#marinette in heat

[aeolusinthesky]

love danny phantom, mlb, and dc, but somehow not the crossovers? idk why. you would think id find it the best of both/all worlds but i just cant get behind the oversaturation of the crossovers in fanfic, probably because so much of what makes the originals so interesting gets lost in translation. this holds true for so many elements in these three seperate things, but mostly its the fanonization of the batfam and particularly tim drake that turns me off. the way fanon sees tim has truly turned me off the character

[er0dedc0pper]

Disabled Marinette is actually so important to me. Need her getting unusually heated during a fight and collapsing, than immediately getting back to beating the fuck out of HawkMoth. Her having the most thick and blinding brain fog, so she doesn’t even attempt to explain her insane lucky charm plans, instead muttering a few words and hoping Chat understands. He does, like 99% of the time. The nightmares she has are insane, like her body is so heat intolerant that she absolutely embraces the cold nights she spends with Chat. It’s fine, the cool wind helps balance her lack of temperature regulation! I also feel like after particularly hard fights, migraines and nausea enveloped her. But I also feel like the power from tikki gives her the energy too continue when Marinette wouldn’t. Ladybug definitely masks her chronic illness, like sorry I threw up! My lunch wasn’t sitting right! And with Tikki’s power, it’s easy to act abled! Though even sometimes, her disability overcomes the tiny god’s abilities!

Also; Ladybug using her luck charm too summon a mobility aid only to beat the crap out of what ever villain is terrorizing Paris.

Meanwhile, Marinette is very open about her disability, though I feel like it would be in character for literally no one to catch on about it. Like Marinette? Yeah she’s just super clumsy! She’s super ditzy and forgetful too! She also misses a lot of school and sleeps like 15 hours! But that’s just Marinette for you! The only ones to actually notice would probably be Félix, Kagami, and surprisingly, Chloe. Though Luka is suspicious of her constant state of fatigue!

Even with all of that, Marinette still helps her families bakery, sews, draws, and does super heroine things! It’s a mix of “I’m actually capable of doing things” and an unhealthy obsession with being hyper independent. Because resting and relying on someone feels like a burden, and the hero of Paris must always be useful!

This of course, ensues a nasty and straight up horrific burn out. Yikes! She’d looks like a walking corpse after HawkMoths defeat…

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I just realize you're the only person who point out that Felix and Kagami would be just as in the wrong for hiding the truth from Adrien. Most people I know puts the blame entirely on Marinette and like yeah, I get it it's really bad she would keep something like that a secret from her boyfriend but at the same time how do you deal with that big of a burden?

If it were up to me, I'd make her deal with it the same way like in the Dragon Prince with how Rayla tries to tell Callum and Ezran about their dad being dead but idk, maybe it's not the same with Adrien so it's unfair.

I'm just irritated at people who blame Marinette just cuz she's her gf and not at the adults like Nathalie or Amelie, Marinette's a child, what about Felix and Kagami? They care about Adrien too right?

Yep, it's somehow all Marinette's fault even though Felix knew for all of season five. He knew before then, too, but at least you could argue that he was fearing for his life in previous seasons. As soon as he got the peacock? No excuse. Especially since he got the peacock by trading away Adrien's freedom. A thing he arguably didn't even need to do since I don't think anyone believes that Gabriel would have said, "No" to only getting all of the miraculous. Felix just offers up the ring without even waiting for Gabriel to ask for it. A master negotiator this boy is not.

To add even more insult to injury, season five gives Felix a subplot about informing freaking Kagami and faking her amok. A girl he literally just met gets the treatment that Felix arguably owes to Adrien after all the shit Felix has put him through. You can't even argue that Felix did it because Tomoe isn't a threat on the scale of Gabriel. She's literally a co-conspirator in season five and Felix knows that because Kagami wouldn't be a sentimonster if Tomoe wasn't involved. And Tomoe has always been written as far more hands-on than Gabriel when it comes to controlling her kid, so this isn't even a case of Felix picking the easier target. He doesn't care about easy targets or subterfuge since he, you know, kidnaps Kagami in front of her mother?

But does anyone in the fandom seem to acknowledge that? No and I really don't get it. If hate must be assigned to a character and not the writers, then Felix deserves so much more hate than Marinette.

Kagami isn't innocent either. She knew the truth for about half of the season and yet she doesn't seem to care about telling Adrien. At the same time, she's fine outing Ladybug's secret identity and fine telling Marinette everything, none of which is done in the name of justice. Kagami does it all for purely selfish reasons. To me, this was as much of a character assassination as the whole Kagami believing Lila thing even though Kagami should know the truth about Lila after the Oni-chan incident (Lila faking the kissing picture and texting it to Adrien's contacts).

Then there's Nathalie. In my opinion, Nathalie's redemption is a joke and one of the key reasons for that is how little she cares about actually saving Adrien. At no point does she tell him the truth even though she knows she's dying. She could have very easily died much sooner than the final, leaving Adrien to obey Gabriel's commands, never knowing that he was being controlled. She doesn't even try to find someone else to guard Adrien's ring. She just maintains the status quo and pretends that everything is fine while occasionally asking Gabriel to pretty please change his mind and think of Adrien? Please?

Lady, you literally pinned this man to a table at the start of the season and you are his second in command. You know all his secrets. You have access to everything. You have the power to take him down. You have the power to save Adrien. You are an awful, awful mother figure who put Gabriel's wants above Adrien's needs right up to the very end. Did you even think you had a chance to fire that cross bow or was this just another, "I'm totally helping" feel good moment to assuage your guilty conscious before you died?

And Amelie. Oh, Amelie. If you hate what Colt did to your son, then why are you idly standing by while Gabriel does the same thing to your nephew? You know that Felix has the peacock, so he's safe from being snapped. Why aren't you encouraging him to help Adrien? Or, if you want to keep protecting Felix, then why don't YOU go to Ladybug and Chat Noir and tell them that Gabriel is behind everything? Surely you have to know that Felix isn't safe as long as Gabriel has all those miraculous, right? Gabriel knows that you and your son know everything. A terrorist knows that you're a chink in his armor. Why aren't you terrified by that?

In summary: yeah, Marinette should tell Adrien. It's totally fair to be mad at her. But dear God, she should never have been put in a position where she needed to tell him because one of these four should have done it long before the end of season five! The fact that Marinette was put in this position in the first place is terrible, nonsensical, illogical writing. So go ahead and be mad at Marinette, but you sure as shit better be just as mad at the people who knew everything and did nothing, leaving a teenage girl to face it all alone while bearing the safety of the world on her shoulders.

[lily-drake]

The Demon's Queen

Chapter 17

First <> Previous

Mari is 18 Damian is 19

“Okay, let's start the trimonthly meeting,” Superman announced from the head of the table.  The Watchtower was filled with the founding members of the Justice League to go over everything that had happened in the last three months, which was a lot.  

“Well let’s begin with the most major events,” Batman grumbled, “There were four mass scale alien invasions that involved the whole League plus Young Justice.”

“Thankfully we were able to solve two of them with civil treaty talk,” Wonder Woman chimed in, a gentle smile on her lips as she reminisced on the events.  

“The other two had to be captured which resulted in the mass destruction of New York, New Jersey, Missouri, California, and Oregon,” Black Carny listed, “from there we had to help pay for reconstruction.  Batman, how much did we have to pay?”

Batman gave the whole League his normal flat look, seemingly unimpressed with the group.  “$1.6 billion,” he growled, scowling at the rest of the members, most of which didn’t meet his gaze.

“Right!”  Superman exclaimed.  “We’ll go over the cost of everything at the end.  Next on the agenda is reconnaissance missions and what we’ve learned.”

“The Young Justice team has gone on nearly fifteen missions in the past three months, most of which were successful.  From their hard work we were able to prevent five Kobra-Venom shipments,” Flash began to quickly list off, “having skimmed the reports, the few that went off the rails were quickly resolved and handled by other members of the JLA.  Going along those lines it was also discovered tha-”

A loud ringing went off and everyone looked back at Superman with a blank stare. “Sorry everyone, it’s one of my emergency lines that I give to citizens, let me juuust-oh.”  After Superman had removed the small device his face fell from his usual cheery demeanor into something more tired and solemn.  “It’s Mrs. Dupain-Cheng again.”

There were a few frustrated sighs from around the room, others simply shaking their heads in exasperation.  As of today it had been one full year since one Marinette Dupain-Cheng had officially gone missing.  She and her husband had been calling them every few weeks demanding updates, but the truth was that they hadn’t found anything.  Even when Tim had thought he had gotten a lead, it ended up falling flat as there was nothing they could deduce purely from black clothes.

Not only that, but ever since her disappearance, there hasn’t been a single magical attack, which has made looking for her a lower priority.  It wasn’t that they wanted her to stay missing or for a lack of scouting, but the matter of fact was that they were dealing with bigger active threats on a day-to-day basis, and there were simply no clues as to where she could be.  They let the message go to voicemail and continued on the meeting with a more sober tone.

__________

Ladybug and Chat Noir Were the Villains All Along–An Informative Article About the Truth Behind Akuma Attacks and the “Heroes” Who “Protected” Paris.

16:24 Written by: J. Jona Jámesón (previously hosted on Wild Safari)  & Raine Coffee Chaos

It has now been officially one year since Paris’ so-called “heroes” have vanished, along with the emotional terrorist known as Hawkmoth.  The last sighting of the heroes was during the last battle with the Akumatized victim known as The Reaper, a twelve-year-old boy that has chosen to remain anonymous.  

In that last battle, the video was captured of the Akuma, The Reaper, having the ability to take the lives of any person or being that came near their scythe or made direct eye contact.  Other videos taken by popular blogger, Alya Césaire, showed that both of our heroes greatly struggled with this Akuma, where Chat Noir once more fell victim to it, and once more Ladybug barely succeeded on her own.  Since the end of that battle both our heroes have simply disappeared along with the villain that brought them to light in the first place; which begs the question: were they ever heroes to begin with?

*video of final akuma attack from “The Ladyblog” filmed by Alya Césaire*

Take that masked menace the Flash, for example.  He presents himself as a protector of the masses with his super speed, but has a suspiciously cordial relationship with his ‘Rogues gallery’. These villains are known to have a moral code, avoiding unnecessary harm to innocents and children while committing their various nefarious crimes. It’s more than likely that they’re in cahoots with Flash; pulling off their various stunts with him acting as the “hero”.  Making it so that the police cannot properly do their jobs. He is wrongly adored by the unsuspecting masses in Central City, even having a museum! Perhaps he cooperates with the Rogues in a desire for attention and infamy! 

However, just as people worship the Flash, the people of Paris worship Ladybug and Chat Noir.  And now that Parisians are no longer afraid to talk about the atrocities inflicted on them, it has been widely speculated the heroes that Parisians so heavily relied on were mere children ! If we study the very first video taken of Ladybug and Chat Noir five years ago compared to the most current video of them, it is obvious that the both of them had grown and matured at the same rate as an average teenager.  A set of teenagers could never accomplish what Ladybug and Chat Noir have done on their own! There must have been someone behind the scenes.

*Photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir side-by-side during Stone Heart right next to an image of Ladybug and Chat Noir side-by-side during The Reaper *

Who’s to say that, in the end, these kids were not in fact working with Hawkmoth the entire time? Their job: to create mass fear and panic among the citizens of Paris so that everyone would fear for the safety of themselves and the children, who were most at risk if you look at the Akuma, Gigantitan, who was only 5 months when first akumatized, and was targeted nearly 18x after through the years for minuscule, child-like frustrations.  

