#ML Writers Guild

[mlwritersguild]

Hello everyone!

It’s finally February, arguably the official month of love (chocolate, flowers, romance, but also pancakes and groundhogs – you name it!) ♥️

To celebrate, we’re hosting a collaborative event between you and our MWG event participants, based on the following general prompt: 

The NYC students are on a field trip to Paris, and have brought a packet of Sweetheart candies for their French friends.

Up to you to send in a Sweetheart-esque message (real or inspired by the real ones – here’s some inspiration if you need it ) + an ML character who picks it, and see how it inspires our writers! Their challenge is to make it fit in 100 words, exactly – keeping it short and sweet!

Excited to see the results 😍

[stormiclown]

So, fun fact: Before pursuing a degree in child psychology, my mom was a writer for a very popular show in the early 2000s. I'm not mentioning which one, but it received dozens of awards and accolades.

I'm mentioning this because when I asked her about her opinion about the writers strikes, she said and I quote, "This reminds me of 2007".

For those who don't understand this reference, she was talking about the Great Writers' Strike of 2007. I was a newborn at the time, but she was there, and she described it as death by a thousand needles.

Some of the best written shows of the decade (2000-2010) turned to garbage water overnight, including the one she was writing for before the strike happened. Keeping Up With The Kardashians became very popular. Reruns were dominating the time stamps on cable TV. Just a whole bunch of craziness that made it difficult for film and TV to bounce back.

I don't think the executives in Hollywood realize just how bad things are going to get for them if they don't start cooperating with their writers and actors. Even though my mom is not a screenwriter anymore, she fully supports the strike and hopes that things get better for the next generation.

The obscenely wealthy (and lazy) executives better start adhering to the (very reasonable) demands of actors and writers about paying them enough so that they can make a living and not replacing them with AI because people will be dancing on their graves at this rate.

[flightfoot]

Adrien Angst Fics and Series that finished in 2023

So I love some good Adrien angst and hurt/comfort, and I figure a bunch of other people do as well! Hopefully these fics scratch that itch! They're all from the collection I set up earlier for the fics from 2023 that I recommend! I've got 31 fics in here. It's a popular genre that I like a lot, there are a lot of fics for it!

home is where the fight is by @rosie-b

Nadja Chamack’s voice greeted Adrien as he sat up straight, wiping his clammy hands on his pants and ignoring the black kwami floating by his shoulder. “—shocked to see our heroine fall in battle today, taking a direct hit from the akuma just as she detransformed. Parisians are torn between blaming Hawk Moth and Cat Walker for their roles in this tragedy, which ultimately revealed the civilian identity of Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Adrien turned off the TV and lowered his head as his vision blurred. Written for Ladrien June Day 7: Injured

I adore this fic! Which shouldn’t be a a surprise, it’s no secret that I love Sentiadrien Enemies AU. Adrien’s so worried about Marinette getting hurt, and wishes that he could help keep her safer, could tell her what’s really going on or get rid of the ring or something, but he can’t. Still, he IS able to find clever ways around some of his father’s more problematic orders. Loopholes for the win!

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Guilty by Association by @rosie-b

Marinette respected Adrien’s strength and courage more and more every day. No matter how many times people threw nasty words or literal tomatoes at him; no matter how many companies refused to work with him anymore; no matter how clear it was becoming that he would never be forgiven for his father’s crimes, he chose to greet new people with a smile and hope that this time, someone would recognize the kind heart hidden behind his hated name. She wished she’d had the chance to meet him before she’d accidentally ruined his life. Written for the Ml Writers Guild September event ‘back to school’

I love how Marinette keeps reaching out to Adrien, trying to protect him, even if it doesn’t always work. To let him know that she’s in his corner at least. Hawk Moth had to be taken down, but the consequences for Adrien… she never wanted anyone to get hurt in the process. 

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oh, look now, there you go with hope again by @ladyofthenoodle

After the defeat of Hawkmoth and his accomplice, Chat Noir, Marinette is ready to return to her normal life, but she can’t escape Adrien Agreste, who was sentenced to a fate many consider worse than prison: public school. Specifically, her public school. Still, that doesn’t mean she has to interact with him, does it? Except, if she doesn’t… who will?

I love a good enemies au, and seeing the aftermath of an enemies au… that’s rare. She’s wary of Adrien, but with how he’s being bullied, and how he’s just taking it in the hopes of being accepted, she can’t help but reach out to him.

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Disintegrated Pancakes by @scribeofrhapsody

Adrien had started expecting the family breakfasts. He had NOT been expecting his father to collapse in the middle of one.

I’m shocked I haven’t seen more of this sort of thing, with Adrien finding out his father’s Monarch via seeing the Cataclysm wound. I love that Alya gets involved in this, being the person Adrien runs into after fleeing the room, and then Adrien getting to talk things out with Gabriel and Nathalie. Thankfully Gabriel is at least not completely incapable of being reasoned with here, or things could have gone worse than they did. It’s a nice little read, though with an ambiguous ending (at least at the time when I write this).

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with this ring by @thelibraryloser

She thought “you and me against the world” had sounded like lopsided odds before, when she hadn’t even dreamed “you against me” was a possibility. Or maybe she had dreamed it, but at least in those dreams he’d had cold blue eyes and a stark white mask. The villain she’d fought today had looked at her through her partner’s own bright green eyes. It wasn’t meant to be this way.

Short and sweet Sentiadrien enemies canon divergence fic here! I adored Marinette finding out why her kitty seemed to have “betrayed” her, and the righteous anger on his behalf once she figured out that it wasn’t of his own free will. Her comforting Adrien about it was just… really good. It’s a Hawkmoth Defeat fic too, so the immediate aftermath gets covered as well. Adrien needs a hug.

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Nothing Else Matters by LiquefiedStars

Marinette couldn’t figure out Chat Noir. He was supposed to be her partner, but instead ended up working for Hawk Moth. Still, her heart betrayed her and when a strong connection forms between them, Ladybug goes to Chat looking for answers, finding out more than she bargained for.

Sentiadrien enemies AU fic! He never wanted to fight against her, but Gabriel caught him before he could transform for the first time, and with his father using his Amoks against him, he had no choice. 

I like that there’s a solid explanation for why Fu let Adrien keep his Miraculous even though he’s been working against Ladybug, I don’t often see explanations for that that I’m satisfied with.

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Slowly Fading (from my misery) by @wehadabondingmoment

“You’re looking awfully deep in thought today, minou.” Ladybug’s gloved hand stroked over his hair and Chat Noir closed his eyes with an unstable breath. He got like this sometimes. Lately, it had been getting worse. Or: Gabriel likes using the rings to order his son around. After a while, it starts having effects on Chat Noir as well. (The more often Gabriel commands Adrien to act a certain way, the more it gets ingrained in his mentality. He suffers because of it.)

This is a gorgeous fic. Adrien’s been puppeted around, forced to obey orders for reasons he doesn’t understand, for so long, so often that a lot of times his own body doesn’t even feel like his. A lot of residual orders keep on bubbling up and stopping him from doing what he wants to do, and he just… doesn’t understand why. Considering how Adrien looked in Pretension when Gabriel forced him to go to his room so he could talk to Marinette alone, and how desperately Adrien tried to head back there but couldn’t make himself open the door, how terrified and confused he’d seemed, I think his feelings here, his mindset, is pretty close to canon.

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all of your flaws and all of my flaws (are laid out one-by-one) by @coffeebanana

Ladybug and Marinette have both been acting strangely since Monarch’s defeat, and Chat Noir would give anything to know why—to be able to help them. He just…didn’t expect his answers to come when Ladybug drags him to his father’s statue in the middle of the night along with a bag full of spray paint.

If you felt unsatisfied with Adrien being left in the dark about Monarch, with Ladybug lying about Gabriel being a hero, this is a great fic to read. Marinette’s breaking down keeping this secret, seeing people treat Gabriel as the hero she told people he was, until she finally snaps and has to do SOMETHING, has to tell SOMEONE the truth. 

Which Chat takes pretty well! He knows how persuasive his father could be, and he’s mostly just relieved at finally hearing someone say that Gabriel wasn’t a hero. It’s still a lot to cope with though.

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Falling (sick) with you by @chocoluckchipz

Nothing would be easier than taking a pair of earrings off an unconscious Ladybug. Doing so would bring his mother back and end their decade-long strife. He shouldn’t be hesitating when a chance of a life time presented itself to him. He should not be looking for excuses and reasonings as to why spending another twenty or so years fighting this woman rather than pleasing his father and giving his mother another chance at life was not such a bad idea after all.

Ah, I love a good enemies au! Even when they’re enemies, Chat is unwilling to hurt Ladybug. Though honestly, he makes himself out to be more of a villain than he actually is, it’s pretty obvious to everyone that he’s not trying as hard as he could to get her earrings. There’s very good reason for that.

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adrien agreste and the consequences of tweets making fun of yourself by Anonymous

Well, Adrien thinks, what’s the worst that could come from a few poorly thought-out tweets lightly ribbing his own civilian identity?

