#plagg deserves better

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

As a follow up to you post about mentors, just to make things fair, what are examples of Tikki being a bad mentor to Marinette?

Post in question for context.

Tikki often acts as the voice of the author. She's there to explain why Marinette is in the wrong. Since Miraculous has some wacky morals, that means we get a mix of good advice and wacky nonsense advice.

Two examples of bad advice that come to mind are Gamer and Strikeback. Gamer is the episode where Marinette stumbles upon an Ultimate Mecha Strike tournament, realizes that Adrien is taking part, and decides to compete so they can be on a team together. Marinette wins a spot through her own hard won skills and then this happens:

Tikki: All you wanted to do is spend time with Adrien, there are other ways to do that! Marinette: What are you getting at? Tikki: You know how much Max wanted to be in that tournament. Kim said he'd been training for it all year. Marinette: You're right. All I could think about was Adrien. 

This is how tournaments work, right? They're not tests of skill, but tests of who put in the most work or who wants to compete the most! That's why we had that scene with Marinette writing out her training schedule and motivations for evaluation, but she lied and that was wrong and...

Okay, I was the one lying here. There was no written evaluation because that's not how tournaments work. All anyone cares about is your skills. They don't care if you're doing this for personal glory or to get closer to a boy or whatever Adrien's motivation was because - notably - his motivation didn't matter in this episode about needing pure motives to be allowed to do things.

What if he didn't care about the competition and only did it to get closer to his classmates? That's not even a random guess. It's a valid read because Adrien ultimately gives his spot to Max while claiming that Max is the better player even though Adrien very clearly beat Max at the start of the episode. Ignoring that weird nonsense dialogue, why was it fine for Adrien to compete when he didn't care but wrong for Marinette to do the same? And Max wanting to compete to show off his skills is also a totally selfish motivation, so why does it matter that he wanted it more? Everything about this episode was nonsense and uncomfortably sexist. If Max wants to compete, then he needs to get better at the game. That's how competitions work.

Strikeback is the second part of the season four final and it starts with Marinette mourning the fact that "Adrien" has left Paris, leading to this:

Marinette: (crestfallen) It's all over, Tikki. Tikki: He'll be back, Marinette. He's just going on a voyage!

Which would be lovely advice if Adrien was a normal boy, but he's Chat Noir and Tikki knows that. She should be freaking out and trying to find a way to get him back to Paris, but then Tikki would have to support Marinette's actions and we can't have that, so instead Tikki gives this nonsense advice because she has to be against whatever "wrong" thing Marinette is doing today.

I could come up with a few more examples, but I think those two paint a pretty good picture of issue one re Tikki. However, when it comes to Tikki, my main issue with her is less a wealth of bad advice - unlike Plagg*, I think she's right more often than not - and more a lack of support. It feels like she's just here to judge Marinette and point out when she's doing something wrong, but a good mentor should be so much more than that.

Kuro Neko is a great example of this. When Chat Noir quits, Tikki just sits back and does nothing while her young charge is freaking out. She doesn't even try to defend Marinette when Plagg is going off about Chat Noir's "ill treatment". For all Plagg's faults in that episode, at least he's doing something about the situation. Meanwhile Tikki literally has two lines in the entire episode! A similar thing happens in Kwami's Choice where Plagg is the one driving them to act while Tikki just wrings her hands in despair.

Tikki: (sighs heavily) What can we do? Plagg: We must free them of that impossible choice. We must… free them of us.

These are not the actions of a mentor. Mentors aren't supposed to just offer judgement about things that their mentee has already done or is considering doing. They're supposed to be a source of support and guidance in hard times, but we never really see Tikki stepping in to give Marinette that kind of advice. If memory serves, she never offers solutions or acts as a sounding board. That role is mainly filled by Alya and I love Alya! It's good for Marinette to have support from a friend, but Alya is also a teenager while Tikki is an ancient being who has seen many Ladybugs go through the kind of struggles that Marinette is going through. I expect her to use that knowledge to help her charge, but she never does. This exchange from Passion perfectly highlights this problem:

Tikki: Don't worry, Plagg... my holder has decided to run away from her real feelings to pursue an impossible love with Cat Noir instead. Plagg: Uh, just to be sure, sugarcube, you do know that Cat Noir and my holder are one and the same person, right? Tikki: I do, but my holder doesn't. Plagg: If she declares her love to Cat Noir, something tells me she'll find out soon enough. Tikki: You have nothing to fear. When my holder is in love, she never gets anywhere. She'll just knit hats and make very complicated plans that will never come to fruition. Plagg: Hmm... ah, then everything's fine.

Tikki, I love you, but by the gods! With a mentor like you, Marinette doesn't need enemies to be miserable! Do you care about her at all??? What kind of mentor delights at their mentee's suffering? Not a good one, that's for sure.

*Quick note: I think that Plagg and Tikki are probably neck and neck for who has given the most bad advice, Plagg just feels like the bigger problem because we don't see him as much as we see Tikki. Since she's tied to the main character, Tikki gives advice in almost every episode and most episodes have decent morals.

Adrien's need for good advice can also feel more glaring because he's so isolated and passive. That makes Plagg's lack of good advice feel more harmful, but Marinette is just as isolated from real advice. Her mentor figures - Su Han, Fu, and Tikki - mostly give orders and judgement instead of support and guidance. It's just harder to spot that fact because Marinette is actively trying to do the right thing, meaning that she's more likely to make mistakes, and it's easy to see why she comes across as a lot less pathetic and a lot easier to judge.

[wordsofrowan]

The Shadow Court

Chapter 15 - Consumed by Shadows

Under the shimmering glow of the moon, Chat Noir stealthily made his way back to his, dimly lit room, his mind consumed not only by frustration but also by a seething anger that threatened to consume him. With a swift and forceful motion, he shed his heroic facade, he began pacing back and forth in his room. "Can you believe her, Plagg?" he exclaimed, his voice dripping with a volatile mixture of disbelief and rage. "I presented her with irrefutable evidence that Marinette is colluding with that wretched Shadow Moth, and yet she dares to treat me as if I am the villain in this twisted tale!"

Perched on Adrien's shoulder, Plagg trembled slightly, sensing the explosive energy radiating from his holder. Plagg couldn’t believe what he was hearing from Adrien. Plagg didn’t know when it happened but this definitely wasn’t his kitten anymore, "Ladybug does have a point, Adrien. What you offered her wasn't concrete proof. And you do tend to disappear frequently during those wretched Akuma attacks."