From this prolonged fear-epidemic, studies have shown a mass decrease in mental health and an extreme increase in the unhealthy coping skill of suppressing emotions so as not to be a target.  This in turn has led to a massive increase of people searching for and spending on therapists, where there is a shortage of them in Paris. Commonly referred to as the ‘Captive Hearts Epidemic’. And with the government being unwilling to bring in more from outside the city, and France as a whole unwilling to bring more in from out of the country, it is not hard to believe that this was a ruse for people to spend more money to big Healthcare Companies.  We have already seen time and time again that Mayor Bourgeois is a corrupt politician only interested in putting more euros in his own private account.  It is not hard to believe that he paid off these children and mysterious entities to terrorize the city into buying higher and more expensive health plans, especially since any damage done by these so-called heroes–rather conveniently–just magically disappears; so he never has to worry about paying for any reconstruction.  

This war has gone on for over five years without end.  The very sudden disappearance of Paris’ heroes and villains without so much as a warning is far too suspicious.  It makes no sense as Ladybug and Chat Noir have had no trouble making public appearances and taking interviews.  It’s obvious they care about how they are portrayed through the media, so why disappear without telling anyone unless they were caught and forced to give it up? Are we truly in the clear, or are we just coming home to a peaceful disaster? 

17:07 RenaRougeOfficial:

How dare you make up such blatant lies and falsehoods!  Ladybug and Chat have defended and rescued our people every day, putting aside everything in their lives for us. 

Instead of trying to vilify them, why not think of the actual reason they disappeared.  Perhaps they defeated Hawkmoth and decided to leave the scene to live in peace.  Or maybe they got injured when defeating Hawkmoth and didn’t want anyone to know.  Or perhaps it’s because 

“Ohhh, that’s a good one Alya, here add this,” Adrien jumped in, startling Alya from her rant filled with righteous fury.  She was forcefully pushed aside as Adrien began to type on the keyboard, adding to her rant.

you are just lacking in brain cells.  Ladybug and Chat Noir risked their lives every single day so that this city, this world even, could continue on.  They put the world on their shoulders knowing that if they failed then the universe itself could have been destroyed.  Stop trying to destroy the heroes' reputations simply because you want clicks and views.

“And, send!”  Alya announced, slamming her finger on the button.  “Now, onto the next one,” she declared while opening a new tab.

“Okay, that’s enough you two,” Nino called out.

“Oh come on Nino!  Just one more,” his girlfriend begged.

“You said that five articles ago.  I’ve only tolerated you two doing this for so long because of the day.  But if you keep going we’re gonna be late,” Nino barged in, powering off the computer before either could do much as protest.  

Adrien and Alya looked away from Nino, a deep sadness penetrating their hearts, the same sadness they had been trying to ignore all day, all year really.

Nino watched as Adrien rubbed at his finger, twisting a ring that was no longer there.  He had been an absolute wreck the day it had gone missing, saying that it was a parting gift from his mother.  Nino could tell he was lying, but didn’t pry as, at the time, it looked like he had just watched someone die.  And then with the news of a mysterious attacker stabbing both his father and Nathalie had both been stabbed in their own home and had nearly died of blood loss.  Even though he was a terrible dad, Nino didn’t think he deserved that .  And Marinette was still missing.  It felt as if everything was falling apart at the seams.

"Let's head over to the bakery.  Tom and Sabine are waiting for us," he whispered, turning away from his two friends so they wouldn't have to see his pain.

@The_Official_Ladyblog

The Truth of Paris’ Heroes: A Response to the Forgetful

22:34 Written by: Alya Cesaire

It has, unfortunately, come to my attention that there have been some doubts about the sincerity of our heroes and their intentions in fighting for our city. While my beliefs have personally never been shaken, I know that I was able to get to know the heroes on a much more personal level than most. The heroes were, as has been speculated, children. They never confirmed this to me, but I genuinely believe it to be true.

I believe that our heroes were in the same age range as myself, and as such, they were more comfortable opening up to me about the struggles they faced while they were saving our lives.

Ladybug used to cry to me, about how she had to lie to her family about who she was. About how she felt she was a bad friend for having to run away to fight a battle she never wanted to be a part of.

Chat Noir shared how isolated he felt. How he felt free in the suit compared to his life at home. How he had little to no support group to help share the burden of his secret.

They were indeed children, fighting in a war they had no reason to be fighting. They put their lives on the line every time there was an attack. They showed up for us without fail each and every time we needed them, and this is how we repay them?

This is how we thank them?

We come at them, with accusations and cruel assumptions in response to their sacrifices. They gave their very lives for Paris over and over again, and yet here they stand; accused of participating in the crimes they fought so desperately against. How is this fair to them?

How could we treat them this way?

I personally, would like to apologize. Not to Ladybug, the symbol of hope for Paris. Not to Chat Noir, the very definition of Loyalty. But to the people behind the mask. To the children behind the masks.

I’m sorry for how we have treated you, for the suspicion that has been cast upon you. For the doubts we have held as you held the very world on your shoulders. Thank you for always giving your life, for continuously fighting despite your own doubts, and for saving us every day without fail. I know better than anyone, that we did not deserve you.

I hope you find your peace, in the aftermath of Hawkmoth.

__________ Ever since her mission, things had changed in the base.  No longer were the other assassins skirting around her, giving her side glances, and weirdly enough, they were no longer ignoring her.  When she had first come back, Tomoe had kept her in the medical wing for three days, where during that time The Boy had come in to check on her wounds, before leaving without a word.  She had brushed it off as him wanting to make sure his prized possession was still capable of doing his dirty work, but there was something in his eyes she simply couldn’t place.

Then when she had left she could feel the eyes on her.  One of the members even gave her a bow of greeting.  

“Samiet 'anak dhahabt fi muhimat mae abn awa li'iinqadh baed al'atfali. eamil jid,” one of the others grunted.  It took her a moment, but she was able to mentally translate it to, Heard you went on a mission with the Jackals to rescue some kids.  Good work.   It made something in her feel warm.  Valued even.  The feeling lasted her the whole day.  But there was always a dark feeling in the back of her mind.  The reminder of what she was forced to do to free those kids haunting her day and night.

Her thoughts often wondered to the kids.  She had blacked out before she could even know what happened to them, but nobody knew, nobody except one person and she wasn’t going to go searching him out.  Granted she didn’t have to as he came to her.

Marinette had been reading the book Talia had given her–it was in Arabic so it took her a long time to translate making it a very slow read–but she had been reading it for so long that her head was starting to hurt.  Laying down on the small cot she stared at the beige ceiling, imaging the night sky.  As of her mission she had been less restricted, allowed to move more freely around the base.  Maybe she could use that to her advantage.  Setting the tome back on her small dresser.  The idea came with some risk, but at this point she was willing to take it.

Carefully sliding the dagger she was now allowed to keep into its sheath at her hip she exited her room, stalking through the halls on light feet.  Making sure that nobody noticed or followed her as she made her way to the stairs that lead to one of the towers that overlooked the base.  Slowly she went through the small trap door before closing it behind her.  There above her was the starry sky in all of its glory.  It was a warm night that carried a gentle breeze strong enough to brush her hair aside every so often.  The stars glowed brightly as the full moon shone down its ethereal light upon the whole mountain top.

From her perch she watched as the tall grass and wild flowers danced and bowed with the wind, listened to the sound of the night life playing around her, the feeling of being a mere spectator in this moment, the-

“What are you doing up here?”

Marinette nearly jumped out of her skin as she spun while pulling out her dagger in one swift move only to come face-to-face with The Boy.  She felt her grip tighten on the hilt of the blade, but didn’t move.

“I asked you a question,” he demanded blankly.

Her eyes narrowed, but slowly she stood from her stance while sheathing the dagger.  “I just wanted to see the stars.  Am I not allowed even after completing your mission?”

He didn’t respond, just stared her down, his green eyes almost glowing in the moonlight.  They stayed like that for a few minutes, staring into the others eyes before he broke the silence asking, “How are you faring?”  

The question took her by surprise.  How was she supposed to respond to that ?  “What do you mean?”  She questioned, crossing her arms in front of her.  

She watched as he slowly walked past her toward the wall, staring out at the base.  “I know that the first kill can be…onerous.”

Marinette stared at him like he had grown a second head, none of this made sense.  “Did you think I was going to kill myself?”

“No, however it is best to not dwell on those thoughts alone.”

“Well I was trying not to think about it right now, but as you so generously brought it up I guess I must spill my soul to you,” she replied sardonically.

“Tt.”

Marinette took a few steps away from him, watching him as she leaned against the stone railing.  His face never changed, always stoic, as if it were carved from stone.  His forest green eyes moved from side to side, scanning the area around him.  His hair was kept short, though the tips of his bangs brushed against his forehead as the wind continued to blow.  His shoulders tense, as if ready for a strike.

They stayed silent, minutes passing between them as they stared out the distance.  “Why me?”

She heard him sigh tiredly, not even looking at her as he spoke, “I already told you that.  I don’t like repeating myself.”

“No.  There is no way that you looked at me as Ladybug and me as Marinette and thought that I could ever be qualified to run this,” she stated, swinging her arm out at the end as if showcasing the base.

“You still doubt yourself,” he grunted, shaking his head disappointedly before turning to face her, looking her directly in her eyes.

“I will not repeat myself again, so listen closely, Marinette.  As Ladybug I saw your tenacity, bravery, strategic prowess, and dedication you held.  Even as Marinette you still held those exact traits, because even though you might have believed that you and Ladybug were two different people, the truth is that is simply not possible and you know it.  Even if you feel less confident you lead your class of fools with strength.  You never put yourself above your duty.  Even with the knowledge that you were killing yourself, you still took on the responsibility of ensuring the safety of your home.  I admire those traits, they are what make you a competent leader, and I believe that you would be an excellent asset in the League’s legacy.”  

Marinette stared at him in disbelief, brows furrowing as she replayed his words in her mind.  “I’m not just some asset you can use for your games!  Have you forgotten that I’m a person too?”

“Of course you are, I have never stated that you are not,” he huffed, a brow lifting as he spoke.

“Yes you did!  You have since the day I met you!  You only think of me as some sort of weapon, just another tool you can use.  Well I’m not a tool!  I only saved those kids because it was the right thing to do!  But you don’t even care, do you?  If you did, then those kids would be somewhere safe!”

“They are safe!  Each of them were returned to their families,” he stated firmly, stopping Marinette in her rant.  It was the first time she had heard him show any emotion in his voice.  “And those without a family were given the choice to either join the League and learn to fight for themselves or be sent to safe foster homes where they would be protected from being put in such a situation ever again.”

Marinette stared at him in awe, she hadn’t expected that.  She had truly thought that he would have forced all of the kids to join like he had her, or he would have hid them away somewhere else to keep them quiet.

“Then why didn’t I get a choice?!”  She yelled, tears of frustration pricking at her eyes, “Why has everyone here gotten a choice but me?”

Here he finally hesitated, turning his head away with furrowed brows.  They stood there for many moments, Marinette trying to catch her breath as her shoulders remained tense.

“It’s late…”

“Is that all you have to say?!  You can’t even answer this one, simple question?”

“You should go back to bed.”  And with those final words he retreated back down into the base leaving a simmering Marinette atop the parapet.

“HA!  That was real smooth, Lover Boy,” Plagg goaded as Damian walked briskly through the halls.

“What are you going on about?” Damian demanded angrily as he snatched the pocket sized god out of his hair.  How the infernal beast was able to hide there so often without his notice he still could not discover.

Plagg gave him a large Cheshire grin as he stared up at the boy, “I’ve seen a lot of fighting in my life, but nothing compares to these.”

