#mentioned Emilie Agreste

[rayraygo1267]

Gabenath Memes because I’m Bored

Note: Featuring Adrien bc he’s pookie

[yunyin]

Do you ever think about how Adrien being perfect has a new meaning when you consider that he is a sentibeing created from (presumably) the love between him and Emilie? How Gabriel pretty much idolizes her and their love? The love he justifies as being so special and important it's worth everything he's doing? How Adrien's perfection proves how special their love is? That maybe he's worthy of her?

Cuz I've thought about it a bit.

[theluckiestlb]

I literally do not care if they say he’s a widower or it’s simply poor coping skills—unless the man were suddenly possessed by satan himself—no amount of grief can turn someone so callously cruel. I simply do not buy the Jekyll and Hyde narrative. 

We’ve been told Gabriel had been a normal parent once...then underwent a drastic personality change after his wife expired. 

???????

Adrien’s autonomy and consent have been continuously violated since his inception. He’s unaware of the fact and unsurprisingly blames himself for bending to Gabriel’s will. 

His son is crying, on the verge of breakdown—literally begging—and Gabriel is completely unfazed by this distress.

Just as Colt Fathom came to despise/blame Félix for his illness, I suspect Gabriel harbors some degree of resentment towards Adrien due to Emilie’s passing. He may not be conscious of it, but there is a clear undercurrent of spite fueling his behavior. 

The series has drawn explicit parallels between the senti-twins. They mirror each other’s pain and story. Félix has experienced cruelty firsthand and I don’t think he would go through so much effort to free his cousin/brother for naught.

(Also, before anyone boards the Emilie-hate bandwagon, please note/recall Félix’s reaction to her portrait. He has strongly held convictions, especially with respect to sentibeings and misuse of the peacock miraculous. I don’t believe he’d feel such fondness toward someone complicit in Adrien’s mistreatment.)

[wield-the-mighty-pen]

Adrien Agreste as Family Line By Conan Gray

[wisteriasymphony]

Adrien was never the type to have a solid grip on living. Even at an age where he couldn't see it—much less articulate it—the misery would bleed in through the walls. Most boys his age were at worst the kind of reckless one would expect from a developing brain. Boys were meant to scrape their knees, dislodge a tooth, maybe break a wrist.

At six years old, Adrien was moved into a room without a balcony. It would be an understatement to say he couldn't be trusted with one; Had there been room on the first floor, he would've been kept down there. But sealing the windows shut was hopefully enough to keep him from jumping off the ledge again.

"We can't send him to school like this!" Emilie has initially protested, cradling her baby boy in her arms. She was lucky he wasn't human, or perhaps there wouldn't be enough left to hold. "My sweet boy," she wept. "My precious boy."

Adrien, as pristine as the day he was made, looked to his father. Gabriel creased his brows as he noticed the boy had nothing behind his eyes. Just smooth, green glass.

[goggles-mcgee]

Wish Me Away: What Goes Around Comes Around

Notes: I'm so sorry for the wait but things piled up and it overwhelmed me. My mental health declined and physical health fluctuated, lot's of personal things happened and then I just got caught up in my commissions. I try my best to multi-task but it always gets hard for me. Sometimes I'll hit a streak and then I'll hit a block.

Overall, I'm just sorry and I thank all of those who are still sticking with this story and me as an author.

Warnings for this chapter are descriptions of injuries.

Beginning Last Chapter

Summary: The Agreste's face their Karma

Chapter:

Karma was a beautiful, beautiful thing if you asked Tikki. One of the only beautiful things born from her and Plagg’s combined powers. They were young when they created it, back when they hid from all, be it humanity or the wide variety of Gods and Goddesses. Kwami weren’t known to man, and to the Gods…well, some didn’t understand them, or they saw them as competition, but there were some Gods who sought them out to talk and bounce ideas off of. It was nice and it fueled her need to create. One conversation with some lovely Hindu Gods had her mind spinning to the point she demanded Plagg help her with her idea. He was reluctant, of course he was, combining their powers had proved to be a great yet terrifying thing. One that wasn’t exactly forbidden by Them before they had actually become Them , but it wasn’t highly encouraged either. 

Luck and Creation were Tikki’s domains, Bad Luck and Destruction were Plagg’s, so it was safe to assume they didn’t collaborate often. When they did though, they created such intriguing yet beautiful things that had the power to do as much good as they did harm. An example being the Lazarus Pit. It was just one pit that ended up somehow multiplying and they were spread around the globe. They were misleadingly called the Fountain of Youth, not many knew there was more than one so whichever one they discovered or heard of that was nearby or far away was deemed the fabled fountain. Human tales were such interesting things, Tikki loved hearing and reading them, even in her smaller form. They were shining examples of Creation and what could be done with the gift of Creativity. It was wonderful! Tikki loved seeing Creation in motion but it was something else to see Plagg and Destruction in work.

It was art.  

Maybe it was horrible of her to say but without him there would be no her. Creation needed Destruction and vice versa. They were an endless cycle and there was something just absolutely breathtaking about that. It was no wonder that Tikki wanted to try and merge their powers and see what could be born from it. They saw what happened when they combined their Creation and Destruction powers, but Tikki had been curious about their Luck based powers and Plagg had been a lot easier to convince once she explained that. It had been laughably easy, the power glowed above them for a couple of seconds and it was beautiful, it was more so when it separated into what Tikki could only describe as magic dust and flew in every direction. The dust coated everything and then it was gone. Naked to the eye but Tikki could feel it all around. 

At first, they had no idea what this new thing did but it became apparent the more they observed humanity.  A human would be kind or helpful in some way and Tikki would get this feeling of tickling warmth around her, this person would get a bit of good luck, nobody else could see it but Tikki, Plagg and the other Kwami (and Tikki would wager also the Gods) would see this human surrounded by some sort of glow. It was beautiful, it never stayed one color, it fluctuated and changed but always remained this soft, gentle glow. Eventually it would fade, but Tikki noticed some humans seemed to be constantly surrounded by the glow and it wasn’t a surprise to note they were some of the kindest, most generous and passionate humans she had observed. They were wonderful and Tikki felt they deserved the boost of luck, the Kwami as a whole were in awe. Then they saw the other side of things. 

Tikki knew humans weren’t perfect, that was part of their allure and all, but sometimes some of their actions truly disgusted her. They lied, which isn’t all bad, but some just lied and lied as easily as breathing and did so with no remorse even if a lie caused a problem. Sometimes they even looked proud if it caused some form of problem to happen. There were those who stole just to steal and just because they could, and there were those who killed with no guilt. Tikki and Plagg started to notice that these people started to be surrounded by a dark cloud of energy. The cloud was sometimes small, sometimes big but it always ended in some odd rain of black energy that coated the person till they resembled some sort of shadow being. How covered and how dark they became seemed to be tied to their actions and some time after that person would experience bad luck. 

Sometimes it was something as simple as something breaking right as they were used, be it old or new, and sometimes…sometimes it was a broken bone, getting an illness or even death. But the deaths were never swift, never painless, they were drawn out and full of such misery it was nearly tangible. Tikki couldn’t help but feel proud of what they created, it had some…drawbacks but overall, it was a beautiful, curious thing. Plagg had been so interested in her side of things, he chose to ignore what his had done but that was okay because Tikki found it just as, if not more fascinating than the good luck boost. It was like the world itself demanded justice and it got it when no one or nothing else did. Plagg at first had loved his powers but when he saw the hurt and hate, he stopped loving it, to an extent Tikki understood but at the same time she wanted to knock him upside the head. Without him, there would be no need for her. 

It took him a couple decades but he got there, and their strange new power grew the more time passed. It got mixed reviews from their peers and the wide array of gods but some Hindu Gods loved it. They even helped them name it as they had a similar idea but Tikki and Plagg seemed to have brought power to it. It was a great collaboration and thus Karma was born. Tikki and Plagg found it utterly fascinating and found themselves watching the humans for long periods of time. That was until They came back in their weakened state and all the Kwami came together to try and help them, it ended up being all for naught but They were not short of their wisdom and critics even in their final days. They saw Karma and though they found it just as fascinating they also scolded Tikki and Plagg for mixing their powers together without notifying them. It was a messy argument but one that ended with Tikki and Plagg getting to let Karma keep on. 

Once they were sealed in the Miraculi though, the effects of Karma weakened. It never disappeared but it did fade into a lesser version of itself. There were rare times where Tikki and Plagg were able to see Karma back in its true form and it was almost always after a Wish or after a catastrophic event in their universe. Karma followed and it healed the balance of the world. Many believed it was the Wish that did this, that took and gave in equal parts but that wasn’t true. The Wish brought about whatever change the Hopeful who had managed to obtain both the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculi together had requested, and yes They took something of equal value to the Hopeful in exchange, but it wasn’t balanced. Karma helped balance out all the negatives that came after such events, but when it was caused by a Wish it tended to be more … unpredictable. It was more powerful, more spread out, more vicious and bountiful. 

It would reach everywhere a Kwami, and later, a Miraculous had touched. For those who had any saved up Good Karma, Good Fortune would follow them for a while. How long was never determined as sometimes it went on longer than expected or someone had used up all their collected Good Karma on one big thing. Again, it was unpredictable. The same was true for those who had built up Bad Karma, they could have a lot of low level Bad Fortune or even a lot of high level Bad Fortune. And like Good Fortune, someone could use up all their built up Bad Fortune on something big. When that happened, it was a terrifying sight. The punishments that Karma dictated for those with Bad Fortune could be deadly and some were. Tikki remembered them well. So she knew that no matter what, after Gabriel had made his Wish that Karma would be back in its full power and it was something that would have excited her if she had not been actively losing her latest Bug. She had been so close to losing Marinette and her heart raced whenever she thought about it at Wayne Manor. She wanted her revenge. 

That’s why she had asked Them if she could enact Karma, not natural Karma, that would happen regardless. No, Tikki had asked permission for Kwami Karma, a very special type of Karma that allowed Tikki and Plagg and whichever Kwami’s felt wronged or blessed by a former Holder, some of their former power from before they were Sealed and let them bestow Gifts/Blessings. Though some of the Gifts could very well be called curses, that was part of the Kwami Karma and how a Kwami felt towards the person receiving the Karma. It had been something that Tikki and Plagg last collaborated on as a branch of Karma, many people who had worshiped them had called it Divine Honor or Divine Punishment, whichever applied. It was Hippolyta that bestowed the updated name upon them, really she had been joking, “ Ah, so it is to be a Karma of the Kwami? ” The name stuck though as it had made Tikki laugh. 

Though the name brought a smile to her face once more, it wasn’t a fond smile nor one born of laughter, no this smile was one that promised vengeance. The wind rushed around her and the others as they flew across the Paris sky.  Bruce hadn’t been happy about what they were going to do and yet he had still offered to take them to Paris, Tim had even thought about letting them use something called a Zeta-Tube, they were both very nice offers but this was something that had to be done only by the Kwami. Thankfully they had been given some of their former power that morning, it had been hard to hide it from the new family but Tikki thought they had managed well. Kaalki had opened a portal for them after they had all said goodbye to little Marietta, some goodbyes took longer than normal despite everyone knowing they would be home before the day was up but Tikki couldn’t be mad about it. Marietta deserved every bit of love she got. 

“So, are we doing the announcement first or the Gifts first, Lovebug?” Plagg asked, his voice fluctuating between the high-pitched one Tikki had gotten used to hearing and his old one, his original voice, the one she missed more than she could say. 