Adrien's frustration reached its boiling point, causing him to snap at Plagg with an intensity that sent a shiver down the kwami's tiny spine. "Yeah, that's because I am Chat Noir! I have every damn reason to not be present! I’m the one busting my ass to save Paris!" His words reverberated through the room, filling the air with a palpable tension.

Plagg, his eyes wide with fear, attempted to reason with his enraged holder. "Have you ever considered, Adrien, that Marinette, considering the countless times she has been targeted by those accursed Akumas, might be grappling with some deep-seated trauma?"

Adrien's anger surged like a raging inferno, and he lunged toward Plagg, his piercing gaze filled with a violent intensity. "Why are you defending her now?" he hissed through gritted teeth, his voice dripping with malice and venom as he punched the wall beside him, leaving a small dent in the wall. Plagg felt sick to his stomach.

Taken aback, Plagg cowered slightly, his voice trembling as he defended himself. "I'm not defending her, Adrien. I'm simply attempting to help you see reason!" His words were barely a whisper, barely audible amidst the tempest of Adrien's fury.

Adrien's voice turned icy and menacing as he silenced Plagg with a forceful wave of his hand. "Silence, Plagg," he growled, his tone laced with a chilling threat. In an instant, Plagg's mouth sealed shut, his frightened eyes widening in horror. Throughout his existence as a kwami, he had encountered holders who had misused his powers, but the terror he felt at that moment surpassed anything he had ever experienced. "I don't wish to hear your voice any longer. You are my kwami. I alone dictate what is right and wrong," Adrien declared, his words punctuated by a violent outburst that echoed in the room, leaving an unsettling silence in its wake.

"And just so we're clear," Adrien continued, his voice a volatile mix of command and menace, "you are forbidden from leaving my side in public, and you are forbidden from departing my room when we are here. Do you understand?" His words hung in the air, heavy with the threat of consequences.

Plagg, his trembling intensifying, could only nod, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over him. He yearned to warn Marinette or Tikki, but Adrien's explosive and violent nature left him utterly helpless, a captive within his own existence. He could only hope and pray that Marinette would unearth the truth before Adrien's inner darkness consumed him whole, for the storm that raged within Adrien threatened to consume everything in its path.

He paced back and forth, his steps echoing in the silence of his room. The image of Marinette, entangled with Jay and serving the nefarious Shadow Moth, haunted his thoughts. He couldn't bear to see her caught in the web of darkness any longer. He had to find a way to free her from the clutches of evil and bring her back into the light.

But it wasn't just Marinette who had fallen prey to the machinations of the darkness of this world. Ladybug, the hero he had admired and loved from afar, had also become entangled in this twisted game. Adrien couldn't fathom why she had turned her back on their shared duty, why she had forsaken the very essence of what it meant to be a hero.

His heart ached with longing and frustration. He yearned for the Ladybug he had once known, the one who embodied hope and unwavering determination. He needed her to see the truth, to understand the consequences of her actions. If only she would submit to him, to his guidance, then everything could be restored to the way it was supposed to be.

As Adrien stared at the photographs of Ladybug and Marinette on his desk, a flicker of determination ignited within him. He couldn't sit idly by while his loved ones succumbed to darkness. He had to find a way to break through the barriers that held them captive. They were his and he would not allow them to continue to disobey him and insult him in such a way.

His mind raced, searching for a plan, a strategy that would bring about the change he so desperately sought. But time was running out, and the stakes were higher than ever. Adrien knew he had to act swiftly and decisively.

Plagg hovered in the dimly lit room, his emerald eyes filled with regret. How had he failed to notice the darkness that had taken hold of Adrien's heart? As a kwami, it was his duty to guide and protect his chosen Miraculous holder, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for not intervening sooner. Was this because he was ill-suited for the Black Cat Miraculous, Plagg wondered was this darkness in Adrien his fault. 

He had always known that Adrien wasn't like Marinette, the true holder of the Ladybug Miraculous. But Plagg had never anticipated the depths to which Adrien would sink. The weight of his father's influence and the shadows that lurked within his own soul had consumed him, twisting him into something unrecognizable.

Plagg had tried his best to impart wisdom to Adrien, to teach him about boundaries and the importance of autonomy. But it had become painfully clear that Adrien had become entangled in a web of darkness that even Plagg couldn't fully comprehend.

The kwami sighed, his tiny form slumping with defeat. He had underestimated the power of the darkness that resided within Adrien. The allure of his father's teachings had clouded his judgment, leading him down a treacherous path.

Plagg's mind raced, searching for a solution, a way to break through the barriers that held Adrien captive. He knew he couldn't give up on his chosen holder, not when the fate of Paris hung in the balance. But the task ahead seemed insurmountable.

With a heavy heart, Plagg reflected on the lessons he had tried to teach Adrien, the moments they had shared. He wondered if he had failed him and if there was something more he could have done to prevent this descent into darkness.

The guilt gnawed at him, consuming his thoughts and filling him with a sense of failure. How had he let things escalate to this point? He couldn't help but feel that he had failed not only Adrien but also Marinette and Tikki.

As a kwami, Plagg had a unique perspective on the lives of his chosen holders. He had witnessed Adrien's reckless behavior and his disregard for the consequences of his actions. Plagg had tried to intervene, to guide him towards a path of responsibility, but his efforts had often fallen on deaf ears.

The memories flooded back, each one a painful reminder of missed opportunities. Adrien's blatant disregard for Akuma's attacks and leaving Ladybug to fight alone. His relentless pursuit of Ladybug, even as she repeatedly made it clear that she did not return his affections. And now, his misguided attempts to force his feelings onto Marinette.

Plagg couldn't shake the feeling that he should have done more, that he should have been more assertive in his guidance. He had seen the warning signs, the cracks in Adrien's façade, but he had allowed them to go unchecked, hoping that Adrien would find his own way.

Regret washed over Plagg, his head drooping with a sense of defeat. He should have protected Marinette from the pain she had endured. He should have shielded Marinette from the turmoil that Adrien's misguided affections had caused. For the first time in a long while Plagg cried. He wanted to run to flee to Tikki, but given Adrien's commands that was no longer an option. Plagg felt alone and lost. He figured this must be what Nooroo and Dusuu were feeling as well.

XoXo Rowan

[jennrypan]

Adrien finding out that everyone in his immediate circle knew about Gabriel and knew about him being a senti-being and STILL chose to withhold that information to 'protect' him would devast him but in a way thats not surprising- hes devasted because hes not surprised..hes been experiencing this type of coddling all his life.

Hes not allowed to go to school cuz what if something happens? Hes not allowed to know any of the miraculous crap that Ladybug does cuz..what if something happens? He cant know Ladybugs identity cuz what if he gets akumatized (Not Ladybug, never Ladybug shes perfect..she knows everything, he doesn't.) And now?