I love the focus here on how people just assume what Adrien’s thinking and feeling and act on his behalf, without actually waiting to see what HE wants, and Adrien’s growing frustration. How they create a version of him in their heads, but don’t care to check with reality to see whether he actually wants their “defense”. 

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what makes a human (am I?) by GraceM_TheStoriedLife

Adrien comes to Marinette’s out of nowhere. Usually Chat is her rock. Tonight, it’s her turn. (Or, in which Adrien discovers some secrets he’s not prepared for and Marinette is as Marinette-y as always.

So Adrien discovers he’s a sentimonster and immediately runs to Marinette for support. It’s as cute and angsty as you’d expect. She is, of course, very supportive of him. Also some discussion of Gabriel being abusive, since both she and Nino had been trying to get Adrien to see that. Especially with how, exactly, Adrien found out he’s a sentimonster. He can relate a little better to Felix’s experiences now than is healthy, I’ll just say.

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Vengeance Noire by @phiellydinyia

After a horrific argument with his father, Adrien escaped from the mansion with his heart in pieces. In hindsight, it made sense why an akuma was sent his way. He shouldn’t have let his emotions get the better of him. But he never expected Plagg to be even more upset than he was. He never expected his own kwami to be akumatized. To become the threat of a city he swore to protect. And what’s worse is the fact that Chat Noir can’t jump in to save this one. But Ladybug can. And that’s why he has to find her as quickly as possible, suit or no suit.

I love some good Adrien angst, especially with a delicious side order of Plagg and Adrien’s bond with each other. Even as Adrien’s barely functional, though, he’ll do everything in his power to save Plagg, even if Plagg wishes he wouldn’t go quite that far. 

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This Distance Between Us by @coffeebanana

After defeating Monarch, the search for the Peacock Miraculous brings Ladybug and Chat Noir to a hotel room in London. But it’s hard to enjoy the victory when Ladybug can’t figure out why Chat’s been so quiet, why he seems so sad. How’s she supposed to help if she has no idea what’s wrong?

This is a great Sentiadrien fic, with Chat freaking out about it and feeling like he’s not worthy of Ladybug’s affections, but not telling her what’s actually wrong because he thinks she won’t want him anymore if she knows. Of course, he’s wrong about that.

Also there’s a pretty intense confrontation with Felix, pissing Chat Noir off is a bad idea.

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Rocking the Cat-Eyes by @buggachat

“I like being a girl.” “That’s the alcohol talking,” Marinette snorted. “I’ve always been a li’l jealous,” Adrien admitted. “… Of what?” “That you get to be a girl,” Adrien murmured, “and I don’t.” — When Marinette and Adrien host Girls’ Night at their apartment, Adrien is easily welcomed to attend as “one of the girls”… but has a bit too much to drink. Some drunken confessions are spilt, some assumptions are made, and most of all… Adrien is confused.

This is a great Genderfluid!Adrien fic. Marinette actually figures out that Adrien’s not entirely cis before he does, and tries to let him know she’s supportive… but unfortunately Adrien comes to some incorrect conclusions…

Anyway it’s a lot of fun, and Adrien rocks a dress and makeup!

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Family by @unecoccinellenoire

“You know,” Nino grins, “if you need advice on being a big brother in a year or two I’m sure I could help.” The bottom of Adrien’s stomach dropped out. — Adrien struggles with the concept of his father and Nathalie having children.

So this is a world where Adrien and Marinette managed to defeat Gabriel, taking his Miraculous, with them giving him an ultimatum: they won’t out him as being Hawk Moth so long as he doesn’t cause any more trouble and does right by Adrien. Gabriel does, in fact, move on finally to Nathalie, giving Adrien a lot of mixed feelings to deal with. He still loves them both despite everything, but he’s also angry at them and he definitely does NOT want them to have children, both because he thinks they’d like any biological child they had more (he’s also harboring guilt from indirectly being the cause of his mom’s death), and because frankly, they screwed up too much with Adrien for him to want them to inflict that on another child.

And then there’s also Adrien dealing with the realization that he’s a Senti on top of that and wondering why he and Felix look the way they do, what Emilie’s reasons were.

It’s mostly just Adrien getting to talk things out, navigating this emotionally fraught situation he finds himself in now that the dust is settled.

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When Secrets Come Undone by SortaArtsy

Ladybug promised not to tell Adrien… but she never promised not to confide in Cat Noir. What happens when Ladybug unintentionally vents to the one person who wasn’t meant to know any of it? ****MAJOR SEASON 5 SPOILERS WARNING! **** May not be season 6 compliant when it comes out.

This is a “Adrien finds out what everyone’s been keeping from him post-S5″ fic, and I think it’s handled really well! He feels very hurt, betrayed, and disbelieving initially about being a Senti and his father being Monarch (…mostly being a Senti, it ain’t that hard to believe that Gabriel was a supervillain), and is angry at everyone who kept it secret from him, but he still handles it well, going and talking to the people involved, getting their reasoning and perspective. 

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Wanted: Catnap by SortaArtsy

Adrien Agreste has barely been sleeping, trying to be everything expected of him. What happens when he spreads himself too thin? Sick!Adrien/ Cat Noir

Adrien’s just pushing himself so hard, trying to do his regular duties, until his illness forces him to rest. I love how concerned everyone is over him - even GABRIEL eventually relents and wants him to rest. It’s just cute and nice and fluffy.

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a winter so warm by @rosekasa

winters were hard for even the best of vampires, but at least adrien had marinette to keep him warm with her cuddles. december was going to suck without her. so it was only to be expected to get extra cuddles in before she left, right? (well, not really, considering those heating supplements he was taking, but she didn’t need to know about that).

This one’s mostly just cute cuddly adorableness! It’s basically like all those “Marinette gets the Ladybug trait of needing to cuddle up to someone for warmth”, but with Adrien instead. And of course featuring Marinette being a very talented witch who just wants to help Adrien stay warm when she isn’t there XD.

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and I thought I heard you sing by @into-september

When Hawkmoth has been defeated and unmasked, Marinette is left with two problems and no solutions. First, that Adrien is further out of her reach than ever before, and no-one can tell her how to get to him. Second, that Cat Noir is far more troubled than she knew, and the only thing she can do is wait for him at the place they agreed to meet.

It’s your classic “Hawkmoth’s defeated and taken into custody but that means Adrien’s in for a rough time” sort of fic. Everyone’s worried about Adrien and wants to give him what comfort and support that they can, but he’s being hidden away from everyone (which I mean, honestly that’s a good move), so that’s not really possible. Plus, Ladybug’s noticed that Chat’s having a tough time in his civilian life, which worries her.

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Betrayal by @jennagrinsoverml

MAJOR EPHEMERAL SPOILERS!! Ladybug planned to use Viperion’s power of Second Chance to get Chat’s identity to Su-han without Chat knowing or agreeing. Of course, then the world went crazy, and she didn’t go through with it. But when an akuma exposes Ladybug’s plan to Chat, he doesn’t know that. He just knows that his Lady betrayed him. He deals with his feelings in the best, most mature way he can think of. He disappears.

So I, like a lot of others, wanted more follow-up on Ephemeral, and particularly on the betrayal of trust it was for Marinette to try to trick Chat Noir into giving up his identity to a third party without his knowledge or consent (I wrote my own take on that at the time, called Transcient, that I’m proud of). This fic did a good job of exploring that, with Adrien reacting in a manner that made sense to me (repressing his negative feelings about the situation as much as possible and trying to justify it to himself, but still feeling terrible despite his own best efforts), and how Marinette realized that she messed up, since Luka keeping it secret that he knows hers and Chat’s secret identities caused her to be upset as well. It did a great job of exploring those negative feelings and letting everyone talk things out, explain their viewpoints, and rebuild their relationships afterwards, which is something I really value.

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

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

“Hey, Nino.”

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

“Yeah. It’s me."

-

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

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

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

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Two Steps Back (One Step Forward) by @buggachat

Sure, Adrien hadn't been texting her as often as he used to. And sure, Nino noticed it too. But just because Adrien had struggled with depression in the past, didn't mean he was struggling now. Surely, he'd tell her if something was wrong. Right?

Marinette just missed him, and she had a tendency to catastrophize. Surely, he was fine.

But if he wasn't... well, she wasn't above hopping on a flight back to Paris to make sure.

—————

Marinette's at an internship in New York, and Adrien has a depression relapse.

Once again buggachat comes out swinging with a fic centered around Adrien being super depressed and his friends charging in to help him, despite him not wanting them to because he feels like a burden. It’s not easy and Marinette goes through a lot of emotional turmoil, especially since his apartment is in bad enough shape that it can’t be changed to something that a human should be living in without also going shopping, but gradually she helps drag Adrien out of the hole he’s gotten himself stuck in. The emotions are on point and just... if you want to read a hurt/comfort fic with Found Family helping one of their own who’s struggling and doesn’t think they deserve it, this is a great fic to read.

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If only I could break free by megetstoread

It started with Adrien being upset about going away, but led to a lot of revelations.  

Another Sentiadrien fic here! After telling Adrien that he’s being sent to London, Gabriel takes advantage of Adrien being distraught to akumatize him. Luckily Ladybug’s right there and deakumatizes him before he can even do anything, but it shakes both her and Chat, leading to her allowing him to tell her a lot more about his home life than usual, and for her and Adrien to investigate to see whether there might be more to Adrien’s inability to stand against his father than just psychological abuse.

