#lovesquare meta

[tasberry]

I think after the events of Elation, a Ladrien scene would be perfect.

The last episode showed us that now, despite Chat Noir previously being somewhat of an escape for Adrien, he has rabid fans and unwanted attention in and out of the mask.

Don't even get me started on the Alliance rings.

Adrien has expressed discomfort with being a household AI, and Plagg has straight up called him and Lila virtual puppets.

Honestly, I think we saw Adrien come to this conclusion at the end of Multiplication. That his dad views him and his image as an extention of himself, a tool for his benefit.

We see him latch onto to the false front Gabe puts up from Illusion onwards because he desperately wants to believe in his father. Wants to believe that his dad is truly making an effort, that maybe all of the discomfort he feels isn't based on anything real. After all, Gabriel has compared Adrien to his emotional mother in a disparaging way before. I hate this man so much GOD

Now, let's look at Marinette.

This season has mentioned it a few times, but Reiunion was the point where it was outright confirmed that there are pro Monarch message boards.

Hell, we've seen Alya in Destruction tell Marinette to stop checking her computer and stressing out? The masses don't know she's Ladybug, so at least she's safe from this mess as a civilian...right?

Well, yeah...except she just had a public date with one half of Paris' crime fighting duo, Chat Noir.

You think that's not gonna spread like wildfire? Imagine how many Andre's there are. How many people are gonna chase this poor girl down because they think their ship has sunk. And now that Monarch knows that there's love there, he's gonna try targeting her even more as a civilian. With a surplus of salty shippers, I doubt that it'll be a challenge for him. Plus this man can just teleport into her freakin' room whenever he damn well pleases? HELLO??

Imagine how that would effect Tom and Sabine? Having a flood of people harrasing their daughter? Ontop of that, would business be negatively impacted? Her dad did just say that baking would help keep people happy...but I'm worried that sentiment will not be as warmly reciprocated.

So now we have these two kids that are being socially, mentally, and emotionally beaten down by society. They feel like they can't relax and forget no matter what they do or who they are.

Having a Ladrien moment that touches on the overwhelming burdens they're both shouldering? Having them touch base after the scene in Strike Back would be nice as well.

Hopefully, seeing Adrien and having this little Ladrien interaction, she would be more open to the idea of love again. Accepting that she loves Adrien and he loves her. That even if they can't get together right now, or that she can't predict every outcome, that it's alright to just be happy with him. That she doesn't need to pick and choose with who she loves, it's okay to just feel how she feels.

Have Adrien inspire her to be honest and open with her feelings as a parallel to Glaciator 2. Have him tell Ladybug about his crush on her and his crush on..well, her. Even if they both won't figure that out BUT STILL

They're only 14 years old. They deserve to know they're loved and be happy.

[lostuntothisworld]

Endgame Lukadrien would be so funny on a meta level because there are two ways it could have happened:

1) It was planned from the beginning. The writers have stated as fact that there are 12 seasons planned. Of course they also planned for a 5 season run, too, just in case they didn’t get renewed. That means that the Lovesquare is the backup endgame ship, whereas Lukadrien was what they were gunning for the whole time, and they were straight baiting us the whole time

OR

2) It was unplanned. That means there had to be a point in the writers room where they were all tearing their hair out and screaming about how they HAD to go with this new storyline direction because it was so much better than what they had originally planned

[seventeenlovesthree]

@izumikoushiroweek: Day 2 - Alternate Universe(s)

With Koushirou being my favourite Digimon character, it should come as no surprise that I have developed several little AUs of varying (yet similar) genres over the years. Let me shortly elaborate on my 4 absolute favourites:

Purple: The "Magical Girl Boy" AU: I've written entire meta-analysis posts on why I think that Toei loves to parallel Sailor Moon and Digimon with one another and Koushirou is probably one of my favourite examples for why that may work out perfectly. The Sailor Moon AU is very dear to me, I have yet to improve my magical boy costume for him and the others, but at least we have something similar already...

Red: The "Miraculous Ladybug" AU: Ah yes, the smart hero with a little ladybug partner that holds some some kind of magical device(s), who needs to protect the world from evil and corrupted butterflies... I've already turned Koushirou into a Magical Boy, the Superhero idea wasn't far off after all. And "Miraculous Tentobug" basically hasn't left my brain ever since (and yes, the lovesquare plays a role here too, but shhh).

