mandakatame

[mandakatame]

Why’d they have to make Adrien a complete dumbass? The dude is meant to be perfection incarnate, he’s top of the class, doesn’t that warrant intelligence, but, no, Ass-truck wants to have his cake and eat it, too. Because everybody complains about Adrien being a dumbass. Adrien is not a dumbass, the writers made Adrien a dumbass to keep us on a leash about Adrinette and be a plot device. If Adrien’s intelligence is reflected by how he performs in school, then the show would have probably be over by season 3. I guess that answers my own question, huh?

[mandakatame]

Catacombs AU

Extension of the TKoL AU by CartoonAddict564

OP: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34196134/chapters/85087078

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

I haven’t been able to really get this AU out of my head and it’s difficult to put it down as a sufficient story. Here goes, though. Maybe somebody can make something out of this? Credit me if you do, please.

Adrien is kicked out of his home. All he has is a backpack with a few sets of clothes, food, water, and a wad of cash. In his pockets is his ID and an old flip phone.

Everybody sneers at him and talk as he has no choice but to walk on the public sidewalk. It’s not long before he is pushed into an alley and assaulted. His backpack, phone, and ID are stolen. His clothes are in tatters.

Adrien doesn’t leave Paris even though he knows he can. He feels like he cannot live anywhere else. He sleeps in cramped hiding spots during the day and scours dumpsters for food during the night after businesses rejected him and homeless communities threatened to kill him. Water is obtained through water fountains set up in public parks. Public toilets are used as well.

He finds a zip-up hoodie left on a bench. It becomes his most treasured item as it was something lucky that happened to him ever since that day.

Officers were called for a suspected robbery and finds Adrien trying to climb to a hiding spot. He’s recognized and guns are immediately drawn, treating Adrien as an armed threat. Officers fire and Adrien runs. A few bullets hit him, but he somehow keeps going. He eventually is forced under a bridge and dives into a tunnel to try to evade them.

Adrien runs and runs and runs in the dark tunnels. He fails to notice the officers stopping their chase. A manhunt is made public for the arrest of Adrien Agreste.

A month passes with most efforts going on in the tunnels. Adrien Agreste is reported presumed dead in the labyrinth that is the Catacombs. Paris cheers, some are little saddened, but do not care much.

Years pass and a man so gaunt he looked like he should’ve died ages ago crawls from a tunnel and collapses in the nearby water. He drinks and drinks and drinks until he vomits the liquid, then drinks some more. He had finally made it.

Adrien continues his previous lifestyle, but instead of hiding above ground, he hides underground. He memorized the layout of the Catacombs, but was unlucky to find an exit. He knows that he is not human, at least not fully, and ponders the implication that he could be a more advanced version of the Ladybug sentimonster from years and years ago, with the additional strength. He also developed versions of Plagg and his mother to keep him company. There are clear signs of mental degradation such as scattered thought and paranoia.

Adrien finds a euro note and risks identification when purchasing a journal and a packet of pens. The first thing he writes is a mantra he had told himself.

The mantra: “You are Adrien Agreste, son of Emilie Graham de Vanily, who died when you were thirteen, and Gabriel Agreste, who terrorized Paris and its people. You were Chat Noir. You failed Paris, those that care about you, those you care about, and yourself. This is your punishment.” In addition to this, he writes everything he can remember. His sporadic and repetitive writing is a result of mental degradation

He finds more entrances and and can freely traverse the Catacombs. If he encounters people, he attacks with a femur, knocking them out, searching for food, water, and supplies, before dragging them to an entrance.

He becomes known as the Man of the Catacombs. There is small interest as many of the people who have been attacked and robbed by the man were lost and could’ve died.

This continued for years. Adrien’s mind was still degrading and it wasn’t long before suicide became a thing. Bullets to vital areas from a stolen pistol, a shank to the neck, hanging, . . .

Luka and Marinette become curious and decide to venture into the Catacombs to find the man. They got lost, but before they could resort to their powers, both are knocked out. They wake up in a rectangular room taller than most of the Catacombs. Bones are organized and there is a stockpile of water bottles, food, flashlights, and batteries

They find the man searching through their stuff, the room illuminated by a dim battery lamp. He sets aside their food, water, batteries, and flashlights. They here him mutter nonsense to Plagg and his mother.

When Adrien mentions Plagg, Marinette gasps and gets the attention of Adrien. Adrien turns around and sees Marinette and Luka awake. Marinette calls his name and Adrien responds with the mantra. They see his peculiar scars and ask about it. Adrien answers in erratic language implying suicide. Marinette finds and tucks away his journal

He notices the ring Luka is wearing and tackles both calling for Plagg to “give [him] freedom, give [him] death.” He threatens to severely injure Luka if he doesn’t show up, making sure Luka can’t transform. Marinette transforms, but the same threat is applied. 

Plagg shows himself and promises to end his life if he lets go of Luka and shows the way out. Adrien enthusiastically agrees, acting like a child who had promised a bucket of candy, he talks to “his mother” about finally dying. It isn’t long before he leads them to a sewer entrance and up a manhole into an alley.

When they finally arrive, Adrien wishes to be killed in front of all of Paris instead to make them happy. They refuse, Adrien gets angry and starts destroying the alley. They give in.

With the help of Nadja Chamack and Chloe the announcement and arrangement of Adrien’s survival in the Catacombs and his execution by the kwami of destruction himself.

The people of Paris gathered in front of the main city hall. A simple stage had been set up  and Adrien was presented bolted down to a platform on the stage, cleaned up and wearing gray. And with one final shout to his mother that he was going to die before maniacal laughter, Plagg called his cataclysm and pressed it against his ex-charge’s forehead. The people of Paris cheer.

[mandakatame]

Emilie

Adrien looked at Emilie playing football (soccer) with Annette, Darren, and Armand. He pushed up his glasses and grabbed his blackwood cane. It was getting dark and the others would be needed home for dinner. He stood up, using his cane as light support and called, “It’s time to go. Your parents are waiting.”

“C’mon, Dad, we’re fourteen” Emilie whined.