Why is it easier for people who claim to love him, to lie to him so easily in the fake pretense of protecting him..as if they dont trust him to control his own emotions as if he hasnt been dealing with Akumas as long as Ladybug, has if he hasnt been taught to school his emotions since he was young! The people closest to him dont care about him- not entirely, because they like him better if hes blissfully unaware.

Natalie, Kagami, Felix, Marinette and Plagg have FAILED Adrien and he needs to be angry about it. He deserves to be angry about it cuz these people have claimed to care about him more than Gabriel and they are doing exactly what hes done all his life.

(Plagg has no reason to keep this from Adrien his HOLDER. He shouldnt have this stupid little loyalty to Ladybug. He shouldve called her out the minute she let her guard down cuz Gabriel seemed slightly apologetic, this isnt fair to Adrien.)

[blackcatsandlockets]

"Of course James would choose Lily over me. Would you look at American cheese if you have a piece of Camembert sitting next to it?" - Regulus Black at some point

[gracethefoundfamilyfan]

Adrien hates walls.

His prison of a house? Walls.

His father’s closed office door? Wall.

His mother’s room? Oh, look, more solid walls.

The garden? Don’t even TRY.

He escapes through Chat Noir, but then—

Ladybug. Wall. Wall upon wall upon wall. At first it was just their secret identities. He could manage one more isolation.

But now it’s hundreds, layers upon layers of mistrust and lies that pile up until they’re almost more oppressive than the bars that close him in for real.

Any friends? His own secret identity is a massive, glaring, ugly barrier.

Maybe, just maybe, they’re never going to move. Maybe he’s meant to stay walked in. Hidden. Forgotten.

“I love you just the way you are,” he says. One wall down. Only it’s not, because apparently Marinette has walls too, and they’re going up faster than he can stop them. He’s hopeless, helpless, alone. Walled in.

And he’s starting to get claustrophobic. He’s stuck, in every way imaginable. He can’t move. He can’t fight for one love without ruining another. He can’t fight for one life without leaving a gaping hole behind in the other.

But he can’t keep filling all these gaps. His existence is like the plug in three dams, all connecting at one point—

His identity.

The same thing that’s keeping him afloat is also crushing him, leaving him gasping for air and floundering for a foothold even as the walls close in.

His father asks about his ring, and in that moment, Adrien makes his choice. Trembling, clenching his arms tight around himself to hide it, staring his father (his creator) in the eyes, he plants himself between the window (freedom) and his father (the cause of all of his heartache, really, although he doesn’t know it yet.)

“You’d know I’ve been wearing this ring for a long time if you paid any attention to me, father.” He snaps.

His father leaves.

He’s shaking. His mind is spinning. He feels an ache of ‘wrong, wrong, wrong’ growing deep in his gut. Maybe he throws up, he doesn’t know for sure. But he’s done it.

The first step.

Was it Plagg who told him even the smallest force can start the biggest quake?

Maybe, Adrien thinks for the first time, destruction isn’t something to be feared. It’s something to be celebrated, used, enjoyed. It’s catsclysming the iron bars slamming down around him. It’s fighting back. It’s freedom.

Destruction is freedom. (How had he never seen it before?)

Sure, this time it was out of pure fear. Part of him never wants to speak again. A large part of him still nurses the idea of running away, hiding, where there’s no one to hurt and nothing to fear. But the larger part of him (by a small margin) is shaking not from fear but excitement. Thrill. Adrenaline. He’s realized, for the first time in his false life, that he can rebel.

This first crack in the facade was made out of fear. But the rest will be planned, in a beautiful cascade of reckless emotion and anger (that he now lets himself embrace for the first time, lets it fill him, swell in his soul, give him strength) and love that will bring the world tumbling down so that he can recreate it in the way it ought to be.

(It’s not until Ladybug breaks down and he crumples with her, eyes red-rimmed with frustrated tears and an aching loneliness that never leaves, that he learns of the other implications of such thoughts. What he could become, did he not love the right people.)

But no matter. Because he does love the right people. And he believes they can best the odds.

And Ladybug, somehow, with her trembling lower lip and fearful doe eyes, gives him the strength (he has to protect her at all costs) to fight for the future he sees for both of them. It’s her and him against the world.

She trusts him, somehow.

What does he have to lose?

[aryxchse]

adrien agreste headcanons

a/n: i just wrote whatever camed to my mind, also this takes place after gabriels death cause i dont want him

- he watches k-drama

- he started with the c-dramas to study chinese, but he got addicted and started watching k-dramas too

- his favorite is twenty five twenty one, since it's all about fencing

- thinks cat woman was one of the black cat miraculous holders

- when the house is empty, he transformes into chat and just walks around the house by using his cat-like abilities

- he geniunely likes eating, specially when he's chat noir

- his little secret dream was to become a florist but never told anyone, even marinette

- this boy sure knows everything about flowers

- has a really good fashion sense and helps nino pick his special-occasion clothes

- he thinks hes hot while hes bleeding (he is)

- couldn't tie shoes until he was 13

- for a homeschooled, never-got-out kid he curses really well and is a secret bully to the people he hates

- for some reason, he felt really comfortable when he found out luka knew his identity, took the weight of his shoulders fr

- he chills around the paris SO OFTEN!! you can see chat noir just walking around on the roofs anytime of the day

- he just really appreciates his country since he never got the chance to explore it

- mamas boy

- listens to any kinds of music but jazz is his favorite

- he got sick from people calling him dumb-blonde so he dyed his hair black one day and he actually looked so GOOD with it

- he told ladybug that he really liked adrien agreste with a black hair and that he inspired him to do it too (lucky for him she believed)

- among us fan

- live laugh love adrien

[lundenburn]

Here me out

What if plagg dosen’t know that nooroo lives in the same house

BUT

Nooroo knows that plagg is Gabriel’s sons kwami but dosen’t say anything (probably because it’ll lead up to the end of the world!!!!)

[marcmarcmomarc]

Miraculous

Chapter 23: Welcome Back

MARINETTE: (SINGING) There’s a house for everyone But I guess that’s not quite true There won’t be one for me now Or for you, or you, or you

LILA: I can’t believe it’s over And I will get my way

MR. KUBDEL: Even dreamers have to wake up

JALIL: Guess today will be the…

(Marinette spots a hammer on the ground. She picks it up with her remaining arm.)

MARINETTE: Show ‘em who you are

(Adrien picks up a saw.)

ADRIEN: Show ‘em that you’re strong

MARINETTE AND ADRIEN: Show ‘em that you know Where you belong

(The civilians, reaction crew, and Crossover Characters pick up construction tools.)

