#Miraculous Ladybug Fan fic

[vgckwb]

ML: Paper Wings Chapter 7: The Life That You Lead (Finale)

The next day, Marinette’s parents arrived home from their trip. As they entered the door, Marinette greeted them with a hug and a kiss. “We were only gone for a couple of days…” Tom joked.

“I know,” Marinette said.

“Thank you,” Tom said.

“So, how was your first time staying home alone?” Sabine asked.

“Well, um,” Marinette said, “funny story…” Marinette then regaled them with everything that had happened with her and Adrien over the past few days. As her parents listened, they were stunned, confused, and amazed at the same time.

“Anyway,” Marinette said, wrapping up, “Mr. Agreste has invited us over for dinner at our earliest convenience. Now, I know you just got back from your convention, so we don’t have to-”

“Today’s fine,” Tom said.

Marinette was stunned. “Really?”

Sabine nodded. “To be honest, we’re still a little tired. I imagine that meeting with the Agrestes and getting fed would be a ton easier than firing up the shop today.”

“Well, um, if you’re sure, I’ll give him a call,” Marinette said. She got out her phone.

A little while later, she and her parents were outside Agreste Manor. Marinette was slightly nervous, but rang the doorbell. A camera popped up, and over the speaker, Gabriel’s voice rang out. “Ah! Marinette. I take it that these are your parents.”

“Um, yes sir…” Marinette replied.

“Well, come in,” Gabriel said. The gate opened, and the Dupain-Cheng family walked in. Once they made it to the door, they were greeted by Gabriel and Adrien. “Good evening,” Gabriel said.

“UH, hi,” Adrien added.

“Hm hm. Hi,” Marinette shot back.

“Well then, come in,” Gabriel said. “We don't want to keep you waiting.”

“Of course,” Tom said The Dupain-Cheng family entered, and together with the Agrestes made their way to the dining room.

As they were waiting for their food, Sabine remarked “Well, this is a really nice place you have here.”

“Thank you,” Gabriel said. “I’ve been to your place too. And although I’ve only seen a little bit of it, it looks lovely as well.”

“Oh. Thanks,” Sabine said.

“So, um, how is the fashion world?” Tom asked.

“It can be rough sometimes,” Gabriel answered, “but I certainly have made the most of it.”

“I see…” Tom said.

Gabriel’s face grew serious. “I think it’s about time we do away with the small talk,” he said. “I assume Marinette told you what happened.” Tom and Sabine nodded. “Good.” He sighed. “So, where do we go from here?”

Everyone else was a little confused. “Um, pardon?” Tom asked.

“I recognize that I have failed as a parent,” Gabriel said. “My son was this close to leaving Paris forever. Were it not for your daughter, he probably would have.” Everyone was shocked at the honesty and sadness reverberating in Gabriel’s voice. “So, what do I do now?”

Silence hung over the dining room. This was a big question, but also a fair one. Finally, Tom answered “Well, um, it helps to see your son for who he is…” Gabriel looked perplexed. “Er, what I mean is, I understand wanting to make sure your child doesn’t get hurt. I think every parent worth their salt does. But I think it’s important to listen to them as well.”

“And not just when they’re talking to you,” Sabine added. “We let Marinette stay home alone not just because she asked, but we’ve watched her grow. We’ve seen her change. We know she’s capable, even if she’s still a little clumsy.”

“Moooom,” Marinette said, slightly embarrassed.

Gabriel took all of this in. “I see.” He sighed. “I guess I have lost sight of who Adrien is. Well, that’s not entirely true. He has his mother’s independent streak. I guess I was afraid of losing him like I lost her. I thought if I could contain him, I wouldn’t lose him. But that proved to be demonstrably false.”

“Father…” Adrien said.

“Well…” Sabine said, “maybe what you need is more people in your life.”

“I beg your pardon?” Gabriel said.

“Well,” Sabine continued, “when Marinette was five, she ran away from home.”

“MOM!” Marinette objected.

Sabine held her hand to her. “However, because we knew the parents of Marinette’s friends, and we knew our friends who knew Marientte, we didn’t need to contact the authorities.”

“I see,” Gabriel said. “So, you’re saying that I need to open up my trust to others.”

“Well, you know what they say,” Tom said. “It takes a village to raise a child.”

“Hm,” Gabriel said. “I’ve always been a little antisocial. But I’m not just worrying about myself now, am I?” He sighed. “I guess I still have a lot to learn.”

Sabine chuckled. “Being a parent is a never ending learning experience.”

“Hm,” Gabriel smirked. “Where do you suggest I start?”

“Well, I think that’s a question directed at Adrien,” Sabine said.

Gabriel turned to his son. “Well?”

Adrien thought about it. “Um, well, if it’s alright, I would like to go to school. Like physically. With others.”

“Hmmmm,” Gabriel said. “Alright.”

“Really?” Adrien said.

“Well, it is better than you taking the first train out of here and never looking back,” Gabriel responded. “Although, I’m not sure where to start.”

“We can help,” Tom said. “The school where Marinette goes to is really great!”

“Yeah!” Sabine added. “Maybe we can help you set that up.”

Gabriel smiled. “Thank you. But I suggest we do that after dinner.” Just then, the servers brought out the aforementioned dinner. “Perfect timing.” Their meals were placed in front of them. “I hope this is to your liking. I know you’re professionals.”

“Oh, we’re professional pastry chefs,” Sabine said.

“Yeah,” Tom continued. “I mean, we can cook other foods well enough, but I wouldn’t say we’re professionals when it comes to all foods.”

“Still, I assume you have a discerning palette,” Gabriel said. Tom and Sabine chuckled. “Well then, let’s dig in.” They began eating.

“Wow!” Marinette said. “This tastes great!”

“I agree,” Tom said.

“Well, it might not be as spicy as I’d like,” Sabine noted, “but it tastes really good.”

“I could ask to bring out some spices,” Gabriel suggested.

“Hm hm, don’t bother,” Marinette said. “I doubt you have the kind of spice my mom likes.”

“Besides, it’s nice to change things up a bit,” Sabine said. “Variety is the spice of life.”

“I see,” Gabriel said, grinning.

Adrien chuckled. “This is nice.” He continued eating.

Gabriel was astounded. “Hm. I haven’t seen you smile like that for a while.”

“Oh, uh, well…” Adrien stammered.

“Perhaps we should have company over more often,” Gabriel suggested.

Adrien was awestruck. “For real?” Gabriel nodded. Adrien turned to the Dupain-Chengs. “Would you mind?”

“Of course not!” Tom exclaimed. “It’s nice to get out once in a while.”

“Besides, I think it’s worth it to discuss ideas on how to break the two of you out of your shells,” Sabine said. The Agreste men laughed nervously.

“Although,” Marinette said, “we could also invite you over to our place too.”

Gabriel smiled. “That sounds simply wonderful.” They continued eating.

After they finished, Tom and Sabine took Gabriel aside to help him prepare to enroll Adrien in Francois-Dupont High School. Meanwhile, Adrien led Marinette to his room. She was stunned. “Wow. This is a big room.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said. “But it kind of makes me feel small.”

Marinette was shook. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

Adrien smiled. “It’s fine. I think I'm starting to like that feeling. I mean, I wanted to leave to see just how big the world was. If I’m being let out more and more anyway, I think I can finally appreciate being a small part of something bigger."

Marinette took Adrien’s hand. “Well, you know I’ll always be there for you. Just so you don’t get lost in the bigness of it all.”

Adrien smiled. He pulled Marinette in. “May I?”

Marinette giggled. “You may.” They shared their first kiss.

Sometime later, summer had come to an end, and school started up. Marinette lived a short distance from the school, so she just walked there. As she arrived, she saw a limo. Outwalked Adrien. Once the limo drove off, he noticed her. “Hey Marinette.”

She giggled, and rushed towards him. “Hey.” They shared a kiss. “So, are you ready for your first day?” Marinette asked.

“Well, I think so,” Adrien said. “I mean, I’ve toured the school. I’ve talked with the staff. I have the materials. But it’s a whole other thing to be in the thick of it, you know?”

“I do,” Marinette said. She took his hand again. “But remember, you aren’t alone.”

Adrien smiled. “Right.” They walked in together, hands linked.

Many years later, Adrien and Marinette are on the couch, as Adrien wraps his arm around Marinette, he finishes his story by stating “And that, kids, is how I met your mother.” The kids were awestruck, but Marinette was tickled pink. “Now, it’s time for you to go to bed.”

After the kids were put to bed, Marinette was working on her next fashion project, when Adrien gave her a hug. Marinette turned around and gave him a kiss. “What is it dear?”

Adrien let go and chuckled. “Nothing. Just telling that story reminded me how much I love you.”

Marinette blushed. “It is nice to hear again after all these years.” She looked at her design. “It has been a while since we did something, just the two of us. Maybe after I get done with this project, we can set something up.”

“OR,” Adrien said, pulling Marinette out of her chair. “We can do a little something now?” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Marinette rolled her eyes. “I meant more like a vacation.” Adrien pouted. Marinette chuckled. “But I won’t say ‘no’ to right now.” Adrien perked up. They shared a kiss, and then headed back to their room for the night.

[thatbeansblog]

I would love to discuss ladyfly and mikucore ladybug, this special truly had everything us Marinette stans needed.

[mysticraven20]

Chapter 24: First Kiss

@adrinetteapril

Artwork by the amazing @verabraun-art

Marinette watched as Adrien rounded the corner, leaving her life once again. She had wanted to take it slow, but everything about this evening had proven he most certainly did not — he was doing this for her. The kind, caring boy she’d grown up loving had once again pushed his own feelings aside and allowed her to take the lead.

But it was about time she took the lead herself, and going for what she wanted!

Her heart started a rhythmic command to get moving, to go find him and stop this stupid game once and for all.

She hastily seized the nearest pair of shoes, her father’s cherished boots, slipping her feet into them despite their vast size. Ignoring the discomfort, her heart pounded with urgency as she rushed out into the street, desperate to find Adrien. She couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving again. After New York and then London (twice), she was determined to make him stay this time. He belonged with his family, his friends, and most of all, with her—the love of his life.

Yet, doubts gnawed at her insides. What if their love wasn’t enough to anchor him here?

But she pushed those thoughts aside, clinging to hope as she sprinted down the familiar streets, her heart racing with both anticipation and fear. Catching up with him, she saw him turn to face her, a questioning smile on his perfect, kissable lips.

“Marinette?” he questioned. His eyes glistened and glowed underneath the moonlight. Or was it the lamppost? This was the exact spot he’d proposed to her a couple of weeks ago. A proposal that, regardless of its validity, she’d accepted.

She stared up at him, summoning the courage to speak. “I know they say if you love someone, you should let them go. Well, I did that once and, believe me, there’s no way I’m strong enough to do it again.”

His eyes flickered across her face. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, I don’t want to take this slow. Not anymore.”

His mouth opened, before closing again, his eyes burning into hers.

They stood bathed in the soft glow of the light, accentuating every imperfection and detail as they locked eyes. His velvety, green gaze delved into her deep oceans of blue. Silence enveloped them, each absorbed in the weight of what this moment could signify for their relationship.

Amidst the quiet tension, she felt a surge of readiness and determination. She wanted this, despite the uncertainty. Her heart swelled with love for him, and in that intense gaze, she found the courage to embrace whatever changes lay ahead. She bit down on her bottom lip and his gaze moved to focus on her mouth.

“Do you love me?” she asked with all the confidence she didn’t know she possessed.

Her pulse quickened as she locked eyes with him again, feeling the searing heat radiating from his intense, emerald gaze.

They stood motionless, the weight of the unspoken answer heavy in the air. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest, each beat echoing in her ears. Goosebumps raced across her skin, every nerve alive with tingling anticipation, as their eyes remained fixed on each other, conveying a torrent of unspoken emotions.

“Do you love me?” Her voice trembled, as the raw emotion broke through. Why wasn’t he answering?

Her heart raced in anticipation of his answer, breath caught in her chest. With deliberate steps, he moved closer, closing the distance between them, his hand rising to tenderly cup her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed instinctively, savouring the intimacy of his touch and surrendering to the tender caress.

She watched him wet his lips with a nervous flick, before leaning in to whisper the words she had been yearning for. “Yes…I love you!” The breath of his voice against her ear sent a shiver down her spine, his warm breath mingling with her own, creating an intimate moment filled with longing and desire.

Her throat tightened as she watched him retreat, his eyes searching hers with a silent invitation to reconsider. He had an uncanny ability to read her thoughts.

As her eyes met his, she was mesmerised by the intensity of his gaze. It had turned to molten heat, a fire that burned only for her. And in that moment, she felt like the most cherished person in the world – not some distant ideal of beauty, but Marinette Dupain-Cheng, baker’s daughter and retired superhero.

His eyes bore into hers with an insatiable hunger, as though she were the sole craving of his existence. It was a look that conveyed a depth of longing and desire that superseded any other want or need.

She no longer allowed her doubts to resurface. She didn’t stop to question it, to question him or to question herself.

Marinette allowed her instincts to guide her, her hands reaching out and grabbing him by the shirt, twisting the fabric in her grip as she closed the distance between them. Lifting her head, she watched him bite his lower lip, his eyes continuing to blaze in the same way her core was. He kept his eyes trained on her, darkened, his pupils dilating into the green of his irises in a way that made her gulp for breath.

The tension between them was like a tightly wound band on the brink of snapping, the impending release promising a cataclysmic explosion of emotion, reminiscent of a supernova.

“Hey,” he greeted, his voice deep and gravelly.

As if on cue, the tension that had been holding them apart released its grip, and Marinette felt herself drawn irresistibly closer to him. Their lips met in a long-awaited kiss that spoke volumes of unspoken desire and heartfelt connection. She could feel the weight of anticipation lift, replaced by the warmth of his touch and sweetness of their lips.

At that moment, he was everything.

The kiss started slow and controlled, slightly tentative, and Marinette could sense the underlying tension and desire building between them. She felt his possessive growl reverberate in the back of his throat, a primal sound that stirred something deep within her.

As the kiss intensified, she sensed his urgency, the fiery passion igniting between them, a mutual need for more, for deeper connection and exploration. In that moment, amidst the heat of their embrace, her thoughts raced with longing and anticipation, her heart pounding with the realisation that this was just the beginning of something electric and profound.

His hands slid up her arms, fingertips skating across her collarbones and along her throat before cupping around her face almost desperately.

She felt something ignite in her body, and her hands moved up to grab his hair. A match lit inside her, and she was teetering on the edge of an inferno.

She suddenly remembered a quote from a book, where the character asked another what drowning felt like. The response was…not everything feels like something else.

Like falling in love.

Like having your heart broken.

Like kissing Adrien Agreste.

She could never have felt anything as jubilant as this. It wasn’t a tentative first kiss like when they were 14, breaking spells and defeating Akumas. This was a full kiss where she finally knew what Adrien tasted like — a flavour she’d desired for over a decade.

Her thoughts flew further, imagining what he would sound like as his hands moved over her body, adding in her own whimpers for more as he touched her. Her fantasies could never fully capture the unadulterated bliss of this moment, the sounds of his pulse quickening, or his breath catching as he finally relaxed and relinquished control to her.

They couldn’t go back to their normal dynamic now. This kiss was more than she ever could have imagined and everywhere he touched it felt like an electrical storm cracking.

He was more than just looks and a name to her. He was her Kitty, her Adrien. And as she remained in Adrien’s arms, breathless and not nearly satisfied, she understood how a simple kiss could bring two grown people to their knees, her own legs barely keeping her standing.

“Nice boots,” he said before stroking his thumbs over her cheek bones and moving forward again, this kiss just as heated and intense as the last one.

She wanted to experience everything with him because she loved him and she was sure now that he loved her. She never had to do anything to make him see her, because this kiss told her he’d been watching for a long, long time.

If this was what drowning felt like, she would be happy to drown forever.

Read the whole story here

[winterlili]

When You Invite a Celeb to Your Wedding AU - AKA Miraculous Matrimony - part 1

This is a funny little starter comic I made based off of this post. I would like to make it a series, but we’ll just have to see. One thing is for sure, I had a lot of fun making these pages!

[runawaycatwalker]

Part 28. Prevaricators' Procession

< First | < Previous | Next >

Description below the cut

Astrowalker flies above a copse of trees.

Astrowalker (internally): I wish I could have said 'yes.'  But with how little I can trust any of my friends right now?  And with Mayura searching for any sign of Adrien?  I can't risk going home.

Astrowalker’s eyes widen and his mouth pulls into a long, thin grimace as Cosmobug flies up behind him and throws her yo-yo at him.

Cosmobug: YOU!

Astrowalker (internally): Oh no.

Astrowalker, wrapped tightly in yo-yo string (even his wings have been folded in on themselves and bound), hangs upside-down as Cosmobug points angrily at his face.

Astrowalker: Hello, Cosmobug.  I was trying to stay out of your way as requested, but I thought I should be on-hand in case you needed—

Cosmobug: Where. Is. Adrien?

Astrowalker: I'm not sure why you think I can answer that question...

Cosmobug: He disappears and then you appear just moments later?  I don't think that's a coincidence.

Astrowalker, still upside-down, tries to avert his gaze by looking down (which is up).

Cosmobug: Where did you hide him?