Damian rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh.  Sure he admired Marinette and her tenacity, but she was just so infuriating!  She was obstinate, brash, an idealist, and argumentative.  There was always a blazing fire behind her sapphire eyes, always alight with the need to prove herself.  It was as aggravating as it was endearing.

Shoving the small, laughing god into one of his hidden pockets he entered his rooms and tried to push away the question he could not answer that echoed in his mind.

“Can you believe him, TIkki?!  First he demands I answer his question then he refuses to answer mine, and not only that but he runs away!  Can you believe that Tikki?!”  Marinette turned to her right looking up in the air expecting to see her small red and black friend, but was met with nothing.  Marinette clenched her teeth in frustration, it’d been over a year now and she still believed her kwamii was still with her.  It’d been over a year, but it’d been nearly five years before they had ever been truly separated in such a way.  Marinette didn’t know if she’d ever get used to the emptiness of the air, the knowledge that she was truly alone.

Marinette stared out over the base once more, watching the flicker of the sconces that lined every wall.  She couldn't help but think back to his face, the way he finally showed her some emotion.  The storm in his dark emerald green eyes before he looked away from her, the way the moon cast shadows over his carmel skin and his sharp, stunned features.  The way the wind blew his bangs across his forehead without his notice.  In the end, she couldn’t help but loathe him.  

She hated his pride, his stubbornness, his stoicness, his skill, his ambition.  But if she wanted to escape from here, she would need to become as good as- No.  She would need to become better than him.  Because even if she escaped without that skill, he would just come back for her and she wouldn’t stand a chance.

Her mind wandered back to the last conversation she had with Talia before Talia left on her own mission.

“Have you been studying the text,” Talia asked her calmly.

“I have.  It’s in Arabic though, so it’s been difficult at times to get through.”

Talia gave her a warm smile, “Very good, Marinette.  You’re doing well.”  Her words warmed her chest, and Marinette couldn’t stop a smile of her own at the praise.  “Have you been able to practice what you’ve learned thus far?” 

Marinette’s smile fell, “No, I haven’t even figured out how to activate that sort of power, I don’t even think I can.”

“Tch.  That sort of thinking is the reason you have not advanced,” she paused for a moment before bending slightly to be eye level with her and placed her hands atop Marinette's shoulders.  “I have to leave for a few months, but when I return I hope to train you more in this power, however, you will have to seek me out.  I can not help you unless you want to be helped, so I leave this choice to you.”  

Marinette couldn’t stop the tears that welled in her eyes.  A choice, she finally had a choice!  She hadn’t had one of those in so long.  She didn’t get a choice to be Ladybug, didn’t get a choice when it came to Chat’s flirtations, didn’t get a choice to become the guardian, didn’t get a choice when it came to helping her class, she never really got to choose anything; until now.  She finally had a choice . 

“Thank you, My Lady,” she said softly, bowing her head in respect.

“But of course child,” Talia whispered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Marinette’s ear, “Be strong.”  And with those parting words, Talia disappeared into the shadows.

Talia had been back on the base for a few weeks now, but Marinette hadn’t approached her for the offered lessons.  She hadn’t pressured her, in fact she hadn’t even brought it up since even during their sparse training sessions.  

If she wanted to escape The League of Assassins, she would need an advantage.  She would need to know or have something that would make it so that if Damian did come after her, he wouldn't be able to touch her.  With that thought in mind, she finally made up her mind.  Tomorrow she would approach Talia and accept the lessons.

Next

Thank you @the-coffee-fandom, Sage, and Worried_Safari on the maribat discord for helping me out with this!

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@aespades @adrestar @astrynyx @doll246 @queenz-z @toodaloo-kangaroo @crazylittlemunchkin @seraphichana @miraculous-ninja @dorkus-minimus @mysticsoulgirl @ritacrow-blog @snow-leopard-777 @fidget-eep @sometandomstuff333 @lady-phoenix-of-tardis @shreeing @achaoticmess1 @liquid-luck-00 @buginetye @stainedglassm @prettylittlebutterflie @laurcad123 @iloontjeboontje @heartsong18 @raeuberprinzessin @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks @jennifer-rose123 @moon5608 @corporeal-terrestrial @skitarii-alpha-c6-555 @saltysugarysembei @phantom120 @kking13 @depressed-bitchy-demon @a-slytherinish-gryffindor @iamablinkmarvelarmy @fleursroses @buginetye @humanoid606 @ev-cupcake @blackroserelina @rainbowbunny0159 @the-ace-reader @humanoid606 @taewinterbear95 @blueberrygeniejam @alex-rebecca-pearce @neulosfantacyworld @devilbunny612 @boredteen19 @agentxx92 @animegirlweeb @geminis93 @thatquirkydancer

[katzewolf]

This is my take on Akumatized Marinette :3

I just like to think of her having fire powers tbh. Like the potential of fire and justice combined is jsut glorious to me

“Lies and rumors spread just like a wild fire.”

- Something I think Akuma Mari would say

[goldenharmony]

I know its probably not a well-loved ship but I am kinda into Kagami x Felix as 2 rich anti-socials dumbasses 😭Plus after Marinette and Adrien, they were probably my immediate favourites...

Especially loved how Felix apparently couldn’t stop thinking about Kagami when the last ep was just her trying to beat him up lol

[ladyofthenoodle]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Was he blushing?

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

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

Crash!

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

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

She scowled at him.

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

Right.

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

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

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

Alya looked unconvinced.

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

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

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

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

Marinette took several deep breaths.

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

Adrien smiled and nodded.

Alya shoved her forward.

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

Her cheeks hurt.

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

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

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

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

Adrien blinked. 

“Bye!” She shooed him.

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

Nailed it.

“Girl, what the actual fuck?”

[zoe-oneesama]

Now that it’s been brought back to the forefront of my mind in regards to yesterday’s SL asks, it really is genuinely kinda nuts how the potions were revealed in Season 2 and have only physically appeared (i.e. not just been mentioned or shown in a one-off picture or alternate timeline) in 13 out of what’s now 92 episodes (not counting specials) since their closest-to-chronological debut. Even more wild is the fact that, like you pointed out, only 3 out of 7 potion powers are canonically known to date. Apparently That Guy tweeted a few years back that one of the remaining ones is supposed to be a Fire potion (which, if true, may be the one Marinette was trying to figure out the “spicy little rock” ingredient for in Mr. Pigeon 72?) that gives the user the ability to walk on lava and/or a resistance to scorching heat, but they haven’t been able to use it since “Fire is something very difficult to use in shows watched by kids, because we have to pay extra-care that they won't see fire as a cool thing and play with it afterwards. Broadcasters tend to prefer not showing it at all.” To which I’m like?? A) You guys STAY hopping between whether you want your target demographic to be little kids or early teens in actual practice. B) There have to be a million ways that you can blatantly write the idea that fire is dangerous which is why the Fire potion would be NEEDED (or, y’know, have more faith in your audience’s ability to intuitively understand that from the get-go). C) If you already understood that a fire power up was genuinely likely to be a hard no-go with your broadcasters, maybe change your plans to only conceptualizing 6 instead of 7 potions before putting them in the actual show???

Right? And like, he said Lava as well. So do something WITH LAVA if you can't use fire! (I bet it would be easier to animate too!) Or, or! Invent a kind of goo or acid that burns LIKE Lava so they have to use the suit! That could be the debut episode, where it's impossible to get close because of the heat and burn of it until BAM! Fire Suit.

It's not like you have to use the suits OFTEN, they've only used the Ice one like two times I think, just do a debut episode and then use it for Ordinary Heroing, like actually running into a burning building and saving people. Pretty sure even kids don't think house fires are cool, so you don't HAVE to associate fire with a "cool" akuma.

A long time ago when I was ranting about this I was informed by a Anon that the others were "revealed" at some convention or expo and they were things like Air and Space (space hadn't been shown at the time), Sun and Moon, and like...Soul? So, what's the difference between Air and Space? Are Sun and Moon supposed to be Light and Dark, how is that following the Environmental Costume Change of the three we know? Wtf is Soul? Maybe it's a lack of cohesion that's making this difficult for them.

The more I hear about them, the more I think this idea was never fully fleshed out and will never BE fleshed out.

[lineith]

Marinette straightened her dress and took a steadying breath before she went on. She wasn’t entirely comfortable in the strapless gown, though she loved the silhouette. She glanced at the house, it was pretty full tonight—there was a new face though. Sitting at a table on his own, the empty seats were a sign of danger she didn’t know how to interpret.

She felt Luka’s presence just before he spoke. His voice was soft and low in her ear. “I need your help tonight, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” Marinette let the ghost of the shiver his closeness caused to ripple through her without letting it show.

She glanced at the mirror above the piano, she could just make out Luka standing behind her, half hidden in shadow. He looked completely at ease, his hands tucked into his pockets. But while he wasn’t touching her, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her ear. He was so close that the heat of him seemed to sear her back. It took all of her willpower to not lean back into him. She nodded once, focusing on his words carefully. -----------------------

Here's my half of a collab with the wonderful @rierse for this year's Lukanette Big Bang!

This image belongs to chapter 5 "Insights" of her film noir AU "Luck be a Lady".

The amount of research that went into this fic-- I'm floored. Honestly, if you're into mysteries, go check it out!

[sairenharia]

Why Chloe Deserved A Miraculous

Its a thought that's been stewing in my head and the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true. Chloe was entitled to a Miraculous.

From a Doylist Perspective.

When there is conversations of if Chloe was entitled to a Miraculous is always presented from a Watsonian perspective. For those who don't know, Watsonian means the perspective of someone inside the story. A character. Doylist is the perspective of those in the real world. The author and audience.

The problem I see from fandom discourse is how often people don't actually consider the tools in a story. Often they take a Watsonian perspective, talk about what is right and sensible and should be how things work if this was a real situation. But the thing about stories is they have messages. They have tools and metaphors and themes to help display these messages. Sure, shows are about entertainment, but a story always has some kind of point. It may not be a moral lesson, it may not be some grand philosophy, but any story worth telling says SOMETHING. It takes a stance. The Fast and the Furious is all about doing cool stunts with cars, but it also has a message of doing things for family because if you just want to see cool car stunts, just go watch cool car stunts, but no, people want at least a little humanity in the car stunts, so there is a message of family. Sharing is caring, do your best, the heat death of the universe comes for us all, the messages can be vast, but there's some point of emotional reality to invest us in this specific media.

If we talk about Chloe and the Miraculous from a Watsonian perspective, no, she is not entitled to a Miraculous. No one is entitled to an object of power. Not even Marinette nor Adrien are entitled to their Miraculous.

But superpowers aren't real. Superpowers have always been a tool to emphasize a point. The stories of superman only focused on his powers are boring, but when you tell stories of how he tries to fit into a world that is not made for him, stories of how much he loves this world despite how easy it could be to be cruel, it gets interesting. The reason superhero comics started is there was a want to show that there can be incredibly powerful people who choose to be good. To choose to make the world a better place.

Superpowers made just to be cool and show off are boring. There is only so much you can watch a fight with a cool power before it gets dull and repetitive. But you relate the powers, the struggles of using the powers, to the person wielding them, the story has a lot more staying power. The powers say something about the person, and is part of their development.

And honestly, Miraculous is a good case for why this is important.

Because good god, most of the superhero team is boring.

And I don't just mean because they're good people, so there's no spice, though that's also true, but because the powers aren't really used to emphasize anything about the character. Max has portals. Why? His mom wants to be an astronaut, but we never really hear about Max wanting to travel. Doorman is a better example of a portal hero because he loves going to other places and learning about them.