“The announcement will be first, but before that, we need to give out some Gifts .” Her voice fluctuated too now that they were close to accomplishing their Karma. 

“Are we starting with…with them, then?” Nooroo asked, his voice soft no matter if it was fluctuating. He had yet to raise his voice above anything other than a soft tone and it hurt Tikki’s heart to see her fellow Kwami like that. It made her furious. 

“Yes, Nooroo. We are starting with the worst of them. Gabriel Agreste and-” Tikki started.

“And Adrien Agreste.” Plagg finished in a hard voice. She gave a short nod as she didn’t know what to say to help Plagg. He was betrayed once more and so was one of her Bugs and it never got easier to deal with. 

It wasn’t long before they got to the Agreste Mansion and Tikki felt all her anger and fury rise once more. She looked at the others, then toward Nooroo who flew to her side to join her and Plagg. The others gave them nods before they found spots to hide on the property until Tikki called them. Tikki looked at Nooroo who was staring blankly at the large window in the back of the mansion where the lair had been, he was shaking slightly. “Come. They will get what they deserve My Friend, and you will get closure.” 

“I would like to come as well, if you don’t mind. I know my Holder is no more, but…” Tikki turned back to see Duusuu floating a little behind them all. Her voice was hopeful yet weak. She was still recovering from the damage that had befallen her Miraculous and now that They had fixed it, her recovery was a sure thing, but it was a slow process. Tikki hadn’t even wanted Duusuu to fly out with them all, but she was a stubborn Kwami. Tikki couldn’t deny her, her own closure in that mansion. 

“Of course Duusedda,” It had been many many years since the Kwami as a whole have used their full names, but this was an important moment and Tikki felt like the Kwami before her deserved to hear her own name in full before they all confronted the Agrestes. The smile she got in response made her resolve all the more stronger. So the four Kwami phased into the mansion and followed the voices. Plagg took the lead on the flight as he was the more familiar with the house, Nooroo was confined to two rooms so wasn’t all that familiar with the home if you could even call it that. 

Tikki could hear the voices more clearly and did not hesitate to go towards the doors and use a power boost to blow them open. She had not been expecting the sight of Emilie Agreste to strike her like it did but she did not let it hinder her mission. Though, a big part of her wished that the woman was included in her Karma. She may not have been revived with her consent but she almost took her Baby Bug from her and that was not something Tikki tolerated. For the sake of balance and for Them , she would not do anything to the woman, plus nothing Miraculous would affect the woman since she was a product of a Wish, it was something Tikki brooded about a lot before this day. She may not be able to touch the woman, but she could touch Gabriel and Adrien who were present and immediately tried to fight off whatever kept them stuck to their chairs. Tikki, Duusuu, Plagg and Nooroo all made their way to the center of the table, which was a longer flight than Tikki expected. What was the point of such a long table? No reasons seemed to be good enough reasons to Tikki and by the look on Plagg’s face, she knew she wasn’t alone in the thought. 

“Hello Gabriel.” Nooroo said, his voice surprisingly and not so surprisingly was cold as steel. Gabriel looked like he was yelling silently at them all but Tikki felt no need to subject them all to his pathetic voice and demands. Unlike Nino’s family who were frozen and aware, the Agreste’s could move their upper body and somewhat legs, they were just stuck to the chairs they sat in and the chairs were firmly stuck to the floor. Tikki did steal their ability to talk or more so muted them as she did not need them to try and justify their actions, she did not want to hear their anger, hers was louder and they would be her first audience. 

“Kid.” Plagg said with a smile that was all teeth. His pupils slit so thin they almost looked like they disappeared in the sea of green that was his sclera. 

“Emilie, it is nice to see you awake.” Duusuu said softly, Tikki didn’t agree with her statement but well, the Peacock Kwami always was one of the nicer beings. They were nice but they did hold grudges for a long amount of time if someone wronged them. They got attached fast though, though to say that would make Tikki a hypocrite. 

“I won’t drag this out. The less time I have to be in the presence of you three would be a blessing.” Tikki growled out. She swiftly looked at Nooroo and Plagg and the three of them shared a grim nod. “Gabriel Agreste, former holder of the Butterfly Miraculous, you have been deemed an enemy of the Miraculi. As such you are forbidden from wielding any Miraculous as long as you shall live.”

The shock in Gabriel’s eyes was delicious as was the panic in Adrien’s. Emilie looked horrified but not shocked and that also gave Tikki some pleasure but not as much as she thought it would. “You, Gabriel Agreste are the catalyst to this Karma, in a way, I suppose I could thank you but that would be giving you too much credit. Besides, you do not deserve my thanks or anyone else’s. You invoked my wrath. You killed my Chosen! You destroyed her! Erased her. I take great pleasure in bestowing unto you, your Karma. I, Tikki, Kwami of Creation curse you with memory.”

Gabriel, who had been doing his best to escape the chair, paused at her words. Was the man really that surprised? Did he truly not think there would be consequences to his actions? The thought made Tikki sneer. 

“You will remember the prices others paid for your selfishness. You will remember Nathalie,” Emilie looked genuinely shocked at the name of her friend and equally heartbroken. “Your devoted right hand who did and would do everything for you. You will dream of the woman you erased from the world. You will see every time she sacrificed her happiness for you and your whims. You will feel the love she had for you and the pain she felt every time her love was rejected, you will feel the pain she was in once she started using the Peacock Miraculous. This pain will last for all the years Nathalie Adeline Sancoeur was alive.” 

Emilie was sobbing but her tears were silent due to the magic that was placed on all three Agrestes. She was yelling, presumably at Gabriel who was not paying her any attention. His face was pale, his mouth agape. “You will also remember Marinette Meiying Dupain-Cheng, also known as Li-Mei by her family in China. You will be plagued by visions of possible futures had you not taken her from this world. You will see how Paris would have mourned her as the hero Ladybug, as the classmate many admired and also her as the kind baker’s daughter. You will never know rest. My final ‘ gift ’ upon you Gabriel Agreste, is the gift of a long, healthy life. And for my parting curse, as I am Creation and Creation is me, I curse you with the loss of skill. You will retain your creative spirit but you will never be able to bring to life one of your ideas ever again.”

Next up was Nooroo, he looked nervous but determined. “I, Nooroo, Kwami of Transmission bestow upon you the curse of never wielding my Miraculous as long as you live. You corrupted a Miraculous, you imprisoned me and you did it all with no hesitation, no remorse and I will repay that to you. With no hesitation in my heart and no remorse to be felt I bestow the marks of a traitor to me and an enemy of the Miraculi unto you Gabriel Agreste.”

As soon as the last word fell from Nooroo’s lips, Gabriel spasmed and clutched at his chest and back. His silent screams meant nothing to the Kwami but it seemed like they affected both Emilie and Adrien who tried to reach out to Gabriel. Their mouths were asking questions no one could or would answer. Nooroo felt no relief or vindication at what he had done and would do but he also felt no guilt. “I also give you the…’gift’ of memory and pain. You will remember each ‘akuma’ you created and all the pain they caused to the people of Paris. You will feel each death as if it were your own, you will feel the break of each bone and you will feel the sting of each scratch. That is my parting gift to you, I have nothing else to say.”

Plagg put a hand on Nooroo’s shoulder and gave him a rueful grin before he took his place in front of Gabriel. “I, Plagg, Kwami of Destruction curse you Gabriel Agreste, with a curse of destruction. As I am Destruction and Destruction is me, I bestow upon you this curse of destruction, you will destroy every relationship you have, had and are going to have. No one will ever trust you, no one will ever like you and no one will ever love you again. You tore relationships and strained them during your tantrum as Hawkmoth, you will experience that first hand now.” 

With Plagg’s final words Tikki knew their curses and gifts were placed and finalized. She watched impassively as Gabriel tore his shirt off and finally saw what his marks were. Emilie had a hand over her mouth as she stared in horror at the red, irritated and raised skin on his chest that took the shape of the Butterfly Brooch, he would carry the reminder of his failures by the burn on his chest. It would never fade, it could never be removed or covered by tattoos. It was his brand as an enemy, it would be the first of many marks given today but his and Adrien’s would be the only ones whose marks caused them pain. Everyone else would possibly feel a slightly uncomfortable itch at first or nothing when given their marks. But these two? These two deserved the pain Tikki felt, they had caused her and many others pain by almost taking away her Baby Bug, so they would feel pain in return. Let the world know that they, the Kwami, were not as benevolent as rumored or to be believed, they were higher beings of morally gray standings and it was time they showed it. 

Gabriel turned around to show Nooroo’s parting mark, the mark that he betrayed the Kwami. Two large yet not so deep gashes ran across his back, deep enough to scar, which was Nooroo’s goal. The gashes were parallel and symmetrical, if Gabriel had had wings, Tikki was sure that’s where they would have been placed on his back. Gabriel had lost his wings and now it was time to show the whole of Paris that. “We have punished you, Gabriel Agreste, as we see fit, but the people of Paris haven’t punished you yet. So, as a peace offering you will be locked in one of their jails, La Santé. Should anyone…desire to help you, they will be sorely disappointed to find you can never leave. I am not cruel, you will be provided meals even if those at the prison decide not to give you some. You will be provided a TV so you can watch everything happen around you. So mote it be.” 

Just like that, Gabriel was gone from his seat, Emilie was crying while Adrien also looked close to tears but was yelling at them. His hair was a mess, his face red and spittle flying from his mouth. He looked as unhinged as Tikki imagined, she knew the boy was hiding a darker side like all did, she just never thought it reached this far. All Black Cat’s had darker sides but they all knew how to control it or embrace it, Adrien was not one of those that could do so. It was a mark, one of many of a False Cat. Thankfully, they would leave this place soon. “Adrien Agreste, former holder of the Cat Miraculous, you have been deemed an enemy of the Miraculi. As such you are forbidden from wielding any Miraculous as long as you shall live.”

Adrien stopped his silent screaming and looked at her like she had grown another head, honestly, she wasn’t even one of the Kwami that did possess two heads in the original form, so she felt like it was rude. “You can glare at me all you want, little boy, but it will do nothing to help you. You are the one who betrayed the Miraculi, not the other way around. As such, I, Tikki, Kwami of Creation bestow upon you the curse of memory. You will remember Marinette, you will remember every instance she put her happiness aside for your own. You will see all the times your ‘flirting’ made her uncomfortable as Ladybug and Marinette. You will see every time you let her down. You will remember Nathalie and every time she made excuses for you and all the times she got in trouble because of you. They also give you a curse, you can never tell anyone about the Miraculi, about us Kwami, but if asked you will only admit to being the traitor Chat Noir. Finally, I bestow upon you a gift. You never wanted Marinette so I shall make everything she ever gave you, turn to ash. It’s only fair after all. My gift will make it so you won’t be so cruelly reminded of Marinette, well, visually at least.”

After saying her peace, Tikki flew to the flowers in the middle of the table and sat upon a leaf, though she would hear everything, she wanted to give Plagg his space to say his own peace. She knew it was going to be hard on him but he always did prefer to show his emotions in private so he wouldn’t break in front of his peers. He rarely let Tikki in so she felt bad that they were present for this moment, but it was needed. She watched as Plagg flew towards Adrien and landed in front of the boy far enough to not be grabbed. His antennae were flat against his head and back, it hurt Tikki’s heart to see. “Kid… Adrien, I’ve thought long and hard about this. You may not have been my True Chosen, but you had potential and I…I cared for you, I thought you would have grown into a great Cat. You had spirit, but somewhere along the way you lost sight of what was important. My Cats tend to be on the reckless side but they have heart and are more than willing to lend a paw when they are needed. You are not Cat of mine.”

