#And Rip Marinette I once loved so much | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

uptoolateart · 11 months

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Hey, hey, hey - time for a Gabriel analysis!

So. After we learned that Gabriel Agreste wasn't his original name, my mind jumped to Andre Bourgeois, who also once had a different name. In keeping with the themes of the show, we are seeing that secret identities don't always come with masks and comic book names.

We had a hint of Gabriel's secret past in Psycomedian, when Harry visited and alluded to his Gabi days. How, oh how could the Gabriel Agreste we all know have ever been friends with someone like Harry Clown? This is only possible if he was once a different sort of person.

We had further clues in Gabriel's vision of the past, in the time burrow in Evolution - and in Emilie's video messages left for Nathalie, and the photographs of Gabriel, Emilie and Nathalie on some expedition, seen in Passion - and in Amelie's accusation that Gabriel has changed, in Emotion.

Adrien is also aware his father has changed with time, demonstrated when he tells Gabriel that Emilie once said they came from different backgrounds.

The photos shown in Revelation finally gave concrete evidence that Gabriel used to have an adventurous spirit and he used to smile. He was fun...but something changed...and I don't think it was just Emilie's death that caused the personality shift. Based on casual comments Adrien has made throughout the series, his father has been strange for years.

Gabriel tells Adrien that he and Kagami are 'of the same design' - and we know he means this literally. But taking it as a metaphor...for two seasons I've wondered what Emilie's parents were like. We can infer that she comes from a wealthy, 'important' family. Maybe Gabriel struggled to fit in and win the approval of his in-laws. Maybe he never felt good enough. When he tells Adrien things like, 'You're clinging to Marinette because her mediocrity lets you shine more,' perhaps someone once talked like that about him. With that kind of background, it would be unsurprising that he decided to try to forge a new identity.

And let's remember that Gabriel is a designer. His whole empire is founded on inventing personae. Even beyond the sentimonster aspect, he tells Marinette that he designed the image the world holds of his son. Everything is his invention. That speech in Pretension proved just how deep his God complex runs - he fully believes he has made the world in his image. Even the episode title - Pretension - smacks of the image he is presenting to the world in lieu of truth.

At this point, what we're seeing is a 'new money' stereotype - a self-made man who now spurns those who remind him of where he came from. It's one of the most shameful things about him. No matter how much fame and money you get...you can't forget your roots, people. Maybe that's easy for me to say because I'm not rich or famous. But I just can't imagine turning my back on my own origin story. It's what makes you who you are. Gabriel clearly didn't want to be that person anymore...and that's sad.

What's also fascinating is that, if we zoom in on those pictures Nathalie took in Revelation, we see that once upon a time, Gabriel - Gabi Grassette - was a punk. Let's take a moment to appreciate the spiked hair, makeup, leather jacket, ripped jeans, and dog collar - not to mention that smirk. And far from being ashamed of his work with Harry Clown as a human frites (who, by the way, reminds me so much of Mr Banana), he was smiling about it. Man, he loved it. Contrast that with Gabriel in Party Crasher - 'JOY.... What's going on in my HOUSE!?'

If it were at all possible for the old Gabi to meet Cat Noir, I can imagine him loving Cat's costume. On that note, I can't help but compare that dog collar with Cat's bell. I've said before that I see the bell as a symbol of Cat being domesticated and under control. Gabi probably saw his dog collar more as a rebellion, but maybe it too is a symbol of how he once felt controlled by someone.

The thing is...the punk movement was all about anti-establishment anti-authoritarianism. Today, Gabriel is the establishment he once rebelled against. It makes me think of John Lydon of the Sex Pistols turning Conservative and advertising butter. Musicians like Donovan - not a punk, but in a similar category, as a 1960s hippie - are rare for maintaining that same spirit all through their lives.

Gabriel is a 'sell-out'. He gave up that spirit and became someone unrecognisable. Those photos demonstrate that Emilie isn't the only body buried in a 'basement' in the Agreste mansion. There is a different person buried under the cold veneer that is Gabriel - a person Nathalie probably misses. I expect that's why she's stuck with him all this time, despite her better instincts. Something tells me Gabi would've made a better father.

The irony is that Adrien's moments of rebellion are probably one of the few things he has in common with his father, if we look far enough back in Gabriel's past. That, and their temper - and randomly breaking into eccentric dance and song. Gabi might have appreciated Adrien more for standing true to his principles. Maybe Adrien sometimes reminds Gabriel of himself and he can't stand it - can't stand thinking of what he's lost along the way.

I believe Gabriel exists in a perpetual state of regret. Part of him probably misses Gabi, too. After all, Gabi got Emilie. What has Gabriel got? Wealth, sure, but Emilie's dead, Adrien all but hates him, Nathalie's wasting away, and Gabriel himself has only weeks to live.

If you think about it, Gabriel's whole quest has been about getting a do-over. He wants a second chance with Emilie - a second chance for Nathalie - a second chance at his own life. He then tells Adrien that his greatest wish is to try to reconnect with him...because he knows he doesn't have much time left with his son. Even then, though, his selfishness prevails. (Psst, Gabi...you can't make up for years of terrible parenting with banana pancakes.)

Thinking of the snake miraculous, the second chance lets you know what's going to happen, enabling you to make better decisions the next time around. In other words: it's about learning from your mistakes. Gabriel never learns, and it is his refusal to accept destiny and his own human fallibility that is causing his disintegration.

The more Gabriel necrotises, the more we can see this as his 'sins' catching up with him. He doesn't seem to grasp that all the blackness devouring him is, in a way, the blackness of his own heart. Even if he erases the whole world, he can't erase his deeds. If he managed to get his Wish and bring Emilie back, she would be horrified. She'd wonder where her Gabi went.

Gabriel is proof that 'evolution' isn't always positive. He reinvented himself once, and now, because it didn't go the way he wanted, he's trying to reinvent things again. Tomoe also hints at a belief that the solution to her problems is to make the world anew - to get a second chance. Felix tries this, too, when he creates the red moon to wipe out all people except his select group.

But Felix does learn - Ladybug helps him see that even if you erase all the people causing you so much grief...you still have to deal with that pain. What Gabriel fails to see is that - like Cat Blanc on the roof, all alone without his lady - destroying your witnesses won't remove the witness in your own heart.

Even if Gabriel wiped everyone else's memory of his crimes, he would still know what he'd done. And when you cross those kinds of lines, you can never go back to who you once were.

Please no post-Revelation spoilers in the comments :)

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mochinek0 · 1 year

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All that Glitters, Isn’t Gold

NOT ANOTHER ONE! This has also been on Wattpad for the longest time, but not here.

Gabriel looks at the list of his son's monthly expenses and shook his head.

How could his son have fallen for the oldest trick in the book? He raised him right. He made sure he stayed healthy, he spoke multiple languages, he had extracurriculars that would look well on any university, got in with the right crowd, at least til he decided he wanted to go to public school. There, he met that temptress -Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She somehow found her way into his son's heart and his bank account.

Suddenly a door slamming brings him out of his daze.

'What now?' he sighs.

Gabriel opens his door slightly to see the Marinette grab her coat, as she yells at his son.

"No! I am returning the necklace!" she shouts.

"Didn't you like it? Was there not enough diamonds? Do you prefer rubies or sapphires?" questions Adrien.

"Enough! It's too much!" she shouted, "Yesterday, you bought me $200 worth of chocolates! This, this is too much! We are going to that store and returning it!"

Gabriel watches curiously as Adrien reaches out to her and grabs a slip of paper, before shredding it to ribbons and tossing it in the air like confetti.

"Adrien Agreste! You did not just tear up the receipt!" Marinette shouts.

Adrien stood their proudly, with a smug look on his face, as if he had won.

Gabriel opened the door wider to get a look at the 'show' as he sees the fire in her eyes burn bright.

He watched in awe as she put out the fire raging beneath her skin by taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.

"Adrien." Marinette called out calmly.

The smug look on his son's face vanished and he watched as he took a step away from his petite girlfriend.

'Interesting.'

"Adrien. I didn't fall in love with you for your money. I don't need to be showered with gifts. I know Chloe was your only friend growing up, but I'm not her. I don't need utterly ridiculous amounts of jewelry or sweets." she spoke, causing his son to chuckle, "God knows I don't need anymore sweets; even if they were delicious."

"Hah! You liked my gift." his son teased.

" Well I couldn't return it! You opened it and ate one!" Marinette states, as she calms down, " Not my point, I love your gifts, but I don't need so many. Adrien, I am fine with movie nights to the theater or just curling up on the couch as you introduce me to new animes. I'm fine with kicking your butt at videogames every other night--"

"My pride isn't. I will beat you!" he interjected.

"Sure." she says, rolling her eyes. "See. This-" the petite girlfriend motions, pointing back and forth between the both of them, "is what I like. Being us. I'm fine with occasionally and by occasionally, I mean once a month, going to a restaurant of your choosing. I'm fine with something like this" as she hold up the new necklace, " on special occasions, like my birthday and such."

"But what if I want to spoil you?" Adrien questioned.

Marinette smiled and hugged her boyfriend, "Then you can spoil me slowly over time. Now, since you ripped up that receipt, I think it's time to teach you a lesson."

Gabriel stood at the top of the stairs as Marinette threw his son his jacket.

"Where are we going?" asked Adrien, hesitantly.

"To get you Ultra Mega Strike 4." she said, waiting for him to get ready.

"I told you, I'm not allowed to spend anymore this month." stated the younger Agreste.

"Exactly!" smiled his girlfriend, "I'm buying it for you."

"What?" Adrien questioned.

"Yep and to make sure you learn your lesson, every time you buy me something....let's say over $100, I'm going to do the same. Even if it means dipping into my babysitting and sewing funds."

"You can't be serious!" his son shouted.

"Oh, I am." she says, noticing Gabriel at the stairs, "Bye, Mr. Agreste, I'll bring him back shortly."

"Father!" he pleads.

"I believe Ms. Dupain-Cheng has a valuable lesson to teach you, Son. Never underestimate, women." Gabriel smirks, as his son is dragged out by his petite girlfriend, shocked.

'She's not so bad after all.'