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Dr. Walker & Kitty Hyde series by @pearl484-blog

Summary of the first fic, Rain Falls, Everybody Lies:

Chat Noir loves the rain. He loves the danger. He loves the excitement, and he especially loves how much Catwalker hates it. 

Jekyll and Hyde AU

Adrien AUGreste Entry 3: Rain

So like the summary says, and the title indicates, this series is inspired by the popular conception of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - not how the book actually goes, but how it’s portrayed in popular media, with Jekyll splitting himself in two, with a “good” side and a “bad” side. 

During Kuro Neko, instead of just changing his appearance through changing his mindset, Adrien took more extreme measures, sealing off his “undesirable” characteristics, his anger and sadness and all his sharp edges, into the ring so he could assume a more placid, genial persona that’d be more accepted - Cat Walker. 

But Chat Noir’s still there, taking over whenever Adrien gets too testy, and desperately trying not to be pressed out of existence entirely. With embodying Adrien’s sealed anger and snappishness and rebelliousness, he’s not too kind to the other heroes - he already felt looked down upon and ignored before this, and seeing them accept Cat Walker while he’s fighting for his life doesn’t endear them to him either.

The series isn’t unfair to them - this isn’t a case where one party is entirely in the wrong and another’s entirely in the right. Marinette, Zoe, Nino, and all the others - they did wonder about what was going on with Chat, but he wasn’t in a position where he could see it, and he did have legitimate questions about how much Ladybug would budge on things, if he’d told her what he was going through. It’s a series that emphasizes characters hurting and lashing out in some terrible ways, but that hurt still being respected, and working things out, trying to get everything to a better place.

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The Parable of the Caller by @nemaliwrites

A week after Hawk Moth’s identity has been revealed, Adrien finds himself with nowhere to go, nothing he can do, and worst of all, strange gaps in his memory he can’t explain. In a stroke of luck, he stumbles upon a burner phone filled with voicemails from one of the Saviors of Paris: Chat Noir himself, who disappeared following Hawk Moth’s arrest.

But with each new voicemail Adrien listens to, he’s forced to confront the fact that there might be some kind of connection between himself and Chat Noir — and discovering it might leave him more broken than before.

I absolutely adore this fic, it’s a fantastic character study for Adrien! Basically in this universe, Ladybug and Chat Noir talked about who should be Guardian, with Chat eventually convincing her that he should be the one to take it on, primarily due to the whole “the Guardian gets amnesia about Miraculous-related matters” situation, and wanting to protect Ladybug from that. Then he finds out Gabriel is Hawk Moth, they take him down, and he relinquishes the Miracle Box and his guardianship to Su Han - all without having a Reveal with Ladybug, since well, he’s not in the greatest shape mentally at the time.

It’s a real treat to see Adrien’s thoughts and feelings about one of the Heroes of Paris leaving him all these voicemails, treating him like this close friend for reasons he doesn’t understand, and just seeing Chat Noir as this outside person. He’s got a very different viewpoint on Chat when looking from the outside than he would from the inside, with being able to see his heroic and good qualities far more easily when he doesn’t know that he is Chat.

Also Marinette’s struggling in the background of the fic with the loss of her partner and guilt over sending Adrien’s father to prison. It gets touched on at various points, and you can tell that she’s having her own story off to the side that we’re just not entirely privy to, what with this tale being told entirely from Adrien’s perspective.

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call it even by @anna-scribbles and @sha-nwa

After a year of dating, there is one thing Marinette knows for certain: it's her and Adrien against the world. Through it all, Adrien is kind, patient, and endlessly understanding—even as she tries her best to keep her secret superhero identity hidden from him along with the rest of the world.

Nothing could ruin it, not even the supervillains of Paris: Hawkmoth and Chat Noir.

(adrinette dating // ladynoir enemies au)

This is one of those fics where Adrien and Marinette are REALLY going through it emotionally, with them starting off with wildly different perceptions of each other when untransformed, and then reckoning with the person they love the most being someone they think of as a villain, with all the betrayal and doubt that involves. Especially with Adrien having been lied to extensively by his father, and not knowing who or what to believe.

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drowning (in plain sight) by @buggachat

Everybody had expected Monarch's defeat to be a moment of triumph. Nobody had expected Gabriel Agreste, unmasked and mind frayed from continual abuse of the miraculous, crying out to all who would listen and making Paris certain of one thing:

His son, Adrien Agreste, is one of his sentimonsters.

And now he's missing.

Nobody can find him— not even the superheroes, and not even his closest friends. But Marinette, Nino, and Alya aren't ones to give up so easily. They'll find him, no matter what it takes.

(But, geez, would it kill Chat Noir to lend a hand?)

I’m sure everyone saw this one coming. If there’s one thing buggachat’s good at, storywise, it’s capturing raw, tumultuous emotions, frantic breakdowns as the characters desperately try to navigate bad situations. This was a real treat to read, as I’m betting most people reading this will agree, given just how popular the fic has been. It also has a ton of fanart, both by buggachat and by random fans, if you go looking for it (there’s a drowning in plain sight tag which I’d advise perusing). 

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Eventually by @lucid-ao3

Adrien’s life has been dictated by rules, monitored, and controlled for years. He has learned to compartmentalize. It’s not that bad. It always gets better, eventually. Doesn’t it?

Recovery can be an unexpected obstacle when you didn’t realize you were being hurt in the first place.

OR: How Adrien lives and copes with the emotional abuse inflicted on him over the years, and how he ultimately could overcome it.

If you want a good “Adrien doesn’t realize how abusive his father is but slowly buckles more and more under his tyranny, until things come to a head, and he actually gets the HELP HE NEEDS” fic, this is a good one!

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Not a Monster at All by @book-sandwich

Adrien Agreste overhears a conversation he shouldn't, and a revelation sends him falling onto the terrace of the only person he can trust: his good friend (?) Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Takes place sometime after the first two episodes of season 5!

As you can probably guess from the title, this is a Sentimonster Adrien, Monarch takedown fic. Adrien’s going through a tough time, and Marinette’s just trying to be there for him as his whole world’s collapsing around him. Unfrotunately, they still don’t know what the object is, or how likely Gabriel would be to control Adrien if he hinted that he knew the truth, which leaves Adrien in a precarious position - still not having done an identity reveal doesn’t help matters.

It’s a really solid fic for the genre, though since it started up before the later parts of season 5, there are a few things that don’t match up with the canon information we obtained later on. 

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Awaken by InkyIbis

The previously white butterfly, now oozing black and purple as a conduit of the butterfly miraculous powers, flutters softly within the silvered-gloved hand.

It sits there for a long time.

"Go, my akuma," The soft sigh pushes the butterfly, the akuma, out towards the despair of a love not returned. The same ache within his chest. On a level so great that he's willing to sacrifice the city to mend it.

It's okay if he's the villain for now. He'll force the miraculous of creation and destruction to be revealed, and once he gets his hands on them, none of this pain, none of his loss, will ever happen.

This is essentially a canon rewrite for Miraculous (specifically seasons 1 and 2, with a bunch of the events mixed around) that focuses primarily on Adrien, with his relationship with Nino being the main driving relationship of the fic. (Don’t worry, Marinette’s still treated fine, she’s just not the focus). This is the best “rewrite Miraculous with more of a focus on Adrien” type fic I’ve seen, with it reworking the plots of the episodes so that they’re different enough to be their own distinct thing - it’s not trying to just rewrite the canon episodes but from Adrien’s POV, there’s a lot of lore changes going on as well, and things occur in different orders.

Like lorewise, Chat’s given a more important role in cleaning up the mess the akumas leave, with his power helping to cleanse akuma victims and he and Ladybug needing to use their powers in tandem in order to cast Miraculous Ladybug. There’s also no Miracle Box holding the kwamis. Instead, Chat sometimes surpasses his limits and ends up summoning kwamis, which is dangerous to him, but very useful.

What really makes this fic great though, is its focus on Adrien’s emotions. You really get a feel for Adrien’s insecurities, especially when it comes to not feeling like he’s good enough for Nino, with not wanting to bother him when he absolutely should, with feeling like he’s not a good enough friend to him, and then there’s dealing with all of Gabriel’s usual abuse on top of that.

Speaking of Nino, this is an Adrino fic (though several characters get crushes on Adrien, Nino’s the one who matters most for this), though a slowburn one. Nino’s clearly head-over-heels for Adrien, but Adrien has like, no context for what a romantic crush feels like and is basically viewing Nino the way he viewed Marinette in canon prior to season 5. He clearly cares for him a lot, including romantically, he just... doesn’t get it.

Anyway, if you want an interesting canon rewrite fic from Adrien’s perspective with Adrino as the main pairing, this is a good story to pick up!

---

one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace.

Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack for the last remaining Miraculous: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most.

Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.