“With all that said, I, Plagg, Kwami of Destruction bestow upon you the curse of Bad Luck. You will forever be plagued with bad luck, some days can be better than others but that will all depend on you. If you genuinely do something to help someone or comfort someone with no ill intent or selfish gain, your bad luck will be minimal. Do something out of selfishness or deceitfulness and your bad luck will become worse. I will also give you a gift, you care so much about what others think of you I give you the gift of Thoughts. You will hear every single negative thought anyone has had about you. You as Adrien and you as Chat Noir. You, like your father, will bear the marks of enemy and traitor.” Plagg said in a monotone voice. At the end of his speech Adrien spasmed much like Gabriel had but this time he clutched at his right hand before his head was forcefully turned to the side by an invisible force.

Emilie tried to go to her baby boy and Tikki, feeling merciful, allowed it. Emilie shot out of her chair and to Adrien at incredible speed she cradled him to her as best she could while she sobbed. She ran a hand through his hair and pressed a hand to the supposed scratch marks on Adrien’s face and even though he couldn’t hear her, she was trying to calm him as best she could. Her words may not have been heard but her actions were. Well, to Tikki at least. As much as she despised the woman in front of her, she knew it truly wasn’t her fault and let herself feel bad for her. She awoke to pain and even if Tikki believed she had a part in Marinette being erased she also acknowledged it was Gabriel who started everything in a way. Tikki sighed before looking at Duusuu. “Duusuu.”

The Peacock Kwami looked at her and with just a look they knew what she was going to say, so the Kwami gave her a soft smile. “Emilie, I know you never wanted this. But you did ignore my warnings so long ago and though I can’t give a gift of any great weight and can still give you a small one. So I, Duusuu, Kwami of Emotion, bestow the gift of Innocence. No matter what comes to light you will never hold any blame or suspicion. Given what has happened and what will happen, you need not be punished more than you already have.”

“I will not fight Duusuu’s decision.” Tikki said after a while of silence. “We leave you here as I have a broadcast to make but one final word, Adrien, there is… hope for you. You can be rid of your curses if you realize and admit your guilt in all that has happened. That and accept it wholeheartedly, only then will you be free, but you will never rid yourself of your marks. This will be the last time you see us in person.”

No other words were said before the four Kwami left the house. There was no time for delays, Tikki and the others had Karma to deliver and there would be plenty to go around.

Next Chapter

Tags:

@dorkus-minimus @astridflies @coolspidermanmusicflower @myazael @zephyranemone @rubixchick @cydaeashootingstar @ramos123 @eventhedarkestlightshines @too0bsessedformyowngood @solangelo252  @mythogaychic @electrocution-dp @icerosecrystal  @thefangirlwholiterallydies @maskedpainter @frieddonutsweets @whoseanonymouswriter @murderrobins @zorua-adorable @amigotasbien @plushbookworm @alytori @lovepink3772-blog @robyalix @mystery-5-5 @heckinggremlin @fantasiame  @neromerp13 @lady-bee-fechin  @ihatecomingupwithusernameswtf @vroomtaka @jayjayspixiepop @i-need-blog-ideas  @bloodydragon000  @aestheticnpoetic @salmakshortstories  @insane-fangirl-of-everything  @mizzy-pop @smolplantmum  @lunabey2sky  @eternal-exhaustion24  @roguishredaxion @jjmjjktth  @miraculous-trinity-leo  @buginetye  @ladybug-182  @liquid-luck-00 @alysrose-starchild  @vixen-uchiha  @emilyphee  @moonlightstar64 @komatsuna-yuki  @read-fantasy-to-escape-reality  @bygge00 @souleateralicestein  @1-801-bitch  @lupagrimm  @maribatshipper @doglover82  @corporeal-terrestrial  @alyssadeliv  @trippingovermyfeet @miraculous-simmer7  @galla02006  @bonusbuggy  @derpingrainbow @kking13   @laurcad123  @jeminiikrystal  @a-star-with-a-human-name  @princessanimeangel11  @fan-of-fans-iggy  @suddenly-i-kin-oikawa @zalladane  @weirdo-with-no-beardo  @ali-kitkat  @mikantsume @babylovebug18 @livelifeauthorstyle  @woe-is-me0  @i-am-creator28 @meme991001  @enduskdragon  @guessmyname17  @yukirivea @zotinha456  @idontwannaexistsopleasekillme @introvertpan84  @all-eyes-no-dragon  @humanoid606  @rainbowbunny0159 @allis-sun @kaitense1 @babylovebug18 @blep-23 @midnightrose @midnightrosebell

TAGS that don’t work: @pandasbite2 @michaelshadow7779 @maribat-writing-and-prompts @macncheesemonster @lunerlover2024 @loupgris-blog1 @lubsnubsbubs @sailormarelda @alexizlazy4eva @wolf2118 @occulta-lacrimarum13 @nylanyra @leia-07 @vice-artist @laydeekrayzee

[miraculoustakes]

Eminath and Gabenath in particular are so fucked up and toxic (positive) that I love to read more porn of them. There are 133 E-rated Gabenath fics on AO3 rn, which is kinda a drop in the ocean. She’s destroying her body for live of him! She’s letting his son believe they’re engaged! She’s pinning him against his kitchen table and threatening him!

.

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien June 2022: Monster

Read it on AO3: Monster

Summary: Adrien sacrifices himself to the local incubus to escape his rubbish home life. It goes better than expected.

Pairing: Adrien Agreste/Luka Couffaine

Rating: T

@lukadrien-june

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

So I absolutely despise the Senti-Rich kids plot, and I get the feeling you dont like it much either

Can you think of any way to make a plotline like that actually work in ML?

You would be correct in your assumption! There are a lot of ways to make that plot work. I'll list a few going in rough order from least changes to canon to most extreme changes to canon:

Never use the peacock for canon fodder sentimonsters or mention that sentimonsters have a remote control and the ethical issues become a lot less complicated, letting you treat the peacock like a wacky fertility drug. This path is kinda boring and still makes the Agrestes look bad, but it would remove all my main issues.

Modify the peacock so that there's something to make it clear that the senti kids are different from a normal sentimonster. I think I've seen someone mention the idea that, to make a living senti, you have to give up part of yourself and that's an interesting idea, though I think that sort of nuanced commentary on infertility is too complex for a kids show. Still, the general concept could work, especially if you added a way for a living sentimonster to break free of their amok.

Lean into the secret society stuff the show hinted at with things like the Diamond Dance and whatever the weird mask party was back in season four. Have some sort of rich people conspiracy to have perfect children that the heroes have to stop.

Along similar lines to the previous or in addition to the previous: actually acknowledge that you've introduced a slavery plot to your show and let there be a free the slaves plot. And I mean really free them. None of this, "well, you're technically still a slave, but we've given you the remote control, so it's fine! Just never ever let that ring out of your sight, okay? And be careful about giving yourself orders by accident!"

My favorite path: change the peacock's power to be something else, but keep the general plot line of that power being used in relation to Adrien (and the other two, if you want). I'll admit that this one is somewhat similar to the first idea, but the reason I like this and not that is that I just generally hate the idea of magical designer babies, but I like the idea that Emilie used the peacock for Adrien's sake. It's nice dramatic tension. I actually assumed this was going to be the big reveal up until we learned the peacock's power. Post reveal, I assumed that I was wrong because the sentimonster stuff seemed like too stupid of a move for anyone to make. I also find the peacock both overpowered and too similar to the butterfly, so I've wanted it to be something else ever since it was first introduced. The sentibaby plot line just further fueled my dislike.

[porryc]

Reverse Emilie Agreste didn’t die from a broken miraculous she clearly murdered by Superme

Gabriel mentions that he used to work for Superme's court but stole the miraculous of butterfly and peacock for what he wanted most

What he wanted the most is of course ; create Adrien

However the miraculous in Emilie's hand in the Gabriel’s song is not broken

Even if it was already broken it is very likely that this person who also gave Toxinelle and Griffe Noir their miraculous is Master Fu which is the evil antagonist of that universe and we all know he have the knowledge to fix a broken miraculous

Also there blood details around Emilie's hand in the image

There is a huge Superme logo behind Gabriel who is crying hysterically and holding Emilie's dead body

This entire image which looks like a murder scene gives the impression that Superme killed Gabriel's wife Emilie in revenge for stealing peacock and butterly miraculous

At the end of the generic we see Gabriel who fights with Superme to avenge his wife and wants to bring peace to the Dystopia he lives in

Also that means Griffe Noir working for his mom’s killer without knowing when he wanted to bring her back to life so badly

[rayraygo1267]

A Gabenath Fanfiction

Note: I haven’t written fanfiction in a while so this might be really cringe..and I’m a horrible editor so I sincerely apologize for any grammatical errors.

Also I wanna give a shout-out to a friend of mine who helped me brainstorm for this piece. They didn’t want me to share any of their information but they deserve the credit :)

Rated: T

Summary: After a not so helpful conversation with Nino, Adrien is at a loss on how to go about having his first kiss with Marinette. With Nino out of the equation, Adrien decides he’ll go to the next best thing, his parents. While trying to pry for information from both Gabriel and Nathalie, Adrien may come to find out an interesting secret that lays in their past.

Title: Just a Peck on the Lips

"Dude! How have you two not kissed yet?"

Adrien sighed, his cheeks warming.

"I mean...I want to and I think Marinette wants to, but I don't know..."

Nino grinned, nudging Adrien's arm.

"What is there to not know? You just take her out on a nice date and do whatever it is you two do, and then at the end just when the moment is right you kiss her."

Well that was easy for Nino to say, him and Ayla have been together for months now. They've surely kissed countless times.

"But how do I know when the moment is just right?" Adrien murmured more to himself rather than to Nino.

Nino placed a finger to his chin contemplating.

"I don't know dude. You just...know."

Again he said it as if it was so easy.

"Right." Adrien agreed not wanting to touch on the subject matter any longer. He waved goodbye to Nino, who seemed to be none the wiser to his distress.

Adrien knew he had to get home soon or he'd be late for his Chinese lesson.  However, despite trying to get his mind to focus on more pressing issues, he couldn't stop thinking about Marinette and what a kiss with her would be like. The only thing he couldn't seem to figure out was when he was going to kiss her. Should he ask for her permission first or should he just go for it?

As he made his way up to his room, Nino's words began to echo in his ears.

You just know...

"Father." Adrien called, knocking gently three times on the double doors of his father's office. He could hear his father walking about in there muttering about designs and pattern choices to himself.

"Father!" He called again. He heard as the older man let out a deep sigh and an aggravated grunt.

"What is it, Adrien?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

Another grunt.

"Can it wait? I'm very busy."

Adrien sighed, his heart sinking.

"Never mind..."

Adrien blew out a breath. He hadn't expected anything more. Really, what could one expect from someone like Gabriel Agreste?

Luckily after fourteen years of dealing with Gabriel, he knew all the ways to get under his skin. After a few moments of watching him through the door crack, his breath coming out in puffs, Gabriel let out a sigh that honestly sounded more like a snarl.

“Fine Adrien. I'll give you five minutes, five minutes and that’s it.”

Five minutes was all Adrien needed.

“Why are you asking me this?”

Out of all the things that could’ve come out of his father’s mouth, Adrien had not been expecting this. Did he really want to tell his father about Marinette? Would his father even care? Would he care too much?

“I…well there’s this girl—“

His father immediately waved him away, brows furrowing in revulsion.

