#nino is a good friend

[nedjsmlfavs]

Centerfold aka How Adrien Got His Nickname

Paper magazines were a rare breed these days, so when Alya walked into class to find Marinette sitting there, flipping through one, she couldn’t help but be curious.

“Whatcha got there, M?”

“Latest issue of La Belle,” Marinette replied, holding out the magazine.

Alya took it, flipping through pages of fashion spreads as Marinette explained, “It’s a fashion magazine specifically for teen and children’s lines.”

“I can see that,” Alya murmured, her attention focused on the seemingly endless collection  of high-fashion photos. She might not have Marinette’s eye for this stuff, but it was still fun to look at all of the different outfits. Then she reached the center of the magazine and all thoughts of fashion fled.

A slow, devious smile spread across Alya’s face as she turned her attention towards the blond sitting in front of them, happily talking with Nino, oblivious to the danger at his back.

“Hey, Adrien,” Alya said, her tone deceptively casual.

Both Adrien and Nino turned to look at her. Adrien with innocent curiosity, Nino with narrow-eyed apprehension.

“What’s up?” Adrien asked, smiling at her without even a hint of fear.

Alya smiled back and held up the magazine, turning it around to display the latest Garbiel ad, featuring Adrien in all of his modeling glory.

“Looks like you’re this issue’s centerfold.”

Instead of flushing or showing any other tell-tale signs of embarrassment, Adrien simply frowned, his expression puzzled as he said, “Yeah, of course I am? Marketing always tries to make me the centerfold. Best way to get eyes on the goods.”

There was a moment’s pause as the group processed this. Then Nino groaned, slapping a hand against his face while Marinette turned bright crimson, robbed of her ability to speak. 

Alya, on the other hand, looks like Christmas had come early.

“Reeeealy?” she said, drawing the word out, her eyes gleaming.

Adrien nodded. “Oh yeah! I’ve probably been the centerfold for La Belle a dozen times by now! Every time we can pull it off, there’s a clear bump in sales! It’s actually pretty neat! Father likes to keep copies of all of Gabriel’s ads, so I can probably dig them up if you wanted to see them? I’m not sure how well the older ones will hold up, but I think I’ve gotten pretty good at-”

“Adrien, stop talking,” Nino commanded, giving his best friend his now standard how-are-you-this-sheltered look. A look that Adrien immediately recognized. As soon as he did, all of his cheer vanished, replaced by apprehension. He glanced between Alya, Marinette, and Nino, finally registering the expressions on their faces. Marinette’s embarrassment, Nino’s resignation, and Alya’s suddenly terrifying delight.

“Oh no, what did I miss this time?” he asked, shoulder’s slumping.

Nino sighed and leaned over, whispering a quick explanation into Adrien’s ear. Then he pulled back and watched in amusement as Adrien’s face slowly turned an impressive shade of scarlet.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Adrien glanced back up at Alya, giving her his best kitten eyes as he pleaded, “Soooo, can we forget this conversation?”

Alya laughed, reaching out to pat him on his head as she said, “Not a chance, Centerfold. Not a chance.”

-

I have Alya use this nickname for Adrien all the time, but I've never shared where it comes from. I'm hoping to work this into a bigger story one day, but for now, here you go. He is, initially, mortified by the nickname, but that quickly gets replaced by exhilaration when he registers that he's just experienced a Standard Teen Bonding Activity. The fact that Alya has a nickname for him and almost no one else is soon a badge of pride for our cat-loving dork. His only request is that she never, ever use it in front of his father or Nathalie, which she immediately agrees to. She wouldn't have done that anyway.

[thelastpilot]

How many images will tumblr let you add, let me see.

Guess what @tides-miraculous and I did today~~

It would be easy to poke fun after all this time but honestly, I really enjoyed myself with the Miraculous Ladybug Movie. Nino and Alya had so much more screentime than I had any right to expect, we got a whole new personality trait/skill for Nino (skateboarding) and even had streamlined DjWifi goodness, what more could I have even asked for? Plus, the animation was genuinely incredible and Gabriel finally had some tasty ass nuance. I kept saying to Tides "Finally, some good food girl."

Sure there were some things I coulda done without, but overall I had fun and it was just so fun to see the boy again after so many years of not watching any of the canon content. It was essentially all worth it for him to have one line to say "You know I'm here for you, right?"

In that moment, i knew he was my son again.

[cookiedough77]

so one of my besties said this to me

and guess what i did

"he wasnt blushing and its not about nino"

SHUT UP AND LET ME DREAM

[wia-tia]

Hikaru considers everyone his friend (even though he shouldn’t).

[2]

This is part of a series, you don’t need to read the others, but it might add some extra context:

Part [0]: main post

Part [1]: Hikaru’s motivations

Random intermezzo

Part [2]: Hikaru’s relationship with Yura, Nino, Ryosuke

Part [3]: Hikaru's relationship with Aqua & Ruby

Hikaru’s approach to friendships is interesting. He bonds with people to increase his guilt, such as Yura. He also seems to view everyone who shows him affection, even if superficial or transactional, as a friend, such as Nino and Ryosuke.

Hikaru's relationship with Yura

I believe that he was genuine friends with Yura, as he expresses concern for her career by asking Yura to consider what her fans would think, and he compliments her (“It can’t be, you’re cute.”  “What a great attitude.”) Yura feels very comfortable sharing personal stuff with him. (“Miki-san” “You’re the best drinking buddy after all.”) All imply that they have known each other for quite a while. Despite the context making it seem like he wants to immortalise her talent, he warns Yura twice. Why would he do that? He also adds please to it: just to be polite or is it an actual plea?

Nonetheless, after Nino pushes Yura, he instantly takes responsibility for Yura’s death, saying it is his fault and that he can feel his life’s weight. In chapter 161, he says his death would greaten Ai’s significance, so I interpret this as him trying to increase his guilt by being the cause of death and suffering of someone he knows and probably cares about. This guilt would make him feel Ai's presence again as he associates guilt with her. In the anime, he doesn’t say it as mockingly as I thought he would. Maybe it’s even apathetic, it’s quite hard to characterize. It could have also served the purpose to help Ruby get the role for Ai. This could mean that he does care for both Ruby’s career and Ai’s legacy in some way, which contradicts that he doesn’t want anyone to surpass Ai.

Additionally, I still think the person contacting Frill in chapter 113 is Hikaru (we don’t know Frill’s agency). At that point he was the only person associated with alcohol (by drinking with Yura). So, this shows he can influence someone in a certain direction, though we do not know if this was intentional or not. Frill says: “Sometimes when I hear from people like them, I’ll question my own stance.” Through interactions like these, he indirectly motivates Frill to root for Ruby to get the role of Ai, which ties in as a motive to kill Yura.