This is a simply phenomenal fic. You get to explore a lot of different perspectives, like Felix, Kagami, Marinette, and Adrien’s, just to name a few, and see their different thought processes and plans and priorities, and how it can cause their plans to collide with each other, even when they all ultimately are aiming for a good outcome for everyone. The characters are pretty complex and can mess up at times, even when they’re doing things (or not doing things, looking at you Luka) with the best of intentions. It was a joy to read and a real nail-biter the whole time, I actually wrote a fic for it halfway through just to resolve some of the tension for myself, One Does Not Love Shadows.

It also features the version of Luka I’ve connected best with to date, as he feels like Luka, but also is a lot more fleshed out, and can make some major errors while simply trying to avoid missteps. It’s helped me get a better handle on a character who I’ve generally had a lot of problems with really understanding.

It is an M-rated fic, though I think Wackus is being overly cautious on that front. There’s no sexual content and I wouldn’t put the violence or gore above a T-rating, so I wouldn’t let the rating scare you off.

[f1]

Brad Pitt F1 movie production halted due to writers strike | 2023 F1 season

The production of the Hollywood movie set in Formula 1 starring Brad Pitt has been halted as a major actors union has begun strike action. The untitled film based around the fictional ‘APX GP’ Formula 1 team and its drivers had a major presence at the last grand prix at Silverstone. The crew constructed their own garage in the pit lane and two show cars were placed on the back row of the dummy grid prior to the formation lap to allow the filming of scenes. The movie is being produced by Lewis Hamilton’s production company, Dawn Apollo Films, with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt in the lead role of Sonny Hayes. However, production on the movie has reportedly shut down due to strike action by a major actors union. The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG–AFTRA) has recently commenced strike action with all member actors withdrawing labour, including Pitt, who is a member. The action has been called in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America union, which has been on strike since early May. The film shot its first race weekend scenes at Silverstone WGA members voted overwhelmingly to strike in May after failing to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Despite the increase in popularity of streaming services resulting in higher international audiences for many television shows and leading to increased production budgets, WGA claims its members have not seen the benefits. The proportion of members working for the minimum rate under WGA’s previous working agreement with the AMPTP has grown from a third to almost a half over the last decade. The WGA strike action has also been endorsed and supported by United States president Joe Biden, former president Barack Obama, several members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, over 150 unions and professional bodies across the world, including the International Screenwriters Association, the players associations of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS and the Writers Guilds of both Great Britain and Ireland. SAG-AFTRA, which represents over 100,000 actors, recording artists and other performers whose work is broadcast, has begun strike action after also failing to reach an agreement with the AMPTP, citing concerns over reduced income, royalties from streaming services and AI exploitation. Multiple major movie productions have been immediately affected by the strike. These include the as-yet untitled Formula 1 movie, the sequel to Gladiator and a new film in the Mission Impossible franchise, according to NBC News The movie’s production crew was due to return to the F1 paddock at later races this year, but whether that happens may now rest upon the strike being resolved. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free 2023 F1 season Browse all 2023 F1 season articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[hanaasbananas]

Not a Date

Summary:

nine years after Adrien and Marinette went their separate ways, they find their paths crossing again as adults. Deciding to catch up for old times sake, both are firm in their belief that it is not a date.

Or is it?

written for the @mlwritersguild February 2023 event. Prompts: "lost", "translate", "poetic", and the bouquet emoji 💐

AO3

It was a miracle that she heard him at all.

Once, long ago, Marinette might have called it destiny. She might have gushed about how the universe had conspired to perfectly time a lull in the music blaring through her headphones with a turn down into a quieter side street, away from the bustling town centre. 

She had outgrown such fantasies now, of course. But whatever it was–fate, luck or even just sheer coincidence–the result was that Marinette turned when her name was called…

…and promptly dropped her phone.

Adrien caught it before it could hit the ground. Handing it back to her, he rocked back on his heels, laughing delightedly as she gaped at him. “It is you!” he exclaimed “I knew it! How have you been?”

Marinette blinked. “ Adrien?” 

He looked…gorgeous, as he always had, but somehow her ex-boyfriend had managed to become even more devastatingly handsome with age. Gone was the perfectly styled hair and the spotless designer clothes that had been such a staple of their teenage years. In their place, was a well worn cable knit jumper, and hair so unruly Marinette had to clench her hands into fists by her side, resisting the urge to run her fingers through it. 

More than that though, Adrien looked comfortable in his skin, his eyes bright and smile genuine. The sight was enough to make her heart flutter in her chest and Marinette was suddenly very glad for the cold air that masked the reason for her flushed cheeks. 

As she watched, mesmerised, Adrien impatiently pushed up the glasses that were sliding down the bridge of his nose, his lips moving even though…

Marinette frowned, realising belatedly that he was still talking.

“–ong are you in town? We should get coffee or lunch sometime, really catch up properly.”

“Oh!” Marinette’s voice was high and almost breathless. “Yes! Definitely! I’m actually moving back to Paris so I’m staying with Maman and Papa right now. You should totally swing by, they’d love to see you as well–” Stopping abruptly, she forced herself to stop babbling, inhaling deeply before continuing at a much more sedate pace.

“I’m free this weekend if you are? We can go to…go to–” she hesitated, remembering the café   where they had spent so much of their time when they were younger. Would he think that it was strange that she suggested the place? That she was still hung up on a relationship that ended almost a decade ago? Would he change his mind about catching up or–

“Our old place, right?” Adrien interjected, cutting through her spiralling thoughts as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. At her hesitant nod, he grinned, almost blinding her with its brightness.

 “That sounds great!”

*

“It’s not a date.” Adrien exclaimed. Glaring at Plagg in the mirror, he continued. “We’re just old friends, meeting for lunch. Friends do that all the time. I had lunch with Nino the other day too, and that wasn’t a date either. Just like this isn’t.”

“Sure,” Plagg drawled, rolling over on the bed of toilet paper he’d made for himself and eyeing Adrien derisively. “but Nino isn’t your ex. And you only spent about five minutes getting ready to see him. How long did it take you to choose your shirt today?”

“Right, that’s it–” 

Plagg cackled as Adrien shooed him out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. “You know I’m right!” 

Rolling his eyes fondly at his kwami, Adrien picked up his razor to carry on shaving–this time in blessed silence. Really it was no surprise that Plagg was going on and on about him meeting Marinette for lunch. He’d never understood why they’d broken up in the first place, no matter how many times Adrien had explained to him that it had been for the best. 

Maybe he might have felt differently if the relationship had imploded. If it had ended in devastation, with anger and shouting and resentment to taint all the happiness they had once shared. Instead, it had ended quietly, with no one to blame but circumstances beyond their control. 

For that, he would be forever grateful, because while unfortunate, it had given him warm memories to look back on on the days that he had felt particularly lost in London. In fact…taking out his wallet from his pocket, Adrien flipped it open and pulled out the small strip of photos he kept hidden behind a family photo with his cousin and aunt.

The strip was creased through the middle from where it had been folded and unfolded many times, the once sharp corners curling and peeling back with age. In the photos, they were in a photobooth that Marinette had dragged him into–one they’d found in a clothes shop–and she was laughing delightedly, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he kissed her neck, her cheek and finally her mouth. Their cheeks were flushed as they beamed at the camera in the last photo, and Adrien couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips before he put the photo strip away once more. 

It wasn’t a date, no. But he couldn’t wait to see Marinette anyway.

He really had missed her.

*

“It’s not a date.”

Behind her, Tikki rifled through the box of mementos on Marinette’s desk. “Then why have you got all this old stuff out?” she asked innocently, doing a terrible job of hiding the laughter in her voice.

“I was just…” Marinette paused with her mascara wand halfway to her eye. “Reminiscing.”

“Reminiscing on your relationship. I still don’t know why you broke up, you know.”

“We grew up.” Marinette huffed exasperatedly. “Long distance was never going to work so we figured it was better to end things when it was still good, remember. Before we had the chance to grow apart, you know? Anyway I’ve always been sentimental. You know that.” 

That wasn’t technically a lie. Marinette was very sentimental, keeping ticket stubs and receipts and anything with a good memory attached to it. Adrien had always teased her about it back in the day–until the scrapbook of their relationship had become hefty enough to hurt when she swatted him with it. 

Truthfully, she hadn’t thought about the scrapbook for a long time. But after seeing Adrien again, the first thing Marinette had done when she got home was dig the old box out. She’d spent hours poring over the pages, trying to translate her old illegible handwriting and allowing old memories to wash over her like a familiar blanket. 

That’s all they were though. Memories. 

“I guess…” Tikki said doubtfully. “So it really is just a friend thing?”

Marinette nodded firmly. “ Yes.”   It didn’t matter that her heart fluttered every time she thought about seeing Adrien again, he hadn’t said anything to suggest that it was anything else, and she certainly wasn’t going to. “Now come on,” she said, turning to grab the box “let’s put that away.”

Picking the box up in one hand, and attempting to put the lid back on with the other, Marinette swore under her breath when it tipped out of her grasp, scattering the contents all over the floor. 

“Damn it!” glancing at the clock, she swore again, staring down at the mess in dismay. There was no time to tidy it all up, not if she wanted to be on time. 