“Adrien,” he began, his tone as stern as ever, “I don’t want to hear any more of this girl and details on what has happened in my life is most certainly none of your concern.”

“But Father!” Adrien cried frantically, though it came out more whiny than he had intended it to. To make matters worse, his father was already standing up, ready to turn on his heel and act as if this conversation never happened.

Out of desperation for his only chance of finding out how to court Marinette, Adrien bolted forward pawing at the fabric of his father’s shirt.

“Father please!” He wailed. Surprisingly, Gabriel didn’t make any moves to go away, stopping in his tracks completely. Was he actually bothering to listen to what Adrien had to say?

Before he lost his nerve, Adrien went on, “I barely know anything about your past and I just want to get closer to you…I…aren’t son’s supposed to come to their father’s to talk about things like this?”

Adrien felt his father stiffen and watched with bolstering anticipation as the older Agreste turned to face him.

Gabriel huffed, his expression sour, “if you must know...it was at a college party back in my days at Sorbonne.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. He had not been expecting that. His father’s first kiss was at a college party. Huh.

His father did not say anything more and Adrien didn’t get the chance to pry due to an office door being slammed in his face, but this was a start…even if he didn’t get any actual advice at least he got to know a little something more about his dear old dad.

So yes, even though he was elated with his results, he knew due to his father's lack of communication skills that he'd have to resort to a far more promising resource.

Nathalie.

                    

He found Nathalie at her usual spot in the desk to the side of the entryway. She had a look of deep concentration, her eyes scanning over her tablet. As he approached, he saw as her focus broke, her gaze diverting up to his.

"Hey Nathalie," Adrien said, his voice wavering. Was it obvious what his intentions were? Nathalie was smart, he wouldn't put it past her to have somehow already figured out his dilemma, but perhaps that meant she had a solution.

Nathalie pulled her glasses up, setting her tablet to the side.

"Do you need something Adrien?"  

"So..." he trailed off, wringing his figures together.

She made a ticking motion with her hands, obviously aggravated by being distracted from her work. Adrien felt his cheeks heat up as all his questions hung on the tip of his tongue.

"Well I want to kiss Marinette but I don't know how. I don't know if she's ready or if I'm ready and I..." he paused his rampage coming to a halt. Nathalie hadn't even flinched as she looked at him expectantly to continue. Even without her judgment, he felt his embarrassment coming to full front.

"Do you...have any tips?"

Nathalie blinked and sighed, her demeanor seemingly uncomfortable.

“Tips?” She questioned.

“Yeah like how should I go about it and all that? I mean I’m sure you have experience—“

Nathalie cringed, nose wrinkling, “Adrien,” she started, “maybe this is a conversation you'd prefer to have with your father—"

"I already tried that!"

Nathalie startled, taken aback. Adrien flushed even more and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Look, you don't even have to give me tips, just tell me what your first kiss was like."

Nathalie's eyes widened, her mouth parting.

"Excuse me?”

"Your first kiss, what was it like?"

Well..." she hesitated, she’d normally shut Adrien down but it sounded like she was his last resort anyway, might as well give him something.

“It was very quick and unexpected, more like a peck on the lips."

Adrien frowned, "but aren't first kisses supposed to be special? What made yours so chaste?"

Nathalie made a face, biting her lip in contemplation. After a moment she replied, “He was already interested in somebody else.”

The room suddenly became rigid. Guilt lanced through Adrien’s chest. He shouldn’t have been so nosy. Nathalie’s past was her business and he shouldn’t have pried.

“Oh…I’m sorry—“

“Don’t be. Really, it was just a game of spin the bottle at a college party back in my days at Sorbonne."

Adrien quirked a brow, his curiosity returning with a vengeance as the gears in his brain began to churn.

“Didn't Dad go to Sorbonne too?"

Nathalie looked brought up short, her lips pursing, "well yes but—"

There was an audible click as the conclusion formed itself in his mind.

His father's first kiss was at a college party, Sorbonne which also happened to be where Nathalie attended as well, not only that but the timings would line up too because Nathalie and his father had met at the beginning of their second semester of college and in just a few short weeks his mother came along for the ride joining the complementary duo. They were their own little tight-knit group, they were all each other had. 

The three of them even had their graduation photos taken together, grad caps, diplomas and all. Adrien had a personal copy of said graduation photo in his room. It had been his mother’s but since her disappearance, he felt the compulsion to hold onto it as a personal keepsake.

Now as he watched Nathalie, his mind clicking as what felt like all the missing pieces fell into place, he couldn’t help but smirk.

“Nathalie..." he began cheekily, "was your first kiss my father?"

Nathalie coughed though it came out more as a gag.

"I-I hardly see why that is relevant!" She stuttered, her cheeks burning with a bright hue of color. Adrien gasped, his shock palpable.

"Oh my god! It totally was!" He squealed. Nathalie stiffened, her fists clenched,

"Adrien—"

"Dad!" Adrien hollered, turning on his heel and bolting down to his father's office.

"Adrien!" Nathalie jumped to her feet, practically leaping over her desk, determined to catch the young boy.

"Adrien Agreste! Do not bother your father with such trivial things!" She cried. With the resounding click of her stilettos she sped up the marble stairs. She could hear what she would normally consider Adrien's bubbly, cheerful laughter as he called out for his father.

Her fingers twitched just as she yanked Adrien by the shoulder, pulling him backward. She could feel her heart pumping at a fast plateau against her chest at the sound of rummaging and angry footsteps coming from behind Gabriel’s office door.

Her knuckles were white, her grip like a claw on Adrien’s shoulder. Both of them knew what was coming next and only one of them seemed pleased by it, if Adrien’s smug smile was anything to go by.

In the next moment a very much agitated Gabriel Agreste flung open the door.

"Adrien!" He bellowed, his eyes bulging, “what is the meaning of all this ruckus?"

Without missing a beat the young Agreste piped up, “was Nathalie—"

"Sir, I can explain!" Nathalie interjected, her stomach falling to the floor with what almost felt like an audible slush. Gabriel tsked waving his hand in annoyance and to both Nathalie and Adrien's surprise, he seemed to have turned his focus to his son.

In that moment Nathalie could see the likes of her career flashing before her eyes just as Adrien spoke his next words, "was Nathalie your first kiss?"

Nathalie’s insides crumbled.

Gabriel's eyes widened, his mouth falling into a perfect o. If she was being honest with herself, Nathalie was pretty sure she'd never seen her boss at such a loss for words in her entire life. After a few moments of what can only be described as deafeningly tense silence, Gabriel muttered, "yes but I don't see how that's relevant or any of your business—"

"Exactly as I said sir!" Nathalie butted in. She could put up with a lot of things but she would not be humiliated in front of her boss.

The room was stiff, the air practically being engulfed by the tension. While certainly not his current objective, Adrien did consider today's events to result in him learning a valuable lesson. Perhaps it was best to just stick with his friend's advice from now on.

Now as he stood there. looking between his father and Nathalie, their eyes locked as they held a silent conversation, he knew that that was his cue.

"Well," he said slyly, "it looks like you two have a lot to talk about." And with that he turned on his heel and left the two adults to question nothing but themselves.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you guys liked it! I did a lot of revising before I posted this so hopefully it came out in something that wasn’t a complete incoherent mess. Also I was wondering would you guys want me to write a prequel to this, like where I go into full detail about how Gabriel and Nathalie’s first kiss really went down, almost like a flashback sorta thing? If y’all have any other gabenath fanfic ideas or prompts please send them my way! I’ll take any requests!

[buggachat]

honestly i wonder if the reason nathalie isn't mentioned in the emoverse is because she just straight up isn't there. not that she's dead or anything but she's just not there. in canonverse nathalie actually met gabriel and emilie while on an expedition to find the lost miraculouses because she was an archeological looter, and then they decided to hire her as a bodyguard/assistant after that... but if in this universe, gabriel instead stole the miraculouses from some high class political cult that he was a part of...... maybe he simply never hired nathalie to help him, and thus never met her. maybe emonathalie is just chilling in the bahamas or something as far away from the agrestes as possible. good for her

[ijustliketoreadstuff]

Gabriel was a monster to them now.

When Felix brought up ending Gabriel's reign of controlling other people, he mentions his mother as well as himself as part of the list of people Gabriel was turning into what he wanted them to be, and no wonder. Aside from hiding the existence of the peacock miraculous from Felix, the very jewel that controlled Felix's entire existence in the world, Gabriel was deliberately trying to make sure Felix and Amelie remained as naïve as possible, unaware of his true nature and the secrets he hid from them.

Ever since Amelie's first introduction in "Felix" it was obvious she had a lot of love and care for Emelie's family, wanting to be there for them even in their darkest times, but Gabriel for one could not care any less for Amelie.

Amelie may be Emelie's only sister, but Gabriel viewed her and the rest of her family as more of a nuisance. He hated Colt, Felix's dad, to the point of not attending his funeral, hated Felix for everything he did that led up to their confrontation in "Strike Back", where Felix threatening to expose his secrets if he didn't give up the peacock miraculous. And while Amelie made past efforts to keep their families close by visiting, Gabriel for one disliked having her around.

(Back in "Felix", Amelie planned a surprise visit to the Agreste' mansion, hoping they could all be together on the anniversary of Emelie's disappearance, something Adrien greatly appreciated, but not Gabriel.)

Aside from her timely visits, it was Amelie's willingness to confront Gabriel’s lack of attention over important matters within their families that only ever wound up clashing with Gabriel's secrets, such as the subject of returning his and Emelie's wedding rings, the very items containing Adrien's amok, but were rings that were still very important to her too as they were originally part of the Graham De Vanily family, not the Agreste's.

In "Emotion", Amelie did eventually questioned why Gabriel had become so cruel after Emelie disappeared, but she never imagined he actually cared so little about her and Felix.

When Felix set out his plan in "Emotion" to create a world free of anyone like Gabriel who would control others, it's shown at the end of the episode that he wanted his mom to open her eyes and realize that the people she thought were her family and friends, were all just monsters.

Back in "Multiplication", when it was shown that Amelie was secretly hiding Felix at home after the events of "Strike back", Amelie never told anyone that Felix was never missing, and yet despite the heroes questioning and regardless of his actions in "Emotion", Amelie never saw Felix as the bad guy, partly because she was his mom, but also because she had a great deal of trust in knowing that whatever her son was doing, he had his reasons for doing it.

Of course, Felix's past actions would not be easily forgiven by the heroes, he still had to face the consequences when the time came for him to return to the public eye, but Felix's willingness to reveal his identity as Argos to his mom, likely meant that Amelie was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust her son on the matters of questioning who she was committing her life to.

When Amelie showed up to the Diamonds Dance, Amelie pointed out that a search had taken place for Felix after he went "missing", but despite her hopes, Gabriel and the rest of his friends never reached out to her to offer a helping hand. It's unknown how much Felix told Amelie about what happened in "Risk" and "Strike back", but regardless, Amelie got the point of why her son wanted her to question Gabriel's lack of effort in helping her. Amelie made a lot of effort to show she still cared for Gabriel and Adrien, even after Emilie disappeared, but it was Gabriel's, and the rest of his club members, lack of compassion towards her struggles in "loosing" her son that finally made her realize she had wasted much of her life caring about members of a high society who never cared about her.

Felix's decision to show his mom the reality of her connections, and thereby ending them, might have been crushing for his mom, but odds are, the final straw Felix had in continuing to stand by and watch his mom waste her love on people who did not deserve it, was the secret hiding under the Agreste mansion, Emelie.