Astrowalker: I only followed you here, I am quite unfamiliar with the terrain of this place.  Unless you think I stuffed him inside my baton, I fail to see where I could have put him that was beyond your reach.

Cosmobug: You could have used Cataclysm to make a bottomless pit and dropped him in!

Astrowalker: Or Adrien might have wandered off on his own.

Cosmobug: When he was so close to going home?  Never!

Astrowalker: It wouldn't be the first time he avoided the mansion...

Cosmobug turns away and rubs her forehead in frustration.

Cosmobug: GAAAHHHH!  Talking to you is just a waste of time!  Adrien might be getting into an even worse situation with every moment that passes!  I need to switch tactics...

Cut to Cosmobug flying back to where she left Kagami, towing Astrowalker behind her as he flings around like a ragdoll.

Cosmobug: Kagami!  I need a favor: guard Catwalker while I search for Adrien.

Kagami: Are you sure Adrien is nearby?  I cannot justify staying here indefinitely to my mother.

Cosmobug: Then we'll make him carry you home while you guard him!  Better to keep him far away anyway so he can't interfere again!

Astrowalker lets out a ‘meep!’ as Cosmobug points Rolland’s knife in his face.

Cosmobug: And if Catwalker tries anything, strike swiftly.

Cut to Astrowalker flying while carrying Kagami in his arms.

Astrowalker: Let me know if you're uncomfortable.  I'll fly low and slow since it can get cold without a powered-up suit.

Kagami: What did you do to make Ladybug mad at you?

Astrowalker: Who said she was mad at me?

Close up of Kagami holding up the knife with confidence beaming.

Kagami: She authorized me to stab you repeatedly.

Astrowalker: Fair point.

Astrowalker looks away evasively.

Astrowalker: But it’s hero business.  I’m not at liberty to explain it to you.

Kagami gestures to herself nonchalantly.  Astrowalker absolutely bristles as he loses his composure.

Kagami: I’m Ryuko.  You can explain everything to me freely.

Astrowalker: You’re not supposed to reveal your secret identity!

Kagami folds her arms and looks away, annoyed that she has to justify herself.

Kagami: Shadowmoth already knows who I am.  You knowing isn’t any more dangerous.

Astrowalker: I highly doubt Ladybug would agree with that assessment.

Kagami: Ladybug herself said I was talented enough to stay a hero despite the identity issue.

Full-body shot of them flying from the side, Astrowalker looks ahead as he explains.

Astrowalker: No, I mean that if Ladybug doesn’t trust me, you shouldn’t either.

Kagami: Did you have something to do with Adrien going missing again?

Astrowalker: Ladybug seems to think so.

Kagami: Why?

Astrowalker: Proximity, mostly.  And she knows I've lied to her before, so I'm the most likely to be guilty.

Kagami: And if you're not guilty?  Not defending yourself means that Ladybug punishes you instead of the person responsible.

Astrowalker: What's done is done.  Ladybug has already made up her mind about me.  In any case, Adrien's business is his alone and we should leave it be.

Kagami points the knife at Astrowalker’s face as he tries to look innocently upwards.

Kagami: You know more than you're letting on, don't you?

Astrowalker: Wh-What gave you that idea?

Close-up of Kagami’s face as she argues.

Kagami: When I don’t want my mother to know that something matters to me, I try to convince her it means nothing.  If she believes I don't care, she won't try to interfere.  You are trying to keep people away from Adrien through your 'indifference'.

Astrowalker: Or I might just be indifferent?

Kagami closes her eyes and waves her hand dismissively.

Kagami: I suppose I won't be able to convince you to reveal your true intentions.  If you're lying to Ladybug, you're probably lying to me too.

Astrowalker looks away with regret.

Astrowalker: There may not be much I can really say, but... For whatever it's worth, I didn't kidnap Adrien.

Kagami: Of course not.  He kidnapped himself.

Astrowalker looks at Kagami in shocked confusion.  Kagami looks aside, unconcerned, as she explains.

Astrowalker: Huh?  I thought you were akumatized to hunt down whoever kidnapped him?

Kagami: The ransom message Gabriel Agreste received must have been a fake.  If Adrien had been kidnapped for ransom, he wouldn't have been left alone on a mountain.  He's clearly up to something big that he doesn't want anyone to know.

Astrowalker: But what secrets could a teen model even have to justify vanishing entirely?

Cut to the image of Kagami and Adrien in “Lies,” when Adrien cheerfully gives her a thumbs-up while she holds the lucky charm Marinette gave him behind her back.

Kagami (voiceover): I'm not sure, but Adrien is far more secretive than most people realize.  His affable demeanor hides his deceit well.  You wouldn't even know he was lying to your face unless you held contradictory proof.

Cut back to Astrowalker looking away while Kagami looks at the knife in thought.

Astrowalker: Do you hate him?  For all the lies?

Kagami: No.  I'm a liar too.  His lies just proved we weren't right for each other.  He's... too much of a people pleaser.

Astrowalker: What's so wrong with wanting to please people?

Kagami: It demonstrates a lack of mutual respect.  If he did something I might judge him for, I would rather he told me the truth so we could deal with it head-on.  Instead, he just made up easy to-swallow excuses so he could pretend his ditching me didn't have consequences.  I was willing to show him things I've never shared with anyone.  But he refused to reciprocate with his own vulnerability.

Astrowalker looks over his shoulder.

Astrowalker: What if he couldn't tell you the truth due circumstances beyond his control?  Maybe he wanted to open up, but he couldn't tell anyone what was really happening?

Kagami opens her arms to the side and Astrowalker finally meets her gaze.

Kagami: Then he should have explained what he could about the situation and asked me for privacy.

Astrowalker: Would that really have been enough to salvage your relationship?  Knowing that someone is keeping things from you can be a heavy burden all on its own.

Kagami: Maybe not.  But it would have been possible.  I might have still been disappointed to be excluded, but at least I wouldn't have been disappointed in him.

Kagami waves her hand towards Astrowalker, who looks down towards her in regretful contemplation.

Kagami: But why are you so interested in why Adrien lied to me?  Did you end up discovering the secrets Adrien kept from me?

Astrowalker: No, of course not.  But... I suppose your perspective sheds light on the trouble I've been for Ladybug.  We heroes are supposed to keep everything secret.  But there's still a limit to what I should withhold from my partner.  Even if I can't give Ladybug all the answers, I need to be more honest with her if I'm to regain her trust.

Astrowalker flies with Kagami towards the horizon.

Kagami: Assuming she doesn’t simply take back your miraculous once she gets back to Paris.

Astrowalker: Right.  There’s that.

Below is the same image as above, only without text:

[coffeebanana]

istg half of the post-s5 finale fics i see have some sort of disclaimer in the tags or summary (or i even just saw one in the title!!) saying the fic was written because the show sucks or the finale sucked or they just hated everything about it

and it's frustrating because i probably would have enjoyed a lot of these fics! but now i'm not even going to touch them because i don't want to engage with people shitting on the show

[raspberrycatapult]

Cover Art for @uptoolateart's AMAZING Jurassic Park/Camp Cretaceous AU fic!!!

[art-the-f-up]

We finally have a group photo! Look at Chat Noir, he fits right in.

Read "Felonies and Other Love Languages" by @miabrown007 on AO3 right now if you're ready to heist.

[xhanisai]

horror fans in this fandom pls read my ongoing horror fic especially if you like your good ol' generic ghosts and shit like that

(AO3)

[vgckwb]

ML: Paper Wings Chapter 6: No Longer Waiting

Marinette wasn’t sure why, but she was at the train station. She was sure she was at her home only moments ago. Something didn’t feel right. She looked around, and suddenly she saw Adrien. She wasn’t sure why he was there, but she rushed to him. “ADRIEN!”

Adrien looked back. “Huh? Marinette?”

“Adrien!” Marinette said, catching up to him. “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t you remember?” Adrien said. “My father and I are moving to London.”

“LONDON?!” Marinette shrieked.

Adrien nodded. “My father says it’ll be good for business. I’m kind of excited too.”

“Huh?” Marinette wondered.

“I mean, all my time in Paris, barring our recent adventure, I was practically in a cage,” Adrien explained. “In London, I can be free!”

“But…” Marinette wondered. “But what about me?”

“We have each other’s phone numbers,” Adrien clarified. “And besides, I’m only a train ride away.”

Marinette panicked. “But-”

“ALL ABOARD!” cried the engineer.

Adrien picked up his bags. “It’s time. Goodbye Marinette.” He and his father started walking onto the train.

Marinette was paralyzed by fear. “Adrien!” She called. He got on the train. “Adrien!” The trains started moving. “ADRIEN!”

Marinette woke up. “Eh, uh, huh?” she said, looking around. She noticed she was in her house on the couch. “Phew!’ she said, relieved. “It must have been a dream.” She looked sad. “But…If that were to happen…” She glanced at her phone. She grew determined, and picked it up.

Meanwhile, the Agrestes were busy eating dinner and discussing Adrien’s escapades. Suddenly, a phone went off. “What’s that?” Gabriel asked.

“Oh,” Adrien said. “It’s just my…phone that I…bought to have a phone…while keeping off the grid…” Adrien said.

“Who’s calling?” Gabriel asked.

“Well, I only gave my number to Marientte, so…probably her,” Adrien answered. Gabriel glared at him. “Eh heh. Sorry?”

“A gentleman shouldn’t keep a lady waiting,” Gabriel said.

“Oh, right,” Adrien said. He answered. “Hello?”

“Hi Adrien,” Marinette replied.

Adrien grew concerned. “Marinette? Is everything alright?”

Marinette hesitated. She sighed. “I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked.

“I just…” Marinette said. “Look! This is going to sound crazy. But then again, what part of this hasn’t been crazy, right?” Adrien seemed a little confused. Marinette sighed. “The truth is, after hanging out with you for the past few days, I didn’t want you to leave. I know I said I didn’t want you to leave initially, but this is different. I still didn’t want you, even though I wanted you. I mean, ugh, this is complicated.

OK, so, when you decided enough was enough, and talked to your dad, that’s sort of what I’m doing now. I know you’re staying and all, but I had this dream, and I think it was telling me something. I didn’t want you to run away before, and I don’t want you to run away now because, well, because I…like you. I mean, I like you, like you…” Marinette waited. There was a silence, and then a thud. “ADRIEN?!”

At the Agreste manor, Adrien’s face had turned red, and he dropped his phone. Gabriel, confused, walked over and picked up the phone. “Hello?”

Marinette gasped. “Mr. Agreste?! Is Adrien alright?!”

“I…think he’s a little flustered is all,” Gabriel replied. Marinette was relieved. “I’ll put him back on.”

“WAIT!” Marinette protested.

Gabriel didn’t listen. He took Adrien’s hand, put the phone in it, and closed his hand around it. “Just be calm,” he advised. “And be honest with her, OK?”

Adrien came to his senses. “Uh, yeah. Yeah.” Adrien said. He shook himself. “Marinette?”

“Adrien?!” Marinette replied.

“Marinette!” Adrien repeated. “Um, well, that, uh, that was… Ahem. Sorry. Let me try that again. I get people saying stuff to me like that a lot. You know, because I’m a model. But um, I know that they don’t mean much. But after these past few days, I know you mean something when you say it. And, well, to be honest, that’s not all I noticed.

I saw how determined you were to help others. I saw how friendly you can be to people. I’ve seen you laugh. I’ve seen you cry. I’ve seen you serious. I’ve seen you silly. And I guess over time, I came to appreciate that.

I was leaving Paris because I thought there was nothing here for me. And then we bumped into each other, and then I found something here for me, which is you. I even had the crazy notion of taking you with me, but I knew that wouldn't be fair to you. So that’s part of the reason I confronted my father. Because if I was going to stay, I had to make sure you weren’t taken from me. So, I guess that means I like..like you too?”

Marinette gasped. “Really?”

“...Yeah,” Adrien said, still a little flustered. Gabriel instructed Adrien to give him the phone. “Oh. My father wants to talk to you.” He handed it over.

“Hello?” Gabriel said.

“Hello,” Marinette replied.

“Well, it seems like this is just one more thing to talk about with your parents,” Gabriel said.

“I..guess so…” Marinette said.

“I can’t wait,” Gabriel said. “I’ll hand Adrien back his phone now.” He did.

Adrien took it. “Sooooo?”

“Soooooo, I’ll talk with you soon?” Marinette said.

“Yeah,” Adrien said. “Wait! Um, this was a burner phone. I’ll give you my real number, OK”

Marinette nodded. “Sounds good.”

“OK, great!” Adrien said. He gave out his phone number. “Alright. See you later.”

“See you later,” Marinette replied. “Bye!” They hung up. Marinette fell on the couch, overcome with joy. Once Adrien finished dinner, he went to his room to collapse on his bed in the same manner. They both went through an experience these past few days, but they never imagined something like this could happen. But they were glad it did.

[ririchanva]

Chapter Eighteen: Battling In New York~! (Part Four)

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Chapter Warning: Semi-violence (but mostly flashback), death of minor character(s), depicts of the occult, some dark imagery.

A/n: Oh my god, I can't believe it's finally here. When was the last update? *looks towards the date of previous chapter* Since February...okay so not too long ago. It's May now and after this chapter, WE ARE GOING TO THE MAIN STORYLINE! Meaning travelling to Japan and heading to U.A. :D How exciting! Not to mention that with this chapter out now, I can focus on making some fanart and Tiktoks for this story along with working on the newer chapters (and hopefully more frequently).

Anyways, let's get on with this finale of this arc, shall we~?

Also, who can guess where the inspiration comes from for the first part of this chapter~?

    Green eyes opened with a gasp, chest heaving as they looked around for a moment in confusion. Adrien’s eyebrows furrowed as he frowned, wondering why he was in a bright place. Wasn’t he fighting against the bad guy with Deku, Bakugo and Ladybug—

    Adrien’s eyes widened as he then looked down at himself, realising that he was no longer in costume.

   “Why aren’t I Chat Noir? Plagg?” He looked around once more, wondering where his cheese loving Kwami has gone, “Plagg! Where are you?”

    He started walking, his heart hammering against his chest as he called out the names of his companions.

   “Izuku? Marinette? Katsuki? Where are you guys?”

    “Have you forgotten the lessons I’ve taught you?”

    Adrien’s head snapped to the source of the voice and saw a prim and proper blonde woman in what seems to be a Ladybug costume, standing there with two other figures. Boys that were his age.

Walking over to them, Adrien reached out his hand to touch her shoulder.

    “Excuse me, Missus. Can you help—?”

    He blinked when his hand went through her, and stepped back in surprise. He squinted his eyes at the woman still sternly looking towards at the male teenagers before her, one dark haired boy being nervous while the other boy with blond hair was glaring down at her defiantly.

    “He’s still a threat until he’s dead…” The woman sighed, closing her eyes and then said coldly, “Finish it.”

    “No.”

    Silence was deafening to Adrien as he stared at the three, wondering what these people were talking about. Where was he? Was he…having a dream? Some sort of vision? Was this what’s happening right now?

    Or a memory? 

    But of whom?

    The adult looking Ladybug holder quirked a brow, narrowing her eyes, “..No?”

    “What good would killing do?!” The young blond man that spoke before argued, stepping forward as he ignored his dark haired friend trying to stop him, “When mercy is a skill more of this world could learn to use. OUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD!” 

    Adrien almost jumped at the sudden bodies on the ground surrounding them, a hand covering his mouth as he felt the urge to throw up. A lot of them…looked like fallen heroes. 

     “OUR FOE IS WEAKENED, THE…The BLOOD WE’VE SHED?! IT NEVER DRIES!” It sounded like the boy was choking up as if holding back the tears, but then suddenly growled in anger, “IS this WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HERO?!”

    “Toshinori, stop.” The other boy finally spoke as Adrien turned to look at him along with the blond young man, now named Toshinori, who was swatting his friend’s hand away.

     “…All Might?” Adrien questioned, but knew they couldn’t hear him.

    “No, Hisashi! Béatrice-san has to hear this!”

     Adrien’s eyes widened as he was taking a good look at the young man named Hisashi who looked hurt and looked away. He continued to watch them a little more quietly, not knowing what to do at this moment. What could he do, anyways? Not like they could see him—

     Adrien blinked when he thought Hisashi was staring right at him. But the boy turned his back to him as he looked back to his friend beside him, as said friend continued to talk to the woman.

    “We are not killing anyone today.”

    The Ladybug holder sighed, eyes looked tired as she murmured a ‘Spots off’ before de-transforming in front of them, revealing to be a normal middle aged woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. 

     “Reckless. Sentimental at best…I know that’s not what Nana has taught you, Toshinori Yagi.”

    Anger swelled in Toshinori’s eyes as he stomped his foot on the ground. 

    “Do NOT bring my Master into this! If she was here—”

    “But she’s not here, is she?“

    “…”

    Béatrice stared at him before letting out a defeated sigh.

     “…It was a mistake to take you on as a student. Hisashi Midoriya is the only one that I should be training. What good is training you since you’re not the same as us. I shouldn’t have agreed to Nana’s dying request and the insistent begging from Gran Torino of helping you finish your—“

    “That’s just like you,” Toshinori rolled his eyes, snorting sarcastically, “Why should I be surprised? Selfish, prideful and vain—”

     “Watch your tone, Toshi! She’s still our teacher!”