Pink: The "Cyberpunk" AU: After having watched Cowboy Bebop, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, X/1999 and various other series with influences of the past and present, I couldn't help but think of a... Darker interpretation of the genius trope. While the previous AUs were all about maintaining justice, this one is a little bit more based on restoring justice. Basically having a young man who's willing to use (and sacrifice) his intellect to protect and save the ones he loves, but with more of a twisted, loyalty and vengeance based mindset.

Orange: The "Little Mermaid" AU: Last but not least, last year's Koushirou week made me rethink my Disney AUs and I still maintain that this one is just a perfect fit for SO many reasons that it just makes me incredibly giddy.

[noirshitsuji]

AO3 Stats tag game

Thank you for the tag @queer-cosette!

Rules: check your AO3 stats and answer each question with the correct fic!

Turns out all of mine are Miraculous Laydbug,,, which,,, not much of a plot twist, but yes.

Most Hits:

les illuminations en douche et d'autres miracles pubères (9,229 hits total)

Shower epiphanies and other pubescent miracles: of Marichat, emotional teenage delinquency, adults' questionable understanding of how the world works or should work, political power play, investigations, reveals, memes, half-baked meta, and the first-ever Save Nooroo Foundation (that the author is aware of). Or, simply put: canon on crack, featuring Adrien “romantic pro-gamer” Agreste, Marinette ”Schroedinger’s Very Tired™ friend” Dupain-Cheng, Gabriel “you don't need the two most powerful objects in the universe, you just need a therapist” Agreste, Plagg and Tikki “five more minutes of this and they'll be throwing hands with the Meta Consciousness for putting them here" the kwamis, and many, many more.

Main relationships: Lovesquare, DJWIFI (morphing into Chloninya), unhinged Gabenath, and team dynamics

Second most kudos:

I Know What You Did in the Cat-acombs - collab fic w/ @galahadwilder, @maggies-scribblings, and @veebeejeebies (366 kudos total)

Two part-time superheroes get lost in the creepy catacombs, but spooky skeletons, rabid rats and akuma apparitions are the least of their problems. Written for the @mlwritersguild's October 2020 Event, for the prompt 'Haunted House'.

Main relationship: Lovesquare/Adrienette main

Third most comments:

i'm just so bad at things i don't understand (20 comment threads total)

Human!AU. Tikki and Plagg are childhood friends who fell apart following a tragedy at their hometown in Normandy, but one day Plagg walks into her confiture shop in Paris asking for her help and she finds herself unable to refuse him. Working out their own ghosts is not their only problem, though, not when the son of Paris' most infamous fashion magnate runs away and collides with them. *** She regrets it. Of course she regrets it: yesterday she got blinded by the image of the boy she used to know, the one who lived on the dairy farm just outside of Saintévie with his dad and their workers and no siblings and thus no friends to speak of at all, not until he’d met her and the rest of them, at least. He was always a shadow, though, and they’d all told him as much once and he’d jokingly replied that there was only one sun he’d ever want to be cast off from but wouldn’t tell them which, and it hurts her to think he might have meant– Maybe shadows are the burns suns never get to inflict upon the land, Tikki thinks, but if they have no sun to follow, their tendrils turn into annihilating flames. Maybe this is why the fire started.

Main relationships: Plagg/Tikki, Plagg & Adrien & Tikki, Tikki & Marinette, Adrienette

Fourth most bookmarks:

well somewhere along the way in our words i must've gotten lost (45 bookmarks total)

Written for a blog request for the @mlwritersguild: Beelya where Queen Bee visits the Césaire house after Alya writes an article about her fighting Mr. Pigeon alone. Normally Chloé would like the publicity but Alya had titled it ‘The Birds and the Bees’. After that she ends up coming back to complain about her mother. And her father. And about the fact that her oldest friend seems uncomfortable around her. Her visits becomes weekly, then almost nightly. (Don’t forget to include Chloé redemption (and some “Bee Movie” jokes).) * Alya isn’t quite sure how she ended up here, in a place where she isn’t even surprised Chloé would seek her out to talk about her dad, where she wouldn’t even mind her doing so, where she would expect it, where she would– (–thud. She might be in trouble.)

Main relationships: Alya/Chloe, Team Miraculous

Fifth most words:

tried to touch you but you're cutthroat (stay to see it unfold) (4,426 words total; technically #2 in this list is the fifth longest, but I thought I'd discounted in the interest of showcasing more stuff)

If you scratch your claws against enough things, eventually everything around you's gonna give. It's not science. It's what being a Cat Wielder is. Some of them just learn it the hard way. (Or: The life and times of Chloe Bourgeois.)