(The shock of finding Emelie's body under the Agreste mansion, was enough to nearly make Felix blow his cover when he was pretending to be Adrien in "Risk")

In "Risk", Felix found Gabriel's secret underground lair, the very place Emelie's body was being contained, but at the time, Felix was only searching for the peacock miraculous, he never imagined Gabriel was secretly hiding Emelie's body under his mansion, and this was of course extremely horrifying to discover, because he and his mom thought Emelie just straight up disappeared one day, that no one, not even Gabriel, knew what happened to her. Adrien, Gabriel and Nathalie went through their own grief after Emelie was no longer able to be part of their lives, but for Amelie, that grief would have been just as terrible to bare when she found out she had lost her only sister. Much like Adrien, Amelie had to live with knowing that she had to accept that Emelie was just gone, she would never know what happened to her, and Felix was there by his mom's side when it all happened. It doesn't seem like Felix told his mom the truth about Emelie, but given the severity of it all, he didn't want her to suffer anymore grief over the truth about his aunt.

Felix holds a great deal of respect for his aunt Emelie and obviously would have had his share of grief when he thought she was gone forever, but to know that Gabriel hid the truth behind Emelie's disappearance from his mom, along with everyone else, never giving her the chance she needed to know what really happened to her only sister and say goodbye before she finally succumbed to her illness, must have infuriated Felix.

But to know that Gabriel would even go as far as making threats to get rid of him and leave his mom to suffer the loss of another loved one ("Gabriel Agreste"), all to obtain the ring that controls Adrien, and dissuade him from further pursuing his secret as Shadow Moth, only further convinced Felix that Gabriel was the one who had to disappear, before he made things any worse for his mom, himself and Adrien.

(In "Gabriel Agreste", Gabriel spoke through his sentiGabriel to threaten Felix. In this moment, Gabriel was no longer an ordinary uncle to Felix, he was a monster)

[uptoolateart]

Hey, hey, hey - time for a Gabriel analysis!

So. After we learned that Gabriel Agreste wasn't his original name, my mind jumped to Andre Bourgeois, who also once had a different name. In keeping with the themes of the show, we are seeing that secret identities don't always come with masks and comic book names.

We had a hint of Gabriel's secret past in Psycomedian, when Harry visited and alluded to his Gabi days. How, oh how could the Gabriel Agreste we all know have ever been friends with someone like Harry Clown? This is only possible if he was once a different sort of person.

We had further clues in Gabriel's vision of the past, in the time burrow in Evolution - and in Emilie's video messages left for Nathalie, and the photographs of Gabriel, Emilie and Nathalie on some expedition, seen in Passion - and in Amelie's accusation that Gabriel has changed, in Emotion.

Adrien is also aware his father has changed with time, demonstrated when he tells Gabriel that Emilie once said they came from different backgrounds.

The photos shown in Revelation finally gave concrete evidence that Gabriel used to have an adventurous spirit and he used to smile. He was fun...but something changed...and I don't think it was just Emilie's death that caused the personality shift. Based on casual comments Adrien has made throughout the series, his father has been strange for years.

Gabriel tells Adrien that he and Kagami are 'of the same design' - and we know he means this literally. But taking it as a metaphor...for two seasons I've wondered what Emilie's parents were like. We can infer that she comes from a wealthy, 'important' family. Maybe Gabriel struggled to fit in and win the approval of his in-laws. Maybe he never felt good enough. When he tells Adrien things like, 'You're clinging to Marinette because her mediocrity lets you shine more,' perhaps someone once talked like that about him. With that kind of background, it would be unsurprising that he decided to try to forge a new identity.

And let's remember that Gabriel is a designer. His whole empire is founded on inventing personae. Even beyond the sentimonster aspect, he tells Marinette that he designed the image the world holds of his son. Everything is his invention. That speech in Pretension proved just how deep his God complex runs - he fully believes he has made the world in his image. Even the episode title - Pretension - smacks of the image he is presenting to the world in lieu of truth.

At this point, what we're seeing is a 'new money' stereotype - a self-made man who now spurns those who remind him of where he came from. It's one of the most shameful things about him. No matter how much fame and money you get...you can't forget your roots, people. Maybe that's easy for me to say because I'm not rich or famous. But I just can't imagine turning my back on my own origin story. It's what makes you who you are. Gabriel clearly didn't want to be that person anymore...and that's sad.

What's also fascinating is that, if we zoom in on those pictures Nathalie took in Revelation, we see that once upon a time, Gabriel - Gabi Grassette - was a punk. Let's take a moment to appreciate the spiked hair, makeup, leather jacket, ripped jeans, and dog collar - not to mention that smirk. And far from being ashamed of his work with Harry Clown as a human frites (who, by the way, reminds me so much of Mr Banana), he was smiling about it. Man, he loved it. Contrast that with Gabriel in Party Crasher - 'JOY.... What's going on in my HOUSE!?'

If it were at all possible for the old Gabi to meet Cat Noir, I can imagine him loving Cat's costume. On that note, I can't help but compare that dog collar with Cat's bell. I've said before that I see the bell as a symbol of Cat being domesticated and under control. Gabi probably saw his dog collar more as a rebellion, but maybe it too is a symbol of how he once felt controlled by someone.

The thing is...the punk movement was all about anti-establishment anti-authoritarianism. Today, Gabriel is the establishment he once rebelled against. It makes me think of John Lydon of the Sex Pistols turning Conservative and advertising butter. Musicians like Donovan - not a punk, but in a similar category, as a 1960s hippie - are rare for maintaining that same spirit all through their lives.

Gabriel is a 'sell-out'. He gave up that spirit and became someone unrecognisable. Those photos demonstrate that Emilie isn't the only body buried in a 'basement' in the Agreste mansion. There is a different person buried under the cold veneer that is Gabriel - a person Nathalie probably misses. I expect that's why she's stuck with him all this time, despite her better instincts. Something tells me Gabi would've made a better father.

The irony is that Adrien's moments of rebellion are probably one of the few things he has in common with his father, if we look far enough back in Gabriel's past. That, and their temper - and randomly breaking into eccentric dance and song. Gabi might have appreciated Adrien more for standing true to his principles. Maybe Adrien sometimes reminds Gabriel of himself and he can't stand it - can't stand thinking of what he's lost along the way.

I believe Gabriel exists in a perpetual state of regret. Part of him probably misses Gabi, too. After all, Gabi got Emilie. What has Gabriel got? Wealth, sure, but Emilie's dead, Adrien all but hates him, Nathalie's wasting away, and Gabriel himself has only weeks to live.

If you think about it, Gabriel's whole quest has been about getting a do-over. He wants a second chance with Emilie - a second chance for Nathalie - a second chance at his own life. He then tells Adrien that his greatest wish is to try to reconnect with him...because he knows he doesn't have much time left with his son. Even then, though, his selfishness prevails. (Psst, Gabi...you can't make up for years of terrible parenting with banana pancakes.)

Thinking of the snake miraculous, the second chance lets you know what's going to happen, enabling you to make better decisions the next time around. In other words: it's about learning from your mistakes. Gabriel never learns, and it is his refusal to accept destiny and his own human fallibility that is causing his disintegration.

The more Gabriel necrotises, the more we can see this as his 'sins' catching up with him. He doesn't seem to grasp that all the blackness devouring him is, in a way, the blackness of his own heart. Even if he erases the whole world, he can't erase his deeds. If he managed to get his Wish and bring Emilie back, she would be horrified. She'd wonder where her Gabi went.

Gabriel is proof that 'evolution' isn't always positive. He reinvented himself once, and now, because it didn't go the way he wanted, he's trying to reinvent things again. Tomoe also hints at a belief that the solution to her problems is to make the world anew - to get a second chance. Felix tries this, too, when he creates the red moon to wipe out all people except his select group.

But Felix does learn - Ladybug helps him see that even if you erase all the people causing you so much grief...you still have to deal with that pain. What Gabriel fails to see is that - like Cat Blanc on the roof, all alone without his lady - destroying your witnesses won't remove the witness in your own heart.

Even if Gabriel wiped everyone else's memory of his crimes, he would still know what he'd done. And when you cross those kinds of lines, you can never go back to who you once were.

Please no post-Revelation spoilers in the comments :)

[rosie-b]

True Blue

Chapter 14: The Balcony Scene, Reprise

Surprise!!! New chapter is out!

When he saw her, Adrien dropped the cookie he’d been about to eat. 

“Bluewing!” he exclaimed. Then his expression hardened. “What are you doing here? Are you stalking me? Trying to make me susceptible to an akuma? What’s your goal?” 

Bluewing spread out her hands in a hopefully non-threatening gesture and lightly tossed her fan to the side of the room. It landed far away from Adrien, but he tracked its motion with an attentive glare. 

“Hawk Moth doesn’t know I’m here,” Bluewing said.

You can read the rest on AO3 or below!

Throughout the rest of the school day, Marinette texted Adrien as often as she could. They never talked about anything serious; they traded jokes and memes and talked about safe topics, but there was an unspoken agreement between them to avoid mentioning the kiss or the nightmares they’d had. Last night had been awful enough, and they both needed time to recover before they could talk about it, even in daylight. 

Marinette was grateful she had Adrien to distract her from the horrible new reality she’d wandered into. She’d told him about Nathalie leaving her job, and he’d expressed a similar confusion to hers. They’d spun out a few theories about what had happened before giving up and moving on when they realized all it was doing was making them feel helpless and a little angry, the perfect mix of emotions for an akuma to prey on.  

Marinette didn’t want to think M. Agreste would akumatize his own son. He’d shown a lack of control over his akumas recently, though, and especially after her dream and finding out that Nathalie had left, she found herself less and less willing to trust M. Agreste as completely as she once had. 

She didn’t want to think about what it meant if he was really the reason Nathalie had left. She didn’t want to consider the possibility that her nightmare’s warning was right, and Hawk Moth was not really the hero he tried to be. 

So, she distracted herself while she half-heartedly filled out a few worksheets and pretended to understand the material she was supposed to teach herself. (Really, what kind of school day was this?)  

When Adrien couldn’t respond to her during his classes, she found her mind wandering to Duusu’s strange behavior yesterday. She knew M. Agreste didn’t want her to talk to them, but Marinette was determined to heal the kwami so that it would be easier to communicate with them. It was only because of the broken Miraculous that Duusu was acting like they were, well, crazy, so if they could be healed? That should take care of the problem. Finally, Marinette would be able to interact with her kwami, if she could figure out a way to make this work. 

Yes, it wasn’t just Marinette and Emilie that needed the potion’s magic, Duusu had to need it, too. However, as a semi-incorporeal being (from what she’d gathered), Duusu probably wouldn’t be able to heal just from exposure to the vial of potion. Marinette needed a better way to get the healing magic to affect the kwami. Well, since Duusu was linked to the Miraculous, which always existed in a physical form, then maybe healing the Miraculous would heal Duusu! In fact, if the potion could heal the Miraculous, maybe doing so would provide a once-and-for-all solution.  

Maybe there was a way to make sure the broken Miraculous would never hurt another holder again. 

With this goal in mind, Marinette waited until her scheduled study hours were almost over and then slipped into the atelier. She knew the safe’s password from watching M. Agreste punch it in so many times when he was retrieving the brooch to give her for a mission, so getting in was a breeze. The only problem was the fact that her actions would show up on the security cameras, but she wasn’t doing anything wrong exactly, and if Gabriel was busy finding a replacement for Nathalie, then he was probably too busy to check the camera feed until after Marinette had finished what she’d come here to do. 

