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blue-i-spaniard · 7 months

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ML Plot points: Marinette and the "Ladybug" Replacement

This is gonna be a long one. Not only that, it also needs context.

Season 2 has Marinette grow increasingly more stressed out about everything. Chat's martyr tendencies and lack of self care mean that her role becomes even more important since she has to do it solo half the time (though that one does get kinda fixed halfway through S2, not that it helps her feel better). Constantly watching civilians get brainwashed/desintegrated/transformed gives her nightmares. But through it all, she has her friends and family to hold on to, so it's manageable.

Season 3 wrecks that. Her parents know something is up, but not what. Her dad gets convinced that she's in some kind of abusive relationship and gets akumatised over it. Lila is messing with hangouts to purposefully separate Marinette from the class by making her not know about their things and them not know about hers. Her constantly lying to them (even if for a good reason) doesn't help. Fu, the one person who she can be completely honest with, basically goes "Wow, kid. That sucks. Have you tried not being upset?". It gets to the point where she's attracting akuma butterflies on a daily basis. Everyone can tell she's not doing great, but while they try, staying with her just makes her feel worse because she can't go save the day.

Then, the Ladybug episode happens, with Lila doing her thing and the scarlet akumas showing up. After that, she sees Adrien doing a photoshoot with Lila and feels betrayed. After THAT, she confronts Alya and gets shut down. Lila's stories aren't as ridiculous as she's making them out to be when compared to the rest of the class. Ladybug herself allowed the interview with Lila to stay up for months and said nothing. On top of that, Marinette isn't that clean either. Alya has been checking up on her stories and knows that they're lies. Alya wants to help Marinette, but she's not sure she can trust her.

This is the last straw. Marinette finally breaks and gives the earrings back to Fu. She's clearly not fit to handle this. She almost got akumatised and it's only a matter of time before she loses it completely. Fu, who trusted her and saw her like a granddaughter, feels betrayed himself and basically tells her to get out.

Adrien gets back from a harrowing day. First, there was the Lila messing with Marinette, then the scarlet akumas, and finally, having to make aa deal with Lila. And now Fu is apparently calling for him and telling him that Ladybug quit.

Fu tells him to pick a new ladybug holder. While he's not happy with CN knowing the ladybug's identity, the alternative of having a complete nw¡ewe who they cannot trust is worse.

Thus begins the chronologically longest multiple parter, lasting a little under a month. Chat Noir wants to pick someone who he trusts and who he thinks will do a good job:

-Obviously his first pick is Marinette, the "Everyday Ladybug". Not only does she have the right attitude, she's also creative and has used a miraculous before (MUltimouse). Plagg shoots her down immediately. "No she can't. She has too many responsibilities already..."

-The first new ladybug holder is Marinette's boyfriend, Luka Kagami. She's very headstrong and while she has trouble with the ladybug powers (being more used to the straightforward powers of the dragon), she makes up for it with fighting skill and dedication. Unfortunately for her, Hawkmoth realised that the "wear them down" strategy worked and has started releasing three to four akumas a day instead of one to two. Usually by doing shifts with Viceroy. Kagami is good, but between her mother, fencing and classes she just can't keep up. She arrives late to Akumas because she has more trouble getting away, her mother is a lot more on her back about it and she starts falling asleep in class. She's also not as experienced with miraculi which means every akuma attack takes a lot out of her. After her third post-victory collapse, two weeks after she started, Chat Noir just takes the earrings away for her own good.

-Adrien's next choice is Luka, the one who, unlike him, is actually good at planning and working with people Chloe. She's probably the best of the Ladybug replacements. Smart enough to use the Lucky Charm effectively and a skilled enough fighter to finish the akumas quickly. She also doesn't have the same problems snaking out as Kagami. Her problem is Chat Noir. Chat, thanks to having to deal with Lila during modeling shoots and babysit the new ladybug, is a lot more bitter. With Fu obviously resenting Ladybug for leaving, it isn't long before he starts talking shit about Ladybug. Chloe, on her part, has known that Marinette is Ladybug since the first time she used the Bee miraculous. She didn't forget the "toy" during Princess Fragance. She's also spent the last month watching Marinette slowly break down to the point that it was either give up the earrings or get akumatised and lose immediately. She's having none of that shit. They argue, Chloe gets vicious on Chat, Chat throws the crap she does as a civilian and her mommy issues to her face and it escalates until Chloe attacks him. The fight was short and brutal, with Chat Noir the clear victor. Chloe is good, but not "OG holder" good.

-The next pick is the most reliable guy Adrien knows: Luka. He's the one who actually succeeded with the miraculous Ladybug gave him after all. Nino. He's chill and a good friend. He lacks Kagami's stressful life and Chloe's aggression. He'll do fine, right? Nino lasts three days. He's... not terrible... with the earrings. The biggest problem is that him and Tikki just cannot get along. Tikki tries to make him repress his feelings and Nino absolutely refuses to sacrifice his mental health in that way. If Chat needs help, he can count on Carapace, but this isn't working.

-After Nino comes the only real answer at this point, Luka. He's also better at handling social situations and friendships than him. He's even helping Marinette get better. Adrien just told her to take the high road while she was clearly suffering. Let's not kid ourselves, Luka will do great in any role. He could even replace Chat Noir. That guy just makes the women in his life leave him Alya. Not the greatest choice for the earrings, but he's kinda runnign out of options. He just knows she has experience with a miraculous and that she's his friend.

Alya is... coping. She already blamed herself for things going wrong during Hero's Day. She's seen Marinette slowly break down with nothing she did really helping. And now Ladybug quit. Why? No one knows, not even Lila. And now she has the added mess of being the only one who can possibly fix things. She cannot mess up like in Hero's Day. Not again. Add to that the fact that she's no longer as active in her blog and her family is trying to be there for her, but the extra attentions is the last hing she wants right now because she's a full time superhero and she already messed up once. It's her childhood dream, the thing she has wanted for her entire life. How could she possibly mess it up!

And then Tikki warns her about Lila.

And she is not coping anymore.

It ends very quickly after that. Getting manipulated like that took its toll and she just has a breakdown in the middle fo the akuma attack. She lasted a week. Chat Noir is running out of options.

-Luka will admit that this month did not go the way he thought it would. He finally got a date with Marinette, but it turns out she is actually extremely traumatised. She also refuses to talk about whatever it is that traumatised her in the first place, which makes things harder. He decides early on that it might be better to not date until she's feeling better, just hanging out as friends. It's slow, but he does think that she's making progress. Then one day, Chat Noir grabs him and takes him to a rooftop. His melody is all over the place; nerves, guilt, fear. Chat is not doing great and... Are those Ladybug's miraculous? He knows he was probably a possible candidate, he was Viperion that one time but he's still surprised. And what is Caht saying about Marinette?

Oh... Luka wasn't Chat's choice. It was Marinette. And she had a panic attack and got akumatised in response.

Crap.

The fight was terrifying. Malady successfully immobilised Ryuko, Queen Bee, Carapace, Rena Rouge and Chat. It ended with Luka refusing to fight and managing to talk Malady into breaking her own akumatised object. Luka now knows Marinette was Ladybug.

The special ends with Marinette talking everything out with Fu. They decide to help her by letting the five temporary heroes keep their miraculi full time as support. She also has a friend who she can confide in. Adrien is granted the same benefit and chooses Nino.

Fu has had a lot to think about this month.

#ML plot points

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celestiall0tus · 7 months

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Miraculous Paradise - Chapter 4 - Miracles

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Adrien lay in the hospital bed in the early dawn hours. He stared out his window at the quiet, winter city. He hadn’t been awake long, but everything hurt. His body felt lethargic and fatigued. His heart palpitated constantly that was accompanied by wrenching pain. His head felt light even as he lay back on the pillow. That didn’t compare to the gut-wrenching truth.

Adrien would die soon, he knew it. The doctors hadn’t told him anything yet, but he could feel it. Seventeen years and this was the end. His heart twisted at the thought of leaving Emilie and Gabriel alone. For all the years they had all spent hoping for it to go up in flames. What was the point of it all? Why was he even alive to begin with? Why did he exist? Was he even meant to?

“Awfully dark thoughts, Adrien,” a man’s voice said with a slight hiss.

Adrien blinked. He turned and saw a doctor he’d never seen before. The man was tall, wearing the usual doctor clothes, but his hair was green, and his eyes were snake-like.

“Who are you?” Adrien whispered.

“The answer to a lot of your questions, and your salvation.”

“I don’t understand.”

The doctor pulled up a seat. “Allow me to be brief. I’m not human. I’m what’s known as a kwami and we are responsible for the miracles you mortals pray for. I was responsible for your mother being able to conceive you.”

“You… you are? How?”

“She prayed unendingly, and I blessed her with fertility, however it came at a price. A price that you are now paying. The moment you turned seventeen, the poison that had been in your blood amplified. It is this poison that will kill you in three days from now.”

Adrien’s stomach dropped. “T-three days?”

“Correct, but I have an offer for you. There is no removing the poison from you. There is no stopping your death, but it can be pushed back. I can offer a magical charm that will give you another year to live, but only a year. During this time, your health won’t be perfect, but you will be able to live for the first time in your entire life.”

Adrien perked up. “Wait, really? Would I be able to do things like go outside on my own? To do more than just lay in bed all day?”

“You would. You’d have the chance to experience all things you wouldn’t otherwise, just as your dear mother always dreamed for you.”

Adrien’s breath caught. He had no idea what Emilie wanted for him, but the opportunity to fulfill her dreams was too enticing. Perhaps it would make his passing easier if she knew he got to live. That he really did get to experience the joys of life.

“There is one more thing. A miracle is gathering that would require me. Under no circumstances are you to take part in this. If you take part in this miracle, you will die immediately upon its completion.”

“O-oh. Okay. I accept, please.”

The doctor nodded. He touched Adrien’s medical bracelet and it transformed into a snake bracelet before it changed to high tech medical bracelet.

Adrien took a sharp breath. His head cleared of all fog, and he was able to focus with astounding clarity. The exhaustion that weighed down his body evaporated, and he felt light. His heart slowed to a normal pace as the pain vanished. Tears sprung from his eyes at the pure joy of it all.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The doctor smiled, then frowned. “If you find yourself in need of me, call upon my name, and I will come to you.”

“Of course. But wait. What is your name?”

“It’s Sass.”

Tikki and Bridgette sat at a table in a back room of a homely diner. Tikki looked over the menu while Bridgette fidgeted. She glanced between Tikki and outside at the bright morning. She scoffed, stood, and paced back and forth.

“Relax, bug. Everything will be fine,” Tikki reassured.

“She’s worried. I know she is. I shouldn’t be out during the day. She’ll do nothing but worry as long as I’m out. I should be home right now. She should have peace of mind knowing that I’m safe,” Bridgette spat.

Tikki groaned. “Will you come out, so she’ll stop worrying?”

Bridgette glared at Tikki when movement caught her eye. She turned as a blurry shape moved across the floor. It shed its cloak to reveal a tiny red fox. She sighed as shame flooded her. She scooped up the fox and held it close.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re worried. I promise to be home as soon as this is all done. You won’t have to worry anymore.”

The fox nuzzled Bridgette and purred. Bridgette clung to it as she took her seat. She petted the fox while Tikki held the menu up for the fox.

“Would you like us to bring you something?” Tikki asked.

The fox looked at the menu, then at Bridgette.

“Uh, she has difficulty reading still.”

“Oh. Well, how about this?”

Tikki snapped her fingers and created samples of menu items. The fox’s ears perked up and it leapt up, dancing in the air. It yipped and Tikki snapped her fingers again to create new items. Its eyes sparkled each time Tikki created.

Bridgette smiled when pain hit her heart. She touched the earrings as regret and guilt stabbed her repeatedly. Trixx was amazing and a good fit for Marinette’s needs, but even so, there was one itch that Trixx could never scratch.

“Think you can conjure something with cheese now?” Plagg asked.

Tikki and Bridgette turned as Plagg and Felix joined them in the room. Tikki huffed and crossed her arms.

“And why should I when you can’t even be bothered to be on time?”

“I did bring something along the lines of what you asked for,” Plagg pointed out.

Tikki relented and created a platter of camembert for Plagg. He gleefully sat and inhaled the cheese.