“Sorry, princess. These three are needed home and it is a school night,” Adrien replied.

“M Graham is right, Em,” Darren agreed, “We’re getting pretty hungry.”

“You can play tomorrow, or if you all get your homework done, make progress on essays or projects, and are done with chores, I’m sure your parents, as well as I, would allow a session of whatever MMORPG you’re playing,” Adrien furthered.

He turned to walk to the inconspicuous Mercedes-Benz coupe. It was a sleek, red car. Something a man of good wealth had. It was a cheap commodity to Adrien, though. However, it was loaded with features for safety and performance to ensure his and his daughter’s safety. With his disability, he couldn’t protect her as well as he should.

A lot had changed after his talk with Luka. He did things that he wouldn’t have done before. Things that made Ladybug proclaim a bounty on his miraculous. He had stolen Rena Rouge’s necklace and used it to trick his father into coming into public eye and forced him to hand over their miraculouses to him in front of everybody, exposing his identity and forcing him to reveal Mayura’s. He had created a mirage in which it showed him threatening Adrien with a cataclysm, and since Adrien was Cat Noir, Ladybug incorrectly assumed the threat was very real. Cat Noir used the same threat to retreat with the miraculouses.

Soon after, Adrien filed for early emancipation and visited his father and Nathalie multiple times to extract any information they were withholding, including how to get to his mother. He had unhooked her life support and bought a casket. Adrien buried her right in front of her statue and added a black onyx headstone with gold inlay. He finally got to say goodbye to his mother.

He inherited all his father’s assets after his emancipation was approved, including ownership of the crumbling fashion company, but his mother’s assets were given back to her family. When he applied for emancipation he also requested approval from his aunt to officially change his name to Adrien Graham de Vanily. He also rebranded the fashion company to Emilie as homage to his mother and try to save the company.

During lycee, he was socially isolated and his friends didn’t really know how to talk to him after it was revealed that his father was Shadowmoth. He was known to visit the Liberty on condition: that no one else but Luka and his family was aboard the ship. Even then, he never talked to Anarka, Juleka, Jagged, or Rose. He would only talk with Luka. However, most of the time he spent in his emptier house. He kept Gorilla for a while as well as the chef and housekeeper, but eventually, Gorilla was let go with a hefty retirement package, and the chef was allowed to pursue a more rewarding position. The housekeeper was exchanged for a hired team of professional cleaners who would come once a month.

After graduating, Adrien didn’t go to university. He still kept control of the company and all executive decisions had to be passed by him. Sometimes he would walk into the headquarters and observe what his employees were doing and ask questions. He also made an immediate offer, but not to her face. Marinette Dupain-Cheng accepted and quickly climbed the ranks in the company. Marinette never saw him after the initial welcome to the company. Her only communication with him was by phone.

Also after graduation, he stopped interacting with his old friends, even Luka. They had kept the true nature of their relationship hidden from everyone, especially Marinette since she and Luka were together and now married with two children. Meetings never resulted in sex, but it did allow Adrien to indulge himself with someone. He moved onto picking up prostitutes off the street. He would cook them dinner and would talk about their lives. If he liked them, they would be able to sleep in his bed, and, if one was fortunate, they would fulfill each others’ need to procreate. They would be compensated by their rate if he didn’t like who he picked, but the ones he felt deserved it were given thousands of euros and some were given the opportunity to learn and work in his company. Many were unhappy with him hiring prostitutes of the streets and voiced it (they didn’t know he had spent nights with them). He was even confronted by reporters about the decision, but he brushed it off. He hadn’t been able to live the life he wanted, he still isn’t, but now he doesn’t regret it.

It was also during this time after graduation that he started volunteering at an orphanage discreetly. It was where he was most of the time. He was provided a room as an office if he ever needed to attend to anything, but he always trusted Marinette to make the right calls. This was where he met Emily. She had beautiful, blonde hair, vibrant, green eyes, and a cute, button nose. He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. She looked so much like his mother. At twenty-six, he filed for the adoption of then five year old Emilie. Emilie herself had been ecstatic. She had been in the orphanage long enough to only refer to Adrien as “Dad,” so when her “Dad” told her she was going to go home with him, she just cried.

Adrien would continue his time at the orphanage with Emilie visiting often. He enrolled her in public school and encouraged her to find an activity that she enjoyed. That turned out to be an avid interest in sculptures with the focus of making them out of things that were in broken or in states of decay. Adrien also had her learn martial arts under private tutors: Muay Thai under Aat Suwan and the bo from Sifu Xiao Lang. She did not have an outstanding talent for either, but her dedication to the disciplines pleased both teachers and her father. On top of this she was given English lessons.

Despite all this, he allowed Emilie breaks and always kept Friday nights and weekends free for her. He never wanted her to feel trapped, but wanted her to still succeed.

“Adrien, you don’t have much time left. You can’t hide these kinds of things from me,” Plagg cried. No one in the past and no one in the future would ever compare to him. He cursed the little time he had with his best friend.

“Master, please, you must make a decision.”

“Decisions are hard to make, but it was an easy one to avoid Camembert.”

The kwamis sat in front of Adrien who was looking out through the window in his study. The truth did not shave a few years of his life. It cut off decades. It’s entirely possible that he wouldn’t meet his grandchild, that he wouldn’t see Emilie’s marriage, that he wouldn’t see her graduations. It was very likely he wasn’t going to see her grow up into a fine woman.

He fidgeted with his ring. “Do you think I don’t know that, Plagg? How can I hide anything from you? We’re best friends ‘til the end. I’ve accepted that I’m going to die. I still wish I had more time with you and Nooroo and Duusu. And I want to see Emilie grow up.”

“What do you plan to do with us, Master?”

“Us. Plagg, Nooroo, and Duusu,” the peacock kwami cheered.

“You two will be under the protection of my daughter, who will be the next rendition of Chat Noir. She’ll start patrolling the streets again. I’ve had her trained well and she knows the importance of destruction and its balance with creation. I do not deny that I’ve groomed her to be the successor, but Emilie will need you all after I’m gone, so I had to make her worthy and strong for her own sake.”