Marinette reached into the safe and took out the brooch. Her heart was racing, with memories of her first horrible time putting on the brooch plaguing her mind, but she had to do this. If she could just repair the brooch, Gabriel would probably let her keep it with her, right? She could hide it under her clothes, just like he did with his Miraculous! They’d never have to worry about a third incident like Dark Cupid’s or Sandboy’s ever again. She would always be able to help with akuma attacks, whether she was at home or in the mansion. 

After all, what reason could be good enough for him to keep her from having the Miraculous once it was repaired and Duusu was safe to talk to? 

Marinette took out the vial of potion she’d brought with her. Without Nathalie’s help, she only had a limited amount of supplies left. She’d be out soon, so she hoped her idea would work! 

As she held the broken brooch steadily in front of her, Marinette uncapped the vial of potion and tipped it over. As a large, golden drop hit the cracks in the Miraculous, she firmed her belief that this healing attempt would work. It had to, or else she would be disobeying M. Agreste for no reason and harming herself in the process. 

“This potion will work just as well as it worked for me,” she whispered, squeezing the brooch tightly and rubbing the potion into its cracks. “Miraculous, repair yourself!” 

At first, nothing happened. However, after a short moment, a bright light surrounded the brooch. When it faded, no cracks could be seen in the brooch. It was just as good as new. 

“It worked,” Marinette breathed, and a smile spread across her face. “It really worked!” 

Now, she could only hope that this repair would be a permanent one. Otherwise, the Miraculous would not need to be healed after each time she used it. 

Still, Marinette had a good feeling about the brooch’s healing. This time, she was sure she’d found a permanent solution. And she wasn’t about to let it go to waste. 

Marinette wanted to pin the brooch on and talk to Duusu, to see if they were okay. Before doing that, though, she needed to talk to M. Agreste. It was nearly time for her training hour to start (for fashion, though recently, this time was more often used for an akuma attack), so all she had to do was wait for Gabriel to come down to the atelier. 

While she waited, she locked the safe again, but kept the Miraculous with her. She’d need to show it to M. Agreste, otherwise, he’d never believe her. 

Gabriel strolled into the room, frowning lightly, a few minutes later. 

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” he greeted her. “I apologize for being late. It is harder to find a competent secretary than it seems, these days. I plan to hire one young enough that I can train, anyway; interviews will begin before the hour is over. In the meantime, I...” 

His voice trailed off as he caught sight of the brooch sitting in the palm of Marinette’s hand. His eyes sharpened, and Marinette resisted the urge to flinch. It might not look like it now, but surely he’d realize what a helpful thing she’d accomplished for him. 

“Marinette. What is that,” he snarled rather than asked. 

She raised her chin and lifted the brooch higher for him to see. 

“It’s Duusu’s Miraculous. I repaired it with a drop of my potion, and now the cracks are gone. The negative side effects of using it should be gone entirely now.” 

Gabriel fell back a step. “What? But how?” 

Marinette smirked. “I told you, sometimes a solution really can’t be found, and sometimes you just have to create it. With any luck, even Duusu’s madness should be gone now. I’m sorry for opening the safe without your permission, but it was for a good cause, just like your akuma attacks. The Miraculous is completely safe now, which means that with your permission, I’d like to take it home with me. I can hide it with a scarf, the way you hide your own brooch, and no one will question my fashion choices, so no one will find out that I’m Bluewing. What do you think?” 

Gabriel’s jaw clenched, and he stepped forward, taking the brooch from Marinette’s hands and examining it closely. After a moment, he cautiously pinned the Miraculous on, and Duusu spiraled out of it. 

“Whee! Oh, Master Gabriel, it’s good to see you again! It’s been so long; your hair is gray now! Oh, the years passed by like a long nightmare. How are you— oh! There’s another person here, too!” Duusu flew over to Marinette, squinting. “Do I remember you? You look familiar.” 

“She is your current holder, Duusu; I am only borrowing your Miraculous. Only speak to her if you need to, and do not lead her astray.”  

With those words, Gabriel unpinned the brooch, and Duusu vanished. He turned the Miraculous over, frowning at it. Then he slowly handed the brooch back to Marinette, who looked up at him questioningly. 

“Well?” 

“It appears to be fixed,” Gabriel admitted. “Still, I have reason to be concerned. Not the least of which because you know the password to my safe; I will need to change it before the interviews begin. You think you can take the Miraculous with you and keep it hidden?” 

“Yes,” Marinette responded immediately. “In fact, I think it’s the wisest thing for us to do right now. Now you can create an akuma at any time and I’ll be able to help you. Just let me know before you do, and make sure to keep the akumas away from Adrien and me.” 

Gabriel didn’t speak, instead staring at the picture of Emilie behind Marinette. 

She wet her lips and tried again. “This gives us an advantage, M. Agreste. I want to help you save Emilie before it’s too late, and with the brooch, I can do that more reliably and faster than I could if it stayed in the mansion. Won’t you please consider it?” 

Gabriel’s expression was muted, as if he was far away from the room and Marinette and the brooch that had killed his wife. 

“She deserved better than this,” he whispered. “It’s all the fault of that kwami, you know. She led Emilie astray, made her think creating a sentimonster with two amoks was safe to do. I lost my wife before Adrien was even born.” 

He snapped to attention, staring directly into Marinette’s eyes with a cold gaze. 

“You may keep the brooch for now. But don’t talk to the kwami,” he ordered. “And don’t tell Adrien a word about this. I’m taking a big chance in trusting you, Marinette. Do not compromise our mission by giving secrets away to the boy; he is too emotional, like his mother. He cannot be trusted with knowledge of the Miraculous. Do not let him get near the brooch; do not give him his amok. I will not permit his presence to interfere with my mission again. Understood?” 

Marinette frowned. “Understood, sir. I wasn’t going to tell him, anyway.” 

Gabriel nodded, satisfied, and dismissed her. As the Gorilla escorted her back to the bakery, Marinette wondered what Gabriel meant by not letting Adrien interfere again. He hadn’t done so before, right? 

On top of that, though she was pleased she was trusted with the brooch now, Marinette was offended on Adrien’s behalf. He was not too emotional; he was kind and caring and sweet, not weak or given to whims. She trusted him. Marinette wanted to tell him everything about the brooch, about his mother and the reason Hawk Moth wanted the Miraculous, about the reason she was so possessive of the ring she wore on her finger. 

Unless there was something Gabriel wasn’t telling her, Marinette saw absolutely no reason not to trust Adrien or Duusu. 

Furthermore, she was sure Duusu hadn’t planned on killing Emilie. Duusu was already protective of Marinette and seemed completely loyal to their holders even while they were driven crazy by their Miraculous; why would they be worse now that they’d been healed? No, Marinette was sure that she could trust them. 

She hated to think it, but Marinette trusted Gabriel even less now. She needed to know that he wasn’t lying, that he wasn’t just keeping her in the dark about Adrien and Emilie’s fate and the other people who’d been affected by Duusu’s poisoned brooch. 

She needed to know that this was really the right thing for Adrien. After all, if Emilie was too far gone for the potion to heal her, as Gabriel thought (and as might be true, if it hadn’t helped her yet) then what good would stealing the Miraculous do? Was a Wish really powerful enough to bring back the dead? 

It must be. The mission had to be the right thing to do; Gabriel had planned it for years, it couldn’t be as ill-thought-through as his akuma last night had been. He knew what he was doing. 

Marinette still wanted some kind of reassurance, though. And while she had the brooch, she had an idea of where she could get it. 

She transformed as soon as she got up to her room. 

Bluewing didn’t want to cause a disruption like she had last time she went out without an akuma, so she stuck to the alleyways and rooftops high enough that no one would spot her as she made her way back to the Agreste mansion. 

Then, knowing that Adrien would have just gotten back from fencing practice, she leapt down to his windowsill and slid in through the window she found left ajar. 

When he saw her, Adrien dropped the cookie he’d been about to eat. 

“Bluewing!” he exclaimed. Then his expression hardened. “What are you doing here? Are you stalking me? Trying to make me susceptible to an akuma? What’s your goal?” 

Bluewing spread out her hands in a hopefully non-threatening gesture and lightly tossed her fan to the side of the room. It landed far away from Adrien, but he tracked its motion with an attentive glare. 

“Hawk Moth doesn’t know I’m here,” Bluewing said. “I’m not stalking you, I’m not trying to get you akumatized, and my goal is... mostly unrelated to my normal one. Kind of.” 

Adrien kept glaring and crossed his arms. 

“Just hear me out, okay? I know the public thinks I’m a villain; I would have, too, before I knew what I know now about Hawk Moth and his mission. But I promise, there is a good reason for what we’re doing. We’re doing the best we can—” 

“The best you can at being evil,” Adrien muttered. 

Bluewing’s heart broke a little at his words.  

“No! I’m not evil, and I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think it would help people more than it hurts them! Please, I just, I need to explain myself to someone and know that at least one person thinks I’m doing the right thing. Please listen to me!” 

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “You’ll tell me all about why you and Hawk Moth are terrorizing Paris? Even give me your secret identity?” 

Bluewing huffed. “Not that. But I... think you might be more likely to understand than most. You see, Hawk Moth lost someone important to him. He needs a Wish to heal h— them.” 

“I see why that would hurt,” Adrien said. “And I think I know why you came to me now. But lots of people lose someone. There’s nothing you can really do about it except hold onto their memory and move on with your life. It sounds like Hawk Moth is just trying to escape reality, but he can’t. And neither can you.” 

Bluewing swallowed. “I understand. But it wasn’t a normal loss. You see, there was more than one person affected. And the problem wasn’t natural, or even a plane crash or war or something. It was my brooch,” she said, tapping the Miraculous on her chest. 

Adrien’s eyes widened. “What? Wait, you’re telling me there are other Peacock holders out there?” 

Marinette pursed her lips. “Well, only a couple are alive. They used its full power after it was broken, which slowly poisoned them, and... it’s not good. Even I was affected, before I figured out how to repair the brooch. You might notice my unsteadiness in some older Goldenblog videos—” 

“You’re telling me that Hawk Moth forced you to wield a broken Miraculous, slowly poison yourself, and possibly die while knowing exactly what was going to happen?” Adrien interrupted, practically yelling. He sounded furious, angrier than Marinette had ever heard him before. His fists were tightly clenched, and his face was twisted with rage. 

Bluewing flinched. “Yes, no, I volunteered,” she babbled. “I found out about the brooch by accident and put it on. He had no choice but to tell me about the Miraculous, especially after I figured out that he was Hawk Moth. He explained his mission to me and gave me medicine to hold off the poison for a while. Since I was already affected and he clearly needed help fighting both Golden Bug and Chat Grise, I offered to become Bluewing. He didn’t force me. I hope that shows that his cause is good,” she added meekly. 

Adrien’s expression softened, but not by much. “Prove it,” he demanded. “I still don’t believe you.” 

“Okay, the medicine doesn’t work entirely. Without a Wish, everyone who used the brooch is doomed to die, slowly and painfully. Some already have died, and their spouses were left all alone to raise the children that they...” 

Marinette hesitated. She wasn’t sure how much to say. This visit hadn’t been planned, after all. She had to stop acting so impulsively! 

“The people that they... what?” Adrien prompted, sitting down on his couch. He looked up at her with an open expression, but his eyes tracked every movement she made, as if she’d strike at any moment. 

