#ml fanfiction

[frostedpuffs]

Adrien sat beside her on the bed, enveloping her hand in his. Their wedding bands gently clinked together. “It feels weird to be back here,” he said. “Weird in a good way or a bad way?” “A good way,” he said, smoothing his thumbs over her knuckles. “It feels like being transported back in time.” Marinette hummed in agreement, lying back against the soft white sheets. “Yeah. It feels like only yesterday we were ‘just friends.” The bed bounced lightly as Adrien settled beside her. “We can still be that.” A snort rose from her nose as she giggled. “Oh, god. Let the joke die.” “Never,” he laughed. Climbing over her, he rested his arms on both sides of her head before leaning down to peck her lips. “You’re my platonic wife.” “I am not!” she squealed. His lips tickled when they brushed her neck, and she squirmed. His laughter reverberated across her throat. “You are.” “No!” she said. He poked her side, and she squirmed away, laughing as his fingers dug into her most ticklish spots. “No, no!” “Admit it,” he teased, tickling her waist. “You like me as a friend.” She wheezed, out of breath. “That’s it, I’m officially putting you in the friendzone.”

it's finally completed! thank you everyone for going on this journey with me 💖 (this is not an april fool's joke, i promise! it's real!)

[monpetitchattriste]

Artwork for my story Panic Attacks in Paradise

NEW CHAPTER OUT NOW!!!!

“Do you want me to carry you?” Adrien asked, concerned, etching his voice as he watched her sway slightly. “No, I am fine,” Marinette insisted stubbornly. But her words barely left her lips when she stumbled again, her knees buckling beneath her. Adrien quickly reached out, steadying her before she hit the ground. Wordlessly, Adrien bent down, sliding one arm behind her knees and the other around her back. He lifted her off the ground with a careful heave, settling her into a piggyback. It took a few steps for her initial resistance to fade and for her body to relax against his as he carried her.  Marinette’s breath was steady and rhythmic against his neck.  "You're surprisingly comfy, Adrien," Marinette giggled, her words slurring slightly as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Thanks, I think," Adrien chuckled, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. "Just don't get used to it. I'm not starting a piggyback ride service anytime soon." Marinette responded with a playful nudge against his head. "Too bad, I'd be your first customer. Five stars for the ride!” “Oh, so now you want me to carry you! Well, I guess this ride is over.” He loosened his grip on the legs and let her start to slip. Marinette squeaked in response, grabbing onto his shoulders to keep from falling off him. Adrien quickly tightened his grasp again and adjusted her so she wasn't falling back down. 

The animated version down be low!

[tizzymcwizzy]

HEY YOU!! I HAVEN'T POSTED FIC IN A WHILE BUT I JUST REMEMBERED I HAD THIS FINISHED ONE SHOT FROM A YEAR AGO I FORGOT ABOUT

here's the link to read it on ao3

it's a post rocketear 5.8k one shot with an original character akuma that's just a vessel for me to do some Adrien character exploration

also some art for it from a year ago

[ebiartics]

Art for my fanfic Set To Love which is now available on Ao3 along with Fanfiction.net and Wattpad !!!

New chapter coming soon :)

[xhanisai]

Uhh marichat where Chat gets Mari away from an akuma and she accidentally forgets she’s not wearing the mask when she talks to him.

~(x)~

.

He didn't even take the time to breathe and before he knew it, Chat Noir pounced on Marinette's frozen form and rolled them away in the nick of time. The nasty Akuma's razor-sharp claws swiped the area she was at momentarily ago at lightning speed and had the hero not been quick enough, well...

In his arms, he'd be holding Marinette "I'm-In-So-Much-Du-FUCKING-PAIN" Cheng instead and it would have been a severely gruesome sight. Thank the kwamis from all around the world that some good luck shined on him for once (but most importantly, thank the lucky charm bracelet Marinette gave him a long while back which he wore religiously every day as a civilian).

The Akuma's warning growls and oncoming form were enough to snap the feline out of his thoughts and by instinct, he picked Marinette up bridal style and sprinted away as fast as possible. Though, the Akuma let out one last roar of anger which Chat Noir managed to hear even after putting a few good hundreds of metres between them.

"I WILL GET MY REVENGE ON YOU MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG! YOU WILL NEVER INSULT MY BRILLIANT FOOD EVER AGAIN YOU BRAT!"

Wide-eyed, Chat Noir directed his greens towards his huffing good friend, the girl rolling her eyes at the Akuma's words and looking very annoyed rather than scared for her life. As if the whole thing was just an inconvenience and the Akuma's claws weren't literally millimetres away from turning her into a sheesh kebab.