      “Your teacher, ‘Sashi-kun. Not mine. Never was.”

      Hisashi looked to the blond for a moment, as if lost on what to say next. Meanwhile, Adrien had to place a hand over his mouth. Midoriya? As in, Izuku’s…?

    “Say no more. I’m gone.“

     Hisashi’s eyes widened as he watched his friend start walking away, then looked back at the blank face of the older Ladybug heroine. Shaking his head, he caught up to Toshinori and grabbed his arm.

    “Toshi, please! Don’t go! Teacher just wants—”

    “Just how long are you going to take orders from her, Hisashi?” 

     Hisashi stared at him in bewilderment before his arm fell to his side when Toshinori pulled back from him.

     “…I’m her student. I’m to be the next Cat Hero alongside her until she is found again by Master Fu to retire. I need to—”

     “I guess this is goodbye then.”

     “…I thought you were my comrade? My friend?”

     “I am, and always will be…But I cannot be around someone that would cross the lines that no human should.” Toshinori paused, before giving a wistful smile, “I hope that you won’t lose [REDACTED] for this…”

     Confusion clouded Hisashi’s eyes as Toshinori vanished in a green light, Hisashi and Béatrice disappearing as well to signal the vision was over. 

    “So…what did you learn from this?”

     Adrien turned his head to look at an older man, and the Cat Holder had a feeling who this was.

     “…I don’t understand?” Adrien said softly, as the man gave a small smile.

     “I bet it’s all confusing, but I had to show you this to tell you…do not trust those that hold One-For-All.”

     “What?” Adrien breathed out as his eyes widened, “W-what do you—?”

     “I’m not saying they aren’t good people. But there are times that their ways are…questionable. Heroes like him and his Master are not always in our corner when they get involved with the Miraculous Holders and Celestial Guardians.” The man said with a tilt of his head, and sighed, “And as a fellow Cat Holder, I had to come to warn you when uniting with someone that has the power.”

    Fellow cat holder? 

    Adrien stared at him for a moment then gasped, “You’re…?”

    A Cheshire like grin appeared on his face as he then gave a small bow, “My name is Hisashi Midoriya. I was a previous holder of the Cat Miraculous.“

    Shock wearing off, Adrien asked, “Are you…Izuku’s Dad?”

     Hisashi hummed, tilting his head to the other side, “Izuku? Is that his name?”

    “And he’s holding One-For-All.”

    Hisashi closed his eyes, as he then murmured, “…Toshinori.” 

    Adrien frowned, “That’s All Might, right?”

    “So he kept that stupid name Shield gave him…”

     “You’re not answering my questions properly.”

     “You must feel disappointed…” The older man saw the confusion on the boy’s face and chuckled softly, “I mean about how I didn’t listen to Toshinori. What did you think of what you saw?”

       The blond looked thoughtful for a moment, but then murmured, “Despite that you are partners with your teacher. Toshinori was still your friend. And if I learnt anything, is that if your friend is voicing something not right…I would listen, even if it is against an adult you trusted.”

     Hisashi looked surprised for a moment, and chuckled, “I wonder…”

     Suddenly, the ground shook for a moment, making Adrien look around in a panic. Although Hisashi didn’t look surprised at all.

     “What’s happening?” Adrien asked, trying to keep his footing.

     The older man looked at him with a small smile, “I don’t have much more time. Especially since it seems the fight is going to be over soon. I wished we had more time to talk….”

     Adrien blinked as he felt himself vanishing, seeing Hisashi’s back turning to him, and the blond was trying to reach out before Hisashi spoke once more.

    “We’ll see each other again, little kitten. Tell the new Bug I said hello~”

  “Adrien?…Adrien!….Wake up, my son…”

   A groan escaped the blond as his eyes open slowly, feeling pain all over his body. Once his vision cleared, he saw a worried looking Amelie and Aizawa staring down at him, Felix behind them.

   “M-Mom? What…what happened?”

   “I can explain that, if you don’t mind~” Rody also appeared in his field of vision, smiling with Pino and Talli resting on top of his head, “You see…”

   He saw lines of green and orange strings around not just Bakugo and Deku…but around Ladybug and Chat Noir as well. It was then light emerald and pink strings were surrounding them as well.

   “What are those…?” Thunderbird asked himself before looking around to his fellow heroes, “Is anyone else seeing this?”

    “Seeing what?” Rayures asked as she looked confused.

    “The fact that Deku, Bakugo, Ladybug and Chat Noir are glowing?“ Carapace supplied, humming a bit, “I mean we all see that~”

    “You guys can’t see the strings?”

    “Strings?” Shinso asked with a quirked brow, “What strings?”

    “They can’t see it, Young Thunderbird,” Talli appeared beside the bird hero, who jumped in surprise, “If you’re going to ask how I am here, your friend Pino allowed me to come out to support you thanks to your quirk. Interesting power, I must say so myself.”

   “Then…? What are they?”

    “Have you not ever heard of Strings of Fate before?“

    “…Those are real?”

    Talli nodded, “And watch. They are going to help your friends win~”

   Thunderbird turned his head to just see all four heroes racing towards the insane Nine, who was screaming and yelling stuff at them before using his quirks against them. The villain engages Deku, Chat Noir, Bakugo and Ladybug in an intense combat, dodging and going on the offensive as Nine was releasing all his Quirks at their maximum power. Somehow Chat Noir and Ladybug jumped up in the air while the other two heroess were powering themselves up in shared forces, beating Nine down along with the tornado dragons he conjured up. Combining their special powers, Bakugo and Deku managed to shake all of New York, shocking both young and pro-heroes around them while they were protecting the citizens. 

     Delivering the final blow, Chat Noir and Ladybug summoned some sort of magical blast, a mix of the Miraculous Ladybug and Cataclysm. Once Nine fell in defeat, the four heroes were powered down and started falling from the sky. Thunderbird was ready as he and Lady Dragon flew to the skies and caught a now transformed Adrien and Marinette, Tikki and Plagg landing in their arms, unconscious. Their friends gathered around them quickly, with Hawks and Majestia catching Bakugo and Deku in the process.

   “And so, Nine is done, and he along with his crew are captured by the American Heroes Safety Commission and United Heroez are taking them in along with Techno-Pirate.“ Rody finished off his story as he smiled tiredly, giving a thumbs up, “We won.”

   Adrien blinked but then slowly grinned, “We…we actually won?”

    “Yes, Adrien. And we are very proud of you all,” Amelie said softly before hugging him gently, “But you really worried us, you know? Never do that again, you hear me???”

    “S-sorry, Mom…” Adrien smiled weakly before he tilted his head, “What else happened? Where are Deku, Bakugo and Ladybug?”

   “Well they are fine for the most part,” Fei came to Rody’s side with a sigh, “All Might and President Hombee are seeing to them right now.”

    Adrien turned his head to see an unconscious Deku being held by All Might, the heroine Victory placing a hand onto his shoulder in support. It seemed Bakugo and Marinette were being carried into ambulances along with some other heroes.

    “…So it’s over now?”

    “For now,” Aizawa said solemnly, “We are still trying to pinpoint the location of one person. The very one that was transporting the Nomus around but somehow made them vanish when the fight was over.”

    “How…is New York in one piece though?” Adrien looked around, seeing minimal damage, “I thought that with all four combined powers, we would’ve made a huge crater of maybe the whole state…”

    “This I can explain,” Felix murmured as he pulled out his phone and showed his twin the footage of Thunderbird of all people using Miraculous Ladybug and fixing everything and healing some people, “While it’s not as powerful as the real Ladybug, apparently Thunderbird’s Miraculous is able to utilise his quirk into borrowing one’s soul. So, I suppose it’s magic bullsh—“

    “Language.” Aizawa interrupted before Amelie laughed.

     “So Rody managed to do some of Marinette’s work, and had a bit of help from the Ghost Force, Pixie Girl and Sorcerer into cleaning up the rest of New York. The other young heroes also helped out as well.”

    Adrien hummed a little, but then winced as he realized that it hurt to move. Felix noticed this and then gestured his mother to move back before helping Adrien up.

   “Come on, brother. We’re going to have to take you to the hospital as well…”

   Not far from them, Hawks was listening in on the conversation before slipping away for a moment, walking to an alleyway and pressing onto an earpiece he was wearing.

    “Looks like your plan worked a little too well, eh~?”

    “It’s all according to Boss, after all,” A familiar deep raspy voice spoke into Hawks’ ear, chuckling, “It wasn’t like we expected Nine and them to actually win against those brats being aided by Pros. But at least we learnt some interesting things.“

    “Oh yeah?” Hawks tilted his head, “Like what?”

     “As if I would tell you. You’re not initiated fully just yet.”

      Hawks pursed his lips before the voice let out a chuckle. 

    “Anyways, keep playing your role like the good birdie you are and don’t do anything stupid. Until next time, Keigo~”

     Hawks tapped his earpiece with a frown, but then blinked as Tokoyami approached him, “Hey Tsukuyomi~ You doing okay?”

    “I’m fine. Much more than Midoriya and them,” The bird headed male hummed as Liiri rested on his shoulder, “It is good you and the heroes were there on time.”

    “Of course~ As if I’d let my best sidekick be killed,” Hawks noticed Liiri and hummed, “Who’s the chickadee?”

   “Liiri. My companion Kwami of the Eagle Miraculous of Freedom.” A sigh escaped Tokoyami before touching the talon pendant around his next, “I was trying to return it to Pixie Girl-san and Sorcerer-san, but apparently they told me that I was the true holder of the Eagle Miraculous now…”

    “As if I’d let my fledgling go after finally uniting with him!” Liiri huffed as she rested on top of his head now, puffing their cheeks, “You cannot get rid of me that easily!”

     “I do not wish to ‘get rid of you’ as you put it,” Tokoyami said to them softly, “I just did not think I am worth such a powerful artefact in my hands.”

    “It looks like you’re the right person for them, Fumi,” Jess walked beside him as she grinned, “I’m pretty sure that it suits you better than anyone else~!”

    “I would’ve figured it would’ve gone to someone like you, Jessica-san,” Tokoyami tilted his head before looking worried, “Aeon-san is okay?”

    A sigh escaped Jess as she looked conflicted, “Ah, she’s…physically okay. But our moms are kinda having a talk with her.”

    Understanding crossed Tokoyami’s features as he nodded.

    “It is for the best she knew the truth now rather than in an even more dangerous situation just like hours ago.”

    “Still…I am just concerned what this is going to do with her confidence. It was just yesterday she thought she could take on the world and not get hurt.”

    “Better to be realistic than to let her live on in a fantasy of being invincible.”

     “I guess…” 

     Tokoyami reached over to touch her shoulder, almost as if comforting her. Jess looked over at her feathered friend and smiled gratefully at him. 

     “Why don’t we go and see Aeon-san, hm?”

     “…Yeah, let’s go.”

     “You okay, Young Midoriya? I’m so sorry that I’m late…”

     “…Is…Is Kacchan, M-Mari-chan and Adri-kun a-alright?”

     All Might smiled softly, hiding his worry as he tried to joke, “Heh, as usual, you’re more worried about other people than you are of yourself. And they are fine. Beat up and tired…but they’ll live.”

     Izuku tilted his head as he and All Might looked over at the hospital beds nearby them, seeing Bakugo, Marinette and Adrien close together. Izuku had woken up first and naturally All Might was the first to check up on him. 

    “Although Young Bakugo woke up first in a panic trying to look for you three, to the point that the doctor had to put him back to sleep by force. He was real worried about you, Young Marinette and Young Adrien.”

    A sigh of relief escaped the green haired male as he smiled, “Thank goodness…I-I made them do something pretty crazy…”

     “You made them do something…?”

    The former One-For-All Holder looked questionably at him, as his student continued on with a sad look, almost looking like he was about to break.

    “I’m...I'm s-sorry…” He whispered, closing his eyes, “But…I-I transferred it to him...I-I gave One-For-All t-to Kacchan…”

    All Might’s eyes widened in shock, heart stopping for a moment, “You gave him One-For-All?”

    Izuku was quiet for a second, before shakily breathing out in reply.

    “I-If we hadn’t combined the power of One-For-All itself along w-with the power of both t-the Ladybug and Cat…there was no way we could’ve saved everyone…” He explained while All Might listened with bated breath, “The villain would’ve defeated us. That’s why…I don’t regret what I did.”

    All Might knew there was more.

    “B-But I feel terrible…because you chose me to be your successor…” More tears fell down the boy’s face as he sniffled, “B-Because you said that I could become a hero like you…I-I just wanted to protect everyone…no m-matter what it took…”

    “…And that’s just what we did. Together.”

    All Might was surprised that someone cut him off, looking up along with Izuku. Marinette was awake and staring at them with shining eyes. Before the man could stop her, the girl was already getting out of bed, limping all the way to Izuku’s bed and crawled onto it before sitting in front of him. She raised her hands up to touch Izuku’s face, cupping it gently to wipe his tears away.

    “We did it. Your plan worked perfectly and everyone is safe. You may have sacrificed big time by giving up your powers to Katsuki, but we defeated Nine and New York is once again at peace. All thanks to you.”

    Izuku couldn’t stop crying, as Marinette slowly wrapped her arms around him into a gentle hug, letting him sob onto her shoulder. All Might watched with a heavy heart, deciding to give them a moment before getting up and quietly leaving the room.

    As he closed the door behind him, he was surprised seeing the President of the United States and also heroine, Victory, standing close by.

    “Camilla…” 

    “How are the children?”

    All Might walked side by side with her down the hospital hallways, sighing.

    “Resting easy now. I think this battle took a toll on them. Young Midoriya, especially. How are the rest of them?” 

    “Not a lot of casualties. Only just bruises and mild concussions but other than that, the rest of the Miraculous team are alright,” Camilla hummed as she then tilted her head to Toshinori, “Doesn’t the Midoriya kid remind you of—?”

    “Yes. Too much of him, in fact.” The blond rubbed his temple before glancing at the woman, “…And the League? Any signs of their involvement?”

    “None. And the mission from Eraserhead and Nighteye about that cult you were looking for? Also a no go.”

     “Hmmm, it’s almost as if this battle was just a taste of what’s to come.”

    Camila frowned, “…Is this war of yours going to be global?”

    “I am hoping not.” All Might said but looked out the window, “For all our sakes, I am just praying that this will not be a whole World War again.”

    “THAT HUUUUUUURTS!”

    Marinette’s eye twitched for a moment as she was curled in the four hospital beds that were squished into one giant bed, Adrien and Deku on either side of her, wide awake. After an hour nap, Bakugo woke up and was now being checked by Recovery Girl. Apparently the woman was transported here, thanks to Star Stallion, to heal everyone that was part of the battle. 

    “WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED TO MEEEEE?!” Bakugo yelled once more, but was silenced by a puckered up Recovery Girl. 

     Both Marinette and Adrien blushed, covering their eyes when they witnessed the woman smooching his cheek, embarrassed of the scene. According to Deku, that was all part of her healing quirk.

    “It’s still a surprise that you still kept One-For-All…” Adrien spoke up after Recovery Girl left, all four of them facing each other, “I wonder what happened?”

    “My theory is that Kacchan was knocked out before the power could be transferred fully,” Deku responded with a shrug while cuddled up to Marinette and Adrien resting his head onto her shoulder, “But somehow he doesn’t have the slightest memory of the battle and using it.”

     “To be honest, I’m not even sure myself how we won the fight. Sorta blanked out when you guys connected hands,” Marinette then looked to Adrien, “What about you? Do you remember anything?”

    Adrien was quiet for a moment, almost alerting Deku and Marinette on how nervous the blond was looking.

    “…Adrien?”

    “I saw something. And met someone…”

    Bakugo was scrubbing his face for a moment before looking up at him, “What’cha see, Furball?”

   Adrien glowered playfully at him of the nickname before he turned serious, “I saw a vision…o-or maybe a memory? It's of a former black cat…”

    “Who was it? Did he speak to you? Aw, I wished I met a past Ladybug, what was it like?” Marinette asked excitedly before Adrien raised his hand up, “Adrien?”

    “I don’t think I’m ready to share it yet, since I’m still processing what had happened. But I’ll tell you guys when I’m ready. It’s…it’s kinda a lot.”

    Deku looked understanding and nodded, “Take all the time you need.”

    Adrien winced at his words and smiled weakly, almost awkwardly, “Yeah…”

    Marinette and Bakugo looked at each other for a moment before Bakugo decided to change the subject.

    “So what’s the plan now? What’s our next move?”

    “Good question…” Deku hummed, almost closing his eyes when Marinette was scratching the top of his head affectionately, “We’ll need to head to Japan soon and get everyone prepped for U.A. High. Especially with Class A coming back from Nabu Island.”

     “Does that include the three new stragglers that you invited?” Bakugo grunted, closing his eyes when Adrien gestured him to come closer, the spiky blond’s head resting on the French boy's lap.

    “Yeah…why did you not only kidnap Aurore and Mireille, but you actually got one of my childhood friend as well?” Marinette asked as she looked at Deku, who gave a sheepish smile with a shrug.

    “I knew that Socqueline would fit nicely into our group~” Deku tiredly joked, almost yelped when the Ladybug holder pinched his side gently.

     “The dragon, though?” Marinette questioned.

