#ml season 2

[bellzsad]

please put your reasonings in the comments!!

[geeky92]

You know, after rewatching the “Queen’s Battle” trilogy, I can’t even be mad at Marinette for tricking Audrey to bond with Chloe over their horribleness at the end of “Queen Wasp”. Sure, she did end up further enabling Chloe’s more toxic behavior (until midway into “Malediktator”), but keep in mind, this was Season 2 Marinette. She hasn’t been exposed to a lot of toxic parents like Audrey before, and she still knew very little about Adrien’s home life with Gabriel at that time (which kinda makes sense, given that this was only the 2nd season).

If anything, I’m mad at the writers for never following up on that mistake Marinette made at the end of “Queen Wasp”, given that they never had any intention of redeeming Audrey.

[silverforestry]

Derision is my entire case for why this show needs a reboot ASAP. I loved the approach of maneuvering Marinette’s issues as a product of bullying because, as someone who was bullied, I wish more shows were willing to dig into how much that messes someone up.

The obvious issue is that none of this was built up to in previous seasons—just Chloe being a jerk—so it feels awkward to long-time fans and anyone who was banking on Chloe redemption. There was zero consesus in the writer’s room at any point, I can feel it. I think this could be so well done if it actually fit into the story—if Socqueline existed before this season, if Marinette had a stronger aversion to Kim, if more of her classmates looked at the situation with Lila and were able to see the similarities with Chloe… so many things.

I think a show as significant as this one will see many spinoffs and additional properties, so hopefully the story is handled better in the future. My last prayer right now is that the movie is good so I can abandon one canon for another.

[wield-the-mighty-pen]

Can we talk about how insane it is that during their first interview, Ladynoir spent the first half of it aggressively flirting with one another and then spent the other half of it with one of them incessantly denying that there's anything romantic going on between them, all the while staring down a picture of them engaged in true love's kiss.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Okay seriously though, what was the lesson we were supposed to take away from the ML Season 5 finale?

I am dead serious, what was the grand lesson that Children can be taught here.

Season 1 with Volpina showed that Lies pile up and how letting your emotions get the better of you can have consequences.

Season 2 heroes day was all about believing in yourself but also knowing when to rely on others.

Even Season 3 Miracle Queen had a lesson, The lesson being that life sometimes doesnt have things work out how they are supposed to but we have to power through and make the most of it. (I still hated that finale, but it at least had a message.)

Season 4 was used to reinforce the lessons of the previous 3 seasons, and thats why its the best finale of the 4, and even added the importance of keeping hope.

What was Season 5's finale's lesson? I am racking my brain on trying to figure it out.

[character-fan19]

Love Square Screen Time Records

Hey, everyone! As some of you may know, I've recently completed calculating the exact screen time for all the love square ships for all the episodes we have up until now, including the Miraculous World Specials. Now I've decided to list all the noteworthy moments in love square screen time based on the data I've collected.

We're going to start with doing some general overall records, then we're going to see the noteworthy moments of love square screen time for all the love square ships individually. so let's begin, shall we?

General Records

First episode to include all of the love square ships: Cat Blanc

Of course it's "Cat Blanc' of all episodes to not only be the first episode to have screen time for all the love square ships, but also the only episode by far to have screen time for all the love square ships. It's already one of the greatest episodes of all time, so why not add some screen time for all the love square ships with it too?

We have the Adrienette dating montage, the battle between Ladybug and Cat Blanc, Adrien saving Marinette from akumatization as Cat Noir and revealing his identity along with it too, and finally Ladybug starting this mess by coming in to deliver her gift to Adrien, allowing him to catch her and piece together her identity.

2. First episode to include none of the love square ships: Representation

Closely followed by "Conformation" as the second. Who does this episode have to thank for to having this record? Gabriel, of course. Since Gabriel sent his his son to London specifically so that he can't spend time with his girlfriend anymore, this was the result. Adrien and Marinette weren't able to get together again until the end of "Re-Creation".

3. Love square ship with the most screen time in an episode: Adrienette in "Oblivio"

Not that surprising since a lot of the episode was spent in Adrien and Marinette running from the titular villain and re-learning who they are. It was only towards the end that they were able to figure out how to activate their powers again, thanks to Master Fu, giving Adrienette a total of 9 min 3 sec of screen time in this episode.

Adrienette Records

Episode with the most Adrienette screen time: Oblivio

Since this episode already has the title for ship with most screen time in an episode, it will obviously also have the the title for episode with with the most Adrienette screen time. No need to repeat what I said earlier.

2. Season with most Adrienette screen time: season 5

No surprise here. We don't need to know the exact screen time to know that this season was full of Adrienette. First third of the season had a few patches of Adrienette here and there but from "Transmission" onwards we had a continuous stream of Adrienette content up until "Revolution" where Gabriel separated them by sending Adrien to London, after which the only got back together at the end of "Re-Creation".

Even though Adrienette didn't dominate this season like Ladynoir does every season, it still had over a third of the love square screen time and had 45 min 57 sec of screen time this season which a lot more than it usually has.