"Marinette? Est-ce vrais?" He asked as he continued to leap from rooftop to rooftop, noting in the back of his head that the Akuma was now busy arguing with le Papillon in their head a good distance away. They were safe for now.

"He was selling mouldy fruit tarts! And the sandwiches tasted like they were made ten thousand years ago!" She folded her arms and huffed childishly again when he set her down on her feet, his hands on his hips and a brow raised attractively under the mask. "I told him this politely and tried my best to not make a fuss. But no! He started yelling at me and got all the customers' attention!" Her blue eyes then turned beady with its glare. "Then that stupid man tried to insult Maman and Papa, saying how can a stupid kid like me with parents like them know any better? So I said his food sucked and that even a five-year-old could do a way better job! Hmmph!"

Ahh. No wonder he got akumatised and had a vendetta against the pouting girl. Chat Noir could only smile at her endearingly, always admiring the way Marinette could get so fired up and passionate on behalf of other people. It's one of the many, many things about her that made his heart flutter and try his best to match her energy when he can. It's just a shame that instead of getting a chance to de-escalate the argument, le Papillon reared his ugly head and took advantage of the fuming man's emotions.

"Well. It looks like he's itching to dice you up and put you on a tart. You should hide before the Akuma--"

"COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE, DUPAIN-CHENG!!!!"

Just as Chat Noir was about to scoop her back in his arms and dart away, Marinette did a complete one-eighty and took on a strong stance. Fists curled by her sides, eyes now narrowed with determination and she stared down at the Akuma who was still quite a distance away from them; his giant but clumsy form still looking for her with a nasty scowl on his face.

"Chat Noir. Get to the rooftop on the Akuma's left and have your catacylsme ready. I'll summon a lucky charm once I'm behind him. I guarantee that the butterfly is in his apron so hopefully I'll get a pair of scissors or something." She was completely blind to the way Chat Noir gawked behind her, his jaw comically dropping to the floor and his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

He couldn't even utter a word.

"Let's go!" She ordered and just as she ran and reached the end of the rooftop they were perched on, her hand automatically went to the side of her hip.

When she didn't feel her yoyo anywhere on her and realised that she was still decked up in her civilian attire, it was as if a bucket of icy cold water mercilessly poured on her head. In pure Marinette style, her face contorted into one that screamed 'I FUCKED UP' and slowly, she faced her Chaton who was still gaping at her.

.

"...I can explain." She rasped weakly. Instead of laughing it all off and pretending nothing happened like he should've (that stupid cat!), Chat Noir got down to one knee instead, pulled off his ring, revealing himself to be none other than Adrien Agreste and spoke.

"Marry me. Now. Please."

.

Of course, Marinette screamed like a dying monkey.

.

~(x)~

HOPE YOU ENJOYED!

[mlb-a-rewrite]

Adrien is demiromantic. 

Well, not like canonically, but I think it makes sense if he is in the show. And also because I’m doing my own rewrite and have fully creative freedom he is going to be on the aromantic spectrum and NOT JUST BECAUSE I AM OKAY I swear but because it makes sense for who he is.

In the show, Adrien is almost entirely oblivious to people who have crushes on him. He doesn't really think about romantic situations unless others prompt him to or he gets close to someone. In my rewrite, it is very similar. I don't think it's ever gonna be explicitly said or anything but if you wanted to label him it would be as demiromantic.

(Demiromantic is an identity on the aromanic spectrum which basically describes people who don’t experience romantic attraction towards others unless they are close with them.)

[nemaliwrites]

Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis / The Man of Mind Alone / Trevor West Knapp, Taste / Hozier, Foreigner's God / @floatingstirnerhead / / Absure, Taste Like

On fear, taste, and the concept of knowing someone. A webweave for my Adrien Can Taste Emotions fic

[artisyghostlybird-gelat]

Little sample of Learning to see by @jennagrinsoverml because I love it too much. Read it! It’s great!!

[blueberry-bubbles130]

Lila Rossi everyone!

This post is about her character, rather than her and Felix’s role in the story. I decided to cut the whole mom thing from canon, because I couldn’t deal with it. So in this au, she’s an orphan being raised by her older brother who’s around 21.