Now portals are good for a tactician....except Max is never the tactician despite the fact we know he's brilliant and is good at video games. He just does as he's told by Ladybug for where he should put his portals. Its so close, but its not utilized.

And that is the case for most of the superheroes. Like the bones are there, but nothing is properly utilized. Sabrina is definitely a dog, good at getting things, and is in fact well practiced in recognizing what things may or may not be important. But we've never actually gotten to focus on her BEING a superhero, she only had a small cameo with the power, basically. Same with Ivan, really. They're pretty perfect for their powers and it suits their personalities, but none of it is EXPLORED. And that's the case with most of the heroes.

Juleka and Rose were pretty good at using the Miraculous to develop more of someone's character and emphasize a strength about another in turn. These are good hero episodes because we learned more about them and their journey.

Kagami's first episode with the dragon showed off more of her, such as she could be reckless, which is new information, but we learn a lot about her without it, and nothing new beyond that.

Luka could have actually been incredibly good because the snake both emphasizes a big part of him, and something he needs to work on. Luka is someone who steps back and watches. He observes. However, he has a problem where he often is too willing to step back. But with the snake needs someone who can observe AND act. So its a Miraculous that uses an important part of his personality, but could have also helped him grow.

And the rest are just...nothing.

There is a little for Nino and Alya. Nino is definitely more bold about defending his friends than he was at first, and Alya learns to be better about secrets, but these are the primary secondary heroes. We should have seen a ton of impact and development due to them having the Miraculous.

Here is the stance Miraculous should be taking in their story.

The desperation of those trapped and the power of being given good options.

Most of the Akumas are people who are trapped. They feel powerless. They are desperate to escape their problem and feel like they have no proper recourse with things are they are. How accurate this is varies, but this is how they feel in the moment, and that is what Gabriel preys on. These people agree to the deal because they don't feel like they will be helped any other way.

Ladybug and Chat Noir are meant to bring hope to those who felt hopeless and chose a terrible way to try and escape. They are support. They are a hand people desperately need.

So by that same token, the Miraculous should be a good way for people who feel trapped to be given an option, OR give those people the ability to extend their own hands to help others.

While it doesn't have to every time, it should often be the case those who are given a Miraculous; A, dealing with a huge problem and the Miraculous helps them solve that problem, regardless to the Akuma being related. Like if Juleka was working on trying to speak up even if the Akuma wasn't her parents and the Tiger still helped her do that. B, they are related to the Akuma and why they feel trapped, so they are working through their own issues with the important person. Like Rose when Juleka felt guilty. Or C, the person wants to find a way to help in general and kind of go how it went with Nino becoming Carapace. Where they were trying to be that hand a person needed, and earn the Miraculous, and that helps them on their journey to provide more support and help.

But its often it is someone they know, but them being the hero doesn't REALLY matter. Penalteam, the people were just there, these specific people didn't matter. Why did Zoe need to be Vesperia? Anyone could have taunted Chloe and she got turned into a banana real fast, her being the Bee didn't really bring a lot, to the bee, to her, or even to Chloe, and then she proceeded to just not bring much as the Bee, to the story, or herself.

Now part of this problem is that Marinette is not allowed to not learn a lesson, and has to be the one to save the day. These heroes do have skills. They have things they could be good at. But often....the plan is just what Marinette says. These heroes are not allowed to have agency.

They can't make decisions on their own.

Often times, they're just bodies being told to do the power without the ability to make the decision how and when. Sometimes they let the heroes do things and make decisions, but nine times out of ten, its Marinette who says who does what and when and her mental health is degrading because of it.

The Akumas are stories that always at least tell us something about the person because we see what problems hit them hard. There is something to learn, a bit of conflict to develop from.

The Miraculous should be following that trend, but in a positive way, but...doesn't.

All that being said.

Chloe was entitled to the Miraculous.

Because here is the stance Miraculous takes.

Someone is trapped in a situation and chooses to lash out violently and while that violence can not be permitted to continue, the heroes offer their support so the victim can feel like they have another option.

This is the story of Miraculous crystalized. People who feel alone and helpless are easily convinced to hurt others until someone is willing to help them despite this harm.

Chloe is the story of Miraculous.

Akumas are a metaphor.

And Chloe is the reality.

A child who is alone. Who feels trapped in her situation. Who doesn't know what else to do. So she does the only thing she knows how. She lashes out. She hurts people. She keeps them distant because then it doesn't hurt as much when they leave, or when they treat her like dirt.

Chloe is an Akuma personified, but her problems are brief moments. They're not a bad day that someone took advantage of. They are ever present and continuous and more over, reinforced to continue.

Chloe knows being a brat gets her what she wants from her father and was never taught to not be like that. Because he didn't discipline her, because her mother acted like that, because all adults around her was staff. Making demands is what she was TAUGHT and learned, through observation and guidance.

A behavior she continued to do with kids, and she found out teachers responded to the same threats and was never properly stopped. Other kids, reasonably, didn't want to deal with her, or submitted to her like Sabrina.

Chloe was not never taught how to be good. She was, in fact, very much taught to NOT be good. Her parents both set a terrible example. Her father is a corrupt politician. He may spoil her, but he we know he bribes and blackmails people, plus, you know, abandoned his daughter and technically kidnapped Zoe. This is not a paragon of a man. Then there was her mother. But she had a choice, listen to the man who had to weasel and cheat and play back handed games to get what he wanted, or the woman who got anything and everything she wanted...of course she would try to be the woman who seemed to get everything her way.

Because if her mother got everything she wanted, if Chloe was like her, maybe she could get everything SHE wanted.

Except it wasn't working.

But Chloe wasn't taught it was because she was cruel. She just started to believe she wasn't GOOD ENOUGH.

Maybe if she was as great as her mother, it would work.

By the time she would be old enough to recognize that wasn't how the world worked...well, by then, most of her peers hated her.

And here is something I think goes under the radar about Zoe.

Zoe knows how to act like Chloe. Audrey didn't blink at it. Zoe defaulted to the same behavior as Chloe. Zoe said she put on an act and she was tired of it.

Zoe WAS CHLOE.

And we know what happened with Zoe. Zoe stopped acting like Chloe. And then she got bullied. People were mean and cruel and put cockroaches in her locker and she only had one friend.

I'm sure that's why Zoe moved to Paris. Zoe went to her mom because she wanted a clean slate. She wanted the bullying to stop.

Even then, she struggled to stop. She defaulted to her habit, and we see that she CONTINUED the act around the hotel for some weeks after, because it was a hard habit to break.

But then...

Zoe got support. A hand was held out to her. Marinette gave her a chance, and so did everyone else, and Zoe took it because she wanted to be herself and she wanted to stop being cruel. Of course she's nice. She was given the space to be so.

Chloe is never given that support.

Chloe doesn't know how to be kind. She doesn't know how to be nice.

But the greatest tragedy is Chloe does know how to be GOOD.

Out of all the heroes, besides Chat, to a lesser degree Alya, and Alix and Luka by nature of their Miraculous, Chloe shows the most agency as a superhero. All the other heroes have their hands held by Ladybug. She tells them what to do, to an overly specific degree, and they are just bodies to use a tool. Chloe? Chloe acts on her own. To good and bad effect. Discounting the whole Queen Wasp break down, just when Chloe is actually acting as a superhero, she doesn't wait for Ladybug to tell her everything all the time. She calls out to her father, which was a mistake, but then there is every other time she's Queen Bee...

And she's fantastic at it.

Miraculer, she almost had Mayura's Miraculous.

Star Train, she gets people away from the Akuma.

In Bakerix, she's the last the to leave the train car.

In Ladybug, she's defending Sabrina.

In Style Queen, played Style Queen in an effort to find a way to save Adrien.

In Heroes Day, she is a great teammate. Keep in mind, everyone on the team knows who Chloe is. Ladybug was desperate and doesn't fully trust Chloe as a general rule. Rena Rouge and Carapace definitely don't trust her at all. Chat Noir is the only one who believes in Chloe as a person.

And yet, throughout the entire fight, Chloe is keeping up and picking up the slack with everyone else. She fights, she keeps civilians from being hurt, her synergy is on fire despite the lack of trust. When Rena Rouge and Carapace go down, she is quick to try and protect them and even after two EXTREMELY dangerous Akuma show up by way of her parents, who are both gunning for her real hard, she holds her own for a while and even then, she had to be mind controlled to stop and to feel negative emotions. It took FOUR AKUMAS gunning for her specifically to corrupt her, akums who are made to mess her up mentally to boot. When they confront Gabriel at the end, she prepares venom without being asked, to have a back up for taking him down. She makes decisions and when she was trusted to act as a hero, they are largely good ones.

And she never once complained about the mental hardship of what she went through. Because that's the thing, all her times as Queen Bee are super intense. They are her loved ones she's fighting, they are incredibly powerful Akumas. She fought a frickin' army.

And everyone...

Just insults her.

She risked her life for people and no one cared.

She fought her family and no one cared.

Chloe doesn't know how to be nice. Nor kind. But she was so good. And while the next day, people appreciated her, it was only a day.

And the tragedy is Chloe didn't immediately go back to being a bully. After Despair Bear, Chloe's bullying habits took an extreme nose dive. We only see her being unreasonably cruel a few times. After Maledikator, the only time is when she bullies Aurore and when she teamed up with Marinette, but also Marinette was with her and they were both doing it for fear of losing Adrien reasons. Not reasonable, but also not just to be cruel and honestly, her plan was fairly benign. She wanted Kagami to leave, not even humiliate her. And even Aurore is because Chloe was reaching the point she did in Miraculer where she was doubting Ladybug's trust in her and as she is want to do, she lashed out.

Most of the time when we see Chloe, what we see is her bragging about being Queen Bee. Which, sure, isn't a great thing...

But better a braggart than a bully. And when things go wrong, she tries to use her status to help reassure and guide people, which is actually a pretty good idea. Akumas are attracted to negative emotions. If she can reassure them, then less likely of them getting akumatized. It may be bragging, but it could help.

Chloe may not have been picture perfect nice, but we literally have an entire classroom full of perfectly nice people. She may not be humble, but bragging is not a damnable offense. But Chloe was legitimately trying to be a better person. She put herself in between others and danger. She had faith and belief that there were solutions. Even without the Miraculous, she tried to help people.

She may have wanted appreciate and gratitude for it, but what's even sadder is she didn't require it.

Chloe believed in Ladybug for a long time. She believed Ladybug would trust her again. She believed she could be given a Miraculous again, and all on her own, ALL ON HER OWN, she was trying to be a better person.

Its actually amazing how good Chloe was being despite the fact no one was helping her.

Because that is the thing.

Zoe got support and help.

Chloe didn't.

Every. Single. Time. Chloe tried to do something different, something not cruel, she is rejected. She tries to join the art club and she's mocked out of it. She tries to be class representative, a job no one else wanted for years, and she loses it as soon as someone did challenge her. She auditions, legitimately, for a music video, with eight years of practice, and she loses it because she isn't nice enough.

She stops bullying, tries to be a reassuring presence, and she is treated with suspicion and derision.

And still.

And STILL.

That isn't what breaks her.

What breaks her is the realization the only time where her efforts were appreciated was taken away. And even then, she holds onto the pieces. Holds onto hope that maybe she would be given a new chance.

Her parents are in danger. The reason she was given she couldn't be a hero is because she and her loved ones would be in danger.

Except her loved ones were in danger.

She was in danger.

Not having a Miraculous didn't change anything. It didn't keep them safe, it didn't keep her safe.

And its only then, after months of no one believing in her for more than two days, of no one holding out their hand, helping her, supporting her, believing her, with the one person she thought DID believe in her proved that she didn't believe in her, and couldn't even give her the safety that not having a Miraculous was supposed to bring.