Hikaru's relationship with Nino & Ryosuke

In chapter 132, Nino says that they won’t forgive anyone who surpasses Ai, even Ruby (Ai’s daughter). It seems that she views Ruby as Ai’s daughter, not Hikaru’s, despite Hikaru referring to Ruby as “our daughter” in the past. It’s implied that Hikaru shares Nino’s view. Yet, in chapter 138, he paradoxically sponsors the movie that condemns him but does not reveal his name in the movie. Does he wish to be condemned, yet not at the same time? I don’t get why he’d risk being outed if he still intends to continue the murders, so nobody can surpass Ai (people will find out it’s him, he says that himself in chapter 147). I think this is a form of self-punishment, which is tied to his guilt and not him wanting nobody to surpass Ai.

Something that’s also still ambiguous is Hikaru’s debt to Kaburagi, who Hikaru calls ill-natured. In chapter 138, he refused permission to use his name, which he contradicts in chapter 147, when talking to Nino. This could be his way to provoke Nino, because he can’t do anything to his daughter himself. In chapter 158, his decision to hand “them” over to the police indirectly hands Nino over to the police, without himself, which I think means he still wants to do something for Ai (I think this is increasing his guilt), which he said in chapter 155.

He considers Ryosuke and Nino sincerely his friends. They approached him first and he was unaware of how their obsession might spiral and vaguely mentions Ai and his relationship with her. Given he knew Ai well, Hikaru likely knew Nino was Ai’s colleague. He also says that he was unsure about seeing Ai twice, which I think is in line with his timid nature we see in the movie. Nino was Ai’s coworker and she had a boyfriend. Maybe he thought he could get back together with Ai because they were together. It would be a nice reason why exactly Ryosuke needs to be Nino’s boyfriend. Nino would be his connection to Ai and seeing that Ryosuke is also together with an idol could give him hope that not all is lost with his relationship with Ai. Also, it’s a reason why Hikaru wouldn’t have assumed that Ryosuke would harm Ai because Nino is also an idol. Ai saying no to him wanting them to be together again would give him a reason to not go see her himself. If Ai saw that Hikaru didn’t bring the flowers himself maybe she would be concerned and reach out again confirming that Ai was serious about it and wanted to see him again and maybe get back together even if she said that she didn’t call for that reason.

He denies that he knew what happened in Miyazaki. But how does he even know Ai was about to give birth at a hospital in Miyazaki, did Ai call him before the call we see? The hospital scene in chapter 160 makes it seem that Ryosuke and Nino were tracking Ai after her disappearance, but Tsukuyomi’s story says Hikaru was there, so it still needs to be confirmed what exactly happened there. With the knowledge we have, I think Gorou’s death was an accident. If all three of them were there, I think it would have affected them greatly, but we don’t really see the aftermath of it in the manga. I think this could also be one of the reasons he stays close to the other two out of guilt of traumatising them with Gorou’s death, even if he didn’t do anything.

Interestingly and quite sad even, Hikaru calls Nino and Ryosuke, Nino-kun and Ryosuke-kun. Nino calls him Kamiki-san, which implies that there is a hierarchical distance for Nino, yet Hikaru considers them friends. This might explain why he feels guilty when their actions lead to tragedy, like Ryosuke’s suicide or for not seeing that his friend would’ve killed Ai. I think that’s also the reason he stays around Nino. However, Nino stays around him to make sure nobody surpasses Ai because she doesn’t have the connections to famous people herself.  Aqua does accuse him of never helping Nino’s mental condition which I think once again is connected to his guilt, where Nino and Hikaru stimulated each other’s guilt complex over Ai’s death and even on a smaller scale over Ryosuke’s death. So, improving each other’s mental condition was never on their minds.

I think this means that he thinks that anyone who gives him the slightest form of affection is his friend. That’s actually really sad. If he considers them his friends, why would he want to break or manipulate them? So, I don’t think he manipulated them intentionally.

Yet, Aqua says that his desire not to hurt anyone is a lie, so like what actually happened regarding Ai’s death is still up in the air. I think it’s possible that Hikaru lied to Aqua. His motivation might be to increase his guilt or to be loved, as chapter 161 implies. But the question remains: what exactly are the lies?

Hikaru’s creepy smile of this chapter only appears after Aqua accuses him of wanting to kill Ruby, which I think means that he feels a negative emotion. We never see him express strong negative emotions as an adult weirdly enough (outside of the underwater scenes) and I think some of his smiles, such as that one, is a repressed form of that.

Following Aqua’s words, it seems that Hikaru has manipulated Ryosuke and Nino. If he was, how much of it was conscious? I can’t imagine that, at the age of 14 up to 19, he’d fully understand the impact of his influence on others and he considers them friends. Why would he intentionally manipulate them? I wouldn’t have mind if it was intentional if it was explored better and not some vague scenes that contradict Hikaru’s previous words. The manga doesn’t give him a motivation for the manipulation nor the killing of Ai. In addition, the focus on Hikaru’s role in the murders risks removing responsibility of Nino and Ryosuke which I think undermines the message of the manga about parasocial relationships, success culture & the problems of the entertainment industry. These things lead to terrible outcomes if unmanaged (terrible outcome: seen with Ai’s death, Hikaru’s sexual assault; situations with a better outcome: Kana’s mother wanting Kana to be popular and leaving her when she isn’t; she has been healing form it, Akane’s cyberbullying; she survives and lives further, Memcho’s age; people still accept her and so on). So, I think it's weird that the manga would suddenly change it's direction from that interpretation. The industry and lack of support system cause terrible outcomes, but the same industry with a good support system can lead to better outcomes. I have been having a hard time coming up with a theme for the manga with the last few chapters, but we'll see what the next two chapters bring.

Thank you for reading!

[0] [1] [intermezzo] [3]

[theprinceandthewitch]

No, no I don't think I will "get over" this shows poorly veiled misogyny lol.

[soralinklokidottirofmirkwood]

Four unexpected but beloved surprises: Miraculous Ladybug and the Hobbit crossover part 2.

After the elflings bathed (which they did in pair's) They came out in oversized button up shirts that Bilbo didn't wear anymore with shorts and their hair washed and braided Bilbo smiled at the sight of the squeaky clean elflings who all waddled over to him looking adorable in the slightly oversized shirts.

Bilbo told the children that he will be back because he's going outside to hang their hand washed clothes and have a smoke.

The four young elflings inside looked around the hobbit hole to explore their surroundings "this is like something in a fantasy game, movie or Manga." Nino said his once deep voice now sounding like light bells "Yeah and Mr Baggins is really nice to." Tikki said happily "We should do something nice for him as thank you." Alya said "Yeah we could bake him a cake." Marinette said "Let's do that." Adrien said happily "Alright. Mari makes the best chocolate cake." Trixx said as the children found the ingredients to start baking miraculously not making a mess.