     “It was the most logical idea I had so far.”

     Marinette hummed before she heard a knock on the door. All four of them looked over as it swung open, revealing Kirishima, Kagami, Todoroki and Chloe walking in. 

    “I hope we are not interrupting anything?” Todoroki asked as he and Chloe sat on one of the couches in the room while Kirishima and Kagami remained standing near them.

    “Don’t you all look cozy,” Chloe pointed out, raising a brow at the four in bed, “When did this all happen?”

    “It’s not what you think, Chloe,” Adrien said in a drawl as he shrugged, sort of combing his fingers through Bakugo’s hair, “After the fight, we just sorta…felt the need to be closer. Can’t really explain it, but when we first woke up and we couldn’t find each other—”

    “—It was like something was cut off, missing. Strange, but I almost thought that the boys…” Marinette closed her eyes, and Chloe shut her mouth from any teasing she had previously, “Tikki and Plagg then explained to us that because we used both combined Miraculous with another anomaly that was equal in power, our human bodies got too absorbed into it…”

    “So for now, we stick together until our physical bodies could regulate normally without us going into shock,” Deku added as he soon rolled towards Bakugo, who grunted tiredly. 

     “…So a cuddle party?” Kirishima questioned innocently before he winced when Kagami nudged at him with a shake of her head.

    “I guess so,” Marinette laughed a little as she felt Bakugo roll over to lay his head on her lap now, while  Deku nuzzled further into Bakugo’s back and Adrien mostly cuddled into Marinette more, “Tikki said that the tingling feeling of the powers will deplete tomorrow. So that’s at least good news.”

    “Makes sense that it would be a lot, considering all four of you almost destroyed New York and maybe the neighbouring cities,” Todoroki said plainly, making Deku, Bakugo, Adrien and Marinette groan.

     “If it wasn’t for the Ghost Force, Pixie Girl, Sorcerer and Thunderbird using their combined powers to clean up the cities, I think the government would punish us severely. Probably never to be allowed in American soil again,” Kagami said with a nod.

    “Gee, way to make us feel better guys.” Adrien rolled his eyes in sarcasm.

     “It’s the truth though, look,” Chloe pulled out her phone to show the news articles and videos talking about them, although Deku and Bakugo’s faces were blurred out, “All Might thought that you guys needed to stay low for now.”

    “Which is good. I don’t wanna some wannabe tabloids and gossip rags hounding me,” Bakugo said but then blinked when he suddenly felt a new weight on top of him and saw Todoroki laying on him, “…The hell are you doing, Icy Hot?”

    “Don’t friends usually have this kind of contact to feel better?” Todoroki asked innocently before Chloe made herself comfortably close to Adrien, still looking at her phone.

   “We aren’t friends, you bastard—Oi!” Bakugo looked down when Kirishima was laying his head onto the blond’s leg, Kagami snuggled up to him, “What are you idiots doing now?!”

    “Cuddle party! Like a bonding moment~” The red head chirped, while Kagami was patting Marinette’s hand in comfort, “Besides, you guys looked so comfortable, and when Todoroki made the move, we all joined in~”

    “Where is Yaomomo anyways?” Deku asked curiously, Kagami perking up at the question.

    “She is still recovering. Nathaniel, Marc and Alix are with her right now,” Kagami responded, reaching Kirishima’s hand and playing with his fingers idly, “But she should be better by tomorrow.”

    Suddenly, the door burst open and everyone looked over to see Rose looking bright eyed at them, along with a sheepish looking Juleka and deadpanned Shinso.

   “You guys having a slumber party?!” The strong girl clapped her hands, squealing in excitement, “Can we join?”

   “Someone say slumber party?” Nino’s head popped in as well, grinning as Sabrina and Felix also peeked in, “Awesome! I want in!”

    “Is Izuku awake? What’s going on?” Lila also was trying to push into the room, with Luka trying to reign her in.

    Bakugo felt his head throb at too many people in the room, comically yelling to the point of almost popping a blood vessel, “If none of you are the Nerd, Spots or Furball, WOULD YOU IDIOTS GET THE FUCK OUT?!”

      Rody stared down at the Miracle Box in hand for a moment with a confused look, before looking back up at Holly and Aster, the Ghost Force gang behind them in their civilian forms.

     “…Are you sure you’d want to leave this to me? I mean you guys seem the more worthy and experienced?” He asked slowly, while Aster chuckled in amusement.

    “Who are we to question the previous Master’s wish to make you Guardian? Besides, it is not like we can just take it from you?”

    “Not if you want your memories erased~” Holly said in a sing-song voice, making Rody sweat drop for a moment.

    “I already told you that you are the Guardian now until you have decided to retire, WHICH would be a long LONG time. Plus, you are holding the Thunderbird Miraculous, meaning you’ll have to lead your future team,“ Talli rested on Rody’s shoulder with a stern frown.

     Rody rolled his eyes upwards with a groan, “I still feel like this is all happening so fast and unreal at the moment…”

    Fei smiled as she patted his arm, “I mean, I thought that way too when I had the Prodigious the first time. But you gotta give yourself credit, Rody. You actually managed to be a hero and save the day.”

    “Ugghhh my street cred…” Rody whined playfully, making the others laugh. 

    “So, what now? I wish you could just stay in New York, ya know?” Liv joked, “It would be nice to have more allies our age here…”

    “You’re not coming with us?” Fei and Rody asked at the same time, making the American heroes look confused.

    “Why would we? We belong here?” Holly said with an unsure look, looking at her partner, “Right?”

    “Then again, with the Southern Miracle Box on the move, it is our duty to keep an eye out for it and it’s guardian,” Aster hummed, looking thoughtful while fixing his glasses.

    “But New York?” Holly was gesturing around her, “We swore to protect the city.”

    “You know there’s always us, right? And the United Heroez…as useful as they can be at times~” Andy quipped with a grin, making Mike and Liv roll their eyes. 

    Holly and Aster looked at each other before looking back to Rody and Fei.

    “As much as it would be an honour meeting other young heroes, particularly those holding the Miraculous, I’m afraid we cannot leave America alone.” Aster sighed solemnly as Holly nodded.

    “Especially with The Witch still prowling around,”

    “The Witch?” Rody questioned as Aster glowered. 

   “One of our mortal enemies. She wishes to harness the secrets of American Magic and, you know, rule the world by being the most powerful being in the universe and all that evil jazz,” He made air quotations with an eye roll, making the blonde beside him snort.

    “She’s a nasty piece of work. But it’s not only her, there’s also her boss, Dracula—“

    “A-are you seriously talking about the bleh-bleh-belgh, Dracula?!” Rody asked while making clawing gestures and front teeth out while making the sounds, Fei covering her mouth from laughing beside him.

   “Don’t laugh, he’s real dangerous. Not to mention he’s working side by side with Mama Witch,” Aster coughed and tried to be serious, but it was sort of hard considering the Ghost Force and Holly were trying not to giggle as well.

    “But we could handle Goblins, Trolls and Gargoyles too~ It’s not just ghosts we can whoop ass~” Andy countered, but then hummed, “But oh man…wouldn’t it be cool to go to a superhero school? I mean there’s I-Island, but they are mostly Support Crew and Science Nerds.”

    “Why don’t you come?” Fei asked curiously, but Liv gave a weak smile.

    “We have family here. Our parents don’t even know we’re superheroes that protect New York every single day, the very reasons why we keep skipping and failing school?”

   Mike agreed, “As much as we would love to join you…I’m afraid we can’t—”

   Andy let out a shout, making everyone jump.

   “Argh! It’s totally not fair! Why don’t we tag along with them?”

    Liv levelled a look to her twin brother, “Mom and Dad won’t allow us to go to Japan?”

    “Well not unless we had help from certain adults to get us there~?” Andy waggled his brows as Mike looked thoughtful for a moment.

    “…Dad is good friends with Rock Lock.”

    “Mike!” 

    “Liv, Andy has a point!” The Blue Ghost hero waved his hands in front of him when the girl glared at him with her hands on her hips like some stern parent, “Besides, why don’t we ask Miss Jones about it?”

   “I’ve been meaning to ask this, since you’ve mentioned that name a few times but…who’s Miss Jones?” Fei asked curiously. 

   Andy decided to answer with a chuckle, “She’s kinda like our boss. She’s also our science teacher in NYC High.”

   Liv continued, “She recruited the three of us to form a secret team, the Ghostforce, to protect New York City from the wild ghosts that terrorizes it. We also kinda have another team member who isn’t here.”

   “Who?” Rody and Fei asked before Andy snickered.

    “Glowboo.”

    “….Bless you?” Rody said slowly before Liv almost facepalmed.

   “Haha, that’s his name. Glowboo is an android created by Miss Jones to help us during our missions,” Mike explained properly, “We can go meet him and Miss Jones now if you like.”

  “Lady Holly and I should look into the missing Miraculous,” Aster spoke softly, glancing at the Pixie Holder, “With the Southern Miracle Box now in good hands, there’s hope that maybe the Miracle Box of the North and it’s Miraculous might be hidden somewhere.”

    Rody perked up at this, “…Did you want help finding them?”

    This made Holly and Aster look at him with bewilderment.

    “…You’d want to help us?” Aster breathed out, Holly’s eyes sparkling with hope.

    Rody chuckled, “I am a Guardian after all. And isn’t it a heroic duty as one to help all Miraculous holders?”

    A squeal came out of Holly as she swooped in to bring Rody into a hug, surprising both Fei and Aster.

    “You’ll really help us?! For really really!?”

    “Y-Yes, um, yes…c-choking, not breathing!” Rody wheezed out, almost turning blue but Liv separated them much to Rody’s relief.

    Aster looked unsure, “I’m afraid it’s not just going to take a day. In fact, it might take longer than the year we have tried searching, my friend. As we’ve told you before, we seem to be the only ones holding what remains of the American Miraculous other than the Southern Miracle Box you recently acquired.”

     Andy hummed, “We’ve tried helping them look since discovering them, but no go.”

    “As if science and technology can find magical artefacts as old as the Miraculi…” Hecca said with a drawl at the other red head, who shrugged at the Kwami.

    “The only clue I have was that Florra said that her previous holder knew of four Miraculous but they vanished. And then she was gone, thanks to Mama Witch.” A pained look came on Holly’s face, then braved it out when Aster patted her shoulder, “But even then, we don’t know where the four Miraculous are nor feel any sense of where they could be.”

    “That sounds awful. Again, I am sorry that you have gone through such ordeals.” Fei said honestly, hand over her heart them looked to Rody, “Aster is right. We cannot do much to help them since we are leaving as soon as the rest of the Miraculous Team checks out of the hospital.”

    “It is alright. Thank you for the sentiments on trying to help us, but I think our place is here in New York.” Aster smiled weakly at Fei, as Holly had to turn her head away with slumped shoulders.

    Fei honestly felt bad. She wished she could do more.

    Rody’s ears twitched for a moment as they continued to talk, his head turned to look off somewhere and Pino stilled. With the American teens and Fei still exchanging words, Rody let himself walk away from them for a moment, brows creased down and lips pursed.

    “…Do you hear that, Pino?”

    Pino shivered, cooing softly with a nod.

    “I see you feel it too.”

    Rody and Pino looked to Talli resting on the boy’s other shoulder, staring off in the distance to Central Park.

    “What is that?”

    “Spirits. Four of them.” Talli hummed, as Rody’s eyes glowed for a moment, “They are calling for help.”

   “Do you think it’s has to do with the Four Miraculous?” He asked his Kwami companion, as Pino’s wings fluttered with hope.

    “Why don’t we find out?“

     Rody looked at the knowing smile that was on the Kwami’s face and grinned, nodding his head and was about to step towards the park when he felt himself pulled back by his jacket. Falling to the ground, he looked up at a panicked Fei, Liv, Holly and Mike while Andy and Aster looked fearfully pissed.

    “What did you think you were doing man?! Trying to off yourself?!” Andy yelled straight at his face as Aster helped him up, “DO you know HOW MANY traffic deaths happen in New York? DO ya?!“

     “Easy An…” Liv murmured to her twin brother, trying to calm him down.

    “Rody, why did you do that?” Fei demanded as she checked her friend over, eyes wide and her face pale.

    Rody looked apologetic as he then looked behind her, “Something was calling us. I had to go check.“

    “Calling you?” Mike asked, glancing at his friend before looking back at Rody, “What was calling you?”

    “I didn’t hear anything,” Holly tilted her head in confusion.

    “It is thanks to his quirk and him using the Thunderbird Miraculous, his senses of the spirits and the beyond are heightened,” Talli looked proudly at her wielder, “To the point that I believe he has located four souls that might be owners of the Miraculous you are looking for.”

     “That’s impossible.” Florra spoke from Holly’s purse with big eyes, “We have been trying to sense the missing Miraculous and possible holders, and never had once felt or heard anything.”

    “It seems my chosen has~” Talli almost looked giddy at this, almost in pride, making Rody look sheepish.

    “Well, what are we waiting for? Why don’t we check it out then?“ Andy said, already excited.

    “Don’t you think we should tell Sister Marinette and Brother Adrien first?” Fei wondered out loud.

    “And what if it’s a trap?” Aster logically added, concern in his eyes.

     “But what if it’s a chance?” Holly countered.

    “Me and the boys will get Ladybug and Chat Noir,” Liv suggested, already powering up along with Andy and Mike, “Holly and Aster will following you two towards whatever it is that’s calling Rody.”

   Rody and Fei looked at each other before nodding.

   “Just meet us in Central Park, Fei can even text you our coordinates.”

    With the Ghost Force making their way to the hospital, Aster glanced at Holly with a nervous look.

    “Is it really this easy?”

     Holly knew that Aster had been disappointed through the year every time they were close to finding the Miraculous of the North, and took his hand gently to comfort him.

    “We won’t know until we find out? Besides, if it turns out to be another dead end…we’ll still keep on looking.”

    The red haired Brit felt a bit more at ease, squeezing his partner’s hand back to signal he was okay.

    Fei watched them for a moment before looking back at Rody, “Alright Rods, lead the way.”

    “It’s too bad Katsuki kicked us out. I really did want a cuddle pile and a slumber party,” Rose pouted softly, flopping onto Shinso’s lap and looked at everyone in the room with her while Juleka stroked the blonde’s hair while leaning against Shinso.

    “Let them rest. They did most of the saving by defeating Nine. They deserve a bit of peace and quiet before we leave,” Nathaniel spoke up from his seat, sketching something in his book.

    “Speaking of…” Nino looked towards Aurore and Mireille, “How did you two get dragged into this?”

    “The red head with the teeth and the pretty girl with him brought us here,” Aurore murmured before she looked at her former schoolmates with a frown, holding Stompp in her arms, “So I’m assuming that you are all working with Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

    “W-well yes…” Marc looked sheepish at her face towards them, and sweat-dropped, “I-It wasn’t like we could tell you…by the way, Aurore, how are you feeling?”

    “Traumatized? Exhausted? Just…I dunno,” The blonde murmured, hugging herself, “One minute, I’m in Paris’ hospital, the next I’m in this creepy place with creepy kids and a whack-job doctor—“

     “What creepy kids?” Felix questioned.

Mireille took this time to chime in, stroking Ziggy gently.

     “We were apparently kidnapped by the doctor that was handling Aurore. And there were others like us where we were held, and the kids there…they were acting like zombies. But Aurore and I managed to escape that place and was rescued by some Japanese policeman.”

    “You thinking human trafficking?” Alix wondered while eating some sliced apples by Sabrina, who seemed to be cutting up fruits she had apparently gotten.

    “More like quirk trafficking. Considering that Aurore and Mireille both have quirks now,” Shinso pointed out, figuring out Aurore had a Storm Quirk…but with Mireille, he wasn’t sure of since she didn’t even know if she had powers or not.

   “Really living up the Stormy Weather name…” Lila murmured with a huff, Chloe stomping her foot and smirked when the Italian yelped in pain. 

   Although the blonde felt eyes glaring daggers at her and turned her head with a huff, “What?”

   Socqueline almost sneered at the rich girl, arms folded as Longg rested on top of her head, “How are you a hero? Last time I met you, you got me expelled from school and I had to move to another part of Paris.”

   “Chloe is sorry about that, right Chloe?” Sabrina looked over at her best friend as Chloe huffed.

    “Says the martial arts tomboy that almost broke my face and destroyed my phone!”

    “You haven’t changed one bit, Bourgeois.”

    “Bite me, Wang.”

     “Hey now~” Nino got in between them as he raised a brow, then looked to Socqueline, “I’m sorry that you had experienced the Chloe Tyranny like everyone in the room here, but I can vouch that she has…halfway kinda sorta turned over a new leaf?”

    “Are you serious?” The Chinese girl was waving her hands around with gestures, “Did you forget that she, her lackey over there and the neanderthal of a jock that is Lê Chiến Kim basically tortured and broke Marinette’s heart?! How Chloe bullied all of us?!”

    Nino winced, trying to placate the girl, “I get it, and that was a long time ago—“

    “And you!” She poked her finger at his chest, surprising the DJ, “You’re the coward that let it all happen!” 

    “Stop it!” Nathaniel stood up now, frowning disapprovingly, “Socqueline, you were gone since we graduated from collège, and frankly not all of us are the same as you remember. While, yes, it was recent that Chloe has decided to slowly be a better person. However, she has shown a lot of progress.”

