#Supportive Brother Adrien

[aloeverified]

au where marinette's parents own a small, struggling, but community-loved bakery outside of paris. she works after school and on weekends since her parents can't currently afford to hire any other employees, but she enjoys getting to know everyone in her neighborhood and uses her tip money to fund her sewing projects.

as the end of her junior high days approach, marinette is encouraged by her parents to apply to her dream high school, françoise dupont lycée of the arts, as a fashion student. she doesn't expect to actually get accepted, but knows her parents are right when they say there's no hurt in trying. after submitting her online store portfolio, where she does commissions and launches small projects like accessories, she receives feedback that the school board was beyond impressed with her work and would like to offer her a full-ride scholarship.

although it's hard for her to part from her parents for the first time in her life, they refuse to let her turn down the opportunity and practically pack her bags for her. after a very long and painful goodbye with lots of promises to call every single day, marinette leaves for paris.

she meets alya, her roommate and first friend at her new school. she's the daughter of a successful chef and is a promising journalist and creative writing student, she and marinette share many of their core subjects not relating to their majors.

marinette also meets chloé, the daughter of the mayor of france and alya's life-long enemy. the two go way back, with alya's mother being an old friend of chloe's father and having worked at his hotel restaurant before. the hate each other, and by association, chloé hates marinette — especially after finding out marinette is a fellow fashion major whose work scored much higher than her own.

then she meets adrien. adrien is a fellow fashion and modeling student who was eagerly accepted into the school despite his very late application. however, the principal was thrilled at the idea of having such a beloved model joining the student body, and didn't want to deal with chloé's threats of action if adrien was denied, so he was accepted with open arms.

adrien didn't exactly choose his majors, but rather just went along with what was expected of him. he already had a successful modeling career, so he took the classes despite there being little he didn't already know and have mastered. he was encouraged to join fashion classes as well, both by adults who assumed he was going to take after his father and by his best friend who wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

adrien is easily impressed with just about every design marinette crafts and marinette admits it's a bit endearing the way adrien struggles to figure out where the sewing machine's on switch is. his father is equally impressed, if not even more so, and marinette is asked to become a paid intern upon winning a contest judged by gabriel agreste.

not to mention the kind old man she befriends, an older chinese man who owns a tea shop in petite asie. marinette admits to feeling a bit alienated without her mother, worried her classmates will look at her funny for cooking guangxi rice in the dorm kitchen or having late night gossip sessions on the phone in mandarin. he tells marinette she will always have a friend while in paris and that she's more connected to the city than she thinks.

eventually, marinette even finds herself befriending almost all of her classmates, and even one of her classmate's brothers. juleka couffaine is a modeling major and a fellow scholarship student, something she and marinette bond over. luka is just as sweet as his sister, and almost as quiet if you ignore his constant humming and guitar strumming.

he also applied to be a music major at françoise dupont, but was rejected. after a year of struggling and being bullied in public school, he dropped out to focus on working and supporting his family — taking some of the burden away from his single mother and making sure juleka never has to go without. throughout the course of their relationship, marinette is eventually able to discover the ridiculous reasons why luka wasn't accepted and encourages him to go back to school, as well as accept that he can't support his family if he doesn't let them support him as well (a lesson she also had to learn).

[bklily]

Trick or Treat from the Cat Broccoli Brothers!!!

also thank you everyone for all the support on my latest posts!! I promise I'll get to the asks very soon, I just have to survive college assignments haha

Hope you all have a great Halloween!

Bonus:

The stark contrast of all the green haired Adriens (?) is incredibly funny.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

How to Use Absurdist Humor

I will often excuse away the “worst” of Marinette’s behavior with a very dismissive, “It’s an obvious joke, so there’s no point taking this as a serious character beat. Let’s not waste our time here.”

While I stand by that statement, I can see why some people struggle with this approach. Miraculous has made the unfortunate choice to tie the humor to parts of the narrative that have actual meaning to the audience. This undercuts the power of the humor, making it hard for some people to separate the humor from the actual character beats, so let’s step back and look at a show that did this right to show what I mean.

That’s right, folks, it’s time for more gushing about Kim Possible!

For today’s case study, we'll start with episode 17 of season one: The Twin Factor. In this episode, Kim is stuck babysitting her little brothers while on a mission to stop her arch nemesis. You may be thinking that Kim's "flaw" in this episode is the fact that she brings two 10-year-olds on a dangerous mission.

You would be wrong.

This is the lead-in to Kim bringing the twins along:

Kim: Er, speaking of forgetting, I totally spaced on the baby-sitting. Mrs. Dr. Possible: Kimmy, you made a commitment. Kim: Two commitments, actually. I'm suppose to go on a mission today. Mr. Dr. Possible: You'll just have to take the boys. Kim: Mom, can you please tell Dad that's a bad idea? Mrs. Dr. Possible: Oh, Kimmy. I'm sure Jim and Tim would love to visit a secret lab with you.

This is how you do absurdist humor. Is this technically horrible parenting? Yes, but there is no way that anyone is taking this seriously. It’s just so over the top that anyone trying to criticize the Possible’s behavior comes across as completely missing the point.

The other important factor is that Kim’s parents are played as genuinely loving and supportive parents, just in a really absurd way. This is a very natural bit of loving family dialogue about a totally ridiculous version of a normal family conflict. None of these three characters show off flaws that we expect to see address here save for their complete lack of concern about Kim’s life-risking adventures.

If Kim’s parents were shown to be genuinely neglectful or if Kim’s adventures were played more seriously, then this humor wouldn’t work anywhere near as well as it does. It would still be an obvious joke, but it would stumble the landing if you knew that the episode would go on to see Jim and Tim die. (They don’t, btw. The absurdist humor carries on, I’m just giving an extreme example of a plot beat that would kill – or at least weaken – this humor.)

Another example of Kim Possible doing absurdist humor right comes from the next episode in season one: Animal Attraction. In this episode, Kim is up against Senior Senior Senior, an eccentric billionaire who pursues villainy as a hobby, leading to exchanges like this one between him and his son:

Jr.: Did we not leave Kim Possible on a conveyor belt to her doom? Sr.: Yes. A proper villain always leaves his foe when he's about to expire. Jr.: Why? Sr.: Well, it would be bad form just to lull about, waiting for it. Jr.: Why? Sr.: Tradition!

This episode has a lot of moments like this. Moments where Jr asks why they don't do the obvious, more easy/effective thing and his father blows him off because that's not how villains do things! It's totally illogical logic and it's great. I love it! Perfect example of absurdist villains and a great way to keep the show from getting too serious. The writers never wanted you to feel like Kim was in over her head.

If you look at these two examples and compare them to Miraculous, you'll notice a big difference. While Miraculous does occasionally pull off good absurdist humor, a lot of the absurdist humor is more questionable because it's tied to the show's central conflicts.

As an example, let's talk about Marinette's inability to confess to Adrien and all the nonsense tied to that. Her many failures and attempts to know him better are clearly jokes, but they have this serious edge because the show has not set up the love square as nothing more than a source of humor. This is our end game couple. The audience expects to see their romance developed. The longer the show goes on without doing that and the more absurd Marinette's attempts get, the less the comedy works.

Another good example is Lila's lies. There is a solid argument to be made that the writers are trying to be funny with Lila's extremely obvious lies, but it doesn't work because the lies are a source of serious conflict. Lila is working with the villain! She gets Marinette expelled! We want to see her outed! Every obvious lie she tells just grates on our nerves because this is not the time for jokes!

