#out of sheer paranoia. and the fandom definitely wasn’t helping

[thedroloisms]

Tommy made a joke and suddenly it's the end of the world. Dream fans really need to check their bias and rsd, Tommy's video was funny for anyone that don't project on Dream

I didn’t find Tommy’s joke particularly funny but also ascribing to extreme malice to the exact same shit Tommy had been doing for 3-4 years and was literally a staple of his relationship with Dream this specific time Just Because is a ridiculous lack of considering the entire context of their friendship. It’s fine for people to think Tommy’s video is stupid or generally dislike the pattern of making fun of Dream in often stupid ways that crossed the line more than a few times, but it wasn’t . New for him and him and Dream specifically. What.

[fantastic-nonsense]

First of all, thank you for introducing me to Miraculous Ladybug: you made me curious and now I have a new fandom. Right now I need something lighter than my usuals haunts, but on the other hand I did not need the drama of the blasted love square. That said: do you have recs for good fanfics? Those I find are either clichéd or go the too mature route to the point I barely recognize the chracters. "Heartstrings", which I found thanks to you, is just right. Please, do you have more? Thank you!

I’m delighted to have been your introduction to the show, and I’m glad you enjoy it! And yeah, Heartstrings is iconic and probably the most widely read fic in the entire fandom, so you chose well.

That being said, I definitely have fic recs. So many fic recs. There was a two month period where I basically read nothing but ML fics. I’ll pare down some of the better ones for you! 

handsprings and aerials, by DarkScales: An obstacle course, a fistbump, and revelations. Reveal fic, Fistbumps Verse part one. Pre-series. Note: part of a series

Won’t Tell a Soul and The Weight of Jade, by Thelastpilot:

Won’t Tell a Soul: Nino accidentally runs headlong into the biggest most stressful secret he can imagine, but now that he knows the truth about Marinette he is determined to help her in any way he can.

The Weight of Jade:  A box with a bracelet appears at Nino’s home, but is he ready for what comes with it? Sequel to WTAS.

Happy Anniversary Surprise, by rijstkokerwritings: “I just can’t decide what’s more crazy. The fact that I know Chat Noir’s morning routine, like… what he had for breakfast, how he folds his socks. Or the fact that I know exactly how long it takes Adrien Agreste to do a triple backflip. Oh my god-” she has to take a deep breath when new realization hits. “Adrien! You know how to do a triple backflip!” It's Adrien and Marinette's sixth anniversary. A 100% fluff reveal fic, with a side of platonic Ladynoir.

The Perils of Fake-Dating a Superheroine, by siderealsandman: Nothing had brought more peril or bother to Nathanael’s life than the day Hawkmoth got it in his head that he was dating Queen Bee. It had started with a chance rescue, the black and yellow heroine scooping him up as he fell from the claws of an Akuma that dangled him over the Seine. And at the time, it had been thrilling; to be scooped up by Paris’ latest heroine and whisked away over the rooftops away from danger. There wasn’t a teenager in Paris that hadn’t idly fantasized about being rescued by one of the four superheroes that saved their city on a regular basis. Then the kidnappings started.

a fight you were born to lose, by aloneintherain: “When the prosecution starts throwing around the word victim in reference to Adrien, he has to stuff his hands under his thighs to keep himself from bolting out of the courtroom. Adrien had felt unsafe during those last few weeks, but, until he had woken up and seen Father silhouetted in his bedroom doorway, that had only been paranoia.” Adrien finds out Gabriel is Hawkmoth, and Gabriel gets to bring his long-awaited plan into action.

Chasing the C/h/atwalk, Inkerfuffle: Paris. The city of lights, love and fashion. Follow the progress of Marinette Dupain Cheng as she enters the extremely competitive world of Reality television for a chance to be the winner of Project Runway: France.

Note: this is one of my fave ML fics ever. It’s amazing. It’s also, despite the summary, NOT an AU (or well, it is, but it takes place within a relatively conceivable amount of canon compliance)

Queenie, by Engineerd: "When we were four years old, Chat used to ask me to do his hair-“ “Queenie,” Chat whined.“-and he threw a fit if he didn’t have at least 3 butterfly clips-” “QUEENIE!” he hissed. It all hit Marinette at once: all the childhood stories, the fact that they were both missing a mom, that Chat had recognized Queen Bee on her first trip out, the sheer physical similarities (they were both tall, and skinny, and blond, and oh she was an idiot)–Chat Noir and Queen Bee are twins.

red ink, Pallasjoanna: “Soulmates. You’ve heard it all before: the stuff of fairytales and romance, your perfect other half, or your one true love and sometimes more than one. On the other end, we’ve been told it’s too mainstream, it’s bowing down to the universe or ignoring free will just because you believe in a bunch of words that appear on your skin. But this isn’t going to be some stuffy speech that’s going to tell you what to believe about soulmates. Instead, why don’t we listen to what others believe?”

the associative property of identity and other modern mathematic disasters, by arouria: “You- You aren’t saying that—” “Yes.” “So then you know I’m—” “Yep.” “And that means you’re—” “Yeah.” “Oh my god.”

switch it up, by aloneintherain: Adrien spun around, showing off the tight red suit, the yo-yo on his hip, and the red mask. His hair was swept back. There was a whirl of ribbon around his neck where a bell normally sat. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Adrien said, “I’m Chat Noir and I’ll be your designated Ladybug for this evening.”

look around (how lucky we are to be alive right now), purplevanity: Seven years after the strange attacks on Paris stop, investigative journalist-in-training Alya Cesaire tries to piece the truth together.