Decision made, Marinette opened her purse for Tikki to slip inside and then stepped gingerly over the small bits of paper littering the floor, making sure to watch her every step. It would just be her luck to slip and fall now and she wasn’t taking any chances whatsoever.

She was halfway out the door when something bright caught her eye. Bending down to pick it up, Marinette laughed out loud as she looked at the crumpled red packet in her hand,  jelly rings emblazoned across the front telling her what the packet had once contained. 

They had been so innocent back then, thinking that ‘always’ wasn’t just a word but something to believe .

Unbidden, the memory of that day came to her.  She thought of Adrien kneeling in front of her and presenting her with a jelly ring, his eyes glittering with mirth. It had been a cloudy day, she remembered, the sun breaking through the clouds at just the right moment to make Adrien’s hair look like shimmering gold. His proposal had been filled with sweet puns, neither of them able to hold back their laughter even as he’d slid the jelly ring onto her finger and declared them engaged.

Marinette shook her head, dispelling the memory, though she wasn’t able to get rid of the warm feeling blooming in her chest. That was all in the past. A memory to look back on fondly and nothing more.

Unless…

No. Marinette dismissed the thought. She was just going to meet a friend. There was nothing romantic about it.

*

Plagg was never going to let him hear the end of this. 

He’d felt his kwami sniggering in his pocket the entire time that he was in the supermarket trying to find the right flowers, so when Adrien knocked him with his wallet when it was time to pay, it was only slightly unintentional. 

It was worth it though, to see the smile on Marinette’s face as he presented her with the bouquet of pink lilies. 

“You remembered?” she asked.

“How could I forget?” Adrien countered. Bumping her shoulder as they entered the café   together, he resisted the urge to take her hand, shoving his hand in his pocket instead. “Of course I remembered.” 

Marinette blinked. “..oh.” 

Tone it down, Agreste, Adrien chided himself mentally when Marinette turned around abruptly, her cheeks red. It’s not a date. Still, he found his eyes lingering a little on Marinette’s face, taking in her flushed cheeks and windswept hair. It was longer than it had ever been when they were together, cascading past her shoulders in a dark waterfall and as he watched, she pushed a strand out of her eyes impatiently, scanning the café for somewhere they could sit.

In the days leading up to their meeting, Adrien’s biggest worry had been that their conversation would be awkward and full of silences. That the ease they’d had around each other in the past was just that–a thing of the past. 

He needn’t have worried.

They talked for hours, slipping so effortlessly back into their old dynamic that Adrien almost wondered if the last nine years had been a strange dream. 

Eventually, when they couldn’t justify any more refills– when Adrien’s cheeks hurt from smiling for so long and Marinette couldn’t speak without dissolving into fits of giggles–they got up to leave, too wrapped up in each other to care about the irritated looks other patrons shot their way.

Outside, the cool evening air was a welcome relief from the warmth inside the café, though as the wind ruffled his hair Adrien noticed that the sky was heavy with clouds threatening rain. Beside him, Marinette shivered slightly and zipped up her coat. 

For a long moment, they simply gazed at each other, neither willing to look away or be the first to move in a different direction, to let their time together end. Adrien had thought it would be easy to say goodbye again, but before he could stop himself, he found himself asking-

“You’re at the bakery right? I’ll walk you home.”

“Oh!” Marinette said. “No, you don’t have t–”

“Marinette,” Adrien interrupted her, stifling a laugh at the way her mouth clicked shut. “I want to. C’mon.” Holding out his arm, he raised an eyebrow expectantly until Marinette–hesitantly–threaded her arm through his. A thrill ran through him at the contact and he bit his lip to hide his smile. “Let’s go.”

*

They were much more subdued as they walked, their conversation quieter. Between them, the knowledge that their time together was coming to an end weighed heavily on them the closer they got to the bakery.

It was strange, Marinette thought. How many times had they made this exact walk–shyly at first after their first date, and then more confidently as they learned to navigate the change from friendship to relationship . They’d both been so nervous –stealing glances at each other and blushing when they were caught but carrying on anyway. 

Marinette almost felt the same way now, as if she were a teenage girl again, giddy with joy at being on a date with her crush.

Adrien, on the other hand, didn’t seem nervous at all. But then, he’d always been good at hiding things. She remembered what an incorrigible flirt he’d been–especially when he was Chat Noir, but that had been a facade more often than not; a fragile mask put up to keep his distance from others. It had been a long, slow process to peel away the mask and expose the boy behind it, but Marinette would never regret it.

Not that she had reason to.

Because now… Adrien was so much more self assured. He carried himself with a confidence that only came with age, no longer afraid to hide his sincerity but embracing it instead.

As if sensing her gaze, Adrien looked down at her.  “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.

Marinette shook her head. “Don’t waste your money, they aren’t as interesting as you’d think.”

“Oh I think I’ll be the judge of that .” Adrien grinned and her breath caught at the teasing glint in his eye. 

It seemed like some things never changed. 

“Wellll…” Marinette drew out the word, looking down at the ground. Scuffing the toe of her boot on the ground she shrugged. “I was just thinking about how much we’ve changed.”

“For the better, I assume?”

“Well I know I have,” Marinette said jokingly, “but I’ve been trying to come up with a way to bring it up nicely all evening and there isn’t a way, really– you’ve become quite insufferable since we last saw each other.”

“Ah,” Adrien sighed. “That’ll be Félix’s influence, I’m afraid.”

She sniffed in mock derision. “Yes, I thought so. I–” Marinette’s lip wobbled when she looked up at Adrien, struggling to hold back her laughter at the sight of his solemn expression. “I–”

Adrien was snickering to himself now too, and Marinette clapped a hand over her mouth just as a loud guffaw escaped her mouth and echoed around them in the quiet street.

“Oh my god.” 

“What?”

“ Oh my god.” Marinette marched ahead of Adrien, her cheeks burning with mortification. Hearing him catch up behind her she sped up, calling over her shoulder. “You didn’t hear that. You did not hear that.”

“I totally did,” Adrien’s voice rumbled with laughter. “ Stop,” he grasped her by the wrist. “ It was cute!”

Marinette whirled around, incredulous. “It was not!”  

Adrien was grinning at her. “It was adorable.”

“Shut up.”

“Not until you admit it.”

“I will admit nothing.” Marinette snapped, though she felt her embarrassment fade a little–replaced by a warmth in her chest– at the fondness in his expression,  “change the subject.”

“Alright.” Adrien pretended to think for a moment. “Tell me what you were really thinking earlier.”

“Wh–I did!”

Adrien shot her a look that said come on, now , his eyebrows raised. Well. She did ask for it.

“I’d just been thinking, you know,” she began slowly, as they carried on walking side by side again.  “I know we didn’t want to break up, back then before you went to London, but…I’m glad we did. It did you good, I think.” Seeing his surprised expression, Marinette hurried on, practically tripping over her words. “Unless living with your aunt and cousin really sucked and  was a terrible experience and–”

“No,” Adrien cut in before she could spiral into a tangent. “You’re right. It was the right thing to do…at the time.”

At the time . Marinette’s breath caught at the words. What could he mean, at the time ? Without really meaning to, Marinette found herself turning to him and asking, almost in a whisper:

“And now?”

“And now…” Adrien echoed her. Scratching behind his ear nervously he stepped forward and reached out to her, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Adrien’s fingers lingered for a split second–just enough for her to feel the warmth against her skin–before dropping to his side. “Let’s just uh…” he hesitated. “Let's just say I’m glad to be back.”

“I–” 

“We’re here,” Adrien said softly, nodding to something behind her,  and with a start Marinette realised that they were standing at her doorstep. Warm light from the bakery spilled out into the street, illuminating Adrien's face and Marinette was reminded once again of the countless other times he had walked her home before. 

And what had come after.

“Oh.” Marinette exhaled the word. “Well, um…thanks for walking me,” glancing up at the overcast sky she said just as a fat raindrop landed on her forehead, she laughed. “I was gonna say you should hurry before it starts raining but…do you want to come inside and wait it out instead?”

“No, it’s fine,” Adrien shook his head quickly. “I should be able to make it back before it really gets going.”

“Okay!” Marinette tried to hide her disappointment “yeah okay if you’re sure. Um.” Before she could stop herself, she strode forwards, enveloping Adrien in a hug.  She had to reach up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his shoulder as he held her around the waist.

It wasn’t a date. She knew now that a part of her had wanted it to be, but she would content herself with this hug instead, and the time they had spent together. It was more than enough.

Pulling away, Marinette smiled up at Adrien who looked down at her, his green eyes blown wide with surprise. “I’ll see you soon.” She smiled ruefully, pecking him on the cheek. “Let’s not leave it as long this time.”

*

Adrien made it halfway down the street before he turned around.

What am I doing? He asked himself. His cheek was still tingling from Marinette’s kiss, and he could feel her gaze, watching him still from the front step of the bakery. 

What am I doing? The voice in his head repeated, louder this time and Adrien had no answer for it except to turn on his heel and walk–no, run back down the street.

The rain was coming down in earnest now, soaking him through in seconds, plastering his hair onto his face. Adrien squinted as he ran, struggling to see through the rain lashing down. Twice, he stepped in an unexpectedly large puddle and found himself with trousers plastered uncomfortably to his legs.

