#Gabriel Agreste needs priorities | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

flightfoot · 8 months

Note

Hi, I'd be interested in some fanfictions that center around Nino (all ships welcome, bonus points if it's the core four hanging out).

Most fics that have him tagged don't focus on him. If you have any recs lmk, feel free to take as long as you need! Have a nice day

I'm on it! So long as you're fine with ships that also revolve around couples anyway, otherwise this would be rather sparse. I'm gonna go ahead and limit it to completed fics. Oh, and if you wonder why some of these have commentary and some don't, it's because the ones with commentary are from previous reclists I made.

(Edit: I'd said that I'd only include complete fics, but I accidentally included Withered Wings anyway, because I kinda forgot that. It's pretty close to finished at any rate, and it's good and long so I'm keeping it.)

Within Your Heart by Inkyibis

It’s Valentine’s Day and Ladybug just wants to her superhero partner to find his love. And what she wants, the Lucky Charm will create. If only she could remember what it is she did last night.

Adrino fic here! Marinette’s drunk and feeling awful that her superhero partner is alone on Valentine’s (she’s in a loving and committed relationship with Alya), so she creates a Lucky Charm to help Chat find love! In this universe, Ladybug’s Lucky Charms have the power to create new rules for the universe to follow, such as making one that demands that if you have any magic in you, you have to tell the truth or else you’ll freeze. Or in Adrien’s case, that he has to wake up in the arms of his true love every day XD. It’s very sweet and I love both Adrien’s and Nino’s relationship, and the relationship between the rest of the Miracuteam members as well, even though that’s not the focus.

---

I’ll give myself a name (something stupid and pretentious) by @bbutterflies

Nino looked at the number and didn’t recognize it. Usually he wouldn’t answer, but he had nothing better to do – and could still really use a distraction – so he did. “Hello?”

“Hey, Nino.”

Nino stood up quickly, chest tightening. He knew that voice. He’d been waiting to hear it again for over two years. “Adrien?” he whispered.

“Yeah. It’s me."

When Monarch is defeated (and revealed to be Gabriel Agreste), Chat Noir immediately goes missing. Adrien disappears not long after. When Adrien finally shows up in Paris again, Nino would do anything to make sure he doesn't disappear again.

Ah this is lovely, Adrien’s been in a lot of emotional turmoil since Monarch’s defeat, convinced that everyone would hate him, SHOULD hate him, for not realizing that his father was the villain, and should hate him even more for disappearing like he does. But slowly Marinette and Nino get through to him, convince him that they just want him back.

And also Adrien and Nino smooch. Multiple times. So that’s a bonus XD.

---

Would Trust You With Everything by @kasienda

Nino breaks off, tears streaking down his face. Adrien wishes he was here as himself instead of Chat so he could offer a hug.

“It’s not like I don’t think she deserved her privacy. It’s just it felt like I was her last priority. And if I knew why, then maybe we could overcome it. But when I don’t, I’m not willing to be her last thought. You know? I always put her first.”

“Yeah,” Chat agrees, able to relate too well. He always put Ladybug first too, and he’s not sure it has ever been the same for her. “I’m sorry you’ve been so alone through this."

“I haven’t been totally alone,” Nino disagrees, holding up his phone. “My best friend has been keeping me company virtually most of the day.”

“Yeah? It helped?”

“I don’t know if any of the stuff he sent helped, but like, given what I know he’s up to, he totally had to move heaven and earth to talk to me so much, and that really helped. You know, just knowing that someone was thinking of me.”

“I’m glad,” Chat Noir said. “I wish he could be there in person for you.”

Nino sighs. “Yeah, me too, but at least you’re here."

...

Season 4 au - canon divergent from Rocketear Rocketear led to DJWiFi breakup.

Ahh, Adrino my beloved XD. I love the identity shenanigans in this one with Adrien being around Nino as both Adrien and Chat Noir, and both of them vaguely describing their situations to each other. It takes Adrien a bit to figure out that he has a crush on Nino, but once he does...

---

The moment I knew (I’d no choice but to love you) by @bbutterflies

“He’s dating me,” Nino said, taking Adrien’s hand in his own.

Adrien could only stare back at him in shock.

“How dare you all force him to come out?” Nino continued, glaring at the reporters. “That was disgusting.” He pulled Adrien over to the car, guided him in, and shut the door behind them.

In the relative quiet and privacy of the backseat, Adrien finally processed what had just happened. “So… when were you going to tell me we were dating?”

This Adrino fic is delicious XD. Reporters keep hounding Adrien about his love life, so Nino finally gets them off Adrien’s back by fake-dating him. Problem is, Adrien’s actually been madly in love with Nino for years but has never been able to tell him. And now as they’re spending more time together, Nino’s beginning to find that he’s enjoying all these “couple” activities more than maybe he ought to if it’s entirely platonic...

If you want to see Adrien and Nino PINING for each other while “fake” dating (is it really fake if both parties want it to be real?) then you’ve come to the right fic!

---

Chemistry With Him by @bbutterflies

It kind of sucked Nino was taking chemistry, but classes had filled up fast and he needed to take something and his advisor had said the credits would, somehow, count towards his major. It really sucked he was taking it first thing on a Monday morning (and Wednesdays, and Fridays, unfortunately). But he could get through it. He knew he could.

So no more boys. No distractions. He could do this all on his own.

“Is anyone sitting here?”

Nino looked up to find the source of the voice. A blond, green-eyed, absolutely beautiful someone.

Okay. Maybe one distraction.

Ah, adorable Adrino. This is a universe where Adrien never went to public school, so while Chat Noir, Ladybug, Carapace, and Rena Rouge all know each other (and Marinette, Alya, and Nino all know each other’s identities) they’re unaware that they are all already friends with Adrien. I loved seeing Chat and Carapace excitedly tell each other about their awesome crush/boyfriend, not knowing they were talking about each other XD.

---

Strangely Familiar by @sunfoxfic

Alya Césaire’s life is perfect. Indeed, between the success of the Ladyblog, how well she’s doing in school, and the fact that she’s a superhero who has never bore the weight of a crisis of epic proportions, her life almost couldn’t be better. Almost.

But Alya has always been a go-getter, and so she’ll chase after that perfect life if it kills her. Which is how she ends up rushing to move out of her father’s apartment and in with Marinette, Adrien, and a complete stranger: Nino Lahiffe. And in fact, her life does seem perfect — she and Nino are fast friends. They spend a lot of time together and get to know each other really well.

But in the end, fortunate situations will bear unfortunate truths, and she learns things about herself that aren’t quite comfortable. Like I said, though: Alya has always been a go-getter, and she won’t let new feelings deter her from chasing after her perfect life.

This is the single longest DJWifi-centric fic on AO3 (which is a travesty) and it is GLORIOUS. Alya and Nino are both well fleshed-out here, with their own problems and baggage they’re dealing with, but it’s easier together.

---

Shelltering Others by @rosie-b:

When Ladybug wakes Nino up in the middle of the night to scold him for revealing his identity, he thinks his career as a Miraculous holder is over. But instead, Ladybug gives him the opportunity to prove himself by becoming Chat Noir’s confidant and learning his secret identity through a scavenger hunt of sorts. Will Nino pass Ladybug and Chat Noir’s test, or will he fail to put the pieces together in time?

Quick disclaimer here: the first chapter looks kinda salty towards Nino, with Ladybug laying into him for revealing his and Alya’s secret identities to Adrien and Marinette. She’s mostly just trying to scare him into taking them seriously, though, since she herself has just proposed that Nino become Chat’s secret-keeper, and he can’t afford to be lackadaisical with that identity. I highly recommend getting through at least chapter 2 of the fic when giving it a shot, because this had some great character development and introspection for Nino, on Chat Noir, Adrien, Ladybug, and himself.

---

run boy run by tinuviel_tinuviel

Nino was sprawled on the floor of his room with Alya when his phone chimed, in the quiet of a premature autumnal sunset. It was one of those lazy evenings that had become rare lately. Contrary to popular belief, he and Alya could get studying done when in the same room, and he was elbows-deep in late assignments, which meant his phone was on Do Not Disturb, which meant the notification could only have come from one person.

ADRIEN 🐈: cmoe ove rnow ADRIEN 🐈: like riggt now ADRIEN 🐈: plag NINO: that is literally incomprehensible NINO: wait is that you plagg ADRIEN 🐈: mov faster

So this is a “Adrien finds out that his father is Hawkmoth and consults with Nino about what to do” fic, with Nino throwing Hawkmoth off Adrien’s track, though inadvertently at his own expense. Love Nino’s perspective here, and I always enjoy a good Hawkmoth-takedown fic!

---

Best Friend and Boyfriends by @kasienda

“Someone’s in a good mood,” Nino commented when Adrien slid into the seat next to him in the student lounge during the mutual gap they both had between their university classes. Adrien turned his grin towards his best friend. “Yeah,” he agreed. Nino grinned back. “I haven’t seen you in this good of a mood in months. Were you hanging with your mystery lady?” The question caught Adrien completely off guard. Was Nino seriously comparing his feelings for Carapace with his feelings for Ladybug? Sure, Carapace had become one of his favorite people. Adrien currently coveted every moment spent in Carapace’s company. He walked away from talking to him for hours feeling like he was floating on a cloud. And he was anticipating their next patrol like a giddy child waiting for Christmas morning. Holy shit! “You okay, dude?” Nino asked. He totally had feelings for Carapace. When had that even happened?

---

Withered Wings by @11jj11

Nino wasn’t sure if anyone had ever willingly took the akuma butterfly before him, but with his mind completely open to this apparent son of Hawk Moth he knew that he couldn’t turn him away. Not someone that was so afraid, not someone who would be left at the mercy of Hawk Moth.

---

5 times Adrien, the person, helps Nino aka Chat Noir and one time Adrien, the turtle themed hero (still not the fragrance) does it by DearLittleRobin

Adrien is a cool guy that needs more friends Nino is a good friend (and he's also Chat Noir)

---

Turtle-y Awesome by chattonne-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.

---

I hope the worst isn't over by thescuttlebug

Falling is exactly like flying right up until you stop. Like, assuming the kind of flying you’re used to involves busted steering and useless panic, Nino guesses. “GO LIMP!” a voice shouts, and Nino catches a glimpse of black something-like-leather and the twin flashes of a golden bell and silver staff streaking through the air. “Are you kidding me, dude?!” he shrieks.

---

Foxy Lady by WizardlyMagik

In which Nino finds himself unexpectedly attracted to Rena Rouge, tries and fails to tell his friends and get some advice, and desperately attempts to hide it from his girlfriend. (Who in fact, is planning to use it to her advantage)

---

Won't Tell A Soul by @thelastpilot

Nino accidentally runs head long 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.

#nino lahiffe #ml fanfic rec #miraculous ladybug #adrino #djwifi #ask

35 notes · View notes

aidanchaser · 7 months

Text

WIP Tag/Reblog Game

Thank you @rosie-b for the tag! I love hearing about your works~

List the titles your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!)

An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on!

Then tag 10 writer friends!