“When do you want to tell her?”

“Now. I do not know when I’ll go.”

He pressed a button connected a speaker on his desk

“Kitten, can you please come to the study? I need to discuss something with you.”

“Coming, Dad.”

Soon enough the rapid approach of footsteps could be heard thumping against the rug covered marble. The pixie haired girl quickly, but quietly, made her way into the room. Her green eyes glowed in anticipation. Adrien motioned at the sofa and she sat. He took the three boxes and the journal from his desk and made his way slowly next to Emilie.

“So what are these, Dad?”

He adored her respectful curiosity. She always asked such simple questions and would elaborate later. He breathed in, then out.

“These, sweetie, are miraculous.” And with one swift motion all were opened revealing a black ring, a purple pin, and a peacock feather brooch. And with their reveal came the presence of three floating creatures.

Emilie was shocked. All she knew about the miraculous was that her grandfather wanted them badly and that they were what gave the heroes of Paris their power. She had also stumbled back at the appearance of the creatures.

“D-dad, h-how do you have these? And what are those?”

“I’ll answer the second question, first. Emilie, meet Plagg, the kwami of the Black Cat Miraculous of Destruction, Nooroo, kwami of the Butterfly Miraculous of Transmission, and Duusu, kwami of the Peacock Miraculous of Emotion.”

“Nice to finally meet you, girl Adrien,” Plagg chuckled, circling the girl’s head.

“I’m at your service, my lady,” Nooroo bowed.

“Your eyes are so geen, and your face is so pretty,” Duusu awed in Emilie’s face.

“N-nice to meet you, too.”

“And to answer your first question. Your old man was Chat Noir,” Adrien gave a hearty chuckle, “I thought you could tell with how charming I am, but I do concede I’ve reduced my use of puns greatly.”

Emilie couldn’t believe it. Her father was Chat Noir. The same Chat Noir who defeated Shadowmoth and Mayura single-handedly. The one who exposed them as Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur. The one who was now deemed rogue by Ladybug.

“Wait, Dad. Does that mean you were fighting Grandfather that whole time?”

Adrien deflated. “Yes. As I told you he wasn’t the best father, but I had never thought he’d be someone like that. It’s all in the past now. Also, he doesn’t know it was me, neither does Nathalie.”

“What about the peacock and butterfly miraculouses. Why haven’t you given them back to Ladybug?”

“These miraculouses allow the user to be completely sedentary. Akumas and sentimonsters can be active even when the user is not transformed. What I’m trying to say is that there is a reason why it took so long for Ladybug, the other heroes, and I to defeat him. Well, I ended up defeating him, but that was only because I was Shadowmoth’s son.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because you will be my successor. You will become the next wielder of the Miraculous of the Black Cat. Your partner will be Plagg.”

“Heyo.”

“You are also to guard Nooroo and Duusu. All of them are allowed to visit the other kwamis. Under my will, they cannot say or do anything that would lead any of the heroes back here, however.”

“But Ladybug, your reason doesn’t make sense.”

“I guess it’s a sort of revenge. To show that I am responsible and worthy.”

“Why?”

“Your Dad had issues growing up. Struggling with my self-worth was one of them. I kept the miraculouses hidden from the world. The kwamis have never been seen by a hero. You have lived here for nine years and they didn’t accidentally reveal themselves to you once. And only two people in this entire world know who I am. You and Luka Couffaine.”

“Why does M. Couffaine know your identity?”

“He was and still is the wielder of the Snake Miraculous of Second Chances. There was a loop where I transformed in some way and he saw me. But he’s on our side. You can trust him.”

Adrien picked up the leather bound journal, “This has everything you need to know about me as a hero and what little history I’ve managed to pick up about the miraculous themselves. Also included are notes on powers of the kwami and who their wielders are and more elaborate notes on Plagg’s powers. I’ve also included the names of all the heroes, except for Ladybug, I don’t know hers, in case anything goes wrong. You are not to contact them or approach them willingly whether they or you are transformed or not. Plagg, Nooroo, and Duusu will help you along the way.”

“Does this mean that you’re going to go soon?”

“Yes.”

The next morning Emilie cried hysterically over her father’s lifeless body while three small creatures tried to comfort her. In the room of Felix Graham de Vanily a ethereal blue feather popped out of a silver ring.

arrhythmic

Short story inspired by this comic made by @kiidal

~~~

It started a while ago. He never forgot his first.

“Nathalie. There is something I must tell you about my son.”

He had only gone down to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water for himself, his kwami already satiated with the rounds of camembert hidden around his room. But those words caught his ears, the light from his father’s office caught his eyes, and soon he had creeped silently closer, his socks making no noise on the marble. He stopped right at the closed door.

“What is it, sir?” The sound of pacing could be heard.

“Tell me, Nathalie, have you ever felt something off with Adrien? When you are Mayura, specifically?”

“No, sir. Should I have?”

There was a pregnant pause before a clatter was heard of objects hitting the cold marble.

“Sir, no, you don’t mean to tell me …”

There was fear, despair, concern, and ultimately disbelief in her voice before a light thud was heard as her knees gave out from under her.

“Felix took one of the Graham de Vanily rings when they visited. I don’t know which one is which.” More steps of leather shoes were heard. “You’re still running a fever. Once you’ve stabilized, you will feel for the amok in the ring I still have.”

“Please, sir, confirm for me.” Her voice was shaking. “Is Adrien …”

“Yes, he is what has been coined a sentimonster. If you recall the crash that took place over a year ago?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“It seems Adrien was killed or at least fast approaching death. The driver’s was immediate. However, Emilie fared better. So she risked her own life to save Adrien’s. She activated the peacock miraculous and used it to bind her love to Adrien’s existence within the ring she wore and therefore prolonging his life. When Adrien woke up without any memory of the crash, that’s when I had you implement the measures to ensure Adrien was ignorant and that Emilie passed.”

“Are you ever going to tell him, sir?”

“One day. We’ve convinced him Emilie passed. How am I to explain that she is in a coma barely holding onto life under this house?” The voice held some grief.

His head was reeling. Nathalie was Mayura, That meant his father was Hawkmoth. He was also part sentimonster and his amok was in his mother’s wedding ring. He had died or almost did. There was a crash. His mother was still alive. He gathered whatever sanity he had left and quickly, but quietly returned to his room, the glass of water forgotten.

He took in the information and he nearly went crazy. He explained everything to Plagg. Even he couldn’t help Adrien through this panic attack. Plagg was trying to hug his partner, his best friend, to help calm him down, but it was for naught. Adrien kept shaking, gasping for air, his legs tucked to his chest and his arms. He could feel his heart beating and then it happened. A beat skipped, his heart shook, and the pain that followed had him vomiting a spot of bile before he lost consciousness.

Keep reading

[mandakatame]

arrhythmic

Short story inspired by this comic made by @kiidal

