#ladybug missing in action

[romancemedia]

Cartoon Romances + Caught on Camera!

[ladykyriaa]

SHE'S SO TINYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[floweryotter]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BEAU IS OVER??? I only knew because of @danismilek on IG... Omg...

[star-girl69]

Don’t Delete The Kisses

Clarisse La Rue x Fem!Aphrodite!Reader

—-

synopsis: after breaking someone’s heart as apart of your initiation into the aphrodite cabin, you don’t think love is meant for you after your cruelty. clarisse thinks you’re ridiculous.

a/n: my friend was talking about how like insane this song makes her and i was like oh so this is genius

Don’t Delete The Kisses - Wolf Alice

warnings: insecure and very sad y/n ☹️, so like yeah all of that stuff, very ooc clarisse but IDC, i hate everyone but you trope fr, more talking about our feelings which we know is very hard for clarisse, the usual mentions of death and weapons, all that demigod stuff, more clarisse wanting, clarisse is insane as always i love her my ladybug fr, swearing, mentions of food, crap ton of violence, broken noses, whole bunch of blood, teeth get knocked out, yeah, tell me if i missed anything!!

—-

“Well, did you do it?”

You wanted to sneak into the Aphrodite cabin silently, hoping your pink jacket would blend into the walls and hide you. But that was just wishful thinking. That was just something you whispered to yourself on the walk back to comfort your shaking body, wiping away the tears.

This is your initiation. They’re all sitting on their beds, waiting with eager eyes, greedy for a taste of someone else’s suffering, the comfort of knowing it’s not their own.

“Yes,” you say, pretending tears don’t rim your eyes.

You stand stall, shutting the cabin door behind you.

“I did it.”

Your sister Drew stands up and grabs your hand. You think she might comfort you. You think she might tell you Carter was in it all along, you didn’t really hurt him, it was all some elaborate prank.

Instead, she raises your hand up in the air and turns towards the rest of your siblings.

“Y/N!” she says, “Daughter of Aphrodite!”

Your siblings clap and cheer, smiling widely- one of the younger girls runs right up to you and hugs you, face in your stomach.

“You played him so good,” she giggles, pigtails swinging in the air. She is so naïve, so young, so unknowing. You wonder if you can give yourself amnesia if you slam your head into the column holding up the cabin.

You would do anything to forget this night. To forget the look on Carter’s face. He fell in love with you and you let your siblings guide you on what to do, what to say, you let them dress you up and and put pretty bows in your hair that he reached out to touch.

He thought he would end the night with a kiss, but instead he ended the night with your hand in his face, scoffing animatedly and asking “How could he ever think a daughter of Aphrodite could like him?”

You could feel his heart break, and you could feel your mother ghosting around the wind, you could feel the muscles in your face strain as your eyes filled with tears.

You wrap your arms around your younger sister and force yourself to chuckle.

“His face was so funny,” you say, but there was an unintended action to your initiation. Your heart broke too. You saw the look on his face- if that is how losing love feels then you never want to give yourself the chance to lose it.

Besides, it’s not like you could ever deserve love after this. The love your siblings crave but never quite get. True, encompassing, all-consuming love. After this night, after the hatred coiling up in your stomach like a snake, it’s just not meant for you.

—-

Everyone at Camp calls you princess.

It made you feel like a baby, weak, like you were nothing but a pretty face. But no matter how much you flinched at the nickname, grimaced when you found yourself answering to its call, no one stopped.

Your siblings all cooed and said it was so fitting, saying with curled lips that you were most definitely Aphrodite’s favorite. Your hair always fell in the most beautiful way, your makeup always stayed and looked beautiful, you know you can’t walk through camp without someone looking at you.

Especially after your charmspeak developed, you became a shell of yourself, scared constantly like you are just a walking knife, doomed to cut anyone you come near.

You’re not that different from your siblings- the only difference is you won’t ever lead someone on. You won’t ever make anyone thing they have a chance. Because you’ll never break someone’s heart again.

You’re still Aphrodite’s daughter, you still like to look pretty. So, you do your makeup and your hair, you revel in the feelings of eyes on you but you choose your words carefully.

But other than that, you despise love, your mother, everything about the Aphrodite Cabin.

But you suck it up, you let boys fix your posture, let them teach you to fight while they dream of kissing you, and you work silently and you wait to get out of this hellhole Camp.

You stay silent and you let them realize that you’re just simply not interested in a relationship. They’re sad, but their hearts aren’t broken.

Everybody calls you princess. But Clarisse says it differently.

Clarisse La Rue is probably the bane of your existence. She’s drop dead gorgeous, you would kill to run your hands through her curls, and she is the most talented person you know in battle. You’re pretty good, after all this silent training and the tips and tricks shared in vain, but she is a force.

She’s the one guilty pleasure you let yourself have. If only because you know she’s too strong to get hurt. So you let yourself look, keep a secret crush tight in your chest- only bursting out when you can’t stand it, and you just have to stare at her and revel in that for a second.

The thing about Clarisse is that she likes you. Which would be fine, you just tried to stay away, but she kept coming back for more and more until it became impossible to ignore her. It’s like you two were just doomed to forever be in love with each other, and you have to live with that and eat it like crow.

It’s not like she outwardly flirts with you. She just says your nickname differently. She caresses the words and says it softer. She doesn’t stare at you like everyone else- she looks at you. It feels amazing, your one guilty pleasure is to revel in her love from far away, but you make it clear that you don’t want a relationship and you never will.

Clarisse seems intent either to ignore that or wait you out. You don’t let her get close enough. You won’t break someone else’s heart.

Everyone calls you princess. You only like it when Clarisse says it.

—-

“Hi, princess.”

You don’t look at him, focusing on tying your shoes instead. “Can I help you?”

“Actually, I thought I could help you.”

You finish tying your laces, taking your foot up off of the bench and onto the ground. You grab your sword, hair tied back, tank top and stretchy pants. He looks you up and down. You do the same.

“Uh… Van, right?”

“Funny name so you won’t forget it, huh?” he winks, and you very obviously grimace.

“Ha, yeah.” You set your sights on a dummy currently not being attacked by a sword or spear and take a step forward.

“I noticed,” he starts, arm in front of you, stopping you from moving. “That the only weapon you don’t know how to use is the spear.”

You finally look at him. He’s wearing cargo pants and the orange camp t-shirt. His hand is plain and blonde, cut short, and his cheeks seem to be permanently flushed. He’s a son of Ares, pretty good fighter, but nothing else to speak for. Clarisse, at least, is the absolute best at almost everything she does- and she puts in the work to show it.

Van looks like he trains the minimum amount and gets by on his natural abilities as a demigod.

“Okay?” you say, wanting nothing more than to get away from him and go back to training. “I don’t get what you’re saying. And don’t flirt with me, either- one of my siblings would be happy to make out with you in a shed somewhere.”

“I’ll teach you,” he says, slightly exasperated. You finally notice he is, in fact, holding a spear. “Huh?”

You squint at him.

You do have a reputation in this camp. Part of the reason you’re called princess is because you’re standoffish and cold- people mistake it as you thinking you’re better than them. Really, you’re one of the worst people at this camp. You’re saving them from being tainted by association.

But every once in a while, someone will get it in their heads that soulmates do exist, and they’re the right person for you- and you’re mean and you shut them down, but that’s way before they fall in love. It hurts them, but not as much as it hurts you, not as much as it would hurt them if you gave them any ounce of attention.

The only person who keeps coming back for more sticks her spear into the ground next to you, fingers drumming against the wood.

“Van, you look fucking stupid.”

“Clarisse,” Van hisses, glaring at her. She glares right back, unimpressed. “Can you just go? Fuck.”

She raises her eyebrows. His spear hits the dirt before you can even comprehend that Clarisse kicked it out of his hands, and you have to admit- Clarisse is quick. Clarisse is good at what she does.

She pours everything she’s got into training- and pursuing you. You think it might just be a joke at this point, or something she finds fun, been doing it too long that stopping feels wrong. You would be lying if you said it wouldn’t be weird for her to stop. For both of you to stop whatever this is. This silent wanting.

“First of all, you are mediocre with a spear. Second, if Y/N wanted spear lessons she would come to me, right?”

“I don’t know,” you huff, walking away.

“Clarisse,” you can hear Van groan. “She was going to say yes until you ruined it.”

“Bro, she was not going to say yes. You’re welcome for saving your ass from even more embarrassment, Gods.”

“You’re just mad she doesn’t like you after you’ve been pining for years.”

She laughs, loud and boisterously, but there’s an edge to her voice, one of doubt, something like she’s scared.

“Oh, you’re fucking funny,” she says, and you can hear her slapping his shoulder. You stretch, risking a glance over your shoulder- Van is walking off and she’s looking at you.

But when your eyes meet hers, she quickly looks away. And you notice. You notice, but you do nothing about it. The way it’s always meant to be.

—-

The strawberry fields is the most beautiful place at camp. It’s where you feel something for your mother, because while gardening and plants are Demeter’s thing- finding beauty in the way the strawberry sits in your hand, the way the sun turns the sky into purple and oranges, the way the bright green trees stand out against that- it’s all your mother.

You can appreciate beauty here.

You see beauty everywhere, and you see love everywhere, but not the kinds your mother is famous for.

You’ve been picking strawberries for what seems like hours now, but it’s bearable under the setting sun and when you think about how good it will feel to finally sink into your bed.

“Y/N!” someone calls. “Princess!” you roll your eyes but stand up, turning around and putting your hand over your face to protect from the setting sun.

“Yeah?!” you shout back, squinting. You realize you’re alone in the fields.

“We’re heading back!” a Demeter girl, Sasha, says.

Your eyes flick to your basket that will only take a few more minutes to fill up.

“I’ll go back later!”

“Okay!” she shouts back, running off after everyone else.

You crouch back down, taking a deep breath before you begin ruffling through the leaves of the strawberry plant to find the juicy berries. You sneak a few as you work, shuffling down the line of plants. It’s so calm here. There’s no one to hurt. There’s nothing to be scared of.

When you stand up, there’s four figures standing by the shed. You gasp, bringing your hand to your chest, but Clarisse takes off her helmet.

“Princess?” she asks. “What’cha doin’ out here all alone?”

“Collecting strawberries,” you snort, full basket hitting your knees as you walk towards her.

“I see that,” she huffs. You notice Van behind her, and another sister, Carrie, a brother named Matty. “But what are you doin’ out here alone?”

You shrug, coming to a stop in front of the little group of Ares kids.

“Everyone else left.”

“It’s almost dark.”

“Not yet, though,” you smile sarcastically.

Carrie and Matty continue walking after they realize nothing fun is going to happen. You’re not gonna entertain them, so why would they care? But Clarisse and Van stay. You stare at Clarisse for a moment longer before finally looking away.

“You don’t have a weapon,” Van notes. “Smart to be out here alone?”

“Oh, relax,” you sigh. “We’re still in the barrier.”

You tighten your grip on the bucket and turn left, walking towards the shed. Clarisse is hot on your heels.

“And how do you know that? What if it had spontaneously, like, failed and shut down, or something.”

“Then I think everyone would be running around and screaming, because monsters would be crawling through camp. I would know.”

You place the bucket next to all the other buckets collected today- you’ll keep the good ones here over night, away from the animals and bugs and someone will collect them in the morning.

You stand up, rolling your wrists, wiping the sweat from your brow. You take the small cutters for the thicker branches from your pocket and throw it into the bin with the others.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, you can walk me back.”

“I jus’ think it’s stupid to be out here all alone,” she shrugs. You stare right past her, watching as the door slams shut. Was it windy?

Clarisse whips around, but sees it’s just the closed door. You frown, Clarisse steps forward.

“Sorry, Clarisse!” Van shouts from outside, and that’s when you hear the lock sliding into place. Your eyes widen as you realize what he’s done.

“Van, what the hell?!” Clarisse shouts, trying the knob. The door stays firmly shut. She slams her shoulder into it, but this place was built strong to protect from the elements, from all the little animals hungry for strawberries. “Let us out right fucking now, I swear, Van!”

“I can’t!” he says back, sounding sort of pained. “I just couldn’t get her alone!”

“Me?!” you yell, feeling increasingly trapped and claustrophobic. You shove Clarisse out of the way and rattle the doorknob, but it really is locked. “I didn’t do shit to you! Let me the fuck out!”

“For Carter!”

You take a step back. Your face falls from anger and anxiety into pure and utter turmoil. Your chest squeezes like it does every time you think about him. You carry the pain and the regret so heavily you doubt you’ll ever get rid of it. You’ll always be like this, rotting in your head, watching your beauty fade away and everyone give up on you.

Will you finally be free then? If you scream and take a knife to your face, make yourself unrecognizable, will everyone finally leave you alone then? Can you be something other than this stupid camp’s stupid princess?

But it’s wishful thinking. You’re a daughter of Aphrodite, and you were born to be beautiful, and you were born to be alone.

“Van, I’ll fucking kill you. Let. Us. Out.”

“Sorry!” he shouts, and you hear his footsteps in the dirt, running away while Clarisse screams for him to come back here.

You take a deep breath but it all comes crashing down like a dam breaking. All of the anger, the regret, the fear, it all comes pouring out until you’re sobbing into your hands in the middle of the shed.

Clarisse stops trying to break through the door. It’s painfully tense for a moment, nothing besides the crickets and the sounds of your sobs. You end up sitting on half-empty bags of fertilizer and mulch in the corner- although it’s not really used much, sometimes the Demeter kids like to experiment- it’s the most comfortable thing in this shed.