3. Season with least Adrienette screen time: season 4

Just like the other love square ships this season, Adrienette took a significant hit, having been reduced to having 12 min 38 sec of screen time as opposed to its usual half hour of screen time per season (roughly). It makes sense though considering that this season is more focused on the plot than past seasons have been and this is supposedly the season of Ladynoir.

4. Miraculous World Special with most Adrienette: New York Special

Makes sense for this to be the special with the most Adrienette as this special had the plotline of Marinette trying to be nothing more than a friend to Adrien, giving us a total of 7 min 40 sec of Adrienette in this 1-hour special, even surpassing Ladynoir in screen time.

5. First episode Adrienette surpasses Ladynoir in screen time: Gamer

Yes, this is an actual category since it's usually the norm for Ladynoir to have the most screen time in an episode. Not only was this the first episode where Adrienette surpasses Ladynoir in screen time, it's the first episode where any ship surpasses Ladynoir in screen time, and also the sole episode in season 1 where an episode surpasses Ladynoir in screen time. Adrien and Marinette being partners in the Mecha Strike tournament really did well to increase the Adrienette screen time.

Ladynoir Records

Episode with most Ladynoir screen time: Mayura (Heroes' Day- part 2)

Kind of an interesting episode to have as the one with the most Ladynoir but OK. This part had the secondary heroes up until now put out of commission by scarlet akumatization in the first few minutes of the episode, leaving Ladynoir to fend for themselves, them against the world just as always.

2. Season with most Ladynoir screen time: season 1

Of course it's season 1 with the most Ladynoir screen time, with this being the show being at its most formulaic at this time, leading the focus to be more on the usual battle with the akumatized villains than with progressing the plot, gives us a total of 1 hr 53 min 26 sec of screen time that season which is nearly 2 hours.

3. Season with the least Ladynoir screen time: season 4

Ironically, the supposed Ladynoir season had the least Ladynoir screen time out of all the seasons. Despite it having the most screen time in terms of percentage, it still had the least screen time in terms of actual value, having a total of 59 min 24 sec of screen time this season, which isn't even an entire hour, although it's pretty close. But since this season focused more on the plot progression than any season we had before, it makes sense.

4. Miraculous World Special with most Ladynoir screen time: New York

Similar to Adrienette, Ladynoir also gets the most screen time it's ever gotten in the New York Special, and just like Adrienette it makes sense given that this special had a lot of focus on their relationship and how Cat Noir broke Ladybug's trust by coming to New York, giving us a total of 6 min 29 sec of screen time.

Maricat Records

Episode with most Maricat screen time: Glaciator 2

Out of all the designated Maricat episodes, this was the one that got the most screen time for Maricat having a total of 8 min 14 sec of screen time. Makes sense, given that the whole episode was them practicing Marinette being able to confess her love to Adrien and going on a "date". "Elation" would be a worthy contender but as it turns out it didn't have nearly as much screen time as we thought though it was still a fair five and a half minutes.

2. Season with most Maricat screen time: Season 4

While season 4 had the least amount of screen time for Adrienette and Ladynoir, it had the most amount of screen time for Maricat, although it was only featured in 3 episodes of season 4 and most of the screen time was concentrated in "Sentibubbler" and "Glaciator 2". This gives it a total of 9 min 44 sec.

3. Season with least Maricat screen time: Season 2

Season 2 had Maricat take a huge hit due to which it became the ship with least screen time in a season for the first time. It only really got to shine a little bit in the designated Maricat episode of the season "Glaciator" and other than that had small moments in "Befana" and "Anansi", leaving it with 4 min 7 sec of screen time in the entire season.

4. First episode Maricat surpasses Ladynoir in screen time: Weredad

After 2 seasons of Ladynoir taking away their designated episode of the season, Maricat was finally able to surpass Ladynoir in screen time with 3 min 57 sec of screen time. Considering that the episode revolves around Marinette getting herself into the mess of Cat Noir thinking she has feelings for him and the awkward date between them set up by Tom and Ladynoir was only present at the beginning and towards the end of the episode, you can see why.

Ladrien Records

Episode with most Ladrien screen time: Desparada

The episode where Ladybug entrusts Adrien with the Snake Miraculous gets the title of the episode with the most Ladrien screen time. It's obvious why since a good portion of the episode is Adrien as Aspik trying to woo Ladybug and failing terribly because he's focused more on that rather than defeating the titular villain.

2. Season with most Ladrien screen time: Season 2

After only having most of its screen time concentrated towards the end of the season aside from "The Bubbler" and "The Mime" in season 1, Ladrien was finally able to get its moment to shine in season 2 with there being several episodes focuses extensively on Ladrien, some even surpassing Ladynoir in screen time, giving it a total of 8 min 46 sec in the entire season which is the most it will ever get as from here on out it, its screen time decreases with ever season.