Main relationships: Chloe/Luka, Team Miraculous (AU - Black Cat!Chloe and Ladybug!Luka)

Least words:

Similarly to Coco, my shortest is also a Valentines Day drabble for the @mlwritersguild event last year.

too much could be an overdose (100 words total)

Main relationship: Adrino

Tagging all the people in #2 and whoever else wants to do this!

[mlwritersguild]

MWG 2022 WRAPPED LIST - PART NINE

Continuing with some more lighthearted fics, this part should be sure to get you laughing. This selection is coming to you straight from the MWG clown car! To recap, our January event, as usual, was to recommend and review our favorite fics that we read in 2022! To make things a little bit more interesting and fun, we treated it a bit like an awards ceremony or spotify wrapped. If you know the tumblr accounts of any authors on AO3 that were mentioned but not tagged, please tag them! Continuing with our rec lists, here's part nine!

Here are the MWG nominations for best humor/crack fics!

crème brûlée and vodka by @fictionalinfinity

lovesquare // chat fic // crack // fluff // mentions of djwifi

les illuminations en douche et d'autres miracles pubères by noirshitsuji

lovesquare // crack treated seriously // identity reveal // chloe/alya/nino // meta humor

oh god juleka you weren’t supposed to actually kidnap her oh my god by @justanotherpersonsuniverse

julerose // crack/humor // juleka & kagami

only idiots try to woo those who are already in love with them by missecchi

lovesquare // crack // romance // identity reveal // teen and up // innuendo

operation marichat by @coffeebanana

lovesquare // djwifi // crack treated seriously // identity reveal

Tera Hero Idhar Hai (Your Hero is Over Here) by @hanaasbananas

adrien & plagg // lovesquare mentions // fluff and humor // crack // bollywood movies

The Hazards of Being Bald by @nomolosk

adrien & marinette // crack // humor // hawkmoth defeat

The Ladyblog Comment Section by DragonsandInk

lovesquare // fluff and humor // slice of life // the overuse of social media comment sections

these little words by @multimousenette

lovesquare // texting/messaging fic // bad flirting // humor

See you tomorrow for part 10!

[cakemousse]

i like how so far all the meta posts are about gabriel being a massive shit and here i am only concerned about the lovesquare 😂😂😂

[chatonnoir]

Not people saying Adrien “lost all character development by the end of the episode” 💀 When are people going to realize losing their feelings for their original love interests is NOT character development and doesn't resolve anything lmao. There’s nothing wrong with them being in love. This is a romance series ffs. Enough of that “reverse the lovesquare” bs

They need to learn how to HANDLE their feelings. They need to learn how to be themselves around their crushes. They need to be the ones to take initiative to overcome their personal barriers and show their crushes who they really are. That’s character development. 

Y’all, Adrien literally experienced THE most important character development in regards to the romance plot. Hearing Marinette's confession about how she acts around her crush, and how she thought her crush was stuck up and pretentious before she realized how kind and genuine and sensitive he could be and fell for him, made Adrien finally realize what's been holding him back. Adrien finally realized he needs to stop playing casanova and crossing Ladybug’s boundaries and just be himself - i.e. kind, genuine, and sensitive - to have a chance at Ladybug returning his feelings. This means Ladybug is finally going to be able to see ADRIEN shine through Chat Noir.

Recall Origins, where Marinette realized she was wrong in what she initially thought of Adrien after he opened up to her about how new he is to school and friendship, and she fell in love with him after seeing his kindness and vulnerability.

Now we’re moving towards that repeating with Ladynoir - and this time Ladybug will see Chat Noir’s vulnerabilities. We’re now closer than ever to not only having Ladybug realize her feelings for Chat Noir, but also to her eventually learning and coming to terms with his identity, which is something she hasn’t considered at all thus far, unlike how Adrien has already thought about Marinette being Ladybug. And given how it’s been foreshadowed all season, I’ve been betting on Ladybug learning Chat Noir’s identity by the end of this season --- whether it happens this season or later, this is a big step in warming her up to seeing the resemblance before it happens.