Felix furrowed his brow and stared at Tikki. “What are you? How did you create that from nothing? And what’s with the little fox floating in the air?”

Tikki gestured to the open seat beside Plagg. “Sit and we’ll explain everything.”

Felix eyed Tikki suspiciously but took a seat.

“Excellent. Now, we had felt a prayer, a desperate cry for a miracle, to save a boy on death’s doorstep. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to save him. At least not without a terrible price to pay. However, that hasn’t stopped other kwamis from offering their services to the woman,” Tikki explained.

Felix frowned. “I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous. What sort of drugs are you on? Is this even real? It can’t be. I’m still dreaming, right? That has to be it.”

Plagg and Tikki exchanged glances before Plagg grinned. Tikki called out Plagg’s name when he scratched Felix’s cheek, gouging it. Felix took a sharp breath at the immense pain. He reached a hand up and gawked at the blood on his fingers. The fox kit yelped at the sight of the injury and blood and hid in Bridgette’s arms.

“Real enough for you, Felix?” Plagg asked.

“Go to hell,” Felix hissed.

Tikki moved around and created a first aid kit. She stopped the bleeding and treated Felix’s wound. She tossed the kit over to Plagg who destroyed it. She moved back and touched the fox’s head.

“No more blood. It’s all good.”

The fox raised its head but remained in Bridgette’s arms.

“Now then, the kwamis that approached the woman hold part of a power known as Paradise. It is a miracle that can only be summoned with a set of five kwamis. Two have already emerged with the others sure to follow,” Tikki continued.

“Except for Sass,” Plagg remarked.

“True, Sass will attempt to keep Paradise from happening, but that has not always worked in the past. And Sass is the only one of the set that doesn’t like Paradise. Longg will jump at the chance to create it, as will Wayzz if the cause is noble enough.”

“And what does this have to do with me?” Felix demanded.

“I need a holder and Tikki asked me to find a rich boy,” Plagg answered.

“Holder? What is a holder?”

“A person that wields our jewels. These people can invoke us to gain superpowers based on what our concepts are. If you agree to help, you will gain the power of destruction. A power you will use with a partner, that of creation.”

Felix glanced at Bridgette, then back at Tikki. “That’s all wonderful, but why should I bother? This isn’t my battle.”

“And what of your family? Would you rather see them lost to the creation of Paradise? Would you enjoy seeing their bodies evaporated and souls consumed as they’re wiped out of existence like they were never alive? To see the world as we know it return to its purest state as a Garden of Eden? Pure, beautiful, but never to be touched by man,” Bridgette spoke.

Felix tsked. “That’s absurd. How would all that happen?”

“Eh, there’s a few details off, but she’s in the ballpark,” Plagg remarked.

“What? There’s no way. How would you even know anyway?” Felix demanded of Bridgette.

“I can take a guess knowing full well that all miracles come at a price. If there’s a group out there wanting to create something called Paradise, it can only come with the steepest of prices. I don’t know about you, but I won’t allow it to be made. I made a deal for my cousin, for her future, and I won’t renege on that bargain. I will see her happy,” Bridgette remarked.

Felix opened his mouth when the fox jumped onto the table. It glowered at Bridgette and barked at her. Felix’s eye twitched as he watched Bridgette’s half-hearted attempts to quell the fox. He sneered and reached for it but was stopped by Bridgette. She glowered at him and dug her nails into the bits of exposed skin.

“You will not touch my cousin. Not unless you are looking for a fight, bitch boy,” Bridgette growled.

“Let’s go then. I can take a toothpick like you,” Felix hissed.

Bridgette sneered and reared back her arm but was held back by Tikki.

“Easy, easy. It’s been a rough day for you. Just, let me do that talking,” Tikki pleaded.

Bridgette snorted but released Felix.

“Now, before an actual fight breaks out, I need you to understand something, Felix. Someone is going to need to stop the holders of Paradise. To keep them occupied long enough for another miracle to expire. Bridgette had long accepted this burden, but you are under no real obligation. However, we ask you for your family, your legacy, but most of all, yourself,” Tikki explained.

“And my money,” Felix added.

Tikki grimaced. “Well, let’s just forget about that right now. Paris will need heroes. The world will need heroes.”

Felix laughed. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by Bridgette.

“Forget this. Just find someone else, Plagg. This privileged twink doesn’t have what it takes to be a hero. He’s made it painfully clear already that he’s no interest in helping people. Why continue with this farce?”

“What’s the matter? Upset that I see no reason to help some alien creatures and their pet?” Felix asked.

“And there it is, Tikki. Waste your time further if you want, but I’m leaving before I give him something to match his scratch.”

Tikki watched Bridgette leave with the fox. She turned back to the boys, shook her head, and ran after Bridgette. Felix waited a moment longer before he stood to leave. He paused when Plagg joined him.

“What are you doing?” Felix demanded.

“Whatever I want. And I don’t have anything better to do, so let’s go.”

Felix opened his mouth, then shut it. He shook his head and kept walking.

Amelie sat in an armchair near Emilie. She had promised to watch over Emilie while Gabriel went to pick up Adrien. The hospital called and said they had news, good and bad. She had attempted to press further, but Gabriel didn’t ask any more questions when they said Adrien was well enough to be brought home.

Amelie had believed that perhaps Emilie received a miracle last night. That was until she found a pair of brooches clutched in Emilie’s hand when she was checking on Emilie after Gabriel left. She removed the brooches from her pocket and admired them. One was a simple purple circle brooch while the other was a magnificent peacock tail fan brooch. She placed the purple one down and examined the peacock fan.

The peacock brooch was breathtaking. The metal was perfectly cut, the jewels brilliant, and the color vibrant. It was a piece of art that could draw anyone’s eye. Amelie unfastened the pin and put it on her suit jacket. She stepped up to a window and marveled at the brooch on her. It stood out beautifully against her black clothes that immediately drew the eye.

“I see you’ve made the right choice,” Duusu cooed.

Amelie froze as Duusu materialized beside her. She stared at him with wide eyes. He held his head high and fanned his tail.

“Oh, how I love to see you mortals admire me. Must have been difficult as you were freezing last night. Thankfully you pulled through.”

Amelie blinked a few times as things clicked in her head. “Right. It was difficult seeing how radiant you truly are as the cold threatened to take me.”

Duusu beamed. “Oh, I love you. Now, little peahen, are you ready?”

“In a moment. Now that I’m not freezing, may I ask some questions.”

“Certainly. What is it you wish to know?”

Amelie considered carefully. “What can you do exactly? Like, what do you offer?”

“The power of beauty, my darling dearie. When you put me on, you’ll be able to shape the world to your standards of beauty and it shall be exalted by all. But you do need to be careful. While there’s no limit explicitly, after a while you stop pulling power from me and pull from your own life. When you start doing that, it’ll shorten your life.”

“Oh. Oh, I see. Well, let’s see. What about, no… how about, ah… you are a miracle, yes? What exactly is the miracle you entail?”

“One of the greatest of miracles, peahen. Paradise. With the set of Paradise, the five can create a literal Heaven on Earth, a Garden of Eden, as your kind would say. It would be a utopia for you all to live in and with those you deem worthy of witnessing Paradise.”

“And… and this would save Adrien?”

“Of course. You would all live for eternity within your Paradise with those you love. Your lives would be free of strife and everyday full of unending bliss.”

Amelie’s jaw dropped. With this power, they could save Adrien. They could create a corner of Heaven for them to live in forever. Emilie and Gabriel could spend eternity with Adrien. She could liberate Felix from Colt’s oppressive thumb. They’d all get to live their lives in unending bliss.

“Though, I should warn you, it does come at price. My powers, that is,” Duusu interrupted.

“What kind of price?”

“See, you won’t like seeing ugly things in the world. Inner, outer, or even both. You’ll want to get rid of it.”

“Oh. Well, if we’re making Paradise, won’t be getting rid of the bad and ugly anyway? Make way for a beautiful, good haven?”

“Pretty much.”

Amelie considered when movement caught her eye. She looked past Duusu at Emilie who tore apart the blankets looking for the brooches. She turned and tackled Emilie in a hug.

“Emilie! You’re alright!” Amelie cried.

“Amelie, please, not now. I need to find-!”

Emilie paused when she saw the peacock brooch on Amelie.

“Where’s the other one?” Emilie demanded.

Amelie grabbed the other brooch and handed it to Emilie. “I hope you don’t mind if I picked for you?”

Emilie sighed and took it. “You always had an eye for beautiful things, didn’t you?”

“For better or worse. Colt,” Amelie added with a hint of venom in her voice.

Emilie giggled and put the brooch on. Nooroo materialized as Duusu joined them.

“So, you weren’t the one we talked to in the garden?” Duusu asked Amelie.

“Sorry to deceive you,” Amelie admitted.

“You know everything?” Emilie butted in.

“I know enough without betraying myself.”

Emilie grimaced. “I love you, but don’t stop me. I will save my Adrien. I-.”

“I’m with you. Together, we can create Paradise. We’ll be happy for eternity. Free of heartache and pain. Free of worry and despair. Free of the past and future. It’ll be perfect.”

Emilie smiled and hugged Amelie. “Thank you. I’m glad I have you at my side.”

The door to the sitting room opened and Duusu and Nooroo vanished. Emilie and Amelie looked over at Gabriel and Adrien. Emilie tore herself out of the embrace and ran up to Adrien.

“Look at you. There’s so much color in your face. And… and what’s this?”

Emilie raised Adrien’s left hand where a high-tech silver bracelet sat.

“Some sort of new technology. It’s suppressed the substance killing him, but only for the next year,” Gabriel said.

Dread consumed Emilie. She took several deep breaths as she fought the coming tears. She forced a smile and hugged Adrien.

“We’ll make the most of it. Every moment will be like a dream,” Emilie promised.

“Why don’t we start with breakfast? Oh, what if we go out?” Amelie suggested.

“Can we?” Adrien asked.

“I think that’d be wonderful. Gabriel, won’t you help Adrien pick out an outfit?” Emilie asked.

Gabriel nodded. He escorted Adrien out, leaving Emilie and Amelie alone.

“We have no time to waste. We need to start tonight,” Emilie whispered.

“What do we do though?”

“I’m not sure. We have the day to think, but we must bring out the others needed for Paradise before time is up.”

“Right. But for now, we may want to change if we’re heading out,” Amelie pointed out.

“Oh, right. Let’s go.”

Emilie and Amelie headed for the stairs when Felix returned. Amelie turned to greet him when she saw his bandaged injury, a fresh, untreated wound, and a black cat on his shoulders. She screamed and ran up to him.

“Oh, Felix, my precious boy! What happened?”

Felix pointed to the cat.

Amelie puffed out her cheeks and reached for the cat when Felix stopped her.

“I wouldn’t. That’s how I got these. Let’s just say I’ve… I’ve been chosen,” Felix remarked.

Amelie eyed Felix suspiciously, then squealed. “Oh, I love cats. But no more scratching my darling Felix, understand?”

The cat meowed.

“Good. Now, get ready. We’re going out with Adrien.”

“I don’t think… wait, did you say with Adrien? Isn’t he still in the hospital?”

“Nope. He was all good to come home. He was given some fancy device that makes him well but didn’t cure him. So, we’re going out as a sort of celebration.”

Felix sighed with a smile. “Alright. Let me get changed.”

Amelie squealed. She pulled Felix in a tight embrace. He returned it before he stepped back. He paused when he saw the peacock brooch on her. He had never seen her wear such jewelry before, especially one like that. It was unbelievably beautiful, almost in an otherworldly feel. A bad feeling rose in the pit of his gut.

“Felix? Is everything ok?” Amelie asked.

Felix shook himself and quickly bowed his head. He moved past Amelie and Emilie. He glanced at Emilie and saw she had on a simple purple brooch. He hummed and kept going until he was back in his room. He headed into the bathroom, shut the door, and looked at the cat.

“Alright, Plagg, I have a question for you.”

“I may have an answer.”

“What were those brooches? The ones my aunt and mother were wearing?”

“Huh? Oh, right. Y’know the jewels that Tikki mentioned? Yeah, that’s what those were.”

“Are you telling me that aunt and mother are wearing kwami jewels? Which ones?”