~~~

It started a while ago. He never forgot his first.

“Nathalie. There is something I must tell you about my son.”

He had only gone down to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water for himself, his kwami already satiated with the rounds of camembert hidden around his room. But those words caught his ears, the light from his father’s office caught his eyes, and soon he had creeped silently closer, his socks making no noise on the marble. He stopped right at the closed door.

“What is it, sir?” The sound of pacing could be heard.

“Tell me, Nathalie, have you ever felt something off with Adrien? When you are Mayura, specifically?”

“No, sir. Should I have?”

There was a pregnant pause before a clatter was heard of objects hitting the cold marble.

“Sir, no, you don’t mean to tell me . . .”

There was fear, despair, concern, and ultimately disbelief in her voice before a light thud was heard as her knees gave out from under her.

“Felix took one of the Graham de Vanily rings when they visited. I don’t know which one is which.” More steps of leather shoes were heard. “You’re still running a fever. Once you’ve stabilized, you will feel for the amok in the ring I still have.”

“Please, sir, confirm for me.” Her voice was shaking. “Is Adrien . . .”

“Yes, he is what has been coined a sentimonster. If you recall the crash that took place over a year ago?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“It seems Adrien was killed or at least fast approaching death. The driver’s was immediate. However, Emilie fared better. So she risked her own life to save Adrien’s. She activated the peacock miraculous and used it to bind her love to Adrien’s existence within the ring she wore and therefore prolonging his life. When Adrien woke up without any memory of the crash, that’s when I had you implement the measures to ensure Adrien was ignorant and that Emilie passed.”

“Are you ever going to tell him, sir?”

“One day. We’ve convinced him Emilie passed. How am I to explain that she is in a coma barely holding onto life under this house?” The voice held some grief.

His head was reeling. Nathalie was Mayura, That meant his father was Hawkmoth. He was also part sentimonster and his amok was in his mother’s wedding ring. He had died or almost did. There was a crash. His mother was still alive. He gathered whatever sanity he had left and quickly, but quietly returned to his room, the glass of water forgotten.

He took in the information and he nearly went crazy. He explained everything to Plagg. Even he couldn’t help Adrien through this panic attack. Plagg was trying to hug his partner, his best friend, to help calm him down, but it was for naught. Adrien kept shaking, gasping for air, his legs tucked to his chest and his arms. He could feel his heart beating and then it happened. A beat skipped, his heart shook, and the pain that followed had him vomiting a spot of bile before he lost consciousness.

---

He would get triggered by anything that reminded him of the devastating truth and its implications. He would get sweaty and slightly tremble. If it was really bad he could feel his heart beat so hard that it was hurting. It didn’t help that he would be nearly suffocating through the whole thing.

The second big serious panic attack had happened after the seventy second battle against Monsieur Pigeon. A battle he wasn’t needed for. The third came after Optigami, a seemingly important and dangerous battle that he wasn’t needed in and he was never debriefed about. The fourth came after the battle between Sentibubbleur. He had been sidelined and somehow a civilian, even though it was his friend Marinette, had known more about this plan than he did. The fifth after Larme Ultime, when he found out that Nino and Alya were Carapace and Rena Rouge respectively and that they both knew each other’s identities. The sixth came after his love had said, “I will never leave you, kitty.”

Because she had left him. He was not necessary. He didn’t know anything anymore. All he felt was pain. His heart would throb violently, his head would pound with doubt. Guilt for not revealing who his enemies are to her worsened his heartache. He didn’t want to lose his father, not so soon after he lost his mother. And Nathalie was becoming sick, just like his mother. 

---

He was trapped by societal convention. There was a new akuma, a fairly destructive one. They apparently had a grudge against the Parisian government for destroying a small park for development. As revenge, they were granted a power that allowed them to eradicate government assets including public infrastructure. The school immediately went to the boiler room. A few people were missing. Most notably, Alya and Nino. Ladybug must have already given them their miraculous and were currently fighting the akuma without him.

Meanwhile he was in the boiler room unable to escape because his classmates and teachers would be too worried about him. But he was still Cat Noir. He might not have the agility or speed or strength that he had, but he still had the skill. And so while he was in the midst of a mild panic attack, he kicked a pipe from the railing free and stood in front of everybody, ready to defend them, even if it took his own life. It was pathetic anyways.

They could hear and feel the rumbles of the fight and as buildings and roads were destroyed. Adrien remained vigilant. His heart was fighting to break free from his chest, causing him so much pain. Cat Noir always joked about being able to be a good actor, but it was not unbased. He could smile through the pain, act brave through cowardice, and ooze confidence when all he wanted was to be alone.

There was a loud rumble from right above them. The sound of blasted concrete and asphalt, crumbling brick, and shrieks of bending metal resounded. Adrien was so focused on defending the entrance to the boiler room he didn’t register his name being called until it was too late. He briefly saw whoever took refuge in the boiler room squeeze themselves against the back wall as the ceiling above broke and started crumbling. Adrien tried to run, but the metal and concrete fell before him, he tripped and found himself impaled upon the weapon he chose to fight with. Then the ceiling collapsed on top of him.