WIP TITLES

(I picked the 5 that I have open currently - there are so many more than 5 rattling around at all times, and i try not to start publishing any that aren't already outlined beginning to end)

Boulangerella - a fairy tale/cinderella story full of love square shenanigans, blood sacrifices, and scheming villains

Butterfly Effect - Adrien as Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth AU; Marinette and Chloe hold the ladybug and cat miraculous - songfic with butterfly effect by FJØRA

Expectations - Kwami Swap AU where Adrien is Mister Bug from the beginning; he's dealing with the anxiety of his role (and the knowledge that he handed his earrings over to hawk moth in another timeline and has no idea why)

After the War (place holder title) - a 1920s post-WWI AU, where Marinette runs her parents' bakery by day and a club by night; the club is a cover to take down war-profiteer Gabriel Agreste through vigilante action; Adrien has just returned to Paris from his time abroad in London, and Marinette has to wrestle with her childhood crush on him and her now grown-up hatred for his family

Time Lady of Creation (place holder title) - A Time Lord AU - I will say little else about it because it's still in the outline stages with only a few scraps of scenes drafted

UPCOMING SECTIONS

The next chapter is full of A LOT of confrontations and hard conversations - Marinette & Luka (the original conversation has been written but it needs to be redrafted to a new context); Felix and Lila (again, a lot of their stuff is written but needs to be redrafted); and Marinette & Chat Noir (not drafted yet - fragments abound in notes but need to be tied together)

Adrien has to figure out how to get his hands on the Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses so that he can save Marinette from a terrible fate

Marinette needs to help Adrien face Miracle Queen - I'm excited about the Cat/Dragon and Bug/Snake renditions of their powers for this AU, but this fic just kept getting comments that were like "it's not even that different from canon" and so I no longer care too much about this fic - I'm just irritated because I wrote the ending already and i LOVE the ending but I can't post the ending without writing the middle

The next scene I need to write is a confrontation between Ladybug and Adrien Agreste, where he doesn't realize how much she hates him and she has no idea how much he's madly in love with her

Right now it's mostly an outline, so I need to write the beginning, where Ladybug saves Adrien from a wax museum come to life then asks him to run away with her through time and space!

So - which WIP are you most excited to see update?

I know I'm supposed to tag 10 but I know about half of the writers I am mutuals with have already been tagged, so if I accidentally tag you a second time, I apologize! @astargatelover (if you have 5 wips?), @asukiess (if you haven't been tagged yet), @kay-elle-cee, @uncertainwallflower, @ninadove (I would love to hear about your projects and get to know you more) [I'm so sorry i fully reblogged and commented your own WIP list and did not even process the connection - absolutely embarrassing], @chaos-has-theories, @sunshinemarauder, @wield-the-mighty-pen, @miabrown007 (I don't think you've been tagged yet??? unclear), and last but certainly not least @dammithawke (bc i haven't heard about your role reversal au in a while and would love to hear about it again)

#writing #wip game #ml au

20 notes · View notes

familyagrestefanblog · 11 months

Text

Honestly, I'm kinda surprised that I (personally at least) haven't seen anyone bring this up regarding how season 5 ended and what it might mean for Marinette in the future.

Of course it's important to discuss what Gabriel wished for, concidering he rewrote all of reality to his liking and we will have to deal with that. Of course thats a priority.

But there's a very specific angle that's not to be underestimated in my opinion, and I'm just surprised that even after all these months I've yet to see anyone bring it up.

The very specific angle of: Marinette Dupain-Cheng doesn't know what Gabriel Agreste actually wished for and is a highly paranoid person who thinks herself to death.

So if Cerise as Chrysalis will from season 6 onwards be out here and manage to raise the absolute hell for Marinette she's being set up to unleash, then we can absolutely reach a point where Maribug might genuinely come to the conclusion that the reality around her is the product of Gabriel wishing for Ladybug's/ Marinette's demise since that's by itself not an unreasonable conclusion to reach.

Clarification: There is this frustrating approach going around in the Fandom about the wish. Yes, one can wish for ONE thing only. Mate, if I make the wish that the earth NEVER had land mass above the water in the first place, then reality would be rebuild with a completely different chain of evolution here on earth that led to a different "equivalent" of us humans. It would change earth as we know it entirely, and yet I still only wished for ONE thing. Guys, get tf creative please.

And that would obviously mean she'd want to undo the wish to get out of this new reality bc that would in her mind be what it needs to SAVE reality from Gabriel Agreste's legacy and get back to her family, friends, to Adrien, and Chat Noir even.

You know, similar to what Toxinelle wanted.

That would also obviously include that Marinette at some point, when everything spiraled far downwards enough around her, starts mentally distancing herself from this reality she's in - like a villain, only that she's not - and comes to think of this reality and it's people kinda as "collateral damage" because whatever happens here isn't really important since Marinette wants to get back to her actual reality anyway. Meaning she might actually push away her friends and family ect.

Honestly, it all depends on how much hell Cerise/ Chrysalis raises for her. Cause once Maribug is pushed beyond a certain line she will be out here screwing herself over further and further by being caught in a mental devil's circle, where she then WILL become a person who needs to be fought/ pushed back againt for everyone's (including her own) safety but that would reinforce Marinette's paranoia that she's trapped in a reality specifically designed to turn against her.

The original mission Ladybug and Chat Noir were once chosen for is now OVER, but in Marinette’s head the war against Monarque could go on. Even Chrysalis to some degree would then merely be an extention of Gabriel in Marinette’s head. So "getting rid of her" by using the wish would on paper not be an extreme action, but merely fighting fire with fire.

And yeah, all of this would also mean that at some point Marinette would justify in her head to turn against this reality's Chat Noir, to get his Miraculous and make the wish. In her eyes she wouldnt really be betraying Chat Noir - HER Chat is waiting back in reality for her while THIS Chat was made by Gabriel to keep her here to met her demise.

(if you want it angsty, let her find out where he was locked up and by whom in the season 5 finale, without letting her know that he's Adrien Agreste. Cause Adrien and Kagami having been locked up by Gabriel (and Tomoe) in all that global chaos still meant they were save enough because of their parents being their captors, to keep them out of everything. But give her the vague information that Gabriel Agreste held Chat Noir as civilian captive under horrible nightmares too, in a different country and in some white hell cell, and you tell ME that she wont be motivated to get through this new reality's Chat Noir to get back to hers. Especially when Chrysalis is out here turning everyone against her? Of course she would want to go back to her Chat Noir who's her anchor and who sacrificed himself to keep his Miraculous safe from where he is? Which she would in turn feel horrible about cause she then LOST. Honestly, all things concidered, Adrien Agreste and Kagami Tsurugi were fine enough in Gabriel's (and Tomoe's) grasps, but what reason does Marinette have to think that Monarque would show Chat Noir the same concideration? Especially when he had just send away his Miraculous?)

Yes, this would also mean that Marinette would slowly distance herself more and more from Adrien, bc even if she thinks Gabriel made the wish in Adrien's benefit doesn't it mean Marinette agrees with the outcome. For all we know Adrien will go back to working for the Gabriel brand now so in future he can step into his "hero father's footsteps as his heir to uphold his legacy (since Adrien already HAS the needed career for it, he would just need to learn under Tomoe and Nathalie as his father's successor until he's of age)

Yes, this would mean that the friendship between Marinette and Alya would get seriously challenged since, by all means, Marinette’s dialog at the end of S5 still names Gabriel and Monarque as two seperate people. So Alya may know Gabriel Agreste made a wish, but not that Gabriel was Monarque and why Marinette is getting more and more paranoid. Add how Cerise normally tends to use Alya against Marinette, this isn't unlikely to happen again.

Alya may very likely at some point take over as team leader (the way shes set up to do) bc Ladybug doesnt trust her own team anymore and they somehow need to save her from herself.

I'm just saying. It's kinda weird for me that I saw no one ever even humoring this angle. We're talking about Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and you're trying to tell me that she's not ever going to think back to the fact that's she LOST against Hawkmoth and doesn't know what he wished for while basically being locked up in his new reality in which Lila/ Cerise will rise as the new Butterfly?

Did you WATCH the Paris special?

Come the fuck on...

#ml spoilers #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #ml #marinette dupain chang #ml season 6 #not exactly a theory or speculation #Just an angle I definitely wouldnt write OFF #especially not after that Paris special #angsty ladynoir #Ladynoir my heart will never let you go

45 notes · View notes

princess-of-the-corner · 6 months

Text

Time-skipping Isakai Chloé PT3!

The consequences of Felix learning that the Rebellion are prioritizing getting the Peacock and S!Chloés amok actually makes him double time it to make a deal with dear uncle Gabriel. He genuinely believes that this is the most efficient way to get S!Chloé safety. He goes through with the plan and goes into hiding. Throughly investigating every adult that was attending the masked party as potential allies to HawShMonarch.

Monarch still gets Cataclysmed in the arm. Chat Noir dealing with new guilt. Chloé learns Adrien is Chat Noir and becomes his confidant at this point in cannon. He needs more support especially after the mess with Rocketear…

Adoration is not as terrible because Sabrina and Lila are actually tutoring S!Chloé in her room. Not the shit cannon did with trying to frame Marinette for theft. That was just dumb Monarch.

When the episode Emotion has another change to it. Argos doesn’t make Red Moon to commit Genocide against humans so only Sentis are in Paris. He has her power be similar putting them in suspended animation for 1 day if not called back earlier. He still poofs Gabriel and most of the dance attendees. When he brings Adrien back from Red it’s not pretty. S!Chloé is ready to strangle him having stopped attacking Marinette. Kagami has a real sword and is in a stance. Marinette has a rock or chunk of concrete from that wall that collapsed, hard to tell.

Argos tells them that he thought this was the best way to get S!Chloé’s amok so she can be free and retrieve the Miraculous and Kwamii from his uncle’s house?

All hell breaks loose. S!Chloé is yelling that he’s a liar. Adrien is yelling that “My father is Monarch!?” Kagami is asking what is wrong with him(Argos) and Marinette is in PANIK FREEZE. Argos explains that the people are essentially asleep until this time tomorrow and they only have until then to find the amok which he can sense when wearing the Peacock Miraculous. It wasn’t on anyone at the party.

S!Chloé is seething. Argos calls her his little sister and insists that getting her free is priority. Marinette demands proof of Monarch and Gabriel being the same person before they trust him to find the amok. Argos agrees and leads them to the Agreste Manor. Chloé meets them in the front hall. “Why is there a giant red moon out-oh you brought the baby here…” S!Chloé has existential crisis for real now with Chloé in front of her. Chloé hugs her and distracts her by asking if she wants to keep the name. They end up shoulder hugging/hand holding/physically grounding each other through the secret lair as Argos shows the whole group around.

They go to the attic first;Argos is trying to delay traumatizing Adrien with the basement coffin. They find the cases with the Kwamii. They all cheer at the thought of being freed. Pollen is a little confused but very happy that her Queen is back from wherever Hawkmoth sent her. Chloé leaves to look for a small gun or some tools to try to break the cases. Marinette and Kagami find and take the rings; keeping Monarch from using them even if the Kwamii are trapped. Adrien asks if Max would be able to hack into the system.

Possible but they are on a limited amount of time. Plus Argos didn’t poof the cops and they’re outside. Oops…

Felix honey PLEASE communicate with people!!

#submission #Isakai Chloe

11 notes · View notes

imthepunchlord · 8 months

Note

I have to myself that each season should be focused on someone,like s1 be focused on Adrien and Marinette,s2 in Alya,Nino and Chloé(if they actually become permanet) or s1 be focused on Mari,s2 on Adrien,s3 on Mari...

Hm... it's not a bad idea that each season would bring in focus and priority to certain characters, it's something I do with Tales of Arcadia did. With Trollhunters starting off as Jim's story and the intro to the world, then 3Below is Toby's story and show off how far he's come as a character and herp, and Wizards being Claire's story and delving further into magic and lore.

Ultimately, it would come down to Miraculous' overarching story and what else is there to do with it.

By set up of the HM arc, that should be Adrien's story. It directly relates to him by having his father be the supervillain (though of course they don't do anything). Unless HM came later cause he saw the LB and Cat were active, that first arc should resolve around Adrien and have him be center stage. Especially as Marinette, outside of wants to be an aspiring fashion designer, has no personal connection to Gabriel. At most, HM is an annoyance to her day.