TAG LIST: @animeweebgirl @a-star-with-a-human-name @meme991001 @vixen-uchiha @abrx2002 @alysrose-starchild @fandom-trapped-03 @dood-space @moonlightstar64 @saltymiraculer @marveldcedits20 @09shell-sea09 @icerosecrystal @animegirlweeb @insane-fangirl-of-everything @blueblossombliss @nickristus-dreamer @megawhitleycalderonpaganus

#Gabriel Agreste #Adrien Agreste #marinette dupain cheng #adrienette #adrien x marinette #marinette x adrien #adrien spoils marinette #marinette doesn't want to be spoiled #gabriel agrees with marinette #mochinek0

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miraculous-pyxie · 1 year

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marinette headcanon time

marinette’s knees are filled with little scars and long-term bruises from how many time she falls over

she carries a very cute first aid kit in her backpack just in case her skin breaks or if she needs a quick ice pack (those lil crack and shake things that get really cold)

marinette became the go to person when somebody got hurt is phys ed when the teens were younger. she eventually got first aid certified.

marinette used to carry a bit more weight (you see her parents genetic make up) but from becoming ladybug she burns a lot of calories/fat from running around all day. to keep people/parents from getting suspicious, she starts running which keeps her even more in shape.

little marinette got into sewing because her mom always needed to repair her clothes from the rips and tears they would get from her falling over. she felt guilty about it so she said that she would do it. her mom taught her then she started teaching herself

I love the idea that Adrien and Marinette get stronger and more flexible from using the miraculous. Adrien has an excuse that this is how he needs to look for modeling (everyone believes that) but marinette has less of an excuse so she has to flub saying she started going to the gym and attempt to become less clumsy. not wanting it to be a lie, she starts going to a gym once a week for an hour (this is where she does her runs instead).

marinette meditates with her mom whenever she’s stressed and gets lightly told off when she starts fidgeting too much

along with Tikki’s cookies, marinette keeps a stash of protein shakes and protein bars in her room

marinette has ADHD so she is prone to zoning out and has accidentally zoned out in someone’s direction before then zones back in and profusely apologizes for ”staring” at them

marinette will hyperfocus on a project for hours and she has almost missed patrol several times because of it.

adding onto that, she will sometimes be working till 3 am so getting up at 7 am for school is really hard. (delayed sleep phase syndrome let’s goooo)

on top of that, coffee is her best friend. not because of the energy boost but it keeps her focused in school. (Alya doesn’t know about the ADHD at first and thinks her best friend has a severe coffee addiction)

from becoming ladybug, Marinette has actually gotten very coordinated. she was very clumsy as a kid, but now it only spikes when she feels emotionally vulnerable. (i.e. around Adrien, when she’s nervous)

Adrien is Marinette’s first big crush so for the first few weeks marinette actually was really uncomfortable. she was having an internal battle of never feeling something like a crush before and also beating herself up over the idea that this might be a celebrity crush and she’s just a crazy fan

i saw this somewhere else but marinette doesn’t like horror movies not because they scare her but because they are underwhelming to her. mari and the gang will be having a movie night and she’ll just sit their with her arms crossed and say “I’ve seen worse.” and alya nino and adrien will just looked at her absolutely baffled. (even though adrien is chat noir, he’s had less exposure to scary things growing up)

adding onto that, marinette 100% had unrestricted internet access as a kid but she does not let it show

Marinette doodles on her skin in pen and one time she was drawing on her arm in red pen in class and an akuma related explosion happened really close. The pen exploded all over her skin and it looked like she had just killed someone.

marinette wanted to join the costume department for theater but because of her crammed schedule she can’t do it. everyone is confused as to why she doesn’t bc she’s perfect for it.

marinette matches the color of her hair ties to her outfit

marinette is better at listening to people in chinese then speaking or writing it

marinette actually gets along with her grandma really well and that’s why her grandma knew exactly what bike to get her

even though Marinette’s focus is in high fashion, she loves learning about streetwear and street fashion in places like Japan and the US

she is an absolute force to be reckoned with when she’s being stubborn about something

she indulges in the confidence that being ladybug gives her from time to time so when chloe is back on her bs she claps back better than the last time

a personal retcon is she gets a hold of her boy crazy-ness after the first few weeks. (the show really did her dirty on this like stalking? stealing? they should not be promoting that behavior to kids tbh)

marinette wears her new designs to school. she also secretly has a commission style business (so she can keep on top of orders bc she is just 1 person)

all and all, she is a little frazzled gremlin and i wish we got more of that blunt ,frazzled, always-busy, gremlin side of her

that’s all i can think of for now :)

#miraculous fandom #miraculous ladybug #mlb #mlb fandom #mlb headcanon #marinette dupain cheng #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #mlb marinette #she needs better well rounding traits to bring out her true character #like she’s such a dorky lil thing i need everyone to see her the way i see her #i retcon a lot from the show #she deserves better tbh #just let her be a little gremlin that’s all i ask

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theerurishipper · 5 months

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Serious question, I hope this doesn come across as salty. But Marinette, when S5 started, kinda hard core rebounded on Chat Noir cause she was afraid of her feelings for Adrien. Now after how hard S4 hammered down on Chat's love for Ladybug being to blame for every issue LadyNoir ever had and her going so far as getting seriously physical because of it in Glaciator 2, her then rebounding on Chat like that in S5 and not even bringing anything of the past up was... iffy for me, so I personally was glad that Adrien moved on and turned her down.

But my question in this is: if Marinette's feelings of affection for Chat Noir were this much blown out of proportion because of her actual fear of being with Adrien and ALSO her fear of being unloved, then how... long would the LadyNoir relationship even have lasted if Chat Noir had reacted the way she wanted him to?

I'm not saying she didn't develop genuine feelings for him at all, but I wouldn't exactly say she was truly in LOVE with him either? Several anons have already brought it up, she has yet to really treat him as if he truly exists underneath his mask? I suppose the celebrity crush from Elation is then indeed spot on?

What do you think would have happened if Ladybug had "gotten her way" with Chat Noir and LadyNoir had happened? If I see it realistically, I would say they would have been very happy for like a week or two before Marinette would have noticed that her romantic energy isn't matching Chat Noir's anymore (he of course would have noticed too and gotten worried), and that she, well.. rebounded on the one person she shouldn't have rebounded on and now.. the situation is REALLY fucked and she eventually has to break his heart again by having to owe up to only really having had these intense feelings for him because the boy she is actually in love with (Adrien) returned her feelings and that scared her.

Cause I think (or rather I HOPE) she would have been honest enough to tell him, even if it would have broken his heart and messed him up, and not kept a one-sided relationship alive by forcing herself which he would of course notice since Marinette ain't subtle, until it blows up in their faces even worse at a later point.

Picturing her having to nervously break it to Chat Noir that she's taking back wanting to be in a relationship with him again after around 2 weeks, but trying to reassure him anyway that she does love him, just not.. like THAT, and that she's sorry. Gosh imagine how hard Adrien/ Chat Noir would just emotionally shut down after that or even right in front of her, starring at her heartbroken, not being able to do anything else?

That is genuinely fucking me up just imagining it. I'm just so glad Adrien as Chat Noir shut that down right immediately. That would have resulted in nothing else but ripping his heart out again after season 4.

No, you're right. I feel like that's exactly what would have happened. She was fixating on Chat Noir so much because she was trying to push away her feelings for Adrien (like, the episode basically beats it into our heads with the subtlety of a sledgehammer). So, what you've said would be exactly what would go down. She'd realize that she'd just been using him as a way to get over this other boy, and she'd have to break his heart. So for once, I'm glad they did what they did and didn't take the worst possible route.

Of course, I wish it hadn't happened because Adrien suddenly decided the friend he'd gone to the movies (Glaciator 2) with and had a supposedly romantic dinner with at her home (Weredad) and taken to his date meant for Ladybug (Glaciator) is suddenly "just a fan" and I don't like how the writers made him fall for Marinette in literal seconds, but it almost makes it all seem better knowing that they could have done worse, which I wouldn't put past them.

Thank you for your ask!

#ML Salt #ML Writing Salt #ML Writers Salt #Marinette Salt #Ladybug Salt #Not really tho #Asks #Meta #My meta

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nerdypanda3126 · 10 months

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The Triumph of Luka Couffaine

This was written for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Round Robin event! @trixxiephantomhive, @mrsmayday @rierse, and I took turns adding onto this story with "bike" and "just accept it" as our prompts. Also, go check out the art by Rierse, they did a fantastic job!!

Summary: Luka brings home a project that Marinette isn't entirely thrilled with, at least until he asks for her help.

Read on Ao3

Luka had a soft spot for outcasts. Marinette had known him for long enough that she'd noticed it was a quirk of his, and she loved it about him, even before they were together. Then when they had started dating, she'd learned to take it in stride when he brought home one-eyed goats and stray deaf dogs and other "projects" that "he couldn't just leave."

But this had to be pushing it.

"Luka." She tried not to scold, really she did. "What on earth is that supposed to be?"

From where he was kneeling in front of what looked like a pile of twisted, rusted, metal junk, Luka grinned up at her from under his blue-tipped bangs. "My new bike. Great, right? And I got it for practically nothing. A few tweaks and she's golden."

Golden would not have been the word she would've used. Did he not see the parts falling off and the missing pieces, and the rust? She was pretty sure that as far as motorized vehicles went, rust was a very bad thing. But if Luka did notice, he didn't seem to mind as he beamed at his prize.

She glanced at her own Vespa, which she'd kept well-maintained since it'd been given to her four years ago, and then back to the… "bike" Luka had bought. There was some resemblance, now that she was looking for it. There was a place for a seat, although the seat itself was long gone, and that ball of solid rust a little below it looked like it was meant to be an engine, and there were two axles and hubs where the wheels would go…

"Well," Luka was saying, which brought her attention back to him. He was eyeing the bike more critically now, much like she had been. He wiped at his nose and it left a little smudge of dirt and grease behind that she had to admit was cute on him. It had no right bringing out the blue of his eyes like that. "Okay, so it needs a little more than tweaking. But the bones of this thing are rock solid. And underneath all of this is a Triumph Bonneville."

"...A what?"

"It's an old British brand, but super reliable. See the twin cylinders here?" He pointed to two rods on either side of what would be the seat, then grinned up at her again. "A classic Triumph, Marinette, can you imagine? Once I get it all fixed up it'll sing."

She hummed in what she hoped was a noncommittal way. "How do you know all this stuff?" she asked instead of answering him. He stood and dusted his hands off on his ripped jeans, then dusted the seat of his pants off, too, which, even after all the years they'd known each other, was still just as distracting. Moreso, maybe, because now they were dating and she could look at him now with all the love and appreciation she felt for him.

Luka shoved his hands in his back pockets as he smiled warmly at her, apparently thinking similar thoughts. "I picked up a few things, tinkering on my old bicycle down at the shop. I've always wanted a vintage motorcycle."

"I didn't know that," she admitted. He chuckled back.