He knew the adrenaline was the only thing numbing the excruciating pain he should be feeling with his diaphragm pierced through and the rest of his body being crushed under the rubble. He couldn’t move any of his limbs either. It wasn’t that he was physically confined, he couldn’t even feel any movement. However, he was lucky that his neck wasn’t also piled on with rubble and that his head managed to land in a pocket of air.

But that didn’t stop his heart from racing further which only increased the pain. The adrenaline was not releasing as much endorphins as needed to abate the torturous pain. His struggle to breathe only worsened from before as his chest was supporting some of the weight of the rubble and his diaphragm was heavily injured making each breath a shock to his system.

He was going to die painfully. He’s always had the thoughts. Hell, he’s died multiple times protecting his lady. But, now? Now, he was alone and in so much pain. He was trapped and so scared. He wanted his mom, he wanted someone. His heart was beating so hard. He vomited bile.

He saw the ladybugs go over his eyes and he could see the light of the fluorescent tubes. He felt most of the pain was abated. But it was too late. As he struggled to get up, his throbbing heart beat erratically and he felt weakness and acute pain wash over him. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was Mme Bustier running toward him.

---

“According to the woman who spoke with the EMTs, rubble seemed to fall on him. The ladybug cure should have reverted whatever damage he might’ve endured.”

“So then what’s the problem?”

“The patient seems to have suffered cardiac arrest after the fact. The woman called for paramedics and performed CPR after she found him not breathing. Medics were able to get his heart back to work. The abnormality is that the patient is only fifteen years old. We did an MRI, he doesn’t have any irregularities, but after we processed the blood work, it seems his residual cortisol levels indicate that it could have been induced by deadly levels of cortisol. The only question really is, is whether the deadly levels of cortisol are due to an abnormality in the brain, which we haven’t checked, yet, or some sort of psychological cause.”

“Do what’s needed. This is the son of Gabriel Agreste, after all.”

“Yes, Monsieur.”

---

Adrien woke up disoriented with his body aching, surrounded by white, and most of alone. He tried to move his body only to inflict some hurt in his arm, courtesy of the drip needle. He finally realized he was in a hospital, in one of the rooms where the patient was isolated.He could feel the thin covers of the mattress sheets rub against his body, his clothes having been replaced for a hospital gown. However, over it was a blanket he had seen a few times before. A pink and black comforter that belonged to none other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She had visited. She shouldn’t have. He wasn’t worthy. If he wasn’t worthy of his own partner, he wasn’t worthy of anyone.

He found the remote that adjusted his bed and set his bed so that he was more upright, practically sitting on the bed rather than laying on it. He didn’t touch the call button, though. There were plenty of patients who needed more help than he did. So he waited. But, being alone with his thoughts, nothing to distract him from the disturbing revelations sent his heart to quickly skyrocket. And soon enough a nurse and a doctor rushed in seeing him struggle to breathe.

He couldn’t make out the words of the voices as they quickly moved around him. He felt himself slowly relax though, his mind gaining an odd, hazed clarity. He could feel his heart calm and settle quietly, and his limbs became light and heavy at the same time. He could hear the voices now.

“Okay, he’s stabilized. Can you hear me, sweetie?”

Adrien turned the voice. The doctor was clearly of mixed race. She didn’t quite look East Asian, but neither european. If he didn’t know Marinette was half European and half East Asian, he would be thoroughly confused. Marinette, his close yet so distant friend. Vivid memories of her kindness washed over him as he gripped her blanket tighter. He had always thought of her as someone he could easily fall in love with. No, he wanted to. His relationship with Ladybug was deteriorating no matter how much she wanted to deny that fact. She was causing him so much pain, but he still loved her too much. His heart started to constrict.

“Adrien.”

It was still soothing, yet somehow firm, as if the call was to ground him. He turned again to look at her.

“Sorry, you reminded me of someone.”

“The one who gave you the blanket. I’m guessing she’s half asian as well?”

Adrien nodded.

“She cares a lot about you. She was fighting to see you and make sure you were okay. She eventually gave up and gave this blanket to us for you.”

Adrien looked away to his hands which were playing with the edge of said blanket, “What about my father?”

“Whom I assume is your teacher confided in us that whatever you’re experiencing could be due to home life, so we didn’t contact your father. We’ve run some tests and her reasons are not unfounded. Adrien, you seemed to have enough cortisol in your body to cause extreme physical trauma to your heart. You suffered from cardiac arrest. You don’t have to answer, but I must ask: do you think your home life could have something to do with your current condition?”

Adrien just gripped the blanket harder.

“Is it okay, if I take that as a yes?”

Adrien nodded.

“Don’t worry, Adrien. This is all off the record. All I want to do is help you, okay?”

The doctor suddenly took out her phone and read something on it, “It seems your father and his assistant will be arriving soon. It looks like nobody told them your true condition. They’ll be arriving soon. Do you want to see them?”

Adrien gave a reluctant nod.

“It’ll be okay, Adrien.”

The doctor stepped back and headed out the door, “I forgot to tell you. My name is Adrienne Liao.”

Adrien became bewildered before joining in on the chuckle that resounded behind the door.

---

The large hospital bill was explained away with Dr. Liao convincing the fashion mogul that only the utmost care should be given to such an esteemed patient. However, it took a resounding will for her to do so. She was deeply disturbed at two major facts about the interaction that took place in Adrien’s hospital room. The first fact was that M. Agreste did not personally show up at the hospital. She talked with the mogul through facetime on a tablet held by the assistant, Nathalie. The second fact was that Adrien behaved absolutely normally during the interaction. It was as if this was the expectation.

It was explained that Adrien was in a compromised position once the ladybug cure was done and had fallen down the stairs. The lie furthered that he was okay and tests made sure there were absolutely no complications to the boy and that medical records could be updated since he was here.

It was also unsettling that Adrien referred to his father as père, and that words were denoted in respectful terms similar to how you would a stranger. This wasn’t a healthy family dynamic. SHe noted that there was distance between father and son, and the father holding high expectations of the son, and little to no endearment from father to son. In fact, the father put some of the blame of the son’s condition on the son’s shoulders. The boy seemed overworked as well, gaining insight to the boy’s crowded schedule: various extracurriculars, modeling, plus school. Leaving little to no time for the son to spend time with any friends outside of school. And Adrien absorbed the lecture and kept obedience like a trained dog.