    Socqueline didn’t look convinced and huffed quietly, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

    Todoroki decided to change subject, “What about Zoe-san? What happened with her?”

    “Ah, I talked with Aizawa-sensei about that. Apparently Zoe is now in All Might’s custody with the help of Victory and David Shield. Turns out, Mister Plastic had enough that he decided to sign his parental rights fully over to the State.” Shinso stated, remembering what his mentor had told him this morning.

    “That sucks. I mean, she kinda sucked before, but I don’t wish any family to abandon their own…” Alix said with a wince, making Marc look uncomfortable.

    Kirishima perked up at the sudden whoosh sound outside the hallways and peeked out for a moment, Kagami looking towards the red head curiously. The two of them then blinked as three coloured ghosts were holding both Marinette and Adrien’s in their arms and flying out the hospital building.

    The two looked at each other for a moment.

    “…Should we follow them?” Kirishima asked as Kagami smiled, feeling Orikko resting on her shoulder.

    “I think we should.”

    With a murmur of “Orikko, Sunrise!” and transforming into Onagadori, she picked up Kirishima in her arms easily, which surprised the red head for a moment. Conjuring some wings on her back, she soon flew out of the window to follow after the Ghost Force. 

    Nathaniel was the only one that watched all this, noting that his other friends didn’t seem to have caught on to anything that happened outside the room. Silently, he got up and decided to visit Momo’s room to check up on her. 

     “Where are you taking us?”

     Fury was thankful that Marinette stopped wriggling around, hitting his shoulder and chest after swooping into her room then taking her to the skies. Maybe he should’ve picked up Adrien instead, but Myst beat him to it.

     “I’m sorry, I know you’re recovering and all, but this was an emergency!” The green Ghost Force leader explained, while Krush floated beside them.

     “Rody has seem to have found other Miraculous at Central Park. And maybe it’s holders.” 

    Both Marinette and Adrien gasped.

   “Do you think it’s really them?”  Adrien asked, feeling excitement of meeting other Miraculous wielders from America before Myst looked concerned.

    “I hope so…” 

    Marinette noticed her expression, but before she could question it, she heard a whistle from below them. Looking down, she saw Thunderbird soaring towards them, along with Lady Dragon.

    “Good, you’re both here. I might need you to transform into Ladybug and Chat Noir before I show you what I, Lady Dragon, Pixie girl and Sorcerer found.” Thunderbird said promptly before flying down back to the trees below them, Lady Dragon following him.

    Exchanging glances for a moment, both the Ladybug and Cat holder transformed immediately, the Ghost Force landing and placed them down. Ladybug noticed that indeed, Pixie Girl and the Sorcerer were there and looking to the ground with pale faces and wide eyes.

   “What’s going on?” Chat Noir asked, looking worried for the two that looked like they were going to throw up.

    Lady Dragon turned into her humanoid form before looking awkward and horrified, “W-well…I’m sure the Ghost Force told you why we’re here?”

    Ladybug nodded, “You said you might’ve found other Miraculous and their holders.”

    Chat Noir looked around, before landing to look at Thunderbird, “Well? Where are they?”

    Thunderbird pursed his lips, before pointing a gloved finger down on the ground. This confused them at first, before Fury let out a curse word and gasps from Krush and Myst. Chat Noir was about to question what had them spooked, when Ladybug let out a distraught sound.

    Shakingly placing her hands over her mouth, she looked towards Thunderbird’s serious expression.

   “A-are they…?”

    “Not quite…” Thunderbird murmured as he crouched down and touched the matted forest floor, closing his eyes, breathing in and out slowly, “I feel magic underneath here. And it’s pulsing.”

    “Meaning they are alive down there,“ Talli appeared on top of Thunderbird’s head, shocking Ladybug.

    “H-How are you here?” Chat Noir stepped over, looking at the bird Kwami, “I thought Kwamis are stuck in the suits when transformed?”

    “Thanks to my Chosen’s quirk, I am able to be out and about~” Talli said haughtily, before turning serious as they looked down at the ground, “But yes, it seems there are four beings buried under here.”

    “Alive?!” Myst yelped, shaking and Fury had to calm her down.

    “Maybe they are in a comatose state,” The Sorcerer said softly before looking to Pixie Girl, “Did you not say that a year ago, the previous Pixie Girl landed in this park and passed Florra down to you before leaving this world?”

   Snapping out of her shock, Pixie Girl squeaked with tremor, “A-ah, well, yes! That’s right.”

   “Was she alone?”

    The caught the winged fairy like heroine off guard at her partner’s question, before looking thoughtful, “…S-She was…I think…?”

     The Sorcerer frowned.

    “I have a theory…what if the previous Pixie Girl wasn’t alone. What if she had a team, friends, who were also Miraculous Holders? What if she escaped something while they were cursed by some villain…?”

    Thunderbird caught onto what he was saying, “It would explain why I can feel souls down here.”

    “So…are they really alive down there? But how?” Chat Noir asked, hopeful and yet mortified.

     “It’s possible that they are still using their Miraculous. Meaning the suits has protected them and placed them into a magical coma.” Talli theorised as well, looking concerned, “But to do it for this long?”

     “How is it that I couldn’t have sensed them before?” The Sorcerer murmured, looking frustrated.

     “I think it has something to do with this?“ Thunderbird was pointing at something, and everyone looked to the direction…and saw nothing.

    “…Whaaaaaaat are you looking at, Thunderbird?” Fury asked curiously, Thunderbird looking surprised.

    “Can’t you see it?” He asked, making Lady Dragon look concerned.

    “See what?” She asked, making Thunderbird look even more puzzled.

     “The gravestones? Can’t you seem them?”

      “Gravestones?” Ladybug looked around once more, seeing nothing and then shaking her head, “I do not see anything, Thunderbird. I’m sorry…”

    “As I’ve told you, they can’t see what you can, my Chosen. It is because they are not powerful enough, and your quirk helps a ton with the powers of the Thunderbird. Honestly, I can understand why,” Talli chuckled, as she flew around for a moment, “It’s quite a powerful curse from a high level witch.“

    The Sorcerer looked up with a frown, “…Are you saying that is why no one, not even me and my family, could sense them all this time? Because of a Witch’s Curse?”

   “Correct! I assume this is why Pala also did not  know about this. From what I can guess, this sort of curse is to make sure that those buried down here are not to be found, magic or otherwise. If it’s true that perhaps the Previous Pixie Holder has escaped the grasp of the caster, then perhaps whoever cursed these poor souls was someone dangerous…”

    “And…t-the gravestones?” Krush asked slowly, before Talli hummed.

     “I believe they are more of Hex Tombs than markings of a grave.”

     “What are Hex Tombs?” Lady Dragon asked, seeing the ominous expression on Sorcerer.

     “With this sort of spell, it requires A LOT of power,” He explained, as he was summoning his spell-book in hand then flipping the pages with a frown, “Dark magic like this has some requirements. Think like how back in the day, Witches and Wizards used Blood Magic—”

     “T-There is THAT sort of magic?!” Myst, Ladybug and Lady Dragon yelped and hugged each other with exclaimed fear, making the boys sweat drop for a moment.

     Sorcerer raised a brow, “…Y-Yes? But I think the caster used Curse Magic. Less of a mess and hassle.”

    “Curse Magic?” Thunderbird questioned him, “What’s the difference?”

    “It’ll be easier to understand if you think of curse magic as something like a lock and key,” The wizard like hero explained, as he was waving a hand when a light illusion of a lock and key appeared before them, “You can place a lock to bound people with a curse, then set a key that will unlock it and dispel the curse…”

     Ladybug folded her arms across her chest while Chat Noir tilted his head to the side in confusion. 

     “But, why even have a key? Why let the cursed person know you can break the curse?” The Cat hero asked, “Isn’t it better not to tell them from a caster’s point of view?”

     This made Sorcerer smirk in bitter amusement.

     “Curses always come with a cost.”

     Everyone was quiet at that, especially with Ladybug. This seems familiar, she would think.

      “If you try and change someone’s life, then there’s a huge price for that. But if you create a key to lift that curse, then the risk deceases.” The red head paused as he adjusted his hat, “Then what do you think will happen if you actually tell the victim the way to lift the curse?”

     Fury raised a hand, “So, it’s like a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card!”

     The Sorcerer chuckled, “That’s one way of putting it. The cost that you’ll pay for that curse decreases exponentially. So you would take the victim’s characteristics into consideration and pretty much tell them ‘I bet you can’t even do this~!’ And make that the key.”

    “But what if you don’t pay for it?” Ladybug asked, as the Sorcerer sighed.

     “That’s where Blood Magic comes in. It is not necessary to make a “key”, but if you don’t do so then something like the rest of your lifespan, health, a part of your body….or maybe someone’s life is payment enough. Equivalent Exchange.” It was then the red head said something in a dark tone and smirked, “I think you can even destroy a great country by taking the lives of ten thousand people?Scumbags that love to use the lives of others than their own…” 

    “That’s horrible!” Ladybug yelled, looking sick to her stomach as Chat Noir also paled.

     “But that was old practice. No one really does that anymore,” The Sorcerer assures, “At least, my family and many other good Witches and Wizards find that a bit taboo because it goes against Nature, the purest magic itself. I mean the Kwamis themselves are beings that are contracted entities that requires energy.”

    Ladybug thought about it before murmuring, “When…we feed them?”

     “Exactly,” The red haired magician nodded, “But they can also feed into your Mana when you bond with them in the form you are in now. I mean, did you not find it odd how you all feel tired after de-transforming?”

    Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other, and so did Thunderbird and Lady Dragon.

    “…Did you guys seriously not realise that?” The Sorcerer said in surprise, “It is why Pixie Girl and I don’t get involved so much in heroic affairs. Because it takes a lot of energy out of us…”

     “Is it also the same with our ghosts?” Fury asked, remembering his little companion, Dragoyle, the very being that gives him his powers currently.

     “Yes, actually. I am even surprised that you have tamed such creatures considering that pretty much Dark Types of Magical beings are untamable.”

    “But…we feed our kwamis?” Chat Noir said, dumbfounded, “Plagg eats a lot of cheese…”

    “That is not enough. Maybe that will sate them like a snack, but they would need more than normal food . To have them in fighting shape in power when bonded with their holders, your energies must be compatible to maintain your connection with one another. For example, I notice that Queen Bee is much more powerful than King Stinger when using the Bee Miraculous,” Sorcerer pointed out.

    “So…a human and a Kwami have to be compatible?” Ladybug did remember Master Fu saying that.

    “Correct. It’s sort of like a plug connecting to an electric socket. If the voltage is not matched, there is a high chance that one or the other might damage themselves or be corrupted.” 

    “Like Hawkmoth?” 

     The Sorcerer tilted his head, “This is the villain from your country, yes? The one that is missing?”

    “There was another. Mayura. The previous holder of the Peacock,” Ladybug sighed, “But she went missing too.”

     “That’s unfortunate…”

     “…So someone cursed these people below us?” Fury murmured after a minute, everyone else sort of reeling at Sorcerer’s words.

    “They were silenced by someone,” Myst looked sad but then gasped, “But if they are alive…!”

    “We have to dig them out!” Pixie Girl was soon bringing forth her magic and summoned vines from the trees, before Sorcerer stopped her.

    “If we try digging them out by force, we might activate the curse and hurt them more!”

     Ladybug’s head clicked, “The Hex Tombs? Are they the keys to this curse?”

    The Sorcerer gave a sharp smile, “Now you’re getting it. I think whoever the Witch that cursed these people didn’t think that someone would find them so quickly. Maybe they expected hundreds of years to go by before the curse’s time weakened and someone came across them.”

    “Luckily, we have someone that found them at last!” Lady Dragon said in hope, making the bird hero look perplexed.

    “M-Me? Free them?”

    “It is why the souls called for you. They can feel that you can feel them too. So they cried for help in hopes that you would come and rescue them.” Talli spoke to her holder dearly, and Thunderbird gulped.

    “…What if I screw up?”

    “You won’t.” Ladybug assured him as she patted his shoulder, “We’re here in support for you, you’re not alone. You can do this, Thunderbird. You are these missing Miraculous Holders’ only hope!”

    With those encouraging words, and the agreement looks from the rest of the teen heroes, Thunderbird felt a bit more confident. Nodding his head, he soon turned his head to  the Hex Tombs that he alone could see.

    “Okay…so what should I do?”

     “First, take look at the tombs. Are there any writings or some sort of markings on them?” The Sorcerer asked, as Thunderbird looked to the Hex Tombs.

    “…There are symbols on all four of them?”

     “Can you tell us what they are?”

    Thunderbird squinted his eyes for a moment, as he observed them.

    “Okay, well, the first one looks like…a squid ring?”

    Fury and Chat Noir looked at him deadpanned, as if not believing what he was saying right now.

    “Are…you sure?” Lady Dragon asked slowly, wondering if what her partner is saying is correct.

    “Wait, wait! Uh, there’s what seems to be like wings under it…oh, that might be a halo than a squid ring.”

     Ladybug sighed at this, while the boys snickered along with Pixie Girl.

     “What are the other symbols?” The Sorcerer urged the bird hero to continue.

     “Another one has a horse head that has a horn…a fish tail aaaaand a butterfly?”

     Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other in surprise. Another Butterfly Miraculous? Then again, they had Lady Dragon, so it made sense there might be other variants of Miraculous. Especially if there are some copying from the Original Chinese Miracle Box. At least, that was what Ladybug remembered from Master Fu’s lessons.

      “Good. Now that we know the symbols, we can use those as keys as a way to free them,” The wizard like hero soon was flipping through his spell book as he summoned his staff, “You’re just gonna have to repeat after me. Once you do, you’ll enter the same plane as the spirits and their indicators are the symbols you just saw. Once you find them, you contact me spiritually by reciting the words I will tell you in a minute. The rest of you? Be ready for anything in case something happens. There will be times that when breaking a curse, the caster might’ve set booby traps to stop us.”

     “B-Booby traps?” Krush yelped, as Thunderbird sat down cross-legged on the ground in from of the tombstones in front of him and felt Sorcerer kneeling next to him.

      “Remember, just go for the symbols and nothing else. Let nothing stop you, no matter what. There will be things that will try and distract you from reaching your destination and/or try and  scare you away by using your biggest fears and traumas of the past. But don’t. Especially do not interact with The Man in the Chair.”

     Thunderbird nodded, “Okay.”

      The Sorcerer then leaned in and whispered into his ear, the other hero listening attentively. Ladybug wished she could hear what was being said, but with a worried look from Chat, she decided to leave it alone. Thunderbird seemed to be silent as Sorcerer leaned back, giving him a moment to process everything. 

     “I’m ready when you are.” Thunderbird murmured, as he was holding his sickle in hand and closed his eyes.

     “Do you even know what you’re doing?” Lady Dragon asked, but then felt Ladybug’s hand on her shoulder.

    “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine.” She smiled at the other, and Lady Dragon relaxed a little. 

    The Sorcerer let his spell book float in front of him as he then began to glow a blue magical hue, the light soon embedded to his star staff, breathing out.

     “As above, so below. As I believe the world to be, so it is.”

     Thunderbird slowly repeated the words, and soon the two were chanting in sync, sort of creeping everyone out except for Lady Dragon and Ladybug. The Shanghai heroine felt nervous as she watched Thunderbird’s breathing slowed, and his whole body was glowing the same way she saw him handling Sole Crusher. 

    ‘Please let him come back in one piece…’

    Rody gasped as he saw he was in the same darkness when inside Sole Crusher…except this time, it felt like he was in a cold freezer. Shivering, he rubbed his arms up and down before looking around.

Nothing.

    “Well, so much for that…” He murmured but then realised that neither Pino or Talli are with him. 

     He was alone.

     Rody sniffed, trying to keep calm at the fact that not only was he powerless since he was not in his Thunderbird form, but the fact that with this sort of silence and feeling of loneliness…

    …this could make him go mad.   

    “Okay, focus and find the symbols. Nothing to distract me, yup yup…” He said out loud, trying to walk towards where he was feeling the calls were coming from. He just had to focus on finding those symbols and—

    “Where you going, son?”

     Rody almost froze in shock at the voice, but kept walking as his eyes hardened. Do not turn around.

    “Are you still mad at me for leaving you and your siblings, Rodster?”

    ‘Don’t turn around, no matter what. Focus.’ Rody would think to himself, and closed his eyes when he felt something block his path, breathing heavily as the voice distorted demonically.

    “YoU tOo gOoD fOr mE nOw, hUh, LitTLe bAstard~? I rAiSeD yOu bEtTeR thAn tHat~“

     Rody just walked around the entity and kept walking, ignoring the growls and mocking voice beckoning him to open his eyes and pay attention to him.

    ‘There is no way that I would even want to look at my old man…’

    “Big Brother?”

     Twin voices of children next. A boy and a girl.

     Rody almost faltered for a second, but remembered this wasn’t real and kept pushing forward.

    “Big Brother? Why are you ignoring us?”

    “Did you abandon us, too?”

    “You’re worse than Dad.“

    “We hate you, Rody.”

     “We’re better off without you in our lives.”

     “Should’ve died instead of Mom.”