"You never asked."

A flush of heat crept across her cheeks as she realized he was right. "So… you know how to fix this, then?" She stepped forward into his space and put her hands in his back pockets, too, earning her a mischievous raised eyebrow. "Because I have to tell you… right now it's…" She dared a glance at him, then bit her lip as she winced. "It's really ugly."

He laughed at that and wrapped his arms around her waist instead, holding her close to him. "Yeah, I know how to fix it." He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.

"I hope you've got your tetanus shot," she muttered, only half-meaning for him to hear her. She blushed again when he let out another one of those laughs, bright and open and beautiful, and nodded.

"Thanks for worrying about me," he said, adding, "I know you always do."

At the same time, she said, "I always do." They both smiled at the jinx and Luka glanced back at the bike with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I was hoping…" he started, pulling his gaze back to hers, "that maybe we could work on it… together?"

Together. Marinette ran the math in her head. This was at least months' worth of work, if not a year or two, and he wanted to do this. With her. She couldn't help the smile that lit up her face as she nodded. "I'd love you—to!"

She blushed as she realized her slip, and she knew Luka had noticed it because he always noticed everything, but he only smiled back, pleased, and pulled her into a tight hug before continuing to point out the features that his new bike would have.

She had to admit she was getting excited with him.

***

The next morning Luka woke up bright and early. His plan was to set up his tools for starting on the bike. 'I just need the solution, a screwdriver, a hammer, and a crowbar,' he thought to himself while waiting for Marinette to arrive.

She showed up around 20 minutes after their planned time and began profusely apologizing and flailing about.

"I'm so sorry, Luka. I know I promised I would try to get better at being on time, but I didn't get much sleep last night and—"

Luka placed a hand on her face and pulled her into a hug as he quietly chuckled.“I love you, Marinette. Can we get started?”

She returned the laughter and nodded. “Yep! Not entirely sure what you want me to do, I can barely ride my Vespa, let alone repair it.”

He stepped to the side and started looking intently at the bike. “Well, today we’re going to take all the rusted parts and soak them in a solution to see what’s just surface rust and what needs to be replaced or welded,” Luka explained in a soft voice, fully understanding and not judging her lack of knowledge.

“So… do we just put the whole thing in?” she asked almost jokingly, looking at his "bike" loveable scrap heap.

“Pretty much. Except we have to take it apart because some things like the engine and brake wires need to be unhooked and replaced.”

Marinette nodded and pulled out five large containers as he pointed to them. Luka carried the gallons of solution and they worked together to slowly pour it in.

They moved on to the next part of the day, which was getting the outside pieces of the bike loose.

“Thanks for helping Mar—” he said in a strained voice, struggling to loosen a siding panel of the bike while Marinette was standing above him using a crowbar to unwedge it from the top.

“No problem! This is difficult, but it's fun to work with you!”

Luka smiled, and began to lose himself in her beautiful blue eyes that sparkled like the sun—until BANG! The piece came loose and sent Luka to the ground with it. Marinette burst into giggles as she helped him up, and Luka squeaked out a quiet, "Ow—"

Luka knew at that moment that it wasn't going to be the only time an incident would send one of them into giggles.

A few days later and just a day after the soaking had finished, Marinette jokingly pointed the sandblaster Luka was renting at him. He screamed and jumped to the ground, knowing if she hit the on switch it would hurt. 'The device was made for smoothing down the bike, not him.' She didn't actually turn it on, but Luka was still planning his revenge.

A revenge which came into play a few days later, when they'd finally gotten to the point of washing the metal sides of the bike to put them away and start on the next part of rebuilding the bike.

The couple filled up the soapy buckets and pulled out their sponges. They were old ones that Luka stole from the kitchen, one bright green with a sunglasses print, and the other red and black striped.

"There was a sale on decorative sponges a while back," Luka explained to a giggling Marinette.

Not too long after the buckets were full and Luka was starting to rinse the bike, he smirked and whipped around, aiming the water stream straight at Marinette, causing her to scream and start laughing.

"COLD! COLD! Luka, that's cold!"

***

Luka laughed and dropped the sprayer innocently to his side. "Truce?"

Marinette pouted and didn't miss the way his eyes flickered to her mouth. "Truce," she agreed reluctantly.

"Great, now let's sort through the cleaned up pieces and take inventory of what we need. Can you help write things down as I count them off?" he asked with his hands held up in a pleading gesture.

She knew he struggled to read his own writing at times and smiled. "Of course."

So they set about sorting through what they'd done so far. Some pieces were okay after a soak and quick clean up, which had shocked her. She was sure this was more scrap than salvage, but he had been right, there was a lot about this bike that was still quite solid.

They made a list of pieces that needed more work to be functional, and a list for the pieces that were missing or completely beyond redemption. Both lists were… not short. Luka eyed the final count critically but nodded in approval. "Honestly? This isn't that bad. It might take some time to track down some of these things, or afford some of them, but I have some ideas on that front."

Marinette watched with adoration as he spoke passionately and excitedly about restoration projects and how there were whole groups of people who picked these kinds of old vehicles up to try to make them look good again. He talked about auction sites where vintage or restoration pieces could be gotten fairly cheap through bidding or at special events.

"I might even be able to get an in with some of the people I used to know from around the shop. So what do you think?" Luka looked at her expectantly, still enthusiastic and joyful.

She gave him a quick kiss. "I think you're amazing being able to see the beauty in this thing. I think this sounds like a lot of fun and I'm learning a lot. I'm so happy you asked me to help."

He beamed at her and suggested she change into dry clothes so they could go pick up some things. She pointed out that it was his fault she even needed to change but he didn't seem the least bit sorry. She rolled her eyes and went inside.

When she came back out in one of his shirts, his gaze lingered and she felt her face heat under his attention. "Well, where to? Do we take your truck or do you want to ride the Vespa?"

He laughed. "We probably need the truck, we don't want to carry that much on the scooter."

They took off for an automotive store and happily sang to the radio together, both passionately belting out the lyrics. Marinette found herself basking in the moment, warm and full of love.

When they arrived, Luka opened the door for her and took her hand to help her out but didn't let go as they walked in together.

Luka led her around the store excitedly, grabbing different things they needed for the next steps in restoring the bike. He asked her opinions or answered her questions where she chimed in.

"We might pick up paint if it's on sale. It'll be one of the last steps in putting the bike together but we can look." He smiled as her eyes lit up at the prospect of something more artistic to look at.

Marinette had been captivated by the different options for color and design. When she had found the metal flakes and pearl options, Luka had been reminded of Rose in the glitter section at the craft store. Marinette ended up grabbing a variety of swatches and samples to play around with colors and effects.

In addition to her samples, they ended up picking up polish, wax, sealant, some more solution, and a few smaller things that would help get the pieces they did have better assembled while they tracked down the bigger parts.

When they got back to his place, they set some of the stuff in the garage for later and went about replacing the few valves, screws, and wires they picked up. Doing that fastened different parts of the bike together or allowed them to make sure everything had a proper seal and connection.

"So this is a 1964, not the peak of the Bonneville bikes but still a really good model. We'll need to make sure we look at the right year when we're searching for parts since they aren't always interchangeable, though some might be." He pulled up some of the sites he was talking about before to show her some of the visual differences and why different models needed slightly different parts.

Marinette was feeling pretty excited herself by the time the day ended and she said goodbye. While she rode home, she felt the familiar buzz of inspiration and decided she needed to do something with the energy.

The moment she got home and settled, she had her sketchbook in hand. As she sketched a few different stray thoughts, she had another idea. She pulled out her phone and clicked on a contact.

"Hey, Nona. Yeah, I'm great, thank you. Hey, do you know anything about Triumph Bonnevilles?"

She smiled as her grandmother started off on an excited tangent. Maybe she could help get some more traction for finding the remaining parts, too. She was excited to run the idea by Luka and watch his face light up. If she could do something to make him happy and excited, it would only be fair.

***

Over the next couple months, they managed to fix up almost all of the remaining parts they had, and had even purchased several of the missing pieces. It was coming together nicely and it had been a great bonding project for them.

They were in the garage, Luka tinkering on the bike, Marinette sketching in her design book, when Luka asked, "Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?"

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Yeah, passenger at least. I've ridden with my Nona often enough. Why?"

Luka nodded "Good. I'm just thinking about the first ride on this thing."

"It's… not roadworthy? It's missing the seat and the tires still," she pointed out.

Luka gave her a secretive little smile and hummed noncommittally.

"Did you find them? Luka, is the bike almost done?" Marinette pressed, suddenly very eager to get an answer.

He just flashed that lazy boyish smile and leaned over to give her a quick peck. He could be awfully irritating when he wanted to be.

"Oh come on!" She grabbed his face in her hands and gave him a look but found herself losing her train of thought when he looked at her that softly.

"I might have a lead. We're getting close." He was speaking quietly, staring into her eyes like he was as lost as she was.

They were interrupted by the very loud ringing of her phone and Marinette sighed. She looked at the caller ID. Luka leaned over to see who had disrupted the moment. "Oh, Gina. Go ahead and answer her, tell her thank you for the last tip she gave me, it panned out really well." He waved his hand to shoo her to answer.

"Hey, Nona, what's up?" Marinette asked when she answered.

"Marinette, my fairy, how are you? How is your sweet blue boy?" Gina asked with affection.

"We're great. He said to thank you for the last tip you gave him, I guess whatever it was is going good so far."

"Ah! Marvelous! Benissimo! I knew my dear friend was reliable," Gina exclaimed.

Marinette smiled. "Did you need something? Are you calling for an update or is this a social call?"

***

Luka smiled as he worked, enjoying the sound of his girlfriend's animated voice as she chatted with her Nona. Gina had been an excellent reference for the project. And Marinette had been more enthusiastic than he'd anticipated, he really just wanted to spend time with her, working on something creative together, a project that could be both of theirs. She had design and he had music, but this would be theirs.

“Really?” Luka looked up as Marinette’s background chatter grew more enthusiastic, “Thank you SO much Nona! That will be perfect! Talk to you later, love you!”

“Good news?” he asked.

“Very, can I take the seat base and padding home today? I need to get precise measurements for the cover.”

“Sure, of course, I’ll help you get them home. Do I get to see the plan?”

Marinette smiled mischievously at him. “Hmmm, not just yet… unless you’re willing to share your news?”

Luka smiled patiently. “I can wait.” The tires Gina had helped him locate were perfect; she had a contact with access to vintage surplus—he had scored a near perfect match that had never been used.

“Hmpf. Of course you can.”