To be fair, you can use absurdist humor in more serious shows. Another of my personal favorites is The Good Place, which relies heavily on absurdist humor, but has a very serious and heartfelt overall plot. The humor works there because the show knew when to use the humor and when to be serious and also because The Good Place is not a formula show. It's a serialized show. One big story told in 20-minute chunks. This meant that the humor had more room to breath and could be more closely tied to serious conflicts. When every story has to stand alone and be finished in 20-minutes, that blending rarely ever works. You're trying to do too much.

Kim Possible's writers knew this, too. The two tie-in movies (Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time and So the Drama) are still comedies, but they both have far more serious tones because they had the time to do that. While the episodes run about 20 minutes, both movies run a little over and hour which meant they could be more serious than in a standard episode.

So why did I write all that up? Because I was watching Kim Possible and thinking about how much better the humor generally was and I suddenly realized how easy it would be to be confused by Miraculous' humor if you didn't have this kind of background. I've seen enough absurdist humor to identify it with ease and even I struggle with Miraculous at times. Like I'm still not sure if Lila's lies are supposed to be a joke or not.

If you're new to absurdist humor or struggle to interpret less overt humor? Then I can see how you'd take Miraculous way more seriously than the writers intended because a lot of the absurdist humor simply isn't absurd enough. That doesn't change the fact that it's humor and I'm still going to treat it as such, but I can see why it goes right over some people's heads and leads to complaints like, "Marinette has his schedule for the next three years!!!" That was a joke, but I get why you're missing it.

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Now that I have your attention:

[frickingnerd]

adrien with a younger sister

pairing: adrien agreste x fem!reader

tags: wholesome fluff, platonic, protective brother!adrien (from chloe & lila), gabriel is a bad father, best friends & siblings

gabriel wanted a boy and a girl as children, so each of them had their own purpose and could model different clothes for him

meanwhile, emelie wanted a boy and a girl, to have a complete family – a mother, a father, a daughter and a son! 

adrien was born first, while you were born around two years later, making adrien your older brother

adrien and you were best friends as children, though that also had to do with the fact that you only had each other as friends

occasionally, you spent time with chloe, felix and other kids of rich parents, but you always got along best with each other! 

adrien was always a protective older brother, making sure nobody made fun of you and made sure you were included in all activities! 

when you two grew older, you got to see chloe, felix and co. less and less, making you two grow even closer

you two trusted each other with all of your secrets and were always there to support each other

some days, adrien had to model for gabriel, while you got to sneak out of the house to go shopping

other days, you had to model for your father, while adrien snuck out of the house and watched movies in the nearby cinema! 

adrien would always tell you about the movies afterwards, while you always brought him snacks and such along from your shopping trips! 

when the two of you were finally allowed to go to school, adrien grew more protective of you

he always made sure you were invited too, when marinette, alya and nino asked him to hang out after school

and if someone like chloe or lila invited him – and only him – he always declined, since he didn't want to befriend people who didn't like his little sister! 

[ilikelookingatthings]

Somethings that frusterates me about Luka....

like...first I need to establish I DO like Luka. He is objectively great. There is a good reason he turned Marinette's compass after all. I can 100 oercent get why people ship lukanette. (I think people need to stop putting adrien down when shipping them but that's a different topic altogether.

The weirdness that he was definitly julieka's older brother but then got weirdly retconned to be the same age and her twin js still weird when he's suppoused to give off slightly older boy mature energy......like he's still great but I'm suddenly more confused why the show puts so much weight in Luke's words when he IS THE SAME AGE as everyone else.

Luka is great. He's mature. Tends to be very patient with marinette and is able to be honest about his feelings without putting oressure in her...and he does support her in her crushes.

And dude has good observation skills as the snake. I still find it really funny that luka is actually one of the people ADRIEN/CHAT chose to be a hero because mari's adrien blinders were on. And majes me trust luka more cuz as much as people act like Adrien is blind....he's got pretty good instincts for people.

I kindof wish the show would allow Luka to be angry at his dad or others more often....like....dude is a teen and apparently the same age...it's not like mari broke up with him because she didn't like luka(even if everyone ekse but luka thought it was due to lingering feelings for adrien).

Dude should be allowed to be upset at his crush not liking him back especially when mari(I love you but mari WHY!?) CAN be pretty insensative.

Like....a lot of people see Luka as perfect for Marinette.....after all he's not pushy. He's cute. Creatuve/talented. Has a passion. He's good at communicating and patient no matter how bad marinette is at communicating. He puts mari at ease and she has been honest with Luka in a way sge isn't with Adrien....she lets herself rely on luka. And mari tends to get frazzled so Luka soothing her IS important....and we HAVE seen mari IS attracted to Luka. She was willing to kiss him if a akuma hadn't interrupted and she didn't want to lie to Luka. There is DEFINITLY something there.

But I actuactually think what draws everyone to luka(his patience and understanding and not pushing his feelings on mari)....could actually be a issue. Mostly because it actually ENABLES one of mari's most consistent flaws. Mari tends to hate being vulnerable and committing when her emotions are involved.

While she never WANTS to be insensative about other's feelings.....Mari can and WILL put her emotional comfort over other people even if she knows its probably a dick movement. Mari is REALLY bad at putting herself in other people's shoes without her own understandable teenage bias toward her own feelings KICKING doors down.

Luka being so understanding actually let's her put considering his feelings to the side. Mari let Luka driver her to the plane for the newyork trip while yapping about Adrien that entire time to Luka despite knowing Luka likes her while her secert motive wa to go on the trip with Adrien cuz she didn't want Adrien alone with lila. Mari despite having vibes with Luka and being taught guitar separated herself from Luka and then brought up the idea if adrien playing with jagged stone...even asking Luka for his guitar and ignoring how even Adrien pointed out Adrien wasn't a guitar player.

Mari would talk to Luka about her struggles with telling Adrien her feelings despite KNOWING Luka likes her. Luka was even understanding about her ditching the dates and felt he was in the wrong about pressing for answers and apologized afterwards just fir her to freak up with him....Luka was still clearly interested abd brought up if she ever wanted to try again...he is there....but dude was so sweet about the break up and yet Mari was the one avoiding him and put julieka in a tight spot cuz Mari asked her to disinvited Luka from his own birthday party so Mari could avoid him despite Luka being the chillist guy ever!

As much as I get people get annoyed at Adrien/chat and kagami for how strait forward they are about their feelings...

Honestky they show a different type of maturity because they know you can't just wait to get what you want. You have speak up and show you want it AND speak up if you feel a certain behaviour isn't okay because kagami and Adrien know they have to speak up for their own treatment and feelings. It can be seen as pushy....but it can also show how much they want sonething or like someone and how they want those feelings acknowledged.

Luka's patience and wanting mari to go at her own pace is wonderful....but it enables mari to NOT make decisions and forget to consider luk's feelings and opinions more. As much as luka likes her....from her view he doesn't like her enough to get upset at her...or to try to fight fir her.... or fight for his feelings to be noticed and treated properly.

I HONESTLY feel like Luka definitly had a real chance to woo Marinette. He turned her compass, she could talk to him...the way she looked at him during wish maker?!

Was I glad luka went to check on adrien as well? Yes. Bjt I was also screaming internally because there was CLEAR signs mari liked luka that could grow if he tried to focus on them! I know luka ACTUALLY is that good of a guy and wants mari to be happy so tries to help her with Adrien on multiple occasions..