She starts being a manipulative little bitch. Her original outfit style was copying Marinette’s style out of insecurity. But after a while and finding out about Chloe, she becomes a better person and goes back to her own style. She never becomes 100% good. More so a little gremlin. she’s still really good at manipulating and making people think she’s different that she actually does. But with the class she’s open about who she actually is. And they’re friends with her. She and Felix end up dating, but it’s kept mostly secret because Felix and Kagami start fake dating so Chloe doesn’t get exposed. She becomes best friends with Alix because they have some similarities but also differences. They both are more into more punk fashion. Lila has lots of punk fashion in her wardrobe, and she wears it regularly. She really just likes wearing spiky things. Big spiky books, spiky headbands.

She’s the kid who saw far too many horror movies and games when she was too young and has become desensitised to it. You know unrestricted internet access, and stumbling across creepypastas that scared her when she was eight. But now she laughs. Alix shows Lila all her racing games and Lila shows Alix all her horror stuff. She also loves Dead Rising. She’s played far too much of it for her own good. She’s gotten all the trophies on Xbox 360. she’s played them all to death. She has dead rising 1, dead rising 2, and dead rising, off the record. (Dead rising 3 and 4 don’t happen in this au)

So when the dead rising zombie akuma happens, Lila is overjoyed she can finally put those zombie killing skills to good use. Her and Alix consider themselves trained professionals in getting rid of zombies. (Playing zombie games do not count as professional training in the slightest)

[overworkedunderwhelmed]

“Mind if I sketch?”

Adrien blinked, glancing up at her. “Not at all. We’ve probably both watched this more than once.”

She smiled, her pencil expertly flying across the page.

She hunched over the book but the tension in her shoulders practically melted as soon as his fingers pressed slightly on her skin.

Adrien sat up, dying to see how her sketch came together. She wasn’t exactly hiding the sketchbook, but his father had always been a little fretful about letting anyone see a sketch in progress. “Wouldn’t it help to have it paused?”

“Not with the TV screen so small. Stills can provide a lot of detail, but,” Marinette confided absently, as she continued to sketch, “I want to see how the fabric would move.”

For one tense moment, Adrien’s breath caught in his throat as the flash of a few spots caught his eye.

Why would Marinette care how the fabric moved on Ladybug? Unless…

Unless.

Unless she was making a dress herself. 

Or thinking about it very seriously.

Suddenly, Adrien needed to know. His mind raced, struggling to remember every little detail he could about what Marinette had mentioned about her friend who made her dress on their first date.

She had been a little protective about those details. Of course, she had also been pretending to be Kagami… 

Thanks to the amazing @xhanisai I now how more lovely art commissioned for The Rules of Engagement!

[mcheang]

Reality

As Nino lays out his plan for targeting Gabriel, Alya points out one thing. “Sure I know Ladybug can fix the mess an akuma causes. But Gabriel will still be mad. He already doesn’t like you, Nino. Don’t push it. For all we know, Gabriel might threaten to transfer Adrien to a different school. Remember, he totally lost it when Adrien lost his book?”

Nino: oh…right. I didn’t think of that. Then, who do we target?

Marinette grins sneakily. “I know someone who can get upset very easily.”

Adrien: really, who?

Marinette: i don’t want to spoil the surprise.

Later, as the parent-teacher meeting commenced, Marinette bursts in, “Oh, I’m so sorry to barge in like this. But I forgot I needed Mrs Rossi’s signature for Lila’s trip to Achu.”

Caline: Marinette, can’t this wait?

Mrs Rossi: what trip to Achu?

Caline and Marinette look at her. “You know, the trip she’s taking to join Prince Ali in teaching children for free. It’s such a shame that she won’t be able to attend the school’s weeklong camping trip but it’s for a good cause.

Mrs Rossi stands up. “My daughter is doing what?”

Caline: why are you so surprised, Mrs Rossi? Lila went to Achu for months less than a week after she joined Dupont.

Mrs Rossi: she told me the school was shut down from akuma attacks!

Marinette pretended to look faint. “Oh no, was it because of her special lying disease?”

Mr Cesaire looked skeptical. “A lying disease…? Do you mean compulsive lying?”

Gabriel almost regretted not being able to akumatize Mrs Rossi, if only to make up for losing Lila Rossi as a spy since clearly Alliance can no longer use her. Oh well, there’s always the fallout when her sheep find out.

Alya and Nino were recording this with open mouths. Adrien wasn’t so bothered by this after seeing more of Lila’s hateful personality.

Needless to say, the parent-teacher conference was delayed as Sabine then angrily wanted justice for her daughter if she was indeed framed by a liar. Gabriel had to admit the teaching faculty here was lousy to fall for Lila’s reception, but that’s what makes this place so prime for his akumas! Why did he send Adrien here again? Oh right, it’s the most prestigious school and he’ll never hear the end of it from Andre because Chloe would never accept his perfect son being in another school away from her.