3. Season with least Ladrien screen time: season 5

Ladrien already usually gets the short end of the stick in Miraculous due to it's lack of a requirement for any development, so naturally, season 5 ends up being the season with the least Ladrien screen time, with us only getting Ladrien in "Passion" with detransformed Adrien holding a Venomed Ladybug and the small scene in "Deflagration" of Adrien handing Ladybug's Miraculous to her. Hopefully, future seasons will give us more Ladrien, but I doubt it.

4. First episode Ladrien surpasses Ladynoir in screen time: Riposte

Since season 2 was the first time Ladrien ever got to shine, it also contains the episode where Ladrien surpasses Ladynoir in screen time, that being the first Ladrien-focused episode of the season, "Riposte" involving the titular villain going after Adrien, hence Ladybug having to protect him and Adrien being unable to go off somewhere to transform.

Conclusion

Well, that's it for all the love square screen time records. Let me know what you think about them and feel free to find any other notable records in love square screen time history by checking my work here. Until next time!

[bugoutreviewgirlie]

my brother in Christ, what is up with that granny-core floral print background😂

[berkut-rigel]

Fandom remember when it was only season 2 and we were making content of Chloé being an alpha bitch but still roasting Lila?

I miss this era

[generalluxun]

ML Fanfiction: Showing Love

This little one shot is a rewrite of the end of Queen Wasp. It never sat right with me, Marinette badmouthing Chloé to get Audrey to pay attention to her (and we see how well it turned out having her in Paris) Who wouldn't prefer something with some awesome Marinette and Moma Sabine in it? Link to the post on AO3 in my bio. Full text below the break.

Marinette was so sure. She had seen what everyone else had, but unlike so many people she couldn't, wouldn't look away. She might have every reason to, it might be any number of people's responsibilities before her, but she was Ladybug. It was more than a costume. It was more than fighting villains. It was saving people, and everyone deserved to be saved.

She was so sure. When that 'go away' came through the door, it was expected. When that baffled 'Dupain-Cheng?' left Chloé's lips -she never used Marinette's first name- it had been a victory. Yes Chloé, even you.

She was so sure. She marched up to the helipad with a plan fully formed. She declined Audrey's offer. She stepped aside to present Chloé to her mother. It was easy to brush aside the 'Chlorine?' It was just a quirk, right? Nothing else made sense.

She was so sure. 'Why don't you love me, mom?' broke her heart. No child should ever have to ask that. It was Chloé though, Chloé could be trusted to misread anything. This was the way to clear everything up. It was all a misunderstanding.

"But… Uh– of course I-" Audrey choked. She turned her head. She wouldn't even look at the girl, hunched and desperate before her. When she managed to force the words 'love you' from her lips they were almost unrecognizable.

She was so wrong.

"No."

Both Audrey and Chloé turned to her, one still wallowing in confusion, the other with indignant surprise.

Marinette had to fight to find her voice. Hope, warmth, and pride had turned to a burning anger and disgust. She looked at Audrey and saw something incomprehensible. "You… don't… Do you?"

Marinette was stunned, but after being contradicted twice in as many minutes, Audrey was moreso. She looked at Marinette over her sunglasses, "Excuse me?"

"You don't. It doesn't make sense, but… you don't." Marinette found strength in her anger. "You can't even make yourself say it! The one thing every child should be able to count on, and you can't even do that much!"

"Listen here Mariachi, don't you tell me how to handle my employees, Cardamom is-"

"She's your daughter, and her name is Chloé!" Marinette was shaking with rage. "I hate her and I can remember her that much! She's awful, mean, cruel, and makes my life hell but even she deserves better than you!"

Marinette snatched Chloé's hand and began dragging her off. The blonde was stumbling after her passively, clearly still reeling. Her 'Dupain- wait- I-let me-' protests were meek, Marinette ignored them.

She was waiting, listening, holding out for that last little bit of hope as she marched away from the pad. There was still a chance… but no. No outraged scream, no fervent protests, no last vestige of maternal instinct followed after them. Just to drive home the point, the sound of helicopter rotors starting up was the sound that saw them off the pad.

"Dupain-Cheng, stop!" Chloé finally found her strength and yanked back, pulling herself free. She turned back, scanning the sky.

"Chloé, where are you going?"

She didn't even look Marinette's way, instead pulling out her phone as she answered. "She can't have gone far, the limo is fast. I can get Jean-Loius to chase her dow-"

Marinette caught the phone even as Chloé lifted it to her ear. The look she got for it was crazed. She moderated her tone, speaking softly. "And then what?"

Chloé's eyes snapped to her, a hunted look to them. "Then we can- I can- … " She want from shock to shout, "Dupain-Cheng you were the one who dragged me here!"

The truth stung. Marinette channeled the pain though, admitting, "And I was wrong! Who can blame me? Who could think that… that… just, how?? It shouldn't be hard for a mother to love her daughter!"

Chloé sniffed, posture changing again, chin up. "Oh it's not hard, Dupain-Cheng. All you have to do is be exceptional."

Chloé spoke such nonsense with complete confidence, Marinette was left gaping, "No! No, that is so messed up, don't you see? You want to win a medal? Sure, be exceptional. You get your parents' love just by being alive. You're her daughter."