As he approached, he saw Marinette turn to enter the bakery and went faster, ignoring the squelch of his shoes.

“Marinette!” Adrien called out loudly, just as she began to close the door behind her. She turned in surprise.

“Adrien! Wh–”

He came to a stop in front of her, breathing heavily. “Marinette,” he said again, quietly. “I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Yes,” she whispered.

Adrien grinned. Surging forward to cup her face in his hands, he captured her mouth in a kiss. It was familiar and unfamiliar all at once as her hands flew to his neck, pulling him closer and Adrien felt her lips curve in a smile against his. He hadn’t realised just how much he’d missed this, how much he’d forgotten until he was forcibly reminded–what a fool, to think that this could have ever been anything but a date!

As the rain poured down on them, she set his body ablaze with her touch, fingers tugging at his hair as they kissed and kissed and kissed as if making up for lost time.

How poetic, he thought, distantly, in the part of his brain that was still capable of it. Our first kiss was in the rain too.

[ladybugs-and-black-cats]

New Oneshot Alert!

Anyone else still processing Season 4 of Miraculous? I took a short break from Tumblr because I had so many emotions and, even though I want to write many posts about the season finale, I just can’t form a fully cohesive thought about it right now.

In the meantime, though, I bring you a new Oneshot for your reading pleasure (and it’s not canon compliant)! This oneshot was written for the December event of the @mlwritersguild (I know it’s super late…life, ya know…)

Title: Guardian Of Her Heart

Summary: Marinette wonders about her future as Guardian of the Miraculi and all of Paris. Luka is there to guard her heart in the meantime.

Word Count: 2397

Link To Story: https://archiveofourown.org/works/37946239

[buggaberry]

life is a little sweeter when I’m with you

This is for the @mlwritersguild October Event! It’s from Team Ladybug’s fic Floured Faces, Frosted Lips by @deinde-prandium, @sukker-sugar, and me ♡

[team-leo-v]

It's Streamstress, y'all

Well, this isn't their first time fighting as a team, so this should be easy...

Finally, something for my sblnau 😭 It's been a long time since I made art for it 🤡 This is both for the October event over at @mlwritersguild and Day 6 - AU over at @mlcorefour ! Thought I should strike two birds with one stone:D

So the akuma name is Streamstress, like I said earlier, and her name is streamer (the party ribbon kind), stress, and well, seamstress. She's basically ribbon dancer Spiderman who walks kind of like Vexana from the other ML. She can trap people with her ribbons and/or sew their body parts together, and suffocation is... not very fun.

She's an intern at those party planning organizations whose boss basically overloaded her with work. She had to redo the decorations for the ceiling and the tables, and when she got fed up, she went over to a break room and an akuma fluttered into her rings (which is where the streamers materialize from!).

I originally made her for my groupchat fic (which is currently sadly dead) but scrapped the chapter. She's too cool not to resurrect tho. Drawing her was awesome, her design is so blocky and I love it

And as usual... we have Scarabella, Lady Noire, Carapace, and Goupil (name to be decided) battling her! yay

[mlwritersguild]

@generalluxun as promised, here's the drabble for the second part of your request: Puppy Love- Sabrina !

A reminder of the prompt: The NYC students are on a field trip to Paris, and have brought a packet of Sweetheart candies for their French friends.

Hope you enjoy!

---

Puppy Love, by @queer-cosette (AO3 link)

‘Just Puppy Love’ was what her mom had called it, Sabrina’s old infatuation with Chloe.

“She’ll grow out of it.”

It had felt insulting, diminishing something Sabrina was sure was real and true and important and everlasting, and it hadn’t encouraged her to stay in contact with her mom post-divorce.

But it’s different when Sabrina sits down at her desk on Valentine’s Day and finds a box with a candy heart with those two words on it.

‘Puppy Love’.

She looks around eagerly, meets Zoe’s nervous gaze just outside the classroom door.

Puppy Love. Love of a ‘puppy’.

Sabrina smiles.

[maggies-scribblings]

Yarning For Her

Adrien is smitten with the girl who's always been there, in the row behind him. But when his plans to ask Marinette out unravel, a secret throws him for a loop…

Written for the Miraculous Writer's Guild April Event 2021: Followers sent five emojis as prompts to the @mlwritersguild Tumblr for the writers to pick one to write for. I chose the emojis sent by @ladycat1: ✨ 😊 👀 👩🏻 🧵

Canon compliant up to Season 4, Episode 4: M. Pigeon 72.

👩🏻

It was finally happening. The event everyone was waiting for… well, everyone except the main protagonist of said event.

Marinette could feel it, though she could hardly believe it. She noticed Adrien looking at her with more intensity, when he thought she wasn’t looking. How he had trouble finding the right words when talking to her. All the tiny gestures of attention, like offering to help with a difficult subject or a complex art project, or praising her outfit every day, even if she’d worn it several times before.

Nino could tell, too: questions about Marinette and her favourite colour, food, flower, or whatever else were whispered in his right ear all day.

Actually, the whole class noticed Adrien’s marked change in behaviour. His cheerful hellos were now stuttered in Marinette’s general direction. His head hid on his shoulders whenever Marinette sighed or yawned, as if his neck couldn’t handle her fresh breaths. Even his athletic skills were now replaced with an unexplained jerkiness. The fact that the weather was warmer and the girls’ gym suits gave way to short shorts and strappy tops might have had something to do with it.

In short, Adrien fell in love with Marinette. Hard.

👀

When it started, Adrien couldn’t exactly tell. Ever since that first day of school, Marinette had held a special space in his heart (most of which had been stolen by Ladybug the previous day). She was one of his first and dearest friends.

But now… after getting to know Marinette, her loving and kind nature, after seeing her helping others without asking for anything back, after finally noticing how pretty she was… he wasn’t so sure.

That day at the pool was definitely a turning point.

First there was that unplanned double dive. During those milliseconds when they were falling, Adrien’s thought process went something like this:

Danger!—Why is Marinette here?—Protect!—Wow, she looks so cute in that swimsuit!

As they hit the water, their arms instinctively reached out to the other as they sank, swirling back up to the surface in a soft embrace — just like that night in New York, when they had danced floating in the air, under the full moon.

And when they were leaving the pool, Adrien was so happy and surprised to see she still had the umbrella he’d given her way back then! Sweet as always, she offered to give it back to him, even though it was raining and she had to walk home.

She was standing next to him (she linked her arm in his!) when that pesky umbrella decided to close on them, and they were pulled even closer for a few seconds. Very close. He could smell the chlorine in her hair mixed with the scent of sweets that always surrounded her. He thought he felt her heart beating faster and faster. Maybe it wasn’t. His heart certainly was. He could feel her warm breath through his shirt, and it drove him a little crazy.

When they said goodbye that day, he could hardly take his eyes off her. He even bumped his head on the car door frame. Ladies and gentlemen, here’s the charming, elegant model Adrien Agreste, unable to enter a car (come to think of it, he seemed to have a bit of a problem with doors whenever Marinette was around).

✨

The few weeks that went by did nothing to sort out Adrien’s feelings about the two black-haired girls in his life. His days were mortifying, his nights restless. On one such night, Adrien tossed and turned, but sleep wouldn’t come. The full moon and bright stars shining through the window frames painted his room with grid patterns, a constant reminder of his confined life.

Adding to that, his mind was racing with memories of his (now frequent) clumsiness and embarrassment at school. He recalled the fumble of the day: going into the classroom while trying to look cool, he managed to snag his bag strap on the door handle, causing him to jerk back and hit the ground on his butt in front of the whole class.

Adrien groaned and turned again. Worst thing was, he had no idea how she felt for him. She kept sending mixed signals. Her behaviour towards him wasn’t as weird as it had been, but that didn’t mean a lot. He’d even asked her a couple of times. He remembered the time they visited the wax museum, when she said she didn’t like him like that.

“What’s the matter, kid?” Plagg yawned from his side of the pillow, annoyed by his bearer’s restlessness. “Who is it this time? Spots or bakery girl?”

Adrien didn’t bite, going back into his musings instead.

His mind turned to Ladybug… These days, Spots occupied a much smaller part of his thoughts. He still got the occasional butterflies in his stomach when he saw her, or when she praised him and his humour. She would always be his first love, and not an easy girl to forget… but she was right, of course — she was always right — as long as they had enemies, they couldn’t reveal their identities, much less deepen their relationship. Back when Bunnyx first showed up, they found out that there would be a new Hawkmoth and countless akumas in the future, and who knew when that would end?

Plagg was still grumbling about sleep and cheese. Adrien playfully flicked his kwami’s ear.

“Shut up, Plagg! I’m trying to sleep!”

“Very unsuccessfully, I might say,” Plagg flew out of his reach. “You sighed four-hundred and fifty-eight times in the last hour.”

“Come on… can’t you see I’m in turmoil here?” Adrien turned his back to the kwami. It was no use arguing with a deity, no matter how minuscule.

“Four-hundred and fifty-ni—” Plagg’s teasing was interrupted by a pillow hitting him.