Adrien realized he has to be genuine and vulnerable with Ladybug if he wants any chance of her truly loving him. THAT'S HUGE. That's the realization he's been needing to make for three and a half seasons. That’s the realization Kagami was trying to get him to make in the art room scene back in Lies -

That even when he’s being silly he’s still playing a character and not being genuine. He wears the mask of a perfect dutiful son as Adrien. He doesn’t stop wearing a mask as Chat Noir -- he puts on a different one. One where he can ignore and hide all his vulnerabilities and loneliness and solely play the part of the charming, funny Cat-sanova with superpowers. Just because it’s a character he LIKES playing doesn’t make it any less of a character. He wasn’t ready to come that realization then, but he’s done it now.

And what did he do in the very next ep that comes after this one?

He was vulnerable and honest with her about his feelings. He opened up about how terrified he is of losing her, of being abandoned. It can’t have been easy given what we know about what happened with his mother, and you can see that it wasn’t easy for him -- his voice wavers and he curls in on himself and looks away from her. But it worked, and it brought her closer to him -- both literally with her hand on his, and emotionally, by softening her up to him more and helping her understand him a bit better and finally allowing her to give him heartfelt reassurance.

[ilikekidsshows]

If you could give only one moment to show that Ladybug Truly does Love Chat Noir with all her heart, what moment would you choose?

This might seem a strange pick, since it's actually a favorite of the salters who want to dump on Adrien as well, but my number one Ladynoir scene is the scene in 'Stormy Weather' where Ladybug helps a downed Cat Noir up, who proceeds to make kissy faces at her while Ladybug teases him back. The reason I prefer this scene to others with more visible affection is the context of this scene in comparison with others.

Like, the way Ladybug cuddles up to Cat Noir at the end of 'Cat Blanc' soothes the soul after the really intense episode, but Cat Noir himself notes that this clingy behavior is unlike his lady, and it was brought on by Ladybug nearly losing Cat Noir. Similarly, the Big Happy Ladynoir Hug at the end of the New York special is meant to cap off the emotional roller coaster of that special, but it was only necessitated because of the huge misunderstanding Ladybug accidentally caused and it was, again, caused by Ladybug almost losing Cat Noir.

'Stormy Weather', though? This is the pilot. This episode was written to be the introduction to the show and its characters and so it's 100% what Miraculous Ladybug as a show is about. It's just a normal day, is what I'm saying. Nothing intense or life-altering is causing Ladybug to act in a way she usually wouldn't, because this is what she usually does.

While I do not subscribe to the interpretation that Ladybug is actually bothered by Cat Noir flirting, that she doesn't actually like it (an interpretation contested by both 'Weredad' and 'Love Hunter'), Ladybug is repeatedly annoyed with Cat Noir's lack of focus and timing in this episode. And what does she do when she's feeling annoyed with Cat Noir's "misbehavior"?

She teases him. She tweaks his nose, checks his body over in case Stormy Weather did him any damage and gives him the flirtatious smile to end all flirtatious smiles.

It took Adrien two and a half seasons to get this look from Marinette.

Never mind how she looks at his way of holding her hand earlier in the scene. Ladybug is into this kitty, even if he's naughty. She adores him even when he's not being perfect. She's concerned for him even when she isn't scared of losing him. She loves seeing her hand in his. And that's why this scene in 'Stormy Weather' proves Ladybug loves Cat Noir.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale's comparison: Chat Blanc vs Ephemeral

Now both of these episodes are considered impactful in the fandom.

Now that Ephermeral has been out for a good while and I rewatched it (several times). I have decided to really delve into which episode is objectively better.

In order to do this I have created different categories SPECIFICALLY for these episodes.

1. Set up: What causes the chain of events to unfold. (Was it natural? A stretch to lead to this situation?)

2. Lovesquare: How good are the lovesquare moments before things went to crap?

3. The Shift: What event lead to things going to crap?

4. The Collapse: How does everything go to crap?

5. The Fix: What is the thing that fixes everything?

6. The Akuma: How well does the akuma the episode is named after do in this episode? How impactful are they (the episode is named after them)

7. The takeaway: What was Ladybug and/or Chat noir's take away from all of this

There are spoilers below

_____________________________________________________________

1. The set up:

In Chat Blanc: The start of this chain of events was Marinette wanting to give Adrien a gift on his Fifth Names day. But thanks to some shenanigans, Her signing the gift and leaving just as he arrives. Adrien figures out that Marinette and Ladybug are the same person AND that she is in love with him. Which is the catalyst.