Marinette in turn should've had the next arc focus, which can relate to Guardianship, and by extension, get into expanding the lore and what else exists out there as Miraculous. And there can be clashes on how Miraculous should be handled and viewed, especially her views vs Fu and Su Han. And if you need an actual villain for her to face, something could've been done with Mayura. Work off that they visually counter each other (red vs blue, dark spots vs light spots).

Mayura was also the chance to break away from the Agreste plot. Fu mentions he made a mistake, alluding he trusted the wrong person, that could've been Mayura. Maybe she was his FIRST pupil and Marinette's his second try.

And yeah, Alya, Nino, and Chloe also could've had arcs to follow and be major leads too, if there is something to work with that could be expanded or progressed in some way. Otherwise, they can work as major supporting characters who can have B plots that are spread out through Adrien and Marinette's arcs. Like Chloe learning to be a decent human being. Alya being a hero for self glory and attention and learning to be a hero for real or that it's not always so easy. Nino... uh, learning courage? Idk, but the boy needs something.

Anyway, having seasons focus on one character isn't a bad idea, but it does depend on how it's handled. And if the ideas are there to progress and expanding the story.

#ask Punchie #miraculous ladybug

14 notes · View notes

yolowritter · 6 months

Text

Miraculous Adventurer Au 2: Electric Boogaloo!

Hi again, it's me! So, quick story time! I was looking through my notes the other day and found a few more things for this Au. I completely forgot I never followed up on it, so here we goooooooooo!

Nah I'm kidding, context/recap first. This Au takes place in Fantasy Anime France, which is Medieval France...but better! Basically just a Medieval Au with adventurers guilds and monsters! Typical RPG shenanigans! Gabriel and Emilie are king and queen (she's alive by the way and Gabriel is more like Hesperia than Hawkmoth. Good guy.), with Adrien as their son. Amelie and Felix also exist in Lunden (London) which is obviously in England. Important note is that this setting isn't tied down to a specific century, I just wanted the vibes. We have vampires, syrens and mages anyway, realism was never a priority. Now...it just so happens that Prince Adrien and Princess Kagami (of an as-of-yet-undecided) eastern kingdom are married. Just follow me on this.

In terms of a recap: Marinette wants to go to the Capital (Paris) to attend a prestigious fashion academy, or at least to try and get in/get a fashion-related job. On her way she decides she needs more money for her trip, and picks up adventuring. Now...it just so happens that she meets a handsome "pro" at the job, named Chat Noir. So naturally, she doesn't give this guy her name yet, because he's a stranger. Marinette's first job is pretty simple. Pick up a sword, whack a couple wolves over the head because they haven't been letting an herblist go into the nearby forest, get paid. Unfortunately, the resident rogue in black leather decides to follow the pretty girl around. Low and behold, they end up fighting the few wolves side by side and turns out they make a pretty good team! Marinette doesn't exactly know how to swordfight anyway, she was basically bashing the wolves with the flat side of her sword.

And so begins the amazing partnership that will surely drive this poor girl insane! And because it just so happens that a ladybug lands on Marinette's face as they leave the battlefield, Chat of course has a new name for her. Ladybug the Scarlet Adventurer is born! And...it just so happens that the herbalist I mentioned last paragraph is named Alya. She is, in fact, a witch. Well...kind of. She specializes in illusion magic, which is completely useless for helping around her village in day to day work. So she got a part time job as a herblist to get some experience. And after being saved by Ladybug (as well as some heroic bragging from Chat Noir), they have their first fan! Back to the adventurer's guild they go, where Chat insists she keep all the money from the job, and urges Marinette to work with him again. He walks away, not giving her a chance to refuse, leaving her a little flabbergasted. I'm sure that won't be important later...

Now...do you all remember how I said that Prince Adrien and Kagami are married? And clearly, Adrien is also Chat Noir? So how can he be in two places at once? Why, Felix of course! Amelie and her son were visiting for the wedding preparations, which lasted a good few weeks, and he got to know Kagami pretty well. Naturally, they fell in love, especially since while she likes Adrien, Kagami isn't in love with him. So...with a bit of help from Amelie, they pulled the swicharoo! Adrien wanted freedom and to explore the country anyway, so why not let Felix (who clearly likes administrative stuff) take over and also marry the girl he loves? Therefore, Adrien Agreste has to hide his identity as the Prince of Paris, and I'm sure that won't be important later...

About Alya, she goes back to her village after getting saved by Ladynoir...and naturally, she decides to also take up adventuring because they've inspired her! What good is she doing wasting away in a small town anyway, when she could be traveling the world and exploring new places? Of course, she drags her boyfriend Nino into this mess almost immediately, since he happens to be a Bard. A DnD-style bard, where music is also (kinda) magic. He would have been perfectly happy to be a local celebrity in a small town if it meant staying with the girl he loves, but hey! If Alya wants adventure, consider him on board! Is it any wonder then that these two duos end up meeting eventually? Ladynoir has gone on a few more jobs, and they're slowly getting the hang of working together and beating up wolves, small smiles and the occasional bandit. So when they suddenly bump into DjWifi a few weeks later, and with a real chance to talk once Nino encourages Alya to push down her hero worship, Marinette and Alya hit it off and become good friends! Adrien is also really happy to have a friendly guy who treats him like a normal person, instead of "your highness" this and "my prince" that. Naturally, they all team up in a party of four! And so, the adventures continue!

I have waaaaay more to say about this Au, for example Max being a genius artificer, Kim being a sailor boy who falls in love with the pretty mermaid Ondine, Luka the travelling bard (and Marinette's ex), Juleka who is nursing a wounded (mermaid) Rose back to health on the Liberty (and also got bit by a vampire recently), and Chloe asking for the famous Ladybug and her team to go on a job for her. So yeah, the Adventurer AU is still alive and kicking! I'll be back with more details, but in the meantime feel free to AMA if you want! Anon asks are on! I'll see you all soon, but until then, Stay Miraculous!

#miraculous ladybug #ao3 fanfic #fanfic ideas #medieval #miraculous adventurer au #prince adrien agreste #rogue chat noir #witch alya #knight marinette #bard nino #can you tell I won't write this for another 20 years?#also seriously I love rambling and chatting abt aus #so if you wanna get more details early lmk!#now if you'll excuse me #I have to go write ACOLL #one of these days at least...

2 notes · View notes

writingsnippetsthatneverupdate · 2 years

Text

In Which Marinette Is NOT Amused; 632 Words

Or, a Marinette & Adrien time travel AU! (In which I fuck with the timeline so much that it snaps!)

Okay so! Marinette time-travels to the day JUST before Fu gives her the Miraculous, and in THIS universe there's a month-long buffer between the first akumatization and Marinette and Adrien getting tossed into battle! Also Marinette and Adrien got their Miraculous during the beginning of summer break! (Is that how French schools work? Probably not! Suffer!)

As soon as Marinette realizes she's in the past, and happens to see an all-expenses paid trip to Gotham, she's set on heading there!

future!Marinette made friends in Gotham, and so she's planning to recruit Batman to prove that Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth. She has no idea what any of the Bats' identities are, and the first time she met Batman as Ladybug, he nearly caught her and sent her to Arkham. The only reason he didn't send Marinette there (DESPITE her magic) is because Marinette had Kaalki. (Her Lucky Charm during that encounter was a hospital pager. Marinette cried when she saw it.)

Right now she does NOT have Kaalki, and she's not in the mood to see if Batman is still in Rage Mode, so she's planning to lurk in Gotham, assess Batman's mental and emotional state, and go from there.

So! She explains the situation to Tikki and heads off to Gotham! She also realizes on the flight that Master Fu probably only gave her the Miraculous because of one (1) encounter where she dropped her macarons to save him OR he's been stalking her.

So, she arrives in Gotham absolutely furious! Stephanie sees a furious, attractive lady and promptly asks her out for waffles, because of course she does. (Is Cass there? Who knows!)

Meanwhile, Ladybug discreetly goes around Gotham trying to figure out what Batman's up to! (She is NOT wandering around Gotham as a civilian, with her stab-able civilian clothes! No thank you!) Oracle catches on to her presence, and they start this game of cat-and-mouse where Marinette realizes the cameras are Watching Her and tries to avoid them and Oracle tries very hard to catch Marinette!

Also to torment Marinette further, Bruce is dead and Dick hasn't put on the cowl yet, so Batman seems to be on a hiatus.

Meanwhile, in Paris...

Adrien is trying SO hard not to murder his Dad. Like, yes, it's his Dad, but also, HIS DAD TRIED TO KILL LADYBUG. And also akumatize all his friends. And also tried to end the world. (Adrien has his priorities in a perfectly fine order, what are you talking about? Denial, thy name is Adrien Agreste.)

Timothy Drake is in Paris, trying to figure out where the HELL Batman is, and he runs into Adrien! The two of them see each other and go "oh shit that guy is NOT normal" and they also have crushes on each other, probably. Tim has to run around the world to save Bruce, but while in Paris he and Adrien become close, Adrien drops hints about his Dad that Tim FULLY plan to investigate post-resurrection, and Adrien is crushing hard and would also help Tim commit murder if he needed it.

At some point, I feel like I HAVE to include Marinette calling Adrien 'Kitty <3' in her phone, and Steph seeing it and going, "ARE YOU FUCKING CATWOMAN?! BATMAN IS DEAD OH MY GOD HOW DID YOU EVEN DO THAT --" and Marinette shrieking, "NO, I FUCKED CHAT NOIR AND WE BOTH REALIZED WE'RE GAY!"

Something something time travel reveal, something something resolution?

I don't know how that'll happen, but I'd like it to happen! End goal: at some point we get Stephcassinette, Adritim, and a Gabriel Agreste who dies under mysterious circumstances! (The best kind of Gabriel Agreste!)

@maribat-get-in

#m?gi civil war 3

1 note · View note

uptoolateart · 3 years

Text

Gabriel and Adrien Agreste as Zeus and Apollo / Hermes

So, there are these mind-blowing books from some decades ago, by Jungian psychoanalyst Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. – Goddesses in Everywoman: A New Psychology of Women and the follow-up, Gods in Everyman: Archetypes That Shape Men’s Lives.

If you’ve never heard of them, basically she takes a set of gods and goddesses and explores them as archetypes (energies and aspects) that we see in ourselves or in the people around us. The idea is that all of us, male or female, can channel any of these archetypes, but we probably lean more heavily towards one or two of them. For example, I’m very much an Artemis, with some Athena and Hephaestus mixed in.

I read these books and found myself applying the archetypes to literally everyone I know – even story characters. And I want to talk about the key archetypes we see in Gabriel and Adrien Agreste, because I think it helps us understand their relationship as father and son.

Gabriel as Zeus

Gabriel’s key archetype is absolutely Zeus. According to Bolen, Zeus is your typical ‘alpha male’. He’s head of the pack, in control of everything and never the one controlled. Because of this, he probably has a lot of money and is extremely successful in his ventures. He also attracts a lot of women (of a certain kind, I’d wager), and he’s unlikely to remain faithful. Your average Zeus is used to getting his way and doesn’t take well to being challenged.

He may also be abusive. Think just how many people Zeus destroyed in the myths, sometimes simply because he could. He wasn’t a loyal partner. He was an inconsistent father, usually distant and ‘in the clouds’, with high expectations of his children and a tendency to write off anyone who didn’t meet his standards.

The child of a Zeus father will feel emotionally left out in the cold and never good enough. This can lead to a deep-seated fear of abandonment. In ‘Sand Boy’, we see that Adrien’s biggest fear is of being caged in; and as Cat Noir he fears Ladybug rejecting him the way his father does. All through season 4, Adrien struggled with feeling like Ladybug didn’t need him. He didn’t put himself on her level as her equal until the very end of ‘Strike Back’.