For months, Chloe only thought Ladybug believed she could be good.

Adrien wanted her to be less cruel, but Chloe knew her being good wasn't necessary for him.

Nor was it for Sabrina.

But Ladybug?

Ladybug needed her to be good to believe in her, and she thought Ladybug did.

Chloe was able to largely bite back her desires to lash out at people based purely on the fact one person, ONE SINGULAR PERSON, needed her to be good, and believed in her ability to be so. It got her derision. It got her suspicion. It got people comparing her to villains. It got her dismissal. But she still tried. She still believed.

A person who didn't really believe in Chloe very much.

And there is also the Watsonian argument that Marinette doesn't owe it to Chloe to help her improve AND THIS IS INCREDIBLY VALID and honestly, in a perfect world, it would be great if it was Adrien who helped Chloe improve.

Or you know, Zoe. Someone who has a clean slate with Chloe and understands where she's coming from and could help her.

But no, this is the Marinette Has To Solve Everything Show.

So from a Doylist view, it IS Marinette who has to help Chloe, but also the Watsonian problem could be helped if it was CLEARLY ESTABLISHED that Marinette knows she doesn't HAVE to help Chloe, and people aren't pressuring her to do so (coughBustiercough) because that is a bad message...

But Marinette can CHOOSE to help her and make that clear.

Because Marinette has seen a lot of Chloe and could understand that she really does just need a little more help. That Chloe needed just a bit more support and help. And, you know, didn't actively encourage Chloe to please her abuser.

But we're going from the Doylist view and we can solve the Marinette being the one to help Chloe problem by not having it be Marinette, but LADYBUG.

And this?

This is why I say Chloe was entitled to a Miraculous.

Because Chloe is the reality of the stance of the show, and so helping her problem with the metaphors would go a long way.

You see, Chloe doesn't know Ladybug is Marinette. And Marinette knows being Ladybug means being the bigger person. Ladybug believes in people. Ladybug helps everyone she can. Its not about the victim helping their bully, its the superhero choosing to help someone who NEEDS HELP.

Chloe is stuck in her situation. Her mother will always be emotionally abusive. Her father will always be an enabler. She can try to change, but no one will BELIEVE in her change. She will be derided and mocked and treated poorly because no one is willing to give her the chance to grow, and they certainly won't help.

Frankly, its a miracle that Chloe's Akumas are so merciful.

Because Banana Queen is the most destructive of Chloe's Akuma forms. Most of Chloe's Akuma forms don't care about HURTING people. They care about WINNING. She either wants to win or for people to just listen to her.

But give Chloe the Bee Miraculous, and suddenly things change.

Chloe feels like she has OPTIONS as Queen Bee. She doesn't feel she has to meet her mother's expectations as much if she's Queen Bee. She has people who trust and depend on her. At least right after she saves people, she gets a little praise, a little belief.

And people may say being a hero for glory and attention is a bad thing, but the thing is, Chloe's need for glory and attention is about being ACKNOWLEDGED. As feeling like people value and care about her. This is a BASIC HUMAN NEED and she doesn't know another way to get it. Its not like she's demanding physical things for her heroics.

She just wants to be appreciated.

By giving Chloe a Miraculous, she is given the tools to try and be good. She is given an escape from her situation. She is given SUPPORT in her efforts because the other heroes have to support her.

And over time...

That trust will grow.

Because what Chloe doesn't know, all her classmates are the other heroes.

And suddenly, all her classmates will see her as a different person. They will see what she's like when the chips are down. How much effort she's willing to put in. How seriously she takes the job.

Is she still a braggart? Sure. Is she still rude as hell? Absolutely.

But she will risk it all to help people, without asking for anything in return except a little faith.

Chloe is entitled to a Miraculous.

Because her story without a Miraculous is a story of a little girl who no one wanted to help, who were unwilling to offer her help because she lashed out while trying to survive a situation she couldn't escape, and because it wasn't super charged by a terrorist, she was deemed unworthy of it and instead deserving of isolation and constant emotional abuse.

But with a Miraculous?

Chloe is a girl who, when given a little faith, a little trust, a little help, returned it tenfold. Who puts her all in trying to be the best hero she could be. Is she imperfect? Sure. But she's giving it her all. (And frankly, she's spicy and it makes for entertaining character dynamics. You can have a character be a jerk and good, tsunderes are popular for a reason.) And as she gets more trust, as she gets more help, as she is offered that hand of help over and over again, she would continue to improve.

And as she's given power, she uses that same faith to figure out how to offer her hand to others. To help them. To spare them the same pain she suffered.

Because that is what given to the Akuma victims. They are given a little help, and a little power to break free of their magically abusive mindsets.

To have someone go from the continuing the cycle of abuse to someone who would save other people from that?

That is a real superhero story.

Chloe is undeserving from a Watsonian perspective.

But she's so very deserving from a Doylist perspective.

[starsfic]

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Girlfriend of Ladybug

Summary: During another invasive interview pushing her towards Chat Noir, Ladybug panics and claims that she’s dating someone. Who? Oh, just her civilian identity. Dominos unexpectedly topple.

Ko-Fi

-_-

It was a heat of the moment thing.

Ladybug really couldn’t blame herself. Well, technically she could, considering she had agreed to another hour-long interview with Nadja and Chat Noir. Where, of course, the topic inevitably turned back to the nonexistent romantic relationship between her and her partner, not helped at all by the fact  that Chat kept egging it on and nobody seemed to notice or care about her discomfort. The moment Alya appeared on screen and asked “So when are you going to admit your feelings for each other?”

She snapped.

“I have a girlfriend.”

Dead silence encased the studio. Chat gaped at her, Alya gaped at her, Nadja gaped at her, everyone gaped at her. It was only until a hand reached out of the audience that noise came back in. “Excuse me?”

“Yes, I have to agree,” Nadja said, a flustered blush making her cheeks red. “Excuse me?”

Welp, she had already said it, so might as well. “I have a girlfriend,” she repeated. Chat and Alya continued to gape at her. She took a deep breath in and plastered on a stern look. “Nadja, did you ever think the reason why I don’t confess my feelings for Chat is because I don’t have any?”

Silence encased the studio, but it was the silence where people were muttering to each other. Ladybug waited. Chat continued to gape, but Alya shut her mouth and made an odd squeaky noise.

Nadja finally took a deep breath in. When she opened her eyes, she seemed to be staring at her in a different way. Not as an icon or an idol or a celebrity, but as if Ladybug was a real person. She hadn’t even realized that she hadn’t been looking at her that way. “No,” she said. “I’m…so sorry, Ladybug. I hadn’t considered that.” Ladybug nodded but didn’t say a word. “May I ask who it is?”

Well, crap. She hadn’t expected that. She was tempted to say, “No comment,” but then it would be possible that people would catch on to the fact that she was lying. She needed someone. Ladybug thought for a moment and then prayed Tikki wouldn’t be too mad.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Once again, the room descended into muttering silence. Chat was pulling out his staff with the angriest look she had ever seen on his face. Ladybug couldn’t help but raise a brow at that. But then Alya spoke with a “NO WAY!”

Ladybug raised a brow. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“Yes!” Alya said, seeming to not care about the fact that she was being televised live. “She’s in love with Adrien Agreste! He’s her soulmate, I’m sure of it!” Geez, Alya, thanks. Chat’s muttering stopped. “She’s been struggling to confess to him since the attacks first began! He’s-”

“A boy, Miss Cesaire,” Ladybug cut her off, keeping her voice bored. Yes, she did have a crush on Adrien once. But her feelings had faded over time, especially when she thought of how he reacted to Chloe and Lila hurting her. “A boy that is well-known and popular with the female population of Paris. A boy that would be expected if a person asked about a celebrity crush.”

Alya stared at her. She could practically see her put the pieces together. “What about Luka Couffaine? She dated him for…a few months!”

“Her and Luka Couffaine, I have discussed with her,” Ladybug said, keeping her voice calm. Her mind raced- she would definitely need to talk to Luka after this. “I will not pretend to be a good girlfriend, Miss Cesaire. Marinette does not know who I am under the mask- if anyone says that they do, they are lying-” Hopefully, that dealt with Lila. “Our relationship had to be kept secret. I cannot take her out on dates or meet her parents. So, we agreed to an open relationship.”

Nadja cleared her throat. “She does not know who you are?”

Ladybug shook her head. “No. We agreed that, after Hawkmoth is defeated and I can retire, I will reveal myself to her and discuss our relationship from there. I’m only being open with my relationship now since she knows I am uncomfortable with people trying to ship me with Chat Noir-”

“Because they know we’re meant to be!” Chat burst out. Honestly, she was surprised that he hadn’t spoken up sooner. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her close. “My Lady, think about it! We have so much more in common than some random civilian!” His eyes were dark, sending shivers up her spine. “You’re lying about Marinette, right? There’s no way you could fall for some random person-”

“Hey!” Alya spoke up, her voice bordering on fury. “Marinette’s not just some random nobody!” The camera shook as something slammed, most likely Alya’s fist slamming into the desk. “Marinette is the smartest, most creative person I have ever met! She’s probably the greatest actress of all time, and I would say that she has done so much more for Paris than you ever have on your own!” She took a deep breath. “Ladybug, you have great taste.” And with that, Alya’s camera cut short.

Nadja nodded. “Okay, next question,” she said, her voice still a touch strained from the bombshell that was just dropped on her.

Hopefully, this didn’t blow up.

-_-

It blew up.

Tikki, thankfully, didn’t seem mad. “It was clever,” she said before encouraging Marinette to go to bed.

When Marinette woke up surprisingly early, it was to a ton of messages on her social media and email. By the time she left for school, it was a flood that she was too afraid to look at. Her parents were surprisingly happy for her, with her dad apologizing for blowing up in such a way on Chat Noir. “It’s okay,” she said, hugging him. “It was awkward, but it kept Chat from following Ladybug.”

“Which I can’t believe he did!” her mother groused. “You think he would know better!”

“Yeah,” Marinette sighed, old annoyance flaring up. “Me too.”

Thankfully, there wasn’t a crowd of reporters- yet. So Marinette wasted no time in rushing over to school before one did form.

Once she was there, she found herself pausing. A large portion of the people she saw were wearing Ladybug’s spots or LGBTQIA+ merch, from full outfits to just hair clips. Several stopped to smile and give her friendly waves, while others looked starstruck. This was a bigger reaction than she was expecting.

She waved back and headed to her classroom. She sent another prayer to the surprisingly quiet Tikki that nothing happened and opened the door.

The classroom was surprisingly quiet, with Lila sitting in the back looking like she had all the life drained from her, until Marinette stepped inside. “Marinette!” Alya said, jumping to her feet. She had switched her orange flannel for one bearing the pan colors. She wasted no time in rushing up and practically scooping her up in a hug. The shock meant that it took a second before Marinette realized that Alya was apologizing into her hair. “-so sorry, I should’ve thought more about Ladybug’s feelings, I never meant to hurt her, swear-”

“It’s okay,” Marinette said, pulling away to smile at her bestie. “I know how people can get with superheroes, I think Ladybug forgives you.” She poked Alya’s nose. “Although I’m annoyed that you tried to air out my crush on Adrien to all of Paris.”

Alya sighed, nodding. “I know. Now that I think about it, it was super not cool.” She tried for a smile. “I’m sorry, girl.”

Despite herself, Marinette couldn’t stay mad. “I forgive you. But, don’t do it again.” Alya nodded and with that out of the way, she could move on. She looked around and couldn’t help but raise a brow. “But what’s going on? Why is everyone either wearing Ladybug stuff or pride stuff? If I had known, I would’ve dug my pride stuff out.”