“C’mere.” He grinned at her little pout; they both knew he was far more patient than she was—she could keep a secret, though, even when she wanted to share. He had no doubt that whatever she was planning would be perfect.

Marinette hop-skipped over the parts lined up on the ground until she reached him and he pulled her into his lap. “I think this next bit is gonna need a little luck.”

“Yeah?”

“Mmmhmmm.”

“Where do you plan on getting that?”

“I was kinda hoping you could spare a little.” He bopped her gently on the nose then let his finger trail to her lips. He swallowed hard as she kissed his fingertip.

“I think I could manage a little.” Her eyes danced as she leaned in for a kiss. Best project ever.

***

It was gorgeous. Marinette ran her hand over the material that had arrived in the mail while she was out. Nona had found just the leather she wanted and expressed it over from Italy. It was supple, yet very durable—and the colors were perfect. Deep black, antique white, cerulean blue, and a perfect "Sass" green, ironically called "Serpente Nell’erba" or "Snake in the Grass." She had been determined to keep the retro feel of the bike while giving it a little more personality. She hoped to find a way to showcase the depth of character she saw in Luka in the colors and lines of the bike. Nona had approved of her design and she couldn’t wait to see it in reality. Marinette stopped short as she pulled the last of the leather from the box, there was something more. She grinned at the note, Stay safe my Fairy, and have fun! ~Nona, on top of something black and bulky. It was a riding jacket. Black with hot pink accents, and it fit perfectly. She took a quick selfie and sent a thank you text along with the photo to Nona Gina.

Marinette glanced at the seat frame in the corner and shrugged off the jacket. The frame had been sanded, cleaned, and painted, though it still needed a clear coat along with everything else, but it was ready enough to get her started. Getting the seat back to her place had been a little tricky; she and Luka had been reduced to gales of laughter as they tried out different configurations to get both of them and the seat and padding on her moped, and had finally found a functional, if awkward, arrangement that required her to drive rather slowly, but they had managed it. Now she had work to do.

***

They were getting close. Luka surveyed all the parts. Once the clear coat went on, it would be a matter of final assembly and fine tuning. Marinette had loved the painting side of things and had gotten really good with the automotive sprayer. The colors she had helped him choose were gorgeous and while the vibrancy was certainly more modern than the browns and tans of the '60s, the overall design looked good on the vintage bike. She had shooed him out of the tent, insisting that she wanted to paint the clear coat on the tank herself. He knew she was planning something, he just didn’t know what. It was the final piece to be clear-coated and he was trying to remember that he was the patient one. He worked at polishing and assembling everything that was ready. Reassembling all the spokes for the wheels was time-consuming and a little tedious. Marinette had gotten it into her head to create a pattern with the spokes, some classic chrome and some a glossy black—it was going to look amazing in motion, but was nearly akin to torture to get them all into the correct pattern.

The flap of their makeshift spray tent flipped open and Marinette exited with a glowing smile. “It’s amazing how much a difference the clear gloss makes!” she announced excitedly. “Want some help with the spokes?”

“Sure, Melody, this pattern is making me a little dizzy.” She dropped to the ground next to him and started laying them out in order so he could just grab and install. Huh, he should have thought about laying them out first. “We make a pretty good team.”

“Yeah, we do.” She nudged her shoulder into his arm with a grin and set to work.

They hummed as they worked, enjoying the time together while focusing on the task. And if their hands brushed and lingered as she handed him spokes, well, so much the better. He liked this, one goal between them. Even as they used their individual talents for different aspects of the project, it was thrilling to see it all come together cohesively.

***

Marinette tried to stay calm as she worked on the spokes. Luka was too observant to not know she was up to something, but she was trying her best to remain calm. They still had to assemble all the parts, it wasn’t as if she could keep it a secret till the end or anything, but she did want the glossy finish to dry so he could see the decal as it was meant to be. She had worked hard on the design, and searched all over to find a shop that could print it on the right material for an automotive decal. In the end the work was well worth it. She had gotten the decals to go on smoothly without any bumps or bubbles, despite how nervous she’d been of messing it up at the last minute. The decal featured a green cobra, perfectly matched to the leather on the seat, coiled around a branch of sakura blossoms and rearing as if it was about to strike, fangs bared. The blossoms were pretty, but the snake had just the right vintage flavor to pull the whole thing together. She was pretty sure Luka would love it. She hoped he would at least.

The wheels were done, the spoke pattern was mesmerizing, and everything that could be put together before the tank went on was ready.

“Can I see what you’ve done now, Marinette?”

“Yes! Of course. Let me just make sure it's dry…”

“It's been hours, I'm sure it's ready.”

“Okay, okay…” Luka grabbed at her hand as she fidgeted nervously.

“I know I’ll love whatever you’ve done, I trust you, can you trust me?”

She stilled. He was right, her nervousness suggested she was worried about his reaction and of course she trusted him to be both honest and appreciative of her work. She relaxed and tugged him towards the tent. “Yeah, come see.”

They flipped the flap open, pinning it back to let in the light and stepped inside. “Oh wow, Marinette, this is incredible!” She bounced, biting her lip as he traced the coiled snake and tapped the blossoms gently. “It needed this, a little piece of us visible. Mari, I love it.” She squealed and threw herself into his arms for a hug, trying not to knock anything to the ground. He caught her in his arms and took a step or two away from the finished tank before spinning her around in a triumphant embrace.

He loved it. She knew he would, but it was good to hear. The hug was nice, too.

***

Marinette stood waiting in front of the bakery. She could feel it, today was the day! Her jacket was stowed in her Vespa and she had wrapped the seat—she had struggled with some of the seams, but was happy with the final result.

“Hey, Marinette, let me take that.” She handed over the awkwardly wrapped bundle—the finished seat—as Luka joined her at the bakery. Maman and Papa fussed over them a bit as they arranged themselves on her moped with the seat. It wasn’t quite so awkward now that it was all one piece, and they were soon off.

Marinette gushed over the work he’d done after she left the night before and he was beyond thrilled when he unwrapped the seat. He was amazed at the quality of the leather, and the design was elegant and playful. “Marinette, you are a wonder.” She blushed furiously at his praise and pecked his cheek before nudging him to attach the seat to the bike. Once the seat was on, it was down to the last details, and those were quickly accomplished.

“I learned so much, Luka, I might be able to handle my own repairs on the moped if I ever needed them now,” she said as they attached the last bolt and adjusted the mirrors.

***

Luka was flabbergasted at how quickly it all fell into place. Marinette was rubbing a clean cloth over the chrome to make it shine and it looked amazing. Her grasp of design and color was fully evident once the machine was put together. He might have eventually finished the bike on his own, but there was no way it would have looked nearly this good without the creative eye and dedication of his girlfriend.

He scanned the area for the next step, "Now we just need…" and cocked his head in confusion when he didn’t see any more spare parts. Surely there was more to work on, right? He ran through his mental checklist as he fidgeted with the torque wrench in his hands.

Marinette laughed at his floundering. "It's done Luka, just accept it."

"Yeah, I guess it is." He was surprised to find that he was feeling a little sad about the end of their work together. The plan had been about the journey—more so even than the end result, as perfect as it was.

"Luka.” Marinette slid her hand into his and forced him to look at her. “This is the part where you tell me to hold on tight and we ride into the sunset."

Well, that sounded pretty good. He glanced around. "It's barely noon."

"Guess it'll have to be a long ride then." She pulled something out of her moped and pulled on a form-fitting leather motorcycle jacket. Damn, she looked good.

Luka smiled, and grabbed her so he could steal a kiss. Well, he tried to steal one, but she wasn’t resisting, so he gleefully took the kiss she offered him instead. Maybe the end of the project wasn’t so bad after all. "Wanna go for a ride?"

“I’d love you—to! I’d love to, and I love you, Luka.” Music to his ears.

He pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “I love you, too, Marinette.”

His heart swelled as she climbed up behind him and he reveled in the feel of her holding tightly to him. Time to chase a sunset.

#lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #pro lukamari #marinette dupain cheng #luka couffaine #gina dupain #motorcycle restoration

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wooawi · 4 months

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another idea: Zoé and Chloé bonding. Featuring their stunted emotional growth.

I think the base interest is pretty easy to establish. They both come from a similar lonely background, whether they want to admit it or not. Zoé has one (unnamed) friend from New York; the rest turned on her and bullied her once she dropped her posh act. Chloé also has one “friend” (Sabrina); the only other person who fit that description “turned on” her (Adrien). These two are isolated by their own actions, Zoé in pretending to be someone she’s not to fit in, and Chloé in bullying everyone around her. They need someone to provide that love and companionship they’re lacking.

And who else than a sibling? They’re literally a built in “I’m going to love you forever no matter what” system.

Of course it doesn’t start off that easy. Chloé would rather cut off her own foot than admit that she needs someone, much less some goody-two-shoes who’s now buddy buddy with Dupain-Cheng and the others. And Zoé, well, she’s seen firsthand how much Chloé is like their mother. She’s heard the stories from her new friends to fill in the blanks. She would rather not have a second Audrey Bourgeois in her life, thank you very much.

But, with all that happened in New York, forgive Zoé if she’s a little emotionally distant with her new friends. She knows now the consequences of lying about who you are, but it’s a self defence mechanism at this point. If her friends don’t know who she is and only see her as “sweet and gentle” Zoé, then they won’t drop her like her friends in New York did. Even then, it’s tiring. Zoé doesn’t know how long she can keep smiling and laughing and pretending to be perfectly nice all the time to keep her friends happy.

And nice is all they ever are. One time, Marinette made a sarcastic remark about something Mylene was interested in. Zoé was too shocked to laugh, playful sarcasm being something she hadn’t heard in weeks, but was glad she didn’t so much as giggle when Mylene’s lips began wobbling. Turns out Marinette hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and had misheard what Mylene was talking about and misspoke as well. She would never be so disingenuous about blah blah blah Zoé was bored.

But, she’s terrified of being alone again, so she keeps it all to herself and comforts Mylene with the others.

She sees Chloé rip Sabrina a new one one day. As she’s watching the ginger run off, tearful and snotty, she realises that it’s just Chloé and her alone. She doesn’t like Chloé and the other girl certainly doesn’t like her, so who does she have to be all nice and careful for?

“Be careful. You wouldn’t want to lose the only friend you have left, now would you?”

Chloé is confused at first. No way Zoé just said that. Of all people? Then, she recognises the snide insult for what it is and all thoughts of analysis goes out the window. Chloé yells at her to mind her fucking business, throws in a threat or two of sending Zoé back to New York, and storms off angrily. Zoé’s satisfied smirk doesn’t go away until later that day when she’s hanging out with the girls and one of them asks her about her strange mood.