While the cake was baking in the oven they washed the dishes and whipped the counter from the little powder, then started making the frosting.

Bilbo came back into his hole after a good and not interrupted smoke to be hit by a gorgeous smell, following his nose he saw the children take out a delicious looking chocolate cake out of the oven, his baking pans freshly washed and his kitchen still miraculously clean "Your back Mister Bilbo." Mari said excitedly grabbing his hand to lead him to the cake "We baked you a cake. As a thank you." Alya said as she and the boys gently put the cake on the counter to cool down.

Bilbo could feel his mouth water at the sight of the cake.

After tea Bilbo helped the children decorate the cake and took a slice to taste test and he felt himself melt from the savory flavor of the cake "Ohh my this is amazing." He said looking at the children with pleased eyes "You should thank Mari." Adrien said in praise "Yeah Marinette makes the best deserts back in our world, her parents are well known  bakers after all." Nino said happily "Well they taught you very well my dear. Let's save this for dessert after supper." Bilbo said happily putting a glass cover over the cake.

That night:

It was finally time for dinner Bilbo had made fish for dinner with help from the children and kwamis of course.

They sit at the table, the children said their thanks and they began to prepare to eat when a knocking was heard.

Bilbo and the elflings looked at the door in curiosity "Are you expecting someone Mister Baggins?" Nino asked while the other three elflings and the kwamis still stared at the door "No one that I know of! You all can start eating." He said getting up to answer the door.

Before they got ready to eat the elflings and Kwamis heard a deep voice speak "Dwalin... at your service." The man named Dwalin said walking into the house and towards them but when he saw them he stopped in his tracks "He never said anything about children." Dwalin said looking down at the little ones fondly until he saw their ears 'how did he get elfling? I thought elves were very protective of they're young.' He thinks to himself looking at the children again but grins upon seeing the untouched fish on the table.

The elflings and Kwamis are in shock seeing a strange man eating Bilbo's fish by the head first "This guy is tough." Plagg said sitting on Adrien's shoulder as the others could only stare until Bilbo walked in but gave them a stern look "Children it is impolite to stare at guest." He scolded making them blush "Sorry." They all said "It's quite alright th-" Dwalin didn't get to finish as a knock was heard "That be the door." He said making the four elflings and kwamis giggle but Bilbo rolled his eyes.

Marinette, Alya, Adrien and Nino along with the kwamis followed Bilbo to the door to reveal on the other side an older man with grey white hair "Balin. At your service." He said bowing "Good evening." Bilbo said "Yes... yes it is though I think it might rain later." He said walking in until he saw Dwalin "I just realized that their names rhymed." Marinette whispered to Alya who nodded "Yeah! I wonder if we'll meet more dwarves with rhyming names." She whispered back "Oh brother." Balin said walking over to Dwalin "By my beard your shorter and wider the last time we meet." He said walking over to the older male with a jar stuck on his hand "Wider not shorter." Balin said as they grabbed each other's shoulders and head butted "That looked painful." Trixx said rubbing his head while everyone else cringed at the feeling.

The two dwarves began heading to Bilbo's pantry while talking and taking out food while Bilbo is trying to talk to them Mari, Adrien, Nino and Alya stand by Bilbo eating some biscuits they managed to grab from the basket while the kwamis ate their own.

Another knock is heard and the four elflings and kwamis can see irritation in the poor hobbit's eyes "poor Mr Bilbo." Trixx said "Your right Trixx. I too would be irritated if uninvited guests suddenly showed up at my door." Alya said to the Kwami of illusion "I can't help but feel like someone is behind this." Tikki said from Mari's shoulder eating the last bite of her biscuit until a knock was heard.

On the other side of the door we're two dwarves that looked alike but one had blond hair and a full beard while the other had dark hair and some stubble "Fili." Said the blond "And Kili." Said the dark haired one "At your service." They said together making the little ones and kwamis laugh "Nope you can't come in." Bilbo said as he is about to close the door Kili stopes it with his foot "What, Has it been cancelled?" He asked making Bilbo confused and jumble his words until they came in and tracked mud.

There are now four dwarves in Bilbo's hole and boy did Bilbo looked like he was going to snap and he's trying to keep his positions from being dirtied and broken by asking the four elflings to hide them in his room.

After they hid the stuff in Bilbo's room the four elflings and kwamis come back to see Bilbo opening the door only to find an avalanche of dwarves dropping at his door and a wizard behind them "Gandalf!" They hear Bilbo say in rage "I have a feeling that this fellow is behind this." Plagg whispered "His hat looks cool." Nino said missing his own hat that fell off his head after Lila impaled them.

The four elflings and Kwamis can only stare in terror with the fact that there were twelve dwarves in total pillaging Bilbo's pantry and taking out things Bilbo doesn't want them touching and he was starting to lose his patience "My dear Bilbo what on earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked Bilbo who looked ready to have a cow.

As Bilbo is complaining about the dwarves to Gandalf the children got their food with help from the dwarves who are surprised that there are elflings in the shire "What are elven children doing in the Shire?" The dwarf named Gloin asked the dwarf Bofur who shrugged "I don't know but they are a cute bunch." He said eyeing the little ones who are happily getting plates for themselves with help from other dwarves. "CHEESE." Plagg said flying over to one of the huge wheels of cheese Bombur had making the dwarves jaws drop "Is that some sort of fairy?" Ori asked in amazement as Gandalf and the dwarves stared in awe "Thank you Plagg, Bravo." Tikki said sarcastically as she, Trixx and Wayzz clapped sarcastically "Well it's only fair if they know too." Adrien said eating a baked potato "I agree with Adrien after all Mr Baggin's knows about you guys plus Hawkmoth and Mayuura aren't around anymore and I doubt there is a bigger threat here." Nino said munching on a chicken leg "They do have a good point." Alya whispered to Marinette "Yeah!" She whispered to the older girl "What are they?" Gandalf asked in surprised awe gently lifting a finger and poking Wayzz a bit "They are Kwamis." Nino said walking into the room with Gandalf's hat on his little head making him look funny and everyone laughed.

Soon everyone was cleaning but while washing the dishes the dwarves sang a very catchy song that the children and kwamis couldn't help but clap along with until a knocking was heard "He is here!" Gandalf said.

Gandalf opens the round green door to reveal one more dwarf that looked like Fili and Kili “Could he be their dad?” Alya asked.

[wah-pah]

The final season of "My Brilliant Friend" will premiere next month and I am not sure I am ready to have my heart ripped out.

[seas-of-silver]

Nino took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose in an effort to relieve the dull ache the glasses had caused, and leaned back, contently soaking up the summer sunshine. He was on a picnic date with Alya, and it was going splendidly! No akumas rampaging, no setting up their blindly yet ridiculously in love best friends, no frenzied blogging... just wonderful food, beautiful weather, blissfully peaceful atmosphere, and the most perfect girlfriend to ever exist.