Plagg turned away. “Why do you care?”

Felix’s eye twitched. “Are they the ones for Paradise.

Plagg flicked his tail and looked at his claws. “Again, why do you care? This isn’t your battle.”

Felix’s eye twitched. “Your glibness does you no credit.”

Plagg shrugged. “You’re smart enough, rich boy. Figure it out on your own.”

Felix furrowed his brow. He didn’t want to get involved. He wanted to finish up his business here and head back to London. He wanted to return to life under Colt’s heel as they bickered day in and out. He didn’t need this. He didn’t want it. But want wasn’t a luxury he was allowed.

Felix couldn’t deny the facts. Amelie was committed to whatever Paradise was. He was certain that Emilie was the ringleader and Amelie would follow wherever Emilie went. He imagined Gabriel would too but probably hadn’t yet. That left him to wonder about Adrien. Tikki said a miracle was asked to save a boy on death’s door. He was certain it was Adrien, but what should he do about it? Did he help Amelie and Emilie, or did he fight against it?

Felix cleaned up while his mind wandered. He could help his family and save Adrien. He could play a role in Paradise and see Adrien well. That would be the most sensible path if he considered his family. Adrien slipped into his mind again as he reconsidered. It was clear what Amelie and Emilie wanted, but what of Adrien? What did Adrien want?

Felix’s eyes widened as he remembered earlier with Bridgette. She had remarked that she made a deal for her cousin. He was doubtful of her word, but could he make a deal with these creatures? Could he ensure Adrien’s survival if he helped them? It was worth a shot if anything.

“Plagg, after this outing, would you be able to show me to your, er, Sugarcube?”

“What brought this change of heart?”

“Do you really care?”

Plagg considered. “Touche.”

“Excellent. Let’s be on our way then.”

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shysublimecoffee · 6 months

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Indeed, Astruc's idealization of Adrien, bordering on perfection, seems to mirror the pedestal on which the fandom often places him. It's a bit ironic, given the sarcastic undertones, especially when compared to other characters in isekai harem anime or shonen manga, such as those in Naruto. In those cases, fans actively advocate for character development and potential, cheering for the female leads. Adrien, on the other hand, is almost comically devoid of agency – a situation that borders on the absurd as he doesn't even get to cheer among the finale battle no... he's just taken out of it.

These female characters cater to their, admittedly, lustful and rather pathetic protagonists in a genre often criticized for its saturation with the male gaze and the objectification of women. What's noteworthy is that, despite these criticisms, their fandoms actively advocate for the characters' development and agency. Now, enter Adrien, a character in a cartoon ostensibly centered around girl power, and one might expect a departure from such issues. Instead, it appears they've taken a detour in the opposite direction. It struck me that in a narrative where Adrien's story, from season one onwards, revolves around unwittingly battling his villainous father, he's left with little more than a footnote at the end. In contrast, every other character, be it Marinette, Felix, or even Kagami, receives substantial contributions to HIS storylines. It's a realization that prompts the question of whether the writers are intentionally steering Adrien's narrative into this peculiar direction.

I firmly believe that the writing team is purposefully sidelining Adrien from the central narrative to prevent him from overshadowing Marinette because that would encourage the fandom to perceive him as an individual character, distinct from his connection with Marinette.

From the very onset in season one, Adrien has been crafted primarily as eye candy—acknowledged within the story's universe, yet that's where his depth seems to end. Even when it comes to profound moments, such as mourning his mother, those experiences are often usurped by characters like Gabriel and Nathalie. His discontent with the new dynamics introduced by Ladybug is addressed with mere lip service, and the problem conveniently dissipates with minimal exploration. What's particularly disheartening is the disproportionate focus on Marinette's distress in Chat Blanc, while Adrien's perspective is seemingly sidelined. The chilling realization of witnessing another version of oneself succumb to a dire fate. It's baffling and, frankly, another distressing thing is that Felix, of all people, stumbles upon Amelie Agreste's body, while Adrien is kept in the dark about the whole situation. He seems unable to catch a break; someone else steps into his central role, yet he remains excluded from active participation in his story.

Alya, who has been part of the team for a shorter duration, receives more favorable treatment than the guy constantly confronting akumas since the start. It seems as if the protagonist believes he exists solely for that purpose, devoid of any personal life. The question arises: how can she be considered a "good" team leader when she consistently withholds important information from him? It's not just about preserving her secret identity; he has his own life and concerns that deserve acknowledgment.

While this could have been an opportunity for character development, it appears that in Season 4, Marinette's treatment is portrayed not as a flaw for her to address and improve upon, but rather as an acceptable stance. The show now seems entrenched in a protagonist-centered morality, where Marinette's actions are deemed right simply because she is the central character.

It appears that many in the fandom overlook the fact that Adrien has the choice to walk away from the situation rather than enduring constant disrespect and inconsideration. He not only bears the weight of being an abused child but also willingly sacrifices himself, all while grappling with the immense responsibilities of a job that befalls a mere kid. It's reasonable to feel apprehensive if your partner consistently withholds crucial information. In the realm of heroism, it's not a game; how can one be adequately equipped to be a proper hero if the other half is withholding information that could lead to dangerous consequences?

While we witness Marinette's struggles as a guardian, her point of view tends to dominate, creating a skewed perspective for the audience that might lead us to believe she has it the worst. Certainly, Marinette faces considerable challenges, and her difficulties are worthy of sympathy. However, the deliberate absence of Adrien's perspective leaves us unaware of his struggles. He seems to lack any substantial support, and beyond Plagg, there's uncertainty about who he can turn to. Despite being the one offering comfort most of the time, it raises the question of whether Marinette would reciprocate that support when Adrien is the one in need.

With Season 5 concluded and heroes now a permanent fixture, the possibility of them pursuing their own path becomes a valid consideration. Based on what I've observed, if Marinette struggles to handle just one Chat Noir, what about the rest of the team now that they're not just allies but officially permanent heroes? It appears her controlling nature might lead to a downward spiral in the face of this expanded responsibility.

When I mention the comparison between the fanbase and Astruc, I'm highlighting the consistent scrutiny Adrien undergoes. Astruc's portrayal of Adrien tends to revolve around catering to Marinette, and it seems the fanbase mirrors this perspective. Even in Season 5, everyone, both within the story's universe and among the viewers, appears to be an Adrienette shipper. It's as if the characters' sentiments reflect the sentiments of the fanbase itself.

Witnessing the frenzy and prolific fic-writing sparked by one episode where Adrien doles out sensible advice to Marinette, one can't help but wonder how intense the reaction would be if Adrien were to nonchalantly distance himself or engage in actions that don't align with her desires. It's as if there's an aversion to embracing Adrien's genuine flaws—apparently, the mandate is for him to exist solely to be with Marinette, with everything else relegated to secondary status. Any deviation from this ideal, it seems, is met with a virtual arsenal of pitchforks.

I could never embrace this ship from the jump; it's glaringly one-sided with nothing reciprocated from Marinette and Adrien seemingly giving away too much. The purported power of love in the theme song seems like a facade; there's a stark lack of equality in this relationship. My boy Adrien appears to be a puppet with strings, transitioning from his father's domination to now being handed over to Marinette as if he's a prize worthy of her affections. He'd chip part of away of himself for her and she'd smile and I dislike it immensely for how they portray it as true romance. I dislike her actions and her mistreatment that a fact.

I find myself straddling the line between indifference and frustration due to her actions and mistreatment of her partner. Indifferent because she fails to evoke any substantial emotional response or genuine concern from me compared to Adrien.Even if she were to shed tears, it wouldn't stir any emotion in me. I believe she has the potential to be an interesting character, but that possibility relies on the writers recognizing her mistakes and steering her character in a progressive direction. She seems more like a prop fed lines making my discontent directed more towards the writers for crafting her in such a way rather than at the character herself.

#adrien agreste #mlb marinette #miraculous ladybug

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jennycinco-5 · 1 year

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Miraculous Ladybug vs Agent Ali/Ejen Ali Comparison post : Introduction

So in my previous post about this mention about “Three Malaysian Superhero Cartoon have better handle than ML”. For anyone wonder what Cartoon I mean is “BoBoiBoy” “Ejen Ali (Agent Ali)” and “Mechamato”. All of this show have same demographic with Miraculous, a Kids Show with Action who also beloved by older viewer.

While the three shows also have their specific flaws, they still have its consistency and better handle than Miraculous. The show creator and writers know what is the main core about the show. Its about Kids being Superhero and Secret Agents. Despite this, they still allow to bring some serious heavy issue or drama to make the show interesting instead of a fanservice. They do have some “soft reboot” to expand their world building and stuff but it never become messy like Miraculous.

Miraculous constantly has retcon and it become utterly MESS because The Writer feel viewer are idiots and only care about the ships. This is make The Writer and That Guy has zero idea what the show is about ! Its about a shojo-esque cartoon ? Its about silly teenage-romance ? Girls Power ? Family Drama ? They DON’T KNOW about that ! I would like to said this show is about a wild fantasy of grown-man about his “ideal virtual daughter” who obsessed with freaking white boy and that its !

Since I already see many of post who compare Miraculous with other show about the consistency and the handle, here I will make the same post with one of Malaysian Cartoon and I will choose this cartoon :

For comparison post, I think Miraculous is deserve to be compared with Ejen Ali. Gotta admit this is my favorite show to the point my current Tumblr name “jennycinco-5″ is based from one of the villain of this show. I like to said that Ali is a “what if Adrien and Marinette become ONE CHARACTER but with good characterization and handle”. I said that because Ali share same parental neglect issue with Adrien after the death of their mother and he also have some Marinette personality. But the show handle him mooore better than Marinette and Adrien. Making Ali become lot more interesting as the story progress

In this topic I will make a post about :

Comparison of Ali & Alicia vs Marinette & Adrien

Comparison of Aliya vs Emilie Agreste for being death mother who trigger the main plot

Comparison of how Ejen Ali vs Miraculous handle the serious issue for children

Comparison of the Antagonist/Villains and how they “Humanize” them

Comparison of IRIS and Miraculouses

Comparison of the Secondary Character like friends/allies and mentors

If you interest about Ejen Ali and curious about the show, you can watch it at Disney Hotstar. You can watch it from English Subs or English dub. Its still on going on Season 3. There is also the movie titled “Ejen Ali: The Movie” in there and you also can read a mini comic in webtoon title Ejen Ali : M A T A Secret Files about the series side story and all of them are canons especially the movie one since its explain about the world building and the lore of IRIS and the Agency

#ml salt #comparison post #ejen ali #agent ali #ml critical #ml writer salt

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mxthxbot · 1 year

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Lee Felix as Adrien Agreste

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

“Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in!”

🐾 Felix is a student in Miss Bustier’s class at Collége Françoise DuPont in Paris, Franch.

🐾 He’s also a fashion model for his father’s brand, causing him to constantly approached by fans.

🐾 He’s a dreamer and charismatic, but often shy and a bit reserved. Considerably innocent and naive- because of the sheltered life that his father gave him.

🐾 According this his best friend, Felix resembles a baby bird that’s afraid to come out of his shell.

🐾 Due to his kind heart, Felix always tries to see the best in others- even to those that have mean or cruel intentions. He’s always willing to give second chances; believing that with patience and time that anyone can change.

🐾 With his kind hard, he’s quite oblivious to the darkness in other’s hearts.

🐾 Even though he’s not very openly emotional to most people, he is friendly, empathetic, understanding, supportive, and encouraging to others in hard times.

🐾 He’s always the first one to step in to defend his friends from harm.

🐾 While liking to have fun, Felix is more serious; obedient; somewhat insecure and less lively due to his strict upbringing.

🐾 He’s sensitive emotionally.

🐾 He gets his feelings hurt and cries easily, just mentioning his mother is enough to make him tear up.

🐾 However he’s used to disappointment and managing those disappointed feelings so he’s able to avoid attract akumas.

🐾 Though whenever he gets too emotional, Felix will act on impulse.

🐾 Felix feels that his father is too overprotective, causing him to occasionally act rebelliously.

🐾 His desire to be loved makes him vulnerable whenever disappointed by those he cares for.

🐾 He’s known to be rather reckless, not caring about his own well-being to make sure that others are safe.