    As much as it pained him to hear Roro and Lala’s voice saying those things, Rody couldn’t stop. He can’t stop moving until he finds those souls…

    Ladybug gasped as she watched Thunderbird convulsing in place for a second, Lady Dragon already at his side and holding his hands.

    “Is this supposed to happen?!” She asked frantically.

    The Sorcerer looked solemn but nodded.

    “Thankfully, he’s on the right track. Currently, there are forces that are trying to break his spirit and cut the connection to return to his physical form.”

    “W-what happens if something does, ya know, cut him off?” Chat Noir wondered in worry.

    “Hopefully with the Thunderbird Miraculous, Talli could pull him back out. Pino could do the same, considering how powerful Rody’s quirk apparently is. Gotta say, it’s a good thing his quirk and Miraculous match up to be an all-in-one superpower weapon,” The Sorcerer murmured, keeping his staff focused over Thunderbird’s head.

    “I think we lost them…”

    “We couldn’t have? We were going the same speed as them. I even used Speed with my Miraculous.” 

    Kirishima looked at Onagadori in concern for a moment before sighing, knowing it was pointless to go on. As he was about to suggest to go back, a sudden feeling washed over him. Astonished, he heard something from a distance and strained his ears to listen. It almost sounded like some sort of song…and it was coming from—

     “…Dori-chan, wait!”

    Onagadori stopped mid-flight in the air as she lookeed over at the red head, “What is it, Ei?”

    “There’s something calling me. Over there!” He pointed over to the east, the Rooster heroine looking over, “I think we should go over there.”

     “What about the Ghost Force, Adrien and Marinette?”

     “We’ll catch up to them later. Right now, I think someone needs our help.” 

     Trusting his instincts, Onagadori decided to follow Kirishima’s instructions and started flying to where he was pointing, hoping that this wasn’t some sort of trap. The red head kept his eyes trained as he told the Rooster Heroine where to go, the feeling and the sound that was calling to him growing stronger and stronger. Until eventually, they ended up in some sort of beach. Kirishima told Onagadori to land, the two then stepping onto the sandy grounds before looking around.

    “So? Do you still hear anything, Ei?” The Rooster heroine asked as Kirishima looked around some.

    “I do…I think we’re getting closer…” He murmured before he stepped off near the sea for a moment, but paused, as he then felt a warm sensation flowing through him, “What in the…?”

    “Ei?”

    The Hardening Quirk user placed a finger up, signalling for Onagadori to lower her voice, as he crouched down on the ground. Eyes narrowed and lips pursed, he placed a hand on the wet sand, feeling it for a moment with deep concentration. He suddenly stood up, whirling around to Onagadori with a panicked look.

    “I think there’s someone down here! We need to dig them up now!”

    “Sublimation!”

    Copying Kirishima’s Hardening quirk as he quickly activated his, the two started digging the spot that the red head at pointed at, creating a large hole until suddenly Onagadori felt something touch her hand.

     “Wait!”

     Kirishima paused as he reached out and touched the object that the Rooster heroine hit, blinking as the two noticed it was—

     “It’s a Mini Miracle Box…but it looks different than our ones,” Onagadori murmured as the box started glowing slightly, almost pulsing like a heart beat, “…What if this is calling to you specifically because you are it’s Chosen?”

   “Nah, there’s no way…" Kirishima laughed, shaking his head but then was quiet for a second before looking at the girl, “…There’s n-no way I’m supposed to have this, right?”

    Onagadori shrugged, then urged him, “Why not open it and find out?”

    An audible gulped sounded from the red head for a moment as he looked down at the box, frowning a little with an unsure look. How was he supposed to feel about this? While, yes, he is one of the Guardians of the Miraculous…but he didn’t think he was going to get his own Miraculous. He gave up that idea when he gave the Turtle mantle back, couldn’t be Mandrake again and thought he was going continue on without a Miraculous.

     Was this fate?

    Closing his eyes, he quickly opened the box and felt warmth at his face and opened his eyes to see a floating Kwami staring back at him. This Kwami was coloured blue with red and black linings and red eyes, almost looking shark like with the way it was grinning at him.

    “Hello, my Chosen~! I am Nepp, the Kwami of Waters~!“

    “Er, hi?” Kirishima greeted with a grin of his own, Onagadori smiling at the scene before her, “S-Sorry to disappoint you, but you got it all wrong. I’m not your Chosen? I can’t be…”

    “But you came when I called!” Nepp tilted their head to the side as they stared up at the young hero, “I have been trying to summon and wait for my Chosen for centuries now. But I felt you close by. If you really weren’t my chosen, you wouldn’t have heard me and come to my rescue~”

    “I told you so.” Onagadori said with a smile, Kirishima looking at her with a pout.

     Nepp floated around Kirishima’s head, observing him for a moment before smiling, “You look strong. And you feel like you are honest and have a heroic heart~ That’s what I look for in my Chosen~“

     This made Kirishima look sheepish, rubbing the side of his neck.

     “They’re not wrong. You are all those things and more,” Onagadori said before the red head could retort, shutting down any negative words that Kirishima was about to put on himself, “You should take Nepp.”

    “What a wise heroine you are,” Nepp cooed, then blinked, “…You seem to have a Miraculous as well. From the Chinese Sister Box, I assume?”

     “You are correct,” Onagadori nodded, making Nepp look impressed, “And there are more of us too.”

    “Then what are we waiting for? Let us go see them,” The shark like Kwami looked to Kirishima once more and chuckled, “To transform, all you have to say is: Nepp! Rising Tide!”

     Kirishima looked nervous, glancing over at Onagadori for a moment before his shoulders slump. But with a touch of her hand, Kirishima felt his heart skip a beat and looked at the Rooster heroine again, who smiled. Her eyes seemed to say she believed in him, and that was all he needed. With a confident smile, he turned to Nepp, who already had a knowing excited smile.

     “Nepp! Rising Tide!”

Rody blinked when he felt warmth all over him, and glanced over to see four sets of lights. 

    Bingo! 

    Smiling, he was about to step forward when he felt the ground give way under his feet. Eyes widened, he felt his world shift. He tried to scream, but nothing came out of his throat as it felt like he was falling, staring up at the darkness…the nothingness. He tried to flail his arms out, as if to grab something, ANYTHING, that could stop him from falling further and further into the darkness.

    ‘No no no, I can’t be lost in here! I can’t! I have to get out and get those souls…’

    He gasped when he felt something slithering over his arms and legs, dark tendrils wrapping around his limps and dragging him further down into the abyss below him. Silver grey eyes kept looking around in a panic, trying to struggle free but it seemed to make the bindings on him tighten the more he wriggled.

   “…Am I going to die here?”

   Yes.

   Rody felt a shiver down his spine, hearing that deep and calm voice in his head. A presence was made known to his left side, and curiosity got the better of him as he slowly turned his head. He saw a person sitting on some fancy looking resting chair, their back turned away from Rody. Slowly, the shadowed person was turning their head towards the teen, but Rody couldn’t see their face. But somehow…it felt like his heart was constricting, and the air turning hot. Like he was in Hell.

    “Do not interact with the Man in the Chair.”

    Rody wished he could turn his head away, but somehow his eyes were glued to the being that was taking forever to turn and look at him, but it already felt like Rody’s soul was being sucked away.

    “…H-Hello? Is someone there?”

     Rody heard a boy’s voice, almost teenage like, as he looked up and saw a blue light floating above him. It laminated so brightly, that it started to form a symbol. Wings with a halo.

    It was one of the souls.

    “Y-Yes! Yes! I’m here! I’m here! I’ve come to rescue you and your friends!” Rody called out, feeling the bonds on his arms and legs weakening, and soon fought to get free, “I’m coming! I’m coming to rescue you!”

    Soon, another glowing light appeared, this one pink and having the fish tail. And another appeared, this one being a green light that had the symbol of a horse’s head with a horn. And finally…a purple light with a butterfly.

     Rody had found them.

    He struggled harder now, even when he didn’t have to look to see that the man in the chair was now floating closer to him. 

    “Let…me…go!”

     He was reaching his arms up to the light, hands outstretched and desperate hope in his eyes.

    Sorcerer’s eyes widened as he sensed power coming from Thunderbird and soon waved his staff in the air.

    “Ready yourselves, everyone! He’s found them!”

     Ladybug jumped up before she was soon side by side with Lady Dragon, Thunderbird’s body convulsed even more sporadically, almost as if having a seizure. Chat Noir was tense along with the Ghost Force and Pixie Girl, watching as the Hex Tombs appeared and started to shake. Sorcerer was murmuring under his breath in another language, waving his staff around as everything around them was growing dark, almost as if it was night time.

    “Ladybug, use your spell! Pixie Girl, ready yourself as well!”

    Ladybug looked confused for a moment at the British wizard, “W-what? Why?”

    “Use the spell you use when defeating Akumas. Do it now!”

     Pixie Girl was already waving her hands around, summoning the tree roots to help her dig up the ground that was breaking under them, giving a chance for whatever is coming to be brought up faster. Deciding to go along with it, Ladybug was soon bringing her yo-yo up and throwing it in the air.

    “MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!”

    Sparkling ladybugs were magically conjured, flying towards the Hex Tombs as the stones cracked, the ground erupting as glowing figures were starting to uprise from the ground. Thunderbird screamed out as his body froze for a moment, twitching for a few seconds before going slack. Lady Dragon’s heart dropped as she went to feel his pulse, and paled as she felt none. 

     “Thunderbird! No, no—RODY!” Lady Dragon pressed her hands to pump rapidly against his chest in a panic, Chat Noir immediately rushing over.

     “Shit, shit, shit, he’s…he’s not…?”

     “Chat Noir! Fury, Krush and Myst need your assistance!”

     The feline hero snapped out of his own fear, and looked up seeing the Ghost Force pulling out what seemed to be glowing bodies from the ground, and one seemed to be waving an arm as if needing help to be free. Chat Noir rushed over, grabbing for what seemed to be a glowing purple and white gloved arm, and pulling them up. His eyes widened seeing that the glowing figure was an older African American girl in a white and purple costume and mask…and had beautiful butterfly wings behind her. She coughed, and Chat Noir looked her over to see if she was alright.

     “U-Um, Miss, a-are you okay?” Chat Noir spoke in English, gaging the young woman’s reaction.

     “H-Huh? Where…where am I? And who are you?” The butterfly heroine looked to the feline hero, glanced her surroundings then eyes widened, “Pixie…W-where are Pixie Girl and the others?!”

     Pixie Girl, hearing her name had flown over to them and tilted her head, “Yes? You called me?”

     The mysterious girl with the butterfly motif then looked upset, staring at her with confusion.

     “…Why do you look different?”

     The winged heroine looked confused before the girl narrowed her eyes.

     “…You’re not the Pixie Girl I know.”

     Before Pixie Girl could question it, Fury’s yelp sounded loudly as a loud smack echoed around them.

     “Ow! What the hell?!” The green ghost yelled at some girl with pink hair and suit, having noticeably aquatic features. 

     It almost reminded Ladybug in her Aquabug form.

     The new girl in question was waving her hands in gestures, her face pulled into frown as she soon was smacking Fury again.

     “Ow! Make her stop!”

      Myst looked over and almost laughed, “Maybe she thought you were a bad guy.”

     “…Who are you people?” The voice next to Myst spoke softly, and the magenta coloured ghost girl looked over to see a confused looking dark haired male in a blue hero costume…although his look was unique considering he had six wings floating behind him and his mask had three pairs of eyes.

    “Er, the name’s Myst. And who are you and your friends?” She introduced herself calmly, “Do you remember anything about what happened to you guys?”

    The angelic like male placed a hand over his heart.

   “My name is Seraph…I came with my companions Greenhorn and Miss Mermaid to go against—”

    He paused for a moment as suddenly a blue light surrounded his body, and the lights died down to reveal a teenage boy with dark almost bluish hair like Marinette’s, blue eyes behind his glasses and dressed in casual jeans, hoodie and tennis shoes. He seemed in shock for a moment as a little Kwami  with tiny wings and a halo fell onto his lap, looking exhausted.

    “Their Miraculous must’ve timed out.” Krush said logically, watching the young man that he helped out also glowing green before revealing a young dark skinned male with green highlights in his dreadlocks, his street clothes looking more like Andy’s style and a green coloured Kwami with a horn on it’s forehead also fell onto his lap.

     The girl still silently smacking Fury also powered down as she was just an ordinary pink haired girl in gothic casual clothes, her eyes narrowed as a pink Kwami with a cute tiny tail fin fell into her hands.

     Chat Noir then felt a warm glow in his arms, as the girl with the butterfly motif soon transformed into a normal older girl with a beanie covering the top of her head, but her braided locks cascaded down past her shoulders, wearing a grungy like styled clothing. A little Kwami that looked a little like Nooroo fell into her hands gently, but the creature was more white than purple with violet linings around their body.

    “You said…Miraculous?” The boy that was called Seraph murmured, tilting his head, “Does this mean you’re also like us?”

     “Yes!” Pixie Girl immediately spoke as she soon quietly de-transformed in front of them, Florra appearing over her shoulder solemnly, “My name is Holly Rosewood…the new Pixie Girl.”

     “Miss Mariposa?” Florra spoke quietly as the girl with the Butterfly Kwami looked up, along with her small companion, “Letta, my friend?”

     “Florra? W-what happened? The fight—W-w-where’s Diana?” The girl, now named Mariposa, spoke softly, looking around then back at the Kwami. 

     Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other for a moment while this was going on, as Holly looked uncomfortable.

     Florra sighed, shaking her head, “I’m afraid Miss Diana is gone, Miss Mariposa. Miss Holly is my new holder now. You…you were gone for so long, and…she tried looking for you, Miss, she did…”

     Mariposa looked shocked, shaking a little as her lower lip quivered, “…How long?”

     Florra closed her eyes, “Four years…it was only last year she was defeated and had to pass me onto another so I would not fall into the wrong hands…”

    This made Holly look surprised, and Ladybug could sense that probably Florra had not told her that part.

    Sorcerer sighed as he too de-transformed, Hecca appearing over his head as he looked over the remaining three new people, “My name is Aster Orion, I am the holder of Hecca and from a family of wizards. We have been looking for more Miraculous holders like you for a while.”

     A coughing sound was heard and everyone looked towards Thunderbird, who seemed to move and gave a shallow breath, making everyone relieved. Lady Dragon looked over Thunderbird as he seemed to have automatically de-transformed, revealing an unconscious Rody with Talli and Pino collapsed over his chest.

     “I-Is he going to be okay?” The Chinese heroine of the Dragon asked, as Chat Noir looked over and de-transformed as well, feeding Plagg then looked over Rody.

     “He’s still breathing. So at least he’s alive…” Adrien said with a small smile, and watched Ladybug de-transform as well, Tikki nuzzling onto her shoulder.

     “My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I am one of the Guardians of the Chinese Miracle Box,” She introduced as she looked at the three before her while standing beside Aster, but then noticed something off, “…It’s okay, you can trust us since we are all on the same team. Whoever you are won’t be revealed, but we should make sure that you get to your families, they must be real worried—“

    Marinette was surprised when the one that had the angelic like Kwami started laughing, but it sounded more bitter and sarcastic than anything. Confusion was coloured on her face as she looked at the boy, who’s faded looking eyes locked on her direction.

    “I don’t think my family would be worried for me in a good sense. Because it was my own father that buried me alive down here~” It sounded in a joking manner, but it caused some of them to look at him as if he was crazy.

    “Y-Your father?” Liv, who de-transformed already, said slowly while looking puzzled, “Why would—?”

     “Does the name Nolan Kasenti mean anything to anyone?” 

      Mike raised his hand up, “U-um, yeah? He’s the…He's like a famous philanthropist and the CEO of Kasskorp Tech, the world's biggest tech empire next to Tsurugi Industries? My dad has met him a couple of times?”

     The boy smirked for a bit, as he adjusted his glasses, “Yeah. I’m his son, Grady Kasenti.”

     A gasp left some of the teens, as Andy’s eyes widened in recognition.

     “Wait…I’ve heard of you!” The red head pointed out, looking at the male, “Aren’t you that genius boy that went missing? I’ve seen you all over the news four years ago…you and some other kids…”

     The male with the green high-lighted dreads was waving his hands for attention for a moment, and started making hand gestures, almost confusing some of them. The one that caught on was Fei, (who de-transformed during the talk) Aster and Adrien.

    The blond blinked when seeing the male make hand signs of pointing to himself, then his palms facing up while shrugging his shoulders, pointing both index fingers away and finally gestured his lips to cheek.

    “…You want to go home?”

    Marinette looked impressed, “You understood him?”

    “I took up sign language in French, English, Chinese and Japanese during my time with, you know who, before I met you,” Adrien explained, before he looked at the male signing once more, “He also wanted to point out that, yes, many kids have been taken. But him and his friends were trying to find them when they were ambushed.”

    The one with the Butterfly Kwami, Mariposa, raised her hand, “I was actually supposed to watch these kids with my partner, Pixie Girl…but it seems that she is gone. And now someone else took her place.”

     Somehow Holly looked guilty about this before Adrien raised a hand up.

     “Why…don’t we go somewhere else to talk about this?”

     Grady nodded, “Sounds like a good idea. With me and my team awake now, it’s only a matter of time before my father finds out I’m back and alive.”

    “How does it feel?”