You’re 17 now, and you broke Carter’s heart when he was 13 and you were 12. You wake up and you feel your guilt like you feel the sun on your face- it’s your morning routine to stare at yourself in the mirror and know that you are the blessed one who doesn’t deserve it. You beg to be free, but this is your punishment.

“I’m sorry,” you cry out, “How does he not know I’m sorry?”

You never said it to him, of course- your siblings had told you Aphrodite would curse you if you said you were sorry, and you were 12 and scared so you shut up and you stared at him from afar, your first love and your first heartbreak. Could he not see the way you hated yourself? The way you hated everyone?

Why couldn’t anyone see that you weren’t a princess? You were a demon, so wicked you were worthy of being Hades’ right hand minion.

Clarisse sits down heavily next to you. She doesn’t say anything. She waits until the sobs start to ebb like a wave, until the worst is over.

“I’m sorry,” you say, one final time. Maybe the wind will take pity on you and carry your words to him. You wish it would, but why? Why do you deserve it? Your nails dig into your palms, leaving blood red moons.

“Why are you sorry?” Clarisse breathes, seeming more genuinely curious then demeaning. “Who’s Carter?”

You miss the way her lip curls around the name.

“I can’t tell you,” you moan, because Clarisse is the only person who actually gives half a fuck about you, and it feels so nice to have her eyes on you- not in the way everyone else does. They admire you, despise you, she appreciates you. She stares at you from afar and you both know that you want more, but she’s content to stare and you’re content to let her.

She laughs. “Yes, you can. I wouldn’t even care if you killed someone named Carter. But seeing as you escaped punishment from Chiron, and you only got locked in a shed, it’s probably not that bad.”

When you look up at her you can feel the mascara streaming down your face. You’re sure you look like a raccoon, and you can see how unnerving it is for her to see you- always so calm and put together- reduced to tears by a single name.

“I’m a daughter of Aphrodite, Clarisse.”

“I know,” she says, although it sounds like a question.

You stare at her, not able to say it, trying to convey to her with your eyes. You can practically see the cogs turning in her head as she thinks about the Aphrodite cabin.

“Oh,” she says. A few tears fall down your face. “The initiation thing- you have to break someone’s heart, right?”

“Yes,” you say, bitterly, resisting the urge to throw something and have a tantrum. You press your hands into your eyes, breathing heavily. “That stupid, stupid initiation. I hate being her daughter. I hate being like this.”

The hug starts out awkward. Clarisse places her arm lightly around your shoulders, starts mumbling apathetically that it’ll be okay. It’s not that she doesn’t care or anything, you’re both just foreign to what it’s like to feel this way for someone.

And it feels good to have someone touching you, so before you can stop yourself you’re shoving your way in her arms. She stiffens, sits up straight as your tears stain her orange camp shirt. But after a moment she hugs you back just as fiercely, with just as much desperation. She doesn’t say anything, probably because she doesn’t know what to say, and you can’t even comprehend your embarrassing, secret, unrealistic guilty pleasure of a crush is hugging you right now.

You’re too focused on the way she shushes you softly, her arm against your waist, the other around your shoulder- thumb drawing circles on your skin.

You’re too focused on the way she feels against you to even care about how awkward this will be later.

Finally, when night has really fallen and the wind starts to howl, you let go of Clarisse.

“Sorry,” you mumble, body locking up, staring firmly at the ground. Your face is caked in runny makeup- you feel as disgusting as you’re sure you look.

“It’s okay,” she says, hesitating for a moment before she stops touching you. “I, uh, I don’t think you should hate yourself.”

You scoff. Both at the ridiculousness of her stuttering and what she’s saying. “Whatever,” you mumble.

“No, I’m being serious.” She seems a little firmer now, like she really believes what she’s saying. But she doesn’t know you. “You shouldn’t hate yourself. Like, what do you even mean, you “hate being like this?’ What’s this?”

“I’m a monster, Clarisse. Literally, a fucking monster. I’m a horrible person, and yet everyone walks around and calls be princess because, what? I’m pretty? You can still be Aphrodite’s favorite and a monster. Maybe I am her favorite for a reason. Because of what I did.”

“A monster? Really?”

She looks at you like you’re the stupidest girl in the world. And Gods, coming from someone like Clarisse does that hurt.

You stare her down like you’re not about to cry. You squint so the tears won’t come, digging your nails into your palms to distract from the feeling in your stomach.

“I asked him to meet me at night. He told me he thought he loved me, and I laughed in his fucking face and said how could he ever think that I would love him? Who does that? Who is so fucked in the head?”

You look at her face, slightly twinged with disgust, and it feels good. It feels good to drive someone else away. To save them from yourself.

“This is my punishment. My life. And I hate it, but I know it’s what’s meant for me. I’ll never be loved. No matter how beautiful I am. I won’t let myself, I won’t hurt someone else. I don’t deserve it.”

She grabs your hand. You look at her, and she’s still so disgusted, so why is she touching you? Why is her face morphing into concern? Why does she still look at you like you’re this precious thing? Why do you like it? Why do you crave her like air?

“You don’t deserve this,” she says.

Why isn’t she listening to you?

“I don’t, Clarisse. Just- jus’ stop, please.”

But it finally hits you why she’s so disgusted. It’s not what you did, it’s the way you think about yourself.

“You came to camp when you were 12, right, so that’s when you completed your initiation? So, you were 12. You were 12 and listening to your older siblings. You were 12 and you made a mistake, and you’ve spent years and years punishing yourself over it. Most of the people at camp are blind, Y/N, but I’m not. I see the way you treat yourself, and that- you just don’t deserve that.”

“Fine,” you mumble, feeling a little breathless. “Maybe I was 12. But it’s too late. Everyone at camp thinks I’m a bitchy fucking princess.”

She smiles. “Well, you are.”

You throw her hand off of you and pretend to glare at her, but you’re smiling.

“You are a princess, Y/N, let me help you see it.”

Clarisse is your secret crush. She was a comfort for lonely nights, someone to think about when you were eating alone at dinner. And it didn’t help that she would stare at you while you imagined her sitting across from you. Clarisse is your secret crush, locked up in your chest and waiting to burst out like a cuckoo clock.

Clarisse is your secret crush, unrealistic and wishful thinking- but the way she looks at you right now makes it real.

The door clicks open.

“Oh,” Sasha, the girl yelling at you earlier says. “Sorry- I forgot my… uh…”

You quickly stand up, pushing Clarisse away from you. Sasha moves to the side and let’s you through the door. Against your better judgement, you stop and look over your shoulder.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow, princess.”

—-

The next day, after waking up and realizing what happened yesterday wasn’t a bad dream, Clarisse is really doing something this sweet for you, you’re ready to forget it all ever happened and sit alone as you usually do.

You stand at the edge of the pavilion, searching across the tables for an empty one-

“Y/N!” Clarisse yells. She looks at you expectantly, and you notice the empty seat next to her.

Oh. She wants you to sit with her.

As beautiful and sweet Clarisse is, you still can’t let her be anything more than your secret crush. But you can sit with her for one meal. You can pretend, and maybe that will hold you over when you eventually succeed in pushing her away.

Your head was clouded by her touch, her smell, her voice- you weren’t in the right state of mind to be making decisions about “seeing Clarisse tomorrow.”

You stop at the fire pit in the middle of the pavilion.

“Please, Mom,” you mutter, dumping almost all of your plate into the flames.

This is probably the first time you’ve really prayed to her since the day you broke Carter’s heart.

You set your tray down next to her, swinging your legs over the bench and under the table, settling yourself in. Her siblings don’t even look up, all busy eating identical bagel sandwiches- you squint, resisting the urge to laugh at the cheese, bacon, sausage, and eggs. Ares kids are always eating the most gluttonous foods, seeing as they train 24/7.

Clarisse glares at your plate.

“What?” you say, shifting awkwardly in your seat.

“That is not enough food.” And while your plate mostly is empty space, you’re really not that hungry this morning.

You shrug. “I was in a praying mood today.”

“Don’t care, go get more.”

You roll your eyes, but you’d be lying if you said her concern didn’t make your stomach twist in a good way.

“Okay, I’ll grab something on my way out.”

She hums, turning back to your sandwich. All of her siblings are intent on eating their big sandwiches, a few people at the end of the table talk in between bites- but the Ares kids take breakfast very seriously. They’re a bit more rowdy at lunch and dinner, but breakfast is always such a sordid affair, like someone died.

Someone else sits at the table. You look up from your plate, watching as Van digs into his sandwich, sporting a black eye, a bruised cheek, and a busted lip.

“Oh,” you mumble, cringing at his bloody, messy face.

You look over at Clarisse, notice her knuckles are split open. She feels you looking at her and turns to you, a bite of half-chewed sandwich in her mouth.

“Wha-” she starts, but catches Van out of the corner of her eye. She giggles, just a bit, and it makes your stomach twist. “Oh, Van, you are one of the funniest people I have ever met.”

Everyone at the table turns to him.

A few giggle at his busted up face, Clarisse smiles at him in that demeaning way she’s famous for.

“Move.”

“I’m not fuckin’ movin’, Clarisse. Go fuck yourself.”

One of her siblings laughs loudly. Matty, you recognize him. “Dude, you’re seriously going to get beat up- again.”

“You are,” Clarisse shrugs. “I’m serious, move.”

Van rolls his eyes and sets his sandwich down.

“Listen, Carter’s my friend, he never wanted to get revenge, but I wanted to get it for him. I know it’d make him feel better. I was tryin’ to convince him to go fuck up her bed or something when… well, yeah. I didn’t mean to trap you in there with her, Clarisse, okay? I know you’re fuckin’ obsessed with her, whatever, but she’s a serious bitch. And not even that hot.”

Matty puts his head in his hands.

The table is deathly silent. He looks around.

“Come on. All those Aphrodite kids are stuck-up bitches, but she’s just got a particular rudeness about her, huh? And, really, I don’t think I could fuck her even if the world was ending.”

“What the fuck,” someone across from you, Max, mumbles. A girl adjacent to you coos softly, and you realize that there’s tears falling down your face.

Clarisse puts her hand on your thigh.

“Van,” she says, her voice calm and even. She breathes in and out. “I am going to fucking kill you.”

Van looks over to Clarisse, and that’s when he finally notices you sitting next to her.

“I-” he starts, but doesn’t get to finish, not when you pick up your tray and throw it across the table- hitting him directly in the nose. “Holy fuck!” he shouts. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, Gods, fuck-”

You stand up and make your way around the table, tears clouding your vision, and he quickly stands up as well. No one makes any move to hold you back or protect him.

“Bitch,” he hisses. “Huh? Come at me, princess.”

And you meet him, attacking like a feral cat, all scratching and kicking and hitting, a fury fueled fully by your anger and the beauty in letting it all go. He grunts and tries to hit you back, but they barely touch you.

You can see Clarisse out of the corner of your eye, watching closely, arms crossed over her chest. It takes you a second, but for some reason, you can see her face so clearly. She’s slightly worried. She watches the fight with an intensity, like she’s happy to let you fight him- but if he actually hurts you, then she’ll jump in. But more importantly, she’s proud.

Gods, does it make you feel good.

“Fucking- bitch!” he shouts. “Get off of me!”

He pushes you back, you steel yourself. When he sees you coming at him again, he punches you hard. You swear you see stars. You swear you almost met Hades, just for a second.

Blood runs down your face, gushing like a geyser- you groan, one of Clarisse’s siblings making you pinch your nose and tilt your head back. Matty puts his hand on your shoulder, and mutters something encouraging about keeping your head back.

It’s all a daze.

“Clarisse!” her sister Carrie shouts, trying to hold her back while Van scrambles away on the ground, yelling incoherently about his teeth. “Clarisse! Clarisse! You got him, you got him, c’mon.”

It all comes rushing over you. Adrenaline kept you sane just for moment, but all the pain comes rushing back, and you almost scream with how much it hurts. You double down, chest pressing to your stomach while Matty and someone else try desperately to pull you back upward.

“Oh, Gods, why does it hurt so bad?” you say, more blood gushing forward, even through your fingers. It’s running down your neck and chest, permanently ruining your shirt.

“Van has a good right hook,” Matty winces. “Ass at everything else, but.”

“Y/N,” Clarisse says. She’s in front of you in a moment, hands under your chin, forcing you to tilt your head back. You can feel your face is absolutely covered in blood. “Hey, it’s alright,” she says, so softly that you’re the only one who can hear. “Okay, I’ll take you to the infirmary, okay?”

Matty let’s go of you, Clarisse replaces him, arm wrapping around your waist, fingertips still keeping your chin up. You walk in silence until you reach the infirmary.

She chuckles a bit. “You’re good,” she says.

“At what?” you groan, eyes screwed shut. “Getting punched?”

“No,” she says. “Just… you’re good.”

One of the healers rushes over before you can even think of an answer.

—-

After your nose was reset, your shirt was changed, and all the blood was cleaned- you sat in the empty infirmary. Van was in a private room with most of the healers who were having a fun time trying to fix his face and do something with the teeth Clarisse knocked out.

She finds you slipping your shoes on, face puffy, a bag of ambrosia in your hand.

“Princess,” she says. “I told them it was all me. So, you’re fine. I made up some shit about you getting caught in the crossfire.”

Your chest deflates a bit. You were sort of looking forward to the punishment. “You didn’t have to do that, Clarisse.”

She shrugs. “I wanted to. And I do whatever I want.”

You smile, and she sits down next to you on the creaky bed.

“What’d you get?”

“Oh,” she sighs, hands on her knees. “5 months no dessert. 3 months of teaching sword practice to the little kids, that’s gonna be like Tartarus come again.”

“Sorry,” you mumble. “It’s all my fault.”