Chloé's head snapped to the side, she scoffed, "You're talking presents, Dupain-Cheng. You get presents by being alive. Love you have to fight for."

Marinette wasn't sure she'd ever heard anything more wrong in her life. The insanity of it threatened to overwhelm her. A part of her mind went into overdrive recontextualizing years of interactions. She wanted to just shut down. No!

She wouldn't be wrong, not about this. She grabbed Chloé's hand again and started off, "Come on."

Chloé stumbled after her again, "Where are we go-going? Dupain-Cheng!"

"It's Marinette! And you're coming to dinner. You're going to see what a family looks like."

"What? Dup-" Marinette glared and Chloé corrected herself, "-arinette. You don't even like me. I heard you."

Marinette stopped, but didn't let go. She looked back at Chloé, the girl was on the ropes, worse even than when Marinette had found her. A small selfish part of Marinette wished she could enjoy it, a very small part.

Instead she spoke evenly, "You're right. I don't like you. Can you blame me? You've been a terror, bullying me, harassing my friends. The thing is I don't have to like you to know what you just said isn't right, and I'm going to show you. You might be the worst person I know -second worst now- but even you deserve a parent who loves you."

Chloé started to talk, stopped, looked around as if the answer might be walking past them, ground her teeth, then tried and failed to speak again.

Marinette held up a hand to stop the meltdown-in-progress. “We can call it off if you want. You can go home, I can go home, and we can pretend this never happened.” She lowered her hand and tried her best Ladybug voice. “If we do that though, nothing will change. Whatever you’re feeling right now, it won’t go away. What I’m feeling won’t go away either. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that. I want things to change. I want things to be better, for both of us, but I’m going to be honest, I don’t know if I’ll ever have the strength to do this again.”

Marinette let out a sigh, her anger was flagging and her energy with it. While she still could, she offered her hand.

She tried mimicking a familiar smirk as she asked, “So, what do you say, Bour-geois?”

Chloé flinched at her offer, more emotions played across her face in a cascade. A hint of determination flashed and she reached out, pausing halfway and looking around again.

Marinette prompted, “No one’s watching. Even if they were, just make a scene.”

A small light sparked in those deep blue eyes. Her lips curled into a smirk that was familiar but without fangs. She set her hand in Marinette’s and said, “This is ridiculous.”

Marinette turned, pulling her along before either of them could change their mind. “Utterly ridiculous!”

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

Another small burst of adrenaline saw Marinette all the way home. Chloé didn’t let go, and neither did she. It wasn’t a tender connection though, it was a lifeline. Her too-loud greeting clued her mother in right away. Her father just accepted the strange situation with his usual gentle confusion. It was still a whole bottle of nitro-glycerine waiting to go off.

Sabine spoke first, “Marinette! Honey! You’re home! And you’ve brought… a friend?”

Her mother’s doubt was palpable. Marinette spoke, again too loud, “Mom! You know Chloé from school. She’s going to be coming to dinner, if that’s okay?”

Sabine looked between the two of them, then visibly clicked into ‘mother’ mode. “Yes, of course. I was just going to go up to begin preparing it. I can call you when it’s done.”

“Call-” Marinette realized a flaw in her plans. Everything was working as long as she kept momentum, but now…

From beside her, “Don’t you design things, D- Marinette? Show me some of it.”

Choé’s voice rose and fell in a strange oscillating tone. It kept trying to settle back into its usual domineering affect, but then being knocked out of it, seeking another groove. When Marinette looked at her she snapped her head away quickly, but slowly turned back, waiting.

Marinette took a chance she was right about what she was seeing. “Sure. We’ll be upstairs, Mom.”

They had to let go of each other to climb the narrow stairs into Marinette’s room, and suddenly Marinette was adrift. On top of that, Chloé Bourgeois was in her room! Alarms, warning bells, klaxons, and a little voice perpetually screaming all sounded at once in Marinette’s head. Instead of doing any one of the dozen sane things though, she walked across to her desk and picked up one of her notebooks.

“This is your room, huh?”

Marinette froze. That voice, here. She was still fighting to force her paralyzed limbs to move when the voice came again.

“It’s small… too small. You should have it expanded. You- you’ve got a chaise too? They’re so comfy. I used to flop on mine after dance cl-  I um.. Steps, I have some leading up to my bed too, but this many Marinette? You’re just showing off.”

Chloé’s voice was still working the scales, looking for a place to call home. Marinette recognized babbling when she heard it, long proficient herself. She found she could move again. Turning, she held out the notebook. “Well, you know me, can’t do anything halfway. I think your balcony is bigger than mine too, but I like my view. If you’re still here when the sun goes down, I can show you.”

Marinette had just long enough to panic at her own offer as Chloé hesitantly reached out for the notebook. Their eyes met again and she saw the panic was mutual.

The exchange turned into a snatch, but as Marinette braced for ridicule Chloé instead retreated to the divan, opened the book, and went silent.