It continues like that, Zoé playfully egging Chloé on and messing with her sister when she has the chance. And if it reminds her of her time back in New York when she would hang out with that one friend and they would rib each other until one or both of them was doubled over with laughter, she refuses to acknowledge it.

Chloé is fed up eventually and starts to understand that her outburst and fits of rage do nothing to dissuade Zoé, so she asks Jeane whatever his name is for help and advice. He basically tells her to match Zoé’s energy, and after some careful planning, Chloé finally gets in the game.

The teasing goes back and forth, something Chloé used to do with Adrien back when they were kids, and before they know it, they’re actively seeking each other out after school to be the first to get a word in.

Then it spreads to before school. Zoé wakes Chloé up before her alarm to rant about meaningless topics, and Chloé steals Zoé’s favourite beanie and shoes to wear for herself.

Eventually, they’re talking regularly and hanging out occasionally, nothing planned just little meet-ups in each other’s rooms and impromptu sleepovers.

“Hey, you know how to paint nails?”

“Did the smog over in the states fuck up your head or something? Of course I–”

“Ok cool. Do this design for me” And then Zoé falls asleep half an hour later and Chloé “forgets” to wake her up.

And if Chloé stops calling Zoé her “half-of-a-sister” and starts referring to her properly. Well. It’s not a big deal anyway.

#marinette: you’re hanging out with chloe?#zoe hiding the bracelet chloe made for her: n-no #said bracelet was a failed prototype according to chloe #who also happens to have a matching one #zoe and chloe #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #chloe bourgeois #zoe lee

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princess-of-the-corner · 6 months

Text

Okay finally a proper liveblog of Shadybug and Claw Noire!

Gabriel's VA is having so much fun in that intro

How'd they get video from the other dimension? Is that explained?

FUCKING BETTERFLY I refuse to call him that we're calling him Hesperia. Anyway buddy boy everything is crumbling you don't have time for the speech!! You already know she's doing this shit just say yes!!

Well someone went whole hog on the intro sequence

NATHALIE SENDING GABE RIGHT TO VOICEMAIL

Also I forgot this is right after Destruction no one is getting any fuckin sleep

Mari and Alya are real gay here

TIKKI STEALING MACAROONS

Hesperia asking Mari not to panic after all that has big "B̷̬͇̬̏́̿̚Ȩ̸̬͇̠̓̏͐ ̵̛̝̠̖̤̱͎̻̱͗̉͊́̾̂̔̓̐̃̆̾̽͘N̸̝̠͓͍̺͔͉̮̰̈́̈́̍̒̒̊͐̒̈́̃͜Ǫ̶̧̡͓̥̤̪̤͛T̵͈̳̝̾̀͒ͅ ̴̺̾̈́̾͂̋̇̒̆À̴̢͔͖̯̺̜͇͎͎̬̻̖̲̏̒́͘͜͠F̴̧̧̘͇̈́̏̔̀͜Ŕ̶̨̟͎͕͓̤̟̤̺͓͚̺̰͒̊̌̅̂̈́͝Ḁ̶͙̈́͝Ĩ̵̢̘̩͉̳̯̼D̴̡͉͇̳̮͎̜͐̐́̍̎̉͝" energy.

rest in fucking pieces Markov!

Claw explodes a wall and Sabine just calmly goes to check like?? I'd be sprinting up there???

I was really hoping Shady would say 'Lucky Harm'. I would've also screamed and lit something on fire, but it would've been funny

so. not only can SB make binoculers that track butterfly pheramones. But Hesperia /gives off butterfly pheromones???/ I guess the fandom making everyone more animalistic was right? We won but at what cost?

Also SB and Claw's banter kills me I love the rivalmance

Okay this is a personal thing but I hate this because if it were a more appropriate couple, Hesperia being so soft and carrying Marinette away would be adorable shipping fodder but it's Hesperia and Marinette so I'm like sir step like three feet away

Once again, rip the Eiffel Tower.

I know it's said that Gabriel stole the Miraculous, but does he say it later or are we taking SB's word for it? Because that could be a lie from that 'the supreme' guy.

Tikki. Everything you just said about parallel universes went over my head and this is coming from someone who loves Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.

Also fuck this existing with Bunnyx's One True Timeline thing

Okay so I 100% called why the Timers are in place. But why does 'being used for evil' override the security system???

... I'm yoinking Claw's nunchucks.

Okay that's the context for Claw doing that. So uh. Buddy boy needs a fuckin therapist NOW

Ladybug: "I'll explain everything to you later." Me: "ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?!"

Why.... why did time freeze when making Celestial Cat? It's not a thing that happened any time befre??

THE ONE LINERS. CLAW NOT CATCHING SHADY. I LOVE THEM

Also LB should be having Chat Blanc flashbacks right now

DID SHADY JUST CALL CLAW A DOUCHEBAG??? I SWEAR TO FUCK THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID????

First mention of 'The Supreme'. Saying he'll spare whichever gets the Butterfly. But also like. Ya don't have to be so happy about it.

So like. /is/ the other world some evil hellscape where only a few are good? Or is it just that SB was bullied and Claw lost his mom and The Supreme is manipulating them? Because Hesperia is going on about shit being awful, but if there's more changes then just the slightly altered path, that kinda ruins the idea that they're all just a touch different. But if that world's so fucked how'd they turn out good?

I love how Mari's beartrap diary comes back just to get easily broken into because no one would care about minor property damage if they're breaking into her house to read her diary.

Hesperia: "Claw Noir knows nothing about friendship" Me: "GEE I WONDER WHY"

ofc Alya leaves before seeing who Claw Noir is.

.... Hearing that Andre is on the 'never too late to do good' show or whatever is hurting me knowing the abuse abandonment and kidnapping he takes part in during season 5.

GOD EMODRIEN AND EMONETTE JUST FUCKIN but also their lovesquare is great.

We see a glimpse into the other world in a flashback and things seem? Fine?? ???

So SB and Claw didn't know about the Wish that could give them what they want, but joined The Supreme because......?

"MOM GET OFF MY BACK!!!" Peak middle school emo phase.

Okay but question of how bad things /actually/ are aside, the acting in this? It hurts hearing her cry and all and just want to have the life with friends.

Monarch has finally shown up and he's also having fun but also SB, Claw? This would be the time for regular knives!

Okay but why are they trusting Monarch so easily? You'd think they'd have some trust issues with people offering to make their dreams come true

Giant Shady and Claw. If they're not Akumas, I'm assuming Illusions. Why doesn't Mari think of that?

Alya is the MVP tho!

Mari honey your plans are ALWAYS convoluted it's your thing.

Stilll a little bullshit on why they didn't do the identity reveal but... I mean they gotta ya know?

GOD Monarch's stained glass butterfly lapel is the only thing about his design that absolutely FUCKS

THE BAD ACTING OMG

Oh hey Multiplication makes Gabe a normal height instead of fucking 220cm/7'2"!!!!!!!

Here's how Maribug and Adrichat(the ships) can still win!

Chat without an ear looks cursed

So the Guardian Angel thing saves them, but why didn't Monarch try to Venom them a second time?

Still hate how Shady pins all the bad things in her life on Chloé even though either 1.) all the pain is from The Supreme making everything a hellscape and filled with assholes, or 2.) everything was the same up until Origins where she had friends and loving parents and all.

Okay other than the :/ on the Chloé bashing and the question of what's going on in their world/why things are Like This, the scene is fucking fantastic. No commentary. For as much as I dunk on ML, when it's good it's REALLY GOOD

Okay only one note: Mari has way to much faith her speech will work. Like girl at least dodge.

I do think it's a little weird that Claw stopped though. Like, he and Shady already signed up for murder. He's probably killed someone's mother before. Why would he care about the Wish doing it for him?

Also like. Monarch wasn't watching this shit? Really?

They still have the dunking on each other dynamic.

So. The Rooster can do interdimensional travel. Because sure that doesn't break it's bullshit rules I guess. Why doesn't Monarch do this later when no one's paying attention?

HATSUNE MIKU????

Scarabella and Kitty Noire universe! I'm just gonna assume they're the lovesquare in that one.

anime universe lmao

The comic one is a copout

Wait. The implication with the Mr. Bug and Lady Noire one is that it's still the original LB and CN just swapped. How did. How did they swap in 10 seconds without revealing their identities???

Mari's final speech once again implies that everything was the same until Origins.

Also the Alyanette is STRONG today

Get these girlss a fuckin NAP

Okay overall thoughts:

While I do think it has it's flaws, some of which piss me off a lot. This was mostly a very fucking good special holy fuck.

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gale-gentlepenguin · 1 year

Text

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5 episode 8 Elation

(Spoilers below)

_______________________________________

-RIGHT OUT THE GATE! WHEN HOW DID SHE EVEN!? THE THIRST!

-MY KWAMI THE THIRST! A minute is an eternity with the right person. Ladybug Calm the calamity that is your hormones

-Chat noir… HOW ARE YOU SO DENSE! She kissed you four times! Four!

-Geez EVERYONE is thirsty for chat noir. I don’t blame the selfie craving

-Marinette venting. And Alya pointing out the reasons she turned chat noir down in the first place.

-Now Marinette is kicking herself over it.

-Marinette pointing fingers

-So that’s how they ended up in the trash. She wants to kiss her meow meow

-Baby boy! He is precious. He wants to see Marinette

-Sabine is like “is something wrong with him?”

-Tom

-Marinette is busy destroying evidence. My heart

-LOOK AT HIM!

-Marinette’s rant

-Which is like “I’m a woman, I have a RIGHT to be into chat noir.” Like damn

-No! Adrien now known as the Alliance boy.

-So much for freedom

-Adrien now sad cause he can’t see Marinette. Baby boy

-Adrien getting visably annoyed by people wanting pictures. “Can’t I be sad for 5 mins about my love life!?”

-Marinette no… he’s right there!

-Chat noir has to pretend he didn’t see that

-the Marichat. They are both so awkward! I’m deceased

-HOW IS THIS ONLY MINUTE 5!?

-They are both nervous messes! I love it!

-WHAT IS THIS!? (My marichat soul is Emerging! I thought I had become sane but no! NO IM FERAL)

Addfsfgfdgfdfggddggffghdsvbgdhjffvhgdfjtffgjgdfhhggvbfcgcdfhhdhvfjj

-They baited me, I thought there would be a kiss.