“Oh, haven’t you checked online?” Nino called, his headphones decorated with bi stickers.

Marinette shook her head. “I’ve been too afraid to,” she admitted. “My social media has been flooded with messages and emails.”

“Oh, I can sort those for you, dudette.”

“Thank you,” she sighed, handing over her phone. “The code’s still the same.” Nino nodded as he began to fiddle with her phone.

“Anyway,” Kim said, wearing a transmac hoodie instead of his regular red hoodie. “The entire queer community adopted Ladybug as a queer icon after her interview last night. People have been debating for hours whether she’s a lesbian or bi.”

“Uh huh,” Well, at least the community was supportive. “I’m glad people are supportive.”

“Of course they are,” Alya said, leading her to their seats. “It’s Ladybug and you, the biggest sweethearts in Paris. If anyone isn’t, they look-”

“RIDICULOUS!” Chloe stormed in, wearing her normal clothing. Her gaze could’ve set Marinette on fire as she marched up and slammed her hands on her desk. On closer inspection, her eyes were rimmed red. “Break up with Ladybug.”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you deaf?!” Chloe shrieked, slamming her hand down. “Break up with Ladybug! There is only one girl that is perfect enough for her to date, and it’s certainly not you!”

“And I’m guessing that’s you?” Alya scoffed before Marinette could figure out a proper response that wasn’t not in your life. “Please, everyone knows Ladybug hates your guts.”

“She does not!” Chloe shrieked, tears beading up in the corner of her eyes. “She thinks I’m great! She chose me to be a hero! She knows I’m great! She-”

“Lost the Miraculous by accident, and you refused to give it back.” Marinette interrupted. Chloe’s jaw dropped, and she gaped at her. “Yeah, she told me about that. She thought you would do better, be better if you understood how your actions affect Paris. But you didn’t.” She leaned forward and that angry spark in her, the one that had been burning in her since Adrien pouted and moaned, burned. “Your actions are why people were celebrating that you were leaving Paris when you decided to go to New York.”

“Marinette!” Adrien called, also dressed in his normal clothes, but she held her hand out.

“You are nothing to Ladybug. Just a hazard and a safety risk.” Marinette leaned back in her chair. “The only reason I made that party for you is because Adrien asked. Nobody else.”

Chloe shut her mouth. She looked around the room. Sabrina looked away. Nobody else did, staring her down, bonded in silent agreement. Marinette expected her to rage, to scream, to throw a fit. Instead, she straightened up and walked to her seat. The moment she sat down, she hid her face.

“Marinette!” Adrien barked. “That was horrible! You-”

“Told her what Ladybug thought of her and what she needed to hear,” Marinette said, interrupting him. She leaned forward, allowing the anger brewing in her at him to burn in her eyes. “And if you don’t stop and think about your actions, so will I.”

Adrien stared with wide eyes. Without another word, but a nasty glance back, he turned and sat down. Nino scooted away from him before turning and holding up her phone. “Here, Nette,” he said. “There was some hate mail from people like Chloe,” Chloe flinched. “But a lot more of people supporting you.”

“Oh, that’s sweet,” Marinette said, taking her phone back.

The rest of the school day passed in silence. Twice, Adrien tried to get her alone, apparently undeterred by her threat, but Alya and the rest of the girl squad made sure there was a bodyguard nearby until Adrien had to leave for a photoshoot. (Rose was tiny but fierce in her desire to protect Marinette.) The rest of the school left her alone, excluding a few people who asked for her autograph and pictures and a whole bunch of gifts and letters in her locker. Marinette tried to ignore the heat in her face with all the love and care. 

Finally, the school day was over. Marinette walked out and breathed a sigh of early relief. She could see a few news vans waiting outside the bakery, so she had that to stress about, but she had gotten through the school day relatively unscathed.

The sound of a guitar met her ears and she paused, coming to a stop on the stairs.

Right. Luka.

She meant to talk to him after the interview, but Chat Noir had been following her, insisting to talk more about them, that she hadn’t been able to. So, here she was, standing on the steps, trying her best to not be seen by the musician as he strummed his guitar, probably waiting for Juleka.

It was tempting to run. But Marinette had to be braver than that. 

She took a deep breath and marched down the stairs, coming to a stop right next to him. Luka paused in his playing, staring at her. Marinette couldn’t look him in the eyes. Instead, she found herself staring at her feet. “Hi, Luka,” she said and immediately wanted to facepalm. Hi, Luka? Just that? Not, hey Luka, did you see the interview where Ladybug revealed I was two-timing you with her even though we’re the same person-

“You should’ve given me a heads up that we were poly,” Luka’s voice broke through her haze. She glanced up. Luka smiled at her, although it was edged with something. “I have a cute boy in my class, his name’s Felix, and I think you two would love each other.”

Marinette’s mind blanked, at first wondering what he was talking about, and then realization. “You…you aren’t mad?”

“I…I don’t know how to feel,” Luka admitted, and it was strange to see him admit that. Luka was the only boy she knew who was best in touch with his emotions. “On one hand, it makes a lot more sense than you pining over Adrien like everyone thought. On the other-”

“I lied,” Marinette admitted. “I lied, a lot, to you and everyone.” She gripped the edge of her shirt. “I kept ditching dates for something dumb, not related to her,” Luka raised a brow, but she continued on. “Sometimes I wished she didn’t exist because I trust you, Luka, I trust you so much but I keep having to lie because I care about her too and hurt you and and and-” Warm arms engulfed her but she couldn’t allow it, she needed to say it. “I’m so sorry, Luka.”

Luka didn’t say a word, just held her. Finally, he sighed. “I’m sorry too, Marinette,” he admitted. “I should’ve been better, maybe then-”

“No!” Marinette shoved him away. Luka stumbled back, looking hurt, but Marinette wasted no time in gripping his shoulders, staring him down. “You were wonderful,” she said, making sure he understood. “You were wonderful. I was the one who should’ve been better. I should’ve communicated better, I should’ve explained better about why I was leaving you in the lurch.”

“I was the one who got akumatized,” Luka said, staring back with wide eyes. “I went after you.”

“It was my fault you got akumatized in the first place!”

“No, it was not-” And now Luka was holding her shoulders, making sure she was looking at him. They probably looked strange, gripping each other’s shoulders like this, but Marinette didn’t care. “It was not your fault. It was Hawkmoth’s fault.” Right, right, Marinette needed to remember that. He was the one who took advantage of people. “We’re both crappy at communicating. We can work on that.”

Wait…

“You…want to try again?”

Luka paused and then nodded. “Now that I know more, enough to possibly understand some things,” He took in a deep breath. “Only if you want to?”

Marinette nodded back. “We can try,” And isn’t that what they all could do? “Maybe you can introduce me to Felix, and I can introduce you to…” She held up her hand at the sight of a familiar red car. “Hang on real quick.”

Luka blinked but nodded. Marinette smiled as they released each other before she turned and marched up to Kagami, who paused with a raised brow. Much to her delight, she wore gloves marked with the queer pride flag. “Wanna go on a date?” she asked promptly.

Kagami blinked. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then hummed. Marinette waited patiently. If Kagami had to think about it, than she was willing to wait. “Yes,” she finally said. “If your girlfriend is alright with it?”

Marinette nodded, feeling her face heat up. “Luka and I are trying again,” she admitted. “So he’s introducing a friend of his on our date. I wanted to introduce you to him, because I think you guys would be good friends, if not datemates.” She wanted to be honest where she could.

Kagami’s eyes brightened at the mention of friendship. “Then I certainly will come,” she said. “You have my number, so let me know the details.”

“I will.” She held out her hand and Kagami didn’t hesitate in giving it a squeeze. “Maybe after practice today, we can have our first date? At our usual spot?”

Kagami smiled. It was awkward, but it was sincere. “I would love that.” With one last squeeze of her hand, Kagami marched into the school.

Luka was chuckling when Marinette returned. “I guess we’ll have a full table,” he said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll talk to Felix and figure out a good time for us.”

Marinette nodded. “Let me know the details.” She paused. “And, thank you, Luka.” Before he could respond she took off running.

Lying about her girlfriend went better than expected!

[mysticraven20]

Chapter 24: First Kiss

@adrinetteapril

Artwork by the amazing @verabraun-art

Marinette watched as Adrien rounded the corner, leaving her life once again. She had wanted to take it slow, but everything about this evening had proven he most certainly did not — he was doing this for her. The kind, caring boy she’d grown up loving had once again pushed his own feelings aside and allowed her to take the lead.

But it was about time she took the lead herself, and going for what she wanted!

Her heart started a rhythmic command to get moving, to go find him and stop this stupid game once and for all.

She hastily seized the nearest pair of shoes, her father’s cherished boots, slipping her feet into them despite their vast size. Ignoring the discomfort, her heart pounded with urgency as she rushed out into the street, desperate to find Adrien. She couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving again. After New York and then London (twice), she was determined to make him stay this time. He belonged with his family, his friends, and most of all, with her—the love of his life.

Yet, doubts gnawed at her insides. What if their love wasn’t enough to anchor him here?

But she pushed those thoughts aside, clinging to hope as she sprinted down the familiar streets, her heart racing with both anticipation and fear. Catching up with him, she saw him turn to face her, a questioning smile on his perfect, kissable lips.

“Marinette?” he questioned. His eyes glistened and glowed underneath the moonlight. Or was it the lamppost? This was the exact spot he’d proposed to her a couple of weeks ago. A proposal that, regardless of its validity, she’d accepted.

She stared up at him, summoning the courage to speak. “I know they say if you love someone, you should let them go. Well, I did that once and, believe me, there’s no way I’m strong enough to do it again.”

His eyes flickered across her face. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, I don’t want to take this slow. Not anymore.”

His mouth opened, before closing again, his eyes burning into hers.

They stood bathed in the soft glow of the light, accentuating every imperfection and detail as they locked eyes. His velvety, green gaze delved into her deep oceans of blue. Silence enveloped them, each absorbed in the weight of what this moment could signify for their relationship.

Amidst the quiet tension, she felt a surge of readiness and determination. She wanted this, despite the uncertainty. Her heart swelled with love for him, and in that intense gaze, she found the courage to embrace whatever changes lay ahead. She bit down on her bottom lip and his gaze moved to focus on her mouth.

“Do you love me?” she asked with all the confidence she didn’t know she possessed.

Her pulse quickened as she locked eyes with him again, feeling the searing heat radiating from his intense, emerald gaze.

They stood motionless, the weight of the unspoken answer heavy in the air. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest, each beat echoing in her ears. Goosebumps raced across her skin, every nerve alive with tingling anticipation, as their eyes remained fixed on each other, conveying a torrent of unspoken emotions.

“Do you love me?” Her voice trembled, as the raw emotion broke through. Why wasn’t he answering?

Her heart raced in anticipation of his answer, breath caught in her chest. With deliberate steps, he moved closer, closing the distance between them, his hand rising to tenderly cup her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed instinctively, savouring the intimacy of his touch and surrendering to the tender caress.

She watched him wet his lips with a nervous flick, before leaning in to whisper the words she had been yearning for. “Yes…I love you!” The breath of his voice against her ear sent a shiver down her spine, his warm breath mingling with her own, creating an intimate moment filled with longing and desire.

Her throat tightened as she watched him retreat, his eyes searching hers with a silent invitation to reconsider. He had an uncanny ability to read her thoughts.

As her eyes met his, she was mesmerised by the intensity of his gaze. It had turned to molten heat, a fire that burned only for her. And in that moment, she felt like the most cherished person in the world – not some distant ideal of beauty, but Marinette Dupain-Cheng, baker’s daughter and retired superhero.