...but I kept thinking of how everyone thought Mari was being mature when she pushed adrien and Kagami together....when in reality it was mari being immature...trying to push adrien and kagami together to avoid being honest about her feelings and to avoid being vulnerable ...like a fox and the grapes.

Kagami had even said she wanted mari to be honest and not give up for kagami's sake because they could be friends and like the same guy. Heck, kagami had said she didn't even care about ice cream, and both adrien and jagami just wanted to hang with mari as friends. Mari didn't HAVE to push them together and avoid them....and mari backtracking and stealing kagami away was dye to her lack of honesty with herself and her insecurity.

So Luke's patience while seeming more mature also comes off as someone who might think letting go is the best way to show love instead of hiw we know poo diwn he wanted to fight fir the truth about his dad.

Luka nkt setting u proper boundaries means mari has a tendency to abuse them even if I understand luka is akso her friend and friends listen and help.

But something that bothers me is luka seems all wise, but dude definitely still has a mari bias people don't bring up. Like....I get after finding out mari is LB and Chat is Adrien that he'd want to support mari's crush because he knkws its requited.....heck luka can see chat can bring out the best in mari and make mari comfortable to be herself....so I see why he'd ship it.

But it never occurs to Luka to consider that ladybug is closer to chat, more comfortable but DOESNT seem romantically into chat? Heck, we know when msri finds out his identity, she is weirded out and didn't seem like she was still in love with him til luka directed her to be more chill and positive about it. It doesn't occur to luka that mari would be LESS interested in adrien if she found out he was chat or if she got more comfortable with him?!

Luka literally knew their identities and yet when Mari brought up her plan to trick chat out of his identity by pretending like she changed her mind so luka could hear it and bring it to su-han.

I mean....luka did bring up why not just be honest with chat....but he didnt fight mari on it when she dismissed the idea. And mire luka already knew the identity.....luka could have been honest he knew before hand or could have pretended to press the button or go back in time once abd pretend he went through the plan and guve Suhan the identity.

heck, luka knew the identities but also how firm mari was about this being a safety issue and ALSO luka knows how weird and unable to think strait around Adrien mari tends to get.....luka should have KNOWN mari wouldn't be able to give the signal to go back after finding out dye to shock.....and yet he let mari find out. He wasn't willing to push for her to be honest with chat about identities enough and yet he ignored her worries about safety becayse identity dazed marinette didnt give the signal so he assumed she'd want to know.....ge supports it cuz he wants her yo be Hallyday probably...

But either he let her find out on purpose because he put her feelings over safty or he put it on her to drcjded despite knowing mari can't think clearly around adrien kr surprises....and ge never once considers how fucked up it is tgat nari sas willing to trick chat out of his identity and was willing to feed chst what he wanted to hear?

Everyone focuses on mari's lie or the stupid reveal from gabe fjnding out in the dumbest way possible....but no one really consuders the implications everything has on kuka abd his decision making skills.

And despite luka having the context that the reveal caused problems where he might undergrad WHY cuz ge knows who they are.....he still ends up trying to put them together even though mari's main reason to breaking up with Luka was a lying issue and a stress issue due to being too busy!

Listen...I adore the guy!

But I got GENUINELY angry at him because of how he views adrien and mari when he was helping in that date at the musuem.

The dude brought up the jdea that adrien is so loved that adrien can't differentiate or decided on loves! people keep treating adrien like adrien is dumb, naive, a damsel and dense......but the fact js adrien is actually PRETTY emotionally self aware. Adrien knows his feelings toward ladybug....he has flirted and properly confessed and he openly admires marinette and he k even if people tend to ignore it he DID feel so.ething for Kagami.

But adrien KNOWS how to differentiate his feelings! He was WAY more strait forward than marinette is! Luka was acting like adrien is so loved but chloe clearly doesn't romantically like adrien....she just doesn't want to lose him. Lila just wants the fame adrien provides. And hjs dad, nathalie and plagg aren't really good at atraitfjrwardly showing love! And adrien DEFINITLY knows the difference in a fan's love!

Heck even with kagami he knew he couldn't force it jf he wasn't ready back in frozer! Buy that akso meant (even if mari pushed them together too soon) when he dud feel something fkr kagami it was real! His main issue was loosening up to kagami becayse he wasn't used to fully opening up.

But the implication mari's love was this pure amazing love from luka?! Like...I love mari and don't want to invalidate her feelings but her feelings echo a celebrity crush through almost all of the seasons!

And honestly mari is BAD at showing her feelings! Luka was trying yo act like Adrien was dense or didn't understand his own feelings even though mari will strait up run away?! Say the exact opposite of how she feels to adrien VERY eloquently?! Adrien has ASKED her how she feels or even bring up opportunities to be a alone abd nari will DENY it and back out almost everytime!?

Mari os the one who has literally been loved by so many people! Nino had a crush, her parents love her, grandpa abd grandma and uncle loves her. the class admires her, nate had a crush, luka had a crush. Chat had a crush. Tikki adores her openly! Jagged stone is her fan! Zoey has a crush! Abd heck as ladybug chloe felt something! Heck adrien has flirted with civilian mari before as just adrien and always compliments her!

And yet luka acts like ADRIEN is the one who diesnt understand his own feelings when he had vern consistent in loving a version of her he talks with and bonds more often who shows he'd good AND NEGATIVE sides to him abd he still loved her? The only thing standing in the way of adrien acknowkedging a crush on mari was their first poor meeting. The fact her was crushing on a version of her that could be more comfjrtabke around him already and brcayse nari had SAID she wasn't interested in him before!?

Lula hhst acknowledge mari is bad at feelings abd why are you helping adruenette get together when you know exactly the issues that could pop up with identities or lying and how much stress mari is under?

Why does it never occurs to luka to doubt mari's feelings for adrien after finding out she is KB and he is chat?!

I wouldn't have a issue becahse ufs at least consustant with him having a bias toward marinette and bejng too patient and understanding and too go with the flow! But the show tends to treat him as some wise man we should trust cerbatum rather than a kid their age which can be WRONG!

They don't even properly adress his thought process of keeping that he knows the identities from mari/LB all that time! They make it sort of a betrayal but it felt half asked! Like is the issue he listened to how LB didn't want him to know so he didn't want to stress her out by admitting he knew?

Even though he knew for a LONG time and it never became a issue for a long time? Is the issue he could have been honest so they could have dated?

I mean MAYBE it could have stopped the felix issue in hindsite. Or it could echo fu who knew....bht arguably the way they got rid or luka didn't actually connect the issue with his consistent trait of not pushing enough when it comes to himself and what he knows...or how that could parallel aspects with marinette.

Like...is luke ACTUALLY wrong? Or is it just bad luck that his choices didn't work out? Loke they try to put alua in the wrong fkr telling mino but of she didn't she would have been crushed by the bad guys! Were the main issue is mari kept using all the heros anyways and the issue was mari doubting her trust and trying to micromanage instead of actually trusting always judgment which gave felix the chance to snatch everything.

My point is why do people never adress or point out how hos positives can be a weakness under a different light nut also the weirdness in how the show uses luka narratively....like I get him having a long fuse before snapping being a trait but still!

[fangedxnight1836]

Adrien Agreste (Cat Noir) should get adopted by Oliver Queen (Green Arrow)

Ok - Hear me out:

I’ve seen a lot of posts about how Marinette should be adopted by Bruce Wayne and the rest of the Batfamily mainly because of her dark hair and blue eyes, following that same logic, shouldn’t Adrien get to be adopted by the arrow family due to his blonde hair and green eyes?