JEAN: Open every door

WAYHEM: Own your destiny

MARINETTE: Look down deep in your heart And believe in the you that you seek

MARINETTE AND ADRIEN: And become what you are And you’ll set yourself free

(Everyone beams happily. “Many months later.” At a gathering, Mayor André and Audrey stand together.)

ANDRÉ BOURGEOIS: People of Paris, I’m proud to announce the grand re-opening of your beloved city!

(Audrey cuts the ribbon. All over the city, the civilians, reaction crew, and Crossover Characters finish construction. Marinette has a prosthetic arm to replace the one she chopped off.)

MARINETTE: Soon us heroes Are hanging with our biggest fans

(The 86th Floor crew wear their Miraculous cosplays.)

THE 86TH FLOOR: And we biggest fans have learned Not to be such stans

TIKKI: But we’re not truly perfect So what?

(On the streets, Théo gives a rickshaw ride to Luna and Sam.)

CLARA NIGHTINGALE: Let’s go!

THÉO: It just couldn’t be better

AURORE: A new portal is permanently open wide

MIREILLE: You can go and make new friends On the other side

MS. MENDELEIEV: Then come back When it’s time to hit the sack

FRED: Life just couldn’t be better

AUDREY: Don’t sweat, don’t sweat, don’t worry, don’t fear Stop the presses, the critic’s here But this old gal has learned something new Being kind feels so good, it’s true

MOMO: See, kindness is different

BETH: Kindness is fun

MIRANDA: It’s better to be united with everyone So face it

BETH: Embrace it

MOMO: Follow your bliss

AUDREY: It doesn’t get better than this

(All over the city, Crossover Characters help finish construction, and Crossover Characters hang out with the Miraculous characters with shared interests.)

ALL: Yes, it’s a mixed up life in our inside out world But it all couldn’t be any clearer We may be pinstriped, checkered, or polka-dot swirled But we love what we see in the mirror And it’s a nonstop blast of awesome unity It’s amazing, you bet, but there’s something much better So amazing, and yet, it gets even much better There’s one thing, there’s one thing that’s better

(At the Trocadéro, Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Nino, Chloé, and their kwamis eye a statue of them together, similar to the statue from “Copycat”.)

NINO: Wow.

TIKKI: Look at that.

ADRIEN: They still made me shorter than you, Marinette.

CHLOÉ: You know, back when I was a snob, this would have really stroked my ego.

ALYA: Ah, forget about that.

ADRIEN: You know what we should do? Let’s go to Marinette’s house.

MARINETTE: Why there?

(Later, they turn at the bridge in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral.)

MARINETTE: I mean, we could head down to anyone’s house that’s actually finished, you know? Your house, Alya’s, Chloé’s new house...

ADRIEN: True, but then you’d miss this.

(Marinette looks ahead.)

MARINETTE: What the...

(As Alya, Nino, Adrien, Chloé, and a lost-in-shock Marinette approach, workers put the final touches on a refurbished house. It’s Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie rebuilt and painted like Ladybug. The Miraculous holders walk through a crowd in front of the house. Marinette looks at the tender smiles on her supporters, who edge back to clear a path for her.)

ANDRÉ BOURGEOIS: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, welcome back to Paris.

ADRIEN: Let’s hear it for Marinette Dupain-Cheng!

(The crowd of people erupt into cheering.)

(As Marinette approaches, her eyes go wide and her jaw drops. She turns around to face her supporters, her cheeks reddening.)

(At the front of the people are Chloé, Adrien, Nino, Alya, and the gang. Alya records for the Labyblog, and Sabine fans her eyes with her hands.)

MARINETTE: How did you guys find the time to pull this off? This is why I stayed at Luna-TK’s house, isn’t it?

LUNA-TK: Absolutely.

MARINETTE: There are so many people to thank. My old friends, who put in a lot of effort to get me back. My new friends, who protected me from danger, and stuck my old friends in a cage and abused them.

(The Minions chuckle nervously.)

MARINETTE: But if all of you guys really went through all of this just for me, then what is there to be mad about now?

ADRIEN: (SINGING) Busy few days Stopped a tyranny and kept our town from dying

NINO: We found a way Everything gets better if you keep on trying

ALYA: A simple soul can be handy When you’re in a crisis

CHLOÉ: Sometimes you need a hero With skills that are priceless

MARINETTE: Hey, there, that’s me Happy just to be here in the world-renowned

ALL: A lovely city

MARINETTE: How I love this town

ALL: A lovely city

MARINETTE: When the sun shines down

ALL: On a beautiful, a pretty Paris day

(Now, Marinette and Adrien lead a mob of people down the street toward the Eiffel Tower.)

MARINETTE: In the world-renowned

ALL: World-renowned

MARINETTE: A lovely city How I love this town

ALL: Love this town

MARINETTE: A lovely city When the sun shines down, the sun shines down When the sun shines down

ALL: Sun shines down, sun shines down Sun shines down

MARINETTE: The sun shines down

ALL: On a beautiful A pretty Paris…

(Luna Kitty, Luna-TK’s cat, approaches.)

ALL: Day

MARINETTE: A pretty Paris

ALL: Day

(The song finishes.)

[post-authenticity-society]

It's been a rough day.

Speak of the Devil part four

previous / next

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

When I first saw a Miraculous Ladybug salt post it was the usual Lila takes away all of Marinette's friends Adrien does nothing Marinette becomes super successful Lila gets exposed blah blah blah

When I see posts like the ones you post where people give actual constructive criticism about the characters and not favor one character over the other has made me realize that these are fictional characters and its not their fault they are the way they are. Also they're 14 what kind of 14 year old makes good choice's? Especially when they have the fate of the world/universe on their shoulders

If anything the character I really blame is Master Fu. He was obviously meant to be some sort of mentor figure for them or at least Marinette's mentor. He was the one to tell and encourage Marinette to keep everything a secret from Adrien. Comparing him to other mentor like figures in the world of superheros he isn't really all that helpful.

Compared to DC Ladybug and Chat Noir do not have any adult superheros to help them. In DC younger superheros have entire superhero families to help them out and if not that than they have other adult superheros to help them or they have an actual team. We know that other miraculous holders exist and the order is back I have a vague idea as to why they can't help but I still find it weird as to why they are around if not to help. Like phones and the internet exist do they not?

Sorry for they rant, I want to know what your thoughts are on this?

Your rant was fine! I don't think that I've talked in depth about mentors as a concept and I should both because I love mentors and because Miraculous has completely failed to give us any good ones. This is a writing failure not because good mentors are required, but because the show chose to have mentors characters and then not use them.