Bluewing rubbed her arm. She knew she technically shouldn’t tell Adrien about the senti-children, but she wouldn’t be disobeying Gabriel’s orders if she only told him the basics without revealing that Adrien himself was a senti, right? Besides, Marinette had wanted to tell Adrien about this from the beginning. If she could at least lay the groundwork for him to understand his origins later, when she was allowed to tell him about them, that would accomplish something good. 

She looked at Adrien, determined to tell him some of the truth she knew he was entitled to. 

“Okay, I’ll tell you, but this is going to sound weird. Um, and it takes some getting used to, but that’s okay! So,” she said, nervously twisting her pointer finger back and forth, “As you probably noticed, I’ve never used my Miraculous’ real power. There’s a good reason for that, or else I would have been more help against Golden and Grise!” 

Adrien watched, his face dubious, as she tapped the brooch pinned to her chest.  

“See, this is the Miraculous of emotion, and with it, you can create life. Whatever kind of being you want, with whatever power you want. The magic goes into an amok, which holds the sentibeing’s life force, and it can be used to control them, though that shouldn’t happen. The Peacock has a very dangerous power, and it needs to be used extremely carefully. Well, the past few holders used it to create their own children. So, senti-humans, which are mostly just like normal people. Instead of IVF, they were created with magic. Kinda cool, right?” 

Adrien gaped at her. “Senti-humans? You mean, like, they’re real humans, or do they have powers? Are they immortal, or do they die easily? How easy it is to break their amoks? Are they a threat to Golden Bug and Chat Grise? You— you said their amoks control them? How is that possible?” 

Bluewing tried her best to respond. “They’re just like real humans, as far as I know. I’ve met one, and he’s just the same as every other boy. I think they have normal, human life spans, since they were created to be humans. I don’t know how easy it is to break their amoks, but I protect the one I have with my life. They’re not threats to Golden Bug or Chat Grise, any more than you are. And no one should ever control them. Senti-humans deserve the same rights and respect as normal-origin humans. That’s why I don’t use my power. I’m terrified of abusing it; that would make me the monster.” 

“I see,” Adrien said thoughtfully. “I’m glad you aren’t abusing your Miraculous, at least. But I’m not convinced about this Wish; are you sure it’s the only way? Wouldn’t it have repercussions of its own?” 

Bluewing crossed her arms defensively. “As far as I know, there are no side effects.” 

Adrien brought a hand up to his chin, considering. “How about the akuma attacks? How can you justify the chaos, the damage? What happens when you win and Golden Bug can’t repair everything Hawk Moth’s akuma did? And the victims who get akumatized, how can you be okay with manipulating them if you’re hesitant to do the same thing with your brooch’s powers?” 

“Oh, Hawk Moth asks them for permission before he akumatizes them,” Bluewing said, happy that she had an answer ready for this.  

Adrien did not look convinced. “Even the baby? The toddlers? Are you sure that he asks them all, every time? Do you see him do it?” 

“W-well,” Marinette faltered. “I don’t see it every time. I did witness it once or twice, but usually I’m already busy getting transformed and heading out to help. Um, but he did ask the baby! That’s what he said, at least.” Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, and she fought the urge to fidget nervously. 

“You don’t sound very sure about that,” Adrien noted. “Are you sure Hawk Moth isn’t lying to you? Because there’s no way the trauma he’s given this city can just be erased. We won’t forget what he’s done to us. And I really doubt that a baby can give consent to becoming a villain’s accomplice. Would it even know what the words Hawk Moth spoke to it mean?” 

Bluewing steadied herself. “Hawk Moth wouldn’t lie to me,” she said defensively. 

But as Adrien glared accusingly at her, she found herself reminded of Emilie’s warning last night. Don’t trust Gabriel.  

It wasn’t real. It was just a dream, she told herself. 

“Look, I can’t vouch for everything he’s ever done. But I’ve seen the damage a broken Miraculous can do, and I’ve seen the pain of losing someone to things you can’t understand or explain. I know the only way to set things right is to use the Wish, and since Golden and Grise won’t give us their Miraculous even after Hawk Moth explained the situation to them and asked nicely, we have no choice but to use the akumas to get the Wish.” 

Adrien stood up. “Really? There’s no other way? And yet Golden Bug and Chat Grise, who know more about their Miraculous and what they can do than you or Hawk Moth, still think a Wish isn’t worth it. They’re not giving you their Miraculous, ever, and all you can do by continuing to fight is cause more harm to Paris. So, maybe you should just give up.” 

Bluewing frowned at Adrien. Hadn’t she just explained why she needed to keep fighting for the Miraculous? A Wish couldn’t possibly be as bad as Golden Bug and Chat Grise thought it would be. They were just selfish! Jealous of other people who could use their power to do more good than they ever could!  

Meanwhile, Adrien kept talking, gesturing earnestly as he did.  

“Take my friend Marinette, for example; she’s the most creative person I know. She’s always doing things I think are impossible, but even she has her limits. Look, it sucks that people got hurt because they used a broken Miraculous. But if they’re dead, they’re dead. You can’t just go around making exceptions to the laws of nature for people you like. If I was going after this Wish, for example, what makes my mother so different from the girl whose father died of cancer, or from the person who got infected while swimming and died from a parasite infection? What makes anyone more worth saving than anyone else? Nothing. But if we just bring back everyone we love who dies, the order of the world is broken. Life is beautiful, but it isn’t complete without death, as much as that sucks.” 

Fear squeezed Bluewing in a tight vise. This was not the way she’d wanted this visit to go. Adrien had to be wrong; they were doing this for the right reasons! The Miraculous shouldn’t have killed its wielders! Adrien deserved his mother! 

...More than anyone else who’d lost a parent? 

“Another thing,” Adrien continued, “I wouldn’t trust anything Hawk Moth tells you about Golden Bug and Chat Grise. He hates them. I doubt he ever tried reasoning with them. I think he attacked before bothering to ask for the Miraculous; otherwise, why did he make his demand during Stormy Weather’s akumatization? He wouldn’t have needed to if he’d explained his situation to the heroes first.” 

“You must be wrong,” Bluewing fought back weakly. “I know him. He’s a good man. He’s doing this for his son, for his family. And for others, too. This is the only way.” 

Adrien frowned. “Sure. But I have just one more question before you leave, then. When you first put on the brooch, did you actually transform with it? Or did you not know how to? You’d only just discovered it, right?” 

Bluewing nodded slowly. “Right, I only pinned it on. I wasn’t sure how to transform yet,” she confirmed, feeling her stomach churn uneasily. “Why do you ask?” 

Adrien stared at her for a second, looking sympathetic for once. “Just wondering,” he said. “You’ve been through a lot. I don’t blame you for it, but if you ask me, Hawk Moth has been pulling your strings. My advice is to leave him while you still can. I think you knew the truth once. It’s time to rediscover it.” 

Bluewing had no idea what to say, but it seemed that Adrien was done with the conversation. He guided her over to the window by her elbow, making it clear that it was time for her to leave. 

Well, it’s probably for the best, Bluewing thought as she waved nervously, said goodbye, and ducked through the window. This meeting was a hot mess, anyway.

__*__*__*__*__

That evening, she sat alone on her balcony, fuming as she tried to work through Adrien’s words and how her visit had gone so wrong. Hawk Moth wasn’t lying to her! He might hide some things, but that was fine. Everyone had a right to privacy! And the baby might not understand words, but it could understand tones! Plus, the show during Stormy Weather was mostly for the public’s benefit, so they would understand what Hawk Moth was doing and what he was after, so they’d be less afraid of his akumas once they knew the akumas were only after Golden Bug and Chat Grise. 

Marinette forced herself to stop thinking about it. Any more hard thinking, and she’d get a headache from all the stress. 

Well, a headache was coming her way, regardless, in the form of one yellow-suited hero. 

Marinette didn’t even have the energy left to react when Golden Bug landed on her balcony. 

He raised his brows at her lack of reaction and hummed. 

“You know, normally the only people to give me such a cold welcome are akumas,” he commented. “What’s bothering you, Marinette?” 

She groaned and dropped her head into her hands.  

I need to respond normally, or he’ll know something’s up, she fretted. 

But he already suspected something was up, so she shrugged as she looked at him and said, “Everything. Nothing. It’s been a bad day, but I’ll be fine, I swear. So, you don’t need to watch over me for akumas. Go on with patrol, or whatever.” 

Golden Bug frowned, apparently not convinced by her display (and honestly, who would be?). “You don’t seem okay. And what kind of hero would I be if I left innocent civilians alone when they’re vulnerable to being akumatized?” 

Marinette sharply looked away. “Not much of one, I guess.” 

Golden Bug sounded cheerful as he responded, “Great! Then it looks like I’m staying until you feel better. Glad we agree.” 

Marinette’s eyes widened. Slowly, she slid her gaze to the left, where Golden Bug stood. She’d walked right into that one!  

Leaning against the balcony railing, Golden Bug shot Marinette a grin. “So, what can this hero do to help? Antenna me what’s wrong.” 

All Marinette could do was stare at him. Golden Bug seemed a little too invested in her mental health right now. Or was he?  

He’d rescued her from her nightmare last night. He cared deeply about all the citizens of Paris, she had to admit that. Even back when she was targeted by Evillustrator, Golden Bug had gone above and beyond to make sure she was okay! This visit was probably just a normal check-up for him, another way for him to take care of the people he sincerely thought he was protecting from Hawk Moth. 

Marinette found herself fighting a blush as she realized that Golden Bug was taking time out of his day to check on her, not because he suspected her of villainy, the way she’d thought he was the first time he did it, but because he genuinely wanted to! He cared about her. 

Not like that. But still!  

So, she offered him a smile and sat down on her chair to talk to him. The least she could do right now was be as kind to him as he was to her. 

“Well, I still don’t need therapy,” she said, watching as Golden Bug seemed to relax at her willingness to talk. “So don’t bother putting on that silly mustache again.” 

Golden Bug smirked. “Really? But I need it; it’s part of my charm!” 

Marinette rolled her eyes affectionately. “As if.” 

She paused, remembering that none of her current problems were really safe to share with the person in front of her. Doing that would be more likely to land her in a prison cell than make him leave. 

“I guess I just still feel like a failure,” she admitted in a low voice. “Every time I think I’m making progress, it’s one step forward and two steps back. I just want to help people, like you do! But I end up feeling powerless and confused. I just need a win, you know?” 

Golden Bug hummed. “I know. Believe me, the public might thank me for my help against Hawk Moth, but I still feel like I’ve never won against him. Every battle is a lost opportunity to take his Miraculous back and end his reign of terror. Each time he gets away and I don’t even get a lead, I...” He clenched his fist and looked away. “I also feel like a failure. Like I’m buckling under all the pressure on me. And, I don’t know, maybe we are a pair of failures. But I try to remember that every step forward really is progress, even if it feels like you slide back two steps afterwards. We can learn from our failures. Me, I’m always learning how to protect my Miraculous from Hawk Moth better. I can’t let him make that Wish, or else the entire world will be rewritten, and who knows what will be lost!” 

Marinette stiffened. “What?” 

Golden Bug looked over at her, his expression cooler than butter as he raised an eyebrow. 

“What are you confused by? That’s pretty much my job description.” 

“The Wish, you said it would rewrite the world? I thought it would be more like a wish from a genie,” she said, trying to laugh her comment off. 

“Well,” Golden Bug said in an ironic tone, “You still have to be careful with those. You never get exactly what you wish for. And yes, a Wish made with Grise’s and my Miraculous would lead to this world being restarted, remade from scratch. Forget one little detail, and people, or entire civilizations, could be wiped from existence. A Wish needs to be worded perfectly, which is an impossible goal. There’s a price to pay for it, too. For example, if you use a Wish to bring someone back to life, someone else will be killed. The world’s balance is delicate; even a Wish can’t tilt it too far.” 