😊

This wouldn’t do. Adrien couldn’t stand his own indecisiveness any more. He decided to ask Marinette out, that very day. After a reviving shower, he got dressed and looked in the mirror. The dark circles around his eyes were evident, but he hated wearing concealer to school. He might as well add a couple of details to his usual get-up: a pair of Gabriel’s new collection sunglasses and his favourite blue scarf.

He arrived at school early, and while most of the class was either chatting in the courtyard or going into the classroom, Marinette was nowhere to be seen. Adrien went into the locker room, and lurked behind the last row of lockers while students got in, got their things and left.

Finally, the hurricane that was late-for-class-Marinette thundered in, scolding herself for oversleeping as she got her books for the morning. When she closed the door, there was Adrien, leaning against the cabinets with his best Chat Noir smirk as he looked over the rim of his sunglasses and greeted her.

“Good morn—”

He didn’t have time to finish his line, as a very startled Marinette squeaked and grabbed his free arm to spin him around and pin him to the lockers with an elbow to his throat.

It took a few moments for Adrien realise exactly what had happened, before she released her hold.

“I’m sorry, I… panicked,” Marinette said, as she stepped back and continued to gesticulate wildly and mumble more awkward apologies.

Still frozen in place, Adrien managed to adjusted his crooked sunglasses.

“Marin—” he had to clear his throat. “No, I— It’s o-ow!”

Adrien tried and failed to step forward, as he heard a ripping sound — his scarf was caught in Marinette’s locker, and the momentum slammed him back into the metal doors with a loud bang.

The proverbial stars that blurred his vision cleared up to show Marinette very close to him, fumbling with the lock to release the scarf.

“Sorry, so sorry, I’m such a klutz!”

“It’s okay, no harm do—”

Adrien stopped talking when he saw that the scarf had a large rip, disappointment obvious upon his face.

“Oh no!” Marinette covered her mouth as she saw the damage. “Your scarf! I ruined it!”

At this point, Adrien would usually smile and say something like ‘it’s okay’ or ‘no worries’, but he couldn’t lie: he really loved that scarf. It was his favourite colour, warm and cosy, yet light enough to wear on a spring day, and a rare thoughtful gift from his father. He pouted a little as his fingers traced the tear.

“I can fix it!”

He lifted his eyes to Marinette as she got on her tiptoes to unwind the scarf from his neck.

“I can make it look as good as new. I know you’re worried, after all it’s your dad’s birthday gift,” she rambled as she delicately folded it, “but I have leftover yarn— I mean, I think I have the same colour, and it’s a simple pattern.”

There was something odd about the way she worded that, but Adrien dismissed it. He must have made a weird face, because now she had a concerned expression.

“I mean, if you trust me with it… I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t after I destroyed it. ”

“No—I mean, don’t be silly, it was an accident… I shouldn’t have sneaked up on you like that!” He managed a relieved little smile. “Still, my father might be upset if he saw I ripped it. Are you sure you can fix it?”

Marinette’s eyes averted his for a moment, as she returned the folded up scarf.

“I’ll do my best! I’m not a pro like your father, but I’m sure I can make it as good as new in no time at all!”

They agreed to go to Marinette’s place after school so that she could start working on it right away, then ran off to class as the second bell rang.

Not exactly the way I planned it, Adrien thought as he scrambled onto his seat, but I guess it worked!

🧵

Adrien reclined in the chaise-longue and looked around Marinette’s bedroom. It was the total opposite of his, huge and aseptic and cold. On the contrary, these walls had warm colours and pictures everywhere, and it smelled amazing, fruity shampoo mixed with glue and ink from her many design projects, mixed with sweets from the bakery, and everything about it was so welcoming and cosy and so… Marinette.

“Yes!” Her delighted voice interrupted his reveries. “I knew I still had it!”

Adrien chuckled as he saw Marinette triumphantly holding a ball of light blue yarn, then get several needles from her yarn basket and sit at her sewing station to start working. He switched seats to her desk chair and rolled close to her.

“Can I help?”

“Sure! Let me just…”

Marinette picked up a long, thin knitting needle and started to thread it on the scarf, just above the tear. She was so concentrated and her movements so careful and precise, she might as well be defusing a bomb. Adrien noticed her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth and wondered what her kisses would taste like.

“There. I have the brakes on, now let’s get going.”

Marinette found the end stitch at the corner of the scarf and cut it. Giving Adrien the end of the yarn, she continued.

“Hold this. Make a ball while I unravel it.”

“Huh? Un-what?” Much as Adrien trusted her skills, he panicked. “Won’t you make it worse?”

“No, because I’m holding the knitting with this,” she pointed at the longer needle she had threaded through the scarf.

Marinette turned her chair, so they were sitting face to face, knees almost touching, and started to quickly unravel the bottom part of the scarf, while he rolled up the thread in a ball, both enjoying the comfortable silence. He noticed a small piece of fabric falling from one of the edges and bent down to pick it up.

“What’s this?” Adrien thought out loud while examining it.

As soon as Marinette lifted her eyes from her work and saw what he was holding, her eyes went wide and her cheeks red.

“Oh, it’s nothing—” she tried unsuccessfully to snatch the fabric from his hand. “Probably just the washing inst—”

It was not an ordinary washing instructions tag. It was tiny and had been woven into the knitting, so discreetly he’d never noticed it before. He turned the fabric over to see a recognisable signature.

Marinette

“Wait— you made this?” Adrien picked up the other end of the scarf from her lap and examined like he’d never seen it before. “Wha—? How? D-did my father buy it off your website?”

So that’s why she was so confident about fixing it. He searched Marinette’s face for an explanation, but she just shook her head and kept looking down, unravelling the loops one by one.

“No— of course not— your site wasn't set up back then, we only took those photos later…”

Adrien thought back to the time Nathalie handed him the present, neatly packed in a box with a ribbon. He’d never seen that kind of care in his father’s presents, just standard gift bags with expensive pens, straight from a corporate catalogue. His train of thought was broken by a couple of tears falling on his hands.

“Marinette…” he murmured, lifting her chin to look into her misty eyes. “Did you make this for me?”

She nodded with a tiny smile. He moved his hand from her chin to cup her cheek, wiping her tears with his thumb.

“Was this supposed to be your present for me?” Another nod. “How did this mess happen then?”

“I…” Marinette had to clear her throat and finally looked at him. Something in her eyes changed from avoidance to determination. “I wanted to give it to you personally, but I couldn’t gather the nerve… then one thing led to another, and I left it in your house, and I even signed it, but…” she shrugged.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just… couldn’t. You were so happy with the present from your dad. I couldn’t ruin it for you.”

Adrien made a mental note to find out exactly what had happened, then set all his negative feelings aside. His heart was too full of love to think about anything other than the girl in front of him.

“Oh, Marinette…” he softly chided as he hugged her. How could this girl be so selfless, on top of everything else? She cared for him, really cared for him, even back then. “I wish you’d told me.”

He released the hug and pulled her closer, into his lap. Marinette set the scarf on the sewing table and put her arms around his neck. Her tears were gone and a hint of a smile played on her lips.

“That way,” Adrien caressed her nose with his, “I would have thanked you properly.”

“Oh yeah?” Marinette breathed, her lips very close to his. “You can thank me now.”

They closed the distance between them, their lips melding into a sweet kiss, then another, and then a few more. Adrien’s heart was beating so fast he could hardly bear it. Then he remembered he should probably breathe at some point.

“Wow.”

“Wow.”

“If that’s the way you thank a person for a present, I’ll start giving them more often,” Marinette joked.

“Not anyone.” He pecked her lips. “Only you.”

They kissed again, this time more passionately. He kissed her eyes, the tip of her nose, her forehead, her neck, then back up to her lips…

The scarf was left forgotten on the sewing table. It could wait a few more hours before repairing.

Fin

Thanks to @hari-writes and @deinde-prandium for the beta read! ❤️

Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. English is not my first language and I tend to use UK English. If you catch any inconsistencies, please let me know.

My AO3. My Twitter. My Instagram.

[multimousenette]

meet a brand new cast of (not so) miraculous villains! these are half created for my fic and half created for the October event over at @mlwritersguild​

Rogue, aka Nirina Miawenys, is a half elf rogue… wait. Nirina is a character school girl Désirée Belin created in the hopes of joining her family D&D game. However, despite being a self-proclaimed feminist, Désirée’s father didn’t step in when her three older brothers laughed at her and refused to let her join because D&D “isn’t for girls”. Hawkmoth sympathised, and transformed Désirée into Nirina, bestowing upon her all of Nirina’s skills, so long as Rogue put her newfound talents in stealth and sleight of hand to good use, and retrieved Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous.

Queen of Hearts, aka Sophie Langlois, was snubbed for the lead role in her university production of Alice In Wonderland. Hawkmoth understood that she was capable of being a fantastic Alice, and transformed her into a combination of her role and the role she deserved in order to exact her revenge on the clueless director. As the Queen of Hearts, Sophie can use her set of magical -- or perhaps, miraculous -- playing cards to summon an army of loyal soldiers. With the help of her army, surely the Queen of Hearts can capture Ladybug and Chat Noir, and take their miraculous... or their heads.