-Alya and Tikki realizing they are overreacting. Alya assuring her it’s fine…

-Until it isn’t and Marinette is gone!

-THEY ARE LOOKING FOR ANDRE! You fools! You will doom us all!!!!

-Marinette ignored Alya’s call. Girl about to cause the end of the world because of thirst!!!

-Yo that looked fun

-“we are here for ice cream, unless you sell hot dogs” only Hot dog Dan can.

-Andre just OUTTED chat noir and Marinette! Damn!!!

-Wow, THAT FUCKING HURT.

-The happy mood gone… just sorrow

-Oh nice try, they trying to bait me again. You can fool me once. But this will get interrupted again

-LITTLE CHEEK KISSES it’s cute but it won’t make me believe what they trying to imply

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

-They did it! The fucking madlads! They fucking did it

-I’m feral don’t touch me right now

-And now it’s ANGST! (I’m being fed so much today)

-Monarch. CAN YOU NOT RIGHT NOW! Like s***!

-Oh no!!! Oh f***!

-Demasker, OOH. NEW AKUMANETTE JUST DROPPED

-OH SHIT 2! WE GET TWO KISSES!

-oh damn, and that one Was ANGSTY AF!!!

-But Marinette realizes what almost happened

-Glaciator 3 LETS GO!

-but now with Tiger powers

-GEEZ Andre calm down! You salty on Marinette

-Chat noir just cut him in half! Good thing he’s icecream

-OH DAMN, Alya might be dead.

-That’s a LOT OF FIRE for an ice cream man

-Glaciator can’t take the miraculous, his hands are too big! Of f***ing course

-Oh that’s creepy, Andre’s hand moving out of the ice cream

-Oh thank goodness, Alya is alive. And she is gutsy

-So the ladynoir.

-Chat noir explaining. It’s sweet and sad

-A giant umbrella. Must you hurt me!

-THEY JUST IMPALED HIM! Damn!

-My Buttocks, YOU DONT HAVE THE RIGHT!?

-Alya being a wingwoman.

-Ooo looks like It’s getting worse Gabe. GOOD

-oh no… Gabriel knows Chat noir loves Marinette. He is gonna exploit it. DONT YOU DARE YOU BASTARD!

-Chat noir does want to kiss her, but he wants to be sure it’s not an admiration thing. I get that.

-Adrien and Marinette going through it.

-But Adrien doesn’t stay down for too long

_________________________________________

Well,

Ahem

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fucking Fuckity Fuck!

Mother fucking shit!

This episode.

THIS EPISODE!

How dare it!! How dare it make me experience these feelings!

How fucking dare give me everything I ever wanted and then, And then it rip my heart out and piss all over it and make me want more

I need a moment

12/10

The comedy

The romance

The angst

Everything was so GHGGHGGGGAASSGG

#miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #ml elation #gale reviews #I’m dying #I’m dead #I’ve ascended #I’m death #the angst #the drama #screaming

94 notes · View notes

jacquesthepigeon · 1 year

Note

Script Anon Here Alright so the episode begins with Luka being everyone's therapist. Marinette, Adrien, Jagged Stone, Penny, Anarka. Jagged at one point says he wants to be a better father, Luka tells him to be more involved. Penny admits she's in love with Jagged (it's requited, big day for Rolling Stone shippers), and Bob busts into Luka's room looking for Jagged and realizes Luka's his son. Anarka throws him overboard (Bob being thrown overboard into the Seine is the running gag in this episode). So Bob climbs back on wanting Kitty Section to sign a contract with him, but he tricks them all and fires everyone except for Luka so he could keep him and the Kitty Section brand b/c Jagged is no use to Bob Roth anymore because Jagged wants to spend more time with his family rather than make music. Bob mocks them, Luka's distraught and he nearly gets akumatized into Silencer again. But Monarch, listening to Luka's thoughts, realizes Luka knows Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities and Luka breaks free from the spell by smashing his guitar (his akumatized object briefly). Luka says he'd rather quit music than work for Bob, Bob gets thrown overboard and gets akumatized into Golden Record. Golden Record's ability is throwing vinyl records at people and once they're hit, they're trapped inside the record and sing their deepest thoughts. (Rose sings about how much she loves Juleka (but like friends cause MLB is so queerphobic) she loves everything including the people she doesn't like. Anarka sings about freedom. and Juleka is said to have the voice of Bjork or Madonna. Well Bob discards the records he doesnt like so the three ladies get yeeted to space (literally). There's a gag where Golden Record hits a pigeon and says a pigeon's song is the most beautiful thing he's heard, raising a brow on Monarch (cause funny jokes)) The battle goes on, Luka confesses to Ladybug in private he knows she's Marinette and reassures her. They win in the end before Luka could sing their identities (yea he gets briefly trapped). They destroy the contacts and Bob gets thrown into the river. Luka at the end of the episode confesses to everyone he knows Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities (in front of Adrien too) and he has to leave Paris while Monarch's around. Jagged gives up his life of fame and music for his family and takes Luka and Penny with him to Brazil. And though it's not in the script i assume at one point they meet Su-Han in Brazil and he teaches them Miracu-Kung-Fu. (god I hate that miracu-kung-fu shit)

I hate it too 🥲

Why’s everyone gotta admit shit in front of everybody? Nvm

Can’t believe Juleka gets jeeted into space RIP

#anon #ask #ml leaks

28 notes · View notes

milarqui · 1 year

Text

Scarlet Lady: Evillustrator

Directory - Kung Food

Marinette was surrounded by Stormy Weather and Lady Wifi! She looked around, but she couldn't find any way out!

“HELP!” she shouted.

“AHAHAHA!” both Akumas evilly laughed. No help would come to their future victim this time!

“HA!” a young man, wearing a striped shirt, thin pants, and a domino mask, laughed, landing next to the group.

“Super Nathan?!”

“Oh no!” the Akumas shouted, knowing that their defeat was now at hand.

And, indeed, as soon as Marinette managed to get away, Super Nathan encased the Akumas in an indestructible barrier, preventing them from doing more evil!

“NO!”

“Oh, Super Nathan!” a smiling Marinette said, rushing to hug her hero. “I love you!”

“Oh, it was nothing,” Super Nathan said, returning the hug of his beloved Marinette.

“You're amazing and totally write me in character!”

“Drawing in my class again?”

Nathaniel was suddenly pulled out of his daydream, as Mlle. Mendeleiev grabbed his notebook and shoot it up.

“Go show the principal your scribbles and see how he likes it!”

“S-Sorry,” he meekly apologized. Grabbing the notebook back, he morosely began to walk towards the door – but he was so deep in his own mind that he didn't see where he was stepping, and tripped over Mylène's bag.

“AH!” he shouted, as the contents of his bag began to spill – and his notebook flew away, only to get snatched by Chloé.

“Ooo, look Sabrina! He drew himself!” Chloé said in a mocking tone, loud enough to be heard everywhere in the classroom. “As a superhero, saving Marinette! He's totally crushing on her!”

“These are really good,” Sabrina noted, much to Chloé's confusion.

“What's with that reaction?” I'm trying to dish out some sick burns, and you just compliment this rubbish?

“GIVE THAT BACK!” Nathaniel shouted, and grabbed the notebook – but Chloé, either because she didn't have the time to move or out of pettiness, kept holding onto the last page he had drawn, and it got ripped.

Nathaniel's face when he saw Chloé had just ripped his drawing was very much out of place when it showed up.

“That's enough, Nathaniel, OUT!” Mlle. Mendeleiev ordered.

“Ooo, girl, you've got an admirer!” Alya said, while Marinette bashfully looked around.

“I–I guess! He didn't deserve to be outed like that, though,” Marinette replied.

Nino then began to hear the sound of something cracking just next to him, and looked down to see that Adrien had snapped his tablet pen, while he looked with way too much interest at Nathaniel. He thought he could actually see the daggers flying out of his friend's eyes.

I know you like Marinette, dude, but this much?

----

“Hm, isn't it rather early for this?”

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he said, trying to dismiss the young boy's curiosity. He had just never thought about someone getting Akumatized this early in the day. “Oh, a Chloé Bourgeois grudge! Those are fun!

----

Class was about to be done, and honestly most of the class was eager for it. Mlle. Mendeleiev might know a lot of sciences, but she was a slavedriver when in the lab.

“Now, I'll be assigning groups for your physics reports,” she declared, just a few minutes before the end.

Everyone groaned. The reports for this class were always hard to deal with, because the teacher was very much willing to dock you points for minor details.

“Adrien, Nino, and Alya,” the teacher said, and the boys turned to each other, giving a fistbump.

“Awesome!” Adrien said.

“Lucky!” Nino replied.

“Ehh.” Alya was not so convinced about it.

“Sabrina, Chloé, and Marinette.”

Marinette promptly slammed her face on the table.

“Unlucky...”

This, she knew, was going to be a nightmare and a half.

----

The last class of the day, P.E., was done, and now Sabrina found herself in an issue.

“Forget it, Sabrina! I don't have time for some stupid report! I'm busy!”

Because Chloé, once more, was unwilling to do one iota of her share. Normally, she wouldn't have minded... but as of late she had realized that she shouldn't have to bow to Chloé's whims. Doing that for years had never been worth anything.

“That's what you always say!”

And perhaps it was time for a change.

“What's going on?” Marinette asked, approaching.

“None of your business!” Chloé yelled. Marinette just glared at her before turning to Sabrina.

“Chloé's trying to dump all the work on me again!”

“That's how it's always been!” Chloé yelled, and Sabrina also glared at her.

“Well, what's so important you can't help us?” Marinette asked, feeling at the edge of her patience.

“Like I said, none of your business, busybody!”

----

It wasn't as if they could understand the importance of her work, after all!

Storing all the pics people made of her as Paris' beloved heroine took hours!

----

“Don't forget, Sabrina!” Chloé continued, ignoring Marinette. “Not only am I your best friend, I'm your only friend!”

“That's not true!” Sabrina fired back. “Plenty of people have been there for me when you abandon me or exclude me or hit me! I do have friends!”

Nino and Rose, who had helped her back when Chloé struck her with her tablet.

Alix, who had defended her and got her to join the class during the photo.

Hell, Marinette herself, the one she had helped Chloé victimize, was more of a friend than Chloé!

“This class is kinder and more forgiving than you give them credit for, and I'm done letting you bad talk them!”

Sabrina attempted to tackle Chloé in a fit of rage, but Marinette quickly grabbed her by the underarms and pulled her away from a sweating Chloé.

“Oh-kay, we're gonna go calm down. Chloé, if you want your name on this project, meet us in the library in 5,” Marinette ordered.