Later, after Marinette received an apology from Mrs Rossi, she agreed to bring Lila up. Alya and Nino looked apologetic. “We’re so sorry we didn’t believe you.”

Marinette looked behind her. “It’s ok. Keep recording. If Mrs Rossi isn’t angry enough to attract an akuma, her daughter will be. Nothing akumatizes Lila like being caught.”

Lila was immediately suspicious when Marinette of all people came to get her, however it was subdued by Marinette’s poorly hidden dislike and the fact that it was Gabriel who asked her to come.

Certain that Mr Agreste wanted her help against a stupid boy’s resistance team, she agreed.

Boy was Lila surprised to see Sabine and her mother standing in front of the classroom instead of Mr Agreste, who looked disappointed in her.

Uh oh. Now Lila could see Marinette’s triumphant face and could see what had happened. Her one consolation was that the team’s plan to anger a parent into akumatization had failed. Though she was also irked she couldn’t get akumatized and make that loser suffer for exposing her like this. This is worse than Ladybug’s exposing her in front of Adrien!

As Lila was dragged by her mother to the principal’s office, Caline tried to resume the parent-teacher conference though it was clear all now felt disheartened by her incompetence.

The resistance was confused. Angry Rossis and disappointed parents were around. Where was the akuma?

Eventually they had to give up. What a waste of free period.

Not entirely a waste though since Lila was now exposed. Alya sent the recording to the whole class as the parents left.

Outraged gasps were heard everywhere.

Nino: why didn’t you wait till class was about to start? Then we could prepare to record the akumatization.

Adrien: if Monarch didn’t come out for Mrs Rossi and Lila, I doubt he’ll come for-

Reverser promptly swooped by, ready to turn Lila nice and honest.

Adrien: never mind.

Marc was deakumatized and the class apologized to Marinette for not believing her.

Lila returned to class, sulky in her forced apology, not really bothered by their angry reactions now that she was expelled. Only Marinette’s smug attitude infuriated her. Having been forced honest by Reverser, she had confessed to having duped two other women into being her mothers and had initially planned on running away to join one of them. Her mother now has their numbers. It was a nightmare.

Alya: who else can we akumatize for the greater good? Mayor Bourgeois?

Marinette: I don’t think our plan works if we our expected target isn’t even akumatized. We’ll have to think of something else.

Monarch is disappointed he won’t get to akumatize the akuma class again for a while. Ah well, it can be a favor to Adrien.

[frostedpuffs]

My Lady 💞🐞 whatever you do DO NOT go into the spare bedroom -> Why? My Lady 💞🐞 BECAUSE IT'S A SECRET -> Ohhh -> You're making me something aren't you My Lady 💞🐞 i don't know what you're talking about -> Would it have anything to do with my birthday being in two days? My Lady 💞🐞 NO! I AM NOT HIDING A GIFT IN THERE SO DON'T GO IN THERE BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING IN THE ROOM -> Mhhmmmm yeah I'll bet -> That's okay. -> I have something hidden somewhere in the apartment too. My Lady 💞🐞 EXCUSE ME

these two are even more insufferable now that they live together

[miraculously-quality-content]

What if Gabriel couldn't control Gimmi?

Idea that's been rattling in my head since the finale of season 5

"Tikki, Plagg, unite!"

He had done it! He had finally gotten both miraculous! Now, he could make his wish a reality!

As Gabriel thought this, Plagg and Tikki merged into one, forming the true form of Gimmi.

The massive purple kwami stared down at him, then spoke.

"We are Gimmi, the kwami of reality. What is it you require of us?"

Gabriel smirked. "I want my greatest desire to be granted." Gabriel bowed slightly. "With the cost of my life."

Next thing Gabriel knew, he felt extreme pain in his head. Worse than the effects of the Cataclysm.

"We decide the price of the wish, mortal!" Gimmi yelled, seemingly from all around him.

After catching his breath, Gabriel spoke.

"I summoned you! I control you!" Gabriel glared at Gimmi.

Gimmi gave an unimpressed stare back.

"You use our power, yes. But holding our miraculi does NOT give you the ability to say how they work." Gimmi rose so they were not eye level anymore. "The universe requires a balance. So, the price is something of equal value from you."

Gabriel glared at the Kwami. "The grimore-"

"The grimore says a kwami is summoned with a miraculous. And yet, we require 2 miraculi. So, clearly, we are the exception."

Gabriel wanted to say something, but he started going into a coughing fit.

"You may want to stop arguing, as you do not have much time left."