Fourteen Hours, CaptainOzone: Nino lasts fourteen hours before he simply can’t take it anymore. Little does he know that what happens afterwards will change his life forever. A Multiple-Reveal Miraculous!Nino oneshot.

midnights in paris, valdezy: Getting to know her cocky, lovable partner takes a long time, but learning to love him only takes an instant. In which Chat Noir and Ladybug become partners, friends, and everything in-between.

Second Chances, by fickleminder and HiddenEye: Most parents would love for their children to follow in their footsteps, but if it involves a pair of magical earrings and swinging across the rooftops of Paris, Adrien thinks he can be forgiven for overreacting when a certain kwami shows up in his daughter’s room.

Luck of the Draw, Kryal: When Plagg loses a Chat Noir, it’s usually to outside circumstances. Even a cat runs out of lives eventually, and sometimes the odds are just stacked too high. All too often, Tikki loses her Ladybugs to themselves. The downsides of bad luck are straightforward. The consequences of good luck are far more insidious.

Someone Life You, Someone Like Me, Inkerfuffle: In which Adrien figures things out and Marinette is oblivious. “He was sure. Well, almost 70% at least. Adrien Agreste had figured out the secret identity of his Ladybug. Now the problem was figure out what to do with all this information.”

That Awkward Moment When…, breeelis: “Marinette wasn’t an idiot. As many precautions as she insisted they take, she knew she and Chat Noir were both going to find out sooner or later. Of course, Marinette assumed that the way they’d found out wasn’t by running right smack into each other and detransforming in front of the other. So of course, in a typical calm and rational manner, they pointed to each other and screamed.”

The Think Outside the Love Square series, by TakingOverMidnight3482: Series involving reveals that don’t involve the love square. Classmates, teachers, friends, and parents are all the stars of this series.

The Generations Past and Present series, by Anthemyst:  A multi-generational epic spanning fifty years and three generations of Agreste superheroes.

The Butterfly and Her Brother: Long before she was the wife of Gabriel Agreste, Adele Dumas was a young student with drive, a temper that sometimes got away from her, a brother she trusted with her life-and a secret identity.

Just Before Losing Everything: Money, power, love-the Agrestes had it all. They should have had the perfect life. How exactly did everything go so wrong?

Your Princess is in Another Castle: Four years ago, the wife of Gabriel Agreste went missing in Tibet. Though the people who loved her searched high and low, no trace of her was ever found. Turns out they were looking on the wrong side of the world. Now she’s been found, but she’s still trapped in the clutches of the evil cult she once saved the world from-and only Ladybug and Chat Noir can save her.

No Happily Ever Afters: After four long, horrible years, Mrs. Agreste has finally been found. The heroes rescued the damsel, they returned home triumphant, and they all lived happily ever after. Right?

Where Have All the Heroes Gone and Where Are All the Gods?:  On their fourteenth birthday, the Agreste triplets’ world is turned upside down. Their government has been overthrown, their city taken, and superheroes all over Europe have suddenly and mysteriously vanished-including, to their shock, their parents. They’ll need to work together, and become the heroes Paris needs, if they’re going to save both their parents and their country.

The Past is a Foreign Country: It’s been four years since Emma and her siblings used their Miraculouses to rescue their parents and save Europe from the sinister Order. She’s spent that time in pursuit of a magical breakthrough which will ensure nothing like the Order’s occupation ever happens again. But consequences are hard to predict, and Emma is not the only person desperate to redeem the ways she’s fallen short.

Note: this is genuinely one of the most interesting and cool worldbuilding series I’ve ever read. It’s also incredibly well-written, well-thought out, with original characters that are incredible and plots that are engaging. Also like…bonus points for Adrien’s mom being awesome and Gabriel not being Hawkmoth.

Bonus crossover fic rec: What the Cat Dragged In, by Kryal: “Tony’s pretty sure it’s written into cosmic law somewhere: superheroes are not supposed be cute. Apparently, no one’s told these two. …He’s okay with that.”

And of course (even though you’ve already read it, I’m going to reccommend it for the readers looking at this who haven’t), the big one, the fandom-wide sensation that’s sweeping the nation: Heartstrings, taylortot: “One of Marinette’s rare unlucky days turns into something treacherous. Thanks to a certain cat, the real danger passes but there are other things to be more afraid of. Her heart, for example, might be one of them. Mari/Chat.”

That’s all the recs I have at the moment; I’d have to go track down my subscribed stories (rather than my faves/bookmarks list) for more. Hope you have fun!