Heartbeat leaping into his throat.

What the hell is THAT doing here!?

"Ooh! What's this?" Chloe turned the box around in her hands but didn't open it.

Adrien suddenly forgot his exhaustion and rushed to her side. The lie coming easily to his lips. "Oh, I recognize that! They sell them at antique shops."

"Ew, it's old! Get it away from me!" Chloe practically hurled it at Adrien.

Catching it easily. A thrill ran up Adrien's arms and down his spine as the box made contact with his skin. The hairs at the back of his neck standing on end.

Chloe dusted her hands and kept walking. Glancing nervously at her mother. Hoping Audrey hadn't seen her with something so outdated.

I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! The voice in his head said.

Shut up, Adrien told it as he stared at the unknown Miraculous in his hand. Heartbeat hammering in his chest. But it wasn't from fear. No, it was... anticipation.

The corners of Adrien's lips curled upwards.

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

Notes: Oh, would you look at that. I'm back! It only took... eight months!