“Whoo-hoo! I thought I was going to have to save you from that girl's claws. Get it? Claws? Hey, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Chat Noir.”

🐾 Felix is also the superhero of Paris, Chat Noir.

🐾 As he’s Chat Noir, he acts differently.

🐾 He sees while being Chat Noir a freedom he doesn’t have in his normal life.

🐾 Being Chat Noir, he lets his wilder side comes out.

🐾 He’s more optimistic and open, saying whatever comes to his mind.

🐾 Has a habit of cracking cat-related jokes and puns.

“Being Chat Noir is the only time I can be myself.”

🐾 As Chat Noir, his personality is more exaggerated and flirtatious.

🐾 According to his miraculous, Felix often takes after him and is one of his most irresponsible owners in the 5,000 years.

🐾 It’s rare for Chat Noir to reveal his vulnerable side.

🐾 Sometimes it shows when he tries to explain that not all family are loving.

🐾 Since becoming Chat Noir, his confidence has raised so much.

🐾 However, Cat Noir occasionally shows insecurity when comparing his abilities to Ladybug or their new partners.

“Plagg! Claws out!”

🐾 Like a cat, Cat Noir has enhanced senses such as hearing, smell, night vision, and super stealth, which he sometimes uses to find opponents.

🐾 Also, like a cat, Cat Noir can use his claws to climb up surfaces or use them to cut through things.

🐾 He uses his staff efficiently, wielding it as a sword, throwing it with great precision, and having it be deflected back to him.

🐾 Felix is able to spin it at high speeds to form a shield or take advantage of its duplication and length-changing features.

🐾 To travel long distances, he uses his staff and its variety in length to vault over obstacles.

🐾 Felix has a special power, Cataclysm, which allows him to negatively affect and essentially destroy anything that he touches with his ring hand.

🐾 But using Cataclysm drains his Miraculous power, causing him to revert back to Adrien five minutes afterward.

“Do I hear a damsel in distress?”

#felix🐾#profile.txt

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 3 years

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Okay. This show has gone to pieces, forget pieces. It has turned into crumbs. One of the things that irritates me the most, which you just posted something about. Chloe Bourgeois’ character development.

She is being abused. There are so many people in her situation. Maybe some of them are acting out. Does Thomas not get it?! Maybe Chloe is so clingy with Adrien because she doesn’t want him to leave her. Maybe she acts out because she doesn’t want to be left vulnerable. (I do that a lot).

Can you imagine? The last time she allowed herself to be vulnerable, her mother left her. Maybe she thinks that if she likes people, they’ll be taken away from her! I mean, when a person she loved left her, she was pretty upset. I genuinely think that she thinks that having people you love are weaknesses. People can be used to hurt her.

Chloe is traumatized! People react to trauma in different ways! Some people become slightly softer, some become harder. It differs from person to person.

As I was saying, a lot of people are like her. Maybe they’ll feel inspired if they saw her getting a redemption arc?

I don’t condone her behavior. Bullying someone is wrong. Very wrong. But the way the show is treating her is disgusting.

I don’t know if I posted this the right way. The options were slightly cropped out. So if I posted this wrong, I apologies.

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

Don’t worry, it’s fine.

The biggest problem with the way Astruc views Chloe (and I’m sorry if this is pretentious to tell a writer how to view their own character) is that he doesn’t actually think she was abused when the evidence fans cite for that comes from episodes he was a goddamn writer for.

How the hell do you write several episodes focusing on a character with a history of being emotionally neglected by her mother while her father spoils her rotten in an attempt to make up for the absence in her life, have said character emulate her mother to get on her good side and literally ask why she doesn’t love her, AND THEN SAY SHE WASN’T EMOTIONALLY ABUSED WHILE BLAMING HER FOR ALL OF HER ACTIONS AND COMPARING HER TO AN ABUSER???

And how can he say all of this when the show constantly plays Adrien’s “Tragic Backstory” completely seriously and uses it to make the audience feel bad for him every time it’s brought up, no matter what it has to do with the situation? What the hell is okay by his standards? You can’t say that one character is sympathetic because of their troubled relationship with their parents and say the complete opposite with another. By the rules of this show that Astruc himself set up, both Chloe and Adrien are either irredeemable psychopaths because Astruc said the backstory doesn’t matter for one, or they’re both sympathetic because Astruc has said their upbringing justifies their behavior.

This isn’t Schrodinger's Cat. You can’t say one thing about the way your character’s written and say it doesn’t apply to another character even though they have very similar backgrounds. I’m not an abuse victim, so forgive me for saying this, but the way I see the way Astruc treats Chloe, this is essentially victim blaming.

It doesn’t matter that very little effort was taken to try and reach out to her, it doesn’t matter that her behavior obviously stems from an attempt to impress her mother who literally said there was nothing exceptional about her and later humiliated her on live television, it doesn't matter that one of the reasons she sided with Hawkmoth was because he was holding her parents hostage, it doesn’t that she still has the potential to change because she’s so young. None of this matters, because according to Astruc, Chloe was always irredeemable, and we’re all wrong for thinking otherwise.

#submission #immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #thomas astruc #thomas astruc salt #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #chloe bourgeois #queen bee #queen b #audrey bourgeois #andre bourgeois #adrien agreste #cat noir #chat noir

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mcheang · 3 years

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@pendoodlex Do an Adrien Salt where Lila lies about Chat Noir and Ladybug being in a relationship and Adrien confirms the lie.

It’s my love life!

It’s easy to lie about stuff people want to hear. Alya was greedy for any gossip about Ladybug and loved support for her theories on Ladybug.

Recently they debated on Ladybug’s true age. Was she an immortal with teenage hormones and atttiude? Or simply a teenager?

Now they were on to Ladybug’s love life.

Lila: Of course LadyNoir is a thing. Ladybug just denies it because she doesn’t want to give Hawkmoth any more reason to target Chat Noir, but it’s obvious how much they care for each other.

Alya: Yes! A witness to Ladynoir!

Marinette: a lying witness

Nathaniel frowned. “I don’t know, Lila…”

Before Lila could insist she was correct, Adrien actually jumped in. “It’s true. Ladybug and Chat Noir are a couple. Sorry, Nathaniel, but she’s off the market.”

Marinette froze. Did Adrien just lie to Nathaniel about her love life? Just so no one would interfere with their beloved Ladynoir fandom?

WTH???

Overwhelmed by her hurt and rage, Marinette actually grabbed Adrien’s hand and dragged him out of the classroom, her face burning red.

Some assumed she was trying out another one of her confession schemes. Lila thought Marinette was going to tell Adrien she was a liar (eh, he already knew.)

In a far off corner, Marinette was whisper-yelling at Adrien. “What are you thinking? It’s one thing to ignore Lila’s lies, it’s another to endorse them! LadyNoir is not real!”

Thinking that Marinette still had a crush on Chat Noir, Adrien winced and rubbed his head. “I’m sorry, Marinette. But it’s true. Ladybug and Chat Noir are a couple.”

“No, they are not! Where’s your proof?“ She demanded.

Adrien thought quickly. “I saw them kissing on a rooftop last week.”

Marinette raised a brow. “Are you sure you weren’t just dreaming?” Her voice was heavy with skepticism.

Adrien: Positive.

Marinette: Well, I’m not sorry to say that you’re wrong. Ladybug and Chat Noir are not a couple.

Adrien: and how are you so sure? Just because you have a crush on Chat-

Marinette: Because Ladybug visited me after my dad was akumatized!

Adrien:…what?

Marinette took a deep breath. She hated lying but she also couldn’t stand lies about her.

“Ladybug consoled me after Chat rejected me. She reminded me about the other great boys in my life and ones I have yet to meet. And I asked her why she wouldn’t date Chat. Do you know what she told me?”

Adrien was quiet.

“She said she was in love with a boy from her own civilian life, not Chat Noir. To be honest, he’s not even her type.”

Adrien perked up. “Ladybug has a type?”

Marinette: Obviously. From what I hear, she’s more into the sensitive soul kind of guy.

Adrien: Chat is sensitive!

Marinette just stared at her crush in disbelief. “Um, yeah, no. The dude sulks whenever he gets rejected and has no idea what no means. For crying out loud, he gave me a pink rose before dumping me, and that was after he ate the treats my dad baked for him.”

Adrien: For someone with a crush on the hero, you sure sound bitter.

Marinette exhaled again, calming herself. “I’m not bitter. I’ve moved on, truly. Enough to see what Ladybug meant when she said I’ll move on soon enough. I’m over Chat.“

Adrien raise his brows.

Marinette continued, “I’ve been able to analyse his actions without the hero-crush filters. Be honest, Adrien, how would you feel at having to constantly reject the same person over and over again? Wouldn’t you be annoyed by their repeated flirtations?”

Adrien shrugged. “I reject fans all the time. Well, not exactly. I just ignore their love letters.“

Marinette shook her head. “That doesn’t count. You don’t know those people. Let’s say Chloe was going to confess her love to you every day. And you have to reject her every day. When you reject her, she raises a fuss and causes an akuma. How would you feel about your childhood friend?”

Adrien grimaced. “That would suck. I would avoid Chloe just to avoid her confessions.”

Marinette raised her hand, like there you go. Point proven.

Adrien wasn’t done. “But,” he insisted stubbornly, “it’s different for LadyNoir. They’re partners. Yin and Yang. A superhero duo. Who else is she going to end up with if not her partner? These kinds of pairings always win in the end.”

Marinette: that’s just sad. You’re comparing Ladybug’s love life to fiction. Life isn’t a fairy tale, Adrien. you don’t decide who Ladybug ends up with, and it’s not right for you to lie about her either.

Adrien: LadyNoir will happen. I’m sure of it.

Marinette: You’re not even going to take back that lie, are you?

Adrien: Why would I? It’s going to be fact.

Marinette said sadly, “Goodbye, Adrien.”

After school, Marinette tore down her posters of Adrien. Filters removed, indeed.

Tikki: Don’t worry, Marinette. I’m sure things will come right in the end.

Marinette: that doesn’t mean I can’t help set things back in order. Tikki, spots on!

Alya turned around at a tapping on her window.

Alya: Ladybug!

Ladybug: Hey, Alya. Listen, I’ve been reading your blog, and I need to set some facts straight.

Alya: Is this about revealing your love life? Because honestly, it would be better to be honest about your love life than to let others hope they have a shot with you. Remember Copycat?

Ladybug: That’s my point. I’m not dating Chat Noir. I don’t even like him that way. Lila has been lying to you, Alya.

Alya: Um, she’s your Best Friend…

Ladybug: When did I ever say that?

Alya:…….. ……….Why didn’t you correct me before today, then?

Ladybug sighed. “Because i had called her out in front of Adrien, and she got akumatized. And when she disappeared for a while, I figured there was no need to bring her up.“

Alya: Hold on. Adrien knew Lila was lying?

Ladybug: Yes. Though I’m sure he must have his own reasons for protecting Lila. But back to my point. I am not dating Chat Noir, and I am not interested in him like that. My love life is mine to decide, not for others to insist on just because they prefer me with Chat. How would you like it if Parisians started pairing you with Pegasus or Monkey King instead of Carapace? With them insisting you break up with Nino just to be with someone they chose for you?”

“That would be annoying,“ admitted Alya. “And invasive.”

Ladybug: I want to do a live interview, to clear the matter up once and for all.

In this interview, Ladybug was professional and succinct as she stated she doesn’t know Lila Rossi and she is not in a relationship with Chat. She doesn’t want to hurt her fans, but her love life is for her to handle.

Unable to help herself, Alya asked, “If you don’t like Chat, who do you like? You don’t have to give any names, but just one little tidbit, please?”

Eh, why not?

Ladybug leaned back on her hands and smiled, her eyes going faraway and dreamy. “Mature. That’s all I’ll say.”

After all, Luka had always supported her crush on Adrien. He never pushed her, but was always there for her. Why didn’t she how good he was? Oh right, Adrien filters.

Lila was fuming. How could she show her face again? Where was an akuma when you wanted one?

The akuma was drawn to a LadyNoir fanatic.

Fight fight fight. Chat was noticeably sulky at having been rejected on air.

When Alya came over to interview, he insisted he would not give up on Ladybug. Alya raised her brows, “Yeah that’s fine. But just don’t be pushy about it. And from your attitude earlier during the battle, I don’t think you fit Ladybug’s ideal criteria.”