Gabriel pulled his hand back to see that Gimmi was right. It wouldn't be long before the Cataclysm took his life.

"Fine, what is the price for my wish?"

Gimmi raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Be more specific, everyone has many desires."

Gabriel growled. "My greatest desire, of course!"

Gimmi tilted his head. "Which one? The real one, or the one you claim?"

Gabriel's confusion was visible. "What?"

"Your desire to win in all things, that is your truest desire."

"What? No! That's not-!"

"Lie all you want." Gimmi interrupted Gabriel's response. "But that is your greatest desire. It can be seen in your actions." Gimmi leaned down and got in Gabriel's face, causing him to step back.

"That is why you sent your son away for being unruly. That is why you didn't save Emilie when you had the Rabbit miraculous. That is why you get pleasure in defeating a child." Gimmi used one of their many hands to gesture to Marinette, who has been watching this all happen, while still frozen from Venom.

Gimmi then turned back to Gabriel. "So again, claim all you want that your greastest wish is for Emilie's return, but you and I know the truth."

Gabriel, throughout Gimmi's examination of his character, was silent. Then did his best to look imposing. The way he did when ever someone challenged him.

"Fine, but seeing as how I was able to summon you, I think we can agee I've already achieved that dream. So, another wish is in order."

Gimmi rose back to their full height.

"I wish for Emilie's return."

"We cannot do that for you."

Gabriel physically recoiled. "What!?!" Gabriel scowled at Gimmi. "Is this some kind of rebellion? Because-!"

"We are not rebelling. The problem with that wish, is you."

Gabriel, still furious. "Explain. Now."

"Even when we ignore the fact that the Emilie you think you know and the real person are different, you still do not have anything that would be equivalent."

"Of course I do! A life for a life! I offer my own for hers!"

"Those are not equivalent." Gimmi pointed at Gabriel. "The life must equal in your eyes. An eye for eye, a loved one for a loved one."

Gabriel sputtered as Gimmi rose again. "No loved ones? I have a son!"

Gimmi stared down at Gabriel with thinly veiled contempt. "The fact that you are even considering sacrificing him shows you do not love him the way you love Emilie."

Gabriel, unbothered by Gimmi's accusation, defends himself. "He's a sentimonster. Now that the Peacock is fixed, we can just make another. I'm sure Felix would agree to do so."

Gimmi closes all their eyes as they shake their head. "Do you hear yourself? How can you claim to love your son, when this is how you talk about him? Like he's a thing to throw him away when your whims desire?"

"We're a family! We-"

"We require the bond to be present. And that bond does not exist for you. Nor does anyone feel that way for you, for the matter."

Gabriel gave a bewildered look. "No one feels... again, I have a son, Adrien. He loves me. I'm his father."

Gimmi gave Gabriel a withering look. "There was a point when Adrien loved you. But in your haste to make sure you always win, even against your son, you snuffed out any and all affection he had for you."

Gimmi looks off into the distance. "Maybe in another life, one where you loved your son like you claim to, HE could have made the wish." Gimmi turns back to Gabriel. "And do what you originally intended when you summoned me. Sacrifice you to bring her back."

As Gimmi laid out the consequences of Gabriel's actions, he seethed. "Stop this stalling!"

Gabriel went into another coughing fit as Gimmi gave him a pitying look.

When stopped coughing, Gabriel continued. "There has to be for-"

"There is no way for to bring Emilie back for you"

Gimmi leaned their cheek on the back of their hand. "Nor can I give you eternal victory, as the only way to do so would be to grant your other desire."

Gabriel snarled, with a trail of ash going his face. "Then heal me of this!"

He gestured to the part of his body that was Cataclysmed.

Gimmi shook their head. "The price would either to give you an equally bad condition-"

"I want to be healed! Not obtain a new condition!"

"-or to give it to someone else you care for." Gimmi continued without pausing when Gabriel tried to interrupt them.

"But as we established, you have no one you care for. So again, we cannot do that either."

Gimmi stared down at Gabriel, as he finally realized what they were saying. "You can't mean..." Gabriel, for the first time in a long time, was feeling dread.

"Yes Gabriel," Gimmi leaned over him, "you have nothing to lose, and as such, nothing to gain."

[ebiartics]

"Handsome?" Luka questioned, leaning back slightly. "Why?"

"He was a model. Almost every 14-year-old French girl was fawning over him a decade ago," she explained, her grin widening as she finished entering the name.

"Then who's the hotshot for French girls nowadays?" Luka asked, also grinning.