'You're so freaking pretty without your glasses.'

Nino blinked languidly as he slowly tilted his head in Alya's direction, who was staring right at him, and then her words registered.

'Pfft!' he laughed. 'Sure I am.'

Even though she was quite blurry to him without his glasses, he could see that Alya pouted with a little frown, clearly taking exception to his sarcasm.

'I'm being serious, you goof!' she told him, lightly tapping his arm with the back of her hand. 'You're gorgeous!'

Nino sat up a little, amused by his girlfriend's sudden defensiveness to his supposed beauty. 'Did you put on your rose coloured glasses today, babe?' he teased.

'Just my regular ones,' she retorted easily, with a roll of her eyes, 'and they can see the truth! And the truth is you’re beautiful!'

He couldn't help but blush under her effusive praise, but he didn't know what to tell her. He knew gorgeous people existed: Adrien, Marinette, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Juleka- hell, most of his classmates were beautiful! (With clear exceptions of Chloé and Lila, because their personalities sucked.) And Alya was on the very top of his personal "Beautiful People" list. But him? Him... beautiful? That sounded fake.

'If you say so, Als,' he appeased, not in the mood to battle Alya on his beauty or lack thereof. Today was a beautiful day that he was thoroughly enjoying, and he wasn't going to dare ruin it with a silly squabble.

'I do say so!' she crowed, looking particularly pleased with herself as she stood up from the picnic blanket, victoriously pulling her phone from her pocket with a massive grin. 'And I'll prove it! Say cheese!'

Nino chuckled. He should've known better than thinking Alya would let the matter drop that easily. He looked up at her, her gleeful gaze fixated on him through her camera's lens, and couldn't help but smile. She was breathtaking when she was all passionate and fired-up.

'Cheeeeese.'

He heard the telltale sound of the picture being taken, and Alya inspected the photo before immediately plopping down next to him, pride emanating from her like sunshine.

'See? Look! I was right! Go on, take a look!' she babbled, eagerly pushing her phone into his hands.

'Hang on, hang on!' he laughed. 'Let me get my glasses first!'

Putting his glasses on, he accepted the phone, and upon seeing the photo, his smile slowly slipped away. The person in this photo couldn't be him... right? This guy was wearing his shirt, but... his eyes weren't brown like his, they were like deep, luxurious honey, its colours glowing under the light of the sun. This guy didn't have his brown hair, but locks of silky chocolate, strands as light as the air, curled delicately to rest atop skin of rich caramel. This guy's smile wasn't goofy, but was worthy of the billboards Adrien normally adorned. Nino looked up to Alya with his mouth agape.

'See?' she teased, dragging out the word as she preened triumphantly.

'I do,' he replied breathlessly, before fixing her with a playful glare, 'you put a filter on me!'

Alya's look of outrage was so ridiculously comical that Nino struggled to not break into a fit of laughter.

'Filter?' she shrieked, and Nino suppressed his snort of laughter with a few coughs. 'Filter? No filter created this - this is your natural beauty!'

'Not a filter, huh?' he drawled, smothering his smirk with a contemplative look; Adrien's flair for the dramatic was obviously rubbing off on him. 'So then it must be an app! What's it called? I know Kim would love to use it.'

'There's no app!' Alya cried, waving her arms about. 'It's just you and- oh, wait a damn minute.'

It was then that Nino knew the jig was up. He shot Alya a shrug and a grin before leaping up to his feet and running for his life, with his girlfriend hot on his heels, phone in hand, and demands the concede and just admit he was good looking echoing through the air as they ran amok around the park. Regardless as to whether or not he was handsome (which he still very much did not believe), he did know two things: 1. He was suddenly grateful for all the unintentional running training that he got chasing Alya through akuma battles, as he now sprinted away from her, and 2. No matter how beautiful she thought he was, Alya was most definitely infinitely more beautiful than him, and on the phone inside his pocket, he had the photos to prove it.

So, this was supposed to be only a sketch to practice angles m, but turned into a whole ass illustration.

(You can support me on KoFi 🦊)

[bubsmiraculousau]

These r my first brainstorm pages for the ot5 civillian miraculous designs! Some of their styles I imagine would shift throughout the hypothetical series, esp Adrien and Marinette.

Adrien dresses like a little businessman, preppy in the most direct sense of the word, was taught to dress well to leave a good impression. Gabriel believes that every man should just wear a suit all the time, so Adrien's sweaters and khakis are a compromise. He basically only wears neutrals.

Marinette dresses in mainly pink, but dabbles in other colors as well. I think she would always have some kind of comfortable fabric on, and customizes her clothing with embroidery and things like that. I think she also just likes all the rainbow colors too.

Chloe is a true y2k girlie, Megan Fox's character's outfits from confessions of a teenage drama queen is her vibe. Blue, yellow, brown/beige, b&w, are her main look.

Ngl I have no idea what to do with Nino he just dresses like a guy. I think he's the most comfortable in looser clothing. I try to incorporate green into his outfits to tie into the turtle miraculous and him being friends with Adrien. His in-show design literally has like every color in it probably to tie all the characters into each other but it kills me to draw that lol. I'm much better with designing women's clothes...

Alya has tumblr girl style. She loves a black graphic tee and takes black and white pictures of her converse. She basically dresses like the girls I thought were so cool in middle school. Like c'mon she has a blog and Balayage hair, what other style would she be? (Also random fact but when I heard of 'twee' style I thought it just meant all Tumblr girl style not just the peter pan collar stuff lol) I think people call it Tumblr grunge as well? idk

I have a different updated lineup of the civilian classmates and I might make individual posts describing their vibe, background, inspiration, and style because fashion is very important w my characters lol. xx

[copdog1234]

Man, I was watching the movie and the entire time I was thinking "Wow. This would've been so much more satisfying in the show" because the show has earned it. The show's writing is far from perfect, it has many, many flaws, but my god is it far better than Miraculous Awakening will ever be. And I'll tell you why.

I will preface by saying, yes, an hour and a half movie has way less time than a TV show with several episodes to build up characters and relationships, so time constraints will make it so we may not get as much depth in the on-screen relationships.

You know what, though? The time they spent playing mediocre songs could've been used better to show us all the things the songs had to outright tell us. Cause that was the problem.

The movie sure liked telling us how the characters were feeling. It rarely showed it. Like could you tell me why movie Marinette liked Adrien? Because I couldn't. What did he do to earn her affection beside look pretty? Why did we only get a montage of them getting closer instead of actually seeing it? Or how we never really see much of Gabriel and Adrien's struggles with the loss of Emilie, we simply get glimpses. How am I supposed to feel anything when Gabriel stops being Hawk Moth when this movie showed us literally nothing of their strained relationship? And then there's Gabriel's claim that he did absolutely everything to get Emilie back. No he didn't. He did actually nothing. He freed a couple of criminals and then akumatized himself. That's it. That's all he did.