Also- Ollie would be such a great father figure/mentor to Adrien. He has had experience mentoring younger heroes such as: Roy, Mia and Connor. He knows what it is like to lose your parents, so he can guide the recently orphaned Adrien (unlike Marinette who has 2 supportive parents). Ollie would be super supportive and caring for Adrien, which he needs especially since his father was so distant and uncaring. Adrien hasn’t had like proper support since he became a hero, and didn’t have any guidance unlike Marinette so he could use it. Ollie can teach him how to use a bow and arrow, which I feel would be super cool.

Dinah would also be super supportive and caring to Adrien. He probably sees a lot of similarities appearance wise to his mother. She would like give him therapy and also freely let him talk about his issues or even just vent. She could also improve his fighting skills, both her and Ollie would take him out on patrol and give him a lot of freedom to explore new places when they go on missions.

Roy, Mia, Emiko, Connor, Lian, Sienna and even Cissie would get along with Adrien. Roy would try to act like a big brother to him. Adrien is an only child who only had Félix and Chloe to spend time with, so he would enjoy having and experiencing siblings. Mia and him can go out on patrol together, pulling pranks on the other members. He and Sienna can both ask Dinah to train with them. Adrien could teach Lian how to play the piano. Etc, Etc.

He could also join the Young Justice with Cissie and get exposed to more younger heroes.

Ollie and him would get along to the point where he wears a T-shirt saying “Not the step-father but the father WHO STEPPED UP”

His suit and superhero outfit can be changed due to maybe some changes asked by plagg or Oliver Queen himself. So now he has a staff properly fitting in which there fighting style and theme.

Dinah took him on a birds of prey missions and with the ladies and his personality and beliefs changed. Dinah then started taking him on more missions with her.

[rachelsshowerthoughts]

https://www.tumblr.com/princess-of-the-corner/756384559964258304/ml-roleswap-when-the-divorce-first-happens-mari?source=share

Wait, sorry which roleswap AU is this? I am intrigued.

oh, ok, so like.

Someone on @princess-of-the-corner suggested a "Roleswap" for Marinette and Adrien, but not like. Role in the show, more what I started calling a "RichSwap" - instead of the Agreste's being the Uber rich, it’s the Dupain-Chengs. And I sort of had a brief burst of "wait ideas!" cause why are the Dupain-Chengs rich? Why didn’t Gabriel hit it big in fashion? And what I vaguely came up with is-

Sabine has that world famous chef brother, right? Well, here, he hits it big as a TV chef or something, and he works close with Tom and Sabine as he's getting these chains of restaurants up and running. As a result, Tom and Sabine ALSO hit it big, and in "current canon" have chains of bakeries in Paris and the greater France area as a whole, as well as partnering with bistros, coffee shops and the like. So the Dupain-Chengs are the rich and well-known ones, with Marinette as the heiress to "DC Delights" (company name). However, this doesn’t actually change much about the Dupain-Chengs themselves. Tom and Sabine are still warm, compassionate, kind people who love their daughter, and are very supportive of her desire to be a fashion designer. Meanwhile, Marinette is mostly the same, but growing up in privilege has made her a bit . . . naive? Like, she's AWARE she grew up super rich, and that not everyone has the money she does, but sometimes that sort of privilege effects her views, or those of others in unexpected ways (there has definitely been a moment where Marinette said something like "Why don’t you just buy a new one?", or similar, not MEANING to sound condescending or privileged, just kind of . . . oblivious on occasion).

Also, because the Dupain-Chengs are the ones with wealth, they're the ones who are friends with the Bourgeois family, with Marinette and Chloé growing up as childhood friends. All that said, I honestly couldn’t see Tom and Sabine being cool with how Audrey and Andre treat Chloé - plus, I've read too much fic recently of Awful!André, and I'm kind of sick of it - so I decided this was "Decent!Dad" André (the one we kind of had before TA decided Chloé was the devil incarnate) who has actually divorced Audrey, and has taken primary custody of Chloé. Tom and Sabine were André's supports through the divorce process, and André himself is aware he isn’t the best dad. Instead of how we put him in the AwareAU, he's closer to how we wrote Roger, before he gets his kick in the ass. A bit toxic, kind of self-involved, but genuinely loves his kid. So, here, André has gone to therapy, and done his best to ACTUALLY be a good dad to Chloé. He doesn’t always get it right, and he fucks up on occasion, but he at least ACKNOWLEDGES these fuck ups, and does his best to fix them. Also, he doesn’t try to buy his daughter's affection.

Meanwhile, Audrey took the divorce REALLY BADLY. Not because she actually gave a shit about Chloé or André, but because she saw the divorce and André taking Chloé as a personal attack. André getting Chloé was, to Audrey, as if he'd stolen a prize that was rightfully hers. So, Audrey is actually a bit more involved in Chloé's life, cause she keeps turning up to try and "win her" from André. That's how she's using her visitation rights. She keeps showing up to try and "win" Chloé's affection, and turn her against André. This isn’t exactly consistent (Audrey still has her Style Queen job and other things to do) but at least two or three times every six months or so, sometimes more, she shows up to harass André and try to "win" Chloé back.

Chloé herself is a bit . . . mixed. She and Marinette were, like, 6 when André and Audrey divorced, and I'm not sure how well the parents explained to the kids what was happening. It probably also didn’t help that Marinette, aspiring fashion designer, idolized Audrey a bit as a fashion icon. Now, closer to current canon, Marinette has started to realize Audrey kind of sucks, while Chloé is more torn. Like, she's aware Audrey is rather . . . rough, with most people, but here, while still driving Chloé to be Exceptional(tm), she's actually been more affectionate, and somewhat (for Audrey) loving, cause she wants to "win" Chloé from André. Chloé, of course, isn’t aware that's why Audrey is doing it, so believes her mom is just a bit blunt with others, and also believes she can win enough affection that her mom might stay in Paris.

(Sidenote, I desperately wanted Roger to also be better here, and somehow that dovetailed into him and André meeting in therapy, eventually dating and getting married, so Sabrina and Chloé are step-sisters. I don’t care if that makes sense, I'm kind of attached now.)

So, that's roughly the Dupain-Cheng's, with a side of the Bourgeois. Now, onto the Agreste's.

Gabriel and Emilie Agreste, rather than being big names in fashion and the entertainment industry, instead own a small but highly successful clothing boutique, Gabriel's, making and selling clothes. Emilie's done modelling, and acted in some commercials and smaller projects, but never anything big name, while Gabriel has designed for some very wealthy clients, but never broken out into big business. Why? Well, I thought about how, in canon, Audrey "discovers" Gabriel, right? Same here, but Audrey was Audrey, and Gabriel told her to "shove her 'patronage' up her ass", so Audrey has done her level best to kill his career, with middling success. He does have his own business, but has never risen higher, and thanks to Audrey, likely never will.

As for Adrien himself, he's still mostly homeschooled. He grows up in his parents clothing store, is taught to sew, and even helps out during rush times. His "model smile" is here his customer service face, and while he's modelled a few of his father's items for the boutique's website, it isn’t his job or the only thing he does. Here, because his parents aren’t made of money, his homeschooling isn't with private tutors, but done through local homeschooling groups and the like, so Adrien does actually have friends (like Luka, for example. It’s pretty accepted fanon that Luka was homeschooled because of his "Heartsong" ability making going to regular school difficult, so here, I imagine he and Adrien are friends). He goes out and explores, is probably still in the fencing club and so on. However, his parents are still over-protective, and Adrien often feels stifled, wanting to go out more on his own, so he DOES still want to go to regular school. By current canon, after a lot of pushing, his parents have reluctantly agreed. Mostly cause the Hawk Moth stuff is about to go down, and it'll be easier to hide that from Adrien if he's out of the house more.