In Ephemeral: The start of the chain of events was that Adrien was held up a press conference and couldnt help the team beat the akuma (which took 9 heroes total). Su Han calls out Ladybug and says that she should know chat noir's identity or else he will snag chat noir's miraculous and assign it to someone else. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Ladybug decides to plan a fake reveal in order to get chat noir's identity using viperion.

Verdict: Chat blanc

Now on paper, Ephemeral's set up sounds WAY better. Su han pressuring Ladybug to find out Chat noir's identity. A plan to reveal but not reveal. But in reality, it actually falls apart when you realize Ladybug could have simply talked to chat noir about telling su han. The episode tries to give a weak explaination regarding why she doesnt have Viperion ask. But its a plot hole that really makes it impossible to ignore once you realize it. Also with Wishmaker, we know Viperion knows already. He could have totally just revealed the truth and saved Ladybug a heap of trouble.

Chat Blanc while a bit mild in comparison but at least has a bit more thought put into it. Marinette was driven to drop off the gift, and she was being stopped. So she figured a quick Ladybug drop off would allow her to get through. And to be fair she almost did it without Adrien even knowing. No trickery involved.

Both set ups do have flaws but Chat blanc's just seemed better

_____________________________________________________________

Lovesquare moments:

In Chat blanc, after finding out, Adrien rushes out to find Marinette and confess to her. His confession is very sweet and that kiss is just *Chef's kiss*. We also do get glimpses of their relationship. Seeing them dance, greet each other at school, go to premieres. Overall it is very cute stuff.

In Ephemeral: Ladybug finding out Adrien is Chat noir was a shock. It made her forget her plan and had her processing how well she knew Adrien. There is a good amount of time having her see the adrien in chat noir and the chat noir in adrien. And once she is able to see them both as truly one in the same, she reveals herself to him. Its a touching reveal and I think is one of the most emotional moments in the entire series. Then we get to see them being secretly dating for a bit.

Verdict: Ephemeral

I honestly thought Chat blanc would have this in the bag with that Lovesquare kiss, but honestly, Ephemeral's build up of the moments felt more natural and earned. In chat blanc we get more of a slide show of what happened, but in Ephemeral the flow of how things went and the build up to marinette revealing herself is just gorgeous.

If Chat blanc had built up its moments more, I think it could have been better

_____________________________________________________________

The Shift:

In Chat blanc everything went to crap when Gabriel decided Marinette would be the PERFECT akuma. So he forces her to break up with Adrien in what still is one of the most heart wrenching moments in the series. This whole break up resulted in Adrien transforming to save Marinette, which resulted in Gabriel finding out that his son is Chat noir, which resulted in the shift

In Ephemeral: Gabriel happened to overhear Adrien call someone 'My Lady' and immediately figures out Adrien is chat noir.

Verdict: Chat blanc

NOT EVEN A F***ING QUESTION

_____________________________________________________________

The Collapse:

In Chat Blanc: Ladybug and Chat noir corner Hawkmoth in his lair in which he reveals Emilié's corpse. Revealing his identity as Hawkmoth and causing Chat noir to go into a mess of emotions. Hawkmoth Homerun hits his son into the eiffel tower and akumatizes him. Chat blanc now trying to fight but emotionally compromised, couldnt control his powers and ended up exploding the moon and destroying all of Paris (possibly all of the world)

In Ephemeral:

Gabriel lures Adrien into his lair and reveals Emilie's corpse to his son. Then reveals that he is shadowmoth and tries to akumatize his son. Adrien tries to fight it and in a scene that could potentially imply adrien is a sentimonster (or emotional abuse), adrien caves and hands over his ring. Allowing for Shadowmoth to transform into Shadow noir. Where he and his akumatized son ambush Marinette and get her miraculous. Allowing Gabriel to finally win and make his wish.

The Verdict: Objective draw (Personally Chat Blanc. No points for either)

Honestly both are pretty depressing. Gabriel winning seems like a worse outcome and what he did to adrien in ephemeral was cruel in a way by forcing him to help him fight his girlfriend. But Gabriel was arguably MORE vicious in Chat Blanc. Having the willingness to beat the s*** out of his own son and force him to comply. Chat blanc destroying the world means no one wins and adrien is alone forever. But since the universe we know technically gets destroyed either way, does it really matter?

I can completely understand picking one over the other.