“I could have easily let the two of you beat each other to death. But I didn’t. You were too busy winning that fight to care about what I was doing.”

“I didn’t win,” you scoff. “If you didn’t jump in, the way he punched me, he got me.”

“You didn’t know about Van and his right hook,” she shrugs. “It’s okay. I fucked up his face a bit, but you did so much better.”

You’ve been permanently on the edge of tears because of the pressure in your nose, so when they spill over, it’s no surprise.

“W-why are you crying?” Clarisse asks, turning slightly towards you, placing her hand on your arm.

“Still a monster,” you remark, sarcastic smile on your face. “I shouldn’t have done that to him. I… I was just mad. And look, here I am escaping with no punishment yet again.”

You go to stand up, feeling like your heart is a hole in your chest.

She puts her hand on your thigh to stop you.

“I think… just the fact that you feel so bad means you’re not a monster. I don’t feel shit for Van. I’m glad he got hurt. I would do it again. I hope I get to do it again.”

“You’re horrible, Clarisse,” you smile. She smiles back.

“The only person I feel bad for is… you. You’re the only person I’ve ever felt bad for. Everyone else in this camp is blind, Y/N. But I’m not. Not when it comes to you.”

And it’s like you’re seeing her for the first time. The way her curls always stick up in that one place, the way her eyes reflect the sunlight streaming through the window, the way the rough skin of her hands is nothing compared to the bones inside that hold you so softly. The way her lips look. The way she calls you princess. The way she sees you.

You’re both leaning forward, you’re both just teenage girls learning to love themselves, because you’ve always loved each other.

When her lips finally meet yours it all comes rushing back to you. You gasp and pull away after just a moment.

“Sorry. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that-”

Clarisse grabs your face and kisses you.

“You’re not deleting that. I don’t care what you think of yourself right now,” she whispers, lips against yours. “Because you’re wrong, and I’m going to show you.”

And against your better judgement, you let her show you. She shows you with her hands in your hair, her hands on your neck, on your face, her lips against yours. You let her teach you love with just one kiss, and you decide you have a newfound appreciation for your mother.

If love feels this good, this beautiful, then you’ve been missing out.

This goes against everything you’ve been preaching for years. But you’ve found a new religion in her, you promise to listen to her and to feel what she makes you feel- no matter how wrong you think it is. Clarisse shows you it’s not wrong.

She finally pulls away for air, searching your eyes, but you can’t breathe when she’s not kissing you. She seems to like what she finds, because she smiles.

“You’re beautiful, princess,” she mutters, and kisses you again. “You’re beautiful, and you’re so kind, and I’ll show you what I’ve seen for years.”

Everyone calls you princess. But Clarisse says it differently. Clarisse says it like she’s caressing the word, pretending to caress you. Clarisse says it in the way you want her to say it, in the way that selfishly makes you feel so, so special. Clarisse says it like she knows you.

You were right. You’re not meant for love, it’s not meant for you. You’re meant for Clarisse.

—-

carter watching literally everyone fight over smth ridiculously stupid that happened when he was 12 and he got over 2 weeks after it happened: uh 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️

—-

clarisse when she realizes y/n hates herself: WHAT????? HOW IS THIS???? HUH????? like she just doesn’t even understand she can’t comprehend it

y/n after hating herself for like 5 years and pretending she’s chill: 🤗

—-

van after he loses his teeth: 😞

clarisse when van loses his teeth: LETS GO FUCK THAT BITCH

—-

clarisse being y/n’s new religion btw 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭

—-

taglist:

@lvrue @t-wylia @laughingcheese037 @kroumi @urdeadpoet @colezb @rey26 @harmzilla @elliewilliamsbae @amberfreemansburntface @kyuupidwrites @neverwaakeme-up @shark1008 @liballer @heyimadison @nvirskies @pnsteblnme @mar2ss @restellsss @ravisinghs-wife @marsconer @evangelinexo @randomhoex @luvrrish

[maddascanbe-blog]

I wasn't satisfied with Mylene's civilian drawing, the design itself I still liked, but I was rushed to finish the drawing and ended up making more than a few mistakes just from carelessness. The only notable changed is I brightened her skina bit, I felt it was too desaturated.

I imagine Mylene does still have all her pins and buttons, but they're mostly pinned to her backpack during the summer, and her jackets in the colder months. I did let her keep one of her necklaces.

Horrificator is already a pretty good design all things considered, not really fitting for a fear eating monster I think, but still cool. I just tried to make her look more animalistic/monstrous. I considered doing a design that was more based on Boogeymen from mythology, but none of them quite fit. I'll save that inspo for Sandboy I think-

Polymouse has a little jacket under her overalls. I'm not sure if that's the easiest to read, but it would probably be more noticeable from the back. Her long overalls were just something I thought would be cute, while keeping them fitting as to not lose Mylene's body shape. I like her being a bit bigger, and didn't wanna miss out on showing that off.

I think she and Ivan probably like doing double dates with other couples in their class. At least for more traditional 'dates' they don't pressure people to join them whenever they go to protests. Just encourage others to stand up for what is right, however they feel comfortable and capable.

Mylene initially distrusts Adrien due to the Gabriel company being really shady in its business practices and with who it supports, but she quickly realizes that is mostly Gabriel and Adrien either disagrees with, or is unaware of, his father's actions.

Later they bond over being children of single fathers, and that's when Mylene realizes exactly how bad Gabriel actually is, she isn't super involved in Marinette's flirting plans but she does try and get Adrien out of the house as often as possible. It's her long term goal to help people right? Well why not start small and help those in need so close to her?

A hundred small acts can lead to one big change.

This mindset calls Ladybug and Chat Noir to her when looking for a new mouse, Marinette had specifically asked to be left out of it after all. A simple explanation that cannon didn't use for some reason?

[h00nerz]

spots on!

FORTY-TWO / a little bit

prev | masterlist | next

warnings: none i don’t think

word count: 1.9k

YOU THOUGHT YOUR HEART WAS GOING TO BEAT OUT OF YOUR CHEST. It had been over a week since the last time he had appeared outside your window, and honestly, you weren’t expecting it to happen again. But, you caught his glowing green eyes staring at you through the glass, and you knew it was him.

With trembling fingers, you slowly pulled open your sliding door. There was a soft breeze outside, creeping into your small apartment now that there was no barrier to keep it out. It felt nice, especially because your skin was burning hot under his gaze.

“Yeonjun.” You spoke his name quietly, watching him with wide eyes. You were still having a time believing that the man in the cat themed suit was actually Yeonjun, but now that you were staring right at him while he was in action, it was starting to make more sense.

“Ladybug.” He replied, and though he was barely visible in the darkness, his pearly white teeth were illuminated when a cheeky smile crept onto his lips. “Is it okay if I come in?”

You nodded. “Yeah.” It’s always okay. As embarrassing as it was to admit, you had missed him appearing on your balcony in the late hours of the night.

You took a step to the side so he could come in, and it was then you remembered how much of a disaster your apartment was. For the last week, you’d been working on a big project for one of your design classes, which resulted in every inch of your space being covered in fabric, sketches, scissors, etc.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, it’s such a mess in here.” You quickly apologized, darting over to the couch to pick up some things and make room for him to sit.

“Don’t worry about it. Actually…” He cleared his throat as he watched you, and even though his mask made it difficult to read his expression, you could tell he was nervous. “I was thinking… We could go out. There was something I wanted to show you.”

“Oh.” You dropped an armful of fabric, nodding. “Y-Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Should I…?” You gestured down to yourself, hoping he would catch your drift without you having to come out and say it.

He hummed in a questioning tone, but then it dawned on him. “Oh! Yeah. Unless you want me to carry you.” He spoke flirtatiously. “Just kidding! Joking!” He seemed to immediately regret it, then turned around to face away from you.

You rolled your eyes. There was no reason to turn around, since it wasn’t like you had to undress to transform, but you found his attempt at manners endearing nonetheless.

Transforming in front of other people was new for you—especially in front of Chat Noir. The only time you’d ever done it was in front of Sieun once, when you’d been in a rush to get transformed and go handle an Akuma. This felt entirely different than that—it felt more… Intimate? That seemed like the right word.

With a deep breath, you called out the key words, (“spots on!”), and within a few seconds, you had been metamorphosed into your superhero alter-ego, Ladybug.

You cleared your throat, and Yeonjun—Chat Noir—turned around to face you. He stared at you for a moment, then let out a nervous laugh. “You know, now that I know you’re Ladybug, I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.” He said, his bright eyes taking your polka dotted figure.

Heat spread across your face. “Yeah. I can’t believe I didn’t see it either.” You said, reaching up to scratch the back of your neck. “Umm, shall we go?”

He nodded, and the two of you disappeared out your window.

Ever since you were first granted the power of the Ladybug Miraculous, and first met Chat Noir, you had found yourself soaring above the cityscapes hundreds of times. But, even though you’d done it more times than you could count, tonight felt like it was the first time all over again.

When you risked a glance over at him, you didn’t really see Chat Noir anymore. But, you didn’t really see Yeonjun, either. You saw somebody completely new, that you couldn’t wait to get to know. And he was beautiful, especially with the moonlight illuminating his features and the wind combing through his dark hair. Beautiful.

A warmth spread through your chest when you looked over at him. A different kind of warmth from when you used to look at him—both as Yeonjun and as Chat Noir. It was a brand new kind of feeling, and as much as new usually scared you, you knew deep down this was a good kind of new.

You followed him across the city, leaping from rooftop to rooftop and using your yo-yo to swing through the air, until finally, he came to a stop on an unfamiliar rooftop.

“Ta-da!” He announced, turning to face you and giving you jazz hands.

You raised an eyebrow. “Uh, am I supposed to know what this place is?” You asked cautiously, glancing around to try and find any indicators of where you were.

He deflated, his hands falling to his leather-clad sides with a thwap! “Are you serious? You really have no idea?” He frowned.

You shook your head. “Nope. No clue.”

He sighed. “Okay. Before I tell you, let me explain.” He took a step towards you, and judging by the shakiness in his breath, he was growing nervous. “When we were at the launch party… I know you were there to talk to some designers, but our dumb friends kind of ruined it… So, I, um, showed my dad your portfolio, and he showed it to some of his friends…”

Your heart soared. “Yeonjun, you didn’t—“

“And a designer he’s close with, Bae Irene, was really interested in your work, and you’ll probably get a call from her tomorrow, but she wants you to go intern at her studio for the summer.”

“Oh my god! This is—This is the Bae Designs building!” You suddenly realized, turning to get a good view of the city streets below you, and Yeonjun laughed.

“Yeah, I thought you’d know, since you’re a fashion student and all…”

You couldn’t believe this. Irene had always been one of your fashion heroes growing up, but she was also one of the most famous designers in the whole city, so you never dreamed of working with her. But, thanks to Yeonjun, your hard work had paid off, and she wanted to work with you!

“Yeonjun, this is…!” You couldn’t find the words as you turned back to face him, your heart racing a million miles a second.

He smiled sheepishly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “I was worried you might hate me, after everything that happened… I wanted to make it up to you, and Y/N…” He stepped forward again, and this time he was close enough to take your hands into his.

“You were never just a game to me. I was never playing you. Everything I ever said to you was true. You’re incredible. Smart, hardworking, funny, beautiful… Whether you’re Ladybug, or Y/N, I think you’re amazing.”

You were so overwhelmed with the hundreds of different emotions coursing through your bloodstream, you were thankful you were wearing a mask to hide the tears slipping out of your eyes.

“You thought I would hate you?” You laughed, then sniffled. “You could have a million different secret identities, but I would never hate you, Yeonjun.” You told him, and you wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him closer to you.

“You’re the funniest, sweetest, most attractive person I’ve ever met. And the fact you did all of this for me just proves that I was right in feeling that way.”

His own arms were now wrapped around your waist as you poured your heart out to him, a nervous, breathy laugh escaping his lips.

“I know this might sound crazy, and I might be ruining everything and scaring you away by saying this, but…”

You stepped on your tip-toes, so your gaze was level with his. He was staring at you with wide eyes, his lips slightly parted as he anticipated what you were going to say.

“I think I might be a little bit in love with you, Yeonjun.” You whispered.

“Really?” He asked breathlessly.

You nodded.

“Well, that sucks. Because I think I might be a lot in love with you.” He whispered back to you, and leaned toward to bump his nose against yours.

You giggled. “You’re such a nerd.” You told him.

“I know. But this nerd is all yours.”

The two of you moved in unison as you finally crashed your lips into each other.

All the tension that had been building between the two of you for years finally exploded into a red-hot, fiery ball of passion that had you overwhelmed with emotion. You found yourself clawing at his back, desperately trying to pull him closer to you, like he might run away and leave you forever if you let him go for even a second.

You knew you were on a rooftop out in the open, and it was only a matter of time before someone snapped a picture and sent it to the Ladyblog, but you didn’t care. In that moment, even though you were donning your superhero suits, you weren’t Ladybug and Chat Noir.

You were just Yeonjun and Y/N. Two stupid people that spent way too long finding your way to each other. Two stupid people that could have been together a long time ago if you had just opened your eyes and paid more attention.

But, even though lots of tears were shed, and there were so many messes that could have been avoided, you wouldn’t change anything about the way the two of you had gotten together. You wouldn’t change anything about your story with him.

After what felt like an eternity of passionately making out on that rooftop, you finally pulled away for air, resting your forehead against his as you took a moment to catch your breath.

“Can we go back to my place? So I can finally kiss you out of these stupid costumes?” You asked between breaths, laughing at your own stupid question.

He chuckled as well, then went back in for one more soft, feathery kiss. “We can do whatever you want, Y/N. I’ll follow you wherever you want to go.”