The pause gave Marinette a chance to question, to doubt. She shuffled to her desk, but then was stuck. She couldn't just sit there staring at Chloé, but history had her trained not to turn her back either. She settled for half-facing and with her phone out, then she wasn't *staring* staring, right?

Needing to get her thoughts down but not daring to open her diary, Marinette began typing out a note to herself with her thumbs.

What am I doing? It's Chloé. Yeah, but that isn't right no matter who it is. Why me? I could probably try and ask Miss Bustier. But

Marinette drummed her thumbs on the sides of her phone as she thought. A quick glance showed Chloé had progressed through several pages of sketches, but there was not a peep out of her. In fact Marinette wasn't sure if she had ever seen Chloé so focused. Hiding in details to keep from thinking about the big picture. Marinette was very familiar with that trick too.

I want to do this. I want to be the one.  It's not like I like her, or want to hang out. It's…

I want to win. I can't do anything about Mr. Flaps yet, but this I can do something about. Beating this villain doesn't do anything. I've been doing that all year. So maybe getting her to stop being a villain would work. That train thing was awful, and wrong, but she didn't run either. How long would she have tried to stop it on her own? All the way? She liked Ladybug. Can I use that? Is it too soon to talk about her using the Miraculous? Would clumsy Dupain-Cheng asking just embarrass her? Gah. Akumas might be hard, but at least I have my lucky charm.

She looked up again. The notebook was closed in Chloé's lap and the other girl was looking around Marinette's room in more of her uncharacteristic silence.

Marinette hit delete on her note. "Nothing in there to your liking?"

Chloé startled. She ran her hands over the front of the notebook and started softly. "No, I-" Her fingers gripped the cover and she regained some fire,"What am I supposed to say? Hmm? Should I gush? Should I pick it all apart? I was miserable in my room, with mommy leaving and you with her. Now she's still gone, I'm here in your room, with you, and I'm still miserable. Should I call Daddy? What would I even scream for? What am I doing here, Marinette?"

Marinette went through a flash cycle of feeling sorry for Chloé, being angry with herself for feeling sorry, then feeling guilty for being angry. "You could always be honest… about the designs I mean. There's no one to hear. As for the rest…"

Marinette tilted her head back and spun slightly in her chair, she didn't have Cat Noir to buy her time here.

"I-" Marinette leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Look, I'm still processing what I just saw. It's a lot. I thought if I just got you together, away from the lights things would be better. Now… Now I'm realizing it wasn't a fluke. Seeing her was like seeing an adult version of you. Or, really… you're a little version of her."

Chloé puffed up slightly at that, but it was an unsure sort of preening.

Marinette continued, "So like, everything. Everything, was that you, or you trying to be her? Has Audrey Bourgeois been my bully by proxy for all these years?"

It seemed to take hold. Chloé deflated again, and when she rallied it was the sound of someone desperately treading water. "Mommy is a winner! Winners step on losers and little people."

"And the unexceptional?"

Chloé's mouth snapped shut. Marinette could see the tears forming in real time. She knew what would come next if a certain someone was paying attention. That wasn't what prompted her though. She was just so sick of pain.

"You're not unexceptional, Chloé. You are a whole lot of things, things I would get in trouble for saying if my parents heard, but unexceptional isn't one of them. If your mom can't see it. Then she's blind."

Marinette sighed. With Ladybug it was easy, fight and flee before the timer. Staying, talking, this was hard.

"It's more than that though. You want to know why you are here? To see how it is supposed to work. My mother, she's amazing. I'm not bragging or trying to rub your face in it. I want you to see what a mother is supposed to do. Maybe if you do, you'll see that it's not worth chasing after one who doesn't. It's not worth bending yourself into her shape. It's not worth hurting other people. Hurting people is easy, Chloé. Saving people, like Ladybug does, that's hard."

As she finished, Marinette realized her trap door was slightly ajar. She was trying to steal a look without making it obvious when Chloé's voice rose in a mumble.

"I liked.. the coat."

Marinette couldn't follow, "The what?"

Chloé was still slumped."The coat, page seven. I would wear that."

Marinette squinted until it clicked. "Oh!" She tried to remember back that far. "The cropped one, with the feathered collar?"

Chloé picked at the edge of the notebook. "I always liked feathers, but… ridiculous."

Marinette filled in the blanks. "Then I came along and," She did her best Audrey impression, "feathers are in."

Chloé nodded. She stopped picking, flexing her fingers but silent.

"That just proves it, right? You shouldn't have to live like that, no one should."

"So, what? If I stop, I still don't have a mother."

Marinette struggled. Chloé wasn't wrong, and Marinette couldn't picture a life without her own mother. Not just as a mother, but as someone there, supporting her, encouraging her, and correcting her, loving her.

Marinette went to her last resort, honesty, "I don't have all the answers, Chloé. I brought you here to show you there was something else to want, a different way to be. Maybe, if you want that, you can try a different approach. It might not be Audrey -probably better if it isn't- but there are others. Ms. Bustier seems to care a lot about you."

Chloé brightened suddenly, "Or Ladybug?!"