I guess this one really determines what you find more tragic, Gabriel getting his wish or no one wins. And for me, seeing Chat blanc go crazy with no hope of fixing things seems just a bit more tragic. But objectively I view this as either way/

_____________________________________________________________

The Fix:

In Chat blanc, After defeating Chat blanc, ladybug figures out in order to fix everything she needs to go back and stop herself from signing the gift. So Bunnyx sets up for Ladybug to go back and fix her apparent mistake. Things are stable and everything is back to normal. Ladybug learns her lesson and Bunnyx goes back to her timeline

In Ephemeral, Ladybug manages to message Luka to go to her miracle box, have him find sass, and have sass go back in time to stop this from happening. Ladybug and Chat noir then have to fix a satellite in order to stop all of the time displacement caused by sass going back. Ladybug then tells off su han saying "Im the boss I do what I want" and thats the end of it.

Verdict: Ephemeral

Oh dont get me wrong, there are SO MANY PLOT HOLES in this fix. But at the very least, it was much more entertaining to watch happen. With Joan of Arc showing up, and ladybug and Chat noir using their space powers with ACTUAL transformation sequence. The whole way they fixed it was an asspull. But it was at the very least much more entertaining than how Ladybug fixed things in Chat blanc.

Now Chat blancs was more realistic, but it was boring in comparison. And while I personally have a lot of problems with Ephemeral's fix, it is at least somewhat interesting and provides some lore about how the wish works.

_____________________________________________________________

The Akuma

In chat blanc, After Gabriel's horrific reveal, Chat noir gets akumatized and turned into a being of infinite destructive power. He destroys the world and almost destroys the universe in a bout of insanity

In Ephemeral, After Gabriel's horrific reveal, Adrien gets akumatized and turned into an akuma that speeds up the time of someone they touch. His akuma form is in the episode for 1 full minute

Verdict: CHAT BLANC HANDS DOWN

There is no arguement. Chat blanc has a better design, power set, more mystery and build up, and is just an infinitely more fascinating akuma. The only thing Ephemeral has going for it is that it helped Shadow moth win, but really he won the moment he got adrien's ring. Now he does get a few sad boy moments but its NOTHING in comparison to Chat blanc. Sorry adrien, your akuma form SUCKS.

_____________________________________________________________

The takeaway:

In Chat blanc, Ladybug learns the importance of her identity and this event does still haunt her nightmares, showing that it impacted her on a psychological level. But the later isnt relevant. What is important is how it impacted her in that episode. And Ladybug learned she needs to be more cautious and knows she has an ally in the future.

In ephemeral, Ladybug doesnt remember anything and just figures that her trying to find out chat noir's identity in anyway will result in disaster, thus she yells at su han saying "She got this" and he folds.

Verdict: Chat blanc

Ephemeral really didnt have our heroes take away anything. There was no development in Ladybug and Chat noir's dynamic. Ladybug only left thinking she knows what she is doing and that Su han was wrong.

Chat blanc has Ladybug realize why their identities need to be protected and why having someone know her identity without her knowledge can be EXTREMELY dangerous, regardless of how trust worthy that person is.

______________________________________________________________

Overall winner of a score of 4 to 2

Chat Blanc is the objectively better episode.

Now please note that you are free to disagree, I honestly can see arguements on some of these categories that could have it flipped.

But I think it is just more clear that Chat Blanc had more stakes and more personal link to the story that Ephemeral tried and failed to compete with.

[lllluka]

At some point I realised that Adrie.n!centric Lov.esquare stans have the collective flavour of a rancid garbage heap. they are the one of the only things keeping niceguys alive in this world.

[peachcitt]

what about themes focusing on them being best friends and really trusting each other? thoughts or opinions or maybe a spare fic rec? (btw yours dont count because theyre all perfect and ive already read them like 3 times and the one with the love experiment is like my favorite fic ever <3<3<3 cant thank you enough for it. but yeah. other than that)

first and foremost i think supremely and justly that lovesquare does not work without trust.

first of all lovesquare exists in the first place because chat noir and ladybug trust each other not to reveal each other’s identities or try and figure it out. in the first season, there’s that episode in season one where chat almost opens the door ladybug is detransforming in but he ultimately decides to walk away. and since then, there has been no (from what i can remember) other time in which either ladybug or chat noir are shown to go out of their way to find out each other’s identities. it’s a core moment in season 1 because it shows how much trust they put in each other to maintain their current situation of not knowing each other’s identities.