Chat flushed and turned away, using his baton to propel himself home.

At school, Lila was playing truant, and Alya was grilling Adrien for keeping quiet.

Adrien: her lies weren’t hurting anyone!

Alya: I’m taking into account your isolated childhood, so let me just say, lies are hurtful. And it’s not right to encourage and spread her lies either.

Adrien: LadyNoir has to happen!

Nino shook his head in disgust. “You sound like that akuma last night. Ladybug has the right to decide who she wants to be with. If you ship LadyNoir, that’s fine. But you shouldn’t let it get this far to decide for Ladybug who she ends up with.”

Alya sighed, “Let’s blame Gabriel for this and hope Adrien can still be saved.”

Alya also understood when Marinette gave up on Adrien after seeing his behavior. She was interested in Luka but decided to wait because she didn’t want him to be a rebound guy.

Anyway, Adrien learned to keep his opinions to himself when all they got him was disapproval.

Ladybug’s interview caused the Parisians to question if the Italian diplomat should even still be in Paris if her daughter likes to spout lies about their heroine. How could she let her own daughter lie about stuff like that? It was enough that Mrs Rossi was questioned at work and her ignorance unveiled.

Yeah, Mrs Rossi would be lucky to keep her job after this but it was suggested Lila be sent outside Paris since she would certainly be unhappy with her new pariah status. Lila was sent to a correctional facility where no one was charmed by her falsehoods. Hell, she couldn’t even contact her mother because she was even busier trying to make amends.

When Ladybug finally told Chat she was happily in a relationship with her new boyfriend, he was sulky. Oh sure, he continued to fight alongside Ladybug but he was hopeful that she would break up with her boyfriend.

Plagg: that’s a horrible reaction. Can’t you just be happy for Ladybug?

Adrien: love is irrational and can’t be reasoned with, Plagg.

Plagg: then can you at least be polite and respectful to Ladybug’s wishes that you stop flirting with her?

Adrien: fine. Being Chat Noir was a chance to finally express myself, though.

Plagg: there’s a difference between freedom of expression and being rude/disrespectful/obnoxious

Adrien tried to date Kagami, but she broke up with him. There was no point in continuing the relationship when Adrien was so fixed on Ladybug.

I’m gonna leave this open ended. Any ideas how you would end this story?

#miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #ml salt fic #Adrien salt #Lila is exposed #Lila gets exposed #post-Chameleon #Marinette x Luka

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into-september · 3 years

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MLB and the bad rich people

Modern children’s media defaults to middle class even when it by all logic shouldn’t. Donald Duck, single uncle raising three children while constantly going in-and-out of employment as plot demands it in comic-verse, owns a single family home with no aid from the richest duck in the world, and Scrooge’s wealth (and fame) never directly affects the lives of his nephews.

Compare Cardcaptor Sakura. Sakura’s family is solidly upper middle class, and so, presumably, are most of her friends. Remarkably, though, not the closest ones. Tomoyo and Syaoran/Meilin are all Old Money, and Eriol probably has the funds for his mansion through similar means. (the benevolent rich is a thing in this ‘verse, it needs saying - look at Clamp School Detectives and Tokyo Babylon, where it is the main characters having this kind of money and it never once being relevant to the stories, nor affecting the way they interact with society around them)

Then look at Miraculous Ladybug, kind of eyebrow-lifting diverse in its depiction of race (note: this does reflect urban western Europe) and sexuality (admittedly limited to subtext and Word of God), but extremely homogenous on the topic of class. As it probably would be, property prices in Paris considered, but look at what the adults earning money do. Marinette’s parents are manual workers who somehow have the funds to run a family bakery on the most expensive property on mainland Europe, Max’ mother a train driver, Sabrina’s father a police officer defining his vocation by its servitude, Myléne’s a janitor. Alya’s mother is a high-end chef, but her father a zookeeper. The only known parent with a clearly upper middle class vocation is Alix’ dad.

Now look at the parents with real money. Gabriel, the story’s main villain. Tomoe, seemingly interested somehow in what he’s doing. Ditto Audrey, and these three all treat their children with what is at best abuse born out of ignorance rather than malice. André Bourgeois, for all his flaws as both a man and a politician, is a presence of downright benevolence in that company, though his approach to parenting is not doing much good in combination with his wife’s everything.

(interesting exception: Jagged Stone, who as of S4 is frequently sorted into the Jerkass Parent Club because wow are you people coloured by living in places without public support of single parents even though Anarka clearly has the money to supply her children’s trash garage band with professional sound equipment. The show does not seem to define him as upper class even though he lives in the most luxurious hotel in Paris and has a private helicopter and a pet crocodile he feeds live ponies or whatever)

With Zoé’s introduction to the story, I’m stupidly interested in seeing how she’ll factor into this. Because the for all that the Adults With Money are bad, it’s notable that the Kids With Money are generally depicted as victims of their class.

Adrien is a social outsider not because he’s ridiculously rich, but because he has been and still is isolated from his peers. I don’t think the issue of money is ever mentioned about Kagami, but the family business is one that clearly demands funds. Both of them are suffering because of their family money. Adrien’s class belonging is the argument used for locking him away from the rest of the world, and Kagami’s family tech being her jailer very much suggests that the same applies to her.

The contrast is Chloé, who pretty much defines herself by her family’s money. She flaunts her expensive clothes and accessories, her exclusive dance school, her personal chef. She shamelessly uses her money to get her will, and is far from averse to turning to her father’s political power which she at least claimed came across becaues of his personal wealth. But the show is clear that this dysfunction, too, is the result of Bad Adults With Money. Chloé is miserable and Chloé utterly lacks the insight to what it is that will make her happy, because the adults in her life have taught her that money and fame are the only things defining a person’s value (and that’s why Adrien is the only person who can be her friend). Only the remarkable are worth of love and attention, and the only remarkable about Claudine, dear, is her mother. On the other hand, the father whose only way of caring is to bend over backwards to her every demand.

(and boy oh boy, the things to be said about the contrast in what Adrien and Chloé want from their fathers, and how said fathers go about giving and not giving them those things. This is the reason I ship Gabriel/André. Because Adrien needs a father who will love him and Chloé needs a father who will tell her no)

So I’m very, very curious about Zoé, sprung from the same roots as Chloé but going by the previews, clearly come out different. Is she a victim like Adrien and Kagami? Since she presumably escaped the poisonous worldview that Chloé didn’t, what was it that made the difference? Since she seems to be older, did she just have the chance to grow up? Were she somehow given the chance to recognise that her mother is an awful, awful person? Or will she just be what only Prince Ali has been before her - the person whose inescapable upper class belonging has become a vessel for doing good.

Because the show hasn’t exactly been subtle about the moral that we should probably be eating the rich, or at the very least their parents.

#miraculous ladybug #ml meta #mlb meta #blah #ml spoilers #mlb spoilers

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sweetcloverheart · 2 years

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Unpopular Opinion Time

I mean, I whined talked about my thoughts on Ladynoir, might as well talk about the other side of the love square.

I feel with Adrinette, it has the opposite issue that Ladynoir has - because where as the latter seems adamant in never hinting at or showing us what exactly Ladybug would/could think of dating Chat (outside of jokes), the show can’t seem to get enough of shoving it down our throats how in the former, Adrien doesn’t see Marinette as anything other than part of the gang, his heart forever stuck on Ladybug.

I mean, fair is fair in that it’s not like there’s no basis for the behavior - Adrien grew up sheltered, raised in his little bubble with only his dad, Nathalie, Gorilla, and Chloe (and once upon a time, his mother). He’s only just now be given the ability and chance to interact with other kids his age and develop his social skills. Having grown up with those limits, I can reasonably believe that he wouldn’t raise a brow to Marinette crush-induced social anxiety around him and just think of it as simply normal kid behavior, or at least thought so back in the earlier episodes. Marinette doesn’t make things easy on herself either - yeah, she’s tried to confess more than once, but she often ends up being her own worse enemy by either overthinking her plans to confess or chickening out last minute either due to shyness, fear of rejection, or ultimately deciding her superhero duties are more important, playing along with his “just friends” comments despite how heartbreaking hearing that is for her.

And it’s not like there hasn’t been progress - they started the series as acquaintances/classmates, only really interacting based on coincidence or their classmate’s meddling, and have now as of the recent seasons upgraded to actual “friends”. They’ve had ship moments, even when they had tried “moving on” from their crushes on each other(’s secret identities) and dating other people (Which...has it’s own set of problems, but this isn’t about that, so let’s move on). Marinette’s trusted him with a miraculous twice now ( the second time causing her to get taken advantage of with Felix), while Adrien’s compared her to his mother, and even felt close/comfortable enough to confess about feeling trapped and how much he dislikes Gabriel’s controlling parenting in “Risk” (even if you ignore the “under Akuma influence” part). Even if we’re no closer to a confession, I can at least say their relationship has moved up a level compared to “Origins”.

But despite all that, the show just doesn’t seem interested in allowing her to move into his potential partner hemisphere. No matter what Marinette does, what schemes the girl squad cooks up for her, how many ice creams Andre the Icecream dude gives, the amount of “double dates that are obviously double dates” Ayla and Nino bring him on, or how often the class and city proper coos over how they’d make a fine couple - Adrien never gets a clue or is slightly swooned. He’s forever trapped in the endless cycle of seeing Marinette very clear and obvious courting attempts as “just friend” things and her as his good buddy who for some reason constantly gets tongue tied around him and trips on air the minute she make eye contact with him.

And it’s not like Adrien doesn’t understand what it means to be flirted with/crushed on - Chloe is unabashedly open about liking him (and is beyond possessive about it), touching him affectionately and calling him “hers”. And while you could argue that he likely doesn’t view her actions as romantic either due to being childhood friends and therefore seeing her behavior as normal for her, the fact the he shows clear obvious discomfort with her flirting and touches and states such means he seems to know how she feels, or at least that her feelings for him (as a friend or a crush) are prompting the behavior. Similar happens with Lila when she tries to manipulate her way into a relationship with him, and gets flustered when she tries to imply they’re dating in “Volpina” (mostly because he doesn’t want Ladybug thinking that). There’s also Kagami, who was extremely blunt and direct with her feelings towards him. She made it clear she was interested in a relationship with him, and he wasn’t completely ignorant about her intentions. Twice we’ve had him mistakenly think another girl was interested in him romantically as a super hero (”Weredad” and “Rocketear”), and while those were played for laughs and ship drama in the latter’s case he was at least shown to be able to notice (even incorrectly) when someone shows interest in him. He can also tell when someone’s not interested in him, considering his determination to make Ladybug fall in love with him and constantly trying to woo her, and eventually respecting her wishes to stop flirting at inappropriate times and not encourage the citywide shipping of them in “Glaciator 2″ (though we all saw how that went after). We have also been shown that dense as he can be and despite his lack of understanding social cues, Adrien is not stupid - He knows what flirting looks like, he knows what someone being interested in him (supposedly) looks like, and he knows how to have crushes on people. Even if he can’t figure it out and is honest to god fooled by her “pretending” he doesn’t send her heartrate skyrocketing while dismissing her verbal flubs and other people pointing it out, he should have noticed she only acts this way around him and him specifically for a reason at some point.

And yet, confusingly (and often frustrating), he seems to constantly have big fat blinders on for Marinette and her crush on him. Like, no one is being subtle about how she feels about him, least of all the girl herself. Are you telling me it genuinely doesn’t occur to him that Marinette might like him more than a friend/fan after four seasons? And if not that, am I supposed to believe he doesn’t consider her a potential girlfriend in spite of all the time they’ve spent together as civilians? He was okay with and willing to start dating Kagami (who directly pursued him true, but he still said yes) to start moving on from his (assumed) one-sided crush on Ladybug, and honestly believed he managed to charm Marinette and Ayla into having crushes on him as Chat Noir (and was openly shocked about the former since he thought “Chat Noir isn’t her type”, implying he’s aware at least of what type of guy she might like/doesn’t like Chat Noir romantically). He flat out compared her smile to his mother’s even. The fact that he can think these things but not “hmm, my buddy Marinette’s looking cuter than normal recently.” or “Weird, I feel super warm holding hands like this with Mari for some reason...” or even “When I was with Marinette, I didn’t think about my crush on Ladybug at all...” is baffling. His own ex gets to call/think of her as “cute” more than he does!