Bolen observes that the Zeus man will often marry a trophy wife and have children purely for the purpose of continuing his personal legacy. He isn’t very interested in who the wife or children are as individuals. Everyone is an extension of himself, or a tool to be used. For this reason, the wife is often wealthy in her own right, a means to gaining greater power for himself.

In ‘Psycomedian’ we learn that Gabriel’s career began with designing a French fry costume, which tells us that at some point he was a ‘normal’ person. He didn’t start out rich; he worked his way up. He’s ‘new money’. From Felix and his mother’s cameos on the shows, we can work out that Emilie, on the other hand, came from ‘old money’, which means Gabriel ‘married up’ – a common Zeus move to use his marriage as a means of elevating his own station.

Equally, Gabriel doesn’t seem to view others as individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Even of his own son, Gabriel only says things like, ‘He’s the image of perfection,’ or, ‘He’s an Agreste.’ (Seriously, what does that last one even mean?) He doesn’t view Adrien as a human being with his own mind. We could infer that this is further evidence for the sentimonster theory, but I think it’s more about Gabriel. If Adrien does transpire to be a sentimonster, we have to ask which of them is more human – because I say Adrien.

Bolen also states that this kind of man is cut off from his heart. He’s all head – cunning, without sincerity of emotion. And because power is his highest priority, his deepest fear is of losing control. We saw this in ‘Risk’ when Gabriel passed the ring to Nathalie and then had a moment of panic over being unable to control the boy he thought was his son (Felix posing as Adrien). It was one of the only times we ever saw him lose composure.

Bolen suggests that such a man can only be healed and made whole through some huge life crisis, such as traumatic grief, which forces him to examine life through new eyes and reflect before it’s too late. Emilie’s death could have been this moment for Gabriel, but the quest for power has become more important to him even than resurrecting his wife, regardless of how that quest first began.

Adrien as Apollo

Apollo was one of Zeus’s most favoured children. Interestingly, Apollo was a twin (with Artemis), just as Adrien seems to be a twin to Felix, despite them being cousins.

Apollo was the sun god (Artemis was the moon goddess), and we can think of Apollo boys as the ‘golden child’. Adrien even has a halo of golden curls that fit this image perfectly. The fandom also commonly links Adrien to the sun and Marinette to the moon.

Bolen tells us the Apollo archetype is highly skilled in just about everything he does. He’s the ‘perfect’ son who can seemingly do no wrong – intelligent and talented, constantly striving to do better…because he knows that if he is less than perfect, he will lose all his father’s love. Apollo was also a musician, just as Adrien is skilled at piano.

Apollo types know they will never be at the top. They will never be the alphas. They have had that understanding beaten into them (sometimes literally) by their fathers ever since they can remember. They accept their standing and renounce any desire for ultimate power. In fact, in ‘Sandboy’, Cat Noir emphasised that losing his power is not his biggest fear. He has never minded being second to Ladybug, as long as she does not reject him altogether.

Cat Noir as Hermes

Happily for Adrien, he has another side, and that’s his Hermes archetype. Hermes was the messenger god, and a bit of a trickster, immediately loquacious and playing pranks from the moment of his birth. Hermes is also musical, and very playful. He’s outspoken and extroverted and doesn’t really care what others think of him. Sometimes a Hermes type can push things too far (Felix), but when channelled for the good, he can balance out the insecurities felt in an Apollo.

Adrien isn’t just one of these things: he’s a combination of them. I think his challenge for a long time has been in trying to channel each archetype separately, under dual identities. In ‘Cat Walker’, Plagg made him see that he has both these energies in him all the time and the journey to wholeness involves merging those energies together. We saw a glimpse of this, at last, in the final moments of ‘Strike Back’.

Now, all that’s left is for him to rise up against his Zeus father and put an end to his exploitation – and to see that he can indeed be loved for simply being who he is. And when you achieve that, surely you’re the one who is truly at the top!

65 notes · View notes

giuliafc · 3 years

Text

Why a Pinocchio ending to Miraculous wouldn't be right

Now...as you may know, I fought for a long time a battle with the acknowledgement that Adrien may have been a sentimonster. I didn't understand why at the time, but as the evidence kept piling in and especially after watching Ephemeral and Gabriel Agreste, I had to give in and admit that i too was convinced now that he indeed was a sentimonster. Risk has just proven me and all the people who had been convinced about it right eventually.

Now, one thing I have noticed among some people who have been shocked yesterday by getting the full confirmation that he was a sentimonster: people hoping that Marinette may manage somehow to save him and change him into a human being. Basically changing Miraculous into a modern life Pinocchio.

However, while Pinocchio is a beautiful fairy tale (almost a symbol of my country, which makes me love it even more), having Marinette do that would, in my personal opinion, destroy the message that Miraculous is trying to convey with the very fact of making Adrien a sentimonster.

I have read and seen pictures of the fact that Adrien, at the start of his conception as being ADRIEN and not Félix, had been depicted as disabled. He was walking with a stick, which when he transformed became his baton, and of course as Chat Noir he wasn't limping or needing support but when he wasn't transformed, he needed the stick to go around. This concept was rejected by the production because they felt that the writers wouldn't be able to handle it. But I think that what Astruc decided to do at that point was to change a physical disability into a MAGICAL disability. By making Adrien a sentimonster he has created for him an invisible disability and a vulnerability, which works in my mind because it's a metaphor.

First of all, based on the rules of Astruc's universe, there's NO DIFFERENCE between Adrien and a human. He's been made to be like a human and he is, indeed, that. The ONLY difference is that his living essence (soul or how you want to call it) is stored outside his body into an amok that has possessed his mother's wedding band (or at least this is what we think currently). This means that, as Astruc said, Adrien will be able to live a full life, grow up, get married, have children, grow old with the woman he loves and all. However, like Superman with cryptonite, Adrien has an Achille's heel. He's a sentimonster, which means that he needs to be VERY careful to what happens to the Peacock Miraculous AND to his mother's wedding band, because the first can cause his death "with the snap of a finger" and the latter can cause him to become a marionette in the hands of the person who holds it, and breaking the wedding band would mean for his amok to get out of it and him disappearing, again. Tricky, right? Have your life being held by such a delica--, uh, well, hang on a second.

Have you ever tried to break a ring? I had to (my wedding band had got too tight on my finger) and I must tell you that it's HARD. You need specialised items, and depending on what metal the ring is made of, you could need a bolt cutter and a professional intervention. Even classic rings made with gold or silver are hard to cut; you CAN cut them with household stuff like a small steel circular saw blade, but it's still not very easy. You could melt it (Lord of the Rings docet), but even that's something that usually only a professional would do. So a ring is *not* a delicate object. Yes, it can get lost, it CAN potentially be cut, but it's not something that can happen by accident. *Whoopsie* sorry, I broke your ring. Nope. Not gonna happen.

Besides: there's the problem of the Peacock of course and the fact that, in order to consider Adrien safe, the Peacock MUST be safe, either with him (so make him a double holder) or permanently inside the Miracle box and making sure it NEVER gets lost again, at least during his lifetime. Well, yes, there is, but keeping the Miraculous safe should anyway be Marinette's first priority as the Guardian: Fu lost the two Miraculouses once, but there's a reason why Su-Han wasn't impressed to find out that he had lost the jewels in the first place. They're objects that hold immense power, not toys! So keeping the Peacock safe should be a priority INDEPENDENTLY from whether Adrien is a sentimonster or not. Him being a sentimonster AND Marinette's love interest makes it even MORE important and so is choosing the RIGHT holder for it, because by giving it to ANYONE she would put Adrien's life at risk.

Now, as I was saying before, there have been theories around and some think that it would be beautiful if Marinette was going to change all of that and either use the wish or use her power of creation and love and make Adrien become human. Sweet in appearance, right? Not in my mind.

Now, here I need to let you know a little about my life. 9 years ago I had my first son. i was so happy, and like any mother in the world, from the second I saw the two lines on the pregnancy test i started having all those dreams about a normal life for my child, him studying, getting a diploma and a degree, finding a good job, maybe finding love in any kind or shape he chose (woman, man, alien...? whatever, as long as he's happy I don't care and I will respect his choices and love and make part of the family whoever he will decide to love), maybe if he chose to love a woman, have kids of his own...you get the drill. Two mere years later, I was faced with the massive rock on the head of a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I felt DEVASTATED. It took me A LOT of thought, and time, and reading about it, and talking to specialists and such to slowly starting to accept it. I still loved my son, and I've never stopped loving my son. But I had to face all stages of grief and deal with the fact that the idea of a son that I had created in my head when I saw the two lines on the stick wasn't REAL. That my son was different from what I thought he would be. I thought I had accepted it eventually and kept going on, until I was talking on the Internet with a person who was autistic, asking them how their life was, to get reassurance that maybe my son's life would be similar. And I was there telling this person that sometimes I wished that I was waking up one day and my son wasn't autistic anymore. That a magic spell could take his autism away and set him free.

That person told me off, not harshly, because he could see where I was coming from, but still told me off. We spoke for a long time and the essence of the conversation was that AUTISM IS PART OF WHAT MY SON REALLY IS. Autism isn't a parasite that has possessed my son and that needs to be cured or taken away. My son was BORN like that, and autism is the essence of his being. You can't take the autism away because you would CHANGE what my son is, you would MAKE HIM BECOME DIFFERENT. The way that he behaves, the way that he reacts, the beautiful and funny cherry bean that he is, all the things what make me LOVE him to bits, also come from the fact that he's autistic. By rejecting his autism I was REJECTING HIM, I wanted to change him. If one day he woke up and he wasn't autistic anymore he WOULDN'T BE HIMSELF anymore, he would be a different kid.

Being told that hurt me in the deepest. I got out of the conversation and had a very good thought about it that night, because I knew that this person was right. To love my son I had to accept him with all his baggage, including his autism, because his autism MADE HIM HIM.

Now you may be wondering why I'm saying all this stuff in a blog about Miraculous, taking about a cartoon character? because it's the exact same thing! Adrien is a sentimonster. That's part of his essence, it's who he is, he can't be detached from being that. If Marinette "used her love to make him become a human being" she would literally changing him. Change his essence and make him become something different.

No, I think it would be much more powerful if she didn't do that. It would be much more powerful if she was accepting him for what he was and loving him for what he was. let's say he would sacrifice himself for her and she would need to make him come back, as people say, using her power of creation and the "power of love always so strong". Wouldn't it be a fantastic message if, instead than making him become a huma being, she used her power to recreate his amok and ring and made him come back exactly like he was? And if someone (Gabriel? Félix?) told her that she was stupid, that she had had the opportunity to really make a change in his life and set him free by making him become human, she would answer saying that no, loving him by changing his essence isn't real love? That she loved and cherished him for what he really was and that meant also accepting him for being a sentimonster, and work the rest of her life to protect that, and protect him? Because he's perfect as he is, amok included, and it would mean making violence to his whole essence to change him into something that he's not? Wouldn't that make Adrien love her even more thinking that she's grown to accept him with his difference, as he really is, letting him BE who he really is, rather than doing what everybody else seems to be wanting to do and just try to make him be what THEY want him to be?

Now excuse me but I go cry in a corner. And I go nourishing this massive plot bunny that has started screaming in my dungeons since I accepted this reality, and maybe one day I will write this story, especially if this won't be the message that Miraculous will want to portray.

79 notes · View notes

ladyofthenoodle · 3 years

Text

hold on, i still want you

5 times alya ran into her ex, and the 1 time he stopped beign her ex

dj wifi, future fic, written for @thedjwifizine

read on ao3

The first time she saw Nino after they broke up, he wasn’t Nino. He was Carapace, and she was Rena Rouge, and anything left unsaid between them had to wait. Defeating Hawkmoth was the priority.