Could you tell me why Alya decided to befriend Marinette? Could you tell me why Adrien "who decided not to get close to anyone" was friends with Nino? Could you tell me why Chloe was so confident Adrien had any interest in her when they never actually interacted?

And then there wasnt enough explanation on how anything that we should've been told worked. Could anyone really tell me how these versions of the miraculous work? Or why Master Fu was in possession of them? Or why they really chose their holders? Could you tell me if the kwami had much personality and were necessary?

Like, I will say, there were funny moments, the animation was nice, and there were cool set pieces, but where was the substance?? It was nonexistent. If you don't watch the show, would you know or feel anything for what was going on in this movie?

Cause even for me, who does watch the show, I didn't.

Think about this. The show has even faked out multiple reveals to me and every time I was hyped and screaming, I have read fanfiction of these same to characters falling in love and confessing every which way and I've swooned, but we get reveals and love confessions that are real and permanent in this movie and I felt. Nothing.

It's okay if yall disagree with me, but I just needed to get this off my chest. I'm hard on this movie because I wanted it to be good because I love the characters and story from the show.

[nedjsmlfavs]

March Under 1000 Fic Rec!

Turtle-y Awesome by chatonne-rousse

Hugo Dupain-Cheng loves turtles, and by extension, he loves Carapace, his favorite superhero of them all. He doesn't know yet that his idol is also his Uncle Nino, and Nino hasn't yet seen the Carapace shrine that is Hugo's bedroom. But the little man is turning five and has just two wishes - a Carapace-themed party with friends and family, and the latest, greatest Carapace play set. This is a story of best friends, laughter, good kids and even better parents, and a whole lot of turtles. Words: 4,023 Rating: G

Past recs:

Four Close Calls and One Reveal by constantconfusion14

an abundance of mango by squijim

[starcrossedrose]

@firstdove15

miraculous canon would be very different if adrien met nino before ladybug

[adrinoir]

The Miraculous Movie was different than the series…and that’s okay!

I watched the movie this morning and loved it! I think it’s important to talk about the changes that were made and what impact they had.

How the characters were rewritten

There definitely was a difference in how the characters were written in the movie, and some of the redevelopment of characters was really good!

Gabriel was by far the one who had the best redevelopment of his personality. Gabriel in the series is awful, as we all know.

In the series, he barely gives a shit about his own son, like there is absolutely nothing redeemable about his character. In every “what if” episode and the season 5 finale, Gabriel does not show any regret to hurting people, including his own son.

However, in the movie, Gabriel actually makes a better attempt to communicate with Adrien and, most importantly, feels strong regret when he hurt his son. He cries; he feels remorse for destroying Paris and injuring Adrien in the process. He hugs Adrien (along with the spirit of Emilie 🥹) and decides to stop being Hawk Moth. It was beautifully done. He got a redemption arc that he never got in the series. I know I personally felt so good watching that and seeing the relationship between him and Adrien being repaired.

Marinette was her usual clumsy self, but was written as having no friends at school because she embarrasses herself so much. In a way, it makes more sense than her being so popular like she is in the series. Kids in high school can be pretty judgy and ruthless. So it makes sense for the “clumsy girl” to be made fun of and judged by people who don’t know her well.

Adrien was different in a lot of ways. He wasn’t shown running to school to gain freedom. He wasn’t introduced as being a super model who’s friends with Chloe. Instead, he’s already going to the school, he’s already friends with Nino, and he happens to run into Marinette at the library. He doesn’t have that same chemistry with Marinette as he does in the series which is a bit odd that they took that away, but it does make sense that he’d turn her down when she asked him to the ball, since he loves Ladybug. In the movie, he very clearly sees Marinette as just a friend and it’s shown that he’s building a friendship with her without him developing a crush. It’s different but still wholesome, especially when he shows her the old family photo to her. Plus, it evens it out well since Ladybug obviously turns Cat Noir away but they’re still building up their bond, too. They both get turned down.

It was ehhh that Adrien was a bit too cocky at times as Cat Noir, but overall, his goofiness and self confidence is still pretty on brand for him. He was still very encouraging towards Ladybug but not overly flirtatious, pushing her to her limits. Instead, it was them lightly teasing each other and then playfully fighting. And, speaking of the playful fighting, their bond was stronger in the movie seeing as how they were shown spending more time together off duty and that they were treated as equals.

In the show, Cat Noir is automatically made sidekick and left in the dark about everything. But in the movie, he gets to meet Master Fu in disguise alongside Ladybug. Sure, he didn’t help Master Fu with his cane like he did in the series, but that didn’t matter since the lore was changed.

Alya was less annoying in the movie. Sorry. Don’t get me wrong, I love Alya in the series, but she’s so over the top at times with how obsessed she is over the heroes, blogging, and filming things for her blog. In the movie, she was toned down a lot and I liked that. It was also cute that Nino had a crush on her and just her, not Marinette first. Unlike the series, he wasn’t on that pipeline of guys who fell for Marinette since that pipeline doesn’t exist in the movie.

Tom was made out to be an embarrassment for Marinette which is honestly more realistic for a teenager. Most teenagers get pretty embarrassed by their parents, especially when they still treat them very childlike. And, I like that he went out to the fair to look for her since he heard there was danger. Marinette’s parents don’t usually go out to look for her or make sure she’s in her room when there’s danger afoot. So, I appreciate that they made Tom do that since he obviously loves Marinette a lot.

The rewriting of (some of) the lore

As I had mentioned in my previous section, the lore was rewritten, too. Instead of Master Fu being the one to pick Marinette and Adrien simply because they helped him, the kwamis sense that Marinette and Adrien are the right people to be Ladybug and Cat Noir. That was a much better way to write that, in my opinion.

Hawk Moth got ahold of the butterfly miraculous by mistake. That part wasn’t changed but also, it didn’t need to be.

The change of plot

The plot was very simple. It didn’t have a whole lot of crazy, in depth details like the show’s does. So, anyone who has never watched the show can easily understand and absorb what’s going on (I will be forcing my boyfriend to watch it with me since he’s never seen the show lol).

I like that it was very clear cut and easy to understand while still being intense and meaningful. It still summarizes a lot of what the series entails while fixing some issues in the plot development.

They didn’t doddle with Hawk Moth like they do in the show. He was a successful villain in his second attempt but then realized he should stop when he hurt his own son in the process.

Also, there was a reveal. It was a wee bit underwhelming, but I still think it was done well! It was a moment with just Marinette and Adrien alone, as it should be. And, it was cutesy and heartfelt. The fact that Marinette dressed like Ladybug for the ball (cutest dress ever imo) and Adrien dressed like Cat Noir was so cute. That’s what a lot of the fandom has been asking for and written about in fanfics, I feel like.