Yes, Gabe is still Hawk Moth. But no, Emilie is not is a coma. Let me explain.

Here, rather than all the nonsense from canon, Gabriel found the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculous in an antique store, and bought them for inspiration. Maybe also the book, but less important right now. He and Emilie, upon learning what the Miraculous are, do start using them, PURELY to inspire designs, or complete work (maybe they did one or two rooftop runs, but shhhhh!). Cause, and here's the big thing, here, Adrien is NOT a Sentimonster. He's Emilie and Gabriel's biological kid. Whether they went through the absolute pain of IVF, or maybe Nathalie carried him for them - oh yeah, Nathalie's still here. She works as the Boutique's manager, handles calls, mans the cash, helps out around the store. Also, she, Emilie, and Gabe are in a relationship, Adrien's grown up calling her "Aunite Nat" or "Maman Dua" (Mom 2) - anyway, regardless, Adrien is actually their kid, so they had no reason to make a Senti-baby. However, the Peacock was still broken, and Emilie still used it, resulting in her becoming sick.

Now, she isn’t in a coma, or in any immediate, serious danger. Think a little closer to how Nathalie is in canon, after she uses the Peacock. Emilie is a bit like that, but she is, currently, ok. However, she is getting sick. It is totally possible that, without magical intervention, she could get sicker, and eventually fall into the canon coma. Gabe and Nathalie are getting a little desperate, so yes, Gabe is planning his Hawk Moth debut. And again, since they aren’t made of money here, he doesn’t exactly have a "secret lair" to hide in, so if the Agreste’s want to pull this off, unless they want to tell Adrien, they need him out of the house more.

I think the big thing here is, with a few NOTABLE exceptions, this AU has most of the more neglectful and/or parents as more decent, down to earth, more willing to notice their own faults. Like, André and Roger have both gone to therapy. They aren’t perfect, but they are SO MUCH BETTER than canon. Or the most extreme example, yes Gabriel is still going Hawk Moth. But, because Emilie isn’t in a coma, he hasn’t totally fallen off the deep end. He's a bit more reasonable, easier to negotiate with. Also, Because Emilie's illness isn’t as extreme, the Akuma thing is two-fold. Gabe is gunning for the Ladybug and Black Cat, but if he can’t get them, he hopes that by experimenting with the Akuma, he can create one that will heal Emilie.

The only other big change I can see here is that Kagami also isn’t a Sentimonster. Like, I think you can still have Felix be a Senti - Amelie is Emilie's sister, she might have lent her sister the Peacock for the Canon fertility problems. Heck, maybe that's how they find out it's broken, when Colt starts getting sick (I mean, he also seems to be nuts, and starts abusing his kid, but that’s a separate issue). But because Gabe isn’t a big name, he and Tomoe never interact, so Kagami wouldn’t be a Sentimonster. I think, in the line of making most of the parents more reasonable, actually empathetic beings, I'd have Kagami be illegitimate. Like, Tomoe is mostly upright, firm in her honour, her duty to her family. But she had a one-night stand at some point, which resulted in Kagami, and it’s a HUGE DEAL in the Tsurugi clan that Tomoe had a kid out of wedlock, to a random nobody. Like, other members of her family look down on her, and on Kagami, for it. (Not sure how much Japan cultural knowledge you have, or even how accurate this is, but as far as I can tell, legitimacy and fidelity are BIG THINGS in Japan, as is bloodline, so Tomoe having an out-of-wedlock kid, and not even being able to name the dad would be a BIG DEAL, and probably seen as bringing shame to the family). So, Tomoe is very strict, and drives Kagami hard, not to be malicious, but because she knows that her family will always see Kagami as "less", and so pushes her to overcome their prejudice. Whether Kagami is aware of the reason, unsure, but Tomoe would have to learn that she's probably taking it a bit too far.

Some small shit that didn’t seem to fit elsewhere:

So, I think this is Reverse!LoveSquare. Marinette is crushing on Cat Noir. Adrien is crushing on Marinette. Marinette was really taken with the smooth talking cat who built up her confidence, while Adrien quickly falls in love with the designer girl - he's grown up around designers, he knows talent when he sees it, plus she's so sweet, so kind . . .

I think, first day, there's a bit of drama, in that Chloé actually knows who Adrien is. Her mom probably told her about him, in a "if you ever meet this kid, oppose him, his whole family in Unexceptional (tm)" so there might be a bit of tension there. And cause everything else is mostly the same, Alya is also starting school that day, so she befriends Adrien instead of Marinette. Also Nino, cause like. Come on. The Nino-Adrien friendship is pretty universal here.

I think I made the Gorilla the Agreste's next door neighbour? Like, he doesn’t talk much, and clearly has some Trauma (tm) (I posit here, rather than bodyguard, he was in the army for a bit, which was Not Fun(tm)) he's polite. He helps out around the store once in a while, and has volunteered to drive Adrien places.

Don't have much else, so . . . tell me what you think, or if you have any ideas!

[blueberrypancakesworld]

What if ? - Adrien becoming a big brother

warning : angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, no use of Y/n

Gabriel Agreste x fem!reader

Info : So I needed to wrote another idea of @iamallthingsasian of what could have been when Betterfly's wife (adriens stepmother) got pregnant. Have fun reading this little thing ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

°What could be?

°It could have been that in one of the many parallel universes Adrien was not an only child. That his father, who found hope and love in Hesperia or Betterfly, and his two former enemies Shadybug and Clawnoir, the latter being his own son Adrien, found hope and became good.

°They all saw hope and love in a new future Adrien with his Marinette finally came together and his father eventually found love. A stroke of fate that the blonde could not immediately cope with. He fled to his girlfriend and the two together in drawings, music and concerts tried to process the fear that they felt.

°But after Adrien realized how happy his father was with his new girlfriend. How kind she was to Gabriel, Nathalie, Marinette and himself, his resentment against her had slowly subsided and together they were all the good that now fought against evil.

°A team that one year later had a message to announce. Adrien would have a half-sister and become a big brother. Is it true?" murmured the blond, looking at the ultrasound image as they sat together at the table. Gabriel nodded and Y/n put a hand on her belly.

°Yet you couldn't see anything, but in a few months you would start to see something. They both feared that Adrien would get angry or even run away. The reaction was understandable. To their surprise and relief, the blond stood up and hugged his parents. He had finally taken his stepmother more than just into his heart.

°The family would grow before a little girl was born months later. ,,Adrien your little sister Emelie" said Gabriel and stepped aside. He put a hand on his son's shoulder before Adrien saw his sister in his stepmother's arms. The little baby looked at him curiously and gurgled before taking a finger from him.

°,,Emelie...like mother" he said and his voice became brittle Marinette took his hand and Gabrielle put a hand on his shoulder and stroked his head. The family seemed to have finally found peace...at least in this universe.

°But they wanted to share the happiness with Ladybug and Catnoir from the other universe. They traveled there with the help of Alyas and had a meeting. Ladybug was completely enraptured by little Emelie and Gabriel held his wife supportively while Adrien held the baby. ,,Emelie...she's so cute...you're lucky" the only child murmured and his friend held his hand. Before he gave the baby back to its mother and she rocked it slightly.