"I, ahhh, don't think she's, unmm, looking to have any daughters right now…" Marinette hedged.

Chloé's cheerfulness evaporated. "You're right. She probably hates me now, you saw what I did. Everybody saw what I did."

"Chloé, I think Ladybug might be very understanding. I can't imagine it would be easy for a hero to hate anyone. But, let's not focus on that. Let's focus on the here and now." Marinette glanced towards the trapdoor, "And I think I smell dinner cooking."

With that, the door swung open and her mother appeared. "You do indeed, my dear. If the two of you would come down and wash your hands, it is time to eat."

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

Dinner was… well, it was awkward. Marinette wasn't sure if Chloé had eaten a family dinner ever before, and with four people the potential for miscues was exponential. Her mother was a blessing in all this, as Marinette had believed she would be.

Sabine prompted Chloé with a steady flow of questions. Like clockwork the blonde would start with a full head of steam but peter out quickly into uneasiness. Without acknowledging the change, She would simply ask something else, seemingly unrelated. Her dad was largely quiet, his eyes ping ponging back and forth between the two, and a spoon often forgotten in his mouth.

Marinette missed a good chunk of the exchange, lost in her own thoughts until a sharp clearing of her mother's throat and, 'Isn't that right, Marinette?' in just the right tone of voice clued her in. Her mother was pumping Chloé for information. It was a flood of details and stories that Marinette herself would never have been able to pry past sealed lips.

They seemed honest too. The usual bragging melted away quickly before her mother's gentle, 'That's nice, dear.' Genuine stories earned genuine engagement. Chloé was speaking to Sabine like a daughter, or at least like someone desperate to know what being a daughter felt like.

Chloé didn't eat much, which was fine because Marinette stress-ate for three. Dinner was winding down when Chloé's phone went off. The change was instant and complete. Her entire body language shifted as she pulled it out.

"What, Daddy? … So what? … No! You never come up any-"

That clearing of the throat again. Marinette's response was Pavlovian, and already she wasn't the only one. Chloé cut herself off mid-word and both girls looked to Sabine. Marinette's mother merely looked serene, the smallest of smiles on her lips. Marinette instantly tried to figure out something she might have done wrong. To her surprise Chloé winced visibly and when she spoke her tone had changed.

"I already ate. I'm eating at a… classmate's house … okay, Daddy … It's the Dupain-Cheng bakery … no rush."

She hung up and prodded an untouched portion of tofu and vegetables on her plate with her fork.

"I have to go home."

It was the weirdest experience for Marinette, feeling upset at that news.

“Well, honey,” Sabine broke the stalemate, “Would you like to take anything home? I may not work at a Michelin hotel, but I like to think my food is good the next day too.”

Chloé cast around the table. Marinette was holding her breath. Chloé eventually mumbled, “Some of those gougères, maybe?”

Sabine nodded, “Right. Okay everyone, clear.”

Marinette stood, grabbing her plate and a nearby server. Her dad hastily shoveled several more bites into his mouth before grabbing as many plates as his big hands could carry. After a pace, Chloé even picked up her own plate and followed Marinette like a lost puppy to the kitchen. By the time the plates were scraped and stacked, Sabine had bagged up several puffs and pressed the bag into Chloé’s hands. “Marinette, why don’t you see our guest downstairs? Take care, Miss Bourgeois. You are welcome to come again.”

Chloé stood there for a moment, bag held in front of her like a shield, then without warning launched herself at Sabine, nearly knocking the smaller woman over as she threw her arms around her.

Sabine braced herself, and patted the girl gently on the back, “Bao bei.”

Chloé disentangled, shot Marinette an embarrassed glance, then dashed for the stairs.

Marinette had the space of time it took her to follow to try and catch up mentally again. She found Chloé looking out the door to the shop and stepped up beside her. “Did this help? Can you see what I mean?”

The bag crinkled in Chloé’s hands. “Don’t ask me that right now. I have to go home and sit by myself in my room, unless I can convince Sabrina to come over. I probably shouldn’t yell, right?”

“There are other ways to do things.”

“People say ‘no’.”

Marinette gave a little laugh at that. “Yeah, asking is a lot scarier, believe me.”

“You don’t like me, Marinette. Why did you do all this? And don’t give me some high-and-mighty Ladybug talk. You’re just a normal person, like me.”

Marinette shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Everyone wants to beat their bully. I do too. I just saw a way to maybe have a person left when the bully was gone.” She glanced sidelong at the other girl, “How did I do?”

Blue eyes met blue. Chloé looked away and crossed her arms, bagheld in one hand. “I’m going to take you off my list, Marinette. I guess I should take everyone off for now, so maybe that isn’t so special. You’ll be at the top of the list of people who aren’t on my list though. That’s the best I can do for now.”

Chloé’s limo pulled up outside. Chloé tried the door, then Marinette unlocked it for her. “It’s a start.” Marinette had a flash of inspiration and added, “I’ll tell you a secret. It’s not losing if your new self is the one to take down your old self.”