"Hmm, probably you," Marinette said with a teasing smile, knowing it would fluster him, "being the most famous French singer of all time, and in my opinion, also the most talented."

As she expected, his cheeks went red, and he chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair. He glanced away briefly before meeting her gaze again with a shy smile.

This was nice.

Snippet & art from the new chapter of Set to Love (Read here on Ao3) coming soon!

[xhanisai]

Adrien, you money-blind fool 💞

AO3

Pairing - Adrinette

Prompt - 'Money'

Summary -

 There on her desk was THE LATEST model of the SEWING MACHINE that she had been dreaming (practically salivating) about getting her hands on since the day it was released in stores. All neatly arranged and wrapped with a cute bow on top, surrounded by her gawking classmates whose jaws would drop at any second.

Oh.

And Adrien was standing by the side with the most adorable, kitten-like grin, beaming brighter than the sun could ever dream of. When he registered her arrival, Marinette could have sworn that his beautiful greens lit up and glittered like emeralds as he waved her over joyfully.

Oh dear.

He did it again.

Oh, Adrien.

~(x)~

.

.

.

 When Marinette arrived at class with at least ten minutes or so to spare (for once), she expected a few playful jabs from her friends at most for being early. Maybe walking into either Alix and Kim's wild, exaggerated stories about their latest daredevil stunt and how they narrowly 'escaped death' or even an Akuma attack because le Papillon doesn't believe in a consistent timetable and thrives on disrupting her day as much as possible (like the miserable old cretin he is).

 Even the possibility of Alya bouncing up to her and shoving an old book in her face that talked about famous figures whom she suspects could have potentially been miraculous holders in the past would have been plausible (though, Marinette thought that her best friend’s last theory of the infamous Jack the Ripper being a villanous miraculous holder was a stretch).

 But no.

 Nope.

 Nuh-uh.

 There on her desk was THE LATEST model of the SEWING MACHINE that she had been dreaming (practically salivating) about getting her hands on since the day it was released in stores. All neatly arranged and wrapped with a cute bow on top, surrounded by her gawking classmates whose jaws would drop at any second.

 Oh.

 And Adrien was standing by the side with the most adorable, kitten-like grin, beaming brighter than the sun could ever dream of. When he registered her arrival, Marinette could have sworn that his beautiful greens lit up and glittered like emeralds as he waved her over joyfully.

 Oh dear.

 He did it again.

 Oh, Adrien.

 "W-Why...?" Marinette managed to rasp, shuffling towards her desk and her face began to redden the closer she got to the love of her life. "It's way too much! You shouldn't spend so much on me like that!" All she got in return was a stupidly cute (illegally adorable) pout from the blond and for a second, she could have sworn she saw feline ears plastering against his hair.

 "But you re-eeeeeeally wanted it," His eyes became impossibly larger to the point where she could see her flustered reflection within them. "An incredible artist like you deserves everything~!" And he got closer to her, cradling her hands gently with his own as if they were made of delicate porcelain. "Please accept it? Marinette? Please?"

 And she was a goner.

 “Erm— ah— ehem! F-Fine…” Just like always, she caved in to his whims and the pure, boyish smile he let out could have cured all the ailments and sicknesses in the universe with how radiant it was. “Only if you accept the gift I’ll make you in return with this sewing machine.” She mumbled, keeping her blues averted whilst her face grew hotter and hotter the more he stared down at her. 

 “I would love that!” He dealt the final blow by bringing her into his embrace and holding her tight, robbing her of every single breath, thought and sense of sanity. Neither of them paid any mind to their classmates’ giggles and light cheers (barring Lila and Chloé of course who looked ready to unleash the furious second wolf within but this ain’t about them). “I’ll bring you your favourite chocolates as a ‘thank you’ gift.” He didn’t expect her to pull back a little just to direct a (fucking downright adorable) glare at him.

 Baby blues narrowed. Kissable lips pooched. Skin still blooming with that sweet, sweet sakura hue.

 “Don’t. You’ve already given me plenty! And my gift is a ‘thank you’ for your gift.” She had her hands on her hips sternly but his hands remained on her shoulders, his smile now turning cheeky (and resembling her silly, beloved partner a little too much for her liking). “Promise me you won’t give me anything else.”

 His smile only grew wider and then…

 He ran.

 .

 “W-What!? ADRIEN! HEY! DON’T YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME!”

 And she ran after him.

 .

 “One-thousand, four-hundred and ninety-nine euros…” Max rasped after a beat of silence, eying his phone in horror after searching up the new sewing machine in curiosity. “That lovesick fool spent one-thousand, four-hundred and ninety-nine euros on Marinette this time round.” He didn’t even flinch when Kim choked on his drink and spritzed it out of his nose, sounding like a dying monkey in the background. “We need to stop him now.”