There’s also the issue of the fact that when we do finally do get to finally see Adrien view Marinette in a romantic light, it’s only after she reveals herself as Ladybug. There’s no conflict about the feelings, no struggle over the fact that his desk neighbor/”good friend” turned out to be his hero partner and the girl he’s been in love with for ages, or even time taken away to internally-debate over if his love is still genuine with this discovery or slowly building up to viewing her the same way he had her superheroine persona - he just jumps straight into dating her, no questions asked. He never considered Marinette a dating option, even when he was actively trying to get over Ladybug, but the minute he realizes she and the object of his affections are one and the same, he immediately transfers the crush over to her, which doesn’t say good things about the ship if the only thing that can get Adrien to even think of Marinette as a potential romantic partner is her being/being related to his crush on Ladybug. At least Mari was allowed/given the time to mull over the Chat=Adrien reveal in “Ephemeral” and actually think about if not liking Chat romantically meant her feelings for Adrien weren’t valid anymore, and even Luka was allowed some minor conflict upon learning Marinette was Ladybug in “Wishmaker” (not that the show makes proper use of it latter). In the two (direct) reveals, Adrien just immediately circumvents any and all awkward feelings he should be having so he can finally get the girl like he wanted, even though he should be thinking about what this implies with his crush being someone he barely paid attention to in the past/recently made friends with. And while you can interpret this as Adrien simply being able to reconcile the fact that both Marinette and Ladybug are the same heart and soul more easier because he sees the similarities more clearly than Marinette does with him and Chat (He did call Marinette “Paris’s Everyday Ladybug after all) and just comes to/start loving and appreciating her more because of it, it also kind of carries this bad implication that Adrien just sees Marinette as a vehicle to fulfill his love for Ladybug since he would have never even thought of dating her until he knew she was the other (and oh boy is this blatant in “Chat Blanc” when you think about how Adrien justified dating her civilian self because of knowing her secret identity while withholding his own)

As stated in the previous post, I get the main ship is supposed to be slowburn. And yes, I can accept a dense love interest (Hell, “Idiots in Love” is one of my of my bread and butter tropes) - but it’s been four seasons and a year in canon! Are you seriously expecting me to believe that in that entire time, Adrien hasn’t once considered either Marinette being a potential girlfriend or even her liking him as a civilian? Even after getting a girlfriend of his own? Even after having to openly “turn down” Marinette in “Weredad” when he mistakenly thought she was in love with him as Chat Noir? Even after her near-accidental “prank” confession and almost kissing him in “Puppeteer 2”? Even after she let him drag her around all of Paris in her pajamas and spent his mother’s death anniversary with him? Even after their fake rehearsal confession/date in “Glaciator 2”? Even with how constantly and often he discusses his crush on Ladybug with Plagg (Who knows Ladybug is Marinette, and so ought to know she’s in love with him with how often he and Tikki hangout in their “off hours” - which in that case should be even more of a reason to tell him that Marinette likes him, or at least encourage him to go after her!)? Even with how unsubtle and blatant their class - hell, entire freaking city of Paris actually, is about how much they ship the two (in and out of costume) and how often the show pulls out “they should totally be dating” and “You make such a cute couple!” and “Those two are meant to be.”!

And it’s not that I hate Adrien slowly building his way from stranger to friend to potential lover - honestly, the scenes/episodes where Adrien and Marinette are able to just effing vibe and be good buddies despite some minor awkwardness without her either being embarrassed eight ways to Sunday because of shipping shenanigans gone wrong or because she’s still not able to exist in the same breathing space as him despite having become “good friends” now is good, because they’re fun interactions and show progress in their relationship growth. I also know that season 5 will likely give us more relationship build up for the two of them and might have Adrien actually think romantically of Marinette without Ladybug being involved. I know the ship is canon and that it’s going to happen eventually - but it doesn’t stop the frustration of seeing all of Marinette’s efforts come to nothing, and sucks the fun out of watching the buildup when the writers come in with a blatant show of how unaffected Adrien is by this development/change/ship-teasing, as if roughly elbowing us while going “LOL look at how dense Adrien is poor idiot still doesn’t get it!”

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sugarcubetikki · 3 years

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Marinette Isn’t A Mary Sue.

At least a half of her salters constantly complain about how Marinette’s a Mary Sue and use this as a reason to justify their hate of her character (Ironically, the other half keeps complaining about how her flaws are really really bad). There are a number of so-called “justifiable reasons” on why she’s a Mary Sue. And I’ll just say that I don’t agree with any of them. These reasons can range from “absolute nonsense. are you even watching the show?” to “I can see why you’d think that but you’re ignoring this aspect.” I’ll be breaking down each and every claim that I know of to tell you why exactly I disagree.

Marinette never faces the consequences of her mistakes

This is one of the reasons I downright disagree with and think is absolute nonsense. Marinette is very fallible. The show has portrayed that on multiple occasions. When she makes a mistake, she always faces the consequences and she tries to fix it. That element to her character is what makes her a great role model and it builds up majority of her character arc. I’m not sure what the salters who say this are exactly thinking, but it looks like they really need to re-watch the show.

I’ll give you a fine example. Ikari Gozen is one of my favourite exhibits of her fixing her mistake. She judged Kagami too quick. Based on some presumptions she had on her personality, her feelings towards Adrien and her own jealousy, she judged her intentions too quick and made some really bad choices that episode by trying to sabotage her. In the first half of the episode, a lot of us were quite irritated by Marinette’s behaviour, we genuinely felt bad for Kagami. Which is quite surprising as Kagami is an over-hated character and Marinette is the popular protagonist. But no. The show painted the first half in such a manner that we’d feel sorry for Kagami and reprimand Marinette’s actions. The show itself acknowledged that Marinette was on the wrong side in that moment. That she wasn’t perfect, she was in the wrong. Until Marinette finds out that Kagami had genuine intentions, that she only wanted to be friends with her, she feels bad. She feels really bad with the way she treated her previously. And she realises that her unfriendly treatment could potentially lead to Kagami getting hurt, and yes, it did happen. Kagami did get hurt. And Marinette almost lost the chance of becoming friends with Kagami in that moment. And she would have to live with that guilt for some time if her mother hadn’t called. When her mother called, Marinette stepped up and took the opportunity to prove to Kagami that she was a good friend. That she was sorry. And did want to be friends with her. She made a mistake, faces the consequences and steps up to fix them. The way her relationship with Kagami changes in the course of episodes is a really good example that tells us Marinette is fallible.

Marinette has way too many talents and achievements

Okay. This one is somewhat reasonable and I can see where people are coming from here. However, I still don’t think it accounts for her being a Mary Sue. Here’s why. In Miraculous World, not going to lie, everyone is pretty talented, they’ve all made crazy achievements. Do I need to list now?

Alya runs a famous blog: The Ladyblog. She even earned an interview with Nadia Chamack. Nino is a DJ. He appeared on a show and won! Marc and Nathaniel write/illustrate and publish comics! Ivan, Luka, Juleka and Rose are in a band: Kitty Section. They played live on TV! Adrien’s a teen model, multilingual, pianist, has great physical skills due to fencing and basketball. Even Lila has decent modelling skills, she works for Gabriel now. Kagami is an excellent fencer. That comes from the idea that she’s from a prestigious family world-renowned for fencing. Marinette is pretty close with Jagged because she designed his #1 album for him. Also, she won the contest for Gabriel and was recognised by Audrey Bourgeois. Max literally built a super-intelligent robot with emotions and everything.

So, what does that mean? They’re all Mary Sues and Gary Stu’s. No! We need to remind ourselves that this a kids show and there’s the aspect of encouraging kids to believe in working on their own talents, so they’re encouraged to do anything and push ahead for their dreams. Plus, it doesn’t portray that their talents come naturally, it shows that they work for them and developed these talents through practice.

Clumsiness and stuttering are Mary Sue traits

First of all, not every character that has these traits is a Mary Sue. It always depends on how these traits are represented. Her stuttering isn’t just there for no reason. It’s meant to display her difficulty with expressing her own feelings. We’ve had episodes with Marinette saying how it’s difficult for her to say what she feels. Episodes! And it isn’t just a meaningless detail. It represents her fear. Her fear of rejection. Her fear of being in a relationship and things going wrong. Her fear of many things. Her fear is the reason why she hesitates. Why she stutters. And it tells us that fear is completely natural. Fear in love is something that’s natural.

I'm so tired of not being able to just tell him how I feel! But I'm so scared, Tikki, always so scared he'll reject me.

What if he tells me that he loves me? Or that he doesn't love me? Or that he likes me, but not in that way -

Yeah. Don’t you dare tell me that this fear isn’t depicted in the show. It’s blatantly obvious.

As for her clumsiness, it represents her nervousness. It comes in the form of her fear to mess up. She’s clumsy when she’s nervous. And thus she’s afraid she can mess up due to that clumsiness and nervousness. In the Origins, her insecurity, her nervousness was all displayed in the form of her clumsiness, and she knows she displays her nervousness through clumsiness And she was afraid that her clumsiness could mess things up. That’s why she believed she was disaster-prone. And incapable of being a superhero. Because she was nervous and scared.

She gets too much screen-time

This one I really don’t get. How is having more screen time making her a Mary Sue? She’s the main protagonist. Of course, she’s going to get a lot of screen-time. Her endearing personality and active lifestyle molds the storyline of the show. She’s easy to follow along. If you’re comparing her to Adrien, I’ll say that...Adrien’s a mysterious and sheltered character. Giving him too much screen-time can get boring because he’s stuck at home all the time. We can focus on his family mystery but if the show does it too much, it ruins the mystery aspect of it. I adore Adrien getting screen-time with episodes focused around him too but I’m not going to expect him to get as much as screen-time as Marinette because his character is different, and him getting as much screen-time as her doesn’t work for the style and demographic. And claiming that she’s Mary Sue because of more screen-time is stupidity.

Encouraged jealousy and despising other girls around her crush is a Mary Sue quality

Firstly, the show never encourages Marinette’s jealousy. It doesn’t encourage it. Plus, she’s not jealous in every situation. Only in specific situation when she thinks there’s something off about the person like Chloe and Lila. In Volpina, Marinette had realised she had gone overboard with calling out Lila. And she did face consequences for it. Her akumatization. And she did try to fix her mistake in the end by apologising for overreacting. Lila was the one who turned her away that time. As for Kagami, her jealousy arc changed based on her attitudes about Kagami. During Frozer, she wasn’t jealous per say, upset but not jealous. Frozer made Marinette and Kagami misunderstand each other, that’s why they’re quite petty towards one and other for the next few episodes. In Animaestro, I don’t think Marinette would’ve been that petty if it weren’t for Chloe. But yeah, that episode isn’t one of her best moments. I’m not a fan of it either. In Ikari Gozen, these misunderstandings were cleared and so were the issues from Animaestro, and it’s fine now. On a overall, I don’t believe Marinette would get jealous around everyone. At least, not in a way where she would try to stop them from getting close to Adrien all the time. It depends on the person and situation.

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In conclusion, Marinette isn’t a Mary Sue. She’s fallible, has flaws, fears and works for her achievements. And that’s on point.

#sugar analyses #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #marinette dupain cheng #ml fandom salt #ml meta #ml analysis #character analysis #anti marinette salt #marinette is not a mary sue

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goggles-mcgee · 3 years

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Too Late: Adrien (Commission for miner249er)

Chapter 5 of the commission for @miner249er !

Previous Work

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The Seine became a comfort spot for Adrien after everything happened, his original comfort spot had been the top of the Eiffel Tower but with his ring gone, that wasn’t an option. Actually many places weren’t on his list of options any more due to his ring being gone and due to his identity as both Adrien Agreste: Teen Model and Heart Throb, as well as Adrien Agreste: Possible Accomplice to Hawkmoth and Mayura, and the possible face behind the cat mask, Chat Noir, became “known” after the whole Protector incident. Paris’s last akuma, and Adrien’s last normal day, last peaceful moment. He had been naïve before and hadn't even known it. He had tried too hard to get past the rose-tinted glasses his father basically prescribed he wore everyday and when he thought he had gotten rid of those he was too blind to notice the rose-tinted contact lenses he himself put in willingly every day after.