You playfully rolled your eyes. “You’re so cheesy.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t love my cheesiness!”

“I don’t, I really don’t. It’s the only thing holding me back from being a lot in love with you.” You grinned as his face was lit up with fake hurt.

“Rude, Y/N! I don’t know how comfortable I am going home with someone who’s so mean to me.” He pouted as you finally broke free from his embrace.

“Are you sure? I mean, I’ll just go home by myself. Maybe I’ll call Mark.” You teased while you started to stretch out your limbs.

He gasped loudly. “Hey, no! I’m joking! Let’s go, right now! I’ll even carry you!” He exclaimed, rushing over to your side.

You giggled, and leaned over to kiss him one more time. “You’re so cute, Yeonjun. Anyways, last one there is a rotten egg!” You shouted, and before he had time to protest, you were zipping away.

“Oh, you’re so on, M’Lady!” He yelled after you, and the two of you chased after each other into the night.

Yeah. You wouldn’t change anything about how the two of you got there.

authors note: hahahaha heyyyy~~ it only took a million years but here it is!!! i love these 2 and i’m so sad this smau is almost over but i’m also glad so you guys don’t have to keep suffering waiting for an update hahaha. only 3-4 chapters left it’ll probably finish just in time for freefall dropping next week !!

tag list: (closed) @therealhyunjingf @jakeshands @impureperhaps @mazeinthemoon @tyunlatte @loveliii @exohclipse @17szn @txtbrainrot @bubblytaetae @serafilms @iirene304 @snowfalltxt @choistick @lost-leopard-beanie @taekwondoes @captivq @aestheticsluut @surshica @suburbiataehyung @cecedrake2217 @omiomipepperoni @ttyunz @stellz581 @cher-bears @tyunner @eggomi @rikismiel @vianna99 @certainyouthpeanut @cookiehaos @90sni-ki @http-gyu @iad0ru @viagumi @reverbtunes @fatoompie @ka143 @sserafimez @hoonjjun @ahnneyong @cutiespaghetti @wonioml @emohazuzworld @taylvvrr @cowsmicwu

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Given everything that canon has currently given us about their actions, thoughts, personalities and personal histories, how would you arrange all 15 of Miss Bustier’s students in order from Most Worthy of a Miraculous in General to Least Worthy of a Miraculous in General and why for each character’s placement?

The inconsistent characterization and other writing issues make this a hard ask, but I'll do my best. I'm not going to do a true ranking, though. Instead, we're going to do a combo ranking and tier approach since there will be a lot of ties here and I also want to draw some clear lines between the different groups.

The Hero Tier: characters who are ready to be heroes as-is. They may need to do some growing to feel like a full fledged hero, but that growing can be done as a newly hatched hero.

The I Guess? Tier: characters with nothing to qualify or disqualify them from being a hero. They don't necessarily feel like a bad fit, but they probably need a character arc to truly feel like a good fit.

The Disqualifying Episode Tier: characters who would be in the "I Guess" Tier if it weren't for that one really bad episode that makes them look terrible. (Note that I'm reserving this for minor characters who don't give us much to go on. Characters without a strong core for me to lean on, making it hard to ignore these bad episodes as there's nothing to contradict the bad characterization.)

The Needs a Redemption Arc First Tier: characters that are not suited to the hero role in their current form, but that could be if they went through a big personal journey

The Hero Tier

1 - Marinette Dupain-Cheng

While the writers have done Marinette dirty in a thousand ways, I will give them full credit for her base character design. She has an excellent setup for a hero. She's a quick thinker who takes charge in a crisis and who cares about doing the right thing. She's willing to make major sacrifices for the good of others and has a strong sense of justice. While I'm obviously biased by her role as the lead, there really isn't a character I'd pick over her for our leading lady. She is the character best suited to leading the team in battle.

2 - Alya Césaire

Alya is in the same category as Marinette. Someone who the writing has done dirty, but who still screams hero potential. Her take-charge attitude and willingness to brave akuma fights for her blog make her feel like someone who could grab a miraculous an go. This is extra true because her core character feels such a strong balance to Marinette. Because Marinette is good at reactive thinking, she needs a teammate who is good at proactive thinking to help figure out how to locate and reclaim the butterfly. That teammate should have been Alya, but alas, we will never get it in canon. The only reason Alya wasn't tied for first place is that she feels ill suited to solo work. She needs someone to make her pause and think things through when she gets overexcited.

2 - Adrien Agreste

I actually debated if Adrien deserved the hero tier because the writing has done so much to make him feel ill suited to the hero role. I ultimately decided to keep him up here because he has a strong core character that's incredibly easy to work with, making it feel wrong to put him anywhere else. A quick fix to his motivation and he's good to go because he's generally a selfless, kind person who is willing to put his life on the line for others. Ladybug truly would struggle without someone in his role and no one else really feels suited to it. Much like Alya, Adrien only works in a team setting, so he ties with her for second place.

3 - Alix Kubdel

I wasn't totally sure where to put Alix because she's one of the show's least developed teen characters. A lot of the things we know about her come from watching her adult self, which isn't really fair as everyone else is getting judged based on their behavior as a young teen. However, in spite of all the bad writing, Alix does come across like someone who would be ready to fight at a moment's notice and who has a strong desire to do good, so into the hero tier she goes!

4 - Rose Lavillant

While Rose's character doesn't scream hero, positivity and kindness are good traits for a hero, so I can see why she'd be picked to be one. Her recruitment episode was one of the strongest ones because she didn't need any sort of arc to be ready. She's fine as-is and fit her role perfectly, which means that it feels wrong to put her in another tier. I do worry about her ability to handle a major crisis since she's quick to cry and can come across as a little oversensitive, which is why I put her at the bottom of the list. You could convince me that she should be moved down a tier.

The I Guess? Tier

5 - Juleka Couffaine

Juleka a nice person and a good friend, but nothing about her screams "hero." At the same time, nothing about her screams "no good, very bad choice." I can see a story where she becomes a hero, but it doesn't feel like a missed opportunity if she stays a civilian because I don't think that she's ready to take on the role as-is. She's got some growing to do to really earn her stripes. It's why her hero debut is a little awkward. They tried to speed-run a character arc about her gaining confidence only for that development to disappear afterward. I'm not even sure why they needed her in that episode.

5 - Ivan Bruel

Ivan is basically a male Juleka and his recruitment is even more speed-run. It really feels like he only got a miraculous so that no one was left out. Nothing about his story feels like he earned his spot. If anything, it feels like he was done dirty and robbed of a character arc. Just look at this recruitment!

Ivan: What if I hurt someone using my superpowers? Ladybug: It's good to be careful, Ivan, but remember, you'll be on a team of superheroes facing supervillains! No one can be hurt. (Ivan, reassured, smiles)

I'm sensing some Stoneheart trauma here or maybe even something more complex, but of course, we're never going to dig into that. Boo, writers. Boo! Either have him ready to go or give him a story. Don't half-ass it!

6 - Mylène Haprèle

I almost put Mylène in the Hero Tier because her activism shows that she's willing to stand up and fight (Ivan didn't get that grace because it feels like he only does it for Mylène's sake). Then I thought about her hero debut and decided that Mylène belonged here because it was yet another hard-to-buy speed-run. I even put her below Ivan and Juleka because Mylène is the only character to give a truly compelling argument as to why she's not qualified:

Mylène: (interrupts) No, Ladybug! I can't be a superhero. I'm scared of everything. Look, I have a badge for my fear of water, one for my fear of beasts. I need a necklace to help me get over my fear of badges!

This is not someone who's ready to go on a solo mission after a minor pep talk, nor was she the obvious choice for the mouse, so her refusal should have been respected. Not everyone is qualified to be an action hero and it's a sign of strength to know when you need to say "no." Much like Juleka and Ivan, Mylène is begging for a stronger character arc or even for a story that shows that there are different types of heroes.

7 - Max Kanté

Max literally only got a miraculous so he didn't die because they were in space, so it's really hard to call him a good hero candidate who was well chosen for his role. At the same time, I can't call him unqualified. His strong analytical skills make him feel like a character who could be a good addition to a hero team, though only in a supporting role. They haven't done anything to make him feel like he belongs on the battlefield. He doesn't get a spot in the hero tier though because the Lila stuff and his behavior in Gamer are enough to make him feel like he needs to do some growing up before he's truly suited to a miraculous.

The Disqualifying Episode Tier

8 - Nino Lahiffe

I'm sorry, Nino. I love you, but your behavior in season four and five was appalling! You outed your girlfriend's identity without her permission, antagonized your best friend's abusive parent for no good reason, and demonstrated a total lack of faith in Ladybug's ability to regain the miraculous, making it impossible to put you in a higher tier because, unlike Adrien, Alya, and Marinette, you don't have a strong core character that I can use to argue away these flaws away. I literally had to redesign your character to write you! So into this tier you go since you actually have several disqualifying episodes.

9 - Nathaniel Kurtzberg

Nathaniel generally comes across as a nice guy, but Reverser totally ruined his character for me. Since the show has given me nothing that I can use to argue that Reverser shouldn't count, into this tier he goes. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then read the Marc section of this post to see why Nathaniel needs anger management classes. It's why he's going below Nino. Nino just feels like he needs to be a little more thoughtful. Nathaniel feels like he needs serious work.

9 - Lê Chiến Kim

Kim has never screamed hero to me and his actions in Derision are hard to ignore, especially since they match his bullying behavior in Origins. I want him to be our silly dumb jock, but canon apparently doesn't, so into this tier he goes. I actually almost put him in the bottom tier because the bullying thing bothers me so much. It really does feel like he needs at least a minor redemption arc, but he's got several episodes that paint him as fine, contradicting the episodes that make him a bully, so it feels unfair to put him in with the true bullies who cannot be characterized in any other way without going against their core character.

The Needs a Redemption Arc First Tier

10 - Chloé Bourgeois

Full thoughts here, but the short version is that baseline character establishment is not the same as a character arc. The show made Chloé sympathetic and showed that she had some actual depth, but those things were presented in a way that made them feel like they were just basic elements of her character. Things she'd always had. Her character never had any sort of meaningful growth, so it never felt like she should be a hero. It just felt like her story had the potential to go that route if the writers wanted to take her there.

11 - Sabrina Raincomprix

Sabrina is a bully who delights in tormenting others and who never gets a glimmer of potential like we saw with Chloé back in seasons two and three, meaning that Sabrina is totally unqualified for a miraculous. I was appall that she got one without even a hint of a redemption arc first. All we got was confirmation that Sabrina cares about her best friend which we always knew. At least Chloé only got hers by accident. Sabrina gets handed one like she's qualified to be on the team! Terrible writing. 0/10 stars

12 - Lila Rossi

We might as well put Lila in this tier since I'd like to think that any 14-year-old could be helped to be a better person, but it's hard to have any hope for her. The writing has failed her by every conceivable metric outside of maybe her core concept. Even then, she has no place in a formula show for kids. She belongs in a teen drama.

[ijustliketoreadstuff]

Lets talk about the London special trailer

Disney channel France released the trailer for the London special, lets dive in and see what's happening. I know TF1 also released another trailer but I want the majority of the special to be a surprise, so I'm just going to analyze one. I'm gonna try to piece together what parts of the trailer are in order, the first being of course Ladybug traveling to London with a very sad look on her face. The London special takes place in the season 5 finale, right after Monarch used the miraculous to make a wish , so of course she feels very troubled on account of that she just witnessed a lot of dark secrets unfold within the Agreste family, during her battle against Monarch at the Agreste mansion.

To top it all off, she even watched in horror as Gabriel chose to die to bring back Nathalie who we saw healthy and alive at the end of the season 5 finale, sitting alongside Amelie.

At this point in the London trailer, Ladybug is aware that Adrien needs to know his father is dead, but this reality will of course be very difficult for Ladybug to say and for Adrien to hear, since he has essentially now lost both his parents. Worst of all, Ladybug knows she cannot comfort Adrien as his girlfriend while she is still Ladybug, and must refrain from showing him too much emotion otherwise she will risk exposing her true identity.

Unfortunately, Adrien was just one part of the aftermath she has to confront, she also has to deal with the public who will of course find out on their own that Monarch is gone from his inactivity alone and will be needing some kind of answer to prevent them from trying to dig on their own about what really went on between Ladybug and Monarch's fight, especially once the entire world finds out that Gabriel Agreste had also gone missing the day Ladybug faced Monarch.

Marinette knows she cannot tell the public Gabriel was Monarch because the consequences from that truth alone would very quickly turn into a violent backlash against Adrien, who had no fault in his fathers choice to be the villain of Paris. She alone is fully aware there are people out there who will not listen to reason as many are already willing to turn against her alone, spreading misinformation and unnecessary hate about her ("Reunion").

Although many people close to Adrien know he would never try to harm anyone the way his father did, the pain and trauma Gabriel inflicted on so many citizens when he was Monarch, will of course leave some people more than willing to find someone to blame for his actions, and the closest to attack will be Adrien if they ever learn of Monarchs identity.

Gabriel left a great burden to Marinette when he asked her not to let Adrien find out he was Monarch, and as much as Marinette hated being asked to carry such a burden, Gabriel knew he left her no other choice, he knew Marinette's love for Adrien could be used to his advantage and force her to keep his identity a secret if she ever wanted to spare Adrien of the pain and consequences that would follow after he was gone.

Next we have what we can easily conclude is the antagonist of the special, this ghost looking person. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is not Lila despite seeing them in Lila's hideout, the reason being is because at the end of the season 5 finale, we saw Lila in her lair caught by surprise as a bright light suddenly appeared behind her, whatever that light was must have been from this ghost person who did something to Lila.