That didn’t stop her from catching his eye every time she got the chance during the battle. Didn’t stop Carapace from pulling her in close every time he used his Shell-ter — closer than needed to protect her, close enough that she could make out the leathery mosaic of his suit, close enough to feel his heartbeat. Didn’t stop the unspoken signals sparking across the invisible wires connecting them no matter how close or far they were.

After the battle, she’d told herself. They’d talk after the battle.

But then Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste, and Nino only had eyes for Adrien.

Alya didn’t want to resent either of them for that. But she couldn’t help but feel bitter as the chance to reconnect slipped through her fingers.

Just one more thing Hawkmoth had ruined.

(And did she even have the right to feel bitter? She, who was on a train ride back to university the next day, had no right to complain while Adrien’s life fell apart, not when she couldn’t even stick around long enough for his father’s trial. She wondered what Nino thought of that. If he thought of her at all.)

The second time was Mylene and Ivan’s wedding.

When Alya had RSVPed months before, she hadn’t hesitated to decline their offer of a plus one. She wanted to focus on reconnecting with her friends after all, and it wasn’t like she’d had much time to meet people in university anyway.

Alya hadn’t considered that it’d been years. She’d assumed her friends had been trapped in amber, in stasis, waiting for her to return, in slow motion until she returned and life resumed at full speed. After all, her and Marinette still spoke every day — sure, she hadn’t kept in touch with anyone else quite so well, but she’d been invited to the wedding, so surely her friendships would still be intact, right? And even if they weren’t, she always had Marinette.

But Marinette had Adrien. Marinette insisted they just were friends, of course, but Alya knew better. But she hadn’t seen them since Adrien’s identity had been revealed, so she hadn’t considered what that change in dynamic meant. Hadn’t considered that while she’d talked to Marinette every day, Adrien had been there next to her.

Hadn’t considered she’d be their third wheel, the way Marinette had once been for Alya and Nino. And Nino—

Nino had a date.

That, more than anything else — more than the coolly pleasant greetings from her former classmates, more than Marinette and Adrien finishing each other’s sentences, more than the innumerable guests who Alya had never met at all — made her feel truly alone.

You’re the one that left, Alya reminded herself, sitting next to Marinette who sat next to Adrien.

You chose your career, she thought as she looked across the room to Nino and failed to catch his eye. You’re the one that cut the wires and moved out of range.

But there was nothing she could tell herself that dulled the sharp pin pricks in her heart at the sound of Nino’s laughter when his gorgeous date turned out to be funny, too.

She’d made her choice, yes.

But Marinette hadn’t had to choose — she’d gotten into her dream school in Paris. Rose and Juleka, still joined at the hip, hadn’t had to choose either. Mylene hadn’t had to choose, and Mylene was living happily ever after.

And Alya was alone.

Alya had no right to be upset with Nino for moving on when she was the one who’d broken up with him. No right to be jealous of her friends for finding happiness just because she was the odd man out.

She was anyway.

The third time was after she’d moved back to Paris. Marinette, her dear, sweet, overenthusiastic, best friend, had thrown her a party. She’d been chattering about it over the phone for weeks, insisting that she’d invited everyone, and that they were all looking forward to seeing Alya.

Alya didn’t doubt it. Marinette’s unbridled enthusiasm was infectious — even the most apathetic of their classmates would surely be eagerly anticipating Alya’s return after a single conversation with Marinette.

And Marinette, bless her well-meaning heart, had invited Nino.

Thanks to Marinette’s efforts to put her at the center of everything, Alya managed to avoid him for most of the party. This time, Nino was the one trying to catch her eye, and she was the one looking away.

He might not have brought a date, but he’d moved on. She’d done her best to move on as well. What was the point of connecting?

Nino, apparently, saw things differently.

“Hey, Alya,” he’d said as he approached her towards the end of the night, tugging at the collar of his crisp, white button-down. Alya thought he looked ridiculous, like a little boy trying to dress like a businessman. She definitely didn’t notice the way the tailored cut of the shirt emphasized how broad his shoulders suddenly were and her heartbeat definitely didn’t speed up in his proximity. Absolutely not. He looked silly, and she’d tell that to anyone who asked.

But Nino hadn’t asked, so all she said was, “Hi, Nino.”

“It’s good to see you.” His voice was warm, but his face was unreadable.

“You too,” Alya managed, assuming that would be the end of the interaction.

It wasn’t.

Nino stood there, rubbing the back of his neck — a nervous tic he must’ve picked up from Adrien at some point, because it sure didn’t belong to her Nino.

Or maybe it did belong to this Nino, the one that wore button-down shirts and didn’t have a red cap to tweak nervously. This Nino wasn’t her Nino, after all.

This Nino was someone she didn’t know at all.

Somehow — maybe in combination with the jello shots she’d done with Alix earlier — that realization made things… easier. More painful, maybe, but easier.

“We’ll probably be seeing a lot more of each other now that I’m back in town,” Alya added, filling the silence. “Friends?”

She stuck her hand out for him to shake, throwing in a wide grin to seal the deal.

“Friends,” he agreed, clasping her hand.

And if Alya shook it a little longer than necessary — well, she’d been drinking. Her reaction time was slowed. That was all.

“He’s not dating anyone, you know,” Marinette mentioned in a too-casual voice, leaning into Alya with her chin resting on her fist, eyebrows raised.

They’d gone out to lunch, the four of them, at a new café. Adrien and Nino had gone to buy dessert for the table at Marinette’s insistence — something Alya had at first found out of character for Marinette, who’d insisted on multiple occasions that Adrien couldn’t be trusted to select good pastries (apparently she’d once caught him eating prepackaged croissants).

She should’ve known Marinette had sent the boys off strategically.

Alya had mostly avoided such outings on the grounds that they were way too close to double dates. Sure, Marinette always insisted her and Adrien weren’t dating, but Alya had invited Marinette and Adrien to join her and Nino on too many dates in collège to not see through Marinette’s intentions. She’d stick to brief interactions with Nino in much larger groups, thanks.

But she’d really wanted to try this café.

“I’m not interested, Marinette,” Alya reminded her. “That was a long time ago.”

“Suuure, if you say so,” Marinette drawled. “And Adrien and I are just friends.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “You and Adrien are the only ones who think that.”

“Exactly!” Marinette snapped her fingers and then slammed her hands on the table.

“Wait, hold on… are you admitting you're not?” Alya’s eyebrows shot up with interest.

“Are you admitting you’re still hung up on Nino?” Marinette challenged.

Alya huffed. “That’s different. You and Adrien are Ladybug and Chat Noir. You’re inevitable, no matter how many times you try to deny it or how long it takes you to get there. Nino and I are just two people who dated as teenagers.”

“What? You’re not just any two people — you’re Rena Rouge and Carapace!” Marinette hissed, clearly wanting to shout but kept in check by her deeply ingrained secret identity instincts, even now. “You saw through Carapace’s disguise in seconds because you knew him so well. Your love is more powerful than quantum masking!”

“Knew him. Past tense.”

Marinette looked like she wanted to say something else, but then the boys were back with their desserts, and Alya wasted no time in diverting Marinette’s attention to Adrien’s pastry choices.

Nino smiled at her. She looked away.

She didn’t see his face fall.

The next time she saw Nino was at Marinette and Adrien’s housewarming party.

Alya was pretty sure housewarming parties were meant for living in a new place, not inviting your not-a-girlfriend to move into the spare room of your apartment, but Adrien had seemed so genuinely excited that no one had the heart to tell him that — it felt like kicking a puppy.

Alya was happy for them. Really. She was.

So was Nino, apparently.

“I’m glad he finally convinced her to move in,” he’d mentioned, sidling up to Alya like they chatted regularly.

(She was almost buzzed enough to admit that she wished they did.)

“You know, it’s funny.” She hoped she sounded as casual and relaxed as Nino did (impossible, really, but that had never stopped Alya before), “I always thought it’d be you and Adrien rooming together.”

Nino gave her a strange look. “That’s what you thought?”

“I mean, didn’t you? You can’t tell me you never had fantasies about living with your best bro,” Alya teased.

“Adrien’s not the person I wanted to live with when we were teenagers,” Nino said, looking away.

“Oh,” was all she could say.

And then, as if he hadn’t already done enough, Nino pulled out a very familiar, very red ball cap, and put it over his head, tweaking the brim.

(Where had he even pulled it from? The depths of her teenage daydreams?)

“I guess reality didn’t meet expectations for either of us,” he said with an inscrutable look, and walked away.

Well, she thought, there goes any illusion that I’m over him.

In the end, she blamed the red hat for her predicament. She’d been doing just fine, thank you, telling herself that any romance between her and Nino was in the past.

But now here she was, wearing his old hoodie and laying face down on her couch, scrolling through five-year-old instagram posts.

They’d been so cute together.

But right in the middle of her mopefest, the unthinkable happened: she liked a post.

Alya had never been so glad Nino didn’t have an instagram when they were in collège or lycée. She could simply unlike it, and he’d never know the difference.

She hadn’t considered the picture had been on Adrien’s account. And that Adrien, who usually minded his own business, shared everything with Marinette. Marinette, who had absolutely zero compunctions about letting Nino know what Alya’d been up to.

But someone had clearly told Nino, or else he wouldn’t be here, on her doorstep.

She stared at him across the threshold.

He stared back.

“Hi Nino,” she said, trying to tuck her hair into something presentable. Why had she opened the door without checking it?

“So, at the risk of sounding like a complete moronosaurus and ruining our friendship — or whatever level of acquaintances we are at — Alya, I have to ask,” Nino said, but didn’t ask.

So she did.

“What was with the button down you wore at Marinette’s party for me?”

Okay, not what she’d meant to ask, but he laughed, so she’d call it a win.

“I was trying to make a good impression,” he admitted.

“On who?”

He gave her the same unreadable look he’d given her at the housewarming party. “On you. Who else?”

“But… why? We already know each other.”

“Sure, but,” he tweaked his cap. “Then you went to university. And became a journalist . You’re Alya Cesaire, journalist and jetsetter, and I’m… still just Nino.”

“Just Nino is all I’ve ever wanted,” she admitted.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to come in?” Alya opened the door wider.

He did.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #dj wifi #noodles writes

221 notes · View notes

diamaker-moon · 3 years

Text

Moving Forward - Chapter 4

Chapter Four

First day and investigations

—————

"Haven't you heard?" She asked back in a cold tone.

"Heard what?"

"You're class... drove Marinette to transfer schools. All because of you guys." She said in an icy tone before passing by him then rest left him in the locker room— gaping.

— previous chapter... —

Adrien was stunned.

'Marinette transferred schools?! When did that happen?!'

He stood there for a few minutes before fishing up his phone and texted Marinette, he waited for a reply, but nothing came. He came back to his classroom in a daze.

He didn't bother sharing the information with anyone, thinking that Lila might steal the spotlight again. And besides, he was too busy thinking why Marinette needed to transfer, and why she didn't inform him— her friend.

Nino was worried for his best bro. Adrien barely spoke throughout the day.

Meanwhile, Marinette was given a few hours in the morning to roam and get acquainted inside campus grounds. She was joined by Allegra, who happily toured her and introduce her as well to every student they pass by.

She was enjoying her time in Jeanne.

But behind all the happiness she was feeling at the moment, there's a huge responsibility whispering in her ear. The Cat Miraculous is currently in camouflage mode in her right ring finger as a rose gold ring. She needed to find either a new permanent cat holder or a temporary one. Part of her wants to trust her dormmates. She couldn't trust her temporary heroes anymore, aside from Viperion and Ryuko.