They exchanged another look, then Chloé stepped out into the evening. Marinette locked the door behind her and watched years of problems get into a limo and ride away, maybe for the last time.

“That was the Chloé, right?” her mother’s voice startled her, even being soft.

Her mother knew the answer, she wasn’t really asking, she was prompting again. “Yeah.” Marinette touched the window, “It was.”

“You’re not going to New York, then?”

“No, even before all this I had decided. I have too much to do here to run away around the world. Then I saw… I don’t understand it, Mom.”

“You weren’t raised to understand cruelty. Maybe I should have shared more of what is out there sooner, but I never wanted to add too many shadows to your world of color.”

“Does this mean I can’t be mad for all the things she did?”

“Of course you can. Pain is pain, and it hurts. This just means there might be a way to stop the pain and heal, rather than having to cut off that wounded part of you, like so many do.”

Marinette thought about that. The idea made her smile. She wasn’t sure, but she was hopeful. “Thanks, Mom.”

“I’m proud of you, ma choue.”

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

End Note:

Sabine uses the phrases on purpose. Mandarin for Chloe so she won't necessarily understand it. It's more for the tone and the action. It could easily have been 'there there' but Sabine's a mom and her heart also goes out to a child, so she uses the term of endearment.

For Marinette she switches, so that it's not the same phrase she used for Chloé so close. Each child should feel special.

[avizare]

Two minutes into Frightengale and Marinette just reassured Tikki that, no, she's not going to audition for the role of Ladybug! That'd put her identity at risk big time! That would be so foolish of her.

I'm currently willing to bet anything that Adrien is playing Chat Noir and Plagg is having the time of his freaking life about it.

[jadenerd]

This scene warms up my heart🥺

[heidi891]

Rewatching ML Season 2

The Collector: When Ladybug says she thinks Gabriel is Hawk Moth, Chat Noir is taken aback, but rather calm. Ladybug is shocked when Chat Noir suggests that the Collector could make Adrien disappear, while Chat’s expression says that he believes it’s totally possible. Gabriel lets Adrien go to school again and Adrien hugs him.

Prime Queen: Chat Noir purrs when Ladybug is close.

Glaciator: Poor Adrien, his father makes him wait for him at that big table and then doesn’t let him leave the house. Marichat on the balcony! I believed Marinette didn’t take Chat Noir’s declarations of love seriously, so it’s nice to have it confirmed. She must have thought he’s like that with many girls and now she knows he’s really in love with her. I like how sincere they are with each other at the end.

Despair Bear: Adrien stands up for Marinette when Chloé accuses her of being responsible for the false alarm. He is again annoyed with Chloé and threatens to end their friendship. Chloé does something good, but for the wrong reasons. Marinette and Adrien are dancing. Chat Noir is AGAIN possessed by the villain.

Troublemaker: Adrien is so happy to see Marinette on TV. Poor Marinette, everyone can see her hundreds of photos of Adrien and he’s so shocked. Chat Noir again uses his good hearing. Marinette friendzoned herself.

Gigantitan: Gabriel tries to reason with a baby, he couldn’t have been an involved father when Adrien was little. Chat Noir says he’s a great singer and promises to sing Ladybug a song.

Riposte: Hi, Kagami! Was she sent to the fencing class to impress Adrien? Ladrien scenes. Adrien saves Ladybug, forgetting that he isn’t invincible when he isn’t transformed. He says he doesn’t like being locked.

Befana: Marinette resorts to lies when she’s afraid the truth might hurt someone. Short Marichat scene. Chat Noir says Marinette must be a very cool girl. Ladybug joins Chat Noir in singing. Adrien says he’s always carrying Marinette’s lucky bracelet and gives her one that he made himself. I wonder what the chicken bead is supposed to mean.

Frightningale: Adrien tells Chloé that everyone in the queue should have a chance. He’s impressed with her skills, but is not thrilled to work with her.

Gorizilla: Gabriel again suspects that Adrien is Chat Noir. (Gabriel, haven’t you heard him yell ‘PLAGG, CLAWS OUT!’ every now and then?) Adrien wants to ask his father if he could go to the cinema, but Gabriel doesn’t have time for him. Adrien hates being famous and is still carrying Marinette’s lucky bracelet. Adrienette and Ladrien scenes. Adrien notices that Marinette repeats words from the perfume advertisment and isn’t sure what to make of it. Adrien’s falling from the skyscraper and Gabriel in the last moment orders Gorizilla to release Ladybug to save Adrien (though his first impulse was to wait until Adrien transforms, risking his death). Ladybug says she trusts Chat Noir and Adrien is happy. Gabriel watches the film with Adrien. At the end for the first time we see dead Emilie in the glass coffin from afar.

Robostus: Adrien knows Morse code. Master Fu explains that when you have both Ladybug earrings and Cat ring, you can make a wish, but comes with a price—you exchange your wish for something opposite.

Sapotis: Marinette has a DVD with “Ladybug PV”. Chat Noir flirts with Rena Rouge.

Syren: Chat Noir is fed up with being left in the dark. Ladybug not trusting him seems to be his biggest concern. He threatens to give up the ring for the first time. He finally meets Master Fu.