Marinette gasped, feeling tears sting her eyes. Emilie. The other parents. Healing the survivors would injure others? Bringing back the ones who died... would doom others to take their place in death?  

The shock was nearly too much to bear.  

Did Gabriel know about this? He couldn’t have, or he would have told her.  

Maybe Golden Bug is wrong, Marinette thought desperately.  

“How do you know that?” she asked quickly, nearly tripping over her words. “Are you sure that’s what would happen?” 

Golden Bug’s face was solemn as he nodded. “It’s the truth. That’s what the Guar— that’s what the man who entrusted me with my Miraculous told me.” 

The man who gave him his Miraculous? The Guardian. The one who refused Gabriel’s first pleas, who lied to Golden Bug and Chat Grise and sent them out to fight a grown man!  

Marinette clenched her jaw. There was no way the Guardian had told Golden Bug the truth about this. It had to be one of his lies! 

Relief shot through Marinette, and she relaxed back in the chair, not having realized until then that she’d sat up in her panic. 

“That’s horrible,” she commented. “I’m glad you and Chat Grise are doing your best to make sure that won’t happen.” I’m sorry the Guardian lied to you. I’m sorry you’re trapped in his service.  

For some reason, Golden Bug blinked at her. “I’m, uh, happy to serve.” 

Marinette smiled at him. “Well, thanks for stopping by! I feel a lot better now. Do you want a cookie or something before you leave?” 

Golden Bug tilted his head. “Uh, sure? Thank you. Hey, are you sure you’re okay now? Last night had to have been difficult for you. It’s okay if you’re still affected by it.” 

“I’m okay, really. I just have to keep pushing forward. I’ll get there eventually!” 

Marinette considered her words for a moment. Something was missing. 

“Oh, and I’m sure you’ll catch Hawk Moth soon! Try throwing him off again. Do something unpredictable, like, maybe trade Miraculous with Chat Grise for a few days again? Practice so he can’t throw you off if you’re attacked while you have the wrong Miraculous, I don’t know.” 

It wasn’t the best advice, but it wasn’t horrible, either. And if he wound up taking it? It would provide the perfect opportunity for her and Hawk Moth. They just had to strike soon, before Golden Bug and Chat Grise could get used to using their partner’s Miraculous. 

A hum startled Marinette from her thoughts. 

“I’ll think about it,” Golden Bug responded. “Grise and I will have to discuss it together before we do anything. We’re partners, you know? It’s not fair if one of us makes the decisions for both of us. I value what she has to say.” 

“Oh, of course,” Marinette responded immediately. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from the two of you. You work really well together.” 

“Thanks!” Golden Bug said with a smile. He looked surprised and pleased by the compliment. 

Marinette smiled back at him. Even if he was her enemy, and she was trying to get over him still, she had to admit that he looked cute when he was flustered.

“So,” she started to say, “If you still want something from the bakery, you can just—” 

She was cut off by her phone vibrating in her pocket, which startled her into jumping from the chair. When she pulled the phone out of her pocket, she saw that she was getting a call, and when she saw the caller ID, her eyes widened. 

“It’s M. Agreste,” she told Golden Bug. “He might have news about school or my internship; I have to take this!” 

Golden Bug nodded, quickly said goodbye, and swung away from her balcony. 

Marinette accepted the call. “Hello?” 

“Marinette.” Gabriel’s voice came through crisply. “I have finished selecting a new secretary. She won’t start until Monday, so I have decided to akumatize my next champion today, while we have time to kill. I have my eyes on someone in the 15th arrondissement. Transform quickly and begin making your way over. Does that sound acceptable to you?” 

Marinette nodded and then stuttered out a confirmation when she realized M. Agreste couldn’t see her. “Y-yeah, yesh, yes it does!” 

“Good,” M. Agreste said. “You don’t have to report back to the mansion unless you think it’s necessary. I’ll be in contact.” 

He hung up, and Marinette gulped. This would be the first real test of the potion’s power!  

Reaching under her overshirt, she unpinned the brooch and held it up to check for cracks.  

There was nothing, not even a scratch!  

Marinette smiled as she pinned the brooch back on, checked for Golden Bug or any leftover paparazzi still hoping for a scoop on Adrien’s ‘girlfriend,’ and transformed. 

Things were finally looking up.  

[ninadove]

If the woman next to Nathalie is indeed Amelie and Emilie is still dead, how do you imagine Amelie and Felix will redecorate The Agreste Mansion? (Assuming that they move there since Amelie is now Adrien’s only adult relative left.)

Oh my gosh Anon. That is SUCH a cute ask, but let me tell you, you have opened Pandora’s box and unleashed 50 levels of overanalysis upon the world. Time for me to turn into an architecture and interior design major for the sake of this post.

In order to get a good sense of Amelie’s taste and of the massive work that needs to be done, let’s compare the shared spaces in the Agreste mansion to those in the Graham de Vanily penthouse.

The first thing that strikes me is that the palettes are exactly the same: white and black are the dominant hues, with a pop of colour coming from earthy tones. And yet, the two atmospheres could not be more different! In my opinion, this boils down to a few key elements: lighting, shapes, space, and purpose.

1. Lighting

The most obvious one. Just look how miserable the Agrestes’ living (?) room looks in comparison to the Graham de Vanily’s. There’s an interesting subversion here when it comes to lighting sources.

The Agrestes’ mansion relies mostly on natural lighting, which gives it a greyish, depressing look. Windows are everywhere, and they’re big, but they aren’t meant to let the sun filter through; instead, they ressemble a cage keeping Adrien in.

Sunlight represents the outside world, which Gabriel "No one matters except us" hates. In his mind, whatever looms outside of the mansion is dangerous. Hawkmoth’s attacks always start with letting the light in, the same way he welcomes his victims’ negative emotions; while he keeps Emilie safe in the crypt, as far away from the sun as possible (even when we do see it fully illuminated, it has to come from an artificial source).

Emilie’s cosy little basement, Gabriel’s office and Nathalie’s room — the adults’ world — are the only spaces that get the courtesy of significant artificial lightning. In other words, there is not enough light and joy coming in from the outside, and definitely not enough coming from the inside to compensate. Which is super sad if you ask me.

Now onto the Graham de Vanily penthouse. We do not get many shots of it, and most of them are taken at night time, which I (want to) believe is a very conscious choice on the writing team’s part.

While Gabriel refuses to let sunlight, and everything good it symbolises, into his son’s life, Amelie welcomes the night and the potential dangers it carries with it. The windows make up two entire walls, offering a full view of the outside world.

Notice how the moon and stars are nowhere to be seen in this shot, yet the penthouse remains significantly brighter than the mansion on the sunniest day. The abundance of artificial light in the Graham de Vanily home, light that comes from within, is a symbol of the love they share as a family.

So obviously, we need to get Adrien some lamps, urgently.

2. Shapes

The thing about the Agreste mansion is, it has potential.

No really. Hear me out.

The use of straight lines (vertical in the overall architecture, expanding like sun rays in the minimalistic decor) is reminiscent of Art Déco, which is a very fun style. For instance, it gave us the Chrysler building:

But here, it’s just… Not working. In fact, these same lines are what makes the entire building look like a cage — not just the windows I mentioned above, but the entire structure of the place, trapped between vertical lines like behind prison bars.

On the other hand, the Graham de Vanily penthouse is ruled primarily by horizontal lines, which expand the space instead of compressing it. It’s smaller, but it feels bigger and more breathable.

This difference in structure directly contributes to my third point:

3. Space

More precisely, how it is organised to make the mansion look threatening, and the penthouse cosy.

And by that I specifically mean this AWFUL NO GOOD TERRIBLE STAIRCASE.

It’s the first thing we think about when picturing the mansion; how it towers over the characters and crushes them. There’s a reason Marinette’s act of defiance in Pretension was to rush up those despicable horrifying very very bad stairs to find Adrien; they are a symbol of Gabriel’s power over his world, his fans, his son, his victims.

Interestingly enough, the penthouse is also built on several levels — which we can infer by the presence of a very discreet mezzanine. This implies the existence of stairs, right??? Where are they???

It’s very blink-and-you-miss it — the exact opposite of the Agreste staircase. To the Graham de Vanilys, stairs are just stairs: a necessity for their comings-and-goings, a useful infrastructure in their day-to-day life as a family. Not a display of power and control.

Oh? Is that a transition I sense? Absolutely, for it is time to move on to the last part of our analysis:

4. Purpose

Just like the staircase, every single piece of furniture in the Agreste household serves a purpose. Adrien’s room is the best example of this phenomenon.

On top of the essentials (bed + desk & computer combo), we immediately notice:

- A plethora of trophies, reinforcing the message that Adrien has to be the best at everything he does, always;

- An impressive bookshelf, illustrating the top-notch (and somewhat elitist) education Adrien has been receiving at home.

"But Nina!" you might ask, "What about the fun stuff? What about the arcade games and the basketball hoop and the climbing wall?"

I hear you. Those things look pretty cool, don’t they? Until you remember that Adrien has spent his entire life in isolation. These are all appliances that would normally be found outside of the house, giving him an opportunity to socialise. In other words, they are meant to deter him from seeking enjoyment in the “real” world. If, like me, you were obsessed with N Harmonia as a pre-teen, you might notice some striking similarities to his cage room:

Still not convinced? Say hi to our friend the foosball table!

Meanwhile, on the actually loving side of the family, you get an entire piano and AN ACTUAL ABSTRACT PAINTING:

It’s not even figurative — unlike the portraits of the Agreste family members or the statue in the garden, constantly reminding us of Emilie’s absence. It’s art for the sake of art, which makes a massive difference. Things are allowed to be there for no reason other than Amelie and Felix like them.

So now that we’ve established that

How would they redecorate the mansion if given the chance?

1. Lean into the Art Déco aesthetic for a much needed dose of actual (yet elegant) fun. There are so many lines and curves to play with to get rid of this feeling of imprisonment we get from the pillars!

2. BLOW UP THOSE FUCKING STAIRS. No, really. We can find a much cuter, less pretentious alternative to whatever kind of power trip that was.

3. Get rid of the stupid bars on all those windows. Replace them with literally any other option that doesn’t make you want to choke on a pancake.

4. Also, get some lamps. Lamps EVERYWHERE, on the walls, on the ceiling, on the furniture. The resident vampire is GONE, we can have some goddamn light in this goddamn place.

5. Indulge in the pleasure of buying things just because they’re pretty. Trash the paintings and put up some actual art (abstract or not) instead. Exorcise Emilie’s ghost and Gabriel’s tacky tastes out of this place. This process has already begun, given that the statue in the garden is now gone!

6. Let Adrien decorate his own room, and have fun with it. This part may be tricky because our boy doesn’t know what he wants, but you know what, it’s part of the process! Giving him total creative control over his own space is a first step towards his making bigger decisions for himself, like choosing what he wants to be when he grows up. As requested by my ✨ awesome girlfriend ✨ @paracosmicfawn, he can also redecorate the entryway, which carries sooo much trauma for him. Maybe he can put up some cute cat statuettes along the new staircase, or something equally cheesy.

7. Build a pool, apparently

8. Last but not least, block all accesses to the basement and the attic. Hide them behind these new Kandinsky paintings they just bought. Pray to Gimmi Adrien never finds out (he will).

And that, my friend, is how you take a prison and turn it into a home full of secrets!