 “Trust me. We’ve tried.” Alya bleated, thinking back to the super, super expensive set of Ladybug-themed merchandise Adrien bought for her as a late birthday gift that she’s religiously kept in their packaging and dusted every single day and the brand new set of headphones he got for Nino (“Babe…I can’t trust myself to actually use these! They’re so expensive that if I get even dust on them, I’ll never forgive myself…”). “But he’s just as stubborn as Marinette and you’ve seen just how hard it is to say no to him when he uses those kitten eyes.”

 Internally, she thanked all the higher deities she could think of from the top of her head that Adrien wasn’t a supervillain like le Papillon or else the entire world would be absolutely fucked and everyone would allow him to do whatever he wanted with the bat of his unfairly long lashes. ‘Ugh. Rich people.’

 “Oh, no~! I really, really want these limited-edition weight sets and swimming sets from JD Sports but I don’t have the money right now~! Whatever shall I do— aHCK!” Kim was shut up with the whack of his empty water bottle against the back of his head, courtesy of Juleka who was fed up with his yapping (and was probably getting revenge from when he accidentally shot water at her through his nose earlier on).

 “That reminds me— he called me his honourary big sister and bought me these awesome lacey gloves.” Though her quiet mumbles were hardly audible, the rare but gorgeous beam on her face said everything as Juleka wiggled her fingers.

 Once again, everyone's jaw dropped.

 Those gloves were the latest designer garments from Juleka’s favourite brand and last they all checked, it cost a whopping two thousand euros.

 .

 “This is why his dad hates us all…” Nino muttered bleakly. The entire class looked down with tight lips, wondering how on earth they would manage to pull off a surprise party for their money-blind but wonderful Adrien for his upcoming birthday without his stick-in-the-mud father getting in between their plans out of pure spite. 

 Oh, they were so, so, so screwed.

 They all simultaneously hoped that Marinette would put some sense into him and ensure that the singular working brain cell of his finally, finally registers that he doesn’t need to spend an ungodly amount of money on his loved ones.

~(x)~

 “Really? He really said I’m allowed to use this card to purchase whatever I like?” Adrien bounced on his heels, holding the debit card that Nathalie handed him as if it were a piece of treasure that could change his life forever. Literal stars were glittering in his eyes and the woman mustered all the strength within her to not melt on the spot like his late mother would have. 

 “Yes. He said it’s the least he could do considering you’re the face of his brand and have been working very hard since the very beginning.” She lied, relishing the look that the man would have plastered on his face once he noticed the strange purchases being made by his son and how he would not be able to do a single little thing about it thanks to her. She had Gabriel’s arm pressed against his back and she was going to milk every single bit out of it, starting with ensuring that Adrien was living a happy life and fulfilling his own wishes and dreams.

 “Tell him I said thank you! Now I’ll be able to buy my friends all the things they deserve!” She didn’t expect him to pounce her in a hug like an over-excited kitten and before she could even think of wrapping her arms around him, Adrien pulled back and grinned at the card with that sweet, sweet smile of his. “I know just the thing for Marinette.” 

 He skipped away, leaving behind a grinning Nathalie and a cooing Duusu who remained hidden within the lapels of her blazer. 

 “Is there a limit on the card by any chance?” Duusu asked, peering out of the fabric now that the coast was clear. She was met with her wielder's smile turning into a devilish smirk that would have given Chat Noir a run for his money.

 “Nope~!”

 And in the near future, Gabriel Agreste faints on the spot after checking his bank statements, finding out that within a week over a hundred thousand euros were spent on fancy cheese alone.

 (Meanwhile, Ladybug figured out her silly partner’s civilian identity because what other idiot in this city would spend thousands on her without a second thought? Not that telling him off did anything because she kissed him silly first).

.

.

.

~(x)~

[mlb-a-rewrite]

Miraculous Make No Sense

so I changed how they work.

I love me a well-thought-out and deliberate magic system. I love seeing the different rules and properties of how magic works and I love seeing how the author expands and works around those rules. Limitations are placed, followed, and then explored.

Miraculous Ladybug doesn't do this.

The powers are unbalanced and unrestrained. Miraculous can do whatever the writers want them to whenever they need it to happen. There are no limitations to the powers and the powers don't balance one another out.

This was the first issue I tackled in my rewrite.