And there was more to it than this. After all, Adrien did imply that whatever was causing his condition was due to something that was going on at home. There were clear signs of psychological abuse and emotional abuse through the interactions between father and son. There was the ever clear mark that the both were unnaturally separate for being family as well as the controlling nature of the father over the son and the son’s acceptance. Dr. Liao also noted an aspect that confused her. She saw that there was fear in his eyes. Not fear of being punished, but fear of being physically hurt. Yet, there were no signs of physical abuse on his body. No bruises, scrapes, nor cuts could be found on his body. There were healed ones, ones that were small and due to living life, but, other than that, there were no injuries.

Eventually, they left, seeing no need for the overnight stay. She could try getting her hands on Prozac or Zoloft for the boy and somehow sneak it to him, but what Adrien really needed was a psychiatrist. Drugs were helpful, she couldn’t deny it, but what made Dr. Liao a good doctor was that she approached patients with a holistic method. And she knew that Adrien won’t be fixed with drugs.

---

He took a sour pride with how good an actor he was, but nothing stopped the chatter around school. His heart had stopped in front of many of schoolmates. If Mme. Bustier wasn’t there, he surely would’ve died. Nobody talked to him straight about it. Everybody knew there had to be something direly wrong with you to suffer cardiac arrest at fifteen. Adrien hated the talk, but was glad enough nobody asked him about it straight to his face. He could see the concern on Nino’s, Alya’s, and Marinette’s faces. Of course, they would be concerned. But two of them had lied straight to his face and exposed the liar that his lady was. And the other was a great friend who kept this odd distance, whose behavior made him question his relationship with her multiple times, in a bad way. And Chloe exposed her true colors. All his other friends were more acquaintances in reality.

He acted all day, as if nothing had happened. He was lucky that there was no akuma. Was Hawkmoth granting him mercy? What a funny thought. But Hawkmoth is his father. Maybe because he was hurt due to an akuma, technically, his father needed to plan so that Adrien wouldn’t get hurt. Adrien never suffered physical blows from his father. His father might be cold, distant, and hold too high expectations of him, but he was never physical. The only time he was hurt by his father was when he was Cat Noir. His father doesn’t know who’s behind the mask.

He had hidden several panic attacks during the school day, mostly due to all the talk behind his back and the concern on his friends’ faces. He just wanted things to be normal. But, his father had other plans. The mogul had decided to go about the photoshoot in a different way. He would still wear the designer clothing, but he would be free to do whatever he liked. The photographer would take pictures of him as he walked around Paris or had interactions. Of course his bodyguard was to be present at all times, but not so close as to interfere with the shoot in any way. At least it was some freedom for Adrien, so he consented. Internally, at least. It was not a choice for him anyways.

Strangely enough, he never decided to call a friend and hang out with them, nor go to the bakery run by Marinette’s parents. No, he just walked aimlessly throughout Paris. In all his fifteen years of life, he’d only been to places for modeling shoots, and they were often iconic landmarks or studios. He got to see more of Paris as Chat Noir, but even then, he had a job to do. He never really got to explore. So that’s what he did.

He had dived into alleys and climbed up walls. Sometimes he perched on top of things he climbed like his other persona. He’d walked into shops and discovered their wares. He’d talk to employees and greet strangers on the street. He’d ran through playgrounds and jumped on and off the structures and performed tricks on the bars. He’d climbed trees, bought food, and more, but eventually it was getting dark. His schedule had been freed for the shoot, but now it was time to head back,

It wasn’t long before he heard the strumming of an electric guitar coming from ahead of him. He looked up to find the bridge over the Seine and the Liberty, the setting sun shadowing the ship with an orange glow. He diverted himself towards the strumming. Even if he didn’t know him that well, Adrien still considered him a friend. He still wondered why they broke up.

He walked across the gangway, stopping before setting foot on the actual vessel. He noticed Luka sitting at the hull of the ship.

“Luka! It’s Adrien.” Adrien tried calling over the music. It was fairly loud.

The strumming stopped and Luka got up out of the chair he was sitting in. “C’mon board, Adrien.”

Adrien stepped aboard. They dapped each other up before taking seats on one of the ottomans in front of the stage.

“Was there anything you wanted to talk about?.”

“Not really, just wanted to drop by and say ‘hi,’ so ‘hi,’” Adrien responded a little awkwardly. 

“Well, ‘hi’ to you, too,” Luka chuckled.

“Actually there was something that I wanted to know,” Adrien started again, more serious this time, “How come you and Marinette broke up? You both seemed so happy together.”

Luka lost his jovial demeanor, “I love her so much. All I want is her happiness. But she’d be happier with someone else. There’s another guy. The way she talks about him. I get jealous, really jealous, but we can’t help who we love. She also said she had other responsibilities, secrets that she couldn’t share even to him, so she left me. We became friends again and I’ll always be there for her, especially whenever she tries to confess to him.”

“Whoever this guy is is really lucky to be loved by her.”

“What about you?”

“Kagami? Well, I also have responsibilities, you can say. I, too, have secrets. She caught me in a lie and thinks I’m in love with someone else. She’s not wrong, but now I want her to be wrong.” He ended with a defeated, bitter tone.

“What do you mean?” Luka had heard of Adrien having a crush on a girl, but after Wishmaker, he knew exactly who it was.

“I’d constantly flirt with her, I’ve confessed to her multiple times, but she never really takes me seriously. Lately, she’s been leaving me, lying to me, breaking promises that we kept even though I didn’t want to. She keeps hurting me, breaking me. I’m already broken. I’m already hurting. I just want it to stop!” Adrien was a mess of sobs and tears.

“Listen, Adrien, there’s something I need to tell you.” Adrien looked up at Luka, his eyes red, the tears not stopping. Luka couldn’t look at him. “I know . . . I know you’re Cat Noir.”