She could imagine Allan using the Turtle miraculous since he is already protective of his friends. She was stuck between Claude and Allegra for the Fox miraculous.

Claude is a theatre kid, he can imagine a lot of things and that can help during battles but he's more of a fighter than hiding in the shadows. Allegra, however, can do the opposite.

But for now, her main priority is to find a cat holder, even if it has to be temporary. It was a good thing that she had bought a mini fridge for Plagg's camembert stash and stored it in her room or else her dormmates might think she's a cheese hoarder!

All the teachers and students in Jeanne were very welcoming. Her classmates were friendly to her, and her teachers are fair educators. When there is a disturbance in the class, they reprimand both students not only one, and Marinette noticed that there's no 'model student' treatment like the one she had in Dupont.

It was lunchtime, she and her dormmates decided to eat in a nearby restaurant. She missed how she just goes home and eats lunch in her home then sometimes returns with a bag of pastries as snacks. She missed her home and her parents' bakery.

Marinette and Allegra were busy chatting about Marinette's current state in Jeanne, while Claude and Allan are busy bickerings on who will win if Batman and Iron Man fought.

Félix just observed them, and from time to time read on his book.

None of them saw a blonde looking at them with a melancholic look. The blonde smiled bitterly before they left the restaurant.

"Are you all done? Lunchtime is almost up." Félix announced.

The other four nodded and paid for their meal, then walked back to school.

Marinette wants to thank her luck and Tikki, for not having any Akuma throughout the rest of the afternoon.

Upon returning to the dorm, she went inside her bathroom and stared at the mirror. She was looking at her reflection, but somehow it felt unfamiliar to her.

The girl in the mirror, has her hair down, wearing a white button-up shirt underneath a black blazer that had red accents and trimming, the school crest sewed on top of the front pocket and a red tie. Paired with it is a plaid red, white and black skirt that reaches up to her mid-thighs, she also wore black knee-high socks and strapped two-inched heels.

She moved her hair on the right side a bit and saw her signature black stud earrings which are actually the camouflaged ladybug's miraculous earrings, then the rose gold cat miraculous on her right hand that moved her hair.

It was a huge change.

She was used to seeing her previous look since Dupont doesn't require school uniforms but Jeanne does.

Marinette sighed then stripped out of her uniform to take a short shower.

Once she came out of the bathroom, she was wearing light pink high-waisted shorts, a white halter-top with her signature flower design, then a sheer black cardigan.

She turned the soundproofing on then locked her bedroom door before she let the kwamis out of the miracle box.

"Did you have fun on your first day, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

Marinette hummed before answering. "Yeah. It was quite strange to see all the students wear the same outfit, but everyone was very welcoming. Quite different in Dupont. And there were no Akuma attacks today!"

Tikki smiled at her holder. The kwami thought that the girl deserves it. She needed a new environment away from the previous one since it was toxic.

Marinette was skimming through the Grimoire, and the kwamis knew not to be close enough since it is prohibited to know about the knowledge inside the book.

Shadowmoth. A unified Butterfly and Peacock miraculous holder.

Hawkmoth was becoming stronger, and Marinette needed to be ten steps ahead of him. She cannot use her previous temporary heroes.

Rena Rouge, Carapace, Pegasus and Roi Singe betrayed her in their civilian lives, unknowingly. She cannot trust them in battle, even if they were efficient heroes.

She was alone at the moment. No temporary allies, and no partner.

But she might have a lead on who Hawk—Shadowmoth is.

She looked at her bulletin board that is hanged on the wall.

If anyone ever saw the board, they might think she is a detective, due to having a map of Paris wide opened, with marks, sticky notes, red strings, etc.

She closed the book before putting on a sleeve cover for the book then plainly placed it on her desk together with a stack of books.

"Marinette?"

She hummed before looking at her left seeing the kwamis stare at her.

"We finally might have a lead on who Hawk—Shadowmoth is. Why does he need to change his name? The hawkmoth is already a stupid name, but he had to change it to Shadowmoth! Ugh!"

The kwamis laughed at their guardian's frustrations.

"Who do you suspect, Master?" Wayzz asked.

"Plagg, do you know where your previous holder got the book and tablet?" She asked the cat kwami who's busy eating a wheel of Camembert on top of her chaise.

Plagg looked to her before swallowing the rest of the whole wheel then answered.

"In his deadbeat of a father's office. That's where we found the book first, inside a safe behind her mother's painting."

Marinette hummed.

She had valid points at the moment to suspect him. And no one can prevent her from suspecting the fashion guru like before when she had Chat Noir as her partner. He was adamant that the guru isn't Hawkmoth, but now she understood. The man was his father. If the fashion guru is Hawkmoth, he'll be losing both his Mother and Father.

Something clicked in her mind. The alternate reality that she prevented: Chat Blanc.

She gasped. Then hurriedly grabbed her notebook that has all her points and suspect list with a list of reasons. She flipped the pages towards Gabriel Agreste's page.

Possible Suspect: Gabriel Agreste

Affliation: Fashion Designer

Relationships:

◈ Emilie Agreste (Wife)

◈ Adrien Agreste (Son)

◈ Nathalie Sancoeur (Assistant)

Reasons why suspected?

- Mme Agreste has been gone for three years, can use the ultimate power to wish her back.

- Secluded from the outside world.

- Assitant is very devoted, can possibly be the ally— Mayura.

- Another possible ally— Lila Rossi. Got akumatized after leaving from the first bathroom confrontation looking all smug, and has been akumatized repeatedly. Also might be involved with the Heroe's day illusion of Dark 'Ladybug'.

- Akumatized when suspected before. Hypothesis: possibly to divert attention?

- Very attentive and tried to reach for earrings and ring before during 'The Collector' after getting de-akumatized...

- Briefly saw an intrigue look on his face when he saw Chloé open a miraculous box in public.

- Has the Grimoire. Now, he also had Master Fu's tablet (stolen possibly during Miracle Queen battle)

-Theory: Chat Blanc said that Hawkmoth was a reason why the alternate timeline was destroyed by Blanc, Marinette is almost akumatized before (in original timeline), is it possible that in that timeline, Hawkmoth tried to akumatize Marinette then accidentally finds out Chat Noir's identity, leading up to a possible confrontation? It is quite hard to choose between a family relative and a relationship...

Marinette observed the page. If she was impulsive, she'd probably march up to the Agreste Mansion, but if her possible suspect is truly a villain, she cannot impulsively attack since he had two miraculouses that can create an Akuma and a Sentimonster.

She was a tactician. She always thinks about how she can use her lucky charm, and mostly in the most complex ways on how to use it.

The only thing she can do for a while is observing the Older Agreste.

"It's decided then," She looked at the kwamis then continued her sentence.

"We're going on a stake-out outside the Agreste Mansion, and possibly the inside as well. But that mansion is heavily guarded with cameras! How am I going to enter it?!"

She annoyingly said the huffed.

"Kwamis can help with the cameras and if there are alarms!" Trixx reasoned.

"Hmm... That can be useful... But how am I going to get an inside look? If there's a hidden safe behind Mme Agreste's painting in M. Agreste's atelier, I need an entrance."

Plagg thought about it before gasping.

"I can look around! I've been in the mansion for a long time, I can search around that room to see any open windows or entrance!"

Marinette actually smiled at that statement, she scratches Plagg behind one of his ears which made the cat kwami purr in happiness.

"Looks like someone earned a prize!"

The kwamis laughed in seeing the stubborn cat kwami happily purring due to the young guardian scratching him. Marinette needed a thorough plan. A plan to look around M. Agreste's atelier without being detected. And if she is lucky maybe retrieve one of the missing miraculous.

—————

"Nathalie!"

The woman flinched before she composed herself and made her way towards her boss's atelier with a tablet in one hand.

"Yes, M. Agreste?"

The man was seething, and she didn't know why. The last time she saw him like this was when they caught Adrien taking the miraculous book to school.

"Where's the Grimoire and the tablet?"

Nathalie blinked. "It's in your hands Monsier. Or maybe safely hidden in the safe."

Gabriel sighed deeply. "The book and the tablet is missing. I check the cameras, Adrien got it again, but when I asked for it back, he said you had it."

"I'm sorry, M. Agreste, but I didn't even know that it was in Adrien's possessions. I'll look around the mansion, maybe Adrien misplaced it, I'll also ask him to remember where he left it."

Gabriel nodded and dismissed her.

Inside Nathalie's head, it was trouble. They were fortunate to steal the previous Guardian's tablet that has a translated version of the book, to fix the Peacock miraculous. They had also found a translated pages about the power-ups but we haven't figure out what it actually means. They also don't have a backup copy of the translated pages!

"Adrien? Adrien."

Nathalie knocked on the younger Agreste's door. She heard a faint 'wait, Nathalie!'. Soon the door opened and revealed a dishevelled Adrien who was currently drying his hair with a towel.

"Yes, Nathalie?"

"I heard from your Father that you had the book and tablet he's looking for. Do you remember where you left it?" She said and noticed how Adrien paled.

"I was only looking at it, I left it on my desk but the next morning it was gone. I figured that you might've found it on the desk and took it back to Father... That's the only place I left it before going to bed."

She observes the young boy and hummed. She instructed Adrien to try and look around thinking that it might've been misplaced.

'I have a bad feeling about this. It's already bad that it's missing, but if my theory is right that it is in Ladybug's possession, we might be at a disadvantage.'

Chapter 3 — Moving Forward: Masterlist — Chapter 5

#miraculousladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #movingforward #adrien agreste #class salt

123 notes · View notes

familyagrestefanblog · 4 years

Text

Analysis of the Family Agreste Portrait

Quarantine strikes again and since the Agreste family portrait has fascinated me for a loooong while now I decided to put my thoughts into words and write another essay x3

The amount of informations we get out if it is amazing and its not only highlighting the absolute TRAGEDY it is that this family is about to face such a horrible fall out, it also hints at the former family dynamic before everything went to hell.

So make yourself comfortable and get something to drink, because we will be here for a while.

Here we go: My analysis of this beauty of a fictional portrait

Let's start with the most obvious one: Hawkmoth.

Its commen knowledge by now that the background makes it seem like Hawkmoth is standing behind the Agreste family like a bad omen waiting for fate to take its course and cause their doom. The portrait is brilliantly designed so the illusion is created that Gabriels body (here in a blue suit closer to Hawkmoths normals dark purple one) overlaps with Hawkmoths and a darker line is connecting the two faces as well, which rest on the same height right beside each other. The very same line grows bigger as it goes further behind Emilie - coloring her entire background - showing us that EMILIE is all Gabriel sees when he becomes Hawkmoth. But notice that Adrien on the other hand can hardly be concidered part of Gabriels “sight” at all.

Its forshadowing 101 and damn beautiful if I may say so. But this isnt what I want to focus on in this post.

I want to elaborate on two other key factors that tell us about the former dynamic of the Agrestes instead and what they tell us about the present and future.

The heart:

This is hitting me on another level because look at the heart these three form with Adrien right in the middle! He was so LOVED. This family may have never been anywhere close to ideal but still, there was LOVE and now he's gonna loose it all.

Adrien already lost his mother which led to his father getting even more distant and cold and now his father is becoming increasingly more abusive as he falls deeper and deeper into villainy. Gabriel was never a good father, the show has already made this clear with episodes like "the bubbler", “the collector” or "Gigantitan" for example but gosh there was hope for their little family! The end scene in "Jackady" portrayed it perfectly and I wrote a whole other post just covering the sigificants of Adriens and Gabriels hug in that episode. Check it out here if you want, it goes hand in hand with this one.