Before I get into the topic at large, I want to start with a brief discussion of mentors in shows aimed at young children as Miraculous' intended audience is young children and that fact is worth keeping in mind when discussing what Miraculous did wrong and some of the ways that you can fix it.

Shows aimed at kids generally avoid adult characters in major roles for the very obvious reason that the intended audience is kids, so you want the kid and teen characters to be the stars. This doesn't mean that adults aren't allowed to save the day or have important roles. It just means that they should be used sparingly. This is why mentors are a great addition to kids shows. They allow adult characters to be deeply involved with the plot without anyone expecting them to intervene because that's not their role in the story. They're not here to be the hero. They're here to guide the hero.

One of the powerful things about this setup is that it allows the writers to give the real kids watching at home real advice about real life problems. For example, if Marinette comes to Fu to talk about feeling alone and overwhelmed, then he can give her real, practical advice that would apply to anyone who is feeling alone and overwhelmed, but no one expects him to directly intervene because he's supposed to say hidden.

A lot of these elements apply to mentors in media aimed at older audiences, the rules just apply for different reasons, so I'm going to stop reminding you that Miraculous is for elementary school kids and focus on the failed mentor issue as it would be an issue no matter what Miraculous' intended audience was.

When it comes to bad mentoring, a lot of people focus on Fu and I get why. At first glance, he's the classic wise old Asian man who is supposed to be there to guide the protagonist on her mystical journey (not getting into the racism issue here, just know that I'm aware of it and that Miraculous dropped the ball on this in a lot of ways even though they absolutely could have made it work.) But Fu isn't the main focus of my ire because, while the writers seemed to have designed him around the mystic Asian trope, they never actually wrote him like a mentor.

He doesn't train Marinette and Adrien in the ways of the miraculous. He just sneakily gives them their miraculous and then disappears from their lives for quite some time. So he's not around to get them properly started on their hero journey. That's strike one for the mentor role.

Strike two is the fact that we never actually see him mentoring Marinette. I don't think that she ever went to him for advice? If she did, then it wasn't a big element of their relationship. When I think of Marinette and Fu, I picture her going to him to grab a miraculous or two before booking it back to the ongoing fight and that's about it. The guardian training she supposedly had was all off screen, so we have no idea how close they were or what he even taught her outside of potion making. Even that wasn't really him teaching her something. It was them working together to figure out a puzzle because Fu never completed his own training, making it impossible for him to properly train a successor.

Strike three is the fact that - outside of the King Monkey incident - Fu never gets directly involved in helping team miraculous. He's never gives them feedback on fights or works with Ladybug and Chat Noir to strengthen their bond. He doesn't even help them track down the two missing miraculous or hand out the temporary miraculous on Marinette's behalf, a choice I still find super weird. "This fight is super hard and we need help, so I'm going to leave Chat Noir to fight alone while I go get said help!" is absolutely nonsense logic and one of the many examples of the writers desperately needing to let Marinette hand her responsibilities off. Why wasn't this Fu's job?

This brings us to fix one: if you want the guardian to be a mentor - which is a role they arguably should have - then the guardian needs to be actively involved in Marinette and Adrien's lives in an on screen way. For this to work in the context of Miraculous - a show that really wants to focus on the teen characters - then the guardian probably needs a teenage apprentice who isn't Marinette and that apprentice will be the one doing the mentoring.

My pick for this is Luka for two big reasons. The first one is that his calm personality is perfectly suited to a mentor. The second one is that it seems insane to me to have the snake be a temp holder. The snake should be watching every fight, but staying out of the actual fight so that they can use their power whenever it's needed. That's the perfect role for a mentor character to fill. Someone who is active in the plot, but only ever as a support because their power stops them from getting more involved.

Moving on to the bigger issue.

As I said up above, Fu doesn't actually get my ire. While I wanted him to be a mentor, he never once filled that role and he didn't really need to because the show already had mentor figures that it was actively using and using poorly. Those figures are the ancient magical creatures that follow our heroes around, dispensing terrible advice whenever they feel like it. That's right, as much as it pains me, Miraculous' biggest mentor failures are Tikki and Plagg.

The miraculous did not need to have magical creatures associated with them. They could have just been magical jewelry that Fu handed out and explained. Instead, the writers chose to give us the Kwamis and I don't disagree with that choice. I like the Kwmais! The problem is that they're used in the most lackluster, asinine ways you possibly could.

The Kwamis are not presented as oblivious to the world and unable to give advice. They give lots of advice! The problem is that advice tends to suck! I can think of many examples of times where the Kwamis made everything worse, but let's look at the one that grinds my gears the most: Plagg's actions in season four.

In Rocketear - the episode where Nino gives Adrien an incredibly inaccurate picture of why he knows Alya's secret identity - we get this:

Adrien: I still can't believe Ladybug entrusted Alya and Nino with those Miraculous. Plagg: Of course she did. She's the Guardian. Adrien: But they're a couple and they know each other's secret identities. Plagg: So...? Adrien: So, why does she make it a rule that we can't know each other's identities but it's okay for them? Plagg: She's the Guardian, the Grandmaster Cheese Ripener, and you and I are just cheese on the platter. She decides what's on the menu.

Hey, Plagg, maybe don't tell your clearly upset and vulnerable teenage holder to just suck it up and deal with it when he's feeling alone and betrayed? Maybe encourage him to talk to Ladybug about his feelings so that he can get the full story? Knowing that they learned their identities during the Scarlet Moth incident would probably do a lot to smooth over Adrien's hurt feelings.

What's even more rich is that the episode Kuro Neko lets Plagg go off on Marinette for not appreciating Chat Noir:

Ladybug: What's gotten into him? I didn't do anything. Plagg: Didn't do anything? Well yeah, you did! You've been neglecting a very classy piece of camemebert on your plate for too long! And as a result it got runny, and moldy! Ladybug: What? Cat Noir never gave me any camembert. Plagg: Of course not, Cat Noir is the camembert! For a while now, you've been neglecting this camembert— I mean Cat Noir, and going on adventures with the all other cheeses! Ladybug: But he should be happy about it, it gives him more time off. Plagg: Cat Noir doesn't wanna have time off, Ladybug! He is in love with you! And your persistent calling on all the other heroes has broken his heart.

Dude, if you saw all of this going on, then why didn't you say something??? You and Tikki are in the same location for multiple hours five days a week. Go tell her how your holder is feeling and figure out how to fix the situation! Or be an actual mentor and encourage Adrien to talk to someone about his feelings! At the very least, cut up a wheel of cheese, sit down, and listen to your kid so that he feels less alone!