°They all knew about the pain, the mistreatment of his father and fine Hawkmoth. They knew that Adrien was suffering until Hesperia had an idea. ,,How about we visit more often and train together and you could see Emelie" he suggested and saw the blond's look turn from disbelief to gratitude.

°He fell into his "father's" arms and stroked the baby's head one last time, knowing that in this pain he was feeling there was also hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[wizardingworldlibrary]

Protective!Fred Masterlist

All I want for Christmas is you (to not be a Horcrux) (ao3) - Bookloverstar, Yulefest Hermione/Fred, Theodore/Harry, Adrien/George M, 42k

Summary: The war was won but the victors still lost. Grieving the loss of Fred, Hermione decides to go back for a special 8th year to finish what she had started and to hopefully start new where there was still so much left unsaid. George Weasley had made the surprise move to join her, to stay closer to his lost twin. However, magic is fickle and just because someone is lost, doesn’t mean they stay that way.

A Tissueful of Love (ao3) - MarinaJune Hermione/Fred M, 1k

Summary: Hermione's sick at home at the start of the holidays and Fred knows just how to make her feel better.

Behind Closed Doors (ao3) - Lilly_713 Draco/Fred T, 2k

Summary: It was a dream. A goal Draco would never truly achieve- a reason to get up everyday and put on his signature Malfoy Mask.

It was also a secret, one kept hidden away behind the locked door of his heart.

Well, it was supposed to be- Until Fred and George Weasley stumbled upon it.

By Your Bedside (ao3) - Bookloverstar Hermione/Fred M, 4k

Summary: All the times Fred and Hermione have been by each other’s bed sides and the one time they were happy about it.

Eiris, Rainbows and Tradition (ao3) - Beccax95 Hermione/Fred E, 10k

Summary: Throughout his lifetime John Granger presented his wife with many flowers, all of them irises. Hermione Granger could only hope to find someone who loved her as much as her grandfather loved her grandmother. This is a story of finding friendship and love while creating a legacy built on tradition.

Feed You on Love (ao3) - StarsAndDiamond Lavender/Fred M, 14k

Summary: Lavender takes on Madam Puddifoot's Tea Room with the romantic notion of self-employment, but weeks after a successful opening the Tea Room is failing with no customers to be seen. When Fred Weasley stumbles in for a spot of lunch one day, he becomes determined to support Lavender and her business.

Fred's Favourite Autumn (ao3) - Beccax95 Hermione/Fred T, 200

Summary: Fred doesn't mind the warm days and chilly nights that Autumn brings.

Innocent Crushes (ao3) - Beccax95 Hermione/Fred T, 623

Summary: Fred, never liked to see people crying. When Ron makes Hermione cry, he can't help but get involved, becoming Hermione's hero in the process.

Missing Piece (ao3) - InkedRaven (DaftDuelest) G, 851

Summary: By request. A short one-shot about how Fred handles George losing his ear. Warning! It is incredibly cute!

Piece of You (ao3) - The_Fourth_Queen Draco/Fred M, 2k

Summary: The red dress caught Fred's eye, sparkling the advertisement of wicked services. It’s been years since he’d even thought of Malfoy. And now, he couldn’t stop looking at those eyes, silver and sharp as they judged Fred.

Ron has a boyfriend (ao3) - RamenNoodlezzz Ron/bBlaise G, 3k

Summary: This is how each one of the Weasley siblings found out about Ron and Blaise's relationship

Something to protect (ao3) - Bookloverstar Hermione/Fred T, 803

Summary: Fred Weasley has always been the more reckless twin….more reckless in general. That’s mainly why he got along so well with Harry Potter and how he strengthened the bond between his youngest brother and him. Hermione Granger on the other hand would be the one who used words like ‘Caution’ and ‘Safety’ and ‘Fred don’t blow up fireworks in the dorms again.’

She was funny like that.

Taking Charge (ao3) - The_Fourth_Queen E, 5k

Summary: "I think Uncle Bilius is having a nightmare,” Fred blurted out nervously, “He's grunting and making these weird sounds, and he's holding Georgie really tightly and Georgie isn't waking up!"

Percy didn't know what to do. He wanted to cry. But he couldn’t. He was almost twelve years old and he's in charge of his siblings tonight. He shouldn’t be crying!

We have a Lifetime (ao3) - StarsAndDiamondShorts (StarsAndDiamond) Millicent/Fred T, 5k

Summary: Millicent discovers her soulmate in her second year but having a soulmate just wasn't as easy as everyone believed, but what does it matter? They have time.

Worth the Wait (ao3) - dedecameron Hermione/Fred M, 13k

Summary: "She was Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age, but when it came to matters of the heart, she felt utterly clueless. She wanted to communicate her feelings, her desires, but every time she tried, words failed her."

Hermione and Fred's relationship told in little snippets. They want to make it past first base, but... that's a bit hard for them to do.

[imthepunchlord]

Need Some Help with Miraculous Rewrite

Ok, so, spoilers for the future Miraculous rewrite, though probably not that surprising giving my preference and what I've talked about before. And I don't think it's going to spoil that much of the rewrite, so I think it's going to be ok for me to roll out this post and get some help.

Thinking on the Miraculous Rewrite, working on the timeline and future ideas, one thing I am torn on is on the secondary lead.

Probably unsurprisingly, it's going to be kwami swaps. There will be a few canon matches that do happen, either as they work or narrative wise need to stay, but a majority will be Miraculous with different people.

Marinette for sure will have the Cat. Partly because her and Plagg are going to be so fun to write, and it's one of my favorite kwami swaps for her; but mostly I do think it's going to offer her the most growth and it's going to be different to explore the different guidance Plagg can offer Marinette and how they work off each other. Even more so as, Plagg is THE foil to Marinette in terms of who he is, and both can play a part in how either grow.

Now the issue I've been struggling with is who is the Ladybug going to go to.

For this, working off Emilie and Amelie, Felix and Adrien are twin brothers, with Felix being older of the two, and is going to primarily work off his PV self (and how I perceived him). Adrien in turn will primarily work off his s1 characterization (that want for friends and being a little more sociable, a willingness to openly rebel and resist against his father, and being torn between what's right vs what he wants). Also neither of them (or Kagami) are sentimonsters. There are no feather babies here.

Now, my struggle is which Agreste should get the Ladybug, as both have their own pros and cons.

Felix would work off his old PV set up, from reluctant to be a hero to coming to embrace the role. And you got someone who's skeptical and pessimistic paired with a kwami who is optimistic and bubbly. Which can set up Tikki to be Felix's primary foil, and both can grow in how they work off each other. Potential cons, it would be a more clashing pair, which can have some comedic potential, but I can also see a lot of tension. And hero partnership wise, it won't be an immediate, easy click. It will become a solid partnership and an effective team, it's just going to have a rougher start with Felix's reluctance to be there, and Marinette will pick up on that quiet frustration even if he hides it. I also will say, I am going to explore that bad luck curse concept, only it's from Tikki forcing a spiteful Felix to get out there. So this is going to be a tenser start with a more flawed lead.

Adrien I would work off what I thought his initial arc and set up was going to be, with Adrien starting out treating the Miraculous for freedom and fun, but gradually getting more serious as a hero. In contrast to Felix, it'd be a more pleasant start over all, Adrien easily clicks with his partner and they become fast friends and work off each other well, and he clicks with Tikki quickly and easily. Even more so as Tikki fills the void his mom left, being affectionate and supportive of Adrien, though she does push for his growth and change in character (take initiative to help others, be more considerate, stand up to his father and have an actual conversation with him). The cons are more of a reverse of Felix, where despite the pleasant start, I would explore a sour path later, working off the fact that Adrien struggles with pressure and exclusion and has a tendency to quit. And Tikki will be another who adds pressure and expectation to his life. It will be an exploration of how much does Adrien genuinely want to be a hero, and at this time, I cannot promise that he would stay as one. That end is up in the air.