We don't know who this ghost person is yet, but they know Marinette is Ladybug, knowing exactly where she lives and that her earrings are the ladybug miraculous despite the jewels being in camouflage. In addition to taking the earrings, they also took all the other miraculous that were reconfigured into rings, what they plan to do with all that power, we still wont know until the special releases.

Regardless, whatever this person is doing, it's something that was not meant to happen in the timeline as we can see that their actions have alerted Bunnyx, who very quickly pulls Marinette into the burrow not long after Marinette realizes her earrings and the other miraculous were taken.

In the burrow, Bunnyx and Marinette watch as the various timelines in the time stream are turning black and disappearing, of course they will need to handle whatever it is that messed up the river of time in the first place, but what caused it? If the time stream could be affected by an anomaly such as Ladybug writing her real name on her gift to Adrien back in "Cat Blanc", then this could mean someone out there did something, something small, that they were not supposed to.

Unfortunately, without her earrings, Marinette can't do much against whoever took the miraculous and is now messing up the timestream, she needs the ladybug earrings. The only way she can use them while they are missing, is by borrowing them from another point in time when she wasn't using them. It's not the first time she had to borrow a miraculous from another point in time, they asked Fu from the past to let them borrow the dog miraculous in "Evolution". The only point in Marinette's life when she wasn't wearing the earrings to use in case of an emergency was in "Origins" when she wasn't ready to take on the responsibility of a hero, and that's exactly where we see her travel to in the London trailer. Back in "Origins" Marinette left the earrings in her drawer for the rest of the day, a perfect time for future Marinette to take them temporarily without alerting anyone or causing any damage to the timeline.

Well that just about covers everything in the trailer, now to wait for the official release, see you all in therapy!

[glitterpensupremacy]

In a lot of rewrites I’ve looked at tend to water down the romance aspect of Miraculous by either not making Adrien and Marinette like each other, removing secret identities, or otherwise not really focusing on the love angle. And that can be a good thing, (especially if you actually fill the space with more focus on the different interpersonal relationships of the show). At the same time, I… kinda feel like it’s missing the appeal of ML in the first place? It’s an action romance show (a act-rom? Rom-act? Idk) which is actually pretty rare in the general media (usually it’s either mostly romance with a bit of action or vice versa with a shoehorned love interest), not to mention that the love square focuses on one of the core ideas of the show (relationships and they affect both your perception and trust).

So yeah, not only are we keeping the love square, but we’ve actually planned out how it progresses through the show (which I think is the main challenge with the concept: creating proper pacing). Therefore, I (finally) give you…

MTS Love Square:

To start, Adrien and Marinette will behave very differently with their crushes than in the original.

- Chat Noir is a lot more hesitant about being open with his feelings initially (due to various events before and in the first season) and prefers to hide behind ironic declarations. When he eventually does confess and is rejected, he is a bit disappointed but takes it well (if anything he’s more worried about LB not wanting to be his friend anymore). It’s actually because of CN that the secret identities are a factor in MTS (the identities are never a concrete rule, but he doesn’t trust himself enough to learn who LB actually is, and LB wants to wait until he is ready before she learns who CN is).

- Marinette gets more time to know Adrien before falling in love with him (and becomes aware of how over-the-top antics from admirers make Adrien uncomfortable due to his celebrity status), therefore, she tries to be a lot more subtle with any approaches she makes. Marinette still might stammer (as she does in most stressful situations) around Adrien when getting used to her crush on him, but doesn’t really make complex plans or usually swap words around. When she confesses to Adrien and is rejected, she also handles things fairly well despite her disappointment.

As for the general timeline for the square, we have:

- S1 (first half): Adrinette meets each other and becomes casual friends. Marinette initially just thinks Adrien is okayish (not super interested in supermodels), which actually makes Adrien more determined to be her friend (as she’s one of the few people who treats him like a normal person). Ladynoir meet and DO NOT GET ALONG, both due to representing opposite concepts, and then reminding each other of certain people in their lives who they have issues with (and Tikki and Plagg egging on their rivalry). They prefer to handle things on their own.

- S1 (second half): Adrienette become even closer as they have a few silly interactions (chiefly in Befana, Stormy Weather, and Guitar Villain). Ladynoir learn to work together and start seeing the other person for who they truly are (Timetagger, Puppeteer). They develop a strong bond due to their mutually stressful situation (Copycat also happens, which increases their concern for each other and CN’s fear of hurting LB). In Glaciator, the ACTUAL love square begins (Marinette falls in love with Adrien, Chat Noir falls in love with Ladybug). We get a handful of Marichat interactions (briefly in Timetagger, Befana, Puppeteer, and especially Weredad). Ladrien makes a minor appearance in Style Queen.

- S2 (first half): Both CN and Marinette work up the courage to confess their feelings to their counterparts. CN doesn’t want to become obsessive and harm LB with his feelings, while Marinette worries about potentially losing one of the few friends she has. Various romance related occurrences happen in their class that affect how they think about their crushes (Stoneheart, Evillustrator, Dark Cupid). When they finally do admit their feelings, a mutual friendzoning occurs (whether they have no romantic interest in their other selves or simply do not know how to process having a second crush is up to interpretation) and they try to figure out how to interact with each other post rejection. (Oh yeah, and we get a bit of Marichat in Evillustrator.)

- S2 (second half): Kind of a continuation of the last plot thread for S2’s first half. Adrien and Marinette navigate their friendship after Marinette is rejected, and Ladybug and Chat Noir try to ensure that their bond remains unshakable as ever. However, extreme circumstances (especially on the hero side) keeps them from fully processing their feelings.

- S3: Pretty light on love square content. Lots of interactions between sides (Even some Marichat with Gamer and some Ladrien with Gorizilla), but they’re trying to move on from each other. Adrien and Kagami (who was introduced in S2) fall in love, as do Marinette and Luka (also introduced in S2). We get the occasional hint that there is still some lingering feelings between the protagonists, but not much aside from that.

- S4: Lukanette and Adrigami play out over the course of S4 (and eventually break up near the end of the season). While there are other reasons why the couples don’t end up working together, the fact that Marinette never 100% moved on from Adrien, and vice versa with the hero identities, may be a factor in why they weren’t able to make things work with the alt ships.

- S5 (first half): Marinette and Adrien process and recover from their break ups. Eventually they discover their feelings for each other (Marinette learns that Adrien is in love with Ladybug and CN learns that LB is in love with Adrien). This leads to Ladrien dating (controversial, I know) but issues continuously crop up in their relationship.

- S5 (second half): The various issues with Ladrien are explored (mutual guilt over feeling like they’re lying to the other one by dating them after being friendzoned in another identity, trying to hide why they know so much about each other despite barely interacting as Ladrien, Ladybug worries about endangering the civilian Adrien, Adrien worries about not being able to help Ladybug as CN because she’s trying to protect him as Adrien). They manage to (indirectly) share some other problems as Marichat, but then they begin to realize that they’ve also developed crushes on each other as Marichat, which causes EVEN more problems! Things seem to be getting better when CN is finally ready to learn who LB is (after confronting a nightmare of a LB who thinks he’s a monster in Sandboy), and reveals himself as Adrien, inviting LB to do the same. Unfortunately, this shakes LB pretty badly (as she had a Sandboy nightmare of Ephemeral, a potential Adrien Akuma), and she isn’t ready for her half of the reveal yet.

- S5 (finale): When LB is able to put the pieces together on who HM is, she attempts to fight him on her own (due to knowing CN is Adrien and not wanting him to deal with that), unfortunately, this does not go well for her when (big spoiler I probably shouldn’t reveal yet), causing (even bigger spoiler I DEFINITELY shouldn’t reveal yet). When they two reunite (and Adrien finds out who LB is), they need some time to deal with everything, but finally get together completely at the end of the show.

Conclusion

For anyone disappointed about not getting post reveal dating, I don’t blame you (we have vagueeee plans for a sequel show where there is post reveal dating, but the plans are a lot hazier so I can’t say as much about it).

So yeah, that’s the brief rundown of the MTS love square. If you want more information about a specific side, feel free to send me an ask!

After this I’ll probably write my character notes on Felix MTS, but we’ll see.

[highpriestess13]

For those who struggle with self confidence, self reassurance, struggling to break out of that shell, etc.

To start off, 3 animal spirit messages came out for you guys:

▫️Platypus: “Stop complaining and focus your attention on the blessings in your life”

▫️Ladybug: “This is a time of good fortune and abundance, so be willing to receive all good things in your life.

▫️Condor: “You’re too enmeshed in this situation, so step back & see the bigger picture before making any decisions or taking action”

So what I’m kind of getting from the Oracle cards & tarot cards is that, you’re needing to relinquish these that you have about yourself. That not feeling confident, that energy gotta go. Still stuck in your shell? That’s gotta go. Still doubting and questioning yourself? Yep. That’s gotta go too! It’s time to take out the trash. I feel this message may be a little harsh so fair warning. You have to understand that gaining confidence isn’t something happens overnight.. it grows overtime. What you have coming into your life now should be put into your focus rn. The reason they say that is because they don’t want you missing anymore opportunities like you did in the past. Your guides are right by your side. Not feeling confident? Cool… take your time, rest and release this feeling. If you’re needing to take time out to really go within, then do so. But right now, isn’t the time for that because time and everything in between is about to start moving quickly and they want you to be ready grab it! Whoever this energy is, they’re someone who doesn’t play around nor do they have time for bs lol very straight to the point kind of energy. It’s definitely a male energy… kind of gruff it that makes sense. They’re not upset nor angry with you but it’s kind of like “come on now 😒”. I feel like you’ve been through this many of times and they’re tired of seeing in that energy and in your head. They get it and understand but now ain’t the time. This spirit is very confident in themselves and they expect you to be as well. If they had to do it and can do it so can you. What makes you so different? Who made you feel this way??? Address it on your own time, right now you have A LOT to look forward to and with what’s coming in for you guys trust and believe those old feelings will be no more! Cats are significant too… stop depending on others and start depending on yourself and yes that means when it comes to your emotions as well. Black nails is significant too. You’ll be able to treat yourself and give yourself the love you need and deserve so like they keep saying… do what you need to do in this present moment when it’s time to step up to lead… you better do so cause they got you 100% babes! Hope this helped!

*Please keep in mind that general readings are general! If you would like a personal reading, please DM for prices and how to book!*

[scorchingdriedink]

When inner desire leads to identity reveal

An mlb fanfic.

Chat Noir's inner desire gets shown to the whole of Paris. This led to an identity reveal, Chat Noir being accused pedophile and Marinette becoming really confused.

_______________

Fireworks lit up the Paris sky as Chat Noir ran across the roof. He was up to date on all holidays, events, and festivals, so he was clueless about why there were so many fireworks when there was no occasion.

As soon as he landed beside her, he said, “I’m so sorry for the delay, M’lady.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I wasn’t transformed, so I didn’t get your calls.”

In reality, he had been watching the fireworks from his window and got distracted by them. “Didn’t you see the news about the fireworks?” she said, pointing to the fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower.

“Oh!” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “You’re that eager to watch fireworks with me?” he waggled his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. “Chaton, the fireworks are caused by the Akuma.”

His jaw dropped. “Wha- how come? This looks way too festive.”

“Then take a closer look at it,” she said, pulling away and tilting his face towards the night sky.

The fireworks transitioned to a smoke screen that acted as a display, showing a young woman surrounded by many cats in a living room.

"What exactly are we dealing with?" he said, astonished by the sight in front of him.

"The Akuma was a mother. Her daughter won't tell her what she wants to do after college, which ticked her off. Now she is known as Desiderium and has made it her mission to expose everybody’s inner desire."

She pointed towards the Eiffel Tower, where a lady in purple robes and a witch hat was flying across the street on her broomstick. The Akuma shot a beam at a teenage boy. He was unharmed; however, the Akuma's crystal ball glowed, and a beacon of light rocketed up into the sky. It burst into a firework and then transitioned to show everyone the same boy making out with a girl at a high school dance.

Chat Noir looked back at Ladybug and shook his head. "I did not need to see that at all. I only want to do that with you," he smirked.

"Now is not the time to flirt, chaton," she scowled. "Everyone’s privacy is getting compromised."

"She looks pretty harmless. Have you figured out where the Akuma could be?" he asked.

"It's the crystal globe," she said. "The problem is that if I get hit, my desire can reveal my identity."

"Oh. I guess I’m safe then." He brought his finger beneath her chin and pulled her towards him. "Everyone knows that all I want is your love," their lips were a hair’s breadth away. "And a kiss."

A firework burst again, and an array of brilliant light shone on her face. He was close enough to see the sparkles reflecting off her blue eyes. At that moment, she looked beautiful, magnificent, and ethereal. Blush rose to her cheeks, and her lips parted slightly. It gave him hope. This past week, she had started to react differently to his advances. It was quite subtle, so he wasn't sure, but if there was a minuscule chance, he would grab it.

Oh, how he wished he could get a chance to kiss her. Sadly, all he got from her was being pushed away with her finger on his nose.

"What if it showed you wanting to kiss me as your civilian self?"

He blinked. "Now that… is an actual problem."

"You better not get hit."