The romance between these two is most important. They didn’t need Kagami and Luka as 2nd love interests to throw things off track. Yes, I like these characters in the show, but they weren’t needed in the plot.

The music

I love musicals. I was a bit of a theater kid in high school, plus I’m obsessed with music lol. So, yes, I’m a bit biased when I say I love that they made this a musical.

I personally loved the music. I can tell a lot of good effort was put into it and I’ve already been listening to the songs on my Spotify. The song between Ladybug and Cat Noir in the theater “Now I See” and Cat Noir jumping on the clouds (literally, on cloud nine) singing “My Lady” was absolutely adorable and super romantic, which, as we know, is a big part of the show.

Even Gabriel’s song “Chaos Will Reign Today” was amazing! It conveyed a lot of emotion and turns into one of those dramatic villain songs. Keith Silverstein is clearly talented enough to sing for his own character and he did it well.

My only nitpick is that Marinette’s singer, Lou, has a very different voice than Christina Vee. So, Marinette sounds very different, much more mature-sounding when she sings and it kinda catches you off guard. I’m surprised they didn’t have Christina sing for her, but there must’ve been a reason why she didn’t. But, SQVARE sounded similar enough to Bryce Papenbrook when he sung for Cat Noir which i absolutely love.

Conclusion

I personally give this movie a 10/10 just because it made me smile the whole time, and it’s such a feel good movie. I’ll happily watch it again and listen to the soundtrack, especially on a day when I’m feeling down. It wasn’t perfect in every aspect, but it was perfect in a simple, heartwarming sense and that it can be watched by everyone, not only people who watch the series.

I understand if it made you cringe or you were moreso looking for a continuation of the series not a retelling. But, I prefer some simplicity which is a big part of what made me like it. Like I said, I know it wasn’t absolute perfection, but it was so frickin adorable and I can’t help but smile.

There’s a lot of differences but also plenty of similarities between the movie and the show. But understand they’re not meant to be the same and that’s okay! I don’t think the movie was horrible for most of the changes it made. In fact, I think most of them made sense and made it a bit more realistic (as I explained).

[literaphobe]

how insane do u guys think adrien felt when nino showed up to school the next day after The Zoo Incident and was like YEP guess alya’s my gf now! i know i used to have this huge crush on marinette but that’s like totally over and also like wow did i even like her at all?? haha. yeah dude i decided within the span of a few hours that i had to date alya or die. yeah man she also randomly went from seeing me as a bro to seeing me as a hot piece of ass. btw what if u started dating marinette. no yeah dude i think it’d be super cool. NOOOO DUDE nooo she didn’t say anything to me just thought it’d be um uh real convenient since she sits next to alya bro like haha come onnnn we all sit together in class it’d be like having double dates every day my man! oh. oh you’re in love with someone else? my bad my bad uh who is she? you can’t tell me? it would get you in trouble?? okay okay good luck with her dude but remember marinette’s super duper single and available!! -> and then from that day on every time he got rejected by ladybug he had to remember that his best friend got his gf under the span of a few hours with NO movies and ZERO roses

[kaileedraws]

Introduction: Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Here are some of my changes to Marinette in my Miraculous AU! Below I'm going to go into a little bit further detail about what I'm changing about her character and why. I'll list the problems that I have with her character in the show and explain how I plan to fix it.

1. Marinette is the only character that must be there in order for a fight to be won

I've noticed in the story, other characters have little to no opportunity to save the day if Marinette is not present, and this seems a little unrealistic. She is the protagonist, but I feel like her biggest lesson is that she doesn't need to do everything herself - but unfortunately, the story's plot only reinforces the fact that she DOES need to do everything herself, or else things will backfire on her. I will be balancing the Miraculous powers to reflect the unique aspects of everyone's personality and show that Marinette can rely on others - especially Chat Noir - to win without her.

2. The show's narrative punishes characters when they trust others - making Marinette a hypocrite

An example of this is pushing the narrative that Ladybug and Chat Noir cannot know each other's identities or else the world will end (except in their alternate universe). Marinette also punishes Alya for trusting Nino with her identity - yet is not so reluctant to share her own identity with her own best friend.

More people know Ladybug's identity than Chat Noir's identity (and not even because he told him he was Chat Noir), yet Ladybug consistantly shows Chat Noir that she trusts others more than him. She has a hypocritical nature of warning him about secrets, yet does the very things he warns him against.

Fixing this, Marinette, as a character, lacks trust due to her past with Chloe - an ex-best-friend - and Kim - an ex-crush. She has a nature of becoming suspicious of strangers, and she is overly cautious and judgemental of those she meets (which would also explain her canon reactions to Lila and Kagami when she first meets them). Because of this, she stereotypes Adrien when she first meets him and thinks he is just trying to manipulate her like all of the other popular kids she has met. He is constantly trying to prove to her that she is a good person and she doesn't buy it for a while. For Alya, she is also suspicious with her at first, but because she is so brutally honest to everyone - she has an easier time with learning to trust her than anyone else she meets.

With the Ladynoir dynamic, Ladybug starts the series pushing Chat Noir away - desperately trying to keep their relationship professional. But as things blow up in her face the more she pushes him away and tries to do everything herself, she finds herself apologizing for her mistakes and trying to become closer to him so they can function better as a team (power of love always so strong~). As the story goes on, she finds that she can be more herself as Ladybug to Chat Noir than as Marinette because Marinette becomes a chronic liar to keep her identity.

In the future, when Alya comes clean to Marinette that she told Nino about her own miraculous, Marinette reacts the way she did in the show and feels betrayed, but later forgives Alya and trusts her to make her own decisions in her life (character development here).

3. Marinette doesn't have a clear character arc

the show is set up - as cooberated by many others - as a "lesson of the day"-type show, but Marinette doesn't have any character development other than becoming a little more confident and standing up to her bully (which also gets her into trouble more and happens early on in the show). I think that her character development should revolve around learning to trust others and learning that she can't do everything by herself, and learning how to cope with her anxiety.

4. Marinette's creepy obsession (Stalker) with Adrien

No one tells Marinette that she takes things a little too far with Adrien except for the school bully (Chloe). She doesn't even recongize herself until later that what she's doing is wrong. I feel like - especially aged up - that Marinette has a duality with this. She knows morally that it's not OK to stalk people or be as obsessive as she is, but she continues to make excuses that she is either protecting Adrien or herself from harm. She feels guilty about it, but her inherent curiosity and lack of trust gets the better of her sometimes.

5. Marinette is mostly bubbly and awake

Either this girl takes adderall every morning or eats coffee beans - she is always shown to be alert despite being a full-time student, overachiever, and superhero. It would be good to see her struggling with sleep more often and developing an energy drink/coffee addiction just to stay awake. Perhaps it gets so bad that she has to be hospitalized for severe sleep deprivation.