His eyes bore into hers with an insatiable hunger, as though she were the sole craving of his existence. It was a look that conveyed a depth of longing and desire that superseded any other want or need.

She no longer allowed her doubts to resurface. She didn’t stop to question it, to question him or to question herself.

Marinette allowed her instincts to guide her, her hands reaching out and grabbing him by the shirt, twisting the fabric in her grip as she closed the distance between them. Lifting her head, she watched him bite his lower lip, his eyes continuing to blaze in the same way her core was. He kept his eyes trained on her, darkened, his pupils dilating into the green of his irises in a way that made her gulp for breath.

The tension between them was like a tightly wound band on the brink of snapping, the impending release promising a cataclysmic explosion of emotion, reminiscent of a supernova.

“Hey,” he greeted, his voice deep and gravelly.

As if on cue, the tension that had been holding them apart released its grip, and Marinette felt herself drawn irresistibly closer to him. Their lips met in a long-awaited kiss that spoke volumes of unspoken desire and heartfelt connection. She could feel the weight of anticipation lift, replaced by the warmth of his touch and sweetness of their lips.

At that moment, he was everything.

The kiss started slow and controlled, slightly tentative, and Marinette could sense the underlying tension and desire building between them. She felt his possessive growl reverberate in the back of his throat, a primal sound that stirred something deep within her.

As the kiss intensified, she sensed his urgency, the fiery passion igniting between them, a mutual need for more, for deeper connection and exploration. In that moment, amidst the heat of their embrace, her thoughts raced with longing and anticipation, her heart pounding with the realisation that this was just the beginning of something electric and profound.

His hands slid up her arms, fingertips skating across her collarbones and along her throat before cupping around her face almost desperately.

She felt something ignite in her body, and her hands moved up to grab his hair. A match lit inside her, and she was teetering on the edge of an inferno.

She suddenly remembered a quote from a book, where the character asked another what drowning felt like. The response was…not everything feels like something else.

Like falling in love.

Like having your heart broken.

Like kissing Adrien Agreste.

She could never have felt anything as jubilant as this. It wasn’t a tentative first kiss like when they were 14, breaking spells and defeating Akumas. This was a full kiss where she finally knew what Adrien tasted like — a flavour she’d desired for over a decade.

Her thoughts flew further, imagining what he would sound like as his hands moved over her body, adding in her own whimpers for more as he touched her. Her fantasies could never fully capture the unadulterated bliss of this moment, the sounds of his pulse quickening, or his breath catching as he finally relaxed and relinquished control to her.

They couldn’t go back to their normal dynamic now. This kiss was more than she ever could have imagined and everywhere he touched it felt like an electrical storm cracking.

He was more than just looks and a name to her. He was her Kitty, her Adrien. And as she remained in Adrien’s arms, breathless and not nearly satisfied, she understood how a simple kiss could bring two grown people to their knees, her own legs barely keeping her standing.

“Nice boots,” he said before stroking his thumbs over her cheek bones and moving forward again, this kiss just as heated and intense as the last one.

She wanted to experience everything with him because she loved him and she was sure now that he loved her. She never had to do anything to make him see her, because this kiss told her he’d been watching for a long, long time.

If this was what drowning felt like, she would be happy to drown forever.

Read the whole story here

[frickingnerd]

finding out luka is viperion

pairing: luka couffaine / viperion x gn!reader

tags: best friends to lovers, secret identities, accidental reveal

luka was your best friend, but viperion was the one you ended up falling in love with

the snake hero came over to your house regularly during his patrol and a friendship started to bloom between the two of you

perhaps even a little more than just that

you had no idea who was behind the mask, nor that you knew that person very well

and luka didn't intend to let you know about his secret identity, since it would only put you in danger

besides, it gave him the possibility to openly flirt with you, without having to worry about ruining your friendship

and yet, you ended up finding out about his secret identity

or rather, your friend marinette revealed it to you by accident

one late evening, viperion was once again coming by your house and paid you a visit

you ended up talking on your balcony and when viperion needed a break to feed his kwami, you turned away as he unmasked himself

you never saw his face that night, but when you met your friend marinette in school the next day, she was asking you about luka's late night visit at your place last night

it took you a moment to understand what she was even saying, before you put the pieces together

that night marinette must've seen a detransformed viperion on your balcony

and that person was none other than your best friend luka!

you could feel your cheeks heat up as you realized what was going on and for the rest of the day, you couldn't stop thinking about luka and viperion

your best friend and the boy you loved were the same person! 

after school, you rushed to luka's place unannounced

by then, you had already thought of every possible scenario and always came to the conclusion that there was just no other way. they were the same person!

when you finally found luka in his room, you didn't even give him a chance to react

you pressed your lips onto his, stumbling back a little onto his bed

when you finally pulled away, he just looked at you surprised. but he certainly wasn't disappointed!

"what was that for, y/n~?" he grinned amused

"shouldn't you know the answer to that already… viperion~?"

[ggomos-maribat]

4 | in which a boy becomes jealous of his niece

Part 4 of No Mr. Wayne You Can't Adopt Me! | Masterlist

When Bruce heard that Diana and Clark were both in the city for work, he decided to kill two birds with one stone and invite them for lunch and a meeting in his office. He even had Tim in attendance, so he could give his opinions for the League-related discussions. They were deep into intergalactic affairs when a knock rapped on the door.

"Mr. Wayne?" Marinette called out from outside.

Bruce wondered why she was knocking, since she knew he had guests over. Marinette never disturbed him if he had guests. Is there an emergency?

Tim was quick on his feet as he opened the door for her. Marinette's head peeked out, looking a little shy. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've got something to show you urgently."

Bruce gave an apologetic smile. "Can it wait until later—"

Tim cut in, "It's a casual meeting, B, let the girl in."

With Clark and Diana's gazes on him, he conceded and motioned for Tim to let his assistant in. The girl carried her tablet inside, setting it up on the table in front of them. "There was an intruder last night in your office. I managed to extract the audio feed and sync it up with the video footage."

The glint in his son's eye already gave Bruce a foreboding feeling. Tim gasped dramatically. "An intruder? How scary!"

"I'd like to show you so you can confirm his words." Marinette pursed her lips. "Batman visited last night."

"Batman?" Clark's gaze wandered off towards Bruce.

The assistant nodded solemnly and pressed a key to play the video. "He came in late at night to 'retrieve something' but I did suspect he was stealing."

Like the nosey coworkers they were, the two League members immediately slid towards either side of Bruce to get a glimpse of the screen. Bruce's encounter with the knife-wielding Marinette was caught clear as day on the camera—he started to feel heat rush to his cheeks.

Tim attempted (and failed) to mask his laughter with a cough while Diana didn't hold back at all, letting out a chuckle as they watched.

"I think that's enough of—" Bruce stretched his arm to pause the video but Clark moving to hold back his wrist was faster.

"No, it's important to see the whole thing, Bruce," his sly friend told him, "This is a security breach."

"He's right, Mr. Wayne." Marinette's eyebrows furrowed. "He slipped in so easily; our security system must be faulty if he was able to go inside without triggering alarms."

Bruce bit on his tongue and wished he could say something. But his assistant's blue eyes shone with so much innocent concern and worry that he couldn't stay firm. He leaned back and let the video finish, with amusement clear on Clark and Diana's faces and Tim wheezing behind him.

He cleared his throat. "Thank you for bringing this up, Marinette, but Batman is right. We had a prior agreement so he's allowed in the office."

"But why associate with Batman at all?" She tilted her head. "Is he one of your lovers?"

Bruce was pretty sure Tim just choked on air.

"We both save the city, in our own ways that is." Bruce internally cringed at his explanation. "I think we both have the same goals and I'm happy to help him if it means Gotham is safe."

"No offense, but he's a recluse. You can do better, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce glanced at his two fellow founding members. "I'm sure he's got some friends of his own."

"I don't know." Clark pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I've talked to Superman a few times and according to him, the Bat is a weirdo."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Weird how? Oh, that reminds me . . ." She pulled out something from her pocket: the same Batarang Bruce had thrown at her. "He pinned my sleeve to the wall! It's going to take forever to mend."

Bruce looked away guiltily.

Clark shook his head in faux disappointment. "That's awful. Superman says he's always like that—cold like a stone wall, very grumpy, and protective over his secret identity."

"It seems that Batman was very much caught off by your presence, Marinette," Diana added.

Tim was already silent-laughing by Bruce's desk, knocking his fist on top of it while holding his middle.

"Sorry, Marinette, we have other things to discuss here." Bruce forced out a smile again. "I'll tell Batman not to come unannounced again. Thanks for telling me right away. If you'd like, I can pay for your blazer to get fixed."

Marinette pocketed the Batarang and picked up her tablet. "Sure, but to be honest, I'd rather have a personal apology."

"I agree, Bruce, he should show some remorse." Clark nonchalantly sipped from his drink.

"I'll—I'll make sure he does that."

***

Bruce was sitting in his office's lounge with stacks of binders and envelopes scattered all over the table. Sat across him was Marinette, who was helping him organize the upcoming hectic schedule for the company. He pointed to an empty spot on the paper calendar. "What if we put the grand opening on the sixth? That would give us enough time to prepare."

Marinette spoke slowly. "Why on the sixth?"

"It's free, isn't it?"

She decided to continue to stare at him wordlessly, waiting for something to strike him. He only stared back dumbfoundedly at first but after a few beats, Marinette saw the exact moment the realization dawned on him.

Cue the panicked Bruce Wayne.

Marinette went back to scribbling on her notebook. "How can you forget the birthday of your only grandchild, Mr. Wayne?"

"It slipped my mind." Bruce visibly gulped. "I haven't prepared a gift yet."

"It's a week away."

"Yes . . . yes I'm aware."

She gave her subtle but pointed look. She should've predicted this, in all honesty—Bruce seemed to be extremely swamped both inside and outside work the past few days. But she expected him to have the date marked on his personal calendar at least.

"If I start on the handmade gift tonight, there should be enough time for me to finish by the sixth," she told him.

He pursed his lips, "No, I can't possibly ask that from you. It wouldn't be a gift from me if it's you making it."

"Do you have other ideas then?"

Bruce came up with a blank. He shook his head, clearly in distress.

"Then allow me to make it, Mr. Wayne," she insisted as she clicked her pen. "If you're the one to pick the design I'm sure she will love it."

He breathed out, practically slumping on the sofa. "Thank you, Marinette, you're a lifesaver."

"That's not the magic word."

"I'll pay double your—no I'll pay triple your salary. That should cover the materials cost and work for it."

Marinette nodded in satisfaction. Triple was already a lot more than her usual commission prices. She looked over the scheduled events and tried to work out another suitable schedule. "I'll have the design options ready by tomorrow—I'm thinking of a thick cardigan—so please get her measurements from Mr. Pennyworth."

***

Marinette was running in heels. Sweat clung to the nape of her neck as she caught her breath in front of the manor gates. The rude taxi driver had dropped her off a good distance away from her destination, making her horribly late for the party when she had an important package to deliver.

She stared down at the gift bag with a neat little bow hanging from her wrist. Bruce had told her that he was going to be late to the birthday party and tasked her to get the gift there first . . . without much excuse for his tardiness. And when there was a flimsy excuse, it only meant that he was attending to something Batman-related.

After fixing her appearance and checking her reflection through her phone, she ventured into the back garden where the Wayne family had set up a modest party: a few family friends had been invited, standing around the long banquet table with finger foods and there were some picnic blankets laid around. The weather seemed to be in good favor just for Mar'i Grayson, who squealed and jumped into Marinette's arms the moment she saw her.