Also what exactly do you want Ladybug to do to fix the problem you presented? Let Paris burn until Chat Noir decides to show up to today's fight? Refuse to use the temp heroes even if it means losing a fight? None of those are valid solutions when the problem presented in the episode is Chat Noir missing fights. Especially when we know that he's doing it on purpose. Why are you yelling at her instead of working with her to come up with an actual solution? You are such a terrible mentor...

To be clear, I don't think any of this is intentional. I don't think the writers want Plagg and Tikki to come across as actively hurting their teenage charges via bad advice. I think Plagg and Tikki are supposed to be seen as good and helpful, but they can't fill that role because they're tools of the narrative and the narrative has really wacky views on what good advice is. Thus nonsense like the example I discussed above or Plagg and Tikki picking new holders instead of guiding their holders through an identity reveal.

I personally adore letting Plagg and Tikki be good mentors in my own stuff. It falls under the same category as Alya and Nino being terrible friends on screen. I acknowledge the problem and then delight in fixing it by writing the exact opposite setup because what is fanfiction for if not heavy self indulgence?

[asukiess]

I have this wip where nathalie wrestles with motherhood + the time she lost with Adrien and anyway. he encourages her to go back into the archaeology field, lectures or symposiums or public classes that might interest her, and. it got me thinking of adrien planning a first day back to school for nathalie 😭

like. he wakes up early, earlier than her even, careful to stay quiet in the kitchen while he packs her a lunch. fighting off horrible suggestions from plagg as he bounces between pantry and kitchen and on the balls of his feet as he assembles whatever lunch he thinks up for her. 

he resists the urge to play her, though the thought makes him laugh. knock on her door and politely let her know that she has an hour before she has to leave. does she have her bag? does she have her homework?

no, it’s better like this, catching her shocked expression at the foot of the stairs, her eyes fixed on the brown paper bag he’s clutching. 

Adrien, you didn’t have to—where did you—? 

Adrien shrugs. It’s almost hard to speak around his smile. He saw this in a movie. This is how first days go. It feels good to him to give this to her. 

To Nathalie, this is a mirror of how she failed him. This is what he never had. 

Outside, he’s practically bursting with excitement as placide pulls the car around and nathalie is laughing a little now, telling him he can start his day now—but wait, he says, grabbing his phone, she has to take a first day picture!! He ushers her against the door, but the lightning is too dim so he runs down the steps, calling after her to follow. yes, here, where the sun is shining against the ivy and roses—

“You always make that pose!” adrien laughs, waving his hand at her torso, which her hands are hid behind. 

she scoffs down at her feet, fighting a smile. what pose? she doesn’t pose.

“bring your hands forward, c’mon! we’re celebrating nathalie sancoeur’s 17th first day of school!!”

reluctantly, awkwardly, she lets her hand fall to her sides and resists quite terribly to make them into fists. is she holding them too far out to her side? Sweat beads at the nape of her neck. 

he tells her to smile, and she does. genuinely. After all, it’s hard not to mirror his. 

he keeps snapping pictures—she was blinking, the sun was on her glasses, oh, the dreaded smear frame!! 

(they’re all perfect pictures, he just wants a lot.)

adrien opens the car door for her. she says she wouldn’t have minded walking, it isn’t far. he clicks his tongue, looks out past the gates. no, the house isn’t far from a lot, and there is a kind of thrill to running to school—

Nathalie says okay, okay. Before she can say sorry, he’s ushering her inside, wishing her a fantastic first day. smiling, both at his joke and at her, like she’s something worth smiling at. like he enjoyed, more than anything, doing this for her. 

placide is silently wiping away tears at the stoplight. nathalie, a failed-stoic and blubbering mess in the backseat, playfully tells him to cut it out. they’re representing a brand, she jokes, echoing Gabriel’s words from over a decade ago now, have some decorum. someone honks behind them; they’re taken too long at the light. what a softie he’s turned into, she whispers. 

the trepidation she feels on the institute steps makes her all too aware of how alone, how scared he must have been to see her call after him that first day. a lifetime ago, she held her mother’s hand on the way into primary school. she squeezes her hand into a fist. adds it to the running list of things she should feel guilty about forever. 

Later: nathalie feeling incredibly liminal on campus, alone and frazzled with emotions on a lone bench. she opens the bag and sucks in a breath. 

he put in a little note. it’s hard to read through welling tears. 

With a mind thick with guilt, slow moving and stuck on one question, she struggles through eating the sandwich he packed. 

What has she done to deserve this? The question comes in stereo, her voice and the ghost of two others. Her lip quivers and the question throbs like a headache, pounding, the early onset dehydration. What has she done to deserve this? Food sticks in her throat and she forces herself not to cry with little success. What has she done to deserve this, exactly? 

Sobbing into hands that’ve killed what he is, one of the easiest things she’s done, admittedly; no mess like a deer, no wasted arrow, no missed shot. poof, done. for her, that’s the current sum of her motherhood.

hands that have given over death to his mother, hands that promised her that she’d protect him. hands that have notched an arrow at his father, hands that have warmed a ring for him. Hands that rejected Adrien at birth and for the burgeoning years after. Hands that only regretted that too late. 

The way people mark heights and ages on thresholds, there used to be a jamb with this history in the house but it was sanded down after Emilie died. There is nothing she can do to lessen what she’s done, not now. She feels every mistake as viscerally as the scars on her body. Maybe those have kept the score. 

How many years wasted? Observing him, loving him and never doing enough, never doing the right thing, you’re a series of choices and you’ll always pick the wrong one. What’s that choice now, Nathalie—loving him as your own or telling him the truth of who you are? 

A dog that keeps dropping rabbits at your door. Presents, people coo, it means like love you—but it always makes your gut twist a little at the morbidity. You can either punish it for trying or accept fragile things. 

She breathes out, solemnly and steadily trying to catch her breath. Bring them forward, he’d said, and the fresh memory tugs on her heart like pushing on a bruise. 

Well, they’re forward now. They’re different hands now. No, they’re the same, but what’s the difference, the similarity?

Wiping her hands on her dress pants she resolves: they’re forward now. that’s all she can do.

[jennrypan]

"Why doesn't Felix get any blame when Marinette does?"

Cuz that stupid, bowl cut, lame ass theater kid ass loser isn't the main character!! We don't have to deal with his shit until idk they remember he has the peacock??? And trust me. He gets EVERY OUNCE OF BLAME but, here's the thing. We all know Felix is a selfish ass brat who couldnt give a damn about his cousin unless it's convenient for him.