Adrien let out a sad chuckle.

“Don’t worry. I’ve kept it a secret. Not even Ladybug knows.”

Tears still ran down his face, dropping down his chin and some going into his mouth. “It’s okay. Maybe if she knows you know who I am, she’ll replace me. She doesn’t need me anymore. She has plenty of heroes to help her out now. She doesn’t trust me anymore, no matter how much she says she does. She’s left me behind in battles. Sometimes I don’t even know what’s going on, and I can’t help in the way anybody wants ‘cause nobody will tell me anything. Sometimes I wonder if I should just turn in my miraculous.”

“I . . . I . . . ,” Luka didn’t know what to say.

“And that’s not all,” Adrien became a little hysterical, “I’ve been keeping secrets from Ladybug, too. Major secrets. I know who Shadowmoth is! Can you believe that? My own father! Gabriel Agreste! And Mayura? My father’s assistant, Nathalie! Oh, and you know what else, my mother is somewhere, alive, in a coma, under my house, even though I thought she was dead this whole time. And you know why she’s in such a state? She used the peacock miraculous to keep me alive. I should’ve died, Luka! I did, die! And, now I’m part sentimonster, and I don’t know if my father is still in possession of the object the amok is in.”

All Luka saw was a broken, lost soul. A soul that didn’t deserve any of the bad things in his life. He was a good actor. It was not too long ago Luka saw Adrien last. He looked a bit tired, but he was all smiles and laughs even though his social experience was still quite low. Before he could stop himself, Luka found his arms around the boy. He was trembling and he could feel the tears soon soaking into his jacket and shirt. “Adrien, I’ll always be here. I’ll support you when no one else does. I’ll be by your side even if Ladybug isn’t.”

“Don’t say anything to her. I . . . I know what I have to do.”

“I’ll be here, anytime, it doesn’t matter. Just call me, I’ll come.”

“Thank you.”

Luka didn’t have time to properly react before he felt lips gently capture his before leaving then capturing them again. He closed his eyes and gently reciprocated. He knew what he was doing wasn’t exactly the healthiest for Adrien, but the boy deserved to indulge, to do what he wanted.

Soon enough they parted with Adrien looking up at Luka, guiltily. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

Luka gave a small smile, “It’s okay, really. I was just surprised. Let’s maybe not kiss again, but if you ever need someone to hold you, or if you need a shoulder to cry on, or anything, I’m here. Okay?”

Adrien smiled and looked away, “Okay.”

---

Thank you all for reading. Epilogue coming soon.

[mandakatame]

chat’s name

omg, okay, hold up

I was just reading Double Jeu by kurohaha on AO3, a MTLC MariChat fanfic, and one of the things that Chat Noir says is, “De rien.” That’s French for “You’re welcome,” but more accurately translates to “It’s nothing.” Now, “de rien” sounds like a familiar name we all know and love: Adrien. Did Thomas do this on purpose? To show us in his name that Adrien is a selfless individual, brushing off every inconvenience, every chance of getting into trouble, so that he could  not only help his friends and team, but Paris as a whole?

And I a write this I realize, that this ‘de rien’ behavior is only possible due to the fact that it is nigh impossible for Adrien to please his father and so it is relatively easy to please others in comparison, hence ‘de rien.’

Note: I know that the name Adrien is an alternative spelling for Adrian means “son of Adria” referring to a Roman family “from Hadria.” It’s just with that spelling and subsequent pronunciation plus Astruc’s name puns lead me to believe what I’ve elaborated.

[mandakatame]

I know this is from a year ago, but I stumbled upon it.

Everybody knows about the “good friend” and “great friend” jokes. We always sigh in annoyance when we hear it. But I have the belief that it has to do with mindset assigned to context of Adrien’s relationships. 

When Adrien met Kagami for the first time. A close relationship was not the expectation of their meeting. The first time they met, their relationship was that of opponents. It doesn’t help the Adrien is essentially a people pleaser and was basically lead into a relationship by Kagami.

When Cat Noir met Ladybug, he wasn’t expecting a relationship whatsoever. He never heard Plagg say anything because he was impatient. So when he saw qualities in Ladybug that he adored, he fell in love.

But when Adrien met Marinette, his mindset was not a romantic relationship, but a platonic ones. Adrien wanted to go to school to make friends. And it should’ve been very clear that that was one of his main intentions. He believes anything seen as romantic within the context and setting of his friends would only be seen as friendliness. So any action taken that is not a blatant romantic love confession would be seen by Adrien as simply them being a “great friend.” Which is why it is so hard for anyone to make Adrien see Marinette as anything more than a great friend. The only way for Marinette to ensure a romantic relationship is to say something like, “I love you. Like more than a friend, in the romantic way.” But Marinette can never bring herself to say it.

Because some people need to hear it:

Whether or not Adrien/Kagami are canon in the New York special is irrelevant. Adrien did nothing in the special that would be considered cheating. Yes, we as the audience know to look at his actions through a romantic lens, but they are not exclusively romantic. You can dance with a friend, you can hug a friend, you can split a hot dog with a friend, you can be excited to sit next to a friend, you can tell your friend you are grateful to be friends with them. Adrien values platonic relationships extremely highly—we’ve seen this time and time again. He’s allowed to have close friends even when he’s in a romantic relationship.  If you think someone caring about a friend is inherently cheating, you don’t seem like you have any idea how to be in a relationship yourself.

[mandakatame]

Why I hate “Miraculous Ladybug”

Fans all over the world call the show “Miraculous Ladybug.” Hell, even I called it that awhile ago. But the amount of disrespect that I feel even as a typed that phrase angers me.

Why?

Because that’s not the title of the show. The title is “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir” in English and “Miraculous, les aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir” in French. And saying “Miraculous Ladybug” removes a whole aspect of the show from the name. 

Don’t get me wrong. It’s easy to say, but at what cost. Chat Noir, Adrien Agreste. He is the most emotionally fucked up character and fucked over character in the series. Let’s list his problems out, starting from the beginning of his life and what is implied.