Miraculous is all about love and the completely different ways it can affect us, our behavior and actions. Because love isnt just wonderful, pure and empowering, it also can be twisted, destructive and cause the darkst nightmares. And with this family the writers know how to portray the complex love in an abusive houshold thats destined to go up in flames and they also know how to hint at their troubled past with the family portrait.

But this heart visual tells us even more in connection with the positions of their hands. And with these two key factors, lets start with Gabriel:

His hands convey it so strongly. He loves/d Emilie and Adrien so much and no doubt this love for them was certainly the reason why he started his quest as Hawkmoth. But he is now losing himself more and more in the pleasure of his villainy to the point where he forgets why he's doing it in the first place and becomes a complete monster (of a father). But this turn and spiraling into villainy didn't came out of nowhere - this root already had to be in him to grow like that. And this is also something the portrait indeed hints at as well.

Because Gabriel is the only one of the three who:

1. We see so completely open and without hesitation reach out and hold BOTH his family members.

2. Is visually “cut off” from them as well.

But this doesn't mean he was excluded and the only one who truly cared and loved, it just shows that things were more... complicated...as usual.

This is best explained with Adriens hand placements:

One hand is holding his mothers but the other one is visibly not reaching out for his father. But as we all know, that's not because Adrien doesn't love him. In season 1-3 it is made more than clear that Adrien does not hate his father - he loves him alot and tries to be there for him and be patient because he knows that the loss of his mother brought his father terribly down.

Sure, Adrien gets frustrated and angry with him, literally how could he not?? But Adrien tries his best to reach out to Gabriel so they can bond and come out of this tragedy stronger.

But this loving willingness to forgive his father for the chance of growing a father-son bond with him doesn't change the fact that these two didn't had a bond prior to this. And let's be honest here, does anybody actually think this distance between them was caused by Adrien? I don't think so.

So notice how Adriens hand - not reaching out for his fathers - is the only one in the portrait NOT inside or forming the heart.

When the connection of the hands between the family members symbolise their connection to another, then Adrien keeping the hand for his father away from the display of love is VERY telling. It tells us very directly what this distance did to Adriens side of the relationship. Despite Gabriels hand being right there, Adrien does not meet the gesture. And I cannot believe that he did it out of resentment, nothing in the show indicated such strong negative emotions from past Adrien.

It's much more likely that Adrien not reaching for his fathers hand is meant to show us that Adrien felt that he either CAN'T return the gesture because he fears that it'll end in an unpleasant reaction from Gabriel - that it isn't Adriens "place" to reach out to his busy and distant father like that, like it's demanding something - or Adrien simply didn't took Gabriel laying his hand on his shoulder, in the context of posing for a portrait, as a gesture of love and affection.

The way I interpret the portrait is that prior to Emilies dissappearence Adrien did not exactly try to reach out to his father the same way he did from s1-s3, which, I mean, of course wasn't the case. Not only is it NOT the 13 years olds (or younger) job to form an emotional connection to their absent parent - when that’s the PARENTS job - it also wouldn't be necessarily "needed" for Adrien to do so.

Because Emilie at this point was still in the picture so and she was the complete opposite. She was a (or maybe the ONLY) safe, reliable and loving constant of parental attention, affection and care in his life and because of these two HARSH contrasts Adrien learned from very early on to focus mostly completely on her in that regard while kinda blocking his father out.

That most likely wasn't even an active choice whatsoever - Gabriel proofed to be an unreliable resource so Adrien learned to subconciously treat him that way out of self protection. That doesn't mean he had any kind of dislike or malice against his father it just means that he wasn't able or allowed to connect with Gabriel the way he needed. Several episodes show that Gabriel deadass only parented like 15 minutes tops in his life with one of the worst offenders kinda being “Gigantitan” ngl.

So yeah, when I see that the portrait wants to tell me that prior to Emilies loss, Adrien - a 12-13 year old at most - is THIS used to rely solely on the strong bond he has with his mother and not even really reaching out for his fathers love, then I can't help but interpret it in the way that... Well... Gabriel was so distant and emotionally unreliable to Adrien for all his life, that Gabriel simply... wasn't needed by his son. Not at that point of time at least.

And while this may seem weird, because obviously Adrien only now starts to stop craving for his fathers affection and approval (which is btw a horrible, HORRIBLE thing and not something good. A half orphan losing the last remaining hope he had left of having the chance to finally get to form a bond with the only other parent he has left, just to be crushed by disappointment and abandonment all over again until he let's go, is REALLY NOT as much of a good thing people will make it out to be. This is... plain awful) it's actually quite logical.

Adriens hand outside the heart doesn't mean that his father meant nothing to him and therefore refuses to meet and accept his affection (that's literally the complete opposite of what the show shows us), it means that Adriens and Gabriels father-son relationship suffers from a fatal emotional disconnection caused by miscommunication/ a lack of communication.

And this was caused by Gabriel. How? Let me elaborate on that by going a bit far afield (cuz lbh we all have time for this. I’m writing this in quarantine and youre reading this is quarantine, so lets gooooooooooooo).

In "The bubbler" Adrien says that his father "always forgot his birthday", but I cannot agree with this in true honesty. Gabriel is controlling his sons entire life, calls him "the epitome of perfection" and temporarily truly gave up being Hawkmoth for him, he definitely never forgot Adriens birthday.

"The bubbler" even SHOWS us that Adriens perspective of the situation is actually not the truth:

This is Adriens first birthday after Emilies dissappearence and it's incredibly telling how Gabriel handles the planning.

What this entire little sequence tells me is that Gabriel is completely and UTTERLY used to NOT be the one to take care of anything related to Adriens birthday. So Emilie was always the one who did it but somehow - now without her - Gabriel apparently still hasn't even considered changing anything about that nasty non-involvement and just expected Natalie to pick everything up where Emilie left it.

Because let's be real here, knowing Natalie she would NOT have forgotten to get a present if Gabriel truly had told her to. Natalie is never presented to do mistakes like that but Gabriel on the other hand IS definitely presented to us claiming things about himself as ultimate, blameless and true when they simply do not reflect reality. A great example: Gorizilla

You didn’t even speared a minutes of your time for Adrien and he DID try to! Asshat… It's a problem guys. The lack of self awareness Gabriel displays in moments like this is legitimately concerning when you think about how deeply this man is falling right now.

But back to the topic:

Because even if Gabriel didn't even consider doing anything himself for Adriens birthday - not even taking the time to SEE his son (who just recently lost his mother, come on Gabe, really?) - one thing one cannot hold against him: he sure as hell remembered Adriens birthday like any decent parent would and it wasnt portrayed as a this-year-for-the-first-time thing.

And yet Adriens statement still makes complete sense. Because a big, BIG problem with Gabriel is just how much he takes things for granted. He EXPECTS things to be universally known and to never be doubted, just because that's how HE sees them. I will write 10 essays if it's needed to make people understand that Gabriel DOES truly love Adrien, it's just that Gabriel HIMSELF is such a rotten, twisted and toxic person that he cannot see how much his (oppressing) behavior and the way he (doesn't) express his love hurts Adrien and that HE is the one at fault. (for more, once again, read this)

Gabriel LOVES Adrien but he takes the love he feels as such a matter-of-fact that he just completely... forgets to show it.

And when we take Adriens words and look at the Family portrait it unfortunately seems that...

…. Gabriel ALWAYS forgot to show it.

Adriens hand - that should at least be reaching out to his father - is outside of the heart in accepting certainty. Because that's what Gabriels non-presence was for Adrien while growing up: an unreliable and unreachable certainty he had to accept early on as safer to not try to emotionally depend on too much or else he will get hurt.

So yeah, Adrien is the one in the portrait who is very openly not reaching out but only because Gabriel never gave him the needed affection and stability to be able to create that bond.

But let me correct what I said a little earlier: Adrien ALWAYS needed his father. Every kid, especially one in a bad situation like Adrien, does need their parents/friends etc as support system to become independent and confident in a healthy way. And if they don’t have that they WILL crave and look for it!

What Adrien has been doing up to now IS normal for a teenager - humans NEED affection, belonging and safety. What ISNT/SHOULDN’T be normal is Adriens disconnection towards his father in the portrait and just how much Gabriel fails to take care and BE THERE for his son in BOTH TIMES!

Collector:

Bother Christmas:

One thing I like about the show is that it portrays their young main cast with one very important truth: The psyche of a child/teenager of their age will react and adapt so it SURVIVES, even if it results in unfortunate consequences in other relationships and places. Thats the psyches main concern and it'll try to cope with the limited experience and development it has in whatever way necessary to get itself to the next day. A coping mechanism is not there to make you a better person, it ensures your SURVIVAL, everything else is a secondary concern.

So seeing pre-show Adrien not react to Gabriels touch and even feel completely unloved and disconnected from him is no surprise to me. Kids are incredibly observant. They may lack the needed experience and knowledge to truly understand that they deserve better and to stand up for themselves but they are masters in picking up red flags in people and can put this danger into perspective while comparing the different danger levels of their options of people and places to adjust their behavior.

Feast:

Stormy Weather 2:

So the broken connection between father and son we see in the portrait (that Gabriel doesn't even notice but Adrien fully internalized) isn’t there because Adrien “didnt needed” or wanted his father, its because Adrien NEEDED Gabriel so much in his isolated upbringing but Gabriel didn’t LET him need him - so Adrien had to adjust to that accordingly. Big, huge, ENORMOUS difference.

Honestly the most miraculous thing about Miraculous is that Adrien was able to bring up the strength to stay positive and friendly and to forgive Gabriel in hope for a better future. That boys situation is 7 kinds of depressing and traumatizing...

It's just flabbergasting to me how well this portrait shows how basically non-existent their relationship was at that point. And it's horrible to know that this estranged and unformed bond is all Adrien had left after Emilie dissappeared, just alot worse because after Emilie incident Adrien states that his father changed alot for the worse as well.

So to think that all Adrien had left wasn't even this former basically non-existent relationship with his aloof father - who would only barely show his true affection for his son because he's either not around enough to do so or he thinks it "unnecessary to proof his affection" for/to Adrien because he already thinks it so obvious and undoubtable.

Well he thought wrong. And GOSH, it breaks my heart!

So now comparing the "Gabriel" hand from Adrien with the one representing his connections with his mother conveys a pretty harsh contrast.

Because last but not least, let's take a look at Emilies hand placements:

But here is now an interesting difference to Adrien. Whereas we openly see that Adriens side of the Adrien-Gabriel relationship is completely disconnected from the heart/love - showcasing just how badly Adrien has always been neglected by his father - we don't see Emilies hand in her Emilie-Gabriel relationship AT ALL.

Once again just like with Adrien, this doesn't mean she didn't love her husband and that Gabriel was used and fooled by the woman he so utterly adored. It just means that from Emilies point of view things were a bit more complicated. What exactly this is, the portrait is keeping secret from us. We have no way of knowing if and how Emilie is returning her husbands gesture. All we can say is that if she does she is definitely not doing it in such an open and unconflicted way as she does with Adrien.

But since when has anything with this family been this easy?

One thing the portrait makes very clear, Adrien and Emilie had a strong and good bond. Definitely the healthiest because the Adrien-Emilie connection is the only one depicted without any kind of disruption from both sides. Both mother and son are reaching out for the other ones hand creating a whole half of the heart, showcasing their affection for another openly and without any of the implied doubts the other connections display. And honestly? Comparing all the hand placements, the one connecting Adrien and Emilie just comes across as strikingly pure and true (which makes it even worse that it was HER Adrien lost…)

As I said it's a HARSH contrast to the one Adrien shears with Gabriel. This contrast is highlighted even further by the way these three face on another.