But Marinette?? Marinette whos claimed to love Adrien since season one? She couldn't be damned to tell him everything she knows, especially after Felix decided to involve her for whatever reason. These two might as well be one in the same; they never take Adriens actual wants into consideration and think it's better to coddle him and hide shit from him, same with Natalie- I can't stand her ass either now. Cuz as much as she clearly loves Adrien, she still agreed to keep this danger secret only just NOW decided huh..maybe Gabriel isn't right in the head (in season 5 mind you. She had no problems playing second villain for a long ass time.) But again..she's not the main character. She's what this shows version of 'nuance' is, you expect her to do shady shit.

But again..Marinette keeps being framed as the perfect one for Adrien, someone who loves him and Sees him when everyone else doesn't and it's not TRUE and its upsetting cuz we've spent 5 seasons beung told how she cares for Adrien, how she lovws him..and shes the one person you wouldnt expect to hide this shit from him (..Unless you already understood Marinettes MO from the getgo 💀 cuz..yeah.). That's why people get on her ass more than anyone else, cuz we have to sit with her throughout the episodes and watch her justify why it's actually okay to lie to Adrien, we have to see these assholes (Felix and Natalie) agree and tell her it's okay to lie to Adrien..AND SHE GOES ALONG WITH IT.

[little-mari-on-a-roof]

Frenglish differences in Miraculous - Episode 15

Puppeteer/La Marionnettiste

Chat Noir's puppet, played by Marinette

En: I'm the cat's meow. Rawr.

Fr: Je suis le chat de la situation. Roar.

I'm the cat of the situation. Rawr.

In French, you can say "the man of the situation" to designate the right person for a job, so here you have Marinette making a cat pun when impersonating Chat Noir.

Nadja

En: Hurry up Manon, we have to stop by the station.

Fr: Depêche toi Manon, il faut qu'on repasse au bureau de maman.

Hurry up Manon, we have to stop back at mom's job.

Hawkmoth

En: Ah, what could be more pure than an innocent child's emotions?

Fr: Ah, qu'y a-t-il de plus puissant que les émotions d'une enfant innocente ?

Ah, what could be more powerful than an innocent child's emotions?

Just a one word change here but with a pretty different meaning so I thought it'd be relevant to point it out to show how the English dub sometimes adds the most random changes.

Plagg

En: Just when we'd shaken off your bodyguard.

Fr: Mais on vient à peine de se débarrasser de ton gorille.

But we barely just got rid of your gorilla.

Marinette

En: Her voice belonged to a little girl I babysit.

Fr: Lady WiFi parlait comme une enfant que je connais.

Lady WiFi was talking like a little girl I know.

The English dub is a little bit confusing here since during the scene, Lady WiFi (puppeteered by akumatised Manon) talks with her own voice (Alya's) and it's just her way of saying things and vocabulary that belong to Manon.

Ladybug

En: Hey kitty, up here.

Fr: Hey mon chaton, c'est par là !

Hey my kitty, it's up there!

Her!! kitty :33.

Chat Noir to Lady WiFi

En: Breaking and entering are grounds for a serious time-out.

Fr: Et s'introduire chez les gens sans leur permission mérite d'aller au lit sans dessert.

Getting into someone's home without their permission deserves to have you go to bed without eating dessert.

No dessert, the worst punishment :((.

Lady WiFi - Chat Noir

En: You goody two shoeses! - There's only one goody two shoes around here and I'm not her!

Fr: Bande de vilains gentils super pas beaux. - Super pas beaux, tu dis ? Non, s'il y en a ici, ça peut pas être moi.

You bunch of naughty nice guys super not pretty. - Super not pretty, you say? No, if there are some here, that can't be me.

Chat Noir - Ladybug

En: Don't let her make me a puppet. You know I like to be in command. - You mean second in command.

Fr: La laisse pas faire de moi sa poupée. Il n'y a que tes désirs qui sont des ordres. - Oh, ça fait plaisir de l'entendre.

Don't let her make me her doll. Only your wishes are my command. - Oh, it's a pleasure to hear that.

Whyyy is English Chat Noir saying the exact opposite of French!!!!

Puppeteered Chat Noir - Ladybug

En: I'm gonna get your miraculous! - Not so fast, rugrat!

Fr: Donne moi ton miraculous ! - Dans tes rêves, microbe !

Give me your miraculous! - In your dreams, microbe!

Ladybug - Chat Noir - Ladybug again

En: You were a puppet. But don't worry, you didn't do anything foolish. - Good. And Ladybug, FYI, you can pull my heartstrings any day. - I think I liked you better when you sounded like a five year old girl.

Fr: Tu étais une marionnette. Mais je te rassure on t'a pas pris pour un guignol. - Tant mieux. D'ailleurs, entre nous, toi je t'autorise à manipuler mon coeur où tu veux et quand tu veux. - Hihihi, je crois que je préférais quand la petite te faisait parler.

You were a puppet. But I reassure you, we didn't take you for a "guignol" (≈clown puppet). - Good. By the way, between us, I allow you to manipulate my heart wherever you want and whenever you want. - *Most adorable laugh ever*, I think I liked it better when the little one was making you talk.

"Guignol" is the name of a very famous French puppet from Lyon. He's the main character of a specific comical puppet show. If someone says you're a guignol, it basically means that you're acting like a clown.

[dadplagg-mamatikki]

We were ROBBED of Adrien and Plagg reuniting.

ADRIEN DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER.

[darlingmarichat]

Since we’re getting a lot more seasons of miraculous (🤭), here’s some things/plotlines I’d like to see in the show:

• Marinette and Adrien getting their permits/learning how to drive

• Post-Reveal Ladynoir date

• Another class field trip (maybe to Australia, Italy, China, Japan, America (again), or even London—where Adrien will run into Felix and we’ll have a Cat Noir/Argos team up???)

• Aged up, post-reveal Adrienette searching for their first apartment together

• Chloe returns to Paris (to stir up drama)

• More focus on other couples (Julerose, DJWifi, Marcaniel, Myvan, etc…)

• Also, developing more backstory for Luka and Zoe (their characters deserve better)

• An akumatized villain causes the Core Four to switch their miraculous (ex: Marinette with turtle, Adrien with fox, Alya with cat, and Nino with ladybug)

• An AU episode where Marinette and Adrien’s lives are swapped (where Tom is the villain and Marinette’s a sheltered, famous model and Adrien has a normal life with loving, bakery-owning parents, this means their miraculous are swamped, too, with Marinette as Ladynoire and Adrien as Mister Bug)

• Adrienette + Feligami double date

• Overnight sleepover at the school with the class where things get tense and heated in a game of Truth or Dare (maybe some secrets are (almost) revealed???)