He grew up extremely sheltered even when his Emilie was alive. He was never allowed to go to school and his only friends were Felix and Chloe. Both seem to have more freedom with Chloe being enrolled in public school and Felix seemed to be enrolled in a private school. Still both are children of socialites and therefore look at the world from a certain perspective. His mother obviously taught him compassion, kindness, and empathy, but he lacked the opportunities to use these traits.

After Emilie disappeared, Gabriel distanced himself from his son, but still kept him in the house. Adrien had to overcome his grief by himself. He still reminisces about Emilie, but he clearly has accepted her death evident when he gives support of Gabriel and Nathalie getting into a relationship. Gabriel didn’t open up to Adrien and Nathalie and Simon (Gorilla) had jobs to do that didn’t pertain to caring for him. It is my belief Gabriel gave Nathalie explicit orders not to emotionally support Adrien.

Gabriel psychologically abuses Adrien. Gabriel inflicts harsh punishments for minor mistakes or even curiosity. For example, when Adrien plays the wrong chord during his piano performance for Gabriel, the latter forbids the former from going to a concert held by his friends. When Adrien takes the Miraculous Grimoire out of curiosity, he is faced with being homeschooled once more and being ripped away from his friends

Adrien had to enroll himself in public school and had to sneak out to attend. This shows his utmost desire to socialize and make friends even though he clearly doesn’t know how to. When Marinette accuses Adrien of being like Chloe, he apologizes by explaining the situation and gives her his umbrella. It is clear by his later behavior that Adrien never expected Marinette to accept it. And going off of friends, Gabriel disapproves of any friend of Adrien’s. Gabriel still wants Adrien to be cutoff outside his house. This is evident in Bubbler and when Lila tells Gabriel of Marinette. Lila is not Adrien’s friend, she is a burden Adrien carries to keep his friends safe.

When Adrien got the Miraculous of the Black Cat of Destruction, he didn’t listen to Plagg at first. Why? Because after being in the prison that is his house for so long, this is his chance to escape and reinvent himself or be true to his nature. Freedom is Adrien’s one true desire and yet it is not. The way he acts and the way he speaks implies that Adrien wants to be free to make his own decisions and choose the people who are close to him. And yet, in Wishmaker, Adrien’s childhood wish was to be the perfect son, because why else would he turn into himself if he had no childhood dream, if that hadn’t already been the case.

No matter how pure and innocent and cinnamon-rolly fans might think he is. He is starting to become like his father. In the Christmas special, Gabriel wouldn’t be celebrating with him, so he escapes as Chat Noir. But freedom can’t soothe his lonely heart and he sees that Christmas tree. He thinks, “If I can’t have Christmas, then no one in Paris can.” In the last second he realizes his mistake and uses the cataclysm on his street ad. After getting frustrated with not being allowed in the plan where Shadowmoth takes Alya’s family and friends hostage, he destroys a chimney. And he gets irritated when Marinette, who he doesn’t know is Ladybug, knows about this plan more than him.

Going off of that, Ladybug makes it imperative to Chat Noir that secret identities are important. However, Adrien doesn’t know who Master Fu really is until “Feast.” Only Ladybug was allowed to see Master Fu prior. Only Ladybug can deliver Miraculouses and consequentially know who they’re holders are. Alya and Nino know that they are both superheroes. Marinette revealed herself to Alya. Adrien only knows the holders of two Miraculous. Marinette who is Multimouse and Luka who is Viperion, and even then the former is a lie. So Adrien only knows one holder. When Adrien learns from Nino that he is Carapace and Alya is Rena Rouge. He questions the fact the he knows Rena Rouges identity and hurt all over his face is heartbreaking as stammers out Ladybug’s mantra of keeping identities secret.

Also going off 6, Adrien sometimes treats himself the way his father treats him. Whenever he makes a mistake, he deeply regrets and seems to always imply that it’d be okay if the person who he hurt or offended would stop having any relationship with him. He is always surprised when faced with forgiveness. A thing to blame on Gabriel. In the New York special this is especially clear when Chat Noir cataclysms Uncanny Valley, who only breaks because she is an android. He gives up his miraculous and comments that if it was instead a human. So if he gives up his freedom, his escape, his relationship with Ladybug which he depends heavily on, what’s to say he won’t kill himself if he kills another.

In season 4, Adrien’s nightmares come true. There are battles where he isn’t needed, where everything went perfect and he wasn’t there. He wasn’t needed. And you can kind of see it in other episodes, too. There are multiple akumatized objects that have been broken by hand or stomped on and it went perfectly fine. The only reason Chat Noir really needs to use cataclysm is when the targeted object is simply to large to break. The worst was Optigami. Optigami was the worst situation the heroes ever faced so far. And it was revealed that Shadowmoth and Mayura knew the identities of all the holders, knowledge forbidden to Cat Noir. Cat Noir doesn’t even know that Shadowmoth knows this, he doesn’t know anything about the battle really, just that they didn’t need him

Adrien is becoming isolated in the part of his life he heavily relies upon. He’s becoming suicidal. He is suicidal, gladly offering his life to ensure he wouldn’t be in the way of his friend’s relationship. He’s slowly breaking, losing hope, and it’s already too late to fix anything. Secrets were kept away from him too long and when Adrien learns everything, he’ll push away everyone that cares about him, because he can’t trust anyone except for two: Himself and Plagg. And instead of it being Ladybug and Chat Noir against the world as it was supposed to be, as Cat Noir wanted it to be, it’ll be Adrien and Plagg against the world.

What I’m trying to say is Adrien / Chat Noir is an important character who I see people ignoring and contributing to suffering. This show is as much Adrien’s as it is Marinette’s. And the unfairness of it all. Because Adrien has no support system. Gabriel ensures Adrien’s full schedule and the dynamic between father and son is only talked about when it affects Adrien’s time with his friends and almost never outside that scope.

It’s just unfair, even canonically Chat Noir is treated like a side kick.

End of rant.

Note: I did not include Chat Blanc because Chat Noir doesn’t even have a semblance of knowledge about that.