----

Needless to say, with Chloé being involved, things didn't begin with a good start.

“Look, Sabrina! I bought a totally stylish Gabriel beret that I promise to lend you if you do my report.”

It was only a couple of minutes in, and Chloé had already missed the point of their previous discussion.

Sabrina, however, had not.

“You never keep your promises,” she accused, causing Chloé to face fault.

“Oh, c'mon!” she complained.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant hairdryer popped into existence, aiming at Chloé's head.

“What the f–” Chloé began, but then she realized that the hairdryer was somehow starting to blow hot air. So she turned and began to run, holding her hair in place, while the oversized device flew behind her. “Aahhhh! NO! MERCY! NOT MY HAIR!”

“HA!” Sabrina laughed. Schadenfraude was strong in her today.

Marinette ducked down and pulled Sabrina with her.

“Um so, wanna finish at my house?” Marinette asked.

“U-huh,” Sabrina agreed. Better not to get involved in whatever Chloé did to be attacked by an Akuma...

----

After hearing the other students about the giant hairdryer following Chloé, Adrien had transformed into Chat Noir as soon as he managed to sneak away. He could actually bet on who had been Akumatized this time, and, as jealous as he felt, he knew Nathaniel had good reasons to target Chloé.

“Things are getting pretty hairy!” he angrily shouted as he jumped at the giant hairdryer.

“Ugh, stop!” Chloé complained. Just like Scar, she didn't have a taste for good puns.

A strong hit with his baton, and the hairdryer peril was no more. Turning around, Chat Noir saw the Akumatized Nathaniel on the library's second floor, looking from behind the banister.

“Hey, you're looking pretty sketchy!” he said. Nathaniel grabbed his pencil and... somehow erased the wall behind him.

“Ugh, I don't have to sit here and put up with your puns,” he declared.

“Hey!” Seriously, two in a row? What was wrong with the world?

Regardless, Nathaniel jumped out of the library, going for wherever he wanted to go, and Chat Noir looked for Chloé... who was now sitting on a couch, acting as if nothing was wrong.

“So, Chloé, any idea why this 'artist' is after you?” he asked, even if he already knew the answer.

“Noooo! Everyone adores me!”

Chat Noir just gave her a deadpan look. Chloé stood up and grabbed his arm, while giving him a smile.

“So, Chat Noir, how good are you at Physics?” she asked. Chat Noir could see it coming a mile away.

“I'm not doing your homework for you,” he declared, seeing something on the table. It had to be the drawing Chloé had been mocking Nathaniel form, only that Chloé had added her 'special' touch by giving the Marinette in the drawing glasses, a moustache and a goatee.

“Then what are you good for?!” Chloé yelled. Just as ungrateful as always. “Just get out if you're gonna be useless!”

She sounded so much like Scar that he really got ticked off.

“You know what? Maybe I will.”

“Great! Best idea you've ever had!”

He didn't have to deal with this, so he jumped out of the window and began to follow any tracks left by the Akuma, while he called Scar.

“Hey, Scar, your so-called 'best friend' is being targeted, you might want to pretend to care for 5 minutes because I'm going to spend my time finding the Akuma,” he said, before hanging up.

----

She was going ahead with getting everything she and Sabrina would need for the project, when she heard something knocking on the window. She figured it was a bird, so she paid it no mind.

Wipe

That was definitely no bird. In fact, she didn't even know how to translate that sound, other than...

“Wipe?”

She turned, and was shocked when she saw the Akuma entering through a hole made in her window.

“Ah, it's you! From the library! What are you–?!”

“I... wanted to see you,” the Akuma said, and if she wasn't so scared, she would have thought he was being bashful.

“Uh, are you here to attack me?”

“No!” the Akuma actually sounded offended. “You're Marinette! You're beautiful and sweet and perfect! I could never hurt you!”

Just next to the Akuma's foot, she could see her trapdoor being lifted, and Sabrina was looking from below, just as scared.

She had to keep the Akuma's attention away from her!

“Wow! Um, that's very... flattering? Thank you.”

The Akuma smiled, and became bashful again.

“So, um. I wanted to ask you something...”

As it turned out, it was the Akuma's birthday – well, that of the boy that had been Akumatized – and he wanted to ask her out. He even pulled out a very artistic invitation card!

“Huh, this is good,” she said. “You know what? I will go to your birthday party!”

“Really?!” the Akuma happily said.

“If you promise not to hurt Chloé.” She may dislike Chloé, but she didn't want to see her injured.

“I promise! Meet me at the Pont de L'Archevêché near Notre-Dame at sunset!”

“S-See you there!” she said, and the Akuma jumped out of the window. That was when Sabrina finally came in.

“Marinette, omigosh!” she said, surprised by everything she had witnessed. “What are you gonna do?!”

“First, I need to figure out how to contact Chat Noir.”

“Marinette, I saw the Akuma fly out your window, are you okay?!”

She blinked.

“Oh, awesome!” Well, that was fast. Remembering her manners, she turned to her classmate. “Chat Noir, this is my friend Sabrina.”

“I remember! You helped when Mylène was Akumatized,” Chat Noir said, and Sabrina just sparkled in joy.

“Omigosh, you do?! I can't believe a superhero knows my name! And you're in Marinette's room!”

Chat Noir scratched the back of his head, and Marinette thought he looked adorable.

“Heheh, well...” he said, “Marinette has experience punching Akumas in the face.”

“I do not!” she tried to deny.

“Oh, that's why you agreed to a date with an Akuma!” Sabrina said. Chat Noir's expression turned thunderous.

“WHAT.”

“I was gonna call you!” Marinette promised. “Somehow...”

----

The two of them tried to do as much work as possible for the project, but soon enough Marinette realized she would have to begin rushing through getting ready for the birthday party. Chat Noir had actually been a sport about it, although Marinette had detected some ugly signs of something about all of this.

Marinette accompanied Sabrina to the entrance.

“Sorry about that, Sabrina,” she apologized.

“It's okay! We got a lot done and I got to meet Chat Noir!” Sabrina cheered. “Day 1 of No Chloé is already amazing!”

----

“HA-CHOOO!”

Great, not only did she have to do her work instead of leaving it in Sabrina's hands, as it should have been, now her nose was leaking.

“This day is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous!” she shouted, silently picking the handkerchief Tikki was bringing her.

----

Alix looked around for her friend, but couldn't see him anywhere. She did manage to see Kim and Max, though: they were meant to be in the same group, so maybe they had seen him?

“Have you guys seen Nathaniel?” she asked them. “He was supposed to come to my place after school.”

“Not since this morning,” Kim said, apologetically.

“Great. Awesome. Perfect,” she groaned, wondering what the hell had held Nathaniel up.

They were meant to be celebrating his birthday, damnit!

----

“That's quite the charming scene you're drawing, but don't lose sight of your objective, friend.”

Evillustrator nodded.

“Romancing Marinette.”

“Incorrect!” Hawkmoth said, annoyed, but he paid him no mind.

“Hey!” a female voice said, and he looked at the source. “Bon anniversaire!”

“Marinette!” She looked so lovely, so wonderful!

----

Chat Noir glared at the scene below.

Marinette was wearing a beret, a jacket over a short dress, leggins under the boots, and her hair held up in two tresses instead of the usual pigtails.

Marinette was always beautiful, but right now...

Dammit, she looks cute! Totally wasted on this guy!

Why couldn't it be him down there instead of the Akuma?

----

“This looks amazing!” Marinette said. The Akuma invited her to his boat and to sit on the bench in the middle, which swayed slowly over the Seine's current. She had to admit it looked romantic, but she would have preferred if it were Chat Noir someone else sitting where the Akuma was. As she watched the Akuma paint musical notes that floated in the air, she went ahead with her question. “So, why is this the first I've heard about your birthday?”

“Huh?” the Akuma absent-mindedly asked, still painting on his tablet.

“You are Nathaniel, aren't you?”

“It's Evillustrator now. I don't like all the attention, so I only tell a few people. Like Alix. And you!” Evillustrator said. “You kept your promise, so I'll keep mine. And I always keep my promises!”

----

“This moron really over here blowing off our birthday plans?” Alix said, groaning into her pillow. “Where the heck are you, Nath?”

----

Now was the moment of truth. She knew it was a risky move, but she and Chat Noir had agreed on the plan, and if she did things right, Nathaniel would be freed soon.

“Maybe I could draw you something?” she suggested, reaching out for the stylus.

She ignored Chat Noir's glare from behind her.

“That'd be awesome!” Evillustrator replied, allowing her to pick the tool.

“NOW!” she shouted, and jumped off the bench as Chat Noir extended his baton, blocking Evillustrator.

“What?!” the Akuma exclaimed, shocked.

“Marinette!” Chat Noir shouted, urging her to run.

“Laughing and mocking me?! Betraying me?!” Evillustrator said, clearly feeling hurt. “You're just like Chloé!”

She knew she should jump off the boat. Keep the stylus away from Evillustrator. Stay away as Chat Noir immobilized him until Scarlet Lady could bother with moving her butt off her La-Z-Boy chair and at least come purify the butterfly and fix everything.

But that comparison cracked something in her mind.

In the blink of an eye, she was looming over Evillustrator, who looked like he was really scared out of his mind.

“O-ho! Care to repeat that?” she said, almost ready to stab him with the stylus.

“EEP!” Evillustrator said.

----

Tikki was not surprised.

Not anymore.

Not that it didn't make her feel angry.

“Don't you have an Akuma to deal with?” she asked.

“Uh, I have a physics project to ignore?” Chloé answered, reading Paris Match, which had Adrien as its cover. “The cat boy will ring me when he catches the stupid thing.”

----

Then, everything went wrong.

Evillustrator managed to kick Chat Noir's baton and hit her, and she lost the stylus in the process.

When Chat Noir shrunk his baton and jumped to attack, Evillustrator grabbed his stylus and managed to create a barrier in the shape of a box, trapping him inside, and then brought it down so it trapped both of them together.

“AH!”

“HA!”

And then, he used his power to erase a hole into the ship.

“I'm taking back my promise! Chloé's getting a lesson she'll never forget!” Evillustrator announced before jumping off the boat, leaving the two of them behind.

Marinette realized she had screwed up. That moment of weakness had cost them their best chance of stopping Evillustrator before it was too late. And now... Chat Noir looked like he was at the edge of a nervous breakdown, holding his baton as if to keep the walls from closing in.

“Calm down, Chat Noir!” she tried to help. “Extend your baton upwards!”