Miraculous Overview

I decided that there are two "categories" for miraculous. They are either first or second-ring miraculous. (This is taking inspiration from the miracle box featured in the show and how the miraculous are organized into different rings).

What ring a miraculous belongs to determines how "powerful" it is. All miraculous, regardless of what ring or miracle box they belong to, have the following features:

It is a piece of jewelry

It is connected to and contain imagery of an animal

When a miraculous is worn by a person, the person will be granted, regardless of what ring or miracle box the miraculous belongs to, the following items:

They will now be able to see all Kwamis (regardless of miracle box or ring affiliation)

A unique phrase that will allow them to transform between civilian attire and hero attire

If a person is transformed, they will:

Get a magic girl costume and a magical girl transformation! The costume combines elements of the wearer's personal tastes and the animal associated with the miraculous

Have general enhancements (i.e. they are faster, stronger, have quicker reflexes, etc. but mental capabilities remain unchanged; if they’re dumb as fuck they stay dumb as fuck)

Have a magic weapon/object unique to the miraculous that serves at the housing unit of their special ability

One power unique to their miraculous

All miraculous have the attributes featured above, however, a first-ring miraculous grants the wearer 2 additional special abilities that a second-ring miraculous doesn't.

Special Abilities

In the rewrite, the special ability unique to the miraculous is how I am classifying the powers of each character. Cataclysm, Lucky Charm, Mirage, Venom, etc. are all the special abilities of each miraculous.

Second-ring miraculous have temporary special abilities. If the fox miraculous wearer casts Mirage and then detransforms, Mirage deactivates the illusion dissipates. However, first-ring special abilities are permanent (with one exception, more on that later). So when a ladybug wearer uses Restoration ("Restoration" being the new name for the "Miraculous Ladybug" power seen in the show) and then detransforms, all the damage they just repaired stays repaired.

Powers are also draining to the wearer. The bigger or more precise the use of the power is, the more physically draining it is. It takes a lot of strength, both physically and mentally, as well as a deep connection with the miraculous/kwami to use it for a wider range of uses. It is pretty easy for a black cat wearer to activate cataclysm and let it do whatever it wants, but it is more difficult to control that damage to a certain area or to destroy tougher materials. This adds more restrictions to the powers and gives the characters something to work on.

First-Ring vs. Second-Ring

For second-ring miraculous, there is only one special ability, hence why the fox miraculous only has mirage, but first-ring miraculous have multiple (why the ladybug miraculous has lucky charm and miraculous ladybug and de-evilize/deakumatization and-). This is because first-ring miraculous are more powerful.

I think of each miraculous wearer as having spell slots. For second-ring wearers, they only have 1 spell slot and 1 spell in that slot they can use. For first-ring wearers, they have 3 spell slots with 2 spells that are permanently stuck there.

To use an example from the show:

Any wearer of the ladybug miraculous, regardless of any differentiating factors, will always be able to use "Lucky Charm" and "Restoration". However, that third spell slot can be switched out to fit the situation. This third slot is there to be able to counteract and balance out other miraculous. So if a wearer of the ladybug miraculous thinks the wearer of the butterfly miraculous is using akumatization for nefarious reasons, that third "slot" would acquire a "spell" that directly combats akumatization, which is where the de-evilize ability in the show comes in.

This third ability only exists to combat other miraculous. If, for instance, a ladybug wearer is fighting in a war, the third ability won't make them bullet proof or something because guns are not a product or feature of a miraculous. The third ability only develops to counteract other miraculous.

In addition to that, this third ability only develops as a result of intense emotion. If a ladybug wearer just dislikes another wearer, the third ability isn't going to manifest, but if the ladybug wearer truly believes with every fiber of their being that another miraculous is being used for evil, then the ability will form.

So in the show, Marinette doesn't gain the ability to de-evilize right away. Only when she gets deeply and emotionally invested in the battle does that third ability form.

The final bit about the third power is that you can only use one third power at at a time. Going back to the spell slot analogy, you can have multiple spells you know how to use, but because there is only one slot available, you can only "equip" one spell at a time. When a spell is replaced with another, its effects disappear. Since two of the spell slots are permanently taken up, there is only one "customizable" spell slot.

Final Notes

Miraculous are all about balance. All miracle boxes have 2 rings, and the first ring only ever have 2 miraculous. These miraculous are always opposites and balance each other.

Which is why it makes no sense that Ladybug has so many fancy ass powers and Chat Noir only has cataclysm. Like what??????? So I ended up severely limiting Ladybug's powers and adding more restrictions and clarification. I also wrote in a new power for Chat Noir but this is already long enough so I'll save those details for a different post. :)