Dark Owl: Ladybug and Chat Noir trust each other so much that they can detransform in front of each other, having their eyes closed.

Zombizou: Chat Noir sacrifices himself AND is possessed by the villain. Chloé sacrifices herself fo Ladybug, but without Ladybug she would be caught, so it isn’t entirely selfless. Later she is vulnerable and sincere with Ms Bustier.

Captain Hardrock: Gabriel wants Adrien to play the piano perfectly. No one is surprised that he is grounded again. Hi, Luka! Adrien asks his father to play the piano with him, Gabriel lets him go to his friends, Adrien hugs him.

Frozer: Chat Noir has a romantic fantasy involving Ladybug and a hamster and later Marinette has a similar fantasy about Adrien. Adrien thinks about asking Gorilla, Nathalie and his father about girls, but ends up asking Marinette about Kagami. Kagami and Plagg think Adrien cares about Marinette romantically. When Marinette tells him they should go ice-skating again, he thinks she means just the two of them. She almost confesses her feelings to him, but ends up friendzoning herself again.

Reverser: Terrified Chat Noir is hilarious.

Style Queen: Gabriel, why are you surprised that Adrien fell victim to your Akumatised villain? Have you thought it through? Nathalie is not happy about it at the end. Chloé is worried about Adrien. Short Ladrien scene.

Queen Wasp: Gabriel has some regrets about putting Adrien at risk. Nathalie hugs Gabriel. Gabriel hugs Adrien publically. It’s the first time he appears publically after Emilie’s death. Chloé is abused, but it doesn’t excuse her acting like a villain and pretending to be a hero.

Malediktator: Chloé gives a ridiculous presentation, but the class shouldn’t bully her for that. Adrien is the only one who doesn’t laugh and later isn’t happy when Chloé’s leaving Paris. Adrien says that she was his only friend when he was little and didn’t leave the house. (When exactly did problems in his family start?) Thanks to Adrien Marinette decides to give the Bee Miraculous to Chloé and give her a second chance. Chloé admits that she hurt her father. Chat Noir is AGAIN possessed by the villain. My Disney+ must have a wrong order of the episodes, because Alya mentions Carapace.

Anansi: Adrien says his father is overprotective and hopes it’ll change. Hi, Carapace, here you are. Chat Noir is a bit worried about being replaced by other superheroes, but Ladybug reassures him he’s irreplaceable.

Sandboy: Nightmare Adrien is both scary and funny. Poor Adrien’s nightmare is being locked out without escape. Chat Noir saves Ladybug, how romantic. I love that bad Ladybug always gets this crazy, enormous weapon.

Catalyst: Lila returns! I think that Alya can’t see through Lila’s lies, because she’s too focused on Marinette’s crush on Adrien.

Mayura: I must agree with Chloé that Hawk Moth’s outfit is ridiculous. Nathalie wants to help Gabriel so much that not only does she let herself be Akumatised, but also she risks her life by using the Peacock Miraculous. Gabriel is shocked by this. At this point he still seems to care about Adrien and Nathalie to some extent. Adrien says that Marinette is their school Ladybug. (Will Adrien ever be called their local Chat Noir?)

A Christmas Special: Snow, songs and that terrible old man in a red suit. Gabriel’s gone mad and thrown a Christmas party. More serious observation: Adrien openly talks sings about his pain and anger.

Miraculous World: Shanghai: ‘Did Jet just die?’ moment, Hawk Moth edition. Chat Noir too, but it isn’t as surprising.

Previous: Rewatching ML Season 1

Next: Rewatching ML Season 3

[minoudrien]

catalyst and mayura might be my favorite two part finale in the show…

like ugh it’s just such good setup for the next 3 seasons. establishing lila as a more dangerous villain than we previously thought, establishing that the people of paris have been so inspired by ladybug and chat noir that they would start a revolution to fight back and help them, the big adrienette moment at the end that shows they’ve become actual close friends and that marinette can speak to him without messing up her words now, establishing the messy power dynamic between gabriel and nathalie that will only get worse with time, establishing that resisting akumas using positive emotions is going to become a major theme as well as hope vs fear as a major theme, UGH JUST EVERYTHING ABOUT IT one of my favorite season finales for sure

[unefillecommelesautres314]

mAAAArInEEEEttee tU vEuX cOnNaItRe MoN sEcReT? jE sUiS aMoUrEuX d'UnE fIlLe Et ElLe S'aPpElLe CHLOOOÉÉÉÉ

[wield-the-mighty-pen]

Just remember that in every even season of Miraculous, there has been a Ladynoir conflict of some kind.

Season 2 had one because Ladybug was keeping the guardian and the knowledge of the Miraculous a secret. Season 4 had one because Ladybug was keeping secrets pertaining to her role as guardian and her confiding in Alya. 

Season 6 is coming, and there just happens to be a whole lot of information that Ladybug is not sharing with Chat Noir...

[perfusio]

Chat noir is gonna eat your soul