They jumped into action immediately.

~~~~

Half an hour later, fighting this akuma posed a difficult challenge. Desiderium was quick on its feet and always maintained distance with its long-range attacks. Whenever they tried to catch up to the akuma, it would attack them, and they would narrowly miss its shots.

“A little bit of luck would be nice, LB!” Chat Noir cried out.

Ladybug halted on a rooftop. “Lucky charm!”

A roll of window privacy screen was summoned. Looking at it, she had no idea how to use this to win against the akuma.

Another firework exploded in the sky. This time, the smoke screen showed a woman marching towards a senior man in a fine suit sitting behind an office desk. The woman tossed a paper on the desk and shouted, “I quit!”

The old man smiled. “Brilliant! You may enjoy your freedom.”

The scene changed to the same woman, now in a hair salon styling Clara Nightingale’s hair.

“My hair looks so fine. The talent in your hands is divine!” Clara sang. The woman beamed, and the scene faded away.

All of that lasted within 30 seconds, but it left Ladybug astounded. There was something about that particular desire that bothered her. It felt strange; it made her feel sad.

“Ladybug, watch out!”

She looked up in time to see a flare aimed at her from a sniper distance. Just when light flashed before her eyes, she felt an impact at her side and tumbled to the ground.

Once again, Ladybug found her face very close to Chat Noir’s as he hovered on top of her.

Fireworks shone over his head like a halo. She wouldn’t lie; this past week, her feelings for Chat Noir had been growing. She was entranced by how handsome he looked and felt tingles from the weight of his body on her. With how enticing his lips looked, she almost pulled him down for a smooch.

However, she was shocked by what she witnessed over his head, toward the sky. The explosive display showed, for the whole Paris to see Chat Noir and her sharing a passionate kiss on her balcony under the moonlight. Except she was not shown as Ladybug. She was shown as Marinette.

“Shit,” she heard him mutter above her, who was also looking at the fireworks.

“Is that your desire or mine?” she said, still quite stunned at what she had seen.

Chat Noir looked back at her. “What do you mean, ‘yours or mine’? Your desire is for me to kiss Marinette?”

His weird question made her realize what she had said out loud.

“Uh, I ship you with her?” she said sheepishly.

All he did was look at her with a big question mark on his face, followed by a long silence.

“Chaton?”

Then his eyes widened. “No way,” he whispered. “I was right.”

Suddenly, Chat Noir rolled them out to dodge an attack thrown at them by their latest akuma. He got up and faced Desiderium, who had a neon purple mask blinking on her face. “Who might that be, Chat Noir? Girlfriend?”

“No comments,” he said and took a fighting stance.

“You ain’t fooling anyone. I wonder where she could be.”

“Leave her out of this!”

“Only if you surrender your miraculous,” the Akuma snarled.

An idea struck her, and she looked at the roll of film in her hand. With a plan in her mind, she pretended to whisper while being loud enough to be heard. “Go protect her, Chat Noir. Go to her before the akuma finds out she’s in her room.”

She winked and passed the roll to him. “Keep her in your special vision. I’ll buy you some time.”

She mouthed, ‘She’s not in her room’ before she launched the yo-yo to block the path of Desiderium.

~~~

Keep her in your special vision.

Special vision as in his night vision?

She’s not in her room.

Those were the words she had mouthed even though she declared to everyone that Marinette was in her room. And the lucky charm that she has given to him is a blackout window film.

Oh, now he understood.

He watched Ladybug, busy blocking Desiderium’s path. Then he launched himself with the help of his baton and ran faster than he ever had with all his might.

As soon as he landed on Marinette’s balcony, he quickly covered the skylight with the lucky charm and left it open when he entered. The room was dark, save for the nightlight streaming in through the skylight. All of the windows were already covered with film. He found it strange even when he visited Marinette last night. When he had visited her as Adrien, she mentioned she liked the natural light this attic allowed in. So why were all the windows covered up?

A foreign sound intruded on his thoughts, and his ears picked up the swooshing sound of the akuma gliding closer. He hid himself against the shadows, and saw Desiderium searching throughout the room in dim light. Suddenly, the skylight was shut, and absolute darkness filled the room. With his night vision, Chat Noir could see the akuma becoming frantic against the dark and chose that opportunity to swipe at the glass globe and cataclysm it. After that, Ladybug entered the room and purified the butterfly.

~~~~

The wait for Chat Noir after dropping off the akumatized victim ended when Marinette heard a knock on her skylight. Questions that she had been dying to ask poured out as soon as Chat Noir entered.

“How did you know? How long have you known?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“My identity!”

He smiled and pulled her closer by wrapping his hands around her waist. “Didn’t I already tell you? My love for you is so strong I’d recognize you the moment I see you as a civilian?” he said.

She pulled away and gave him her most impassive look. “Do you want me to remind you of the first time you met me as Marinette?”

“Why don’t we just pretend and give my love for you some credit—”

“Stop playing dumb, Chaton. Tell me how!”

“This evening. When I got hit saving you,” he said, averting his eyes.

“What?” Her lower lip dropped. “How did you even make the connection?”

“You asked whether it was my desire or yours. It would have been weird for Ladybug’s desire to be about me kissing Marinette. Unless you are Marinette. I actually had my doubts since Kwamibuster. I’m so glad was right” He let out a lovesick sigh. “I still don't want to get my hopes up. But… do you have feelings for me—?”

“So you didn’t know I was Ladybug?” disbelief colored her face.

He looked back at her earnestly. “Really. I swear I didn't know until now.”

“You said you wanted to kiss me. And your desire did show you kissing me, except it was Marinette me.” her brows furrowed.

“True. But I promise I didn’t know it was you, m’lady. Even if I did, I would have let you know.”

“Then how come it showed me instead of… well, the other me? Weren’t you in love with Ladybug?”

“I was shocked as well. It seems I was in denial. Plagg also told me about that. And with how much I have been hanging out with you on the balcony, I guess my affection has shifted to, well, you.”

“So hanging out is all you need to be fickle?” she frowned.

“Hey, I wasn’t fickle. Not falling for you is tricky.”

She blushed, then shook her head. “B-but I’m not even as cool as Ladybug. You probably had an attachment to me because you’re lonely and Ladybug kept rejecting you.” Chat Noir’s jaw dropped. “You did not just say that,” he said in a low voice.

“Well, I can’t think of any other reason why you would like me, especially when you didn’t even know I was Ladybug.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You can’t be serious right now. Did you forget that you are Ladybug?”

“You didn’t know that! I’m a complete ditz otherwise,” she fired back.

“Marinette, you are what makes Ladybug.”

“Give it a rest!” Her voice rose. “Anyone can be Ladybug with the earrings. And even as Ladybug, I’ve just been causing disaster.”

“That’s not true!”

“Oh yeah? Guess who lost all of the Miraculous? Guess who lost our only mentor?” she challenged him.

“That only mentor of ours once lost a whole temple along with the butterfly and peacock Miraculous. Come on, Marinette, not everyone is perfect.”

“Then shouldn’t we get someone perfect when lives are at risk?”

“Wait, we are getting off-topic. I thought this was about me having feelings for you without knowing you’re m’lady.”

“Exactly. I still don’t get why.”

“Marinette. I—”

Both of them jumped away from each other when the trapdoor suddenly opened, revealing Marinette’s mom, Sabine, followed by Nadja.

Upon seeing them, Nadja’s eyes widened. “Chat Noir! It’s good to see you here,” she said as she pushed past Sabine and approached him with a cameraman behind her.

“We were going to ask Marinette a few words for an interview. It would be great for you to join us, Chat Noir. Everyone in Paris wants to know more from you and Marinette.” Chat Noir and Marinette shared a glance.

~~~~

A storm came in the form of Nadja Chamack, and all Chat Noir and Marinette could do was face it. There was a bit of a delay while Chat Noir negotiated with Nadja before the interview began. Both Chat Noir and Marinette were seated in Dupain-Cheng’s living room. Nadja was adjacent to them, and beside her sat a man holding a tablet and a cameraman shooting footage for the interview. Marinette’s parents were also in the room, across from them, seated at the dining table. After the introductions were done, Nadja immediately jumped into questioning them.

"The biggest question that everyone in Paris has on their minds: Are you two dating?" Nadja asked.

Marinette spoke before Chat Noir could answer. "No, we are not dating. And we never will." As she said that Chat Noir’s shoulder slump.

"Then what about Desiderium showing your inner desire to share affections with Marinette, Chat Noir?" Nadja brought her microphone close to him.

"It’s simple, Nadja. I love h—Ow!" He massaged his side where she had elbowed him while she pretended to smile.

Nadja continued, "But as of yesterday, you were declaring your affections to Ladybug." She pointed to the tablet, which displayed a picture of him kissing Ladybug’s hand.

"He does that with every girl. He’s a big flirt," Marinette said, rolling her eyes.

"He does seem to flirt with many maidens," Nadja said, signaling the tablet man, who continued to display pictures of Chat Noir kissing the hands of a little girl, an elderly lady, a woman with a toddler on her hip, and many other female akumatized victims.

"It’s just a gesture of greeting," he pouted. "I was born in the wrong era."

"Will we get to see you both as an official couple in the future?"

"Absolutely not!" Tom interrupted furiously. Nadja simply shifted the microphone toward Tom.

"It’s no surprise that you would succumb to Marinette’s lovable charm," Tom said. "But you are too late! You were given a chance that you carelessly lost. You could have had it all, and we could have seen the little kittens—"

"Papa!" Marinette’s face turned red.

"When did this happen?" Nadja asked.

"It happened when I was akumatized as Weredad. He broke her heart. My poor cupcake cried so much. Chat Noir does not deserve her."

"It’s not your fault, Chat Noir. Declining is the right thing to do when you don’t reciprocate," Sabine added. Chat Noir gave her a sincere smile.

Nadja proceeded, "So what changed, Chat Noir?"

Time spent with Marinette, both as Adrien and Chat Noir, was what changed for him. It’s not something he can easily explain. The next plausible thing he could say, from Chat Noir’s perspective, is, "That was the second time I met her. The more I spent time with her, the more my feelings for her started to change."

"Then what about this?" Nadja pointed again at the tablet, which showed pictures of them meeting during Evillustrator.

"Yes, that’s why I said 'second time,'" he replied.

The tablet man showed more pictures of them during Galciator. "These photos clearly show you had many encounters with her before the Weredad incident,” Najda said.

"At that time, I was in love with Ladybug," he said, subtly winking at Marinette. "And my mind was more focused on handling the Akuma than on falling in love."

"I’m sorry, Chat Noir, but the evidence shows otherwise." At her signal, the tablet man showed a video of him asking Ladybug to go on a date if he defeated the Akuma.

"You had no problem wooing Ladybug while simultaneously handling the Akuma." "Doesn’t that validate my first point: ‘I was in love with Ladybug’?" he frowned. How do they have all kinds of videos of him?

“You were in love with Ladybug and then immediately switched to Marinette.” She paused for dramatic effect.

“What are you getting at?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“What Paris would like to know is,” she said, shifting the microphone to Marinette, “are you Ladybug?”

Her parents gasped and then looked at her intently, waiting for her answer.

“Pfft, me? Ladybug? No way. I’m too much of a ditz,” she laughed while also averting her eyes.

“Would you stop calling yourself that? You are anything but a ditz. You are the most brilliant girl I know. You are superhero material. Don’t sell yourself short—Ow!”

She seethed through her teeth. “You’re not helping.”

He scoffed while massaging his rib again.

She turned back to Nadja. “No, Nadja, I’m not Ladybug.”

“If you’re not Ladybug, then does that mean,” she asked, shifting the microphone back to him, “that you’re into younger women?”

One of his eyebrows rose. “What does this have to do with anything?”

“You mentioned on Ladyblog that you and Ladybug are the same age. If Marinette were Ladybug, then it would imply that you’re young based on your being the same age as Ladybug. Since Marinette denies being Ladybug, it means you are older than Marinette.”

“Did logic go on vacation, or is it allergic to you? I could be the same age as Marinette.”

Ignoring his remark, she continued, “ You also mentioned something about your job.” The tablet man played a video of Chat Noir speaking to Ladybug.

‘I had to sneak out of my workplace. I need to go back before they notice I’m missing.’

Chat Noir considered the video as he leaned back. “You don’t happen to have videos of my birth, do you?” he said jokingly to the tablet man, but his eyebrows rose when the tablet man nodded. The tablet man then showed Chat Noir a video of a black cat giving birth to a kitten. “You know I’m not actually a cat, right?” The way the tablet man’s eyebrows rose indicated that he had misunderstood. What a dumb man.

“Repeating myself,” Nadja continued, “Is Marinette the superhero Ladybug, or are you into younger women?”

“Chat Noir is not a pedophile!” she yelled. Even though he was used to dumb allegations thrown at him by the media, it warmed his heart to see Marinette defend his honor.

“And I’m not Ladybug,” she added.

“Nadja, you’re taking this a bit too far,” Sabine interjected sharply.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. We only want to know the truth. And with the evidence we have, it’s either this or you’re Ladybug.”

“You bit—” Marinette got up, but he held her back.

“Nadja, I need to speak with you right now, in private.”

“Just a few more questions—”

“Right,” he glared. “Now.”

~~~~

While Marinette and her parents waited for Chat Noir’s return, her mother gave her a suspicious look. “You aren’t Ladybug, are you?”

The lie came out like second nature to her. “Of course not, Mama. I'm scared of horror movies. How would I face a scary Akuma?”

“As long as my cupcake is safe,” Tom said, pulling her into a hug. “I wouldn't ever want you to always be putting your life in danger.”

Marinette bit her lip. Lying to her parents would always be the painful thorn that she could never pull out. She gave a weak smile after their hug but didn’t meet their eyes.

“What about Chat Noir? He may be a hero, but if he is an adult, then I don’t want him near you,” said Sabine.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Cheng,” Chat Noir answered when he returned in time to hear her mom’s comment about him. “I am 18, only a year older than her. I assure you I'm not a paedophile.”

“You aren’t supposed to reveal your age.”

“I believe you,” Tom said, patting his back. “You are too nice to be a creep. I would have married her off to you even if you were a few years older than her.”

“Papa!”

“This whole time you were fighting as a kid? How could your parents allow it?” Sabine said.

“Mrs. Cheng, I may have been a child, but I have been trained since birth to handle such situations,” he said. Chat Noir was such a smooth liar. Had she not known that they were chosen, she would have believed his words.

“But still.” She rested her hand on her cheek. “Kids should be enjoying their youth, not carrying everyone’s burden. They should be learning about responsibility before taking up responsibility.”

Marinette couldn’t bear to listen to this anymore. The only thing she picked up from her mom’s comments was that she was never ready for responsibility. She was never meant to be a superhero. And everyone had to pay the price for that.

“I’m done for now. I’ll go to sleep,” she said and went straight to her bedroom.