If it helps in the choice making, both are planned to get a Miraculous either way, it's just one will be a more major lead character and will get a Miraculous sooner. The other has to wait for "S2" at the earliest. To add to it, there is a potential plot bunny I have of the other twin discovering their brother is the hero, and the shenanigans of that discovery which will lead to their future Miraculous involvement. And depending on who's the civilian, that can have some polarizing responses (Adrien would be over the moon while Felix instead would be stressing about it), so this can be a factor to consider too.

I also need to stress, Adrienette will not be endgame in this Miraculous Rewrite. There may be initial crushes, but that's it. They will just be good friends. Picking Adrien thinking Adrienette will happen will not happen. This is more about the characters and how they will grow and work off each other than the ships. At this time, I'd say romance would just really take a back seat, I want it to be more friendship focused initially.

As I see the potential in both options as leads, working off Tikki, and as a potential partner for Marinette, and it needs to be decided before I can take things further, it'd be a big help to get others opinion/preference on the other major lead to follow.

[silvyysthings]

Congratulations to Adrien Brody. I know you posted previously you love him too. His work in The Brutalist was a masterclass in acting so am incredibly happy for him and his director. This award season has been like watching the Hunger games and he has handled it all with class. Kieren winning for best supporting was incredible as I still remember him from Home Alone when he was super young wearing those huge glasses costarring with his big brother Macaulay Culkin. I have seen most of the movies except a few. Still have not seen Wicked or Conclave but look forward to. Which movies have you seen or look forward to watching? I hope one day they get around to making Evelyn Hugo as the book was incredible.

I remember little Kieran in Home Alone with his brother 🤩 he is absolutely fantastic in Succession. I saw Conclave, The brutalist, Anora , ACU, Wicked and Dune 2 oc. Adrien is really a masterclass and an actor not HW style and him visiting Pasadena dogs , he was really adorable.

bonus

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Do you remember the times before Felix appeared in the series as a cousin and the fandom turned Felix into Adrien's twin brother? Those were the times…

And remember how "Blanc Cat" had blonde hair but red/purple eyes? To be honest, I prefer the fandom version (And it was created long before the show appeared)

I don't know, it's just that the series was the best back then and so was the fandom, but then it started to deteriorate… And yes, by Thomas Astruc

I love coming back to "Ladybug PV" and fan animations, but to the series… I just don't…

Not so much that I grew out of it, but because all the magic of this series simply evaporated…

Now that I have your attention:

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

Eh… It's just my feelings towards this series… Only SVTFOE was worse…

But yes, remember about the collections at the top!

[msweebyness]

Sasha’s Cuteness Proximity Powers

What happens when you introduce the teens of Miraculous to a ridiculously adorable little girl? Moments like this! Featuring the Akuma & Theater Classes! @imsparky2002 @artzychic27

———

(Marinette’s Room)

(Sasha is getting fitted for the Polymouse hoodie Marinette is making for her)

Sasha: Marinette, look at me! I’m a fashion model!

(Mari looks over and sees Sasha wearing a big floppy hat that keeps falling over her eyes)

Marinette: (Immediately whips out her phone and takes pictures as she’s trying not to squeal from cuteness)

———

(On the Liberty)

Sasha: (Holding Juleka’s bass as she strums a few off-key notes) I’m doing it!

Luka/Rose/Juleka: *Trying not to cry tears of sheer euphoria*

Juleka: That’s perfect, Sasha. Let me just grab my phone.

———

(At the Pool)

(Junior swimming lessons are taking place, and Sasha is among the kids)

Kim: (On the phone) Omigosh…her little ducky floaties…she’s too precious, Dine, I can’t!

———

(Outside the School)

(Sasha darts up to Nathaniel)

Sasha: Hi, Mr. Nath! I drew this for you!

(She hands him a messy drawing of Mightillustrator fighting an akuma)

Nathaniel: (Definitely not crying)….I will treasure this for the rest of my days.

———

(School Gymnasium)

(The Akuma class is supporting Adrien and Kagami at a fencing competition. Ivan is babysitting Sasha so she came along.

(Sasha has a little toy magic wand that she uses to clumsily imitate the fencers’ movements)

Adrien: …Kagamiiii…

Kagami: I know. I have just met this child, but I would lay down my life for her.

———

(Ms. Bustier’s Classroom)

Sasha: You look pretty. (Runs off to join her brother)

Chloe: ….Th-thank you. (Also definitely not crying)

———

(Back-To-School Night)

(*Evie babysits Sasha from time to time when Ivan is busy)

Sasha: EVIE! (She runs over to hug her)

Evie: *Thoughts* I am blessed on this day.

———

(Sutcliffe Regional Animal Shelter)

Sasha: (Bringing a tray of food to some of the shelter dogs) Hi Puppies! I’m gonna feed you now!

Brecken: Ohmagod…so pure…(Crying into his hands)

———

(Place Des Vosges)

Sasha: You talk really pretty, I like you!

Anthony: ….*Thoughts* So this is why people embrace the light…

———

The power of the precious child! Leave your thoughts in the comments and reblogs!

[uptoolateart]

What We're Made Of - Chapter 30

PREVIEW:

This time when Adrien sat in the courtroom, he felt sick for a new reason. His part in the trial was finished. All relevant witnesses had given their testimony. Arthur Boucher himself had been examined and cross-examined, to assess his state of mind.

Now there was nothing left to do but await the verdict.

He fussed with his suit, smoothing it out for maybe the fifteenth time since he’d taken his seat in the front row of the audience. The bar behind him, dividing him from the public, wasn’t enough. The tension in the room was suffocating, making him loosen his tie a little.

Beside him, Alya took one of his hands, squeezing it hard.

He forced a small half-smile, though her support did nothing to calm his thundering heart. Even without having Hugo’s abilities, Adrien could smell the anticipation hanging in the air – which did nothing to quell the sickness churning in his stomach.

This wasn’t just some trial. Whatever the outcome, it would set the precedent for how all non-organics were treated, now and in the future. Not just Felix’s soldiers, but Felix himself. Adrien. His children. His children’s children….

At the prosecution bench, his brother looked even worse. From his posture, he seemed to be sitting on his hands, maybe resisting the urge to drop his head into them. Dressed in mourning black, he was staring at a spot on the floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone – even his lawyer, who was scribbling on a notepad beside him.

A lump was forming in Adrien’s throat, and he swallowed it down, letting his gaze travel to the other wall – to Arthur’s glass cage. He might have been the only person in the room who didn’t want this to end. As long as they remained in this painful limbo, there was a chance he might go free.

Adrien shuddered. If the verdict was acquittal, he might be the one in a kind of prison – like when he was a child.

If Arthur went free, all the other Arthurs of the world would creep out of their dark corners.

Hugo and the twins would never be safe.

God, please don’t let him go free.

Read at Ao3

[starwarsmum]

Day 21 is Marionette! And it's back to Birds Make the Best Friends

Part 1 Part 2

@maribatserver

“Where's Marinette today?” Asked Jason, eyebrow raising when Tim pouted. “Pixie had other plans I take it?”