Emilie and Adrien are positioned facing another and so are Emilie and Gabriel. Telling us that Emilie was "face-to-face" aka involved with both her husband and son. It is Adrien and Gabriel were this looks wildly different. These two have no way of seeing each other in the eyes the way they stand now/then, further displaying their deeply rooted disconnection. It's portrays perfectly how important Emilie was in this family dynamic, because even though Adrien and Gabriel bearly had a connection at all they at least had Emilie as a link between them, keeping the family together. But then they lost her and where this left both father and son off we know oh too well...

So to collect all the informations we get out if this portrait:

-Adriens and Emilies relationship was the strongest and purest. Both of their hands connect and reach out for another in the heart, showcasing that they had a loving and positive bond.

-Adriens and Gabriels relationship is heavily scarred by a deeply rooted disconnection leaving Adrien feeling unloved and unwanted by his father to the point where Adriens side of their dynamic is outside the heart altogether. Gabriel may love and adore his son just like he loves his wife and never thought he displayed his love for him in a lacking way, but fact is: this love never reached Adrien the way it should have and Adrien is the one in their dynamic who got severely hurt and damaged by it.

-Gabriel was the only one completely unconflicted and happily at peace with the former Family situation. He's reaching out to both his family members with open love and affection in blissful oblivion that neither his wife nor son could return them the same way (to different degrees for different reasons). Gabriel was the ONLY ONE in the Agreste family who didn't saw problems in their lives and thought them all happy, hence why he's so obsessed with changing the past and bringing THIS state of their family back. He was happy and he had everything he needed and loved right with him, of course he wants THIS back. He's not aware that Emilie and ESPECIALLY Adrien did not feel the same about their former situation and that bringing all of them back to this is not the perfect happy ending for their entire family as he thinks.

-Emilie may not have been as unconflicted with Gabriel as he was with her but she is NOT feeling the same disconnection her son feels and isn't depicted with negative feelings towards Gabriel. Her side in the Emilie-Gabriel relationship is neither shown outright positive as with her son or outright bad as Adrien with Gabriel. Her side of their bond is depicted through her unseen hand placement in the unknown area in between.

-Despite their not so unconflicted feelings towards Gabriel - and Gabriel himself being aloof - neither Emilie nor Adrien are actively trying to cut Gabriel out. They aren't flinching away from his touch or exclude him from the heart whatsoever. He's happily included, obviously feeling loved. They may not be 100% happy and Gabriel doesn't notice it, but they aren't denying him his happiness and make him unhappy. Again, he's the only one truly happy here. Something neither Emilie nor Adrien tried to take away from him.

-Emilie and Adrien are facing each other as do Emilie and Gabriel, implying the presence of communication and a bond. Adrien and Gabriel do not face each other, showing their disconnected bond. If they could see each others face Adrien would have been able to see that Gabriels hand is a gesture of genuine affection and Gabriel could see that Adriens expression does not exactly display pure happiness the way he thinks. This also goes for Emilie. Emilie just like her husband is placed BEHIND her son, so even if she is facing him she would not be able to really see just how much Adrien is not satisfied and truly happy with his life at that point (meaning how unhappy being looked up, friendless and at distance with his father actually makes him).

- This fascinating family makes me sad and I like it lol

734 notes · View notes

goggles-mcgee · 4 years

Note

Okay, So I need to Ask Um, Got any salt on Marinette's Parents? Because as much As I love them in the show, They are almost never around to do anything.

Oh yeah definitely.

The show shows them to be loving supportive parents and I think a lot of us like to latch onto that when writing but when you take a step back, you realize they are almost never around and why? Because of their business. They are neglectful. Now it very well could be they don't mean to be, but the fact of the matter is, they are and as a result of that Marinette is very mature and always feels pressure to do things on her own or to make things perfect. That's a lot to put on a child.

Anyways mini rant over! There are 3 ideas on my Dead Sea Salt List that include Tom and Sabine salt and I shall tell them to you and the ways they are salted!

Idea 3. Marinette, The Rolling Stone:

This one is obvious here as this whole story is about Jagged and Penny adopting Marinette. Tom and Sabine like to think they know their daughter but the truth is they aren't around a lot. They don't even notice that she doesn't hang out with the girls in class anymore and hasn't done so in months for crying out loud! They don't even notice that she hasn't gone out to hang out with her friends either.

But then Marinette's friends come in and start telling them that Marinette is bullying the new girl, they don't even recognize Lila from when she almost got Marinette expelled, and Lila herself creates a sob story and well Tom and Sabine notice then and there just how often Marinette has been at home by herself. They fall for the lies.

And well, this is a blessing in disguise for them, they were getting busier with the bakery and thinking of opening up another location and doing that while juggling a teenager would be so difficult, especially a problem child. They decide to kick Marinette out, but they aren't "malicious" or "cold-hearted" they decide to emancipate her. They purely do it because they think they are protecting their family members by not letting Marinette manipulate them into thinking she's the sweet person they thought she was, and they want to protect their image. They don't want their family members to think ill of them.

Then Jagged Stone pops up wanting to commission Marinette, but Tom and Sabine tell them they grounded Marinette from designing and took away her sewing machine. He's livid and demands the reason why, they tell him and he just looks at them like they lost their heads, even asks if they did, because he knows there's no way Marinette would bully someone. They insist she has and she's changed and she's this horrible little liar and manipulator and that's why they are getting rid of her. It takes a lot for him not to get akumatized then and there but Jagged firmly says he'll adopt Marinette.

They try their best to talk him out of it but he's set. So they let him, they just know hope he knows he can't return her when he finds out they were right.

Life is good for them after they get rid of Marinette, that is until the interview. Nadja gets an exclusive interview with Jagged Stone, Penny Rolling and their new adoptive daughter that they have been raving about on social media. Nadja does nothing to hold back her disgust when she recounts what Marinette and her new parents had told her about Tom and Sabine kicking her out all because of a liar. The interview is an hour special where they debunk each and every single one of Lila's lies. And Tom and Sabine watch and the pits in their stomachs grow the more they watch.

After all that. Paris erupts. Gabriel literally passes out from all the anger and sadness he feels from his Miraculous and has to take sleeping medication and just sleep the day away. Everyone who had ever met Marinette was furious, not only at her school and friends, but at her parents too. Regulars who used to come in stopped. Which is a kind of a big deal in France, you pick a bakery and basically stick to it. Despite their products being good, people are hesitant to go to Tom and Sabine's, because how can they go to a place and expect to be treated well when the owners treated their own daughter so awfully and for what? For lies?

They can't even get a second location anymore, the owner of the place they were going to buy from refused their offer. They wanted someone who treasured baking and family to buy their place and they can see that Tom and Sabine don't treasure those ideals. They still get business, but it's not as good as it had been. Some people come in and buy something small but they always have something to say about Marinette, like how it's a shame she's not there, or how her cupcakes were always decorated the best, or how her smile always made their day. Little jabs that just made Tom and Sabine hurt more.

They tried to get Marinette back but to no luck. They tried to say the adoption wasn't legal because of the lies but that got slammed down pretty fast. They tried to talk with her anyway they could think of till she changed her number and Jagged and Penny threatened to take legal action against them.

Everytime they went out, it felt like they were being judged. Like people didn't even want to look at them.

Gina and Roland basically disowned them

Idea 6. Wish Me Away

Not a lot of salt but Tom and Sabine were getting more and more distant with Marinette the closer the big battle got. She tried to pretend she didn't notice but she did, they seemed to only be around ling enough to give her good mornings, obligatory 'I love you's', even when they had dinner together it felt like when they asked her how her day was they were only doing it because it was what parents did, not because they were genuinely interested. Everyday that got closer to the fight she had wanted to be honest and just tell them that she was being crushed under all the weight of her responsibilities but she knew if she did she would be met with disappointment and fake sympathy.

She knew it wasn't healthy, she knew it wasn't right, but Marinette figured she was better off than most kids so she never complained. Then the battle happened and the wish happened and honestly, her parents didn't notice she didn't come home. They figured she was at a friend's house. The second night it was a Sunday so they just figured she was still at a friend's. The third day it was Monday, a school day and nothing, she never came home for lunch which she always did, they remembered that at least. So they called the school to ask if she had been in that day but the school told them, very politely, that no one by the name Marinette Dupain Cheng ever went to their school.

Of course they freak out and assume this must be the work of an Akuma. But days pass by and they really start to get worried and try to get Nadja to help them but even she looks at them like they're crazy and calmly tells them they don't have a daughter. That's when they finally go up to Marinette's room and see it's just a normal attic. Then Marinette's classmates come by and her teacher and they ask where she is and they nearly weep because somebody else remembers her and they tell them what has been going on. They too think it's an Akuma.

Then Adrien comes by with a woman they've never met and he looks like he'll but they refrain from saying anything, they still keep their business going because they figure if it is an Akuma then Ladybug and Chat Noir will defeat it any day now and Marinette will come back. There are days when they forget that Marinette is missing and doesn't that just say something? But they have to tell Adrien that only a few people remember Marinette and they suspect it's an Akuma. They don't notice how pale the boy gets or the cold face his mother makes at the mention of an Akuma but they give them a couple discounted treats and send them on their way.

Then Ladybug makes an appearance on Nadja's network and says it's to give an announcement. She looks different, older, and her suit is also different but everyone is paying attention. She tells of the battle with Hawkmoth, Gabriel Agreste, that was the first big shock, she tells them that she was betrayed by Chat Noir, but she would not give out his name as he was already living out his punishments, she tells them that Hawkmoth made his wish and the world was paying for it, that Gabriel and Chat were paying for it, they lost someone dear to them, for Gabriel it was Nathalie, for Chat it was the previous Ladybug, Marinette Dupain Cheng...their existences had been erased from the universe but those who had wronged them or failed them would be punished with the memories of them.

Tomnand Sabine froze at that because it made sense, and at the same time didn't. How did they fail Marinette? They just couldn't understand it. Gina didn't remember having a granddaughter but she remembered Tom and Sabine calling and asking about a Marinette, and in a rare moment she had been in Paris during the announcement and had heard what Ladybug had said. She cried for the little girl she didn't know but she was angry at her son and his wife because they clearly remembered her so they were being punished, and she could imagine why. Their bakery was always their top priority, it was their baby, everything else came second. They never wanted a baby, they never said it out loud but she knew, so she could only imagine what this Marinette had to go through and she cried for the girl.

Roland remembered being helped by the heroes but he doesn't remember why but when he watched the announcement he thinks it may be because of the granddaughter he can't remember, he didn't want to see his son or wife, it had been that way for awhile, but he felt his heart wrench for the granddaughter he couldn't remember and would never get to know. Roland was even more disappointed in his son when he got a call asking if he remembered this Marinette, because it meant he had failed his own daughter and their protector. He knew he wasn't the best father but he felt outraged on behalf of the granddaughter he lost.

People found out that Tom and Sabine remembered and so they found out they were being punished, which made people a bit wary of them.

[The "new" Ladybug is literally just Tikki using Trixx's illusions, Tikki is hella petty in this fic, also okay that was more salt that I thought]

Idea 9. Ivy's Sapling:

This one definitely doesn't have a lot of salt towards them but there is some. They do care about Marinette and they see her as a niece more than a daughter. So they aren't really as involved in her life as maybe they should be but she understands that they didn't ask for her. When the problems with Lila start up they want to believe in her and they do at the beginning but they start to question of they could be true because of her background. From what her and Gina said, she was from the bad part of Gotham and so was her mother, they never told them she was Poison Ivy's kid, they just know that Marinette's mother goes by Pamela when she talks with Marinette on the phone.

So they don't fully turn on Marinette but they do start to be wary and more questioning, they don't trust her as much as they did before which does hurt her but they don't fully believe Lila and her classmates, or more like they don't want to believe.

482 notes · View notes