and then of course there’s the very important groundbreaking revolutionary concept of friendship in lovesquare. in the same way i don’t think lovesquare can exist without some level of trust, i think the same can be said of friendship in lovesquare. it’s notable that their origins episode shows us the absolute importance of establishing friendship - the resolution of their origin is that adrien asks marinette to be his friend and marinette accepts. and it’s important to also note that friendship is never seen as lesser than the romantic love brewing between the two; adrien is genuinely happy to be friends with marinette, and, although marinette would prefer a romantic relationship, she’s still ecstatic to be his friend and connect with him in that way. lovesquare isn’t just captivating because of the romantic intrigue it holds, but also the platonic intrigue. we want to see how marinette and adrien’s relationship develops in every possible way we can.

so yeah. im always very struck by how much lovesquare trusts each other, how close friends they consider themselves to be, and i think you’re right in saying my appreciation of that side of canon is evident on my works enfnfjdjnd. thank you for reading!!<3

and i honestly don’t read fic that often, but with a quick glance in my (meagre) bookmarks on ao3, i see these two works that might fit your interests:

when you’re near by @buggachat: a fic in which ladynoir is dating but haven’t revealed identities. marinette hears chat noir’s voice behind her at a coffee shop and can’t help but keep going back to hear his voice again, but she’s careful to never see his face

just stay this little (just try to never grow up) by @ladynoirist: a short series with post reveal pre relationship adrinette where adrien adopts a kitten. simply put, adrien and marinette are bffs

thank you for asking!!<3<3

[chatdusoleil]

i love how adrien and marinette have what could be called a sun/moon dynamic and how i cannot for the life of me decide who i think is who. they feel very fated in that sun and moon kind of way, like they fit, but on one handthere’s the argument that marinette is the sun (more outwardly energetic, confident, bubbly, she’s the protagonist, creation and light are often conflated, etc) and adrien is the moon (deuteragonist, usually calmer as a civilian, darker color scheme as chat noir, the complicatedness of his family’s plot makes me think of night and the moon? like it’s just a vibe i get). this was my first instinct to categorize them.

BUT you can also say it’s the reverse of that very easily, where marinette is the moon bc of how strongly it’s visually indicated w her hair and eyes and the fact that she is more feminine than adrien, who has a sunnier color palette. in the show’s paris, adrien’s publicity and (if theoretical) social power puts him in the position of the sun, whereas marinette is popular and loved but not to the same extent.

ladybug’s cleverness and cool head versus chat noir’s wit and loyalty could be interpreted as traits of either, but it’s clear that they’re complimentary. maybe the sun/moon or yin/yang idea wasn’t the best to get my point across but ohhhhhhggh i love them!! and even when they have a communication breakdown i can’t not believe they are soulmates

[miraculous-clowncar]

but if marinette and adrien were to get together, with these flaws, don't you think it would be toxic?

(sorry for the late response I really wanted to put some thought into this)

Yes, of course it would be toxic. That's why they aren't together yet. This season is the angst season because it's diving into the psyches of the characters. The characters are being put in situations that reveal the deepest parts of themselves, including their flaws, to the audience. The characters have to be able to overcome these challenges before the overarching plot can move on.

Character development gives us a reason to become invested in a character. That's why most of us started watching miraculous in the first place. It wasn't because lovesquare was together, but because there was potential for them to get together. The whole appeal of the show is the process that eventually brings them together.

Truth and Lies clearly demonstrated why it's not a good idea for Marinette or Adrien to be in a relationship right now (if you want my deep-dive into this, you can read it here). Marinette needs to confront her self-sabotaging behaviour and work through her trust issues (which, honestly, are totally valid as the safety of others depend on it) so that she can open up to others, while Adrien needs to let go of his fantasy of Ladybug and make some space to unpack all of the shit going on in his life. He needs to learn how to get a grip on his life and make it his own. This includes asserting himself to his father; as made clear in Chat Blanc, Gabriel wouldn't approve of Adrien being in a relationship with Marinette because he would find it harmful to his brand. That's basically what led to Chat Blanc in the first place, which Marinette is actively trying to prevent.

With the way things stand right now, it doesn't make narrative sense for Adrinette to get together anyway. For endgame Adrinette to be well-executed, there needs to be a proper buildup to it. That's why the creators are milking the delay to the identity reveals. There needs to be a series of challenges and waiting that will eventually make the audience's investment in the show worth it. When Adrinette finally ends up together, we want it to be worth all of the heartache, conflict, and bs. Otherwise, one of the most anticipated canon ships of the entire show will fall flat and the audience will be left unsatisfied.