~~~~

When he bid his goodbye to the Dupain Cheng’ and left their residence, he climbed up the wall and knocked on the shade-covered circular window.

She opened it immediately. “You didn’t leave?”

“I wanted to continue where we left off,” he said as he entered. Marinette had already changed into her pink pajamas and had a hairbrush in her hand. Tikki was on the desk by the computer, munching her cookies and watching them.

“Can we do this sometime later? I need to sleep if I want the energy to deal with the aftermath of today’s interview tomorrow,” she said as she removed her hair ties and went to her vanity.

“It’s okay, Marinette. The interview will not be broadcast.”

She stopped combing her hair and turned to him. “What do you mean? It wasn’t live?”

“She was going to shoot it live, but I gave her a few bucks beforehand to do only a normal interview. Then she started asking nonsense, so I paid them off again along with a message video.”

“There is no way any money could stop them from spilling about ‘Chat Noir’s love,’ right?”

“It was tough convincing them, not gonna lie. But I paid them more than they could have profited from this news, so we should be fine.”

“But they could profit millions with it.”

“Yeah. So I paid them off with £10 million.”

“You paid them £10 million?!” She left the hairbrush and rushed toward him. “Where the heck did you get that kind of money?”

“Relax, I have that kind of money to spare in an emergency,” he said with a smirk.

“How can you pay off £10 million just like that? It’s too much. And it also means you are an adult.” She cringed.

“I’m not, I’m not. This was just my dad’s money that I borrowed.”

Her jaw dropped. “That does not make it any better. Aren’t you gonna get in trouble?”

“This much won’t even make a dent in his account. He won’t notice,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“There is no way he wouldn’t notice £10 million missing from his account.”

“He had already spent £50 million on a sculpture and £60 million on a portrait. He definitely won’t notice.”

“A whole £110 million for just a sculpture and a portrait?! No offense, but is your dad an idiot?”

“Not gonna lie, but this gift for Mom’s death anniversary is a dumb move.”

The silence that followed his statement stretched long and loud. He watched her struggle to say something until she joked, “Wish I could treat a measly £50-60 million as only £5 or £6.”

Good on her for not broaching his mother. Sure he missed his mother but was tired of it. This morning, with his father mourning and the millions of sad edits on the loss of the actor Emilie, felt more depressing than honouring someone’s life. He may miss her, but he would always honour her by looking at everything on the bright side and experiencing new things, Something that his mother taught. That’s why he fought to go to school after a year of mourning for his mother. That’s why he took the superhero role when he was given the ring instantly.

Placing a thumb on his chin, he said, “You can marry and then all my money will be yours.” “Can you ever be serious?”

“That was the most serious I have ever been,” he said, followed by a mock smolder.

“Knock it off, Chaton.”

“Alright,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “Serious question, though. Can I reveal my identity to you?”

She hesitated. “Are you sure? Maybe it’s best to keep it a secret.”

Not this again. It always felt like the secret identity rule was just for him. “But why? You even let Alya and Nino know each other’s identities. So why can’t we?”

“Them knowing each other’s identities is not as dangerous as ours. If one of us gets akumatized, Hawkmoth can mind-control us to make us spill about where the other miraculous is.”

“You have a confidante with whom you share your identity. Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It is, but at least yours will be safe. Even if Hawkmoth gets mine, as long as he doesn’t get yours, he can’t make the wish.”

It really was a rule just for him. He couldn’t believe it. And it was all because she was scared, so she chose to be stubborn. The lack of her trust not only made him mad but also hurt.

“Oh no!” she exclaimed.

“What?”

“If you get akumatized, he will get to me next through you. Then he will get both of the miraculous, and it will be the end of the world. This is a disaster!”

“I promise I won’t get akumatized—”

“I have some spare charms that I’ve been trying to enhance. Let me get them for you.”

She went over to her desk to grab a drawstring pouch. That was when he realized why Marinette’s room felt odd. Her desk, which was usually occupied by her sewing machine, was missing. It was put under the desk along with all the other fabric and supplies. The corkboard was bare of all pictures and now filled with notes, lists, and timetables. Her drawing books and art stationery were replaced with bundles of papers and dried ingredients for potions. Even her mannequin was missing.

“Where is your mannequin?”

Tikki, who had been quiet this whole time, answered in her stead. “She sold it to buy ingredients to strengthen the protective charms.”

“I haven’t been using it anymore. So why let it collect dust when it could have been of some use,” she said as she took a charm out of the pouch and put it in his hand.

“Ever since Hawk Moth was able to breach the protective charms, I’ve been working on making them stronger. I guarantee you this is very strong. It will protect you from akuma at all costs.” A confident smile appeared on her face but deflated within three seconds. “Or what if it doesn’t work? I haven’t even tested it out, and I’ve already made a bunch.”

She dropped to her knees and scattered the contents of the pouch on the floor.

He knelt next to her. “Marinette, relax.”

“Now’s not the time to relax. Hawkmoth can target us anytime, and it’s because of me.”

“How is it your fault?”

She looked at him incredulously. “Of course it’s my fault. You got hit while protecting me, and now everyone knows we know each other.”

“It was just an accident.”

“Accidents shouldn’t have happened.”

“Marinette, calm down.”

“How can I—”

“Marinette!” He grabbed her, and she stopped rambling. She was breathing heavily.

“Breathe.”

She took a deep breath and followed his breath pattern until she significantly calmed down. He guided her to the chaise.

When Marinette got her bearings, she immediately hugged him, and he let her while he rubbed her back soothingly.

He looked at Tikki, who shrugged. “Usually, she is too busy working on the protective charms to be stressed. Though it's true that she has been anxious for the past week.”

He felt her shoulders shake within his arms. “Marinette?” He tried to coax her.

Her voice was muffled against his shoulder. “I am tired, Chat Noir.”

He pulled away to hold her face and wiped her tears with his thumbs.“Do you need a break?”

“I wanna quit, Chaton.” She closed her eyes and let more tears flow. “But I don’t wanna forget about you.”

It struck him that Marinette could forget her memory if she gave up being the guardian. She would forget him and all the precious moments they had lived together. Marinette losing her memories would devastate him. But he was already feeling that when watching her weeping in his arms.

He took a breath before he said, “If it means it will give you peace, then I’m fine with you forgetting about me.”

She looked up at him. “No, Chaton. I love you way too much to forget you.”

His eyes widened. “You love me?”

A soft smile graced her face. “You’re still with me despite me being such a mess and always being there for me. Of course, I’d fall for you.”

“You’re not a mess.”

She shook her head and pulled away from his hold. “It doesn’t change that we lost our mentor and I put my memories at risk. I lost all the miraculous that made Hawkmoth so powerful. You don’t need to sugarcoat anything for me.”

“Just because some things were out of your control doesn’t mean it’s your fault.”

“But now everything is so hectic. We have to leave everything in the middle to fight against Akuma. No breaks, our plans are pending, and everyone in Paris is worried. Worse, if this doesn’t end well, I will lose my memories no matter what—”

He pulled her into a hug again to stop her from rambling again.

“I don’t want to lose my memories,” her muffled voice came. “I want to just worry about homework. I want to freely date you and know your identity.”

“And it will happen. We’ll get through this together, I promise.”

“But how?”

He touched his forehead to hers and looked her in the eyes. “With a well-rested and clear mind.”

She sighed. “Well, that isn't very helpful.”

He pulled away. “Sorry, I don't have any ideas at the moment. We can brainstorm tomorrow, but only after you rest. You look exhausted.”

“What makes you think tomorrow would be different?” she rolled her eyes.

“Because two heads are better than one,” he winked. “We can do this, Marinette. We fought against a sentimonster without our powers. And during Oblivio, we worked it out despite not remembering anything. We were strangers to each other at that time, yet we were such a good team.”

He held her hands. “Did you ever feel like we knew each other when we first met?”

Her eyes brightened. “I always got the feeling like we had known each other forever when we teamed up.”

“Exactly. Marinette, I fell for you because we get each other. We are such a good team. I admire you, your talents, your personality, and everything. But mostly, because I love the people we become when we are together.” He said and kissed each of her knuckles.

Marinette’s chin quivered again and her eyes glistened. “Are you sure? I mean, you did leave once when I made you angry and had Cat Walker as a substitute.” “That was me being immature and petty. You were just doing your job. Can you forgive me for that?”

He felt her grip his hand more tightly. “It's okay, Chaton. I deserved that. Rather, I should apologize for treating you poorly.”

Chat Noir placed a kiss on her forehead. “It's okay. We're all fine now. I promise I'll always be by your side.”

She gave him a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Thank you. I promise as well,” she said sincerely.

“It's late, you should sleep,” he said and got up. “For now, don’t worry your pretty head. Save that for tomorrow.”

Marinette got up and gave him one more hug. “Will you sleep with me tonight?”

Chat Noir couldn’t help himself from saying, “I didn’t buy any protection yet.”

“Chaton!”

He laughed as she smacked his arm. She looked adorable when she pouted and her nose scrunched up.

“Kidding, kidding. I’ll let my folks know at home that I’ll be cooped up in my room mourning for my mother, then I'll be back.”

“Oh, I forgot about that! Are you okay, Chat? If you're feeling down, you can stay home.”

“Aww. Well, the cure to my sadness is cuddling with you. So…” Suddenly feeling bashful, he rubbed the nape of his neck. “Is it okay if I come back?”

“Of course, Chat!” she said with a bright smile on her face. She blushed, but there was a fierceness in her eyes. She closed the distance and felt her lips brush against his. He definitely thought they were about to kiss, but she backed away instantly. She was averting her gaze and biting her lip while her cheeks turned an even darker shade of pink.

Chat Noir looked confused. “What just happened?”

She squeaked and covered her face with her hands. “I kissed you.”

“That was not a kiss! That was barely a touch.”

She peeked through her fingers. “Are you saying you don’t like my kiss?” she teased.

“Clearly, you have never kissed before.”

She folded her arms. “Not true. I kissed you on Valentine’s Day during Dark Cupid.”

“Which I don’t remember. I will never not be upset about that,” he groaned.

“At least now you got a kiss to remember,” she gave him a sheepish smile.

“That is not how you kiss.” He cupped her face and whispered, “This is how you kiss,” and brought her lips to his.

He heard her gasp, which prompted him to pull her closer with an arm around her waist and nuzzle his mouth against hers. Parting her lips slightly with his, he tilted her head to deepen the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt her nails digging into his shoulders through his suit.

When they separated for air, they grinned at each other.

“Be right back.”

“Okay.”