6. The plot prohibits Marinette from ever being akumatized fully

Because of her huge emotions, Marinette would definitely be akumatized at some point. She would fight it - perhaps Tikki would take her Miraculous and find a temporary holder - or not - but being a main character and a miraculous holder should not exclude her from becoming a victim of hawkmoth. This would also push the narrative that Marinette is not perfect and she is not inherently needed to save the day every time.

Conclusion

These are just a few of my changes for Marinette - once I nail down a design, I'll probably make a character sheet for her general personality. I like the idea that she is one of the weird, awkward art kids in school that is incredibly dark, tired, and weirdly bubbly around her friends, but depressed at home (my middle school experience tbh). I'm really excited to make Marinette a lot more relatable and a product of the things she experinces in the show - not just a protagonist with layers of plot armor and villian-like hypocracy!

[nobodyfamousposts]

Coffeenette

For the record, they blame Alya. All of them do. No question. They will never NOT blame Alya for this.

Even Nino, who is her boyfriend and supposed to support her. He’s agreed with her about almost everything. But not about this.

Even Rose, who is the sweetest girl in their class. She’ll apologize and be really nice about it, but she still blames Alya.

Heck, even Chloe did, which was a surprise. She was a bully sure, but as such, anyone would have thought this sort of thing would be beneath her. Though it could simply be that she just liked having any excuse to make fun of someone.

…Or so they thought until they saw Chloe scramble away to hide as soon as she saw it happen.

But none of them blamed Alya more for this situation than Marinette, who could only swear all unholy vengeance and glare daggers at her soon to be ex-best friend as she took her sole reason for living in this cold and terrible world and threw it in the garbage!

“Marinette, come on. It’s not that big of a deal!”

“It was innocent…”

“It was a cup of coffee!”

“The perfect cup of coffee. The coffee to end all coffees. Brewed to perfection and at just the right temperature. I could have died happily with that coffee. No other cup of coffee will ever compare. Ambrosia was in that cup and you threw it away!”

“Are you serious?!”

“Shh. Shh…I must mourn.”

“Get off the floor!”

“Mourn, I say!”

Oh sure, some had shrugged it off at the time. Alya had just rolled her eyes and dragged Marinette to class—coffeeless. Others had simply laughed a little at the dramatic display before moving on.

But those who knew better were panicking.

Some were already looking up therapists. Two were immediately calling their parents to ask about a school transfer. A few had given up on life and were writing up their wills.

It should be made clear: Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a kind girl. Sweet. Dedicated. Dependable. If you needed help, she was there. She was the one to look to for a solution to any problem. She was the first to put forth an effort and offer an olive branch, even if you hurt her. And of course the last thing she ever wanted to do was upset anyone. And if she did, she would be the first to apologize and try to make up for it.

…the problem was that this was all when Marinette was in a good space. And while her good days exceeded her bad days, that was not to say that there were not bad days. And when she had her bad days, they were…bad.

The thing that few knew about Marinette Dupain-Cheng was that there were…times, you could say, when she was not her normal friendly self. Times when she was…

…Grumpy.

Kind of mean.

Downright brutal, actually.

It only happened when she was either very angry or very stressed.

Which, unfortunately for everyone, has been increasing quite a bit since Hawk Moth made his grand entrance into the world of supervillainy.

Marinette had been stressed for a while and it showed. She’d been losing sleep. And they could tell she’s been more groggy given how frequently she’s been walking into walls and doors. They had thought this was cute at first. They had even laughed about it.

They hadn’t realized that this was actually only the first stage. Not until she started coming in with coffee—something she hadn’t done in years.

Marinette struggled when she was tired.

Thanks to Hawk Moth, she had lately been very tired.

And with her consistent lack of sleep, coffee had been her best friend. Or at least her best consumable friend. The sort of friend that brought her relief and made living bearable.

…until Alya took it away.

It turned out that Marinette’s parents had become…”concerned” about Marinette’s caffeine intake and had forbidden her from the beverage. Normally, they could only keep it away from her at home by either keeping her from the coffee pot or when necessary, switching to decaf. But Marinette had found ways around that by getting her bitter bitter life-saving paint stripper juice outside, usually on the way to school.

Or at least, she used to. But this was a new year and THIS time, Marinette had a new friend—and a BEST FRIEND at that in the form of Alya Cesaire, whom Tom and Sabine had chosen to enlist in their plot to protect their daughter from things that weren’t good for her.

Like coffee. Her precious life-preserving coffee.

And next to the Ladyblog and her secondary role as Rena Rouge, Alya had never jumped on anything faster.

Marinette’s morning coffee run? Done. A thing of the past as Alya would walk her to school and ensure they made no other stops along the way.

Marinette’s stash of coffee and energy drinks? Ransacked. Alya searched her locker, her desk, her bags. And being Marinette’s best friend, she knew ALL of her potential hiding spots.

Marinette’s emergency chocolate-covered espresso beans? Taken. Alya practically treated it like it was radioactive given the gloves and goggles she wore as she removed them. And in her defense, they very well may have been. Marinette was very tight-lipped over just where she had gotten them. She had tried to hide the fact that they WERE espresso beans, but Alya still wasn’t fooled.

Alya was on the hunt and there was NOTHING that could stop her. For her best friend’s “greater good”.

…as far as Marinette was concerned, the “greater good” could shove it.

She saved Paris on a daily basis! This was the LEAST it could give her in return!

Sadly, it appeared that Alya—and by extension Paris, cared not for Marinette’s sacrifice. Thus she was left to stew in her growing rage…stew like the precious brew she was being deprived of.

Up until that point it was clear that Marinette had been surviving on coffee and sheer spite. And now she only had one of those two things left.

But it would be fine! Really!

…so long as no one earned her ire.

Chloe had been one such unfortunate recipient of that ire some time ago in her younger days. Though Marinette had profusely apologized to her afterwards, Chloe never forgot and has held it against her ever since.

...well, after her several month sabbatical from school, at any rate.

So the fact that Chloe was suddenly trying to convince her father to let her take a vacation in the middle of the school year should have been a major red flag.

…or the way Marinette slammed her bag on her desk to get the class’s attention when they started getting off task and too loud in class.

……or the death glare she gave Kim the instant he tried to poke fun at her state with a literal poke to her cheek to try to wake her…and the injured finger he received for his trouble when she grabbed the offending object and bent it back.

…………or how most of the teachers were conveniently refraining from giving them any homework assignments they knew they should have been getting. Or not acknowledging Marinette’s grumpy behavior and sleeping in class. Or avoiding even looking in Marinette’s general direction.

The point was that it was evident that not all was right in the classroom and especially with their normally kind and happy Everyday Ladybug.