• A musical episode 👀

• Ladynoir fighting an akumatized villain for the first time post-reveal and are extra sweet and flirty with each other (and a tad bit distracted)

• Dinner at the Agreste mansion with Marinette, her parents, Adrien, Nathalie and Gorilla all officially meeting (bonus if Felix and Amelie stop by, too)

• Miraculous team all training together (physical/fighting, stealth, and working on each own’s powers)

• Felix and Amelie visit and stay at the Agreste mansion for a bit, only for Amelie to reveal to Nathalie she’d like Adrien to come move to London with them (she thinks it’s best for “Adrien and Felix to bond and grow closer, and living together can do that”), obviously this causes some drama and tension between everyone

• Adrien and Felix swap miraculous for a day because they’re “bored”

• Post-Reveal, Pre-Official Relationship- Maribug and Adricat mess with the public by appearing in public in every love square ship form (Adrienette, Ladynoir, Marichat, Ladrien) and each time they’re in public, they kiss, causing confusion and shock throughout Paris as everyone wonders what kind of weird relationship two superheroes, a former model, and baker’s daughter have

• Post-Reveal, holder/kwami swap— Marinette and Tikki & Adrien and Plagg switch bodies

• Or even better, post-reveal, Tikki and Plagg become human for a day (which means Marinette and Adrien can’t transform)

• Adrien and Marinette babysitting together (only because she over-scheduled herself and accidentally agreed to babysit on a day she planned to go on a date with her boyfriend, he doesn’t mind babysitting as long as he can spend time with her)

• Taylor Swift makes a cameo—either as herself, a famous actress, or a crazy cat enthusiast who owns a stray/rescue sanctuary (yes, she gets akumatized)

*that’s all I have for now, if I think of more I’ll either update this or make a new post*

[marcmarcmomarc]

Miraculous

Chapter 3: Plan in Action

(The clock on Marinette's phone reads, “23h55”. It’s late, but she’s wide awake, her brows furrowed in concentration. Tikki crawls over to her, sensing her unease. A silent nod between them is all it takes to confirm their unspoken agreement. Marinette descends the stairs, the quiet creak of the wooden steps echoing in the stillness of her room. She stops at the trapdoor, then disappears into the shadows. With a determined stride, the expelled Parisian student descends the staircase for the exit. Meanwhile, Marinette, her heart pounding, quietly follows, slipping onto the second floor. She deftly opens the door, slides inside, and swiftly closes it behind her. Spotting her parents’ room, she gently pushes it open and closes it just as quietly. Then, the pigtailed teen let out a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the floor and slithering past the foot of the bed, seeking refuge. Rising, she quietly unzips Sabine’s bag. Pressing her tongue to her top lip, she pulls Sabine’s wallet out, then quietly unzips it. She pulls out a card. As Sabine stirs in her sleep, Marinette cringes, believing to have been caught. Sabine settles into another sleeping position. Marinette sighs. “That was close,” she’s probably thinking. She puts the card in her pocket, then leaves. Marinette’s notebook, the final touch to her secret mission, slides into her bag. Her brows furrow in concentration as she stands, a determined look in her eyes. The Patisserie sleeps behind her as she emerges into the cool night air, the city bathed in the soft glow of streetlights and the watchful gaze of the midnight sky. With a confident smile, her heart thrumming with anticipation, she steps out.)

TIKKI: (WHISPERING) Charles de Gaulle, here we come.

MARINETTE: (WHISPERING) Florida, here we come.

(By a glass window, Marinette waits near a door leading to the long bridge to the plane. Scrolling words on a screen read, “Floride. Prochain vol, 19h30”. Marinette pulls out her phone. The time reads, “1h30”.)

MARINETTE: Eighteen hours left.

TIKKI: I’m surprised this plan actually worked.

MARINETTE: I know. Now all I have to do is not get caught.

(Now, a clock switches from 02h59 to 03h00. Tom and Sabine wake up.)

TOM: Morning, honey.

SABINE: Good morning, Tom.

TOM: Tell me I wasn’t the only one who heard something last night.

SABINE: Nope. heard something, too.

TOM: I’ll go see Marinette.

(Tom goes into Marinette’s deserted room. Sabine peeks in.)

SABINE: Weird. It’s 3:01. But Marinette’s wake-up time is 7:00.

TOM: I’ll try to call her.

(Marinette dozes off at the airport, her head resting on her arm. Suddenly, her phone jolts her awake with a jarring ring. It’s Tom, trying to get in touch. She squints at the screen, a hint of confusion in her eyes, before silently declining the call.)

TOM: Oh, no!

SABINE: She didn’t answer?

(Now, Adrien’s phone rings, startling him awake.)

ADRIEN: Huh?

(Across the room, his black cat-like kwami, Plagg, also wakes up.)

ADRIEN: Yes, Mrs. Cheng?

SABINE: Is Marinette with you?

ADRIEN: Sorry. No, ma’am.

SABINE: (OVER PHONE) She’s not in her room!

ADRIEN: What?

SABINE: My husband and I just woke up and entered her room, and she's nowhere to be found!

ADRIEN: Oh, no. We have to alert everyone.

SABINE: (OVER PHONE) Meet us at the Place des Vosges.

(As Adrien hangs up, Plagg glides to him.)

PLAGG: I heard the conversation! It must be because of Lila!

ADRIEN: I knew I should never have told Marinette to leave her alone!

(Adrien makes a call.)

ADRIEN: Alya! I have terrible news! Marinette’s missing!

(On the other end, Alya Césaire answers.)

ALYA: This news is not staying private!

(Someone else’s phone rings.)

ALYA: Nino! We’ve got a situation!

NINO: I’m on my way!

(Now, with Tom and Sabine at the Place des Vosges, Adrien's phone reads, "07h00". The morning sky is ablaze with the soft glow of the rising sun. Alya, Nino, Chloé Bourgeois, Sabrina Raincomprix, Kim Chiến Lê-Ature, Ivan Bruel, Mylène Haprèle, Juleka Couffaine, Rose Lavillant, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Alix Kubdel, Max Kanté, Luka Couffaine, Kagami Tsurugi, Marc Anciel, Nora Césaire, Ondine, the Chamacks, Markov, and Ella and Etta Césaire hurry over.)

ADRIEN: Thanks for showing up on short notice, guys.

IVAN: What could Marinette possibly be gone for?

ADRIEN: (UNDER HIS BREATH) It’s because of Lila. (OUT LOUD) No one is to rest until she’s found! Everyone, scatter!

(The group splits up.)

———————————————————————————-

Trivia

Originally, Sabrina was going to alert her father about Marinette’s disappearance. Roger and his SWAT team search for her, but to no avail. At the last second, I decided it wasn’t worth keeping.