“You calm down! This psycho trapped us in a box and left us to drown! Does the air feel thin to you?!”

“Ho-kay! That's a lot to unpack,” she replied. Was Chat Noir claustrophobic?

With a bit of a struggle, she managed to coax her hero into moving the baton as instructed, and when he extended it they were propelled upwards, pushing the box away and allowing them to get back to safe land, while the boat Evillustrator had created began to sink.

“Thanks, Chat Noir!” she said, cheering. “Now you can–”

And then Chat Noir gave her a bear hug, much to her surprise.

“Chat, wha–?” she tried to ask, but Chat Noir interrupted her.

“Too close. That was way too close! I almost lost you again! I can't –”

He sounded so pained. So hurt. So scared.

As he slowly let go, and moved his hands from her back to her face, she looked into his eyes, and she saw, for probably the first time ever, that Chat Noir was actually afraid.

“Chat Noir?” she tried to say, because that sight scared her more than anything she had seen. Yes, even more than what she had gone through when Stoneheart kidnapped her.

“Please, Marinette. Promise me.”

And then he said three words that stabbed her heart like an icicle.

“No more Akumas.”

She wanted to say no. She wanted to keep helping. She wanted to help keep him safe!

But... she couldn't bear to see that pain in his eyes any more.

She knew he was asking this for her own safety.

And, as painful as it was...

“I... I'll try.”

“Thank you.”

… she promised.

----

After making sure she was alright, Chat Noir ran for Le Grand Paris, which was obviously Evillustrator's next target, and Marinette just watched him go.

“Chat Noir...”

“You two mean a lot to each other.”

She shook up as a gentle voice spoke behind her.

“Ah! You startled me!”

The voice belonged to a man of Chinese ancestry, with brown hair, a moustache and goatee, and a jacket and trousers of good quality. There was something about him that prickled at the edge of her memory, but she wasn't sure what.

“It can't be easy, being in love with a superhero.”

“'Love'?! No, I'm not in love with–!”

Then she realized it.

The feeling of his arms around her.

His cheerfulness whenever they spoke.

The beating of her heart when he smiled at her.

The fun they had back when M. Pigeon struck.

How they had worked together when she was Maotif.

Every time he called her 'my Princess'.

Every time he kissed her hand.

The day they met, at the Parc des Princes.

The day he clutched her from the jaws of death, at the Eiffel Tower.

He...

“Oh.”

He was her Chat Noir.

She was in love with Chat Noir.

“OH.”

The shock of this epiphany made her already present blush spread, and forced her to sit down, as she dealt with it all, by pushing her face into her legs, trying to hide both her blush and her tears.

“NonononoNO! I can't be in love with Chat Noir!” she yelled, begged, actually.

“Why not?” the gentle old man asked, as he sat next to her, and she looked at him, crying her heart out.

“Because! That'll make me want to help him more and I just promised I wouldn't!” she said, feeling herself break in pieces. The old man smiled. “I don't want to stress him out because I love him, but I can't leave him to depend on his useless partner because I love him!”

“Why don't I walk you home?” the man suggested, but she shook her head.

“Excuse me, I'm not done spiraling.”

----

It looked like Chloé was finally going to start doing something, but instead she just went on to plan how to excuse not doing her work. Again.

“Chloé, your teacher is never gonna buy your 'traumatized by hairdryers' excuse,” she pointed out, exasperated.

“You're right. An army of hairdryers couldn't dull my beauty.”

And, as always, Chloé completely missed the point of her comments.

That was when the door handles began to jiggle.

“What was that?” Chloé asked.

“I'll check,” she offered. Phasing through the wall, she stealthily made her way to a place where she would be able to see what was going on at the door. Seeing a familiar face, she promptly turned around. “It's the Akuma.”

“Fine, you know the drill.”

----

Evillustrator chose to stop trying to open the door by hand and resorted to his stylus, erasing the door.

“Chloé~ Where are you~?” he sing-sang, looking around for his target.

“Not here, freak!”

“Hey!” Evillustrator said, just barely dodging the polka-dotted yo-yo as it passed by his head.

“Oh, you decided to show up, Scar!” Chat Noir said in a disbelieving tone.

“Obviously!” Scarlet Lady said. “My best friend, Chloé Bourgeois, was in danger!”

“Is that why you almost let her become soup last week?” Chat Noir asked, piercing like a rapier sword.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Scarlet Lady tried to cover up.

Evillustrator decided to act now. The sooner he got that stuff Hawkmoth wanted off them, the sooner he'd be able to find Chloé and get his revenge.

“If you knew anything about Chloé, you wouldn't defend her!”

“Rude!” Scarlet Lady exclaimed, as he sent a pair of giant boxing gloves at them.

Chat Noir whacked the gloves off, destroying them, and turned to Evillustrator.

Bearing the visage of a true predator, growling less like a cat and more like a lion, eager to shed the blood of the one that had threatened his mate.

Despite himself, Evillustrator flinched.

----

As he dealt with the Akuma's illusions, Scar summoned the Lucky Charm.

“Another useless, mundane object,” she complained. Chat Noir looked and saw it was a bouncy ball, with the same colors as every other Lucky Charm that had been summoned, and he knew what to do.

“GIMME THAT!” he shouted, snatching the ball off Scar's hand.

“HEY!” she complained. He didn't care.

And, as he readied his shot, he poured his rage into it.

This Akuma had put him in the box, and that made him angry.

But he had tried to kill Marinette.

The one safe port in the shitstorm that was his life.

The girl he loved more than himself.

Evillustrator made him furious.

He fired the ball.

“AGH!”

He hit him straight in the face, and he dropped the stylus, which broke when it fell to the floor, freeing the butterfly.

And, as the costume covering Evillustrator vanished, restoring Nathaniel, the tablet had the time for one last message before vanishing.

K.O.

He took a deep breath. He couldn't take his anger for the Akuma on Nathaniel, whose only 'sin' had been to like Marinette and to be embarrassed by Chloé ripping his drawing.

“... yaaaaay, we won,” Scar commented.

----

The next day was meant to be like any other day, but being the aftermath of not just an Akuma attack, but one that had ended hitting her close, Marinette knew it wouldn't be a normal day.

Which was proven when she arrived to school.

“So, what happened when the Akuma got there?” Alya asked, filming Chloé, since she had been the victim (and cause, not that the latter would ever admit it) of Evillustrator.

“Well, Scarlet Lady handled it perfectly while Chat Noir wrecked my room!”

“Geez,” she muttered, angry. She knew what that meant in Chloé-speak: Scarlet Lady did nothing while Chat Noir stopped the Akuma, and then the former just took all the credit.

“Hey, Marinette,” Adrien said, closing her locker door.

“AH! ADRIEN!” she yelled, putting her hand over her bumping heart, trying to calm down. “You scared me! How'd you sneak up on me like that!?”

“I have my ways,” he said, smiling. She closed her eyes halfway.

“... were you hiding in that locker?” she asked, suspicious.

“... noooo?” he answered, looking aside. Marinette wasn't fooled at all.

“Omigod, you were.”

----

Adrien decided he had to switch the conversation before Marinette began to think him a fool.

“So, I hear you had another Chat Noir encounter~” he said. Marinette was usually full of praise for his hero identity, so maybe he could find how she felt after yesterday's events.

“Yeah! It sucked!” she replied, beginning to cry.

That was not what he was expecting.

“Oh God! Why?!”

“I promised to stay out of Akuma fights!” she said between sobs.

Oh, crap, he had to fix this somehow!

“Isn't that a good thing?!”

“No cuz now Chat Noir has no one to rely on because Scarlet Lady is the worst!”

Oh, great, he had made her sad! Bad Adrien!

He gently pulled her into his arms and patted her head, trying to calm her down.

“I'm sure he appreciates your sacrifice,” he said, but that didn't seem to convince the still grumbling Marinette.

Welp, he would enjoy it as best as he could. Hopefully, she would see things his way.

----

Nathaniel watched Adrien console Marinette from afar. He didn't know what the hell had happened yesterday, but hopefully he had done nothing wrong.

“You're not gonna talk to her?”

“AH!”

“Well?” Sabrina asked, giving him a small smile.

“I'm... worried I might've hurt her,” he confessed.

“You were pretty calm for an Akuma. From what I saw,” Sabrina calmed him down.

“Really?”

“Yes, you very calmly asked Marinette out to your birthday party, alone, just the two of you,” she teased him.

He dropped to the ground and covered up his burning face.

“Ughhhh, leave me here to die,” he begged, embarrassed.

“Nathaniel!” someone else shouted, yanking his scarf.

“AH! Why does this keep happening?!”

“Where the hell were you?!” Alix angrily asked. “You ditch me and then don't answer any of my texts?!”

“Alix, I was an Akuma,” he explained.

“Ooooh!” She offered a fist bump, which he answered to. “Welcome to the Birthday Akuma Club!”

“You guys need therapy,” Sabrina noted, going to her locker to put her things in.

“Sabrina~!” Chloé said, suddenly appearing with the beret from yesterday in hand. “I'm sure you've heard of the trauma I had to endure. You understand I couldn't possibly work on the project!”

Seeing it for a white flag, Sabrina accepted the beret and decided to give her another opportunity.

“Alright, alright. You did have a hard time, I guess.”

She ignored Chloé palming the eyedropper out of eyesight.

“I knew you'd understand,” Chloé said, and she hugged the beret.

“But this is the last chance, Chloé,” she stated.

“Yeah, sure, whatever!” Chloé replied.

Somewhere in her inside, she knew that Chloé would waste it. She didn't know how, why, or when... but she was going to throw her last chance to the dustbin.

----

“Hmm... the Ox may be hard for a teenager to hide,” Fu noted, observing the open Miraculous Box. Those two empty holes, belonging to the Butterfly and the Peacock, hurt, but nothing could be done yet. Not until Hawkmoth was finally found.

“You're sure about this, Master?” Wayzz, his faithful companion, asked.

“I understand your concern after the last time, Wayzz, but I am certain now,” he replied. “She's proven several times that she has the makings of a hero.”

“Okay...” Wayzz accepted, before giving him a look. “You're not going to put it in her purse again, are you?”

“NO!”

----

Vanisher

@zoe-oneesama Hoping I made honor to the scene where Chat Noir asks Marinette to stop risking her life.

Also, end of Season 2, just before Gorizilla ended! Only 26 episodes away from reaching the comics!

Hope you guys liked this, because, remember, next chapter is the debut of our favourite heroine!

#scarlet lady the novel #scarlet lady #milarqui #fanfiction #long post #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #end of season

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