“Tt, she is hanging out with her best friend,” Damian said, finishing setting up a target and inspecting his throwing knives. 

“I'm her best friend!” Tim argued, pouting harder when Damian snorted. “Seriously, Adrien's more like her brother and I'm well versed on how annoying those get. I just had an idea for one of her new gadgets and wanted to discuss it. But I can't and that sucks.” 

“Why don't you go hang out with Kon, that usually cheers you up,” Jason suggested, shrugging when Tim pouted again. “Whatever, I'm going out to try and beat up some thugs to get info on a drug shipment. Spawn, you in?”

_ _ _ 

“Multinette, mousy, I'm not sure this is your best idea,” Adrien said, glancing at the boisterous crowd that had formed. Marinette scoffed and rolled her eyes, not bothering to look at him as she glared at everyone. “Seriously, we can slip away and we can ask Bella to come and deal with all of this. You know she would.” 

“Yeah, but then we'd be hiding. It's taken a while to get to this point and if we want to beat the allegations we have to face them without fear. I'm not hiding, and neither should you, chaton.” 

Adrien took a deep breath and nodded, stepping out into the open with her flanking him like a bodyguard. As soon as he was out of the doorway reporters swarmed, all shouting over each other in an attempt to be heard. He was sad and a little relieved that Alya wasn't in the mess of people. It would have been nice to have a friendly face but he knew she would have had to ask hard questions.

Even with Marinette supporting him the questioning hit hard. But she was steady and unwavering, batting back questions she felt crossed the line with cold, ruthless efficiency. And he knew from the calculative stare she gave those reporters that she would be remembering their names. 

After fifteen minutes of it, she insisted that they would be answering only one more and she motioned for him to choose someone. He spied a quiet looking one who looked polite and unassuming and pointed at them. 

“Oh, um, I didn't…” the person, a man in glasses with an American accent, flipped his notes and promptly dropped the notebook. He smiled bashfully as the young cameraman standing next to him sighed like he was used to it. “Right, I guess the question I have is related to your family business. Is it true that your friend there is taking it over secretly, using you as a- a puppet, or a figurehead?” 

Everything went slightly out of focus for Adrien for a minute, memories of being ordered around by his ‘father’ overwhelming him. Gabriel, the monster that he was, had admitted publicly during his trial that Adrien wasn't fully human. That he could be controlled by his amok because his ‘parents’ had so desperately wanted a child that they had willed him into being. And then controlled him, made him a literal puppet for so much of his life that he still sometimes questioned exactly who he was. 

When he was able to focus again, Marinette was already standing in front of him and probably glaring at the man. She had been taking lessons from her American friend’s little brother, he was certain, because when she spoke it was cold but proper. 

“First of all, Monsieur Kent, Adrien is nobody's puppet. He is a victim of what Gabriel put him through and graciously agreed to answer your asinine and, frankly, invasive questions. Secondly, your tactless and insensitive wording has been noted and is unappreciated.

“Thirdly,” she continued, even as the man tried to respond, her shoulders tensing as if she might physically put the man in his place too. “I have no desire to take over the company of a known terrorist. Adrien has chosen to use the funds from Gabriel to support the other victims of Hawkmoth with therapy and other charity events. We are finished with these questions, thank you.”

Adrien smiled weakly as Marinette pulled him away from the renewed vigour of the crowd. Her last statement had been planned anyway, though he had hoped for it to be a happy announcement and not a defensive one. Once they were out of sight he slumped against her, trusting her not to let him fall.

“I'm so sorry chaton,” she whispered, stroking his hair and mentally marking that reporter as her new nemesis. The questions about whether Adrien had worked with Hawkmoth had been expected, and the polite, respectful reporters had been answered in the same manner. But that last one had stepped on the proverbial landmine with his question. 

“It's not your fault Mouse,” he said, leaning into her petting like a house cat. 

“You're so silly,” she giggled when he started purring. “Ready to meet my friends at last? The Waynes are really nice and I think you'll get on with Dick - same punny humour.” 

_ _ _

Because Adrien's identity as Chat Noir was still one of the best kept secrets team Miraculous had, they had to travel as civilians to Gotham. It wasn't awful considering he had been staying with Chloé in New York for the past month but it left Marinette with a lot of bored energy that left her bouncing and fidgeting in her seat. Fortunately she had her sketchbook and spent a lot of the time designing a new hoodie for herself, this one after her favourite black cat. 

Arriving at the manor was a relief, even with Adrien shooting furtive looks at the grand entrance. She grimaced as she thought about the Agreste mansion that Adrien had been raised in and gripped his hand tightly to reassure him. 

“They're nothing like Gabriel, I promise. And the kids really will love you, just like I do, okay?” She murmured, opening the front door when he gave a jerky nod. She shouted as she closed the door behind her, “I'm back!”

Instantly people hollered back to her and the sounds of thundering feet followed moments after. Marinette laughed as Jason bowled her over with a bear hug, making her drop Adrien's hand in the process. She caught the semi-alarmed look on Adrien's face, most likely tempered by her giggles. 

“Jay, let go so you can meet my other bestie,” she whined, slapping him lightly to make him drop her. When she was back on her feet she pulled Adrien further into the manor. “Where's Timmy? He should be one of the first to get to know him.” 

“Oh, he went to visit a friend in Metropolis,” Jay replied casually. Too casually. That meant he was hanging with his other bestie, Superboy. “But that just means he gets to miss out on all the stories Adrien here is gonna tell us about teen Mari.” 

“Oh, I have so many stories,” Adrien said with a smirk. Marinette shot him a halfhearted glare but mostly just felt relief that he was relaxing at last. 

“Be warned, I have just as many,” she threatened, laughing when Adrien pouted. “Come on, if Tim isn't here then the next person to meet is Dick. If he's around?” 

He wasn't, but they came across Damian and Bruce after a short while. Damian scowled at Adrien but nodded curtly at Marinette, which was usual for him. Bruce plastered a jovial smile on his face and she had to bite back the giggles that tried to escape. 

“Hi B, Damian, this is my pseudo-brother, Adrien,” she said, poking him to encourage him to step forward. “He's sad from the press conference earlier so we came here to cheer him up. I was hoping to introduce him to Tim but…”

“Tt, he will likely be back for dinner,” Damian sniffed, eyeing Adrien suspiciously. “You are the Agre-”

“Stopping you right there short stuff, that name crosses your lips and I'm going to be the stabby one today,” Marinette said, eyes narrowing as Damian huffed. “Adrien is like Beyoncé, no last name.”

“Don't be absurd, she has a surname,” Damian shot back, but he stopped glaring quite as hard. 

“Yeah? Well Adrien doesn't currently. He refused to choose, though I think Lahiffe is the current forerunner.” 

“I just don't want to choose between all of my best friends,” Adrien whined, draping himself back over her dramatically. “And I was definitely waiting until after the conference today because I didn't want any of you to be scrutinised any harder.” 

“Hmph, we would all have been fine, Adri,” she assured him. “But it's all over with now, so you should start thinking about it. You could always just take Félix's last name, nobody would be surprised by that.” 

“But we look so similar that whenever anyone refers to us by our surnames it'll be confusing,” Adrien argued. It was a comfortable argument that they had been batting back and forth for months so they were both smiling. “Anyway, now isn't the time or place. It's nice to meet you all.” 

Marinette felt like something had just settled into place and she was glad she had pushed Adrien to come and meet her other friends. She also hoped he would open up to the Waynes because eventually she wanted him to be able to share his identity so they could let him in too.

Part 4