    Onagadori watched the boy now in what seemed to be in a sleek suit like hers, only it almost had shark like features like in a video game Adrien showed her once. She had to admit, even though Eijiro looked good in red, blue and black suited him find as well. She watched him swim in the ocean for a moment, even using some of his new powers that apparently he just knew on the spot. Definitely, the Miraculous was made for him. 

    “Feels…awesome!” The Shark hero turned to her, smiling, “What hero name do you think I should use?”

    The Rooster heroine tapped her chin for a moment in thought, tilting her head as she hummed, “Well, I won’t call you Shark Boy that’s for sure.”

    Laughter sounded from the male, “Y-Yeah, I feel like that one’s taken?”

    “Well…if the hero name you use regularly is red themed….or something manly?” 

    A sheepish look was on the shark teen’s face, and Onagadori smiled fondly.

    “So? What’s it going to be?”

    The red head took a moment to think, before he snapped his fingers, “What about Shinkusame?”

    Onagadori tilted her head, taking moment before nodding, “…Sounds good.”

    “You think so?” Shinkusame looked down at himself, then at his weapon in hand, “For a moment I thought I was going to go for something like Hammerhead or Manly Shark—”

    “Shinkusame is enough,” The Roostter heroine raised her hand up to stop him, but suddenly felt an odd sensation run down her spine, and it seemed her companion felt it too, “What was that?”

     “I dunno?…Maybe there’s a bad guy on the loose?”

     “If there is, we should investigate.”

     The two soon were rushing to where they felt the weird sensation they were getting, which grew stronger the more they ran. Finally, they seemed to have stopped at an old abandoned factory that was close to a pier, and Onagadori narrowed her eyes. 

    Shinkusame pursed his lips, looking at the heroine, “The feeling stopped…?”

    “…Someone led us here.”

    “And you both fell for it.”

    The two looked up and immediately jumped away when giant hoofs stomped on the very spot they were previously standing in, almost flattened by the mystery monster. Both the Rooster and Shark Miraculous holders then took in the sight before them, with Onagadori paling and Shinkusame looking confused.

    “M-Mother?”

    Standing before them was Ikari Gozen,but something about her felt different.

    “Give me your Miraculous!”

    Onagadori was frozen for a moment, staring in horror at her akumatized mother but then yelped when Shinkusame pulled her out of the way before her bokken hit her.

    “Dori-chan, snap out of it!” Shinkusame scolded softly, as he was twirling his triton in hand to block some of the hits while dodging them, “We gotta defeat this foe or call the Team.”

   As he said this, however, he noticed a figure moving behind Ikari Gozen. This dark shadowed being leapt into the abandoned factory behind the Akuma, and the Shark hero couldn’t help but feel suspicious about it. Something wasn’t right here, and his gut was telling him that he had to follow them.

    “Dori-chan, you think you can handle this thing on your own?”

     The Rooster heroine looked puzzled, “I…think so? But what—?”

    “If not, call for backup. There’s someone there that’s getting away and might be someone that summoned this akuma! I’m going after them.”

     “Shinkusame, wait—“

     Wasting no time, the Shark hero jumped passed the horridly red color of an akuma and rushed into the building, aiming to capture whoever it was that ran inside. He paused, looking around for the person until he felt his senses kick in. Jumping out of the way, he looked over to see that it was…some sort of cane? He leapt away when the cane suddenly floated in the air and aimed for him again, but Shinkusame managed to swat it away with his triton.

    “Show yourself, villain!”

     “A villain? That’s a pretty rude assumption, boy…”

     Out of the shadows came a figure, a woman, to be exact. She was pale, almost looking light pastel purple with her almost silver lavender hair woven in a French braided crown twist bun held together with a violet ribbon. She was adorned in what seems to be in a purple turtleneck sweater, a black dress twin tail coat, tight black almost violet pants, and black high heel boots. Her face was covered in a beautiful looking masquerade butterfly mask, her glowing blue-violet eyes staring back at him calmly.

    “…Considering how you’re dressed, it’s safe to assume you might be. Especially when attacking me and my friend.” Shinkusame said with a sharp smile, as the woman had one herself painted on her dark lips.

    “Perhaps. But then again, I never expected someone to find the Shark Miraculous before me.”   

    “Too bad you can’t have it! And you won’t be getting away…” He spotted the familiar Butterfly Miraculous perched on her chest and his eyes widened, “You…?”

    “You won’t be getting this from me either~” The woman touched over her Miraculous and gave a a small chortle, “Unlike Hawkmoth, I don’t stoop myself lower to a mere child~”

    Shinkusame narrowed his eyes and was about to push forward to tackle her, but yelped when she suddenly vanished into butterflies, her titling laughter echoed around him.

     “Another time, young hero. We will see each other again soon~”

     Shinkusame growled as he looked at the empty space, but shook his head as he rushed to go outside to check on his partner. Although it seems Onagadori had it handled considering that she had the Akuma tied up.

    Looking up, Onagadori looked over at the Shark hero and rushed over to him, looking miffed, “Do not run off on me like that!”

    “Sorry! I had to try and capture that person…but they got away,” He paused, before looking at her, “They had the Butterfly Miraculous. The one that Hawkmoth used to have on.“

    “…It was well assumed there would be a new Butterfly Villain that was not Gabriel Agreste,” Onagadori  hummed, but then looked over at the Akuma, “For now, I guess we call Ladybug to de-akumatize this—“

    The two heroes gasped when suddenly the akuma started…melting into brown chunks of mud, giving a sadistic grin before completely just a puddle on the ground. 

    “…It was a distraction.”

    “And they were obviously after the Shark Miraculous.” 

    This caused Onagadori to look at her partner, “What makes you say that?”

    Shinkusame sighed, as he was rubbing his head, “Because the villainess I was chasing after admitted it to me.”

    “But why would she just…run away instead of fight the Miraculous off you?”

    “I dunno? But this is something we should tell Ladybug and them.” 

    And Onagadori agreed. The two decided to leave right there and then back to the hospital to tell the others, not knowing that pleased eyes were following them.

    “What was the point of that?”

     The woman sighed as she titled her head to the new voice next to her, and tutted gently.

    “Just an observation, if you will. After all, we don’t want to be making the same mistakes as Gabriel…don’t you agree, Tomoe-san~?”

     Tomoe snorted, walking beside the Butterfly Villainess as she tapped her cane to the ground once, and shook her head, “I figured that fool would be a failure to us. Especially when he was too emotional with his so called ‘family’ that he deluded himself with…“

     Something in the Butterfly Villainess’ facial expression twitched for a second, before she chuckled, “That goes the same for you and your daughter, my dear friend.”

    “I have no daughter. Not anymore since she’s as defective as my previous offspring.” Tomoe murmured with disappointment in her voice, before straightening herself up, “The Council have already prepared for the next steps. All we need now is our other partnered benefactors to uphold their end of the bargain.”

    “Does this mean 'that' is ready to be operational?” 

     Tomoe smiled a little, as she was holding what seems to be a small silver ring.

    “Thanks to some cooperation from Kasskorp Tech, Operation: Alliance can begin.”

    A satisfied smile was on the Butterfly Villainess’ lips before closing her eyes, nodding her head, “Good, good. Proceed with the next phase of our plans. Do not let me down, Tomoe-san.”

    “A Tsurugi never fails, Sovereign Pieris.”

   Sir Nighteye sighed as he looked at the old rusty train tracks for a moment longer, folding his arms as his eyes were narrowed and full of suspicion.

    “We’ve looked around these tunnels for weeks now. There’s nothing left for wherever those cult people used these tunnels for, even with the help of United Heroez intel,” Eraserhead murmured as he lifted his goggles up, looking to the other man with a tired look, “We’ll be flying back to Japan soon. Let’s cut our loses here and leave the rest to Victory and them.”

    “Something doesn’t feel right,” The future seeing hero murmured under his breath, still observing the tracks, “It feels like this is all one big goose chase to distract us.”

    “You think it’s to get us off track on something big?” Amelie asked not fair from them, lifting her goggles up and tilting her head to look at the two men, “What could be bigger than a cult of the rich and famous?”

    “All these names…does not make any sense.” Sir Nighteye pointed out to Eraserhead, “A lot of them aren’t even that rich nor famous. So it begs the question what they all have in common…”

    “Either way, this is officially a dead end. Maybe we can re-group with All Might and—“

     “Wait…”

      Both men stopped talking when Amelie spoke once more, looking down the tunnels with a frown.

     “Hime, what is it?” Eraserhead asked as he looked over at her, the blonde woman pointing down to the darkness.

    “Someone is here.”

    The three adults soon slowly stepped forward cautiously, careful to not set anything off in case it was an ambush of some kind, keeping their guard up. Sweat dripped down their foreheads as they prepared themselves for the worst, but then froze when they heard a shuddering breath. And it sounded female.

    Amelie quickly shed her flashlight to the source of the sound, and saw a figure hunched over, shaking. Going closer, despite Eraserhead’s warning, the blonde British woman approached the person and touched their shoulder, turning them around and gasped.

    Before them, was Bridgette…and she looked like hell. 

    “B-Bridgette?” Amelie breathed out as she checked the girl over, worry etched on her face, “What are you doing here in New York? Who’s watching Paris? Where is Onez?”

     “Ame, let her breath.” The erasure quirk user told the concerned woman, but then blinked when Bridgette grabbed Amelie’s arm tightly, her eyes blown in fear and looked like she was having a panic attack.    

     “I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Onez, h-he got dispelled a-and I managed to escape—my amok is with her!”

     “I-I don’t understand? Who are you talking about?” Amelie asked, trying to calm the girl down but Bridgette looked up for a moment and screamed in terror, making the adults look behind them.

     Suddenly, a snap of a finger sounded as a broken looking keychain of the Eiffel Tower dropped in front of them. Amelie cried out when Bridgette turned into feathers, then to dust, vanishing right before her eyes.

     “NO!”

      Both Eraserhead and Sir Nighteye were quick to search around for any other person nearby, possibly a villain that might’ve done this…but even when shining their light around the tunnel and hearing for any sounds of running footsteps…it was like no one else was here but the three of them. 

     “…Paris is in danger.” Amelie breathed out as she looked at the dust now covering her hands, the very hands that were holding that poor girl just seconds ago. She felt like she was going to be sick.

     “This seems like a warning to us. A warning to stop snooping,” Sir Nighteye said ominously, gnawing at his lower lip as he fisted a hand to his side, “Damn it. We have to call Lenoir-san and check up on them.”

     “Already on it.”

     Eraserhead was about to text but then paused when seeing Amelie still on her knees, looking at her hands with a vacant expression. His eyes softened as he quietly knelt down next to her, and took her into his arms.

     “Hime. We couldn’t…I’m sorry…”

      “…Whoever it is that did this. To those poor kids…they will pay dearly. No child is going to be hurt under my watch ever again.”

     And Shoto Aizawa knew that she meant that seriously.

Okay and that is a wrap! AND WHAT A END TO THIS ARC, AM I RIGHT?

Okay, so I know you guys have some questions you wanna ask, and you're free to do so by commenting below or just sending me an ask~! :D I'll be happy to answer any questions as long as it doesn't hit spoiler territory. Anyways, thank you all again for the lovely support and still reading this even when I take a long time to update :D

Until the next chapter my lovelies~ PLUS ULTRA, BUG OUT~

-Riri-Chan

[ninadove]

Would Feligami be the type of couple to sleep together? (in a non-sus way of course)

DID SOMEONE SAY FELIGAMI FLUFF

Yes, they absolutely would! No one is more surprised by this fact than Felix “I need my personal space” Graham de Vanily, who did not realise how touch-starved he was until he met Kagami. Very much like that meme of the cheetah getting a chin rub.

The first few times she would burrow into his shirt and he would not dare to move or breathe too heavily. He’s used to destroying beautiful things, after all.

But eventually he would learn to let go and hold her tight and rest his chin on top of her head and kiss her forehead when she mumbles in a half-asleep state. Which would be so healing for her.

And of course, there’s the fact that they’ve both been terribly abused. Letting your guard down enough to fall asleep next to someone is the ultimate show of trust — especially for Felix, especially after the Nightormentor debacle. Give the boy insomnia and night terrors and let him be the one to be cared for and gently rocked back to sleep…

Also for everyone’s consideration: they’re both early risers, and I don’t think this habit would disappear completely, but they should get to discover the joys of laying in bed idly sometimes. Just. Let them be kids I beg of you

Also also for your consideration: Felix sleeping much better during thunderstorms, since lightning is associated with Ryuko, to illustrate that he is not afraid of the way she loves! ❤️🐉💜🐉

[adinelleggreeo]

I loved Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction back in the day!

My favourite kinds were marichat, accidental reveal (cute and funny ones) and anything where Lila was exposed

I haven't read ML fan fics in a while, so if you find this post and have any cool recommendations in the above categories, drop the names/links please! 😘

[pythagoras180]

Canon is Better than Scarlet Lady

I while ago I read a post where someone said that they don't like fanfiction because "Why would you take someone else's story and butcher it?" When I read that, I thought "Isn't that harsh? Most fanfics are made out of people's love for the source material." Well, I think the Scarlet Lady AU by Zoe-Oneesama is exactly the kind of fic this person was imagining when they said that. "Scarlet Lady" is a Miraculous Ladybug fanfic/saltfic/fixfic that fundamentally misses the point of pretty much every character and major plot point in it. And since it recently ended, it's time for my comprehensive review of it.

Just a few things before we begin. I'm going to assume that everyone reading this has read "Scarlet Lady", so I'm not going to recap the story. I was originally planning to write this on the day of the last page, but the final page was honestly such a nothing burger that I thought it wasn't the final page initially.

Some people may have a problem with the very concept of this review, saying its not fair for me to criticize a non-professional fanfic with this much scrutiny. I think that's an opinion Zoe herself holds. First, I think nothing is above criticism, especially not something that is claiming to be better than the professional product. People didn't hold back against "Spiderman: Lotus", did they? Even within this fanbase, people had some pretty harsh words for "Karma of Lies". Second, I think any discussion of non-professionalism went out the window the moment Zoe stated her intention to sell hardcopies of "Scarlet Lady". This arguably is professional. Third, I wouldn't be making this review if I this was a fanfic made out of genuine love and passion, and simply missed the mark. No, "Scarlet Lady" is in fact created out of nothing but spite and contempt, and I feel that makes it pretty fair game for criticism. So, without further ado, let's begin.

Why is Canon Better than Scarlet Lady?

In "Scarlet Lady", Emilie Agreste was woken up with no consequences, no buildup, no emotion, and no meaningful consequences. In canon, Emilie's loss was accepted by the characters and she died. I'm pretty sure that automatically makes canon better than "Scarlet Lady", so you don't even need to read the rest of this review! In all seriousness, this is genuinely some of the worst writing I have ever seen, and it is what made me decide that "Scarlet Lady" was a bad story, so I decided to just mention it on its own.

To be clear, I think Miraculous Ladybug is a poorly written show. "Scarlet Lady" is just worse. And since I used to enjoy Miraculous Ladybug, I'm in a good position to compare the two. When I read the ending of Scarlet Lady, what I though about canon was

I think that writing the middle part of a story is relatively easy. The audience is already hooked from the beginning, and they are intrigued for what might happen, so they'll keep reading even if not everything is great. I think the beginning and ending is the hard part. "Scarlet Lady" didn't have to worry about the beginning and getting people interested because it's piggybacking off of an already successful show. And since the ending of "Scarlet Lady" was so awful, it's clear to me that it was always badly written.

I'll now be analyzing "Scarlet Lady" in terms of its tone, its various characters, and more.

Tone

Every single potentially powerful moment in "Scarlet Lady" is played off as a joke. This may be in part because of the format, with it being released 8 panels at a time, so the audience has to be given something to be entertained by in every page. The thing is, I don't think that's true. I have seen plenty of webcomics where a situation is spread across multiple pages, and the audience doesn't instantly lose interest when one page is for setup purposes.

The consequence of this unserious tone is that the entire story is an emotional flatline. There's no moments that make you sad, no moments that make you happy, nothing that makes you scared or invested. Nothing feels like anything, because everything is a joke.

The season 2 finale of canon is actually really good, it feels like a real challenge with both sides giving it their all. In SL however, the same battle feels about as challenging as a stroll through the park.

I've seen a lot of comedies, and most of them still have a strong emotional core that isn't made into a joke at every turn. So arguing that SL is a comedy doesn't really help.

The problems with this unserious tone run deep, and you will see that as I explore the various characters.

Characters

I don't even like most of the characters in ML, but I could see the absolute downgrade they are in SL.

In general, I just wanted to say this: almost every character in this story is a sarcastic smartass. This makes them rather monotonous and uninteresting. Also very generic considering how common this archetype is these days.

Wait a second. Every serious moment is undermined by a joke, and all the characters are sarcastic smartasses. Was Zoe secretly an MCU writer this entire time?!

Chloé

I figure we should start with the titular Scarlet Lady. I actually think that the idea of a superhero duo where one of them is extremely lazy and unhelpful, but still necessary, is an extremely interesting idea for a dynamic. The problem is, there is no dynamic. Scarlet Lady and Chat Noir have no relationship, they just talk at each other constantly. And the result of this is that basically every interaction is the same: Scar does something selfish, Chat gets mad, rinse and repeat. It could have been interesting to explore different scenarios and ideas with these two, but no they just do the same thing over and over.