To their credit, the classmates had tried to bring Marinette coffee in order to help restore her to her usual state...or at least avoid her wrath.

But all their attempts were for naught, as Alya herself had become something of a bloodhound for caffeine. And having appointed herself as enforcer of the coffee ban, she would confiscate any form of the substance they tried to bring in and dispose of it in short order—much to the classmates’ horror and Marinette’s growing displeasure.

As far as the class could figure, it seemed that coffee was either simply useful in keeping Marinette awake and aware, or it was a comfort to her when she was feeling stressed.

Probably both.

And Alya, in all her misguided concern for the girl’s health, had taken it upon herself to remove the one thing keeping Marinette stable. Stable and happy and not inclined to traumatize anyone unfortunate enough to get in her way.

So yes, everyone in the class did blame her. They didn’t do anything about that resentment, of course, but they did still blame her.

Not that Alya seemed to care.

“Alya.” Nino knelt—literally knelt before her, his hands clasped as if in prayer. “Please. I’m begging you! Just let the girl have her coffee!”

She only rolled her eyes before throwing away yet another cup Marinette had managed to procure from the teacher’s lounge—somehow completely ignoring the daggers the other girl was glaring at them all with from the window of the classroom.

Alya was unmoved.

And seemingly oblivious to the scratch marks on the window left in the wake of Marinette’s pawing.

“It’s for her own good.” Alya insisted, much to the growing horror and frustration of those around her.

“What about our good?“

“You’ll be fine.“ She said dismissively.

“She made Kim cry!” Nino exclaimed, gripping his hat. 

“You’re exaggerating.“

“She brought out the Vial. Do I need to tell you about the Vial?“

“The what now?“

“Marinette has a special Vial she carries during…these times.” Max explained as he helped the despondent Nino to his feet.

Alya blinked.

“Okay?”

“She uses that Vial to collect the tears of anyone who so much as annoys her while she’s in this state!”

“That’s a little weird, but—”

Nino cut her off.

“She uses those tears to flavor her coffee.”

Alya stared.

“What?”

“She flavors her coffee with tears, Alya!” He continued, gripping her shoulders. “Not cream! Not sugar! Not cinnamon or chocolate or pumpkin spice like normal people and Americans! TEARS! OUR TEARS! What does that tell you?!”

“That tells me you’re exaggerating.“ She replied, looking decidedly unimpressed. And thus cruelly ignored his whimpering as she tossed the rest of the coffee into the trash bin.

She shot them a look as she slammed the bin lid closed, as if daring them to challenge her.

Nino looked on the verge of a breakdown.

Max sighed and texted the others.

To everyone else, the slamming of that bin lid was akin to a signal…one that indicated the sealing of their fates.

Some cried. Some prayed.

Most chose to stay out of the way.

…that was likely all they could do.

Other than blame Alya, of course. Which they did.

As Marinette’s antics changed from funny “walking into walls isn’t she cute” to less funny “eviscerate your soul with words”.

As whispers from the rest of the school followed the classmates, offering them sympathy and prayers.

As the very atmosphere changed from a sense of melancholy to ever growing unease and outright paranoia. As if her presence itself brought with it something seemingly eldritch in nature.

And through it all, Alya ignored the warnings and insisted this was for the best.

To be fair, it was perhaps her friendship with Marinette that offered her some protection from the worst of it.

…others were not spared.

Timothy—everyone remember Timothy? Prominent student and good friend to the rest of the class. Top of his class. Fellow swimmer and athlete to Kim and Odine. Was one of the few people Chloe would listen to. Tried to help Nino throw the party during Bubbler and the only one to notice Sabrina hadn’t appeared in a while in Antibug. Remember? That Timothy. Had totally been there all along and was well liked by everyone. Possibly as much as Adrien.

…until he admonished Marinette for bumping into him and not looking where she was going.

And.

Marinette.

Snapped.

It was the moment Marinette finally had enough. Both of the lack of coffee and of holding back her frustration about the situation.

It was also the last time Timothy was seen at school. Or anywhere for that matter. Given how abrupt it was and how people actively avoid mentioning him again, some question if he had ever really existed…

Eh, probably not. It was likely just a rumor.

What wasn’t a rumor was how Chloe (after being denied being allowed to ditch school) presumed that a new year and being Queen Bee meant she was stronger than she had been before and thus strong enough to put the caffeine-deprived version of Marinette in her place. She would prove to Marinette, to herself, and to everyone that SHE was the head bitch in charge.

Marinette was abruptly woken out of a nice daydream that either involved Adrien or coffee or Adrien AND coffee to find herself being yelled at. And find herself face to face with Chloe.

Oh wait, Chloe was the one yelling at her.

She had a hard time making out what Chloe was saying, but the fact remained that it WAS Chloe. Which was never a pleasant place to begin any realization.

It would help if she had coffee.

Was there coffee?

Marinette looked at her depressingly empty hands.

No.

"Well?! Do you hear me?!" Chloe shouted.

Marinette looked up at the blonde and took a slow breath before opening her mouth to speak.

...

…thirty minutes later, Sabrina found Chloe catatonic under her desk and took her home early.

To be fair, she had brought it on herself. After all, she really should have learned her lesson from the last time. But still, it was hard to forget the scene as Sabrina gently guide her out of the building as Chloe mumbled to herself, her face pale, her mascara running, and her eyes wide and haunted.

She was out for the rest of the week.

Bustier was...no help. In her ever rose-tinted fashion, she attempted to speak with Marinette early on what had been a particularly bad morning.

“Marinette, I heard you’ve been having some trouble with your classmates.”

It took a minute for Marinette to realize Bustier was there, much less that she was trying to have a conversation.

“—argument with Chloe the other day. It seems like whatever you had said really hurt Chloe’s feelings.”

Marinette blinked, trying to comprehend what was being said to her.

“—was uncalled for. Chloe didn’t deserve that.”

Bustier. Something about Chloe? She hadn’t seen her in a while. She thought things had been quieter lately…

“—you know how Chloe is and that she needs help. Surely whatever she said couldn’t have been that bad, and—”

These were clearly words, but they weren’t making sense.

“—remember what I said before about the Marinette’s of the world? It’s important to show love to people, even if they aren’t nice. So they can learn from your good example and—”

Marinette.exe needed coffee to continue this conversation.

“I think the two of you can talk this out. You can apologize to Chloe and model the right behaviors.”

Was there coffee to continue?

“—and who knows? Maybe the two of you will even become the best of friends!”

No.

“—what do you think?”

Marinette frowned at Bustier and opened her mouth to speak.

...

...it would be the first and only time Bustier would make such an attempt to speak to coffee-deprived Marinette. Nobody knows exactly what happened, as the students had come in when class started only to find Bustier in the aftermath, sobbing over her desk and completely inconsolable.

No class was had that day.