[steelblaidd]

Short Takes: Oblivio

originally written for the @miraculousfanworks December Newsletter

AO3 link

Oblivio is one of the most referenced, most discussed and most angsted over episodes in the third season of Miraculous, second only to the gut punch that is Chat Blanc.

On the surface the episode seems like a shipping treat with a Big No chaser due to the Miraculous reset button that ensures status quo is god, but there is a lot to dig out.

Oblivio is our first fusion akuma, something that will occur again in Heart Hunter. Contrast this with Felix, another instance where several people are akumatized by a single butterfly. In all three cases the principles are touching the same object and feeling congruent emotions:, embarrassment at being caught, frustration with their spouse, anger at Felix.

In Felix, Alya, Rose and Juleka resume their established akumasonas: Lady Wifi, Princes Fragrance and Reflekta. So either Hawk Moth can exert some control over how the process manifests or there must be something more than common objects and emotions needed for these fusions.

What's needed is a longstanding emotional bond, Positive (DJWifi) or Negative (the Bourgeois).

Bonds and partnerships are fundamental to Oblivio, which features several. This essay will focus on Adrinette. To keep track, the memory-wiped Adrien and Marinette will be AdrienO and MarinetteO.

Because of the reveal, the love square collapses. MarinetteO and AdrienO are relaxed, even playful, bowing and curtsying as they share their names.

MarinetteO is confident, just like Ladybug. She is sharp, shown by how fast she does the mental math when calling Sabine. Poster (we’re superheroes) + mom unaware = don’t reveal. The insulting cartoon she draws to distract Oblivio hints at her saucy playfulness as Lady Noire in Reflekdoll. In combat, she obviously enjoys her abilities and trades quips with AdrienO with no problem.

She makes plans and works through consequences without spiraling. She's a little clumsy, falling into AdrienO coming out of the air vent and tripping over her yo-yo while fighting Oblivio, something we haven't seen since Origins. It’s a visual cue to how integrated MarinetteO is and how badly anxiety affects Marinette outside the suit where she can trip on nothing.

AdrienO is still protective, thoroughly smitten and easy in his declarations of love. But he is not as over the top or reckless as Chat, and is much more confident and centered than Adrien. He is most like the Adrien who interacts with Plagg when they are alone.

Besides the secret, the biggest burden lifted from each of the heroes is fear. AdrienO does not fear being overlooked, making him less performative and more focused. He doesn’t simply follow orders: he plans with Ladybug. He thinks before leaping, his impulsiveness as Chat dialed way down.

AdrienO’s casual confessions and constant compliments don’t aggravate or overwhelm MarinetteO; just surprise her. She is unafraid of their relationship. Confident in her ability to handle it, her only panic is about being superheroes with zero knowledge of their powers.      

While MarinetteO is still the strategist, we see them “trade“ leadership back and forth seamlessly over the course of the episode. AdrienO takes lead when they first run away, suggests the distraction plan MarinetteO implements, then leads them back to hide on the floor they had just escaped. Once disguised, he joins MarinetteO in facing Oblivio. Their partnership is much more balanced and equal than Ladybug and Chat Noir’s.

Their instant bond in Oblivio foreshadows the mature partnership that makes them the awesome leaders the future Bunnyx remembers.

[miraculeuxladyblog]

bro the look on his face in the few moments after he's been akumatized??

i don't think we've seen any characters palpably struggling against Hawkmoth AFTER they've already transformed; we always see people grappling the moment the butterfly hits them and whatever object they're holding.

but after???????

Adrien is here listening to Hawkmoth—who he now knows is his father—as he demands his son obliterate Ladybug where she stands and to steal her miraculous, forcing an akumatized cataclysm—a majestical atomic bomb for the universe—into the palm of his hand.

HIS SON'S hand.

Adrien—grimacing, shaking in terror, desperation—consciously forces the explosion upon himself because heaven and hell know he would never hurt Marinette

and even after everything he has done and hasn't done for that matter,

Adrien could not willingly hurt his father.

[miraculousfanworks]

Fanfiction Prompt

Bunnyx is well aware of all the fanon universes that exist. She peruses them at her will as a passive observer while she takes notes on what they’re doing right and wrong.

That’s right. A meta fic where Bunnix reviews fanfiction.

“Two out of five. Too much Adrinette.” 

via @leo112358