“One more for the road.” He pecked her, then left her room through the skylight.

~~~~

That night, they slept cuddling on her bed, with smiles on their faces.

[cardiac-agreste]

normally i write people in pain, but i really wanted to get in on the loveybug action

I doff my hat to @blur0se, @asukiess, and @pisoprano for giving us this precious jewel, and then I'll return to making Sabine Cheng cry.

---

He’d told his new partner that the Arc de Triomphe would be an excellent regular meeting place for them to talk and recuperate. It had a broad, flat top for laying down. It was centrally located. It was also a tall landmark, which gave them the security of high ground. He’d presented his case, but given how much Ladybug had enjoyed the Iron Lady and Notre Dame, he underestimated how easy it would be to convince her replacement.

She had been effusive in her praise.

“A brilliant idea, Catwalker! It’s so energetic!” She flitted around the perimeter, drinking in the views from every corner as he stood behind, marveling at her passion.

“Shhh, listen to the cars.” She closed her eyes and swayed. Then she popped like a firework. “I love this city!!” she said as she threw her fist in the air in celebration.

When he landed atop their spot after a rough day with his father, he was bursting with joy. He got to see her again! And she wanted to see him, too! He rarely had people—

“My lord, you’re already here!”

Catwalker spun on his heel. She’d snuck up on him again! His eyes rolled up from the ground to her face, and his breath hitched. She, a being of pure light. She, zipping through space without a sound. She, illuminating everything in her path. A figure of tulle, of chiffon, of organza.

She skipped toward him and threw her arms wide for a hug. She leapt at him with a broad grin on her face. “I missed you!” she screamed right into his chest as he teetered back, whether from the force of her body or her joy. Her muffled voice vibrated as she nuzzled against him. He remembered a song he’d spent a summer playing on repeat, fantasizing about exactly this kind of girl. Careening through the universe, your axis on a tilt.

She danced back out of his reach and twirled on her heel, leaving a wisp of nutmeg and cloves behind. A hint of allspice. He could be all spice; could she? Settle down.

She took a deep breath and screamed to match the honking horns of evening traffic. “I feel alive!”

Loveybug, Loveybug, Loveybug.

When he’d met Ladybug, all knots and tangles and grit, he thought he understood what Keats meant by a steadfast, bright star. He thought she was his future. He thought many things. But she rejected him, and then she rejected him, and then she disappeared. Then so did he.

He’d met Loveybug as Chat Noir. She seemed happy to be around him, but starstruck, too. It was time for Chat Noir to fade away and pass on the mantle. Catwalker would mourn Chat Noir (and possibly Paris would!), but he needed a reset. He owed it to her, who entranced him effortlessly and shared her heart with him.

So here they were, beneath a night sky full of her blue eyes on a curtain of her black tresses. He spread his dreams beneath her feet and she came to him, treading softly. She lay her cheek against his chest. He rested his chin atop her head. And together they hummed a lullabye to old partners, and together they murmured a sonnet to new ones, and together they were together.

[nobodyfamousposts]

I feel like Chloe’s actions in Lady Wi-Fi and Rogercop were justified. Alya invaded her privacy, and Roger refused to do his job and at the very least investigate the accusation. If they had checked mari’s and Chloe’s bags, they’d have seen the bracelet was missing. These 2 were the only episodes where Chloe was justified.

I would grant you Lady Wifi. Especially since Alya's reasoning for doing it were ignoring boundaries as well as basic common sense and fully available information (Ladybug rescued Chloe in Origins 2).

But I have to disagree on Rogercop. There was no basis to Chloe's accusation against Marinette in the first place. And honestly, the situation escalated so quickly that Roger barely got a word in. What word he did get in was trying to simply deescalate the situation.

Per canon:

Chloé: (gasps) My bracelet! It's gone! I had it a second ago. (looks at Marinette) You! You stole it! Marinette: What? What are you talking about?! Chloé: You unpurposedly tripped on my bag so you could steal my bracelet! (to Roger) You're a policeman! Arrest her! Tom: My daughter is not a thief! Roger: (blows whistle) Hold on a minute, Miss Bourgeois, we don't accuse without proof! Now, everyone, calm down, please. Maybe you simply misplaced your bracelet. Chloé: You're calling me a liar?! Daddy! Mr. Bourgeois: Roger, I demand you search this girl! Chloé: Ha! Miss Bustier: Please, everybody! Mr. Bourgeois: Need I remind you that as mayor of this city, I am your superior! Roger: But sir, it's against the law! I can't just go-- Mr. Bourgeois: All right. Then you're no longer a police officer! Roger: Mayor, you can't be serious! Over a missing bracelet? Mr. Bourgeois: This is my daughter's bracelet we're talking about! You're incompetent and you're fired! Get out! Roger: Aww...

This all happened in all of two minutes. And Chloe wasted no time before demanding that Roger outright arrest Marinette before even searching her and confirming whether she had the bracelet or not. They hadn't even tried to check if the bracelet had fallen off the table or could be anywhere else before Chloe started to accuse Marinette. In a situation like this, the first thing to do should be to look around the area to see if the bracelet wasn't misplaced. A basic search would have taken a couple minutes and could have confirmed the bracelet's location without infringing on the rights of other people in the process. (Yes, we as the audience know that Plagg had the bracelet at that time, but the characters didn't and for all they knew, the bracelet COULD have been on the ground.)

Roger's very first action here was to try to stop the escalation and calm everyone down. This is something a good officer should do. And his initial suggestion was a fairly standard and reasonable one. Maybe it was misplaced? Check the area first before we start throwing accusations. It wasn't like he was letting everyone leave the room so any potential thief could make off with the bracelet, he was just starting with simple non-accusatory suggestions at to what could have happened to it.

As it was, he barely got the chance to even do anything else regarding his job or even to conduct a proper search for the bracelet before Chloe started whining and Andre started making demands to perform the aforementioned infringement of rights. Then Andre immediately turned to firing the man when he hesitated and tried to explain it was against the law to do what he was asking. Which as others have pointed out, Andre did not have the authority to do. (But hey, it's Miraculous and Andre apparently regularly does a LOT of things he shouldn't have the authority to do, so I guess we'll just ignore that.)

And given that Chloe has a longstanding history of bullying Marinette for little to no reason, this honestly comes off as yet another targeting of her standard victim. With all this in mind, it’s questionable if a search of Marinette’s bag would have mollified Chloe at all.

So I have to disagree about Chloe being justified on this one. Maybe there was a point about searching Marinette's bag. But she escalated the situation needlessly when there were already authority figures there to help her and there were a number of steps skipped to get to her demands because Chloe lacks the ability to be patient or have restraint.

And that's honestly been the biggest problem with Chloe throughout the series. It also limits her justification in episodes like Lady Wifi where she wasn't actually in the wrong. Chloe escalates things. Often and needlessly. To the point where even if she isn't technically wrong, she still loses any justification due to how she handles the situation.

In Lady Wifi, Alya was very much in the wrong for searching Chloe's locker, but she wasn't given suspension until Chloe demanded it despite suspension being the punishment for a completely different crime that Alya didn't commit. Alya was wrong for sneaking the picture but she was caught and still would have been punished with detention—which is arguably reasonable for a first offense of taking a picture of someone's locker. Violation of privacy, yes. Alya was wrong, yes. But she WAS receiving a punishment for it. It just wasn't to the extent Chloe wanted. So she escalated a situation that was already being handled and got Alya suspended for a relatively minor crime.

In Dark Cupid, Chloe wasn't wrong for turning Kim down. She has every right to not date someone she's not interested in. All she had to do was tell him some variant of "I don't like you like that" and they all could have moved on. Kim might have been hurt by the rejection, sure, but he wouldn't have been crushed. But instead of just telling him no, Chloe laughed at him, insulted him, took a picture of his misery, and sent it to everyone. Chloe again escalated the situation beyond what was necessary.

In Princess Fragrance, Chloe wasn't wrong for refusing the take Rose's letter to Prince Ali. She doesn't know what it says. She doesn't know what's in it. The guy is a Prince and there should by all counts be some rules for what he can receive and very valid reasons to have some barriers in place before things can get to him. Using Chloe to bypass those stop gaps could open him up to harm. It could also be considered a misuse of Chloe's position (understandably less of a consideration given how much Chloe abuses her own position regularly, but go with me for the sake of argument). Rose might have been disappointed with the answer, but she likely would have understood and accepted it without any akumatization as a result. She could even have learned of the proper channels and used them. So no, Chloe had no obligation to take Rose's letter and to the contrary had plenty of reasons to NOT take the letter. But she had NO REASON WHATSOEVER to insult Rose and just tear up the letter in front of her. But still Chloe escalated.

So no, under this light, I have to disagree about Chloe being justified in any of these episodes. She may have had a point and a valid reason behind her behavior, but her reactions and ways of escalating the situation lose her whatever justification she could have. Because while her stance may be justified, her behavior is not. And her behavior is the problem.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Okay, but could you imagine.

Season 5 finale, Bug noire beating the bricks off Monarch. But in the middle of the fight, Adrien shows up. Riding on a Sentimonster Cat named Rebel.

He confronts Monarch and tells him he knows and that he needs to stop this. But Monarch pulls a dirty move and Commands Adrien to stay, before sending an akuma his way. Forced to accept it, he becomes Prince Akuma, with all the powers of Previous akuma, though unfortunately he isnt wearing the ring so he cant gift additional powers, but he doesnt care. Monarch uses this as his chance to recover.

Bug Noire is fighting for her life trying to plead with him.

Monarch catching his breath and telling Ladybug that his family will finally be reunited.

BUT THEN! Marinette gets a flash of a nightmare and stops. Saying she gives up. She detransforms because she cant bring herself to hurt adrien.

Monarch yells out that he won and commands Adrien to take the miraculous to him.

But he wont budge.

Monarch orders him with his ring, but... its not working.

Adrien is resisting! And with all his strength he breaks akumatization.

Falling to his knees. He says.

"Im sorry I hurt you Marinette... my lady."

Monarch is shocked as everyone in the room finds out hes Chat noir!

Monarch yells at him and charges at Marinette. Adrien is tossed aside. Being called an ignorant child.

Marinette realized chat noir's ring was missing. But transformed into Ladybug anyway.

Monarch wondered where the cat ring was, and adrien says his phrase.

A rock version of the theme song starts playing and they fight as one, beating the bricks off of monarch, until they knock his miraculous off.

Gabriel yells that he is destroying his family. Gabriel revealing that his birth is the reason his mother is dead, and his actions are what are killing him now.

"You are nothing but a monster."

Adrien is frozen in sorrow. Was his father right? Was he a monster?

Thankfully Ladybug called out all that bulls*** and revealed that it was all his fault. And that HE could have fixed things multiple times but his greed blinded him.

"Dont blame him for destroying something when it was all you."

Marinette reveals the clips and Gabriel realizes the monster he truly is all before turning to dust

[tasberry]

Marichat, for me at least, was never sinful.

I like them together because it's based around the trope of falling in love with your best friend. Where you get to know a person with all these quirks, all these flaws and complications, and go "Yeah, I love all of those too."

Where someone can annoy or upset you, but you talk it out and still choose each other. You love them at their best, you wanna lift each other up, but there isn't a pedestal because you climbed up together.

Chat Noir isn't Adrien's "true self" he just compartmentalizes. He breaks himself into little peices that he thinks people will like depending on the situation he's in.

When he's transformed he doesn't need to worry about looking foolish or getting chewed out by his father for inappropriate behaviour. It's still him, Chat Noir just gives him the ability to explore how he presents himself in the world.

The same can be said for Marinette as well. In fact, I'd say Marinette is a clearer example on how the true selves idea is painfully missing the point?

Marinette doesn't have the awful family life Adrien has. If she messes up, there isn't any of the disgusting, manipulative, abuse that we see from Gabriel Agreste awaiting her at home. She has a supportive family that encouraged her to be herself even before she got the earrings.

She was much more passive, but Chat Noir and Alya inspired her. They helped her be a better Ladybug, and grow into a more confident Marinette. There's more...persona bleed with Maribug. She doesn't refer to Ladybug as a different person the way Adrichat did. She knows one persona has more social power and she'll utilize it if she feels like she needs to. It's not an identity issue with her the way it was with Adrien.

Up until Adrien started to realize that Chat and Adrien are just..both aspects of him as a person thank you Plagg ily, Chat Noir was more of a character he got to play around with. This is what he thought he was doing anyway. I don't think his actions as Chat are disingenuous in anyway. He just didn't feel safe or accepted enough to let those two parts of himself stop being sectioned off until recently.

TLDR;

This episode was adorable

Marichat and the true selves thing is BS

These two fictional children are going to murder me with these adorable, heartbreaking shenanigans

SEND HELP IM USED TO LONGER ML HIATUSES WHAT IS THIS

[xhanisai]

ladybug please stop worrying your chaton and go the fuck to sleep.

AO3

Pairing - Ladynoir

Prompt - 'Rest'

Summary -

His grin continued to grow as the weight against his knee got heavier and heavier, a chuckle waiting to escape his twitching lips.

"Somebody's sleepy~" He sing-songed, earning an unintelligible grumble from his Lady who immediately lifted her head back up and attempted to play it off with a downright adorable pout. Chat Noir didn't need to open his eyes to know that hers were barely open and that her body was swaying a little from the lethargy and pent-up exhaustion.

"No, I simply lost my balance. That's all."

~(x)~

.

.

.

 Chat Noir smirked cheekily with his eyes closed, arms crossed under his head like a makeshift pillow and his body resting on one of the many rooftops in the arrondissement. One of his knees was raised as he lazed under the warm night sky and every small breeze that combed through his hair was soothing enough to relax his entire body.

 His grin continued to grow as the weight against his knee got heavier and heavier, a chuckle waiting to escape his twitching lips.

 "Somebody's sleepy~" He sing-songed, earning an unintelligible grumble from his Lady who immediately lifted her head back up and attempted to play it off with a downright adorable pout. Chat Noir didn't need to open his eyes to know that hers were barely open and that her body was swaying a little from the lethargy and pent-up exhaustion.

 "No, I simply lost my balance. That's all." She huffed, eyes now focusing on the view before her and forcing her body to sit ramrod straight all whilst blind to his feline greens observing her frame. He chewed the inside of his mouth with a hum, silently keeping his eyes on her for a little longer and his grin straightening into a frown of concern for her wellbeing.

 "Such a stubborn girl~" He nudged his knee against her back gently like a tease only to have it elbowed away (though, she missed the first couple of times and her sharp elbow felt more like a kitten's headbutt when it finally made contact with his leg). Ladybug managed to last only a few seconds of adamant rigidity before her body unconsciously went back to his like a heat-seeking magnet, her heavy head back on his knee much to her dismay and relaxing against her partner's addicting warmth.

 "You should rest," This time he spoke gingerly and sweetly, now sitting up and squeezing her shoulder in a comforting manner. He even rested his forehead on top of her head affectionately, just like his namesake and a quiet purr vibrated through his chest. Finally, she faced him with little reluctance and he got a proper glimpse of how lethargic and beat down she truly looked. A soft, despondent sound left his mouth and his heart ached on the love of his life's behalf. He just wanted to destroy all the things that were making her suffer in the snap of his fingers and kiss her tired eyes lovingly so that she could be alleviated of all her worries.

 Unfortunately, he wasn't capable of such power so he could only do the next best thing for his partner. Lowering his feline ears, he opened up his arms as if to beckon her to come into them, his greens pleading throughout.

 .

 Thankfully, his Lady's tiredness was stronger than her pride and stubbornness and the heroine found herself sinking into his arms before her brain could even comprehend her action. She didn't even attempt to grumble when Chat Noir pressed his lips into her hair preciously and when he laid back down with her still in his arms, she was instantly in dreamland.

 .

 When she woke up, Ladybug couldn't help but note...

 .

 It's been a long time since she's slept so well.

.

.

.

~(x)~