Funfair, aka Bernard Perrot, works at the Museum of Fairground Arts at the Pavilions of Bercy. He’s good at his job, interested and loyal, but after being overlooked a promotion for the third time in a row, in favour of management’s favourite slackers, he’s almost ready to quit. Hawkmoth knows this is unfair; he works harder and cares more about Fairground Arts than any of his colleagues! Really, he should be the one in charge. Perhaps, if his bosses could see the true nature of the others there, they’d finally give him that promotion. With the ability ‘Hall of Mirrors’, Funfair can trap people and reveal the ugly truth within. In return? It should be easy enough to trap Ladybug and Chat Noir, and he can report back to Hawkmoth with their miraculous.

Kyuaso, aka Stephen Petellier, was excited for his holiday to Japan, where he planned to reconnect with his culture and visit all the beautiful sights of Kyushu. First, his trip was delayed by an emergency at work that cancelled all annual leave, and now Mt Aso has erupted, cancelling all flights for the foreseeable future. He’s furious. Hawkmoth understands -- he too adores the scenery of Japan, and has been burnt (figuratively) by fallout from natural disasters. Transformed into a creature of semi-solid lava, Kyuaso can wreak havoc across Paris, and spread the anger and misery he’s feeling. In return? Just a few miraculous trinkets from heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Greenfinger, aka Lucille Randoin, is an environmentalist and civil engineer who has been dismissed time and time again when she points out the problems with her team’s plans. Her boss wants them to build a high speed motorway across the whole of France to improve traffic flow, but his path will destroy hundreds of habitats and green spaces. Worst of all, he plans to start with Paris, and an enormous bridge over the entire city, which will devastate bird migration patterns, not to mention damaging the few green spaces and parks left. Hawkmoth, too, cares about the environment. Like Lucille, he sometimes thinks everything should go back to how it was centuries ago; we should let Mother Nature reclaim what is hers. He’ll help Greenfinger grow forests and wildflower fields wherever she thinks best, provided she retrieves the powerful miraculous of destructive ‘heroes’ Ladybug and Chat Noir. With those, Hawkmoth can permanently return Paris to the wild, and stop her stupid boss and his stupid bridge.

[cloudshapedpatch]

Daisies and Clover

for the @mlwritersguild february event!! <3

The first time Nino gave Marinette a valentine, they were six years old. He had wanted to give her a rose, but his mom said it wouldn’t be appropriate. Nino didn't quite understand why she said no, so he picked a small bouquet of daisies and clover in the school yard. He had been so nervous to give his gifts to her and spent the whole class party swinging his legs under his seat with anticipation. The day was a success, she fawned over the store-bought valentine and the flowers and gave him a hug. But eight years later, standing in front of his classroom door with 6 red roses, he took a deep breath. This time, he’d get it right.

[halcyyonn]

This is my October Event Fic for the @mlwritersguild!

Mind’s Eye was an OC I made for Villains Not Heroes, written around 2017-2018. It was the first long fanfic I wrote and looking back, it wasn’t great. But, it did make me want to write more fanfic and here I am.

Fic and art below the cut

After hours of work, everything was perfect. The picture staring back at her from the screen was indistinguishable from any other real photo. No one would be able to tell it had been edited, and no one would ever find out. Addy grinned; this was her chance to become a part of the Ladyblog, and this picture would catapult her into the limelight as one of the best hero journalists in Paris. 

Quickly switching back to her article document, Addy added a few more details. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir had been spotted flying over buildings on the eastern side of Paris, evidently in a hurry. Onlookers speculated that there was an akuma attack somewhere nearby, though there were no other signs to confirm it. Hours later, sources saw Ladybug and Chat Noir arguing but none were close enough to hear what was being said. Only Addy had managed to capture an image seconds before the duo realised there were civilians around and left.

Everything lined up perfectly. The photo showed an angry Ladybug and Chat Noir, carefully constructed from images of previous akuma fights and civilian sightings, shadows of an alley falling over their faces as they tried to remain hidden. It all looked so real, and who wouldn’t want to hear about a possible fight between Paris’ beloved heroes? The viewers on the Ladyblog would skyrocket. People would be clamouring for the latest scoop, which only Addy could provide them. 

With a grin on her face, Addy spun and fell onto her bed, falling asleep to images of journalistic fame and success.

The next day rolled around in the blink of an eye and Addy was sitting back at her computer, ensuring everything still looked as perfect as it had the night before. Nothing had changed. She quickly printed everything off and got ready for school, hoping to find Alya Cesaire before classes began. Once she saw these pictures, she would have no chance but to publish them. Not even she was discerning enough to notice that they were fake. 

Addy nearly skipped the entire way to school. She arrived just as Alya was about to walk through the doors into the courtyard, madly typing on her phone. Maybe it was another Ladyblog update. Whatever, no matter how good it was, it wouldn’t be as attention-grabbing as Addy’s article. 

“Alya! Wait up!” She called out and ran up the stairs, dodging people as she went. “I have a scoop for the Ladyblog! I was walking last night and saw Ladybug and Chat Noir arguing.” The paper was shoved in Alya’s face with a crinkling noise. 

“I see…” Alya took the paper and examined it, reading the article a few times before turning her full attention to the picture. The longer she looked at it, the more Addy’s anticipation grew. Her editing was holding up perfectly. 

“It’s an interesting article, isn’t it? I wonder if we can really trust Ladybug and Chat Noir to protect an entire city if they’re arguing in public like this.”

“This is fake.”

“What? It’s not fake, I took the photo myself.”

“You didn’t take the photo. It’s clearly edited, and the article is full is misinformation. I know that Ladybug and Chat Noir weren’t fighting last night because Ladybug was giving me an interview at the same time you say this photo was taken. I don’t know where Chat Noir was but you can’t have an argument with someone if they’re not with you.

“Also, this photo is clearly edited. Ladybug’s arm is pixelated at the edge on one side, but the rest of her is a far higher quality photo. Chat Noir’s hair is blurry, and he’s looking in two different directions. I don’t know why you thought this would fool anyone.” Alya paused to hand the paper back to Addy. “If I published this, I would ruin the credibility of the Ladyblog and destroy my own reputation in the process.”

“No one else would see any of that! Most people don’t go around examining pictures to see if they’re fake!”

“Those aren’t the only problems, and the rest are even bigger. Ladybug’s hand is disproportionate to the rest of her, and the wall behind their heads warp in a weird way. Even if this photo wasn’t completely faked, it looks weird to edit it at all. People also don’t want to see heroes fighting. When Ladybug and Chat Noir are the ones that have been protecting us since the first day they appeared, writing articles questioning whether they’re still doing their jobs is horrendous. This entire article lacks journalistic integrity and has no place on the Ladyblog. Maybe if I ran some cheap tabloid that doesn’t care about the subject of its articles or reputation, I would publish this. But not on the Ladyblog.”

“What if I have more photos that are genuine?”

“I don’t want to see them. After this,” Alya gestured to the paper, which Addy was gripping to the point of scrunching, “there’s no way I could trust you for real photos or information. I don’t know what you were trying to gain by this, but it hasn’t worked. Have a good day.”

Alya turned on her heel and left, leaving Addy surrounded by everyone pointing and whispering about her. When had they all arrived, and how much had they seen? It was unfair of Alya to treat her like this! How dare she? Addy turned and stomped back down the stairs. There was no way she could go to class after this.

She wanted revenge. She wanted Alya to see that rejecting her article like this was the biggest mistake she would ever make. And she would get her revenge. Somehow. She just needed a plan. Maybe a competitor to the Ladyblog? Maybe an expose about Alya and how cruel she was?

Or… was there a better way to get revenge?

"My article would have made more people view her dumb blog than ever before. She should have published it and then she would be thanking ME!" Addy shouted, kicking the closest wall to her, not caring about the pain in her foot. 

She was so caught up in her anger that she didn't notice the purple butterfly fluttering towards her until it had already landed on her hairclip.  "Mind's Eye, how would you like to get revenge on Alya and her Ladyblog for not publishing your article?

"I will give you the power to do so if you bring me a couple of little things, a ring belonging to Chat Noir and a pair of earrings belonging to Ladybug. Do we have a deal?"

“Yes, Hawk Moth.” Addy stood straighter as she was consumed by purple smoke. When it cleared, she had changed. Addy was gone, leaving only Mind’s Eye in her place, a gleam in her eye that promised trouble for anyone that stood in her way. 

If she could defeat the heroes and take their miraculous, there would be nothing for Alya to write about. Her entire blog would crumble and all the work she had put in would be for nothing. It was the perfect revenge plan. And she was the perfect one to accomplish it.

[ladybugs-and-black-cats]

New Chapter Alert!

Chapter 2 of my @mlbigbang story “Eternal Summer” is now available on AO3!

Chapter Title: Beach Day

Chapter Summary: Marinette and her family spend the day at the beach. As she goes about her day, Marinette finds that she can't seem to forget about Adrien. Why, though? She only met him the night before and for such a brief time...

Word Count: 1,554

Link to Chapter: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36305275/chapters/91162120#workskin

[theladyfae]

so... @sukker-sugar @kitten-noire