There is a pretty big plot hole here once Marigold is introduced. Why don't the heroes just take the Ladybug Miraculous back? It would be rather easy. Well, the explanation is that since Scar is still popular with the public, its best to keep her around for public cooperation and morale. Okay, I can accept that. Except, only a few episodes after this explanation we get "Zombizou", an episode where Scar straight up attacks Marinette in the middle of a battle, which causes Chat to get infected and them to very nearly lose. After that, there is no excuse anymore. Scar is clearly too dangerous to keep around, take her Miraculous now. But no, they actually don't even talk about what happened at all.

One particular episode where I have a problem with how Chloé is treated by the writer is "Silencer". In this episode, Chloé helps Bob Roth and XY with their plagiarism scheme. In canon, she had nothing to do with that. Now, yes, this is a different story and the writer can do whatever she wants. And this also gets Chloé more involved in the story. However, doing this just gives me a feeling that Zoe is blaming Chloé for something she didn't do. I don't know, it's just a vibe.

Anyway, throughout the story Chloé gets worse and worse until it culminates in her working with Hawk Moth and betraying everyone. And what are her consequences for this?

I mean, except for her father making her apologize (offscreen). So ultimately this plot feels like such a letdown. Chloé is the titular character that this fic's whole concept was started by, and yet it ends with her character just fading away with a whimper. What a letdown.

Marinette

This one will be quick. Zoe says that Marinette is her favorite character in ML, but I don't think she understands her at all. Remember what I said about every character being a sarcastic smartass? Well that is most prevalent with Marinette, and that is just fundamentally not who she is as a character. Marinette is someone whose is unabashed in her kindness and compassion. That's why plenty of people like her. If Marinette was in canon like she was in SL, she would be an extremely generic protagonist with almost no fans at all. The only reason anyone likes her in SL is because they relate her to the canon version.

I will say, I do like the idea of her being such a hero at heart that she'll run into danger even without powers. But this is completely diminished by her basically being invincible and having plot armor in her civilian form.

Adrien

Adrien in canon is one of my least favorite characters of all time. And yet, Adrien in SL is even worse. I'd go as far to say he's an anti-character. He has no growth, no arc, and no real personality.

The reason people like Adrien in canon is because they perceive him as someone who is treated very badly by his father and by others, but is still a kind person regardless. Well, in SL it's hard to perceive any poor treatment considering how he's only ever seen disobeying his father. And he's really never done anything kind throughout the entire comic.

Do you know the only reason people like Adrien in SL? Because they see him as who they wanted canon Adrien to become. Someone who can stand up to his father, who is useful in battle, and who doesn't put up with Chloé. But since SL Adrien was that way the entire time, there is no growth at all. Again he piggybacks off of his canon counterpart. If canon Adrien didn't exist, nobody would give a single crap about SL Adrien. None of the traits people liked about him in canon are present, and there is nothing new added to replace it. He is nothing.

Speaking of Adrien and Chloé, isn't it kind of weird that Adrien ended his friendship with her twice? In "Despair Bear" he ends his friendship with her and this is played as a big moment, even though he already basically ended their friendship all the way back in the pilot. There is not a single moment in the entire comic where Adrien treats Chloé like a friend.

As I mentioned earlier, Adrien has no emotional reaction to his mother coming back. In fact, I think it's fair to say that Adrien never loved his parents. And the reason for this is because Zoe hates his parents and she just imposed her feelings onto him, just like most bad fanfic writers do.

In terms of Adrien having no arc, there is one moment I wanted to talk about. During the final battle, he gets a power upgrade when he's talking about how he doesn't understand Hawk Moth's perspective, and he doesn't want to because Hawk Moth is so awful. This moment is played as if it's character growth for Adrien, but I want to ask, in what way? Well, I guess it does make sense because Adrien always gave his father the benefit of the doubt, stuck by Chloé even though she's cruel, and defended Lila. All those things could be considered him trying to understand a bad person. Too bad that none of that happened in SL. Adrien always hated his father, he ended his friendship with Chloé day 1, and he never defended Lila. Zoe was so focused on removing all of Adrien's flaws that she left him with no starting point for this supposed arc. In general, flawed characters are more interesting than perfect ones. Again, the only reason people liked this scene was because they subconsciously associated SL Adrien with canon.

Also, Zoé adds in her headcanon that Emilie was a bad parent. This headcanon only exists because people are incapable of imagining Adrien being anything other than a victim. I call it my "Perpetual Victim Theory". Anyway Zoé just makes up a bunch of random crap that has no basis in canon just to make Adrien more of a victim.

Gabriel

At first, "Scarlet Lady" looks like a Chloé saltfic. Well, that's only partially true. It's actually mainly a Gabriel saltfic. It honestly seems like Zoe hates Gabriel so much that she can barely think when he's involved. Gabriel is always portrayed as a complete moron with absolutely no humanity at all. He honestly seems more like a caricature in a political cartoon rather than an actual character. I actually find it hard to believe that his motivation is to bring back his wife considering how devoid of human emotion he is. Because the main villain of the series is a buffoon who can't be taken seriously, there is never any actual threat or tension. People criticize canon Gabriel for all his bad decisions, which is absolutely fair, but there are at least a few moments where he is genuinely menacing, and some moments where he is human. But writing him that way would require Zoe to let go of her hatred for a few minutes, so that's clearly not an option.

Nathalie

To put it simply Nathalie is a Mary Sue. She's a "girlboss" that does a bunch of horrible things she's not punished for. She can create a sentimonster to solve all the show's problems, she can decode an ancient book without a reference (Some people have defended this by claiming that the book was decoded IRL. IRL it was written in Engish in a different alphabet. That's not true in-universe). She's so much smarter and cooler than everyone else. Mary Sue, plain and simple. Oh, and she hates Gabriel because of course she does. She's a character written by Zoe after all.

In canon, Nathalie has some complexities. She's not great, but she's certainly better than this.

The Male Classmates

I'm just going to say it. Almost every male classmate was character assassinated in "Party Crasher". In canon, Nino lists his female friends to Gorilla and tells him to not let them in the mansion. This is because he assumes that if they find out that they ditched tree planting, they'll stop the boys from hanging out with Adrien. Is it a jerk move to ditch their plans in order to spend time with Adrien and not tell the girls? Yes, but it's understandable and they have limited time with Adrien. In SL, Nino tells Gorilla to keep all girls out of the house, which instantly imposes a sense of underlying misogyny to the situation. Oh, and they let Marc in even though Marc is nonbinary in this story, which implies that the boys went full Royce Du Pont, which is unintentionally hilarious.

I have no idea what motivated Zoe to change the boys from regular flakers to misogynists, maybe she just misunderstood the original episode, but it's still bad. Also, the SL episode goes out of its way to say that Adrien isn't at fault. No, he was completely complicit in the blatant sexism as well. So yeah, pretty much all the boys are instantly made worse by this one episode.

Zoé

In these previous cases, I have been making comparisons to and defending canon characters that I don't even like anymore. But Zoé Lee is my absolute favorite character in Miraculous Ladybug, and I was not happy with how SL handled her.

So a pretty important question right off the bat, how does SL Zoé exist? Zoe said that since canon didn't explain Zoé's existence, neither will she. But the thing is, what is there to explain? Chloé's parents have been married 20 years. Chloé's mother lives in New York, away from her family in Paris. Chloé's mother also has a daughter in New York with another man, much younger than 20-years-old. I don't think it takes a genius to figure out what happened there. But I'll spell it out anyway: extramarital affair. In fact, I think the whole reason the writers of canon made Zoé Chloé's half-sister was to hint why she hadn't been mentioned before: because Audrey was ashamed of her, and Chloé didn't know abut her.

On the other hand, "Scarlet Lady" never mentions Zoé's father, has her refer to Andre as her parent, says Zoé lived in New York, and never implies that Audrey is ashamed of her in any way. How does this make sense? Well, maybe Zoé is the older sibling in SL, and Audrey and Andre met and got married after Audrey was already pregnant, and Zoé's biological father isn't involved in her life. It still seems weird that Zoé was living in New York instead of Paris (why not live with her stepdad that she's close enough to call a parent, and how did they form such a strong relationship long distance?), but this does make most of the situation make sense. Except for one little detail: Why on Earth are Chloé and Zoé only now meeting for the first time? It makes absolutely no sense that their parents would not even tell these two about each other. How was Zoé so close to Andre to call him her parent, but didn't meet her sister until she was a teenager? None of this adds up. And honestly, it seems like after a certain period of time Zoe just straight up forgot that Zoé only arrived recently. In the therapy scenes, she acts like they were always one family. When canon gave Chloé a sister, they gave a reason why nobody knew about her until now. When SL gave Chloé a sister, she just suddenly has one who isn't explained and they act like she was always around. In fact, the only part where they acknowledge her showing up suddenly is when Adrien hasn't heard of her, but SL actually just implies that this is because he was never actually close with Chloé.

Putting all that aside, SL also sucks out everything interesting about Zoé. Gone is her cleverness or willingness to lie for the right reason. In fact, the defining characteristic that SL gives Zoé is that she has no personality. I've seen some people claim that SL had Chloé and Zoé having more of a sisterly bond, but I actually don't believe that Zoé actually loves Chloé. During the final battle, Hawk Moth has basically poisoned Chloé, and for all Zoé knows, it could be fatal. If I were in Zoé's shoes in this situation, I would be furious with Gabriel. But is she? No, she just has the same jokey, ironic disgust towards him that all the characters do. Yeah, this is one of the moments when the comic's insistence to turn everything into a joke hit critical mass. Doing that ends up damaging the characters.

One last thing. In canon, Zoé was pretty cool as Vesperia. She helped out a bunch of times, and she was one of the only heroes to demonstrate unique skills in how she taunted Queen Banana into anger. Not in SL though. Vesperia achieves nothing, she could have been cut out entirely and nothing would change. That actually transitions nicely into my next point.

Because Canon Did It Too

Zoe has said that she wants to keep the lore consistent with the show. Even though she didn't like the name "Venom" for that power, she kept it for consistency purposes. I can respect this idea, but there are multiple parts of this story that would have just been better if it diverged.

For one thing, having 19 Miraculouses and as many superpowered characters. I can understand why canon did this: because they clearly want the show to go on forever and they want as many characters as possible to fill that time. SL on the other hand was only planned to last a certain number of episodes, and yet Zoe crammed in as many heroes as the original did. This leads to a lot of time setting up these characters that leads to nothing, because they're all barely in the finale and contribute basically nothing. It would have been so much better to simply limit it to the 7 main Miraculouses, that's so much more manageable.

Another thing is the Rabbit Miraculous and time travel. Zoe acknowledged how OP it is and how it can instantly solve the conflict. She might not want to change its power because of her lore rule, but if she had just ignored its existence entirely, that would have been totally acceptable. But no, the final battle has Master Fu using the Rabbit Miraculous, which instantly makes the stakes even lower than they already were. It wasn't even necessary, Master Fu is shown to be faster than he looks, he could have just delivered the Miraculouses the normal way. Oh, and there's also the fact that Zoe looked at the insanely OP Rabbit Miraculous and said "That's not OP enough." She also gave it the power to teleport to other universes. To be clear, this completely contradicts canon. ML is not the MCU, alternate universes are not alternate timelines. Changes to the timeline just overwrite the old one, and you can use the Rooster Miraculous, not the Rabbit, to visit other universes. So yeah, despite Zoe saying she wants lore consistency, SL actually doesn't fit into the Miraculous multiverse that canon established.

Also, let's talk about the romance. Like canon, there's a love square that doesn't get together until way later. But it seems like Zoe forgot about an important rule of romance: if the characters aren't together yet, why not? In SL Marinette and Chat clearly like each other, and unlike canon's Ladrien, they talk quite a bit. So why don't they get together? Canon actually has a really great episode "Elation" where Adrien decides that he can't date a civilain as a superhero if she doesn't know his identity. But nothing even like this is remotely acknowledged in SL (Sidenote: The writing of "Elation" is better than the entirety of SL). Also, Adrien doesn't confess for most of SL, I assume because Marinette didn't confess in canon, but this is just so out of character for Adrien. He's not the kind of person to hold his feelings back. In canon, he confessed to Marinette only a few episodes after he started liking her. He claims that he doesn't want to date until Hawk Moth is defeated, but then he starts dating her before he's defeated, so this is a BS excuse.

When Chloé snaps away her sentimonster, Zoe copies the line "How could you?!" from "Ladybug" in canon. This is a completely soulless copy though, because that episode made it clear that Sentibug was sentient, and Chat Noir was genuinely angry in this moment. None of that same substance applies to SL, it's just a meaningless copy of a better scene.

In canon "Reflekdoll", Adrien and Marinette are modeling her designs, and they take their Miraculouses off in order to wear the earrings and ring she made. When Reflekdoll attacks, they try to get their Miraculouses back but end up switching them. In SL "Reflekdoll", Marinette and Adrien are wearing each other's Miraculouses during the photoshoot for no discernable reason. Both versions have a Miraculous swap, but the original earned it and SL absolutely did not.

Zoe and Thomas Astruc are on the Same Wavelength

Zoe has made it clear that she's not a fan of ML's creator, Thomas Astruc. And yet many of her ideas ended up being the same as his.

In both Canon and SL, Chloé publicly commits a bunch of serious crimes, but faces no legal consequences. Instead, she is taken to another country where she can resume her life as a rich brat because she's learned absolutely nothing. Yeah, Chloé's ending in both is basically the same.

In the season 5 finale of canon, there's this huge fight between the side characters and an evil army. This fight has absolutely nothing to do with the actual important fight between Bug Noire and Monarch, so the side characters are completely wasted. In the final battle of SL, the other superheroes contribute nothing and are completely wasted. Chat Noir basically took care of Hawk Moth all by himself. So both finales involve wasted side characters that should have just stayed home. Less time would have been wasted.

Zoe actually says that she added Marinette calling out Gabriel in response to the canon finale. This is absolutely hilarious considering it's still Marinette calling out Gabriel, which basically did happen in the canon finale. Adrien still just stood there and didn't say a word!

Conclusion

"Scarlet Lady" is absolutely worse than canon Miraculous Ladybug. And I think there are a lot of lessons to learn here.

First, don't be so angry and hateful. Zoe basically ruined any possibility of a decent ending simply because her hatred of Gabriel made it impossible to write him like an actual person or a good villain.

Second, any story written in bitterness or spite will be bad. That might not be totally true, I haven't read every story. But I feel that every fanfic I read where the author clearly hates a character has everyone behaving OOC and the story being meanspirited and bad.

Third, don't be arrogant. Just because you can recognize flaws in a story doesn't mean you can do better. Maybe just make some posts calling out those flaws.

Fourth, the way to fix a bad character is not to simply remove all their flaws. Acknowledge those flaws and do something with them.

Fifth, while fanfics do often build off of the original, they can't depend on elements from the original when they contradict those elements. Again, the only reason people like SL Marinette and Adrien is because they associate them with the originals, even though their personalities do no match up.

All in all, I think the world and characters of "Scarlet Lady" will be forgotten only a week after its over. There is no actual substance to them. The only purpose of this fic was to bash somebody else's story, and yet it ended up being so much worse than canon in almost every way.

[mysticraven20]

Something new coming for @adrinetteapril

Synopsis:

In the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Adrien Agreste, the up and coming movie star, finds himself in a sticky situation after his father’s villainous past is exposed.

Meanwhile, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, his quirky and adorable best friend, is determined to move on from her secret crush on Adrien by diving into the world of online dating.

But their carefully constructed plans unravel when Marinette stumbles upon the shocking truth: Adrien is engaged—to her!

Caught in a whirlwind of emotions, Marinette must come to terms with her unrequited love while navigating the complexities of a newfound relationship with the man of her dreams.

Filled with hilarious misunderstandings and heartfelt moments, they must confront their own feelings and decide if their love story is meant for the silver screen or something even more magical.

Releasing 01/04/24 - posting (hopefully) one chapter per day

Sneak peek 👀

Chapter One - Marinette

Prompt: Dating Sim

In the secret realm of guilty pleasures, where indulgence meets amusement, lies a world where chocolate conspiracies and Netflix binges are celebrated like noble quests. A place where ice cream tubs are thrones, and the remote control wields power unmatched by any swords. The dessert of existence – delightful, often decadent, and occasionally leaving you questioning your life choices. In the grand symphony of life, guilty pleasures are the cheeky notes that play when society’s serious strings take a coffee break.

Or, in Marinette’s case, during your coffee break.

“Oh, Ladybug, Ladybug, Ladybug! What are you doing?” Sitting on the bench by the side of the Seine, Marinette moved around a little to try and get herself more comfortable. She continued to angrily tap around on her phone.

She was sure she hadn’t instructed her sim to do this!

Her eyes shifted back down to her phone, the speech bubbles appearing as her character started talking once again to the guy she was trying her hardest to date, it was such a shame that no matter which option she chose, her character still managed to mess it up.

Example A: Ladybug landed on the rooftop in front of a worried Chat Noir, yet with every option she chose he seemed to get angry and vault off into the sunset. She’d reset the level multiple times and was still failing on getting her date.

…Much like real life.

Reset!