But those contacts had been dried and ripped and tossed in the trash. Now he couldn’t even take a simple walk without wearing a wig, clothes he never considered wearing before and some he knew his father wouldn’t approve of so there were some silver linings, and he would slightly contour his face and thank his old makeup artists for teaching him some makeup skills he could do himself. Plus it helped that he had been doing research on cosplaying and what it took to look like other people, tip number one was contouring your face, and that’s just what he did when he wanted to leave the house and have some alone time. True alone time, not supervised alone time with Simon, aka Gorilla, and not alone time at a distance with his mom, which he was so grateful to have back, but with the rumors surrounding his father and Nathalie and the way she came back on live TV, their alone time happened together.

It was wonderful to have his mother back, but it did not dull his pain. Not even her hugs or her kisses or her sweet words could pull him from the edge of his guilt-ridden thoughts. Every day, every damn day, he would think how this all was his fault. Maybe if he had been a better son, a better model, a better something, maybe his father wouldn’t have abused the Butterfly Miraculous the way he did. Maybe Gabriel, because even Adrien had to admit that the man was severely lacking in that department and had in a very long time, would have trusted him and told him what was going on. Then, perhaps, Adrien could have convinced his Father not to get Nathalie involved and to maybe let Ladybug help or even the Guardian. If Gabriel had just let his son in like Adrien had craved for so long, then maybe all this pain and anger wouldn’t be bleeding out of each and every pore of everyone in Paris.

Maybe then the Protector wouldn’t have had to...well, protect like she felt she had to. Adrien had never thought Marinette to be a scary girl, in fact, ‘Marinette’ and ‘scary’ in the same sentence seemed like something out of a parallel universe if anything. In his memories, because that’s all he had left of the girl, those and a broken arm and finger, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had always been happy and sweet and determined and so much more. Or, that was what he thought, that’s all he observed. He never took her sorrow or hurt seriously and it was that thought that had been plaguing him night and day ever since she went missing.

Her disappearance wasn’t the only ‘big’ thing that had happened in the honestly short amount of time he and his class encountered The Protector, he refused to call that akuma Marinette, there was just no way she thought of him and their classmates like that. There was no way. The only conclusion he could come to was that Gabriel had more control over the akuma than usual. Maybe even twisted her feelings into something darker. It has happened before...he’s sure of it. From what he knows about the Butterfly Miraculous, which was really not a lot even with his small crash course with Master Fu after he tried to make sense of everything, the Butterfly can enhance emotions. Who’s to say that he couldn’t twist those emotions? I mean...even Master Fu said he was tainting the Miraculous in ways that even he couldn’t predict. Maybe all that misuse could have changed it.

This could have been avoided . Was another constant thought that hung before him seemingly as a reminder. This should have been avoided.

Anger, no fury, overtook him but he managed to not let it out in a scream, or worse physically on something. He no longer had his usual outlet when his emotions got too big or too much, so he did the only thing he could remember his father teaching him. Mask it. Hide it all beneath a mask of indifference. Before he had hated it, hated the way Gabriel had sounded almost proud of the lesson he was giving his son, like it was one of his single most important pieces of fatherly advice he could bestow upon Adrien. Now though? Now it actually came in handy and Adrien loathed it, everything about it, but if he made a scene out in the open, it wouldn’t matter if he had a disguise on or not. People would stare, people would talk, people would try to help and he just could not handle any of that.

“We could all use you right now M’Lady…” He muttered to the air and himself, a part of him hoping that in some way the message would reach the girl he was thinking of.

That was another thing that was bringing him migraines if he thought too much about it, which he did, constantly. He didn’t just have to come to terms with the fact that one of his best friends had gotten akumatized and promptly went missing after said akumatization, or the fact Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur were basically determined to be the villains Hawkmoth and Mayura by public opinion and “coincidences” that looked an awful lot like proof, there was also the fact his mother literally rose from the grave...or from her coma that Adrien had no idea about, but to top everything off was the very real fact that Protector, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Multimouse, was actually Paris’s beloved heroine Ladybug. His mind was still trying to make it make sense. To make it all make sense. But it was that last bit that was still throwing him for a loop.

He just couldn’t seem to fuse the identities together. Both girls held importance in his life, just in different ways. There were so many memories that were thrown at him that were practically begging him to see, see how the two were actually one and the same. There was just this other part of him that refused to see it, refused to acknowledge it, because, and it was a bit embarrassing to admit even to just himself, he was mad that he had declared that he would know Ladybug anywhere. Adrien had even convinced himself that he would absolutely be able to know who she was beneath the mask if he had just seen her. Turns out he had seen her out of the mask more often than in and it hurt.

To make matters worse, if anything could even be worse , he bitterly thought as he kicked a stray stone, he was pretty sure his class knew or at least suspected he was Chat Noir after their shared Protector experience. Yet none of them said anything, there were no new rumors floating about, there were no news coverage about him in particular other than how Paris was sending his mother and him their prayers, others were not as nice and speculated they were both involved in his villainy. The biggest thing though was that no one was reaching out to him to talk about what happened, to talk about his injury and the fact that the akuma took his ring so openly in front of people, they reached out...just not for any of that. They gave their sympathy, their curiosity, their anger, but none of them asked him about being Chat Noir and it was killing him having to wait for the other shoe to drop.

If it even drops.

Adrien sighed harshly and burrowed deeper into the hoodie he had slipped on before he had snuck out of his house. While aimlessly walking he spotted a bench and promptly slumped onto it. One hand idly picked at the chipped paint of the bench while the other clutched his hoodie above his heart. It hurt. It hurt enough to make him cry and well, he was alone so why not just cry? The guilt, the shame, the anger, the loneliness, all of it had turned into some blob of a creature that took hold of his heart and squeezed. He had to close his eyes, he didn’t know why, but it felt like it was one of the only ways to get comfort. Again, he was proved wrong as he began to remember The Day of The Last Akuma as all of Paris had taken to calling it, Adrien referred to it as the day he failed Marinette.

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Adrien winced as Marinette had taken hold of both his hands in hers, the gesture would have been sweet if it weren’t for the pressure. “ Save it. I don’t want your superficial pity. You Adrien Agreste are the biggest liar I know next to Lila. You knew she was lying. You knew she was lying from the start seeing how Ladybug told you herself that Lila and her were not friends. Oh yeah I know about that, in the park, or how about when Lila was akumatized to be the Chameleon, which by the way Lila very unoriginal and I’m fairly certain you were akumatized on purpose but hey what proof do I have right? And she pretended to be you because she didn’t like what you had to say about her lying. Yet you still didn’t tell your so called friends about her, because you don’t care about anyone but yourself! I learned that the hard way. I believed you when you said we were in this together and that if we both knew then that was enough and that we should take the moral highroad. What a joke ! I am truly disgusted with myself for ever thinking I was in love with you. ”

His hands hurt but that was nothing compared to his heart when Marinette had finished her speech, but the hurt was outweighed by his confusion. Looking around he could tell that their classmates were not expecting Marinette’s words to him. Some were probably still reeling from her harsh words about them but all eyes were on him and Marinette, and they were wide, whether it be in hurt, horror, shock, or all of the above. It seemed like the stares didn’t bother Marinette in the least, but they sure were getting to Adrien. “ W-What? You love me? ”

The hollow laugh he had gotten in reply was like a stab to the heart, he could feel Plagg scratching at his shirt from inside his white overshirt, he knew he had to get out of there so he could transform but Marinette still had a grip on him. “ Men. Of course that’s the only thing you focus on. If you actually listened to me and were a decent human being for once in your pathetic sad model life, you would have noticed that I said, was . I was in love with you, but after everything? You’re nothing but an obstacle in my way. ”

“ Mari please- ,” Adrien tried to reason with her as he tugged at his hands gently to see if there was any slack, again he winced in pain when Marinette tightened her hold, her gaze never wavering from him. The fury in her eyes could practically melt him.

“ That is not my name! If I did go by that name again you would not get to call me that anyways, nicknames are a privilege, they are shared between friends. Last I checked, we’re not friends, maybe we never were to begin with, and that goes for all of you too! ” Marinette hissed out sharply as she finally tore her gaze away from Adrien and looked at their classmates, their friends. It was the first time since this whole situation started that Adrien felt he could breathe despite the fact his hands were in an iron-clad like clutch. He didn’t have the heart to look in the eyes of everyone to see how they took Marinette’s words.

“ Marinette, this isn’t you! You need to fight the akuma, it’s making you say these things I know it is! But if you just calm down and fight it I know Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here to save the day. ” Adrien rambled away, and if he had been paying attention, he would have seen the way Marinette’s spine had straightened, how the atmosphere and temperature felt like it had dropped, and the way her calm fury took a turn. No he missed that all in favor of trying to see if one of his friends would agree with him and help him calm Marinette down long enough for him to sneak out and transform so Chat Noir could heroically swoop in to save the day.

“ Did he say akuma? ” He heard Rose semi-whisper to Juleka who merely nodded in confusion.

“ Marinette doesn’t look like an akuma though …” Nathaniel mumbled meekly.

“ Have you sheep learned nothing? There is more to people than what meets the eye.” Marinette sing-songed, and it was brief, so painfully brief but enough to draw scared gasps from everyone in the class, Marinette’s eyes had flashed from their normal cheerful blue to a darker almost violet color and the whites of her eyes turned purple. Everyone scurried back, even Mlle Bustier, all except Adrien who was still caught in her grip near the doorway that they were now blocking, and Lila who was just staring at Marinette in interest and poorly acted out fear from her seat that used to be Marinette’s. Everyone was calling out to her and telling her to run to them but the girl continued to sit there “frozen” in fear. “ And it seems like you are finally opening yours. ”

“ Oh Marinette how did this happen to you? I thought you were better than this? To get akumatized over me and showing everyone your true nature! Don’t worry guys my best friend Ladybug will be here soon to rescue us. ” Lila gushed out, not catching the wary glances that some were giving her.

“ Oh Delilah, do shut up. ” Marinette harshly mocked in response, Lila looked as though she had been smacked, everyone else was confused, Adrien included. “ What? Oh you guys didn’t know? Liar Rossi’s real name is Delilah, so let’s add that to the growing list of wrongdoings of one Delilah ‘Lila’ Rossi .”

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief when Marinette released his left arm, only to freeze when he felt her grab his right forearm with one hand, and his right hand with the other. Her fingers were so close to his ring, his heart was racing and he could feel Plagg stiffen in panic as well. “ Stop. Marinette. I’m begging you. This isn’t the way to deal with things, this will only make everything worse! ”

Marinette’s attention was torn from Lila to him and Adrien felt like he couldn’t breathe, he was sweating, and he felt like anything he did or said next would give him away as Chat Noir but he had to do something. Master Fu trusted him with this. Ladybug probably trusted him with this too, sure Fu hadn’t told him why she was gone but maybe this was a test or something? Maybe this wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Hopefully this wasn’t as serious as Fu made it out to be, because if it was he was not doing good. At all. “ Worse? No Agreste, I’m making things better. I’m protecting the people of Paris one last time from all of you, but especially from Rossi. Her lies harm people, her very being brings harm upon anyone she meets, and will continue to do so if someone doesn’t stop her. If someone doesn’t protect them from her. Since you couldn’t have a spine and keep one simple promise to be in this together with me, I have become what I needed to be and what Paris temporarily needs me to be just for today. I am its protector, I am The Protector.”

The pressure around his arm increased and he could do nothing but gasp in pain and try to pull away even as he was forced on his knees due to the pain. It was at this point that Lila got up and edged back, seeming to finally understand the danger she was in. The danger she unleashed. Marinette, no, the akuma, the Protector didn’t even spare her a glance as she added more and more pressure. The pain had distracted him from what she was doing at the same time, taking his ring. He hadn’t even noticed when finally a SNAP! rung out in the classroom and a scream could be heard. It took him a while to realize it was his own till he was cradling his limp arm to his chest and crying. He could hear the others shouting and screaming, he couldn’t see their faces through his tears. “ Here’s another lie Delilah told, and it’s fairly recent, but Ladybug and Chat Noir will not be coming to the rescue this time.”