"Marinette!" The girl beamed. "You're here!"

Well . . . Marinette wasn't invited in the first place. She was there thanks to Bruce. Behind Mar'i, she saw Dick whispering to Kor'i with a frown, probably voicing out his disappointment that Bruce wasn't there yet.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." She smiled back.

Mar'i looked around. "Where's grandpa?"

"Uhh, your grandpa's running a little late today but he had me deliver this!" Marinette held up the bag, drawing out a look of wonder from the child. "Happy birthday, Princess."

The girl was already bouncing on her heels. "What's in it? What's in it?"

"Why don't you open it to find out?" A new voice said.

Marinette hoped no one heard her sigh of relief. Bruce had just appeared, but his tousled hair and wrinkled clothes indicated that he dressed himself in a rush.

"Grandpaaaaa!" Mar'i ran to her grandfather and he easily lifted her up.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart. I'm sorry I'm late." Bruce tapped the tip of her nose.

The girl giggled. "It's okay, there's still cake for you!"

"Why don't you open up your gift?"

Marinette moved aside and watched with anticipation as Mar'i peeked into the bag. She couldn't help the smile tugging on her lips when she saw green eyes lighting up in delight. Mar'i held out the soft pink cardigan adorned with patterns of a figure resembling Silkie, along with a little crocheted bag in the shape of a star.

Even though Bruce nearly forgot the date, he picked out a fitting design.

"I love it!" Mar'i gasped, immediately slipping the cardigan on. "Thank you, grandpa!"

With her job done, Marinette retreated towards the refreshments table where, to her surprise, Damian offered her a glass of water. His gaze seemed to be trained on the gift, which Mar'i was proudly showing off to the other guests.

"Is that your handiwork?" He asked.

"Do you want one too?" Marinette teased after she downed the whole glass. "I'll make one for you on your birthday if Mr. Wayne forgets yours too." 

He snorted. "I didn't say that. And Father will not forget my birthday."

"You sure about that?"

"You will be reminding him either way anyway." Damian sipped on his own drink. "You didn't have to make the gift for the sake of covering up Father's mistake."

"He paid me well, so it's fine."

"Still, he should've been the one who made the effort."

"He's right, Marinette, you didn't have to." Dick came up to them, handing a slice of cake to Marinette. "Old man's tendency to forget isn't new."

Marinette gave a grateful smile as she took a bite of the pink-and-purple frosted cake. "It's alright really. I wouldn't have offered to help but I didn't want Mar'i to celebrate without a gift from Mr. Wayne."

"It must've been a lot of trouble." Dick briefly looked at the wrist brace around her hand.

"Ah, this isn't from making the cardigan. Don't worry," she lied.

"I heard he only asked for the cardigan," said Dick. "What about the bag?"

Marinette's gaze traveled towards Mar'i again. The girl was stuffing her new bag with candies from Roy as her mother fixed her hair. "Just an accessory to match the cardigan. Consider it a gift from me."

"Thank you, Marinette." Dick nodded, looking at his daughter with a soft expression. "And I'm sorry for all the trouble on behalf of Bruce."

When Dick left (presumably to pull Bruce to the side and talk to him), Marinette noticed the side-eyes Damian was giving her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"You strained your hand making the cardigan didn't you?" he asked.

She put a finger up to her lips. "Let's keep that a secret between us." 

[redtippedfox]

Miraculous Timey Wimey Lore: Kwamis

—————————————————————————————-

Kwami Headcanon: Tikki (Creation)

Kwamis are ancient eldritch Gods that ruled over the Heavens for years, Tikki is one of the very first Eldritch God to ever be born, created from the Big Bang of the Universe. Tikki is the other half of the God of Destruction, Plagg, her and Plagg have been together since the beginning of time. Though Tikki will not ever admit it she and Plagg are indeed in love but she won’t ever admit it since Plagg and her are always separated due to their holders. Tikki may look like a responsible Goddess but she is actually very irresponsible and while she loves following the rules she can appreciate a little chaos from here, she is actually very fond of Marinette’s clumsiness especially when it creates a little bit of chaos.

Tikki loves sweets, likes every types of sweets, from strawberry short cake to chocolate pudding, although she loves chocolate chip cookies more than anything, Tikki was very happy when she found out that Marinette lived in a bakery where delicious treats are served everyday. Tikki is very curious about the human world and enjoys learning about new things. She adores Marinette’s creativity when it comes to her fashion and her creations.

All of the seasons were created by Tikki

Spring is the season that belongs to Tikki, the season of Love was created by Tikki so her Ladybugs could find love and so humans could have a season of love. During Spring she is energetic, chatty, and an absolute matchmaker. She loves giving Marinette proper love advice and tries her best to help Marinette understand her feelings for Adrien and even help her realize her feelings for Chat Noir.

During winter she becomes slow, tired and less energetic, she is supposed to go into hibernation till the next spring but thanks to humans warm technology she is able to be kept warm and therefore does not have to go into hibernation. Even though winter is a bad season for her it is a time of warmth and love, the winter may be freezing but Tikki made sure it looked beautiful.

Fall is another season, while spring is Tikki’s favorite season fall is Tikki’s second favorite. As the leaves fade away and make way for winter Tikki it to show off the beauty of the falling of the leaves.

Summer is a time of fun and relaxation, it’s not Tikki’s favorite due to the heavy heat but she still cherishes the season

Tikki likes to use the word “Fuck”, its her favorite human curse word, “Shit” is her second favorite human curse word.

Tikki adores Alya and Nino, and dreams of being able to properly meet both of them

Tikki will come up with mischievous plans with Plagg to get Adrien and Marinette together

Tikki can get very jealous and possessive of Marinette especially when it comes to Marinette wearing or using other Miraculouses. Tikki punched Mullo after Kwamibuster when the mouse kwami kept teasing her.

Tikki can be very impulsive sometimes

Tikki has the ability to grant blessings on people but she can also create curses as well

Tikki will sometimes cry at night, hoping that one day her brothers and sisters would be safe and Nooroo and Dussu would return to them

Tikki is a little shit sometimes

Tikki has a whole wardrobe made by Marinette just for her, she doesn’t like sharing any of it.

————————————————————————————————-

Tikki’s old form was bland and didn’t have a lot of black, she didn’t look much like a Ladybug but that’s what Fu thought of her, after he became Guardian Tikki was stuck in that form for over 300 years, Fu only saw the kwamis as creatures that had to be locked away from the world so they didn’t have a lot of animalistic parts of the animals that they represented since they haven’t been free in 300 years and Fu didn’t see them as Gods with animal tendencies so they looked nothing like their animals.

When a new Guardian is chosen the kwamis change their forms to match how their Guardian sees them and to fit their Guardians soul. When Marinette became Guardian the kwamis forms changed and they got to have more animalistic parts. Tikki was given more black on her body to represent being a Ladybug, her tails even got bigger rather than smaller, she even had a pink glow around her, Marinette’s soul allowing them to be more free and God-like than trapped like Fu.

[vera-deville]

Hi! Could you please write Luka Couffaine x fem. reader who has trouble talking about their feelings? Writes him letters, love poems or plays the drums for him because it's easier for her to show her feelings like that? Sorry for my English it is not my first language.

02/28/2023 - 03/29/2023

Pairing: Luka Couffaine x Reader

Word Count: 867

Warnings: Nothing that I can think of!

Gender: AFAB

In which Luka has a significant other who has a hard time expressing her feelings.

Luka Couffaine absolutely adored Y/N. The girl had captured his heart, mind, and soul, and he had no trouble expressing it. However, the same could not be said the other way around.

Other people labeled Y/N as someone cold and uncaring, but only a select few knew of her true nature - she simply could not express herself in the ways others would. And Luka understood completely.

Y/N had a small group of friends (most of whom had never even met each other, but knew the existence of). She wasn't one to stick to one particular friend group after all. A good friend was a good friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

And two of her very good friends were Juleka and Rose. Originally, Y/N had only Juleka (since she went to the same school as Luka), but quickly became acquainted with Rose as well. And for that, Y/N thanked whatever lucky stars she had.

The whole process of confessing to Luka was already gut-wrenchingly terrifying, seeing as she had no idea how to go about it, whether Luka would return her affections (even though Juleka said he would), and if she was actually dateable material.

But after the confession, a lot of her worries were put to rest. Luka was the sweetest boyfriend she could have asked for, and she was extremely grateful for having met him.

Luka was someone who was fairly affectionate (not like some of the couples she's seen walking in Paris being overly lovey-dovey), but he also never shied away from letting her know what was on his mind.

If there was a particular moment where Y/N was caught up doing something and was quite focused on it (such as homework), Luka would find himself simply staring at the girl, absolutely in awe of the work of art he had the honor of calling his girlfriend. (Yes, he's tried sneaking some photos of her when she wasn't looking).

And when he was caught, Y/N would ask, "what're you staring at?"

Only to be met with, "just caught up in the ethereal masterpiece in front me."

To which Y/N would feel her face heat up and a warm sort of buzz envelope her whole being. She'd become a little flustered and brush off his oh so charming and teasing self, but looking at him once more, she realizes every time that Luka wasn't teasing at that moment. He meant every word.

So when others meet her and find out she's in a relationship with Luka, they wonder how on Earth the relationship works. Luka was pretty well known and well-liked. But Y/N wasn't like that. She stayed to herself for the most part, and she'd never initiate any sort of PDA with her boyfriend.

And some of these people would take to whispering about this behind (or so they thought) Y/N's back.

She'd feel bad about it, but not to the point where she'd find herself spiraling down a rabbit hole of self-hate and whatnot. But that didn't stop her from wanting to improve. And what better way to improve than by asking two of her best friends?

"Aww, it's so cute that you want to be more lovey-dovey with Luka!" Rose gushed. Juleka had a slight smile on her face, finding the situation slightly humorous. The involved parties were her brother and one of her closest friends. How could she not be entertained? Especially when said close friend was going on a tirade vaguely reminiscent of Marinette's tirades about Adrien.

Rose suggested making a perfume for Luka, and Y/N thought that it was such a good idea that she'd probably do that for his birthday. "What if you write him a letter?" Juleka asked. Pondering over the idea, Y/N decided that it indeed was a good idea.

But what to write?

And so some amount of days passed, and Y/N finally ended up finishing her letter to Luka. It wasn't anything elegant or pretty or anything of the sort. It was goofy, filled with her typical sarcasm, and most importantly, it was heartfelt. Now, the only thing left was to actually give the letter to Luka.

Which was still quite hard surprisingly.

Y/N assumed that once the letter was finished, she'd just hand it over to the turquoise-haired boy and bada-bing bada-boom, romance!

Apparently it doesn't work like that.

Apparently you pour your heart out into the letter, but then you feel nervous to actually give the letter to your oh so accepting boyfriend.

But somehow Y/N pushed down her anxiety and gave the letter to Luka when they sat down after getting their ice cream. Opening it, Luka's face gradually morphed into one of extreme joy (and if Y/N didn't know any better, smugness), before he pressed a chaste kiss onto Y/N's cheek.

And from that day onwards, Y/N would (every once in a while) gift Luka letters, love poems, and even play the drums for him as means of physically showing her affection for him. It was their own little dynamic and some may have found it odd, but to them, it was perfect.

Author's Note: Once again, I'm really sorry for taking so long to complete this fic. I hope you enjoy it (if not, feel free to request again, since I honestly don't feel like I did my very best with this one).

I'm still in the middle of trying to find a specific fic format to stick to. I've tried looking at a bunch of other fanfic writers' profiles and the format they use to write their fics, but I'm still not 100% sure if what I'm doing right now is what I want to continue doing.