Adrien tried to pull himself together when he no longer felt the weight of his ring, a thought struck him and it only strengthened his resolve to pull himself together despite the pain. There was no doubt that The Protector took his ring, he just hoped his classmates were more focused on his arm breaking than the ring being taken since he was almost certain that the akuma was doing nothing to hide what she took. Which meant if the class wasn’t looking at him they possibly saw Plagg being sucked back into the ring. He heard more than saw the gasps and the panic that followed, but what confused him was the sound of glass breaking-a window most likely-and the presence of the akuma leaving from beside him. He felt people swarm him and ask him questions but all he could focus on was the pain.

________________________________________

He wiped the tears that the memory brought and stood back up to resume his walk. Eventually he found himself at the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie and he just had to go inside, he had to apologize to Tom and Sabine, he had to. It was his fault their daughter was missing. So he took in a deep breath and made his way up to their apartment, it took him longer to gather courage to knock but he did eventually do that. When the door was opened, the pit of guilt in stomach grew at the sight of Tom Dupain who looked like he hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest in weeks, nor had he taken the time shave, his beard taking Adrien back to when he had been akumatized into Papa Garou. Beside him, the always put-together Sabine Cheng had bags under her eyes, she was wearing what was obviously one of Tom’s t-shirts and it looked like she hadn’t brushed her hair that morning. He took one look at them and broke down in a fresh wave of tears.

“I’m so sorry!”

Next Chapter

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anxresi · 3 years

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I could line my wall with all the posts Thomas has made about Chloe tonight. (around 50, by my count)

If you wanna read them, don’t bother.

I certainly won’t be sharing any of them

What would be the point?

Because basically, they amount to one thing...

Chloe is bad, and we’re bad people for liking her.

That’s it.

And for anyone thinking that he kids around a lot with his comments...

I’m pretty sure this is something he feels VERY strongly about.

Or he wouldn’t expand so much energy in constantly talking her down.

So no, I don’t think we’re going to get a Chloe redemption.

No, I don’t think she’ll be Queen Bee again.

No, I can’t see any real change in her behavior.

She’ll just remain the same ol’ hatable Chloe, the ‘evil’ girl that young kids apparently ‘get’ that adults don’t understand...

Yep, apparently we’re ‘dumb’ for wanting her to improve and develop!

To provide a good example for bullies out there that they can be more than just abusers all their lives!

Children couldn’t possibly grasp the delicate subtleties of self-improvement as you grow up!

It’s all so clear now!

Stupid us!

Also, her merchandise doesn’t sell very well.

Another good case for her staying as a villain, I guess.

And she’s compared to a monster and a domestic abuser.

This damaged teenage girl.

Yeah, sounds about right.

And all those tender moments where she showed empathy and love were just ‘fake outs’ all along.

Makes total sense!

And anyone who wanted more from her is just ‘delusional’ and is ‘writing the show in their head’.

Exactly!

Except...

That’s not the way it seemed on screen at all.

When she hugged Miss Bustier

Or had a heart-to-heart with Ladybug

When she risked her life as Queen Bee

Showed genuine concern for Adrien

When she finally appreciated Jean-something

And shared moments of friendship with Sabrina

These did NOT come across as part of an elaborate plot twist

From a show which isn’t exactly known for its complex writing.

They seemed to form part of a ladder...

Which would inevitably climb to a true character shift.

Where this flawed teenage girl could take a long, hard look at her life.

And realize she didn’t HAVE to be like her awful mother.

Or as power-hungry as her father.

She could learn lessons from her favorite superhero Ladybug...

Become a better person...

And an even greater superhero.

She could still keep her sassy attitude.

Just be a bit kinder and selfless, that’s all.

But, nope.

EVERY bit of niceness we witnessed on screen...

None of it was real.

It was all influenced by ‘class’.

Even her childhood friendship with Adrien was nothing.

If he was as poor as the rest of his classmates, she would’ve bullied him too.

Straight from Thomas’s own mouth.

One of the best relationships in the show, gone just. Like. THAT.

He also said to ‘redeem’ her at this stage would be too ‘unconvincing’?

ORLY?

I hate to return to critical mode...

But the show ain’t exactly known for its consistent writing.

One minute Marinette is confident around Adrien...

Next she’s a nervous jumble of words.

It sets up two new ships for Mari and Adrien with great fanfare...

Only to ditch them both two eps later.

(Also, what the **** did they plan to do with Lila?!)

In other words, this isn’t a show that plays the long game

Whether this is to satisfy the networks’ demand to air the eps out of order idk.

The point is that trying to tell us that Chloe’s ‘arc’ was some grand scheme...

Where she’d have a few sympathetic moments only to emerge worst than ever afterwards....

I simply don’t believe it.

Either this is terrible, amateurish writing of the worst kind...

Or Thomas flexed his influence behind the scenes...

And put an abrupt end to Chloe’s development before it really got started.

It doesn’t really matter which reason I guess.

What DOES matter is this petty and spiteful man sees fit to bash her in around 70% of his online interactions right now.

He could just ignore the posts but nope, he goes right in there, full throttle.

You can just tell how smart he is with his intimate psychological breakdowns of why Chloe is the way she is...

When we all know the actual reason... he just couldn’t be bothered.

Far better to create a whole new character, give her none of the depths that could make a developed Chloe such a pain to write...

And then 'reward’ her with the position of Queen Bee, for being super-sweet and as shallow as a puddle.

And oops, make her Chloe’s half-sister or whatever to further rub salt in Chloe stans’ wounds.

Is the show even gonna tackle the angst that would arise from Mayor Andre discovering his beloved wife had an affair?

Or Chloe discovering her much-loved mother is in fact a cheat?

What about coping with the SHOCK revelation that she... GASP... has a long-lost sister?

Forget it. All that rich potential for human emotions sounds B O R I N G.

Don’t forget that if there’s a major event in this show that doesn’t include the words ‘Love Square’, the makers just don’t care.

Let’s cut straight to a giant golden Zoe (who now looks like a giant golden Chloe) trying to smoosh her now much smaller sister...

While Chloe pushes Marinette and her parents towards the beast to save herself.

Because of course she does.

Never misses a trick to make Chloe look bad, does Thomas.

It’s a skill you can tell he’s very proud of.

Anyway, back to Zoe...

Despite my harsh words above, I harbor no ill-will towards you.

Your design is decent and you seem like a stand-up gal.

But I hate to say this...

You shouldn’t exist.

It was completely unnecessary from a storytelling POV to create a sibling for Chloe, and your mere presence will diminish the show.

I can say this with utmost confidence after looking at the situation from every conceivable angle...

Without even needing to watch your eps or know why you were created.

(Although, I have a pretty good idea)

Some people might say WELL GIVE HER A CHANCE!!!!

Hmm... no.

Everything the show needs to be successful with Chloe’s character...

It’s already right there.

She does not need a secret sibling

She does not require a sweeter counterpart

And she definitely DOESN’T need Thomas constantly bashing her to impressionable fans online like she’s the Antichrist personified!

Seriously dude, if you hate her so much why bother creating her?

And if you hate her so much... why spend so long talking about her?

Despite his repeated denials, I think something another user here said is very true...

She DOES live ‘rent free’ in his head.

It sickens him that, despite his best efforts, she still has so many fans.

Not to worry, Thomas.

From what I see, there are still plenty of sycophants who agree with everything you say (even if they actually don’t)

After all, it’s enough for some to get a reply from the ‘great man’ himself

Why jeopardize that by trying to engage with him in a meaningful debate?

Especially when we know how handsy he is with the ‘block’ button.

Anyway, this went on for about a thousand more words than I meant it to.

I guess me and Thomas have just ONE thing in common (Thank God)

This is a topic which we both feel VERY strongly about.

The differently is of course, I have far less power in the process, and preach to a much smaller audience.

Still, I won’t let that stop me ranting away like a loon.

Hey, if it’s good enough for him... ;)

#miraculous ladybug #chloe bourgeois #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #adrien agreste #ml salt #ml rants #lila rossi

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sourstiless · 3 years

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im tired of people saying adrien only falls in love with marinette because she’s ladybug. that’s shallow as fuck and also just not true ?? also tired of seeing people think marinette only likes adrien because he’s a model, and that he’s pretty, because that’s also shallow and untrue.

i’m going to put this under a cut just because it’s longer than i thought it was gonna be. tldr at the end.

he cares so much for marinette, and the only reason he doesn’t realize why she likes him is because she isn’t being forward with her feelings. his love language is words of affirmation. he believes that if you love someone, it’s important to tell them that you do. hence in the puppeteer episode:

ladybug: if i mean so much to you how is it so easy for you to say these nice things to me? even in the worst situations. the really important things are the hardest to say, aren’t they?

chat noir: it’s precisely when something is important that it’s important to say, no matter what.

words of affirmation being adrien’s primary love language probably stems from being raised in a neglectful household. while emilie is assumed to be more loving and caring, we can gather from context clues that gabriel has always been somewhat distant and absent. adrien alludes to this when he says his father gave him the same gift for 3 years and his mother only died a year ago. he never really got that verbal love and appreciation form his dad, and that’s all he really longs for, so he gives that to the people he loves as a result.

on the other hand, marinette’s love languages are acts of service and receiving gifts. she primarily feels like the best way to express your love is by doing things for others, and gift giving. we see this through the massive amount of presents she has ready for adrien, as well as how she freaks out about getting something for her dad for his birthday. because of this mix up in love languages, the way they express their love for each other doesn’t come off as love to each respective character.

adrien doesn’t believe he loves marinette, or has a hard time admitting he likes her in that way, because he doesn’t believe she could possibly like him. he makes it clear in the puppeteer 2 that he believes it’s most important to tell someone you love and appreciate them, and marinette can hardly utter a full sentence around him. because she fumbles her words and has a hard time communicating how she feels, paired with the fact that he doesn’t understand most social cues, he doesn’t believe she likes him, and therefore convinces himself he does not like her that way.

however, this can be easily debunked by scenes throughout the show. he tells her that she’s their “everyday ladybug”. remember, ladybug is supposedly the person he is completely in love with. he compares his very good friend marinette, to the lady he loves. when marinette is forced to sit in the back of the classroom, he looks at her with such admiration and love, and willingly goes to sit in the back to be next to her. on the other hand, he completely avoids lila.

while on the topic of lila, when she lies to get into his house and nathalie and gorilla are reprimanded for it, he’s upset. he tells lila he’ll still help her, but not if she hurts the people he loves. then the episode “ladybug” comes around and she hurts marinette, and he’s not just upset, he’s angry. adrien is very easy going and willing to be friends with people because he wants to see the best in them. it takes a lot for him to end his friendships, as seen with chloe, and he threatens his friendship with lila because of what she did to marinette. these scenes accompanied by all of the scenes where he just looks at her like he’s completely head over heels (i.e. the shanghai special, the new york special, the dance in despair bear, trouble maker when he watches the show for marinette, etc.). he just doesn’t realize his feelings because he doesn’t think marinette could possibly like him, and he’s afraid of losing what he already has if he confesses and she rejects him.

on this opposite side with marinette, her love languages, as stated before, are acts of service and receiving gifts. marinette doesn’t like adrien because he’s rich, or because he’s a pretty face. in fact she hates him when they first meet. it isn’t until he offers her his umbrella in the rain, that she begins to develop feelings for him.

her primary way to show people that she loves them is by giving them gifts, not by telling them. and because of this, there is often times confusion between her and adrien. they aren’t shallow, they’re just confused because they are unable to navigate their feelings in a productive way.

we know marinette doesn’t take words of affirmation “seriously” because of what she said in the puppeteer 2(the dialogue i already put earlier in the post). so while adrien is constantly reassuring her with his words, she doesn’t understand that that is the way he expresses his love and takes it with a grain of salt. when she’s ladybug, she doesn’t think that chat is being serious about his feelings because she has trouble verbally expressing her love. that results in her believing that people who don’t have trouble putting their love into words aren’t actually in love. she believes that the most important things are the hardest to say, so if it’s easy to say them then it’s not important.

tl;dr adrien and marinette do love each other (both as civilians and heroes) but because they don’t understand each other’s love languages, they’re confused about their status to one another.

#miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #chat noir #mlb meta #love langauges

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